Holy Name of Mary:
The feast of the Most Holy
Name of Mary began in Spain in 1513 and
in 1671 was extended to all of Spain and the Kingdom of Naples. In
1683, John Sobieski, king of Poland, brought an army to the outskirts
of Vienna to stop the advance of Muslim armies loyal to Mohammed IV in
Constantinople. After Sobieski entrusted himself to the Blessed Virgin
Mary, he and his soldiers thoroughly defeated the Muslims.
Pope
Innocent XI extended this feast to the entire Church.
 1689 Bl. Innocent
XI Benedetto
Odescalchi
Festum
sanctíssimi Nóminis beátæ
Maríæ, quod Innocéntius Undécimus,
Póntifex Máximus, ob insígnem victóriam de
Turcis, ipsíus Vírginis præsídio,
Vindobónæ in Austria reportátam, celebrári
jussit.
The feast of the most holy Name of the Blessed
Virgin Mary, celebrated by order of the Sovereign Pontiff, Innocent XI,
on account of the signal victory gained over Turks at Vienna in Austria
through her protection.
This feast is a counterpart to the Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus
(January 3); both have the possibility of uniting people easily divided
on other matters.
Comment: Mary always points us to God, reminding us of
God's
infinite goodness. She helps us to open our hearts to God's ways,
wherever those may lead us. Honored under the title “Queen of Peace,”
Mary encourages us to cooperate with Jesus in building a peace based on
justice, a peace that respects the fundamental human rights (including
religious rights) of all peoples.
Quote: “Lord our God, when your Son was dying on the altar
of the cross, he gave us as our mother the one he had chosen to be his
own mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary; grant that we who call upon the
holy name of Mary, our mother, with confidence in her protection may
receive strength and comfort in all our needs” (Marian Sacramentary,
Mass for the Holy Name of the Blessed Virgin Mary)
THE HOLY NAME OF
MARY
THE object of this
feast is our blessed Lady bearing the name of Mary, and it was
instituted that
on it the faithful might in a special manner recommend to God, through
the
intercession of His all-holy Mother, the needs of the Church, and thank
Him for
His almighty protection and numberless mercies, especially those we
receive on
account of the graces and mediation of the Blessed Virgin.
The feast was
allowed at Cuenca in Spain in 1513 it spread in that country, and in
1683 Pope
Innocent XI extended it to the whole Western church, as an act of
thanksgiving for the raising of the siege of Vienna and the defeat of
the Turks
by John Sobieski, King of Poland it was at that time assigned to the
Sunday
within the octave of our Lady’s birthday, but is now kept on the date
of
Sobieski’s triumph. Actually this special commemoration is probably
somewhat
older than 1513, though definite evidence does not seem to be
forthcoming. All
we can say is that the great devotion to the holy name of Jesus, which
we
identify in part with the preaching of St Bernardino of Siena, will
naturally
have prepared the way for a similar commemoration of the holy name of
Mary. One
curious point with regard to this name which deserves to be noticed is
that
while in the case of the other Marys who appear in the New Testament we
find in
the Greek text simply the form Mapia, the
best manuscripts almost uniformly spell the name of our Blessed Lady as
Mapiáµ. This seems to mark at least
a
sense of her dignity for her alone the Old Testament form of the name
is
preferred. There is a similar practice in Ireland, where the form Muire
is
reserved for our Lady, Maire or Moira being given in baptism.
Our name Mary
is
derived from Maria and Mariam, later forms of Miryam, which was our,
Lady’s
name in Hebrew, but the most learned scholars have been unable
certainly to
decide what was the derivation and meaning of that name. The prevalent
view
seems to be that it means “wished-for-child”, or, less likely,
“rebellion”. It
appears certain that the name of Mary has nothing to do with
“bitterness”, “the
sea” or a “star.” The
various stages in the adoption of the feast of the
Holy Name of Mary are set out in Holweck, Calendarium
liturgicum festorum Del et Dei matris Mariae (1925), p. 317, and cf. Kellner,
Heortology, p.
264. Cf. E. C. Withycombe, Oxford Dictionary
of Christian Names (and edn.), and Fr
E. Vogt in Verbum Domini, 1948. Pope
Benedict XIV’s commission recommended the dropping of this feast from
the
general calendar.
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Apud Papíam sancti Juvéntii
Epíscopi, de quo ágitur sexto Idus
Februárii. Ipse, a beáto Hermágora,
discípulo sancti Marci Evangelístæ, ad eam urbem,
una cum sancto Syro, cujus memória recólitur quinto Idus
Decémbris, diréctus est; et ambo,
prædicántes illic Christi Evangélium et magnis
virtútibus ac miráculis coruscántes, étiam
vicínas urbes divínis opéribus
illustrárunt, sicque in pontificáli honóre,
glorióso fine, quievérunt in pace.
At
Pavia, St. Juventius, bishop, mentioned on the 8th of February.
The blessed Hermagoras, disciple of the evangelist St. Mark, sent him
to that city along with St. Cyrus, who is mentioned on the 9th of
December. They both preached the Gospel of Christ there, and
being renowned for great virtues and miracles, enlightened the
neighbouring cities by divine works. They closed their glorious
careers in peace, invested with the episcopal office.
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258 St.
Curomotus
Martyred bishop of Iconium
Icónii, in Lycaónia, sancti Curónoti
Epíscopi, qui sub Perénnio Præside, cápite
truncátus, martyrii palmam accépit.
At Iconium in Lycaonia, the holy bishop Curonotus,
who received the crown of martyrdom by being beheaded under the
governor Perennius.
in Lycaonia, Asia Minor.
Curonotus of Iconium BM (RM) Bishop Curonotus of Iconium (Lycaonia,
Asia Minor) was martyred during the reign of Valerian (Benedictines).
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300 St.
Hieronides
Egyptian martyr an elderly deacon with Leontius, Selesius, Serapion, Straton,
and Valerian. They died in
Alexandria, Egypt.
Alexandríæ natális sanctórum Mártyrum
Hierónidis, Leóntii, Serapiónis, Selésii,
Valeriáni et Stratónis, qui, sub Maximíno
Imperatóre, ob confessiónem nóminis Christi, in
mare sunt demérsi.
At Alexandria, in the time of Emperor Maximinus, the
birthday of the holy martyrs Hieronides, Leontius, Serapion, Selesius,
Valerian, and Strato, who were drowned in the sea for the confession of
the name of Christ.
Hieronides, Leontius, & Companions (RM). Saint
Hieronides was a
ancient deacon, who was cast into the sea at Alexandria, Egypt, with
the brothers Saints Leontius and Serapion and others, including
Seleucus (Selesius), Valerian and Straton, during the reign of
Diocletian (Benedictines).
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300 St.
Autonomous
Italian bishop and martyr a great evangelist in Bithynia in Asia Minor
In Bithynia sancti Autónomi, Epíscopi et Mártyris;
qui ex Itália, Diocletiáni Imperatóris
persecutiónem declínans, illuc proféctus, ibi, cum
plúrimos convertísset ad fidem, a furéntibus
Gentílibus, dum sacra Mystéria perágeret, ad
altáre mactátus est, et hóstia Christi
efféctus.
In Bithynia, St. Autonomus, bishop and martyr, who
went to that country from Italy to avoid the persecution of
Diocletian. After he had converted many to the faith, he was
killed at the altar by the furious heathen while celebrating the sacred
mysteries, and thus he became a victim for Christ.
During the persecution instituted
by Emperor Diocletian,
Autonomous fled to Bithynia to
escape the persecution. There, he worked tirelessly until arrested by
Roman authorities and murdered for the faith.
Autonomus of Bithynia BM (RM). The Greeks say that Saint Autonomus, an
Italian bishop, escaped the fury of Diocletian's persecution by
migrating to Bithynia in Asia Minor. There he was a great evangelist
and was martyred (Benedictines).
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362 St.
Macedonius Martyr destroying pagan idols during the restoration of
paganism under Julian the Apostate
Meri, in Phrygia, pássio sanctórum Mártyrum
Macedónii, Theodúli et Tatiáni, qui, sub
Juliáno Apóstata, ab Almáchio Præside, post
ália torménta, super crates férreas ignítas
pósiti, exsultántes martyrium complevérunt.
At Merum in Phrygia, the holy martyrs Macedonius,
Theodulus, and Tatian, under Julian the Apostate. After other
torments, they joyfully completed their martyrdom by being laid on
burning gridirons by order of the governor Almachius.
with Tatian and Theodolus in Phrygia. They were burned to
death for
destroying pagan idols.
Macedonius, Theodulus and Tatian MM (RM)
This trio was roasted alive on gridirons at Mevos, Phrygia, for
having broken into a pagan temple and destroyed idols during the
restoration of paganism under Julian the Apostate (Benedictines). In
art, these martyrs are illustrated during their martyrdom on a gridiron
(Roeder).
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540 St. Ailbhe
travelled to Rome before Patrick's arrival (Albeus,
Ailbe) of Emly B (AC)
5th or 6th century (died 526-540?). Although many are under the
mistaken belief that Saint Patrick was the first to bring Christianity
to Ireland, Saint Ailbhe was converted by British missionaries. Some
legends say that he was baptized by a priest while a boy in northern
Ireland; another that he was baptized and raised in a British
settlement in Ireland.
526? ST AILBHE,
Bishop
A COMMEMORATION of
St Ailbhe (Ailbe, Albeus) is made throughout Ireland on this date, and
in the
diocese of Emly his feast is kept as that of its patron and first
bishop, but
the recorded life of the saint is a confusion of valueless legends and
contradictory
traditions. One concerns his birth of a serving-girl by a chieftain,
who
ordered that the baby should he exposed to perish. A she-wolf found him
and
suckled him along with her own cubs, till a hunter found the child in
the
wolf’s lair and took him away. Years later Ailbhe was present at a run,
when an
aged she-wolf, hard pressed by hounds, ran to him for protection. The
bishop
recognized his foster-mother, gave her sanctuary, and every day
thereafter fed
her at his own table. When Ailbhe was a boy in the north of Ireland, he
was one
day considering the wonders of the natural world, and said aloud, “I
pray that
I may know the Creator of all things, and I will believe in Him who
made the
heavens and the earth. For I perceive that these things did not come
into
existence without a maker, and no human work could produce them.” He
was
overheard by a Christian priest, who thereupon instructed and baptized
him.
Another account says he was brought up and baptized by a British colony
in
Ireland. He is supposed to have gone to Rome and to have been
consecrated
bishop in the city.
Ailbhe preached up
and down Ireland, and with such commanding authority did this apostolic
man
deliver the eternal wisdom to a barbarous people, such was the force
with which
both by words and example he set forth the divine law, and so evident
were the
miracles with which he confirmed the truths which he preached, that the
sacred
doctrine made its way to the hearts of many of his hearers; he not only
brought
over a multitude to the faith of Christ but infused into many the
spirit of
perfection, for he had a wonderful art of making men not only
Christians but
saints.
In his old age it
was his desire to retire to Thule, the remotest country toward the
northern
pole that was known to the ancients (which seems to have been Shetland
or
Norway), but the king guarded the ports to prevent his flight. Another
legend
tells us that from this same king, Aengus of Munster, St Ailbhe begged
the
Isles of Aran for St Enda. Aengus did not know he had such islands in
his
dominions until they were shown to him in a dream; whereupon he handed
them
over, and at Killeaney on Inishmore was founded a monastery which was
so famous
for holiness that the island was called “Aran of the saints”. It does
not detract
from the sanctity of Killeaney to point out that among Celtic peoples
“saint”
was often used synonymously with “monk” or “recluse” on Ynys YnIli
(Bardsey)
were buried 2o,ooo “saints”.
It
is often said on
the poor authority of Ailbhe’s vita that
he preached in Ireland before St Patrick, but he seems certainly to
have died
in the sixth century the date is variously put at 526, 531 and 541.
The life
in the Codex Salmanticensis was edited in that
collection by the Bollandists in 1888,
cc. 235—260. A somewhat different version has been printed by C.
Plummer in his
VSH., vol. i, pp. 46—64; and note also what is said in the preface to
the same
work, pp. xxviii—xxxi. What is of more importance than the extravagant
incidents of this mythical life, St Ailbhe is the reputed author of a
monastic
rule it was edited by J. O’Neill in Ériu, vol.
iii (1907) ; and cf. L.
Gougaud, Christianity in Celtic Lands (1932).
In either case, he had travelled to Rome before Patrick's
arrival-- and
some say that he was consecrated bishop there. Upon his return to
Ireland, he became the disciple of Patrick and, according to some, was
consecrated the first archbishop of Munster by him. Ailbhe fixed his
see at Emly (Imlech, County Tipperary, though the cathedral is now at
Cashel), which is officially listed by the Vatican as being founded in
the 4th century, making it the oldest continuous see in Ireland. So
even the testimony that Ailbhe was the first archbishop is unreliable.
He was known as a powerful preacher and a model of sanctity, who won
many souls to the faith. Although he lived in the world in order to
care for the souls of his flock, he was careful for his own soul, too.
He made frequent retreats and engaged in habitual recollection. Saint
Ailbhe especially loved to pray in front of the sea. King Aengus of
Munster gave him Aran Island (Co. Galway) on which he founded a great
monastery and established Saint Enda as abbot. He also drew up a still
extant rule for the community.
When in his old age he wanted to resign and retire to the solitude of
Thule (Shetland? Iceland? Greenland?) to prepare for death, the king
stationed guards at the ports to prevent his flight. Thus, Saint Ailbhe
died in the midst of his episcopal labors and is deemed the principal
patron of Munster.
There are many legends about Saint Ailbhe: that he baptized Saint David
of Wales; that an angel showed him the "place of his
resurrection"--Emly; that he was in constant dialogue with the angels.
Even his name points to a legend: Ailbhe, said to mean "living rock" in
Gaelic, was a foundling left under a rock and suckled by a she-wolf,
and thus named by his adoptive family. The story continues that later,
while he was hunting with some companions, an aged female wolf ran to
him for protection (Benedictines, Delaney, Encyclopedia, Farmer,
Husenbeth, Montague).
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551 St.
Sacerdos
bishop of Lyons; presided over the Council of Orleans in 549 and served
as a chief councilor to King Childebert I of Paris
Lugdúni, in Gállia,
deposítio sancti Sacerdótis
Epíscopi. At Lyons in France, the death of St.
Sacerdos, bishop.
Also known as Sardot and Serdon. He presided over the
Council of
Orleans in 549 and served as a chief councilor to King Childebert I of Paris.
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640
St. Eanswida Abbess foundress Benedictine convent; daughter of a
king of Kent and the granddaughter of St. Ethelbert.
sometimes called Eanswith. She was the daughter of a king of Kent and the granddaughter of St. Ethelbert.
640 ST EANSWIDA,
VIRGIN
ST ETHELBERT, the
first Christian king among the English, was succeeded in the kingdom of
Kent by
his son Edbald, who, though he was at first impious and idolatrous,
became
afterwards a Christian. His daughter Eanswida added lustre to her birth
by the
sanctity of her life. She had to oppose her father’s wish that she
should marry
a pagan prince from Northumbria. “I will marry him”, she said, “when by
prayer
to his gods he has made this log of wood a foot longer.”
She
obtained her father’s consent to found a monastery
of nuns upon the sea-coast, hard by Folkestone in Kent. Here she
sacrificed
herself in penance and prayer, till she was called to rest on the last
day of
August about the year 640, the date on which she is named in some
calendars.
Her convent was destroyed by the Danes but was refounded for
Benedictine monks
in 1095. The sea afterwards
swallowed up part of this priory and it was
removed into Folkestone, and the saint’s relics were deposited in that
church
which had been built by her father in honour of St Peter the successor
of this
church is now known as SS. Mary and Eanswida’s. September 12 is
probably the day of the translation of her relics about
the year 1140. Many legends about the
miraculous
powers of St Eanswida were current in England in the middle ages, some
of which
are preserved by the chronicler Capgrave.
St
Eanswida (or Eanswitha)
seems to have been unknown to Bede, but her connexion with Folkestone
is
alluded to in an Anglo-Saxon document printed by Cockayne (Leechdoms,
vol. iii, p. 422). The mention of her name in certain
calendars and martyrologies suggests that there was some cultus:
see Stanton, Menology, p. 432. The statements made by
John of Tynemouth and Capgrave
can inspire
little confidence.
She refused to marry a pagan Northumbrian prince and founded
a convent
at Folkestone in Kent, England, about 630. She remained there until her
death on August 31. When the convent church that had been destroyed by
Danes was restored in 1885, her relics were discovered. In liturgical
art Eanswida is depicted as a nun, crowned and holding a church or a
fish.
Eanswida of Folkestone, OSB Abbess (AC) (also known as Eanswith(a),
Eanswide, Eanswyth) Died August 31, c. 640; this is probably a
memorial of the translation of her relics; feast day at Saint
Augustine, Canterbury, and Durham is celebrated on August 31.
From her infancy Saint Eanswida, the daughter of King Eadbald of Kent
and granddaughter of King Saint Ethelbert, found delight in prayer.
Rejecting the world and its foolish vanities, she refused all offers of
marriage, which she felt would interrupt her devotions and
contemplation. King Eadbald finally consented to allowing her to found
a monastery on the coast near Folkestone, Kent, where she served as its
abbess and died at an early age. It seems likely that she was trained
in France and that hers was the first convent in England.
The monastery was destroyed by the Danes, but restored by King
Athelstan, then refounded in 1095 for the Black Benedictines. Part of
it was swallowed up by the sea, and so the community was moved to
Folkestone. Her relics were translated to the church built by Eadbald
in honor of Saint Peter, but later known as Saints Mary and Eanswida.
In 1885, a Saxon coffer was found in the north wall containing the
bones of a young woman, which were assumed to be those of Saint
Eanswida (Benedictines, Farmer, Husenbeth).
In art, Saint Eanswida is portrayed as a crowned abbess with a book and
two fish. She is venerated at Folkestone (Roeder), where her image is
incorporated on its seals (Farmer).
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 1012
St. Guy of Anderlecht; pilgrimage on foot to Rome and Jerusalem; patron
of laborers and sacristans, and protector of sheds and stables. He is
invoked to calm infantile convulsions
Anderláci, prope Bruxéllas, in Brabántia, sancti
Guidónis Confessóris.
At Anderlecht, near Brussels in Belgium, St. Guy,
confessor.
Born near Brabant; died at
Brussels, Belgium; c. 950-1012; feast day
formerly on Sept. 2.
1012 ST GUY OF ANDERLECHT
ALTHOUGH the
accounts of this saint derive from late and not very reliable source,
and have
been touched up and filled out with edifying but very doubtfully
authentic
miracles, it is clear that he belongs to that category of simple,
hidden souls
who, whether as wanderers or workmen, are familiar to us from St Alexis
and St
John Calybites through St Isidore of Madrid and St Walstan of Costessey
down to
St Benedict Joseph Labre and Matt Talbot in our own time.
St Guy (Guidon),
called the Poor Man of Anderlecht, was born in the country near
Brussels, of
poor parents, but both virtuous and consequently content and happy.
They were
not able to give their son a school education nor did they let that
perturb
them, but instead they were diligent in instructing him early in the
Christian
faith and the practices of our holy religion, often repeating to him
the lesson
which old Tobias gave his son, “We shall have many good things if we
fear God”.
St Augustine says
that God ranks among the reprobate, not only those who shall have
received
their comfort on earth, but also those who shall have grieved to be
deprived of
it. This was what Guy dreaded. In order to preserve himself from it he
never
ceased to beg of God the grace to love the state of poverty in which
divine
providence had placed him, and to bear all its hardships with joy. The
charity
which Guy had for his neighbour was no less active. He divided his
pittance
with the poor, and often fed them whilst he fasted himself.
When he grew up St
Guy wandered about for a time, until one day he came to the church of
our Lady
at Laeken, near Brussels, whose priest was struck with the piety and
willingness of the man, and retained him in the service of his church
as
sacristan. Guy accepted the offer with pleasure; and the cleanliness
and good
order that appeared in everything under his direction struck all that
came to
that church. But Guy, like other simple folk before and since, was
induced by a
merchant of Brussels to invest his small savings in a commercial
venture, but
with the unusual motive of having more at his disposal wherewith to
relieve the
poor. The merchant offered to put him in a way of thus making more
provision
for them by admitting him into partnership with himself. It was not
easy for
him to throw off the importunities of the merchant: the bait was
specious and
he was taken by it. But the ship carrying their goods was lost in going
out of
harbour, and Guy, whose place in the church of Laeken had upon his
leaving been
given to another, was left destitute. He saw his mistake in following
his own
ideas and in forsaking secure and humble employment to embark, though
with a
good intention, on the affairs of the world, and he blamed himself for
the
false step, he had taken. In reparation
for his folly Guy made a pilgrimage on foot first to Rome and then on
to Jerusalem,
and visited all the most celebrated shrines in that part of the
Christian
world.
After seven years’
absence he again reached Belgium, where he made his way to Anderlecht,
dying
from exhaustion and illness brought on by the fatigue of his journeys
and other
hardships. Shortly after he was received into the hospital of
Anderlecht he
yielded up his soul to God. He was buried in the cemetery of the canons
there
who, after miracles had taken place at his grave, translated his body
into a
shrine. His popular cultus among
workers with horses has persisted through the ages.
St Guy,
who is known to the Flemings as St Wye, is
honoured in a relatively long biography, printed in the Acta
Sanctorum, September, vol. iv. A good deal of folklore is
associated with his cultus; see E. H.
van Heurck, Les Drapelets de pèlerinage
en Belgique; F. Mortier in Folklore brabançon,
vol. x (1930), pp. 46—55; and J. Lavalleye in Annales
de la Soc. d’archéologie de Bruxelles, t. xxxvii (1934),
pp.
221—248.
Saint Guy, commonly called The Poor Man of Anderlecht, was
the son of
poor, but pious, parents who were richly blessed by their faith. They
were not able to give their son a formal education, but were diligent
in instructing him in the faith. They taught him the counsels of Saint Augustine that Christians should be
detached from earthly possessions. Guy prayed throughout his life to be
preserved from greed, to love poverty, and to bear all its hardships
with joy. This detachment from the need to own, endowed the saint with
love for his neighbor; he gladly fed the poor while he himself fasted
and divided the little he had among them.
Legend says that when Guy grew to manhood, he was a farm
laborer, who
prayed as he plowed the fields, sometimes replaced at the plow by
his guardian angel. He
then wandered for a time until he arrived at the church of Our Lady at
Laeken, near Brussels, whose priest was struck with his piety and hired
Guy as sacristan. Guy gladly accepted the offer; and the cleanliness
and good order that appeared in everything under his direction struck
all who entered the church.
Like many other simple folk of every age, Guy was enticed by
a merchant
of Brussels to invest his small savings in a commercial venture, with
the unusual motive of having more at his disposal to relieve the poor
and leisure for contemplation. Unfortunately, the ship carrying their
goods was lost leaving the harbor, and Guy, who had resigned his
position as sacristan and been replaced, was left destitute. He
recognized his mistake in following his own ideas and in forsaking
secure and humble employment to embark, though with good intention, on
the affairs of the world, and he blamed himself for the loss.
In reparation, Guy made a pilgrimage on foot to Rome and
Jerusalem,
wandering from shrine to shrine for seven years. Finally, he made his
way back to Belgium and Anderlecht, where he was received almost
immediately into the public hospital of Anderlecht and he died from
exhaustion and illness.
His cultus did
not arise immediately. In fact, his grave was
forgotten
until a horse uncovered it. The horse's owner hired two local boys to
enclose the site in a high, solid hedge to ensure that others would not
unwittingly trample on Guy's grave. The boys ridiculed the benefactor's
act of reverence for the dead and were seized by strange stomach aches.
Writhing in agony, they died. For some reason, this moved the local
people to make pilgrimages to his grave and to build an oratory over it.
In 1076, a church was
constructed and Guy's relics translated therein.
Guy's sanctity was confirmed almost immediately thereafter by miracles
wrought at his intercession. On June 24, 1112, a bishop acknowledged
the relics with a grand ceremony and Guy's vita was composed. In 1595,
the relics were enshrined in a new reliquary. During the 17th century,
they were moved from place to place to escape pillage during wars. It
seems that they were captured by the Protestants in the 18th century,
although there is a "last acknowledgement of the venerable treasure"
that occurred on September 11, 1851.
Over time his cultus increased
locally, until now much
folklore has
accrued around his name and shrine, particularly associated with
horses. Cabdrivers of Brabant lead an annual pilgrimage to Anderlecht
until the beginning of World War I in 1914. They and their horses
headed the procession followed by farmers, grooms, and stable boys
leading their animals to be blessed. The description of the village
fair that ended the religious procession sounds like fun. There would
be various games, music, and feasting, followed by a competition to
ride the carthorses bareback. The winner entered the church on bareback
to receive a hat made of roses from the parish pastor (Attwater,
Benedictines, Encyclopedia, Walsh).
In art, Saint Guy is depicted as a pilgrim with hat, staff,
rosary, and
ox at his feet. He might also be shown as a peasant or a pilgrim with a
book (Roeder). Guy is venerated at Anderlecht, where he is considered
the patron of laborers and sacristans, and protector of sheds and
stables. He is invoked to calm infantile convulsions (Encyclopedia).
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1161 Blessed Miro of
Vich Augustinian canon regular of Saint John de las Abadesas OSA
(AC)
Miro was an Augustinian canon regular of Saint John de las Abadesas
near Vich, Catalonia (Benedictines).
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1617
Blessed Mary Victoria
Fornari-Strata, Foundress of the Blue Nuns (AC)
Born at Genoa, Italy; died December 15;
beatified in 1828. In 1579, at
the age of 17, Victoria Fornari of Genoa married Angelo Strata. They
lived together happily until Angelo died nine years later. For some
time his widow was distraught. She was also deeply anxious about the
future of her six children.
1617 Bd Victoria Fornari-Strata,
Widow,
Foundress of The Blue Nuns Of
Genoa
Bd Mary Victoria was born
at Genoa in the year 1562. At the age of seventeen there was some talk
of her
becoming a nun, but she deferred to the wishes of her father and
married Angelo
Strata. They lived together very happily for nine years, Angelo joining
gladly
in his wife’s charitable works, and defending her from the adverse
criticism of
those who wished to see her take more part in social pleasures.
They had six
children, four boys and two girls. When Angelo died in 1587 Victoria
was for long
inconsolable, both for her own sake and for the sake of the children,
whom she
felt she was incapable of properly looking after alone. A certain
nobleman of
the city wanted her to marry him and she thought she perhaps ought to
for her
children’s sake. But her uncertainty was ended by a happening of which
she
wrote down an account by the direction of her confessor.
Our Lady appeared in
vision and said to her: “My child Victoria, be brave and confident, for
it is
my wish to take both the mother and the children under my protection; I
will
care for your household. Live quietly and without worrying. All I ask
is that
you will trust yourself to me and henceforth devote yourself to the
love of God
above all things.”
Victoria now saw
clearly what she must do and ceased to be disquieted. She made a vow of
chastity and lived in retirement, giving her whole time to God, her
children
and the poor. She allowed no superfluity or luxury in her home,
and set
herself a standard of severe mortification: when,
for example, the Church directed a fast she would
always observe
it on bread and water.
After her children
were all provided for, Victoria put before the archbishop of Genoa a
project
she had formed for a new order of nuns, who were to be devoted in a
special way
to our Lady. For a time the archbishop withheld his approval, for there
was
lack of sufficient funds to support such a foundation. But when one of
her
friends offered to bear the expense of providing a building, the
archbishop’s
consent also was forthcoming.
In the
year 1604 Bd Victoria and ten others were
clothed, and professed in the following year. Their object was to
honour in
their lives and worship our Lady in the mystery of her annunciation and
hidden
life at Nazareth; each nun added Maria Annunziata to her baptismal name
and the
rule of enclosure of their convent was particularly strict. By the
enthusiasm
and zeal of Mother Victoria a second house was founded in 1612, and
soon after
the order spread to France, but not till an attempt had been made
behind the
back of the foundress to affiliate the nuns to another order, on the
pretence
that they were notstrong enough
to
exist on their own. Mother Victoria learned what was happening and
appealed for
the help of our Lady, who in a vision assured her of her unfailing
assistance,
and the danger was overcome. Bd Victoria continued to govern her
foundation, encouraging
her sisters in their penitential life and setting them an example of
complete
humility and love, till her death at the age of fifty-five. This took
place on
December 15, 1617, but today is
her feast in the order that she founded. These nuns are distinguished
from
those of the Annunciation (Annonciades) founded
by St Joan of Valois by the epithet “Sky-Blue”, with reference to the
colour of
their mantles.
On the
occasion of
the beatification of Mary Victoria in 1828,
an Italian life was printed with the title Vita
della b. Maria Vittoria Fornari-Strata, fondatrice dell’ Ordine della
Santissima
Annunziata detto “Le Turchine”, in other words, called by Italians
“the
BlueNuns”.
This life is
anonymous, but official. See also a French account by Father F.
Dumortier, La bse Marie- Victoire Fornari-Strata (1902).
For their sake she was about to marry
again, when she was granted a vision
of the Virgin Mary. Victoria later
wrote down the Virgin's words to her,
"Be brave and courageous. I
shall
take both you and your children under my wing.
Live in peace, without
anxiety. Trust yourself to my care and above all devote yourself to the
love of God."
The vision was more than fulfilled. Although Victoria
still lived charitably, giving away most of her wealth, her children
never felt any want. In 1604, with money provided by one of her wealthy
friends, Victoria and ten other women began the practical work of
setting up a religious house. All 11 were professed as nuns the
following year. So successful was their venture, that a second house of
"Blue Nuns" (as they were called because of the color of their cloaks)
was set up in 1612, and soon the order had spread from Italy to France.
Victoria remained their superior until her death (Benedictines,
Bentley).
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1604
Blessed
Juvenal
Ancina bishop of Saluzzo; met Saint Philip Neri and joined his
Oratory Cong. Orat. B (AC)
Born at Fossano, Piedmont,
Italy,
in 1545; died 1604; beatified in 1869. Juvenal, a professor of medicine
at the University of Turin, accompanied the ambassador of Savoy to Rome
in 1575 to serve as his private physician. That same year in Rome he
met Saint Philip Neri and joined his Oratory. Eventually Juvenal was
ordained and sent to Naples to open another oratory there. In 1602, the
priest who had become especially known for his work among the poor, was
consecrated bishop of Saluzzo. Immediately he began a visitation of his
diocese. Upon his return to his cathedral, he was poisoned by a friar
whom he had reprimanded for his evil life (Benedictines).
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1622 St.
Francis
of St.
Bonaventure; catechist; Native-born martyr of Japan
He was from Musashi, in Kwanto province, Japan, and a convert, working
as a catechist with
Blessed Apollinaris Franco.
Francis was burned alive at Omura and was beatified in 1867.
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1622 Bl.
Mancius
of St. Thomas; native Japanese catechist; Martyr of Japan
He was a native Japanese catechist, who was burned alive at
Omura, Japan, with Blessed Thomas Zumarraga and companions.
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1622 St.
Peter
Paul of St. Claire; assistant to Blessed Apollinaris Franco and
as a catechist; Native Japanese martyr
Born in Japan, he worked as an assistant to Blessed Apollinaris Franco
and as a catechist prior to his arrest by Japanese authorities.
Condemned to death, he was burned alive at Omura.
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1622
Bl. Thomas Zumarraga Spanish Dominican martyr of Japan
Born in Vitoria, Spain, he entered the Dominicans and was dispatched to
the missions in Japan. There he worked to advance the Christian cause
until his imprisonment at Omura. After three years of confinement, he
was burned alive with several companions.
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Feast of the Most Holy Name of Mary Mother of GOD 
Et
álibi
aliórum plurimórum sanctórum Mártyrum et
Confessórum, atque sanctárum Vírginum.
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.