 sancti
Zacharíæ Prophetæ In Palæstina , qui, de
Chaldæa
senex in pátriam revérsus, ibique defunctus, juxta
Aggæum Prophétam conditus jacet.
In Palestine, the prophet Zachary, who returned in
his old age from Chaldea to his own country, and lies buried near the
prophet Aggeus. |
 1st
v.
Archangel
Michael at Colossus, later called Chone The miracle performed by 
The Miracle of the Holy Chief Commander Archangel Michael at
Colossae.
In Phrygia, not far from the city of Hieropolis, in a place called
Cheretopos, there was a church named for the Archangel Michael, built
over a miraculous spring.
This church was built by a certain inhabitant of the city of
Laodicia
in gratitude to God for healing his mute daughter. The holy Chief
Commander Michael appeared to this man in a dream and revealed to him
that his daughter would receive the gift of speech after drinking from
the water of the spring. The girl actually did receive healing and
began to speak. After this miracle, the father and his daughter and all
their family were baptized. In fervent gratitude, the father built the
church in honor of the holy Chief Commander Michael. Not only did
Christians begin to come to the spring for healing, but also pagans. In
so doing, many of the pagans turned from their idols and were converted
to the faith in Christ.
At this church of the holy Chief Commander Michael, a
certain pious man
by the name of Archippus served for sixty years as church custodian. By
his preaching and by the example of his saintly life he brought many
pagans to faith in Christ. With the general malice of that time towards
Christians, and especially against Archippus, the pagans thought to
destroy the church in order to prevent people from coming to that holy
place of healing, and at the same time kill Archippus.
Toward this end they made
a confluence of the Lykokaperos and Kufos
Rivers and directed its combined flow against the church. St Archippus
prayed fervently to the Chief Commander Michael to ward off the danger.
Through his prayer the Archangel Michael appeared at the temple, and
with a blow of his staff, opened a wide fissure in a rock and commanded
the rushing torrents of water to flow into it. The temple remained
unharmed. Seeing such an awesome miracle, the pagans fled in terror.
Archippus and the Christians gathered in church glorified God and gave
thanks to the holy Archangel Michael for the help. The place where the
rivers plunged into the fissure received the name "Chonae", which means
"plunging."
The Chudov ("of the
Miracle") monastery in Moscow is named for this
Feast.
6 September - The miracle is the springs which St. Michael
is said to
have drawn from the rock at Colossae (later called Chonae, the present
Khonas, on the Lycus). The pagans directed a stream against the
sanctuary of St. Michael to destroy it, but the archangel split the
rock by lightning to give a new bed to the stream, and sanctified
forever the waters which came from the gorge.
The Greeks claim that this apparition took place about the
middle of
the first century and celebrate a feast in commemoration of it.
{MELKITE}
Troparion of the Angels (tone 4) Captains and Leaders
of the
armies of heaven, unworthy as we are, we
beseech you without cease to surround us with your intercessions and
cover us beneath the shelter of the glory of your ethereal wings. We
bend our knees and cry out with perseverance, "Deliver us from danger,
O Princes of the Powers on high!"
Exapostilarion of the Holy Archangel Michael Radiantly
reflecting illuminations of great brightness of the
Trinity, O Archangel, you pass like lightning across the whole
creation,fulfilling the divine commands, and guarding, preserving and
protecting those who joyfully sing your praises. Pray that
St Michael and all angels will intercede with God for our
protection and salvation.
|
Verklärung
des
Herrn Calixtus III. hat 1457 den 6. August für die ganze
römische Kirche festgelegt.
Alle Kirchen: 6. August
Die Verklärung Jesu (Mark. 9, 2 ff./Mattth. 17, 1 ff./Luk. 8, 28
ff) dient schon im 2. Petrusbrief (1, 16 ff.) als Begründung des
Apostelamtes. Der Ort der Verklärung wird in der Bibel nicht
genannt. Petrus spricht vom heiligen Berg, so dass sich schon um 35o
die Auffassung durchsetzt, es könne sich nur um den Berg Tabor in
Galiläa gehandelt haben. Auf dem Tabor standen schon vor der
Landnahme durch Israel kanaanäische Heiligtümer.
Im 6. Jahrhundert wurde auf dem Tabor eine große Basilika gebaut.
Unter den Kreuzfahrern wurde das Bergplateau in einen griechischen und
einen lateinischen Bereich aufgeteilt. Auch heute stehen nach der
Zerstörung der alten Kirchen auf dem Tabor eine orthodoxe und eine
katholische Kirche. Der Tag der Verklärung wurde in der Ostkirche
schon im 4. Jahrhundert am 6. August begangen. In Spanien wurde das
Datum im 9. Jahrhundert übernommen. Calixtus III. hat 1457 den 6.
August für die ganze römische Kirche festgelegt . |
St. Eutychus
The
Departure of ; disciple of St. John the Evangelist; St. Paul raised him
with his prayers. (Acts 20:9) {COPTIC}
On this day, St. Eutychus, the disciple of St. John the Evangelist,
departed. After he spent some time with the apostle, Eutychus asked for
his permission to go to St. Paul, the Apostle, and St. John allowed
him. He went to St. Paul and preached the Name of Christ with him, and
returned many of the Jews and the pagans to the Lord Christ and
baptized them. He converted temples of idols to churches, and he
endured tribulations, imprisonment, and beatings for many days. He was
cast in the fire, but he was not harmed, and was cast to the lions,
which did not harm him but rather became friendly towards him. He went
to Sebastia and preached there, and the angel of the Lord was with him
and strengthened him.
It was said, that this saint was the young man who sat in a window and
"was sinking into a deep sleep. He was overcome by sleep; and as Paul
continued speaking, he fell down from the third story and was taken up
dead," and St. Paul raised him with his prayers. (Acts 20:9) May his
blessings be with us. Amen .
|
St.
Pishay (Abshai), the
Antiochian Martyrdom of {COPTIC}
On this day also, St. Pishay (Abshai), the brother of St. Bahor (Abba
Hor - St. Hour), was martyred. He was from the city of Antioch, and
because of his piety and knowledge, he was ordained a priest. When his
brother, Abba Hour, and his mother went to Alexandria, they were
martyred on the 29th day of Baounah. This saint gave all his
possessions to the poor and the needy, and came to Alexandria to be
blessed by their bodies. When he saw the two bodies, he wept much, then
went to the governor and confessed the Lord Christ before him. The
governor tortured him much until he delivered up his pure soul. The
governor ordered his body burned along with the bodies of his brother
and his mother, and the bodies of other martyrs, eighty-eight in number.
Certain believers came and took the bodies of Sts. Pishay,
Abba Hour,
their mother, and the bodies of Sts. Tabamoun (Damon), of the city of
Danbak (Debkeya), Abimachus (Bimakos), from the city of El-Baramon, and
Barashenoufah (Wursunufa), of the city of Teliah (Tuluya), and carried
them to the city of Ansabashy (Ablasi), where the believers received
them with great reverence.
May their prayers be with
us and Glory be to our God forever. Amen .
|
Arapet
{"Arabian"} Theotokos
Icon appeared while Apostle Thomas evangelizing Ethiopia, Arabia, and
India.
The Arapet, or "Arabian" Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos appeared while
the holy Apostle Thomas (October 6) was evangelizing Ethiopia, Arabia,
and India.
Instead of the usual three stars (signifying the perpetual virginity of
the Mother of God), the outer garment of the Theotokos has three
circles with the head of an angel inside each one. In this feature, it
resembles the icons "In Giving Birth you Preserved your Virginity" ("A
Virgin Before and After Giving Birth") (October 17) and "O All-Hymned
Mother" (October 6) .
|
1st v. Saint
Archippus (Greek for "master of the horse") the
saint at Colossae, son of devout Christians from the city of
Hieropolis; He persuaded many pagans who came to the holy spring to
accept holy
Baptism, to forsake pagan impiety, and to turn to the One True God and
Savior Jesus Christ
At age ten went to pray in the church of the holy Chief Commander
Michael and he remained at this temple to serve as church caretaker.
He led a strict and ascetic
manner of life, constantly at fasting and prayer.
He persuaded many pagans who came
to the holy spring to accept holy
Baptism, to forsake pagan impiety, and turn to the One True God and
Savior Jesus Christ. Tenacious pagans headed by idolous priests
repeatedly tried to kill St Archippus, but each time the Lord delivered
him out of their hands.
Finally, the pagans devised a plan to destroy the church
and at the
same time kill also Archippus by flooding the spot where both the
church and the curative spring stood. Seeing the preparations for this
wicked deed, St Archippus firmly resolved not to abandon the holy
place, and he prayed to God and to the Archangel Michael to preserve
the church and the spring. The Lord heard his prayer, and the saint
witnessed the great Miracle of the Chief Commander Michael at Colossae.
Miraculously delivered from death, St Archippus lived at the church
into his old age, and he died peacefully at the age of 70. Christians
buried the saint at Colossae, at the place of his deeds.
|
81 St. Onesiphorus, disciple of the
apostles Martyr
with
Porphyrius St. Paul’s Second Letter to Timothy
In Hellespónto sancti Onesíphori, Apostolórum
discípuli, cujus méminit sanctus Paulus ad
Timótheum scribens. Ipse autem Onesíphorus
ibídem, una cum sancto Porphyrio, jussu Hadriáni
Procónsulis ácriter verberátus et a
ferócibus raptátus equis, spíritum Deo
réddidit.
In the Hellespont, St. Onesiphorus, disciple of the
apostles, of whom St. Paul speaks in his Letter to Timothy. He
was severely scourged with St. Porphyry, by order of the proconsul
Adrian, and being dragged by wild horses, gave up his soul unto God.
Onesiphorus was mentioned in St. Paul’s
Second Letter to Timothy.
According to tradition, they went to Spain in the footsteps of St. Paul
and then suffered martyrdom on the Hellespont, under Emperor Domitian.
They were tied to wild horses and torn to pieces. Porphyrius was said
to be a member of Onesiphorus’ household.
|
98-117 Romulus
reproached the emperor for his impiety and the sheer folly to diminish
the army's strength during a time of war
He lived during the reign of the emperor Trajan (98-117) and was a
confidant of the emperor by virtue of his office of military commander.
While the emperor was waging war in the East to put down the uprisings
of various peoples against the Romans, the Iberians, the Sarmatians,
the Arabs.
In the year 107, and again a second time in 115, the emperor conducted
a review of the military strength of his army, and found in his troops
upwards of 11,000 Christians. Trajan immediately sent these Christians
into exile in Armenia in disgrace. St Romulus, in view of this,
reproached the emperor for his impiety and the sheer folly to diminish
the army's strength during a time of war. St Romulus, moreover,
acknowledged that he himself was a Christian. The enraged Trajan had
the holy martyr subjected to a merciless beating, after which St
Romulus was beheaded.
The Christian soldiers sent into exile in Armenia were killed by
various forms of execution .
|
St.
Cottidus, Eugene deacon, & Companions Cappadocian martyr
In Cappadócia sanctórum Mártyrum Cóttidi
Diáconi, Eugénii et Sociórum.
In Cappadocia, the holy martyrs Cottidus, deacon,
Eugene, and their companions.
Cottidus is described as a deacon. Nothing
else other than his
martyrdom is known.
Cottidus, Eugene and Companions MM (RM). Saint Cottidus, a deacon, and
some companions were martyred in Cappadocia, however little is known
about them because their acta have been lost (Benedictines).
|
Eve M "Patron of
the
town of Dreux, she was martyred"
(Encyclopedia).
|
250
St. Faustus,
a priest, Macarius, and ten companions, who received the martyr's crown
by being beheaded for the name of Christ.
Alexandríæ
pássio sanctórum Mártyrum Fausti Presbyteri,
Macárii et Sociórum decem; qui, sub Décio
Imperatóre et Valério Præside, pro Christi
nómine, abscíssis cervícibus, martyrium
complevérunt.
At Alexandria, in the time of Emperor Decius and the
governor Valerius, the holy martyrs Faustus, a priest, Macarius, and
ten companions, who received the martyr's crown by being beheaded for
the name of Christ.
The Martyrs Cyriacus, Faustus the Presbyter,
(Habib) Abibas the Deacon, and eleven other martyrs suffered martyrdom
for Christ at Alexandria under the emperor Decius (249-251). During the
persecution, they all steadfastly confessed themselves as Christians
before the governor Valerius. They were beheaded by the sword, about
the year 250. Their bodies were buried by Christians in Alexandria.
beheaded at Macarius, with ten other martyrs. They suffered in
Alexandria, Egypt.
Faustus, Macarius and Companions MM (RM). Twelve martyrs beheaded at
Alexandria, Egypt, under Decius (Benedictines) .
|
273
Augustine, Sanctian,
and Beata martyred at Sens and where they are still venerated MM (AC)
This trio of saints fled from their home in Spain during a persecution
to Gaul, where they were martyred at Sens and where they are still
venerated (Benedictines).
|
Eudoxius a
military
commander in the imperial armies, Zeno friend, house steward
Macarius and their Companions received a martyric death for Christ
under the emperor Maximian Galerius, the successor of
the emperor
Diocletian.
St Eudoxius held the high position of a military commander
in the
imperial armies. He was a Christian, as were his friend Zeno and his
house steward Macarius. After the emperor Diocletian issued an edict
that Christians who refused to offer sacrifice to idols were to be put
to death, many people fled to various lands with their families to
avoid torture and death. At this time St Eudoxius resigned his high
position, and with his wife St Basilissa and all their family abandoned
their property and went into hiding in the region of Armenian Melitene.
The governor of Melitene sent soldiers to search for
Eudoxius. When
they found Eudoxius, he was attired in white garb. Not recognising him,
the soldiers began to question whether a certain military commander
Eudoxius had come into these parts. Not revealing who he was, the saint
invited the soldiers into his home, fed them and gave them lodging for
the night. St Eudoxius considered his encounter with the soldiers
as a sign from the Lord of his impending death by martyrdom. In the
morning, he disclosed to his guests that he was the one whom they were
seeking. In gratitude for the hospitality, the soldiers offered to
conceal from the authorities that they had found St Eudoxius. However,
the saint would not consent to this. Setting his affairs in
order, he told his wife not to weep for him, but on the contrary to
celebrate the day of his martyric death. Donning his military garb, he
went with the soldiers to the governor. St Basilissa and his friends
Sts Zeno and Macarius followed after St Eudoxius.
The governor tried to persuade St Eudoxius to offer
sacrifice to the
idols and by this safeguard his life, exalted rank and property. St
Eudoxius firmly refused, denouncing the folly of anyone who would
worship soulless idols. He removed his soldier's belt, the emblem of
his authority, and threw it in the governor's face. Soldiers
present at this, secret Christians, did the same thing, and they
numbered more than a thousand men. The embarrassed governor asked the
emperor what he should do. He was ordered to try the ringleaders and
set the others free. After prolonged tortures, they led St
Eudoxius forth to execution. Following after her husband, St Basilissa
wept, and his friend St Zeno also wept for the martyr. St Eudoxius
again urged his wife not to mourn him, but rather to rejoice that he
was worthy of the crown of martyrdom. He asked that she bury his body
in a place called Amimos.
To his weeping friend St Zeno St Eudoxius predicted that
they would
enter the Kingdom of Heaven at the same time. Emboldened by these
words, Zeno loudly declared himself a Christian, for which he was
immediately sentenced to death.
Later, St Basilissa took her husband's body without
hindrance, and
buried it in the place where he had requested. After this, they
arrested the saint and led her before the governor. Desiring to share
the fate of her husband, she fearlessly denounced both the governor and
his false gods, the idols. The governor, however, saw her intent and
would not torture her, but instead sent her away. As she left, the
saint said to him that God would see her intention to suffer for her
faith and would accept this intent as an accomplished deed.
Seven days later, St
Eudoxius appeared to his wife in a vision and bade
her to inform his friend and house steward Macarius, that both he and
St Zeno awaited the arrival of Macarius. Macarius immediately went to
the governor and declared himself a Christian, for which he was
sentenced to death and beheaded. Many Christians also suffered
martyrdom during this time.
|
284-305 Cyril,
Bishop
of Gortyna One night the saint heard a voice commanding him to go to
Rome; In the morning the doors of the prison were open, and the idols
overthrown and destroyed. On the road to Rome St Cyril had a vision: St
Philoxenos appeared and said that he would receive two crowns, one of a
hierarch and the other of a martyr; a vision and received a command not
to neglect Crete.
St Cyril is commemorated on
June
14 on the Greek calendar.
The
Hieromartyr lived during the time of the emperor Diocletian and his
co-emperor Maximian (284-305). As a Christian he was brought to trial
before the governor Agrippina and after interrogation he was thrown
into prison. One night the saint heard a voice commanding him to go to
Rome. In the morning the doors of the prison were open, and the
idols overthrown and destroyed. On the road to Rome St Cyril had a
vision: St Philoxenos appeared and said that he would receive two
crowns, one of a hierarch and the other of a martyr.
At Rome, St Cyril rendered great help to the Church by his
preaching.
When a persecution against Christians started up, St Cyril went to
Jerusalem to encourage the Christians living there. Along the way he
had a vision and received a command not to neglect Crete.
When he arrived there, St Cyril was chosen bishop of the
city of
Gortyna. He was then 60. Still on the episcopal throne of Gortyna at
95, St Cyril was brought to trial at the start of a new persecution
against Christians and sentenced to death. He was beheaded with the
sword in the vicinity of Raukos at the beginning of the fourth century.
|
 450 Verónæ sancti
Petrónii, Epíscopi et Confessóris.
Verónæ
sancti Petrónii, Epíscopi et
Confessóris.
At Verona, St. Peronius, bishop
and confessor.
He was especially known for his care of the
poor.
|
460 St.
Arator The
fourth bishop of Verdun, France
|
484
St. Donatian Martyr with Fusculus, Germanus, Laetus
In Africa sanctórum Episcopórum Donatiáni,
Præsidii, Mansuéti, Germáni et Fúsculi; qui,
in persecutióne Wandálica, jussu Ariáni Regis
Hunneríci, pro assertióne cathólicæ
veritátis, fústibus diríssime cæsi et
exsílio elimináti sunt. Inter eos étiam erat
Epíscopus, nómine Lætus, strénuus atque
doctíssimus vir, qui, post diutúrnos cárceris
squalóres, incéndio concremátus est.
In Africa, in the persecution of the Vandals, the
holy bishops Donatian, Praesidius, Mansuetus, Germanus, and Fusculus,
who were most cruelly scourged and sent into exile by order of the
Arian king Hunneric, because they proclaimed the Catholic truth.
Among them was one named Laetus, also a bishop, a courageous and very
learned man, who was burned alive after a long imprisonment in a
loathsome dungeon.
484 Donatian, Laetus and Others, Bishops And Martyrs
In the year 484 the Arian king of the Vandals, Huneric, ordered that
all the Catholic churches of Africa were to be closed and the goods of
the clergy to be taken from them and given to the Arian clergy; the
bishops, in particular, who had assembled at the royal command were
turned out of the city. Outside of the gates Huneric met a party of
them, who appealed against his injustice and cruelty. "Ride them
down!" he said to his mounted followers, and that was all
the answer
he gave. St Donatian with four others, all bishops in
the province of Byzacene, were cruelly beaten, and then driven into the
desert, and died of hunger, thirst and exposure.
St Laetus,
Bishop of Leptis Minor, whom the Roman Martyrology calls "a zealous and
very learned man", had made himself particularly obnoxious to Huneric
by his opposition to Arianism. He was thrown into
a filthy dungeon, from which he only emerged to be burnt alive, one of
the first martyrs of the persecution.
The feast of these martyrs,
with St Laetus in chief, is kept by the Canons Regular of the
Lateran.
See the Acta
Sanctorum
September, vol. ii, where we are referred to the Historia pesecutionis provinciae Africana
by Victor of Vita, but it is difficult to identify the particular names
set down in the martyrology.
Mansuetus, and Praesidius, all bishops of
northern Africa. They all
opposed the closing of churches by Arian King
Hunneric of Vandals. After torture, these bishops were abandoned in a
desert,
where they died of exposure. Laetus was burned to death
|
5th
v. Donatian, Laetus, and Companions driven from North Africa by the
Arian King Huneric of the Vandals BM (RM)
In Africa sanctórum Episcopórum Donatiáni,
Præsidii, Mansuéti, Germáni et Fúsculi; qui,
in persecutióne Wandálica, jussu Ariáni Regis
Hunneríci, pro assertióne cathólicæ
veritátis, fústibus diríssime cæsi et
exsílio elimináti sunt. Inter eos étiam erat
Epíscopus, nómine Lætus, strénuus atque
doctíssimus vir, qui, post diutúrnos cárceris
squalóres, incéndio concremátus est.
In Africa, in the
persecution of the Vandals, the holy bishops Donatian, Praesidius,
Mansuetus, Germanus, and Fusculus, who were most cruelly scourged and
sent into exile by order of the Arian king Hunneric, because they
proclaimed the Catholic truth. Among them was one named Laetus,
also a bishop, a courageous and very learned man, who was burned alive
after a long imprisonment in a loathsome dungeon.
Donatian, Praesidius, Mansuetus, Germanus,
Fusculus and
Laetus were
among the more prominent Catholics driven from North Africa by the
Arian King Huneric of the Vandals. Victor of Utica gives an account of
them in his history of the persecution. It is said that 5,000 Catholics
were exiled in a single year (Benedictines).
|
497
Maccallin of Lusk B (AC)
(also known as Maccallan, Macculin, Macoulmdus)
The Irish Calendar commemorates Saint Maccallin, bishop of Lusk, who is
also venerated in Scotland which he once visited (Benedictines,
Husenbeth).
|
585-590
Eleutherius of
Spoleto, OSB Abbot one favored by God with the gift of miracles
(RM)
Romæ sancti Eleuthérii Abbátis, qui Dei servus
fuit, atque (ut sanctus Gregórius Papa scribit) oratióne
et lácrimis mórtuum suscitávit.
At Rome, the holy abbot Eleutherius, a servant of
God, who, according to the testimony of Pope St. Gregory, raised a dead
man to life by his prayers and tears.
Died in Rome, Italy. The Dialogues of Saint
Gregory the
Great tell us
of the wonderful simplicity of this holy man, who was abbot of Saint
Mark's near Spoleto and well-known as one favored by God with the gift
of miracles. When Eleutherius proudly rebuked the devil, after
delivering a child from possession and educating him at Saint Mark's:
"Since the child, is among the servants of God, the devil dares not
approach him," the devil again tormented the boy. Eleutherius confessed
his vanity and ordered the whole community to fast and pray until the
child was again freed.
Later Saint Eleutherius resigned his abbacy and migrated to Saint
Andrew's abbey founded by Saint Gregory in Rome, where he lived for
many years as a simple monk. One Easter Eve Saint Gregory was unable to
fast due to illness. He engaged Eleutherius to go with him to the
church of Saint Andrew's and offer prayers to God for his health, that
he might join the faithful in that solemn practice of penance.
Eleutherius prayed with many tears, and the pope coming out of the
church, found his himself so strengthened that he was able to fast as
he desired. Saint Eleutherius raised a dead man to life. He died in
Saint Andrew's monastery in Rome, but his body was translated to
Spoleto (Benedictines, Husenbeth) .
6th v. ST
ELEUTHERLUS, ABBOT
“THE holy man, old
father Eleutherius”, is spoken of several times in the Dialogues
of St Gregory, wherein are chronicled certain miracles
reported of him by his monks. He was abbot of the monastery of St Mark,
near
Spoleto, and once when lodging at a convent of nuns he was asked to
take over
the care of a boy who was nightly troubled by an evil spirit. St
Eleutherius
did so, and for long nothing untoward happened to the boy, so that the
abbot
said, “The Devil is having a game with those sisters; but now that he
has to
deal with the servants of God he daren’t come near the child”. As if in
rebuke
of a speech that certainly savoured of boasting, the boy was at once
afflicted
by his former trouble. Eleutherius was conscious-stricken, and said to
the
brethren that stood by, “None of us shall eat food to-day until this
boy is
dispossessed”. All felt to prayer, and did not cease until the child
was cured.
One Holy Saturday St
Gregory was ill and could not fast, whereat, he tells us, he was
considerably
disturbed. “When I found on this sacred vigil, when not only adults but
even
children fast, that I could not refrain from eating, I was more grieved
thereby
than troubled by my illness.” So he asked Eleutherius to pray for him
that he
might join the people in their penance, and soon by virtue of that
prayer
Gregory found himself enabled to abstain from food. St Eleutherius
lived for
many years in Gregory’s monastery at Rome, and died there.
We know
practically nothing more about St Eleutherius
than St Gregory tells us in his Dialogues, notably in
bk 3 , ch. 33 but the story is discussed by the
Bollandists in
the Acta Sanctorum, September, vol.
ii.
|
Saint
David of Egypt monk,
former robber; received from God the power to perform miracles. He
healed many of the sick and cast out evil spirits
Before his entry into a monastery was the leader of a band of bandits
in Egypt, in the desert of Hermopolis. He had committed many murders
and other wicked deeds. As he grew older, he contemplated his life and
was filled with fear because of his past crimes. Leaving his gang of
bandits, he went to the monastery intending to repent of his wickedness.
He begged the igumen to accept him as one of the brethren, but the
igumen refused. He explained to David that their monastic life was very
severe and would be beyond his strength. David persisted and finally,
he revealed to the igumen, that he was the notorious robber David. He
said that if they did not accept him, he would return to his former
life, then come back and plunder the monastery and kill the monks.
Then the igumen allowed him into the monastery, and to the surprise of
all, David became an excellent monk. By his severe efforts David
surpassed all the monks. After a certain time the Lord sent the
Archangel Gabriel to David to say that the Lord had forgiven him. St
David, in his great humility, could not believe that the Lord would
forgive such a great sinner as he was, in such a short time. The
Archangel then said to him, that because of his doubt David would
become speechless. David asked that he should be permitted to say his
prayers, monastic rule and share in the church services. This was
granted him, but the rest of the time he remained speechless. Towards
the end of his life, St David received from God the power to perform
miracles. He healed many of the sick and cast out evil spirits. Having
lived in such manner for many years, he fell asleep in the Lord .
|
635 Bishop
of
Leon,
France companion of St. Columban
also known as Chainoaldus and Cagnou. He was the brother of St. Faro and St. Burgundofara. Cagnoald became a monk after meeting with St. Columban. In time he became the
bishop of Laon and attended
the Council of Reims in 630.
|
633
Chainoaldus B
of Laon after death of Columbanus resumed his bishopric (AC)
(also known as Cagnoald, Cagnou)
St Chainoaldus, or Cagnoald, Bishop of Laon
This saint, commonly called Cagnoald or Cagnou in France, is
of
interest chiefly on account of his association with St Columban, who
stayed at the house of his father near Meaux, and made a deep
impression on Chainoaldus and on his brother and sister, Faro and
Burgundofara, who followed him in holiness. He became a monk at
Luxeuil, and when St Columban was banished followed his master in all
his wanderings and helped him in his preaching and ministry. The
strife going on at the time between Theodebert JI of Austrasia and his
brother Theoderic gave Columban an occasion to read a lesson in charity
to his disciple. He dreamed one day that he saw the
two brothers fighting together, and when he awoke told Chainoaldus
sadly of what he had seen. "Pray then, father, that
Theodebert may beat our enemy Theoderic", observed Chainoaldus, whose
father was at the Austrasian court. "Not at all", replied
Columban. "Such prayer would not be pleasing to God, for He
tells us to pray for our enemies." Chainoaldus became bishop of
Laon, was present at the Council of Rheims of the year 630, and signed
the charter of the abbey of Solignac, which was founded by St Eligius
while he was still a layman.
Though there is no proper
life of this saint, his
activities and
cultus are discussed at some length in the Acta Sanctorum, September,. vol.
ii. See also Duchesne, Fastes
Episcopaux, vol iii, p. 139.
Saint Columbanus's monastery at Luxeuil was such a source of
holiness
that by the mid-seventh century it was the most important one in
France. It produced a stream of saints who led the clergy and people to
new height of spiritual awareness. Two of these men were brothers,
Saints Faro and Cagnoald, sons of King Dagobert's chancellor. Faro
became bishop of Meaux, while Cagnoald was bishop of Laon (their
sister, Saint Burgundofara (April 3) founded the convent of
Faremoûtiers).
When Columbanus angered King Theodoric II by criticizing his
immoral
life, he was banished from his realms in 610. Saint Cagnoald left his
see, followed Columbanus, and worked with him as a missionary near Lake
Constance. When Theodoric gained control of that area, too, they were
again banished.
Yet the saints remained charitable, even to such a
determined enemy.
King Theodebert II of Neustria had given them refuge during the time of
their missionary activities around Lake Constance. Columbanus's
anxieties caused him once to dream that he saw Theodebert and Theodoric
fighting. He awoke and told Cagnoald his dream. "Let us pray, then,
that Theodebert may defeat our enemy Theodoric," said Cagnoald.
Columbanus responded, "Certainly not. In no way would such a prayer
please God. He has ordered us to pray for our enemies."
So the two men travelled on to Italy, where Saint Columbanus
founded
the famous Bobbio monastery. Cagnoald had not personally been banned
from France, but followed his friend out of love. He returned to France
after the death of Columbanus and resumed his bishopric (Attwater,
Benedictines, Bentley).
633 St. Chainaldus Bishop
of
Laon, France, and brother of Sts. Faro and Burgundofaro. Chainaldus was
converted to the religious life by St. Columban in Meux, and became a
monk at Luxeuil. He was St. Columban’s missionary companion, going with
him into exile at Bobbio, Italy. Chainaldus became the bishop of Laon
and attended the Council of Reims, France, in 630.
|
7th v. Bega (Bee)
V
received the veil from Saint Aidan s venerated in Northumbria (AC)
probably identical with the Saint Bega celebrated on October
31.
St Bega, or Bee, Virgin
In the fourth book of his Ecclesiastical
History St Bede the Venerable refers to St Heiu, who, he says,
was regarded as the first woman in Northumbria to become a nun and who
founded a monastery at Hartlepool. This was taken over by St Hilda and
Heiu went to live at Tadcaster. A little further on he makes
mention of St Begu who, after being a religious for over thirty years,
had in the nunnery at Hackness a vision of the departing of the soul of
its foundress Hilda. St Bega (Begh, Bee) has been identified with
either or both of these holy women, as was done by Leland and the
Bollandists; the identification has not been confirmed but rather seems
to have been disproved. She is the heroine of a legend which
makes her the daughter of an Irish king, sought in marriage by a son of
the king of Norway. She had, however, vowed herself a virgin to Christ,
and had been given by an angel a bracelet marked with a cross as a
token of her heavenly betrothal. The day before she was to be
given to the prince, while her suitor and her father were revelling in
the hall, she escaped with the help of this bracelet and, seated on a
clod of earth, was navigated across the sea and landed safely on the
coast of Cumberland. For a time she lived as an anchoress, and the
sea-gulls, guillemots and gannets brought food for her sustenance but
human marauders were less kind, and she was advised by the king of
Northumbria, St Oswald, to become a nun. She therefore received
the veil from St Aidan (Bede says it was he who consecrated Heiu) and
established a monastery at St Fees (Copeland) which afterwards became a
cell of the Benedictine abbey of St Mary at York.
Whatever background of truth there may be in
the legend of
St Bega, there seems no doubt that she existed and was venerated in
Northumbria. The promontory on which she lived is named after her St
Bee's Head, and she was the patroness of the people of the
neighbourhood, ground down between the exactions of their lords and the
raids of the border Scots. They claimed even to possess her
miraculous bracelet, and treasured equally the stories of how St Bega
in her earthly life had been devoted to the poor and oppressed and had
cooked, washed and mended for the workmen who built her monastery. St
Bega was venerated in Scotland and Norway, and she may be the same as
the "Becga, daughter of Gabhran, virgin", who is named in the
Martyrology of Tallaght on February 10. Her feast is observed in
the diocese of Lancaster.
It is very difficult to
establish the truth
where we have
no sort of guarantee of the reliability of our sources. The
legend of St Bega in its fuller form rests entirely upon one manuscript
(Cotton, Faust. B. iv), which Hardy in his Descriptive Catalogue, i, p. 223,
dates twelfth century. The story is supported by the lessons in the
Aberdeen Breviary: see KSS,, p. 278, and the Acta Sanctorum, September, vol.
ii. C. Plummer, a very careful scholar, familiar with Irish as
well as Anglo-Saxon sources, says quite positively that the Begu of
Bede (bk iv, ch. 23) "is not to be confounded, as is often done, with
Heiu, or with the very mythical Irish saint Bega whose name is
preserved in St Bees". In the Lives
of the English Saints, Faber recounted in graceful terms the
legend of St Bega, and cited in an appendix Wordsworth's "Stanza" on
the headland of St Bee's. The Latin text of the Cotton manuscript was
first printed and translated by G. C. Tomlinson in the Carlisle Historical Tracts.
According to legend, Saint
Bega was an Irish princess, whom a Norwegian
prince sought in marriage. She, however, had already pledged herself
and her virginity to Jesus and been given a bracelet by an angel marked
with a cross as a token of her heavenly betrothal. On the eve of her
wedding, as her father and her groom were celebrating in the hall, she
escaped with the help of the bracelet. Seated on a clod of earth, she
was taken across the sea to the coast of Cumberland.
There she lived as an anchoress, who was fed by the wild
birds and, if
left in peace, would have continued in this fashion. After being
attacked by marauders, King Saint Oswald of Northumbria advised her to
enter a convent. She therefore received the veil from Saint Aidan and
established a monastery at Saint Bees (Copeland near Carlisle) which
later became a cell of the Benedictine abbey of Saint Mary at York.
While the details may be legend, Saint Bega was venerated in
Northumbria. The promontory on which she lived is named Saint Bee's
Head, and she is the patroness of the local people who were injured by
the exactions of their lords and the invasions of the neighboring
Scots. In her hermitage at Saint Bees (Cumbria) was kept what is
presumed to be her miraculous bracelet, which has the Old English name
beag that so closely resembled her that it may have given rise to her
cultus. The people treasured equally the stories of how Saint Bega in
her earthly life had been devoted to the poor and oppressed and had
cooked, washed and mended for the workmen who built her monastery.
There is also a place in Scotland called Kilbees, named after this
saint (Benedictines, Farmer, Delaney, Husenbeth, Walsh).
|
7th v. St. Felix and
Augebert 2 martyred English
who were captured and sold into slavery in France. Ransomed by Pope St.
Gregory I the Great,
Felix became a priest and
Augebert a deacon. While
preparing to return to England as missionaries, they were slain by
pagans in Champagne, France.
Felix and Augebert MM (AC) 7th century. Saints Felix and Augebert were
Englishmen sold into slavery in France and ransomed by Saint Gregory
the Great. They were among the many redeemed by the pope to be trained
to become missionaries in their homeland. The holy father's plan began
to take shape when Felix was ordained to the priesthood and Augebert to
the diaconate. Unfortunately, they were martyred by pagans at
Champagne, France, before they could fulfill his dream (Benedictines).
|
666
Magnus of
Füssen, Abbot fellow missionary with Saints Columbanus and Gall
(AC)
(also known as Magne, Magnoaldus, Maginold, Mang)
Saint Magnus was a fellow missionary with Saints Columbanus and Gall.
He founded and became the abbot of a transalpine cloister at
Füssen, in Bavaria, which served pilgrims (Benedictines,
Encyclopedia).
|
607 Faustus of
Syracuse, Abbot taught future Bishop Saint Zosimus (AC)
As abbot of Santa Lucia monastery in Syracuse, Saint Faustus taught the
future Bishop Saint Zosimus (Benedictines).
|
1230 Blessed
Bertrand of Garrigue ardent opponent of Albigensianism closest friend
and travelling companion of Saint Dominic credited many miracles during
life and after death OP (AC)
Born at Garrigue, diocese of Nîmes, France, c. 1195;
died near
there; cultus confirmed by Leo XIII.
Bd Bertrand of Garrigues
At the end of the twelfth and the beginning of
the
thirteenth centuries the south of France was ravaged by heresy and
civil war. Albigensianism, supported by the nobles and appealing
to the people by offering a life of virtuous austerity to the few and
of licence to the many, had almost complete control ; the Catholics,
rendered impotent by indifference and ill-living, took up arms against
the heretics, and the challenge was accepted. Bd Bertrand was born at
Garrigues in the diocese of Nimes and brought up in the midst of these
disturbances; but he was taught the true faith, and learned the dangers
of the heresy that flourished all around. In the year 1200 the
Albigensian Raymund VI of Toulouse marched through Languedoc, harrying
the orthodox monasteries, especially those of the Cistercians, who were
the official missionaries against the heretics. It is said that
the convent at Bouchet was saved from destruction by the prompt action
of a bee-master, who overturned his rows of hives in the faces of the
soldiers. Bertrand himself became a priest and joined himself as
a preacher to the Cistercian mission. In 1208 the Cistercian legate,
Peter of Castelnau, was murdered, the crusade of Simon de Montfort was
let loose, and soon after this time probably Bd Bertrand first met St
Dominic, who was trying to remedy by prayer and preaching some of the
harm that his friend Simon was doing by the sword.
In 1215 Bertrand was one of the group of six
preachers
gathered round Dominic from which sprang the great order of Friars
Preachers; by the following year they had increased to sixteen, "all
in fact and in name excellent preachers", when they met at Prouille to
choose a rule and plan the life of their new society.
After
a year of community life at the priory in Toulouse, the founder made
his famous bold stroke of dispersing his religious, and Bd Bertrand was
sent to Paris with Friar Matthew of France and five others. There
they made a foundation near the university. Bertrand did not
stay long in Paris. He was called by St Dominic to Rome and sent with
Friar John of Navarre to establish the order in Bologna.
Though Bd Reginald of Orleans was the friend who influenced him
most, early Dominican writers speak of Bd Bertrand as a beloved
companion of St Dominic, the dearest associate in his work, the sharer
of his journeys, his prayers and his holiness.
In 1219 he
accompanied him on the only visit St Dominic made to Paris; they went
from Toulouse by way of the sanctuary of Rocamadour, and the journey
has been surrounded with wonders, such as that they understood German
without having learnt it and were not wetted by heavy rain.
At the second
general chapter held at Bologna in 1221 the
Dominican order was divided into eight provinces, and Bertrand was
appointed prior provincial of Provence. The remaining nine
years of his life were spent in energetic preaching throughout the
south of France, where he greatly extended the activities of his order
and founded the great priory of Marseilles. There is a
story told that on one occasion a Friar Benedict questioned Bd Bertrand
because he rarely celebrated a requiem Mass. "We are
certain of the salvation of the holy souls", was the reply, "but of
the end of ourselves and other sinners we are not certain". "Well,
but", persisted Friar Benedict, "suppose there
are two beggars, one strong and well, the other disabled. Which
would you be the more sorry
for?" "The one
who can do least for himself." "Very well then. Such certainly
are the dead. They have neither mouths wherewith to confess nor hands
wherewith to work, but living sinners have both and can take care of
themselves."
Bertrand was not at all convinced by
this argument, and the fact that he afterwards celebrated Mass more
frequently for the dead was attributed to his having had enlightenment
in the form of a nightmare of a departed soul, which much distressed
him. Bd Bertrand died at the abbey of Bouchet, near Orange, about the
year 1230; his cultus was
confirmed in 1881. "By his watchings, his fasts, and his
other penances", wrote Friar Bernard Guidonis, "he succeeded in making
himself so like his beloved Father that one might have said of him as
he passed by: Of a truth the disciple is like the master; there
goes the very image of the blessed Dominic."
A very full account
of Bd Bertrand is given by the Bollandists
in the Acta Sanctorum,
October, vol. xiii, pp. 136-145 and 919-921. Though there was no
separate early biography which they could utilize, they at first drew
largely from the Vitae Fratrum
of Gerard de Fracheto and other Dominican chronicles, but in a
suppjement to their first account they have added many details from
documents submitted to the Congregation of Rites in the procesa for the
confirmatio cultus.
See also a series of papers by J. P. Isnard in the Bulletin de Ia Societe archeol. de la Drome,
1870 to 1872 and Procter, Dominican
Saints, pp. 253-256. A fuller bibliography is provided by
Taurisano, Catalogus hagiographicus
OP., p. 9.
Bertrand was a secular priest under the Cistercians,
missioner,
and
ardent opponent of Albigensianism when he first met Saint Dominic in
the party of Bishop Diego. Bertrand may have been the one to recruit
Dominic in the battle against the French heretics because they worked
closely together in this mission for the rest of their lives.
Bertrand joined the first Dominican friars by
receiving the habit at
Toulouse in 1216. Dominic left him in charge of the community when he
travelled to Rome to seek papal approval of the order. Bertrand's zeal
and experience played an important role in the founding of the Friar
Preachers. When the brothers were sent out in little groups on
missions, Bertrand was left in Paris with Matthew of France, where he
helped to form the Dominican tradition of learning and governed the
first foundation at Paris.
While Bertrand's advice and prayers helped to establish the
order, he
is best remembered as the closest friend and travelling companion of
Saint Dominic, until he was appointed as provincial of Provence. He
witnessed the miracles and heavenly favors bestowed upon his friend and
provided us with insightful testimony about the heart and mind of the
founder.
Bertrand himself was credited with many miracles, both
during his life
and after his death. Others considered him a "second Dominic" in
austerity and holiness, but he humbly overlooked his own claims to
sanctity in his loving insistence on those of his friend.
Bertrand was preaching a mission to the Cistercian sisters
of Saint
Mary of the Woods near Garrigue, when he fell sick and died. He was
buried in the sisters' cemetery until the frequency of miracles
suggested that he should be given a more suitable shrine. His relics
were lost and shrine destroyed during the religious wars, but
pilgrimages were still made to "Saint Bertrand's Cemetery" until the
time of the French Revolution (Benedictines, Dorcy).
|
1240
Bd Peregrine of
Falerone; a lay-brother; In this humble condition he persevered to the
end. Both before and after death he was famous for miracles.
Peregrine was a young man of good family who was studying with great
success at Bologna when St Francis came to preach there in 1220. Both
he and a fellow student, Bd Rizzerio, were deeply impressed, and
desired to join the friars. St Francis accepted them, but told
Peregrine that, in spite of his learing, it was God's will that he
should serve as a lay-brother. In this humble condition he persevered
to the end. Both before and after death he was famous for miracles. The
Friars Minor join this beatus in one feast with Bd Liberatus
(below) and Bd SANTES of MONTE FABRI who, having killed a man in
defending himself, became a lay-brother in the order. After
a most holy life he died in 1290 and miracles were wrought at his grave.
The story of Peregrine is
told in the documents which Sabatier
calls the Speculum Vitae and
the Actus b. Francisci et sociorum
ejus (cap. 36). See also Gentili, Saggio sopra l'ordine serafico, p.
27 seq. and Léon, Auréole Séraphique
(Eng. trans.),
vol. i, pp. 527-529. For Bd Santes, see Wadding, Annales Ord Minorum, vol. ix, pp.
94-96, and Léon, vol. iii.
|
1258 Liberatus
of
Loro, OFM introduced the initial austerity of the Friars Minor with the
help of Blesseds Humilis and Pacificus(AC)
Bd Liberatus Of Loro
The cultus of this beato was approved by Pope Pius IX in
1868, but his history is involved in a good deal of
obscurity. He is said to have belonged to the noble
family of Brunforte, to have joined the Order of Friars Minor, but to
have led the life of a contemplative and a hermit. He is
also supposed to have been associated with Bd Humilis and Bd Pacificus
in a project of stricter
observance; but the attempt
to identify him with the unnamed friar of Soffiano who had a vision of
our Blessed Lady (see the Fioretti, chs. 46 and 47) is not free from
difficulty.
Bd Liberatus is discussed,
with Humilis and Pacificus, in the Acta
Sanctorum, August, vol.
v. See also Salvi, Cenni
storici sul b. Liberato do LoroAnalecta
Bollandiana,
vol. xvii (1898), p. 381. There is also an account in Léon,
Auréole Séraphique (Eng. trans.),
vol. iii, pp. 431-432; and an interesting comment by Paul Sabatier, Actus beati Francisci et sociorum ejus
(1902), p. 195, and p. 215, note.
Born at San Liberato, Piceno, Italy; cultus forbidden in
1730, restored
in 1731, and again approved in 1868. Saint Liberatus was born into the
Brumforti family. He joined the Franciscans and later introduced the
initial austerity of the Friars Minor with the help of Blesseds Humilis
and Pacificus. It is difficult to know why his cultus was suppressed
(Benedictines) (1896).
|
1627 Bl.
Thomas
Tsughi Japanese martyr native educated by Jesuits
Entered the Society of Jesus in 1589.
Forced to leave Japan, he went to Macao but then returned to Japan in
disguise. Giving in to temptation, he left the Jesuits for one dark day
but then repented and gave himself utterly to the Christian cause in
the islands. Seized by authorities, he was burned alive at Nagasaki
with several
companions after refusing to allow his family to buy his freedom.
|
 1654
Kiev-Bratsk
Icon of the Mother of God; The icon is described in the records of
church property of the Kiev-Bratsk monastery, made in the year 1807
Was at first in the church of Sts Boris and Gleb in the city of
Vyshgorod (Kiev), where it miraculously appeared in the year 1654. In
1662, when Russia was at war with Poland (1659-1667), the city was
dealt heavy losses by the Crimean Tatars fighting on the side of the
Polish. The temple of the holy Passion-Bearers Boris and Gleb was
destroyed and defiled. But the Providence of God preserved the holy
wonderworking icon of the Mother of God, which was taken out of the
church beforehand and set off along the Dniepr. The relics of the
saints were hidden beneath a crypt.
The river carried the icon to the Podol section of Kiev, where it was
joyfully taken up by the Orthodox and with due reverence transferred to
the Bratsk (Brotherhood) monastery. The icon is described in the
records of church property of the Kiev-Bratsk monastery, made in the
year 1807.
There existed a "Song about the Wonderworking Kiev-Bratsk Icon of the
Mother of God", compiled soon after the year 1692. The Kiev-Bratsk Icon
of the Mother of God is commemorated four times during the year:
September 6, May 10, June 2, and on Saturday of the Fifth Week of Great
Lent. All these days are dedicated to the miraculous appearance of the
holy icon in 1654. The original icon has not been preserved. The copy
was painted from it "measure for measure," and is at present located in
the Kiev monastery of the Protection of the Mother of God .
|
 1997 Blessed
Mother
Teresa of Calcutta Albania now Skopje, Macedonia Ottoman
Mother Teresa of Calcutta, the tiny woman recognized throughout the
world for her work among the poorest of the poor, was beatified October
19, 2003. Among those present were hundreds of Missionaries of Charity,
the Order she founded in 1950 as a diocesan religious community. Today
the congregation also includes contemplative sisters and brothers and
an order of priests.
Speaking in a strained, weary voice at the beatification Mass, Pope
John Paul II declared her blessed, prompting waves of applause before
the 300,000 pilgrims in St. Peter's Square. In his homily, read by an
aide for the aging pope, the Holy Father called Mother Teresa “one of
the most relevant personalities of our age” and “an icon of the Good
Samaritan.” Her life, he said, was “a bold proclamation of the gospel.”
Mother Teresa's beatification, just over six years after her death, was
part of an expedited process put into effect by Pope John Paul II. Like
so many others around the world, he found her love for the Eucharist,
for prayer and for the poor a model for all to emulate.
Born 1910 to
Albanian parents in what is now Skopje, Macedonia (then part of
the Ottoman Empire), Gonxha (Agnes) Bojaxhiu was the youngest of the
three children who survived. For a time, the family lived comfortably,
and her father's construction business thrived. But life changed
overnight following his unexpected death.
During her years in public school Agnes participated in a Catholic
sodality and showed a strong interest in the foreign missions. At age
18 she entered the Loreto Sisters of Dublin. It was 1928 when she said
goodbye to her mother for the final time and made her way to a new land
and a new life. The following year she was sent to the Loreto novitiate
in Darjeeling, India. There she chose the name Teresa and prepared for
a life of service. She was assigned to a high school for girls in
Calcutta, where she taught history and geography to the daughters of
the wealthy. But she could not escape the realities around her—the
poverty, the suffering, the overwhelming numbers of destitute people.
In 1946, while riding a train to Darjeeling to make a retreat, Sister
Teresa heard what she later explained as “a call within a call. The
message was clear. I was to leave the convent and help the poor while
living among them.” She also heard a call to give up her life with the
Sisters of Loreto and, instead, to “follow Christ into the slums to
serve him among the poorest of the poor.”
After receiving permission to leave Loreto, establish a new religious
community and undertake her new work, she took a nursing course for
several months. She returned to Calcutta, where she lived in the slums
and opened a school for poor children. Dressed in a white sari and
sandals (the ordinary dress of an Indian woman) she soon began getting
to know her neighbors—especially the poor and sick—and getting to know
their needs through visits.
The work was exhausting, but she was not alone for long. Volunteers who
came to join her in the work, some of them former students, became the
core of the Missionaries of Charity. Other helped by donating food,
clothing, supplies, the use of buildings. In 1952 the city of Calcutta
gave Mother Teresa a former hostel, which became a home for the dying
and the destitute. As the Order expanded, services were also offered to
orphans, abandoned children, alcoholics, the aging and street people.
For the next four decades Mother Teresa worked tirelessly on behalf of
the poor. Her love knew no bounds. Nor did her energy, as she
crisscrossed the globe pleading for support and inviting others to see
the face of Jesus in the poorest of the poor. In 1979 she was awarded
the Nobel Peace Prize. On September 5, 1997, God called her home.
|
1947 Blessed
Claudio
Granzotto Friars
Minor sculptur
Born in 1900 Santa Lucia del Piave near Venice,
Claudio was the youngest of nine children and was accustomed to hard
work in the fields. At the age of nine he lost his father. Six years
later he was drafted into the Italian army, where he served more than
three years.
His artistic abilities, especially in sculpture, led to studies at
Venice’s Academy of Fine Arts, which awarded him a diploma with the
highest marks in 1929. Even then he was especially interested in
religious art. When Claudio entered the Friars Minor four years
later, his parish priest wrote, "The Order is receiving not only an
artist but a saint." Prayer, charity to the poor and artistic work
characterized his life, which was cut short by a brain tumor. He died
on the feast of the Assumption and was beatified in 1994.
Comment: Claudio developed into such an excellent sculptor that his
work still turns people toward God. No stranger to adversity, he met
every obstacle courageously, reflecting the generosity, faith and joy
that he learned from Francis of Assisi.
Quote: In the beatification homily, Pope John Paul II said that Claudio
made his sculpture "the privileged instrument" of his apostolate and
evangelization. "His holiness was especially radiant in his acceptance
of suffering and death in union with Christ’s Cross. Thus by
consecrating himself totally to the Lord’s love, he became a model for
religious, for artists in their search for God’s beauty and for the
sick in his loving devotion to the Crucified" (L’Osservatore Romano,
Vol. 47, No. 1, 1994).
|
As
we watch the
spectacle of the world
seeming to self-destruct before our eyes, we can’t help but be saddened
and even frightened by so much evil run rampant. Iraq, Lebanon,
Afghanistan, Somalia, North Korea—It is all a disaster of epic
proportions displayed in living color on our television screens.