64 St. Nazarius and Celsus Martyrs supposedly beheaded at Milan during the reign of Emperor Nero. Their relics, however, were discovered in 395 by St. Ambrose of Milan. Nazarius’ blood was still liquid when his remains were found.
     Medioláni natális sanctórum Mártyrum Nazárii, et Celsi púeri, quos Anolínus, sub rábie persecutiónis quæ per Nerónem excitáta est, diu macerátos et afflíctos in cárcere, gládio feríri jussit.
    At Milan, the birthday of the holy martyrs Nazarius and a boy named Celsus. While the persecution excited by Nero was raging, they were beheaded by Anolinus, after long sufferings and afflictions endured in prison.
SS Nazarius and Celsus,
St Nazarius's father was a heathen, and an officer in the Roman army.
   His mother was a zealous Christian, and he was instructed by St Peter, or his disciples. Nazarius out of zeal for the salvation of others left Rome, his native city, and preached the faith in many places with a fervour and disinterestedness becoming a disciple of the apostles. Arriving at Milan he was there beheaded, together with Celsus, a youth whom he took with him to assist him on his travels. These martyrs suffered soon after Nero had raised the first persecution. Their bodies were buried separately in a garden outside the city, where they were discovered and taken up by St Ambrose soon after the year 395. In the tomb of St Nazarius the saint's blood was found as fresh and red as if it had been spilt that day. St Ambrose conveyed the bodies of the two martyrs into the church of the Apostles, which he had just built, and a woman was delivered from an evil spirit in their presence.
This brief account is taken by Alban Butler from a sermon of the saint's feast by St Ennodius, another wrongly attributed to St Ambrose, and the biography of the last named by the deacon Paulinus. It may represent a tradition current in Milan at the end of the fourth century, which led to St Ambrose's search for the bodies, but the only historically certain points are his discovery and translation of them. In later versions the legend is much embroidered, and abounds in inconsistencies and fables. SS. Nazarius and Celsus are united in one feast with the holy popes Victor and Innocent (see below), and are named in the canon of the Milanese Mass.

This legend has been very thoroughly studied by Father Fedele Savio, first in the volume issued under the title Ambrosiana, to do honour to the St Ambrose centenary of 1897, and secondly in his work Gil antichi vescovi d'Italia, pt. 1 (1913). He shows that the four Latin and rwo Greek texts which we possess probably derive from an original fabricated in Africa in the fourth century. See also the Acta Sanctorum, July, vol. vi, and Delehaye, Les Origines du Culte des Martyrs, pp. 79-80, etc.

Nazarius and Celsus MM (RM) Born in Rome; Legend reports that Saint Nazarius was the son of a pagan Roman officer and his Christian wife Perpetua. Nazarius was taught the faith by Saint Peter. When Emperor Nero was persecuting Christians in Rome, Nazarius began to preach the Christian faith so powerfully that his friends begged him to leave the city to avoid punishment. He went to Milan. There he found two other Christians, Gervase and Protase, already in prison. In spite of the danger, Nazarius rushed to comfort them, for which the city rulers beat him and threw him outside their walls. Undeterred, Nazarius went to Gaul. He was asked to look after a child called Celsus, baptized him, and travelled further, reaching Trier, Germany, always preaching the Gospel. Celsus went with him, supporting Nazarius in every way he could.
At Trier, they were tried by Nero who found them guilty of being Christians, and ordered that they be drowned. Both Christians were taken in a ship and thrown overboard, but a storm that suddenly arose frightened the sailors. Imagining that the storm was a punishment for their treatment of the two Christians, the sailors pulled Nazarius and Celsus back on board. They landed at Genoa, and Nazarius decided that they ought to try once more to convert the people of Milan. But the magistrates of Milan again caught Nazarius and Celsus with him. This time they were beheaded.

The two saints were buried outside the walls of the city, close by the graves of Gervase and Protase. The only undisputed fact is that Saint Ambrose, bishop of Milan, discovered the four bodies in a garden outside Milan and reverently enshrined them inside his great new church of the Apostles in 395. Reputedly, Nazarius's blood was still liquid and red when his body was exhumed by Saint Ambrose (Attwater, Benedictines, Bentley, Delaney, Encyclopedia). In art, they are depicted as a man and boy walking on the sea (Roeder).

"Hodegetria", Written by the holy Evangelist Luke within the earthly lifetime of the Most Holy Mother of God The Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God, which in Russian means "Putevoditel'nitsa" or "Way-Guide",

According to Church tradition written by the holy Evangelist Luke within the earthly lifetime of the MostHoly Mother of God.
Sainted-hierarch Dimitrii of Rostov suggests this image was written at the request of Theophilos, governor of Antioch. From Antioch the holy image transferred to Jerusalem.
From there the empress Eudokia, the spouse of Arcadius, gave it at Constantinople to Pulcheria the sister of the emperor, who put the holy icon in the Blakhernai church.

The Greek emperor Constantine IX Monomachos (1042-1054), -- in 1046 having given his daughter Anna in marriage to prince Vsevolod Yaroslavich, the son of Yaroslav the Wise, -- blessed her on her way with this icon. After the death of prince Vsevolod the icon went to his son Vladimir Monomakh, who transferred it at the beginning of the XII Century into the Smolensk cathedral church in honour of the Dormition (Uspenie) of the MostHoly Mother of God.

From that time the icon received the title of Smolensk Hodegetria.

In the year 1238 at the bespeaking of the icon, the self-sacrificing Orthodox warrior Merkurii by night penetrated into the camp of Batu and killed many of the enemy, in which number was also their most powerful warrior. Having accepted in the fight a martyr's end, he was enumerated by the Church to the ranks of the Saints (Comm. 24 November).

In the XIV Century Smolensk came into the possession of the Lithuanian princes.

The daughter of prince Vitovt, Sophia, was given for marriage to the Moscow GreatPrince Vasilii Dimitrievich (1398-1425). In 1398 she brought with herself to Moscow the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God. They set the holy image in the Annunciation cathedral of the Kremlin, on the right side of the royal-doors. In 1456, at the request of the inhabitants of Smolensk with Bishop Misail at the head, the icon was solemnly in church procession returned to Smolensk, and at Moscow there remained two copies of it. One was put in the Annunciation cathedral, and the other -- "a measure for measure" -- was put in the Novodevichei monastery, founded in memory of the return of Smolensk to Russia. The monastery was built on Devichei Pole (Virgin's Field), where "with many tears" the Muscovites handed over the holy icon to Smolensk. In 1602 an exact copy was written from the wonderworking icon (in 1666 together with the ancient icon they conveyed a new copy to Moscow for restoration), which they situated in the tower of the Smolensk fortress wall over the Dneprovsk Gates, under a specially constructed mantle-cover. Afterwards, in 1727, was built there a wooden church, and in 1802 -- a stone church.

The new copy took on the power of grave of the old image, and when the Russian armies left Smolensk on 5 August 1812.

They took the icon with them for defense from the enemy forces. On the eve of the Battle of Borodino they carried this image through the camp, to encourage and inspire the soldiers to the great deed. The ancient image of the Smolensk Hodegetria, taken for the while to the Uspensk cathedral, on the day of the Borodino battle was in procession around with the Iversk and Vladimir Icons of the Mother of God through the Belo and Kitai quarters and the Kremlin walls, and then they sent it to the sick and wounded at the Lefortovo palace. After the leaving of Moscow the icon was taken to Yaroslavl.

Thus of old were these sister-icons preserved, and the Mother of God through Her images defended the Native-land.
After the victory over the enemy forces the Hodegetria Icon together with its glorified copy was returned to Smolensk. The celebration in honour of this wonderworking image on 28 July was establsihed in the year 1525 in memory of the return of Smolensk to Russia.

There exist many venerated copies of the Smolensk Hodegetria, for which the celebration is set on this day.

There is also a day of celebration for the Smolensk Icon, glorified in the XIX Century, -- 5 November, when this image on the orders of the commander-in-chief of the Russian army M. I. Kutuzov was returned to Smolensk. In memory of the expelling of the enemy from the Fatherland, at Smolensk it was established to celebrate this day annually.

The holy icon of the Hodegetria Mother of God -- is one of the chief holy things of the Russian Church.

Believers have received and do receive from it an abundant help of grace. The Mother of God through Her holy image intercedes for and strengthens us, guiding on the way to salvation, and we call out to Her: "Thou for faithful peoples -- art the All-Blessed Hodegetria, Thou art the affirmation -- the Praiseworthy of Smolensk and all the Russian land. Rejoice, Hodegetrix, salvation to Christians!"

Thebáide, in Ægypto, commemorátio plurimórum sanctórum Mártyrum, qui in Décii et Valeriáni persecutióne passi sunt, quando Christiánis, optántibus pro Christi nómine gládio pércuti, cállidus hostis, tarda ad montem supplícia conquírens, ánimas cupiébat juguláre, non córpora. Ex eórum número unus, post equúleos et láminas ac sartágines superátas, melle perúnctus, ligátis mánibus post tergum, sub ardentíssimo sole, fucórum ac muscárum acúleis expósitus fuit; álius, inter flores mólliter vinctus, cum ad eum, ut concitáret in libídinem, impudicíssimum scortum venísset, præcísam morsu linguam in blandiéntis fáciem éxspuit.
In Thebais in Egypt, the commemoration of many holy martyrs who suffered in the persecution of Decius and Valerian. At this time, when Christians sought death by the sword for the name of Christ, the crafty enemy devised certain slow torments to put them to death, wishing to kill their souls much more than their bodies. One of these Christians, after suffering the tortured of the rack, of hot metal plates and of seething oil, was smeared with honey and exposed, in the broiling heat of the sun, with his hands tied behind him, to the sting of wasps and flies. Another, bound and placed among flowers, being approached by a shameless woman for the purpose of exciting his passions, bit through his tongue and spat it in her face.

Saints Nicanor, Prochorus, Timon, and Parmenas, Apostles of the Seventy were among the first deacons in the Church of Christ.

Orthodoxe Kirche: 28. Juli Katholische Kirche: Nikanor 10. Januar Katholische Kirche: Parmenas
23. Januar Katholische Kirche: Prochorus 9. April Katholische Kirche: Timon 19. April

In the Acts of the Holy Apostles (6:1-6) it is said that the twelve Apostles chose seven men: Stephen, Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas and Nicholas, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, and appointed them to serve as deacons.
They are commemorated together on July 28, although they died at various times and in various places.
Although St Nicanor suffered on the same day that the holy Protomartyr Stephen (December 27) and many other Christians were killed by stoning, he is commemorated on December 28.

Orthodoxe Kirche: 28. Juli Katholische Kirche: Nikanor 10. Januar Katholische Kirche: Parmenas 23. Januar Katholische Kirche: Prochorus 9. April Katholische Kirche: Timon 19. April
Nach dem Bericht in Apg. 6, 1-7 setzten die Apostel sieben Diakone in der Jerusalemer Gemeinde ein. Neben den vier hier genannten Nikolaus, Philippus und Stephanus. Von Nikanor wird berichtet, nachdem Stephanus gesteinigt worden war, sei auch er gesteinigt worden. Andere Quellen berichten, er sei auf Zypern gefoltert worden und gestorben.
Über Parmenas gibt es widersprüchliche Berichte. Er soll nach Dorotheus während seines Diakonendienstes verstorben sein. In der Hippolyt zugeschriebenen Liste wird er als Bischof von Soli angegeben. Andere Quellen berichten, er sei nach Makedonien gegangen und sei dort (98 oder 117) unter Trajan als Märtyrer gestorben.
Prochorus soll Petrus begleitet haben und von diesem zum Bischof von Nikomedia eingesetzt worden sein. Später schloß er sich dem Apostel Johannes an und wurde mit diesem nach Patmos verbannt. Hier soll er dann die Schau des Johannes niedergeschrieben haben. Später kam er nach Nikomedien zurück und wurde in Antiochia hingerichtet.

Icon of Bottom row: St. Timon, St. Irene Chrysovalantou, St. Prochorus, Bishop Top Row: St. Nicanor, St. Parmenas of the 70 Apostles

199 Victor I, Pope African by birth, Victor succeeded Saint Eleutherius as pope c. 189 the first to use Latin in the celebration of the liturgy Until Victor's time, Rome celebrated the Mass in Greek. Pope Victor changed the language to Latin, which was used in his native North Africa. According to Jerome, he was the first Christian author to write about theology in Latin. Latin masses, however, did not become universal until the latter half of the 4th century. (RM)

Romæ pássio sancti Victóris Primi, Papæ et Mártyris. At Rome, the martyrdom of St. Victor, pope and martyr.

Victor I, Pope was a native of Africa, and succeeded St Eleutherius in the pontificate about the year 189. Those virtues which had prepared him for that dignity made him a true successor of the Apostles, and he vigorously grappled with the difficulties of the times. Among these was a group of Asiatic Christians at Rome who insisted on celebrating Easter on a date that accorded with their own traditions, even if a week-day. Certain Asiatic bishops interfered to support them, and were threatened by the pope with excommunication. St Irenaeus of Lyons and others protested against this severity, pointing out that differences of disciplinary custom had not hitherto been allowed to compromise Christian brotherhood. The protest appears to have been successful; but St Victor naturally insisted on maintaining uniformity of observance in his own province without being meddled with by bishops from outside it.
   Other troubles were caused by the arrival in Rome from Byzantium of a man called Theodotus, a leather-merchant, who taught that Jesus Christ was only a supernaturally endowed man.
    Pope St Victor died before the persecution of Septimius Severus began, and there is no good reason to suppose he was martyred; but his energy and zeal exposed him to persecutions for which alone he might deserve the honours of a martyr which are accorded him liturgically.
   This pope is named in the canon of the Ambrosian Mass, he is said by St Jerome to have been the first in Rome to celebrate the Mysteries in Latin, and he was formerly held in special veneration in Scotland, being fabled to have sent missionaries thither.

The little we know of St Victor comes mainly from Eusebius and the Liber Pontificalis. The latter authority describes him as a martyr. See also the Acta Sanctorum, July, vol. vi, and Duchesne. History of the Early Church, vol. i, cap. 16.

Probably an African by birth, Victor succeeded Saint Eleutherius as pope c. 189. During his pontificate Victor was embroiled in a dispute with a group of Christians from the province of Asia who were in Rome. They celebrated Easter on a date of their own choosing. Victor threatened the Asiatics with excommunication in a Roman synod. He was also faced with the arrival of Theodotus from Constantinople and his teaching that Christ was only a man endowed with supernatural powers by the Holy Spirit. He is reputed to have been the first to use Latin in the celebration of the liturgy. It is not certain that he died a martyr's death (Benedictines, Delaney, Encyclopedia).

2nd v. St. Peregrinus Priest and hermit. He was probably a priest serving in the area around Lyons. He survived the persecutions under Emperor Septimius Severus by residing as a hermit on an island in the Saone River.
Lugdúni, in Gállia, sancti Peregríni Presbyteri, cujus beatitúdinem glória miraculórum testátur.
At Lyons in France, St. Peregrinus, priest, whose happiness in heaven is testified by glorious miracles.
Peregrinus of Lyons, Hermit (RM). Peregrinus appears to have been a priest of the diocese of Lyons in the time of Saint Irenaeus. During the persecution of Severus he lived as a hermit on an island in the Saône River (Benedictines).

138-161 Julian The Holy Martyr suffered during the reign of Antoninus Pius (138-161) in the Italian province of Campagna
The governor Flavian gave orders to search out and bring christians to him for trial. During this time the young Christian Julian arrived in Campagna from Dalmatia. Having met up with soldiers of the governor, he greeted them with the words: "Peace, brothers!" The soldiers began to interrogate him: where he was from and what faith he confessed. Julian, willing to suffer and die for Christ, bravely declared that he was a Christian. The soldiers were amazed at the courage of the youth, but obeying their orders, they bound him and led him to the governor. "We shall see, -- they said, -- how true be thy words, whether thou be willing to die for the Crucified One".
Having undergone a beating, the saint prayed to the Lord, that He would grant him the strength to endure the torture to the end. His prayer was heard, and he heard a Voice: "Fear not, Julian, I am with thee and shalt give thee strength and courage". The holy youth was locked up in a prison, called "the Cold Pit", in which they held him for seven days without food or water. An Angel of God brought food and heartened the confessor.
At the following interrogation the governor harassed the youth, saying, that it was shameful for such an handsome youth to worship the One-Crucified upon the Cross, and urged him to offer sacrifice to idols. Saint Julian made bold to answer, that he was prepared to die for the true faith. The governor gave orders to tie the youth to a tree and beat him. The martyr began to pray and again heard a Voice: "Fear not, Julian, remain brave". Saint Julian, having turned to the crowd standing about, said: "Listen, ye accursed ones, trust not on your gods, which ye have made with your hands. But rather know ye the God, Who from nothing hath created Heaven and earth". After his speech more than 30 men were converted to Christ, and they again led off the saint to prison. In the morning, when new tortures were started.
They announced, that the temple of the pagan god Serapis together with the idols standing in it were destroyed. Everyone arrived in shock and was terrified, but the christians were heartened and glorified Christ God. The pagans however attributed this destruction to magical power and they demanded his immediate execution. They decided to do the killing of the holy youth at the place of the ruined pagan temple. Before the execution Saint Julian bent down on his knees and prayed, thanking the Lord for granting him to accept death for His Holy Name. A third time he heard the Voice, summoning him to the Kingdom of Heaven. They beheaded the holy martyr with a sword, and he expired to the Lord, Whom he loved more than earthly life .

310 Acacius of Miletus martyred in Miletus under Emperor Licinius (Benedictines). M (RM)
   Miléti, in Cária, sancti Acátii Mártyris, qui, sub Licínio Imperatóre, post divérsas pœnas, injéctus in fornácem ac Dei ope servátus illæsus, cápitis abscissióne martyrium complévit.
    At Miletus, in the time of Emperor Licinius, the holy martyr Acatius, who completed his martyrdom by having his head struck off, after having undergone different torments and having been thrown into a furnace, from which through the assistance of God he came out uninjured.
    The Holy Martyr Acacius was brought to trial for his belief in Christ. Three governors attempted to compel the holy martyr to offer sacrifice to idols, having subjected him to fierce tortures. Governor Licinius gave orders to rend the body of St Acacius with instruments of torture. He then sent him to Governor Terence, who gave orders to throw Acacius into a cauldron filled with boiling tar and tallow, but the martyr remained unharmed. Terence went to the cities of Apamea and Apollonia and gave orders to bring the martyr after him. In one of these cities St Acacius was led into a pagan temple, but by his prayer all the idols there fell down.
   They beat the saint viciously and gave him over to be eaten by wild beasts.
When they saw that he remained unharmed, they threw him into a red-hot furnace. The martyr also remained unharmed there. The governor, wanting to check whether the furnace was sufficiently hot, went near it and was burned himself. They then took the holy Martyr Acacius for torture to a certain Posidonius, who put heavy fetters on the holy martyr and gave orders to take him to the city of Miletus. There also the saint, by his prayer, destroyed idols. Finally, the exhausted torturers beheaded St Acacius. A priest by the name of Leontius buried his body in the city of Synados (Asia Minor) .

316 Eustace (Eustathius) of Galatia , a martyr of Galacia, was tortured and then cast into a river in a chest, was singing the 90th (91st) Psalm: "He that dwelleth in the help of the Most-High..."; received Communion from the hand of an Angel Beholding the miracle and sensing himself disgraced, the governor killed himself; (Benedictines). M (RM)
Ancyræ, in Galátia, sancti Eustáthii Mártyris, qui, váriis tormentórum genéribus excruciátibus, atque demérsus in flumen, sed inde ab Angelo eréptus, demum, colúmba e cælis adveniénte, ad præmia ætérna vocátus est.
At Ancyra in Galatia, the holy martyr Eustathius. After various torments he was plunged into a river, but being delivered by an angel, was finally called to his eternal reward by a dove coming from heaven.
The Holy Martyr Eustathios was a soldier. For confessing the Christian faith he was arrested and brought before the head of the city on Ancyra. At the interrogation, the saint firmly and bravely confessed himself a Christian and was sentenced to tortures. They beat him without mercy, they bore into the heels and, having tied him about with rope, they dragged him in the city to the River Sagka (Sangara). At the bank of the river they put the martyr into a wooden chest and threw it in the water. An Angel of God brought the chest to shore. The saint, situated in the chest, was singing the 90th (91st) Psalm: "He that dwelleth in the help of the Most-High..." Beholding the miracle and sensing himself disgraced, the governor having drawn his sword killed himself. The holy martyr, having received Communion from the hand of an Angel, gave up his spirit to God.

His venerable relics were buried in the city of Ancyra.

321 Akakios The Holy Martyr was brought to trial for belief in Christ; into a cauldron, filled with boiling tar and tallow, but the martyr remained unharmed; led into a pagan temple, but by his prayer all the idols there fell down; then threw him into a red-hot furnace. The martyr there also remained unharmed; took him to the city of Miletos, but there also the saint by his prayer ruined idols
Three governors attempted to compel the holy martyr to offer sacrifice to idols, subjecting him to fierce tortures. Governor Licinius gave orders to rend the body of Saint Akakios with instruments of torture, and he then sent him to Governor Terence, who gave orders to throw Akakios into a cauldron, filled with boiling tar and tallow, but the martyr remained unharmed. Terence set off to the cities of Apameia and Apollonia and gave orders to bring the martyr after him. In one of these cities Saint Akakios was led into a pagan temple, but by his prayer all the idols there fell down. They beat the saint viciously and gave him over for devouring by beasts. When however they saw that he remained unharmed, they then threw him into a red-hot furnace. The martyr there also remained unharmed. The governor, wanting to check whether the furnace was sufficiently hot, went near it and himself burned. They then took the holy Martyr Akakios for torture to a certain Posidonius, who put heavy fetters on the holy martyr and gave orders to take him to the city of Miletos, but there also the saint by his prayer ruined idols. Finally, exhausted torturers beheaded Saint Akakios (321). A presbyter named Leontios buried body in city of Synados (Asia Minor).

417 St. Innocent I Pope, succeeding Pope St. Anastasius I, on December 22, 401; he emphasized papal supremacy, commending bishops of Africa for referring decrees of their councils at Carthage and Millevis in 416, condemning Pelagianism, to the Pope for confirmation. It was his confirmation of these decrees that caused Augustine to make a remark that was to echo through the centuries: "Roma locuta, causa finitas" (Rome has spoken, the matter is ended); matters of great importance were to be referred to Rome for settlement.
Item Romæ sancti Innocéntii Primi, Papæ et Confessóris, qui ad Dóminum migrávit quarto Idus Mártii.
Also at Rome, St. Innocent, pope and confessor, who passed to the Lord on the 12th of March.

St. Innocent I Pope, was a native of Albano, near Rome, and succeeded Pope St Anastasius I in the year 401.

For sixteen years he played an active part in ecclesiastical affairs, and his actions show him to have been a very capable man, energetic and vigorous, but otherwise little is known of him personally. He informed the bishop of Rouen, St Victricius, that "greater causes" were to be referred to Rome, writing to the Spanish bishops in the same sense; he also directed several bishops that their clergy should be celibate, after the Roman example. He did his best to uphold St John Chrysostom, who had been unjustly removed from his see of Constantinople by the Synod of The Oak in 403, the pope refusing to recognize his intruded successors and vainly trying to get the Emperor Arcadius to have him reinstated. After the bishops of Africa had condemned Pelagianiam at the councils of Carthage and Milevis in 416 they wrote asking the pope to confirm their decisions. In his reply Innocent said that "in all matters of faith bishops throughout the world should refer to St Peter", and commended the Africans for so doing. The papal confirmation was announced by St Augustine to his flock at Hippo: "Two councils have written to the Apostolic See about this matter, and the reply has come back: the question is settled "-whence the adage Roma locuta, causa finita est.
During this pontificate, on the night between the years 406,and 407, the Great Raid of barbarians crossed the Rhine; four years later Rome was taken and sacked by the Goths. Innocent was in Ravenna at the time, whither he had gone with a deputation to persuade the Emperor Honorius to try and make peace by buying off the invaders. He died on March 12, 417.

As in the preceding entry, the life of St Innocent I belongs less to hagiography than to the general history of the Church. We have a fair amount of evidence from his own letters and contemporary documents. See the Acta Sanctorum, July, vol. vi; L. Duchesne, History of the Early Church, vol. iii; DCB., vol. iii, pp. 243-249; DTC., vol. vii, cc. 1940-1950; and Fliche and Martin, Histoire de l'Église, t. iv, pp. 243-247. For Innocent's liturgical enactments, ef. R. Connolly in the Journal of Theological Studies, vol. xx (1919), pp. 215-226 .

Innocent was born at Albano, Italy. He became Pope, succeeding Pope St. Anastasius I, on December 22, 401.
During Innocent's pontificate, he emphasized papal supremacy, commending the bishops of Africa for referring the decrees of their councils at Carthage and Millevis in 416, condemning Pelagianism, to the Pope for confirmation. It was his confirmation of these decrees that caused Augustine to make a remark that was to echo through the centuries: "Roma locuta, causa finitas" (Rome has spoken, the matter is ended).
Earlier Innocent had stressed to Bishop St. Victrius and the Spanish bishops that matters of great importance were to be referred to Rome for settlement. Innocent strongly favored clerical celibacy and fought the unjust removal of St. John Chrysostom. Four letters between Innocent and Saint John Chrysostom can be found.
He vainly sought help from Emperor Honorius at Revenna when the Goths under Alaric captured and sacked Rome. Innocent died in Rome on March 12 410 (Benedictines, Delaney, Encyclopedia).
Innocent I, Pope (RM) Born at Albano (near Rome?), Italy; died in Rome, March 12, 417. Innocent, pontiff at the time of the capture and sacking of Rome by the Goths under Alaric, succeeded Pope Saint Anastasius I, on December 22, 401. During Innocent's pontificate, he emphasized papal supremacy, commending the bishops of Africa for referring the decrees of their councils at Carthage and Milevis in 416 that condemned Pelagianism, to the pope for confirmation. It was his confirmation of these decrees that caused Augustine to make a remark that was to echo through the centuries: "Roma locuta, causa finita est" (Rome has spoken, the matter is ended).

Pope Saint Innocent I was pope from 401 to March 12, 417.
He was, according to his biographer in the Liber Pontificalis, the son of a man called Innocens of Albano; but according to his contemporary Jerome, his father was Pope Anastasius I (399-401), whom he was called by the unanimous voice of the clergy and laity to succeed (he had been born before his father's entry to the clergy, let alone the papacy).
It was during Innocent I's papacy that the siege of Rome by Alaric I (395-410) and the Visigoths (408) took place, when, according to an anecdote of Zosimus, the ravages of plague and famine were so frightful, and divine help seemed so far off, that papal permission was granted to sacrifice and pray to the pagan deities. The pope, however, happened to be absent from the city on a mission to Honorius at Ravenna at the time of the sack in 410.
Innocent I lost no opportunity of maintaining and extending the authority of the Roman see as the ultimate resort for the settlement of all disputes; and his still extant communications with Victricius of Rouen, Exuperius of Toulouse, Alexander of Antioch and others, as well as his actions on the appeal made to him by John Chrysostom (397-403) against Theophilus of Alexandria, show that opportunities of the kind were numerous and varied. He took a decided view on the Pelagian controversy, confirming the decisions of the synod of the province of proconsular Africa, held in Carthage in 416, which had been sent to him, and also writing in the same year in a similar sense to the fathers of the Numidian synod of Mileve who, Augustine being one of their number, had addressed him.
Among Innocent I's letters is one to Jerome and another to John, bishop of Jerusalem, regarding annoyances to which the former had been subjected by the Pelagians at Bethlehem. He died on 12 March 417. Accordingly, though from the thirteenth to the twentieth century he was commemorated on 28 July, his feast day is now 12 March.[1] His successor was Zosimus.

525 St. Camelian Bishop of Troyes, France, succeeding St. Lupis in 478 and ruling until his death.
Camelian B (AC)
Camelian succeeded Saint Lupus as bishop of Troyes and reigned from 478 to about 525 (Benedictines, Encyclopedia).

565 St. Samson Welsh bishop and evangelizer

In Británnia minóre sancti Sampsónis, Epíscopi et Confessóris. In Brittany, St. Sampson, bishop and confessor.

565 St. Samson Welsh bishop and evangelizer one of the most important of the British missionary bishops of the sixth century, and he is to this day venerated liturgically in South Wales and Brittany. He was born about the year 485, his father, Amon, being of the Welsh province of Dyfed, and his mother, Anna, from Gwent, he being a "child of promise" after his parents' long childlessness. Out of gratitude the child was, at the age of five years, dedicated to God in the monastery founded and governed by St Illtud at Llantwit in Glamorgan, a very nursery of saints. The young Samson was most virtuous in his life, quick in his studies, and austere in his monastic observance, so he was early made deacon and priest by St Dyfrig (Dubricius). This excited the jealousy of two brothers, monks and nephews of St liltud, one of whom aspired to succeed his uncle as abbot of the house. They therefore tried to remove Samson by poison; but remained unharmed, whereupon one of the brothers repented, as did the other after he had had a seizure when receiving communion from his victim's hand and been cured at his prayer. Samson obtained the abbot's permission to go to an island where was a small community governed by one Piro. This island is usually identified with Caldey (Ynys Byr), off the coast of Pembrokeshire. Here he "ceased not by day or night from prayer and communion with God, leading with untiring patience a wonderful, isolated, and above all, heavenly life, spending the whole day in working with his hands and in prayer".
His father being, as he supposed, near death, sent for Samson to administer the last rites. At first he was unwilling to go out into the world, but Piro rebuked him and appointed a deacon to bear him company, and when he had ministered the sacraments to his father, the man recovered. Whereupon Amon and his wife wished to retire from the world, and when provision had been made for her, Samson with his father and his uncle Umbrafel and the deacon returned to the island. Here they found St Dubricius spending Lent in retreat there, according to his custom, and when he heard of certain marvels that had happened on their journey, he had Samson appointed cellarer to the community.
Shortly afterwards Piro died {* Not for mere wantonness but as an illustration of the change of manners and standards, it is worth recording that Piro is reported to have died as the result of falling into a well owing to stupid intoxication". The biographer says with satisfaction of Samson that "no one ever saw him drunk".} and Samson was made abbot in his stead.

In this office, while himself being regarded as a hermit, he brought the monks gently into better discipline, also made journey to Ireland; a monastery which was there confided to him he put in charge of Umbrafel. But on his return he refused to continue as abbot and retired, with .Amon and two others, to somewhere near the river Severn and there they lived as hermits.
His peace was not for long undisturbed. He was made abbot of the monastery "which, it is said, had been founded by St Germanus", and was consecrated bishop by St Dubricius. He soon after, on Easter eve, had a vision in which he was told to go beyond the seas. Accordingly he went into Cornwall, with his companions, and landed "with a favourable wind, after a happy passage" at or near Padstow. He proceeded towards the monastery called Docco (flow Saint Kew). When the monks heard of his approach they sent one of their number, the most prudent and a man with the gift of prophecy, Winiau, to meet him. This was not, however, the sign of an eager welcome, for when St Samson proposed to stay at the monastery for a little, Winiau tactfully intimated that it was not convenient, "for our discipline is not what it was. Go on your way in peace..."
Samson took his words as an indication from God, and went on across Cornwall, travelling by means of a car or chariot which he had brought from Ireland. Going through the district of Trigg he converted a number of idol-worshippers by restoring miraculously a boy who had been thrown from a horse; he founded a church at Southill and another at Golant, coming by way of the Fowey river to its mouth, whence he took ship to Brittany, leaving his brother in charge of a monastery at Southill. It is possible that before leaving Cornwall, where he must have spent considerable time, he visited the Scully Islands, for one of them is named after him.
Of Samson's work in Brittany his biographers speak most of his miracles; he made missionary journeys in all directions, including the Channel Islands, where a town on Guernsey bears his name, and founded two monasteries, one for himself at Dol and another at Pental in Normandy. He helped to restore to Brittany its rightful prince, Judual, against his rival Conmor in the year 555. Upon visiting Paris Samson attracted the favourable notice of King Childebert, who is said nominated him bishop of Dol, and he is probably the "Samson, peccator, Episcopus" who signed the acts of the Council of Paris in 557 but Dol was not a regular episcopal see until the ninth century. St Samson died peacefully among his monks about the year 505.

There has been much discussion concerning the date and the value of the life of St Samson printed by Mabillon and in the Acta Sanctorum, July, vol. vi. The text has been re-edited in modern times by Robert Fawtier, La vie de S. Samson (1912), who arrives at the conclusion that it was written by a monk of Dol at the end of the eighth or beginning of the ninth century, and that its data as a whole are historically worthless. Other specialists in Celtic hagiography by no means share this view. F. Duine (Origines Bretonnes la Vie de S. Samson, 1914) adheres to the opinion of M. de Ia Borderie that the life was compiled about 610-615 at the latest. It seems that Mgr Duchesne, who at first pronounced for the ninth century date, afterwards changed his mind and came over to the side of La Borderie. Canon T. Taylor, who published a translation with an admirable introduction, The Life of St Samson of Dol (1925), also adheres to the view that the text is a genuine memorial of the early seventh century. Cf. LBS., vol. iv, pp. 130 seq. Burkitt in Journal of Theological Studies, vol. xxvii (1925), pp. 42-57; A. W. Wade-Evans, Welsh Christian Origins (1934), pp. 205-233; and G. H. Dome, St Samson in Cornwall (1935). Samson's name occurs in many medieval English calendars.

Bishop and Evangelizer - even though he had long searched for solitude; disciple of St. Illtyd at the monastery of Lianwit (Llantwit) in southern Glamorgan and then lived as a monk (and later abbot) of a community on Caldey Island (Ynys Byr). He was joined there by his uncle, Umbrafel, and his father, Amon. After a trip to Ireland, Samson became a hermit with Amon whom he cured of a mortal illness. During a trip to Cornwall, he was consecrated a bishop and appointed an abbot. He then departed England and went to Brittany where he spent the rest of his life as a missionary, Many miraculous deed were attributed
Born at Glamorgan, Wales, he became a disciple of St. Illtyd at the monastery of Lianwit (Llantwit) in southern Glamorgan and then lived as a monk (and later abbot) of a community on Caldey Island (Ynys Byr). He was joined there by his uncle, Umbrafel, and his father, Amon. After a trip to Ireland, Samson became a hermit with Amon whom he cured of a mortal illness.
During a trip to Cornwall, he was consecrated a bishop and appointed an abbot. He then departed England and went to Brittany where he spent the rest of his life as a missionary, even though he had long searched for solitude. Samson founded monasteries, including one at Dol and another at Pental, in Normandy. He was one of the foremost (if not relatively unknown) evangelizers of his century and has long been venerated with enthusiasm in Wales and Brittany.
Samson (Sampson) of Brittany B (RM) Born in Glamorgan, Wales, c. 485; died at Dol, Brittany, France, July 28, c. 565. The existing vita of Saint Samson may be the earliest biography of a British Celtic saint, but scholarly opinion is divided on whether it was written in the 7th century (within 50 years of his death) or the 9th. The earliest manuscripts date only from the 11th century.

He was one of the greatest missionaries ever to come from Britain.

His parents--Ammon, a lord of Glamorgan, and Anna of Gwent-- dedicated him to the service of God because he was a "child of promise" after his parents prolonged period of childlessness. According to his biography he was raised in the abbey of Llanwit Major in Glamorgan, which at that time was ruled by Saint Illtyd, who ordained him deacon and priest.
After Samson's ordination an attempt was made on his life by two nephews of Saint Illtyd, who were jealous of his ordination. So Samson left the community and lived for a time under Piro on the island of Caldey (Ynys Byr) off the coast of Pembrokeshire, where he served as cellarer. His father and his uncle, Umbrafel, joined him there after his father had recovered from a serious illness during which he received the last rites from his son. When Piro died, Samson succeeded him as abbot of Caldey Abbey, but he resigned after a preaching tour to Ireland.
He returned to Wales, where he lived as a hermit with his father and two others in a retreat near the mouth of the Severn River. Then he sojourned to Cornwall, where he was consecrated bishop of Saint Dyfrig (Dubricius), bishop of Caerleon, and appointed abbot of its monastery. Samson travelled throughout Cornwall where he worked as a missionary, founded monasteries and churches at Padstow, Saint Kew, Southill, and Golant, probably visited the Scilly Islands, and gathered to himself disciples, such as Saints Austell, Mewan, and Winnoc (which doesn't make sense because Winnoc died in 717).

Finally, Samson crossed the Channel to Armorica, where he landed at the mouth of the Guyoult, to continue his missionary activities in Brittany. Privatus, a Gallo-Roman, gave him a stretch of land nearby on which to build a monastery c. 525, and this became the site of the future town of Dol. Under his leadership, Dol became the spiritual center of Brittany. A vigorous organizer and a zealous preacher, Saint Samson established numerous other abbeys, including Pental in Normandy, and spread the word of God far and wide. It appears that he exercised episcopal jurisdiction at Dol, although it was not a regular see until much later. He is probably the 'Samson peccator episcopus' who signed the acts of the Council of Paris (557).
His concern for justice, as well as the temporal importance of his position as bishop and abbot, often involved him in political affairs. When Conomor (Conmor) murdered the king of Domnonia and usurped the throne that rightly belonged to the Breton ruler Judwal (Judual), Saint Samson journeyed to Paris where, with the support of Saint Germain the bishop of Paris, he enlisted the help of the Frankish King Childebert. On his return he travelled down the Seine and founded an establishment for penitents at Vernier.
On a second visit to Paris he was granted lands in the region of Rennes and was also given jurisdiction over the Channel Islands-- and indeed it was from the Isle of Guernsey, where one town bears his name, that he and Judwal embarked on their campaign to depose the usurper Conomor. After three battles, Judwal won back his kingdom and Samson returned to his bishopric and monastery at Dol.
Towards the end of his life, when he felt that his end was near, he undertook an extensive journey throughout the whole of Neustria, a journey of which the Breton bards have left us a moving account. Accompanied by seven monks, seven disciples and seven escorts, he travelled slowly from parish to parish, often stopping to preach or to celebrate the Divine Office, bringing his mission to an end only with his death.
Many miraculous deed were attributed to Saint Samson, to which his anonymous biographer gives ample space. Recent research seems to demonstrate that Samson was the leading churchman of the colonists from Britain who founded Brittany, and a primary figure in the history of the evangelization of Cornwall and the Channel Islands.
Some of his relics, including an arm and a crozier, were acquired by King Athelstan of Wessex (924-939), for his monastery at Milton Abbas in Dorset, which is why Samson's feast is kept in many places in England. In addition, there are six ancient dedications there to him, as well as others in Cornwall and Brittany. Samson's name is still revered throughout Brittany and Wales. Usuard entered his name into the Roman Martyrology (Attwater, Benedictines, Delaney, Encyclopedia, Farmer, Taylor). In art, Samson is depicted with a cross or staff together with a dove and book (Farmer) .

7th v. St. Arduinus Patron of the city of Trepino in southern Italy, he is also called Ardwyne or Ardoin. He is traditionally recorded as being one of four English pilgrims who died in the region.
Arduinus of Ceprano (AC) (also known as Ardwyne, Ardoin) 7th century. Saint Arduinus is patron of Trepino in southern Italy. A legend makes him one of four English pilgrims who died in this region in the 7th century (Benedictines).

10th v. Saint Irene of Chrysovalantou daughter of a wealthy family from Cappadocia; abbess; performed many miracles during her life; levitating as she prayed; apples... "for this gift comes from John in Paradise."
Born in the ninth century. After the death of her husband Theophilus, the empress Theodora ruled the Byzantine Empire as regent for her young son Michael. St Theodora (February 11) helped to defeat the iconoclast heresy, and to restore the holy icons. We commemorate this Triumph of Orthodoxy on the first Sunday of Great Lent.
When Michael was twelve years of age, St Theodora sent messengers throughout the Empire to find a suitably virtuous and refined girl to be his wife.
St Irene was chosen, and she agreed to the marriage. While passing Mt. Olympus in Asia Minor, Irene asked to stop so she could receive the blessing of St Joannicius (November 4), who lived on the mountain. The saint, who showed himself only to the most worthy pilgrims, foresaw the arrival of St Irene, and also her future life. The holy ascetic welcomed her and told her to proceed to Constantinople, where the women's monastery of Chrysovalantou had need of her. Amazed at his clairvoyance, Irene fell to the ground and asked St Joannicius for his blessing. After blessing her and giving her spiritual counsel, he sent her on her way. When the party arrived in Constantinople, Irene's relatives met her with great ceremony. Since "the steps of a man are rightly ordered by the Lord" (Ps. 36/37:23), God arranged for Michael to marry another girl a few days before, so that Irene might be free to become a bride of Christ. Far from being disappointed, Irene rejoiced at this turn of events.
Remembering the words of St Joannicius, Irene visited the Monastery of Chrysovalantou. She was so impressed by the nuns and their way of life that she freed her slaves and distributed her wealth to the poor. She exchanged her fine clothing for the simple garb of a nun, and served the sisters with great humility and obedience. The abbess was impressed with the way that Irene performed the most menial and disagreeable tasks without complaint.
St Irene often read the Lives of the Saints in her cell, imitating their virtues to the best of her ability. She often stood in prayer all night with her hands raised like Moses on Mt. Sinai (Exodus 17:11-13). St Irene spent the next few years in spiritual struggles defeating the assaults of the demons, and bringing forth the fruits of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23).

When the abbess sensed the approach of death, she told the other nuns that they should not accept anyone but Irene as the new abbess.

Irene was not told of the abbess's instructions, and when she died the community sent representatives to go and seek the advice of the patriarch, St Methodius (June 14). He asked them whom they wanted as their superior. They replied that they believed he would be guided by the Holy Spirit. Without knowing of the late abbess's instructions to the nuns, he asked if there was a humble nun by the name of Irene in their monastery. If so, he said, they should choose her. The nuns rejoiced and gave thanks to God. St Methodius elevated Irene to the rank of abbess and advised her how to guide those in her charge.
Returning to the monastery, Irene prayed that God would help her to care for those under her, and redoubled her own spiritual efforts. She displayed great wisdom in leading the nuns, and received many revelations from God to assist her in carrying out her duties. She also asked for the gift of clairvoyance so that she would know what trials awaited her nuns. Thus, she was in a better position to give them the proper advice. She never used this knowledge to embarrass others, but only to correct their confessions in a way which let them know that she possessed certain spiritual gifts.

Although St Irene performed many miracles during her life, let us mention only one. On great Feasts it was her habit to keep vigil in the monastery courtyard under the starry skies. Once, a nun who was unable to sleep left her cell and went into the courtyard. There she saw Abbess Irene levitating a few feet above the ground, completely absorbed in prayer. The astonished nun also noticed that two cypress trees had bowed their heads to the ground, as if in homage. When she finished praying, Irene blessed the trees and they returned to their upright position.
Afraid that this might be a temptation from the demons, the nun returned the next night to see if she had been mistaken. Again she saw Irene levitating as she prayed, and the cypress trees bowing down. The nun tied handkerchiefs to the tops of the two trees before they went back to their places. When the other sisters saw the handkerchiefs atop the trees, they began to wonder who had put them there. Then the nun who had witnessed these strange events revealed to the others what she had seen.

When St Irene learned that the nun had witnessed the miracle and told the others, she was very upset. She warned them not to speak of it to anyone until after her death.

St Irene observed the Feast of St Basil (January 1) with great devotion, since he also came from Cappadocia. One year, after celebrating the feast, St Irene heard a voice during the night telling her to welcome the sailor who would come to the door the next day. She was told to rejoice and eat the fruit which the sailor would bring her. During Matins, a sailor did come to the door and remained in church until after Liturgy. He told her that he had come from Patmos, where he boarded a ship. As the ship set sail, he noticed an old man on the shore calling for them to stop. In spite of a good wind, the ship came to a sudden halt. Then the old man walked across the water and entered the ship. He gave the sailor three apples which God was sending to the patriarch "from His beloved disciple John." Then the old man gave the sailor three more apples for the abbess of Chrysovalantou. He told the sailor that if Irene ate the apples, all that her soul desired would be granted, "for this gift comes from John in Paradise."
St Irene fasted for a week, giving thanks to God for this wonderful gift. For forty days, she ate small pieces of the first apple every day. During this time she had nothing else to eat or drink. On Holy Thursday, she told the nuns to receive the Holy Mysteries, then gave each one a piece of the second apple. They noticed an unusual sweetness, and felt as if their very souls were being nourished.
An angel informed St Irene that she would be called to the Lord on the day after St Panteleimon's feast. The monastery's feast day fell on July 26, so St Irene prepared by fasting for a week beforehand. She took only a little water and small pieces of the third apple sent to her by St John.

The whole monastery was filled with a heavenly fragrance, and all discord disappeared.

On July 28, St Irene called the nuns together in order to bid them farewell. She also told them to select Sister Mary as her successor, for she would keep them on the narrow way which leads to life (Matthew 7:14). After entreating God to protect her flock from the power of the devil, she smiled when she saw the angels who had been sent to receive her soul. Then she closed her eyes and surrendered her soul to God.
St Irene was more than 101 years old when she died, yet her face appeared young and beautiful. A great crowd of people came for her funeral, and many miracles took place at her tomb.

In some parishes it is customary to bless apples on the feast of St Irene Chrysovalantou.

938 St. Lucidius Benedictine hermit; entered St. Peter’s Monastery in south Italy; spent his last years as a recluse in Santa Maria del Piano.
Lucidus of Aquara, OSB Hermit (AC) Lucidus was a Benedictine monk of Saint Peter's near Aquara in southern Italy. He died as a recluse in the cell of Santa Maria del Piano (Benedictines).

10th v. Saint Paul of Xeropotamou, in the world Procopius, son of the Byzanatine Emperor Michael Kuropalatos who later resigned the imperial office and became a monk in a monastery he built; Having received the finest education, Procopius became one of the most learned men of his time. His "Discourse on the Entrance of the Most Holy Theotokos into the Temple," the "Canon to the Forty Martyrs", the "Canon to the Venerable Cross" and other works gained him great renown. But worldly knowledge and honors did not interest him. He exchanged his fine garb for beggar's rags, and he went to the Holy Mountain [Athos], to Xeropotamou. He built a cell there at the ruins of an old monastery founded by the empress Pulcheria in honor of the Forty Martyrs (March 9). From Cosmas, a hermit, he received monastic tonsure with the name Paul.
Having received the finest education, Procopius became one of the most learned men of his time. His "Discourse on the Entrance of the Most Holy Theotokos into the Temple," the "Canon to the Forty Martyrs", the "Canon to the Venerable Cross" and other works gained him great renown. But worldly knowledge and honors did not interest him. He exchanged his fine garb for beggar's rags, and he went to the Holy Mountain [Athos], to Xeropotamou. He built a cell there at the ruins of an old monastery founded by the empress Pulcheria in honor of the Forty Martyrs (March 9). From Cosmas, a hermit, he received monastic tonsure with the name Paul.
Out of humility the saint did not reveal his erudition to anyone. The fame of Paul's strict life quickly spread throughout the Holy Mountain. He became called Paul of Xeropotamou, and the monastery where he pursued monasticism, to the present day bears the name Xeropotamou ("dry river").
At that time the emperor Romanus, a relative of Paul, ascended the throne. Through the Protos of the Holy Mountain he requested the saint to come to Constantinople and planned a splendid reception for him. The humble Paul, not betraying his monastic duty, appeared with a cross and in torn robes amid the courtly splendor and magnificence. St Paul confirmed his fame as a chosen one of God, miraculously healing the grievously ill Romanus by placing his hand on him. But the vanity of courtly life, promised by the gratitude of the emperor, did not interest the saint; he returned to the Holy Mountain, having asked one favor of the emperor: to restore the Xeropotamou monastery.
In the holy altar in the consecrated cathedral church of the restored monastery, was put a piece of the Venerable Wood of the Life-Creating Cross of the Lord, given to St Paul by the emperor Romanus .

Soon the Xeropotamou monastery was filled by a throng of monks, wanting to put themselves under the guidance of the holy ascetic, but St Paul, having entrusted the rule of the monastery to one of the brethren, moved off to the remote wilderness. His quiet was again disturbed by disciples, not wanting to leave their Elder. Then the monk requested of the emperor the means for the building of a new monastery. Thus the saint founded a monastery in the name of the holy Great Martyr and Victory-Bearer St George. The first head of the new monastery was St Paul himself, who also brought a piece of the Venerable Wood of the Cross of the Lord there.
Having been informed in advance by the Lord of his impending end, the saint summoned the brethren of the Xeropotamou and the new Georgikos monasteries and gave them his final instructions. On the day of his death, St Paul donned the mantle, and read the prayer of St Joannicius, which he said continually: "My hope is the Father, my refuge is the Son, my protection is the Holy Spirit, O Holy Trinity, glory to Thee," and he received the Holy Mysteries of Christ.
St Paul had instructed in his will to bury his body on the peninsula of Pongosa (opposite the Holy Mountain). But by the will of God the ship was driven to the shores of Constantinople, where the Emperor and Patriarch with the pious took the body of the saint and solemnly placed it in the Great Church (Hagia Sophia). After the sacking of Constantinople by the Crusaders, the relics of St Paul were transferred to Venice.

1029 George the Builder was the third abbot of the Iveron Monastery on Mt. Athos The venerable Under his leadership, the main church of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos was constructed. An inscription on the wall of the church reads: “I established these columns and they will not be shaken unto the ages. Monk George the Georgian, Builder.”
According to some sources, he was a nephew of St. John, the founder and first abbot of the Iveron Monastery. George was elevated to the rank of abbot after St. Ekvtime left the monastery to travel to Jerusalem.
Under his leadership, the main church of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos was constructed. An inscription on the wall of the church reads: “I established these columns and they will not be shaken unto the ages. Monk George the Georgian, Builder.”
For most of his life Abbot George was highly respected and even revered in the imperial court of Byzantium, but he was eventually slandered, accused of treason, and exiled to the island of Monovatia, where he reposed in the year 1029.
The exile of Abbot George proved fatal for the Iveron Monastery: his persecutors followed that act by stealing and desecrating all the treasures of the monastery, which had been purchased by the blood and sweat of the holy fathers. (The rightful property of the Iveron Monastery was later recovered during the reign of the pious Emperor Michael.)

The Georgian monks translated St. George’s incorrupt relics from the island of Monovatia to Athos and buried them there in a marble tomb.

1038 St. Lyutis Benedictine hermit of La Cava, Italy; He began as a monk at Monte Cassino.

1100 St. Botuid (Botvid) Swedish martyr; convert to Christianity while on a journey to England; returned to Sweden as a missionary and was murdered by a Finnish slave he had set free.
1100 St. Botuid was a Swedish layman, born in the province of Sodermiannland and brought up a pagan, who was converted to the faith in England. He preached in his own countryside and in Vestmannland and Norrland and met his death by an example of the basest treachery and ingratitude. He bought a Finnish slave whom he instructed, baptized, and then set free, telling him to spread the gospel in his own land. With a man called Asbjorn, Botvid then set out in a boat to take the Finn across the Baltic, but during the night, when they had gone ashore to sleep, the slave murdered both of them and decamped with the boat. According to the legend the search party sent out to find the missing Swedes was guided by a bird which perched on the prow of the boat, singing until the bodies were found. Botvid was buried at Botkyrka and an account of him written by a monk of Bodensee; he is venerated as a martyr and as one of the apostles of Sweden.

See the Acta Sanctorum, July, vol. vi; but there are fuller texts of the life which have been edited in the Scriptores rerum Suecicarum, vol. ii, pt I, pp. 377-387; cf. also I. Collijn's paper on the "Kalendarium Munkalivense" in the H. Degering Festgabe (1926) .

Botvid (Botwid) of Sweden M (AC) Botvid, a layman from Sodermannland, Sweden, converted to the faith while in England. When he returned to Sweden he worked alongside English missionary monks to evangelize his countrymen. Following the example of saints that went before him, Botvid bought a Finnish slave, instructed, and baptized him. He then freed the slave by rowing him and a companion across the Baltic Sea. The freed slave, however, murdered them both and sailed away. According to the legend that grew up around Botvid's name, a search-party was guided to the boat by a bird that refused to stop singing until the bodies of the saint and his companion were found. Botvid, an apostle of Sweden, was buried at Botkyrka. His vita was written by a monk of Bodensee (Benedictines, Encyclopedia, Farmer).

13th-14th v. Moisei (Moses) The Monk pursued asceticism at the Kievo-Pechersk Lavra (XIII-XIV) in the Farther (Theodosiev) Caves; he wore chains and an heavy copper cross. The monk possessed the graced gift of wonderworking.

1459 Bl. Anthony della Chiesa Dominican superior; companion of St. Bernardino of Siena; one of the leaders opposing the last of the antipopes, Felix V; known miracle worker with an ability to read the consciences of men and women; he conversed with Saint Mary, in ecstasy, several times
1459 Bl. Anthony della Chiesa Dominican born 1395 at San Germano, near Vercelli, of the noble family of della Chiesa di Roddi, which was afterwards to give to the Church Pope Benedict XV (Giacomo della Chiesa). His religious vocation was opposed by his parents, and he was already twenty-two when he took the habit of the Friars Preachers at Vercelli. He was a very successful preacher and director of souls, and for some years accompanied the Franciscan St Bernardino of Siena on his missions. While prior at Como he completely reformed the life and morals of that town, and was sent successively to govern The friaries at Savona, Florence and Bologna, where he insisted on a rigorous observance of their rule. Each time he relinquished office with joy and had soon to take it again, saying sadly that he who could not even manage an oar was entrusted with the tiller. From 1440 to 1449 the Church was troubled by an antipope, Amadeus of Savoy, calling himself Felix V, who had a large following in Savoy and Switzerland. Bd Antony stoutly opposed himself to this man and succeeded in winning over a number of his adherents to lawful authority. He also preached with great energy against usury, using as a terrible warning the story of a usurer who at his death had lost not only his soul but even his body, which had been carried off by a troop of diabolic horsemen, so that his relatives had to bury an empty coffin. Stories of this sort, some entertaining, some touching, some to our ideas merely silly, were part of the stock-in-trade of every medieval preacher. While going by sea from Savona to Genoa with a fellow friar, the ship in which they were was captured by corsairs ; they had no reason to look for anything but death or slavery, but the pirates were so impressed by the demeanour of the two religious that they set them free without ransom. Bd Antony received the gift of miracles and of discernment of spirits, and predicted the day of his own death, which was at Como on January 28, 1459. His cultus was approved in 1819, his feast being kept on July 28, the date of the translation of his relics to his birthplace in 1810.

An account of Bd Antony is furnished in Procter, Lives of the Dominican Saints, pp. 210-213. See further V. Pellazza, Elogio storico del B. Antonio (1863) Taurisano, Catalogus Hagiographicus O.P., p. 40; and L. Ferretti, Vita del B. Antonio (1919).

Anthony was born in 1394, the son of the Marquis della Chiesa, in San Germano, Italy. At twenty, despite his family's objections, Anthony became a Dominican, gaining recognition as a preacher and confessor. He accompanied St. Bernardine on missions and served in various capacities in the Dominican monasteries. Anthony was also one of the leaders opposing the last of the antipopes, Felix V While journeying from Savona to Genoa, Italy, Anthony was captured by pirates but was released unharmed. He was a known miracle worker with an ability to read the consciences of men and women.
Blessed Antony della Chiesa, OP (AC) Born in San Germano, near Vercelli, the Piedmont, Italy, in 1395; died Como, Italy, January 22, 1459; beatified 1819. Antony was born into the nobility, the family of the Marquis della Chiesa, and a collateral ancestor of Pope Benedict XV. He was well educated. Showing a taste early in life for he things of God, he grew up with the hope of becoming a religious. His father, who was a man of some importance, opposed this wish. Not until Antony was 22 was he able to make the break with his family and enter the monastery at Vercelli.
Here he distinguished himself for both sanctity and learning. Being a good preacher, he was for some years the companion of Saint Bernardine of Siena, in his missionary journeys through Italy. Antony was prior at the friaries of Como, Savona, Florence, and Bologna. Antony gives us a picture of one who followed the Dominican life perfectly, managing, most of the time, to escape public notice. There is in his life very little of the glamorous or the unusual. He kept the rule, was a good superior, and a just administrator. Shunning applause, he was always serene.
The legends mention that he was particularly devoted to Our Lady, which is something one takes for granted in a Dominican, and that he conversed with her, in ecstasy, several times. He had the gift of reading hearts and was a sought-after director of souls. He also healed many sick people with his blessing. However, if any miracles are ordinary ones, these may be so described; they could be given as typical of most of early Dominicans. At one time, Antony was on a ship that was captured by pirates, but at his prayer, the pirates spared the passengers and brought them safely to land.
One of the very few things of unusual nature that in Antony's life is a legend told of him when he was prior of Savona. It makes a lovely ghost story, and it also provides food for thought. According to the story, Antony was praying one night in the church. Disturbed by the sound of horses hooves clattering on the flagstones outside, he went to see who could possibly be there at such a late hour. There were several horsemen, all mounted on black horses. He addressed them, but received no answer. Thinking that they might be foreigners, he tried several languages, and still there was no response .

Aware, then, that something was wrong, he commanded them in the name of the Lord to tell him who they were and where they were going. They said that they were devils, and that they were on their way to meet the soul of a dying sinner, a usurer, and escort him to hell. "I will pray for him," said Antony. The demons laughed and told him he was too late. "Then at least come back and tell me whether you succeed or not," said the prior. A short while later, the group returned, and they had succeeded. They held the unhappy usurer captive, and, while the prior watched in horror, they bore him off. The man was screaming. The next day, the usurer's relatives came to arrange an elaborate funeral. "You would do much better to have Masses said for yourselves and other poor sinners," he said.

Antony died at Como was buried there in the Dominican church Miracles at his tomb led to beatification (Benedictines, Dorcy).

1698 Saint Pitirim, Bishop of Tambov; earned the respect of his brethren by his ascetic life, and was chosen igumen. In 1684 he was raised to the dignity of archimandrite. St Pitirim, following the decree of the Tsar and the Patriarch, was diligent in removing "poorly executed," westernized icons from churches, and from private use.; Like the great ascetics, St Pitirim allotted much time to physical work
In the world Procopius, was born 27 February 1645 (or 1644) in the city of Vyazma. From his youth, the Lord prepared Procopius for high spiritual service. While still a child, he learned reading and writing, attended church services, and acquired the habit of prayer. Procopius loved to read the writings of the holy Fathers and the Lives of the Saints. This furthered the future hierarch's spiritual growth. The boy was remarkable for his overall love of work, broad knowledge and mature judgment. He was endowed with artistic talent, and he successfully occupied himself with the painting of icons and church singing. A sublime spiritual disposition led Procopius onto the pathway of monastic life. Having resolved to dedicate himself completely to God, he entered into the Vyazma's monastery of St John the Baptist, known for its strict rule. When he was twenty-one, he was tonsured with the name of Pitirim.
The young monk earned the respect of his brethren by his ascetic life, and was chosen igumen. In 1684 he was raised to the dignity of archimandrite. St Pitirim, following the decree of the Tsar and the Patriarch, was diligent in removing "poorly executed," westernized icons from churches, and from private use. During a procession he confiscated such an icon painted by an unskilled iconographer. Those who had brought the icon grumbled and cursed, and many people were stirred up against the saint. The affair became known to Patriarch Joachim, who praised the courage and zeal of Archimandrite Pitirim and approved of his actions, and summoned him to Moscow for higher service to the Church.
On September 1, 1684 St Pitirim was nominated to be a bishop, and on February 15, 1685 Patriarch Joachim consecrated him Bishop of Tambov. St Pitirim did not leave immediately, but remained in Moscow for a year to prepare himself for his new responsibilities.
Organized in 1682, the Tambov diocese suffered from the frontier poverty and the illiteracy of its inhabitants. Pagans comprised the greater part of the settlers: the Mordovians, the Cheremysi, the Mereschi. On the territory of the diocese lived also many Moslem Tatars, bitter opponents of Christianity. Among the Christian settlers of the diocese were many schismatics, fugitives from justice, or banished criminals.

The saint zealously devoted himself to the tasks set before him. On the site of the old wooden church at Tambov he began to build a two-story stone cathedral in honor of the Transfiguration of the Lord with a chapel named for St Nicholas. St Pitirim not only supervised the construction of the temple, but even participated in the building work himself. The saint devoted great effort to the spiritual enlightenment of his flock. He built a special school for clergy, where worthy Church pastors were trained under his guidance. In his home the saint had collected a library of spiritual literature (in the inventory of the Moscow's Dormition cathedral there are mentioned "two books of Dionysius the Areopagite, leather bound, one in red, the other in black, with gilt edges," belonging to St Pitirim). The saint continually instructed his flock, preaching the Word of God. He often made trips throughout the diocese, in order to familiarize himself with the needs of the communities.

The holy archpastor was constantly concerned with the return of schismatics and dissenters to the Orthodox Church.

His deep piety, active compassion towards neighbor, and wise patience in conversations with the schismatics and dissenters disposed them to trust his word. By the fine example of his holy life and by the power of grace-filled discourse, the saint led many to the true Faith. The saint's sister, Katherine, became the first abbess of the Ascension women's monastery, which he founded in 1690.
Being a bold man of prayer and intercessor before God, St Pitirim never lost his Christian humility. Not relying on his own human strength, the archpastor shielded the city of Tambov entrusted him by God with icons of the Savior and the Kazan Mother of God, placing them at the two chief gates. St Pitirim prayed much and taught his flock about prayer. He was present at divine services every day and often served them himself. On those days when the saint did not serve, he sang in the kliros (choir), teaching the choir proper church singing and reading. In his cell the saint very often prayed before icons of the Devpeteruv Mother of God (February 29) and St Nicholas.
St Pitirim loved the beauty of nature in his land, which roused in him a feeling of prayerful thanksgiving to the All-Holy Trinity for the visible world. In the forest, near the place where he went for solitary prayer, he built the Tregulaev monastery of St John the Baptist. He founded it together with his spiritual friend, St Metrophanes of Voronezh (November 23 and August 7). There the saint set up a large wooden cross with an image of the Savior.
Like the great ascetics, St Pitirim allotted much time to physical work. The wells he dug with his own hands at the Tregulaev Monastery of St John the Baptist, near the Tambov Cathedral, and in the forest thicket where he withdrew for silence and prayer, are evidence of this.
St Pitirim died in 1698 at age fifty-three. The body of the saint was buried in the lower level of the Tambov Savior-Transfiguration cathedral, at the south wall of the right side chapel dedicated to St Nicholas.

The death of St Pitirim did not dissolve his spiritual ties with his flock. People came to his tomb to seek his intercession, and soon obtained healing from God. With each year the number of pilgrims grew. On July 28, the anniversary of the saint's blessed repose, they would attend services at the Tambov cathedral. Each new sign of God's mercy, obtained by prayers to St Pitirim, inspired assurance for the people that the bishop they venerated was truly a man of God. From the year 1819 a record of miracles and personal testimonies began to be kept, and the veneration of St Pitirim extended far beyond the Tambov diocese. On July 28, 1914 the holy wonderworker Pitirim, Bishop of Tambov, was numbered among the saints.
Paul of Xeropotama The Monk, in the world Prokopios, was the son of the Constantinople emperor Michael Kuropalatos, -- who afterwards resigned the imperial dignity and accepted monasticism in a monastery built by him. Having received the finest education, Prokopios became one of the most learned people of his time. His "Discourse on the Entrance into the Temple of the MostHoly Mother of God", the "Canon to the Forty Martyrs", the "Canon to the Venerable Cross" and other works gained him worthy reknown. But knowledge and place of honour in the world did not captivate him. Having left everything worldly, he exchanged his fine garb for beggar's rags, and he went to the Holy Mountain [Athos], to the place Xeropotama. He built himself a cell there at the remains of a ruined monastery, founded once by the empress Pulcheria in honour of the 40 Martyrs, and from Cosmas an hermit he took monastic vows with the name Paul.
Out of humility the Monk revealed his learnedness to no one. Fame about the strict life of Paul quickly spread throughout all the Holy Mountain. He became called Paul of Xeropotama, and the monastery where he pursued monasticism, to the present day bears the name Xeropotama ("dry-creek"). At that time there came upon the throne the emperor Romanos, a relative of Paul. Through the Protos of the Holy Mountain he requested the saint to come to Constantinople and made for him a splendid reception. The humble Paul, not betraying his monastic duty, appeared with a cross and in torn robes amidst the courtly splendour and magnificence. The Monk Paul confirmed his fame as a chosen of God, miraculously healing the grievously ill Romanos, by placing his hand on him. But the vanity of courtly life, promised by the gratitude of the emperor, did not interest the saint; he returned to the Holy Mountain, having asked of the emperor but one mercy -- to restore the Xeropotama monastery.

At the holy altar in the consecrated cathedral church of the restored monastery was put a piece of the Venerable Wood of the Life-Creating Cross of the Lord, given to Saint Paul by the emperor Romanos.
Soon the Xeropotama monastery was filled by a throng of monks, wanting to put themselves under the guidance of the holy ascetic, but the Monk Paul, having entrusted the rule of the monastery to one of the brethren, moved off to a remote wilderness. His strict quietude was again disturbed by disciples, not wanting to quit their elder. Then the monk requested of the emperor the means for the building of a new monastery. Thus was founded by the saint a monastery in the name of the holy GreatMartyr and Victory-Bearer Saint George. The first head of the new monastery was the Monk Paul himself, who there also brought a piece of the Venerable Wood of the Cross of the Lord.
Having been informed in advance by the Lord of his impending end, the saint assembled to himself the brethren of the Xeropotama and the new Georgikos monasteries and gave them his final directives. On the day of his death, the Monk Paul donned the mantle, read the prayer of Saint Ioannikes, which he said continually: "My hope -- is the Father, my refuge -- is the Son, my protection -- is the Holy Spirit, Holy Trinity, glory to Thee", and he communed the Holy Mysteries of Christ. Saint Paul had instructed in his will to bury his body on the peninsula of Pongosa (opposite the Holy Mountain). But by the will of God the ship was driven to the shores of Constantinople, where the emperor and Patriarch with the pious took the body of the saint and solemnly placed it in the Great church. After the sacking of Constantinople by the Crusaders, the relics of Saint Paul were transferred to Venice.

1750 Johann Sebastian Bach
Evangelische Kirche: 28. Juli

J. S. Bach von E.G. Haußmann Johann Sebastian Bach wurde am 21.3.1685 in Eisenach geboren. Die musikalische Begabung war über Generationen in der Familie weitergegeben worden. Bachs Vater, Stadtmusiker in Eisenach starb früh und Johann Sebastian wurde von seinem Onkel, einem Organisten, erzogen. Als Fünfzehnjähriger wanderte er nach Lüneburg. Hier wirkte er im Schülerchor des Michaelisklosters mit und unternahm Reisen zu bekannten Organisten der Nachbarstädte. 1708 wurde er Hoforganist in Weimar. Hier entstanden sein Orgelbüchlein und erste Kantaten mit Texten von Neumeister. Im Mai 1723 wurde Bach Thomaskantor in Leipzig. Jeden Sonntag hatte er eine zwanzigminütige Kantate aufzuführen. So entstanden drei Jahrgänge Kantaten, dazu drei Oratorien, vier Messen und die zwei Passionen, gedichtet von Picander, die eine der gewaltigsten Predigten in der Zeit sind. Im Alter erblindete Bach, sein letztes Werk, das er seinem Schwiegersohn diktierte, ist eine Choralphantasie zu dem Lied 'Wenn wir in höchsten Nöten sein'. Albert Schweitzer, der große Bach-Biograph, nannte diese Komposition den Höhepunkt in Bachs Werken. Bach starb am 28.7.1750 in Leipzig. Im Rationalismus verschwanden Bachs Werke in der Versenkung, das Notenpapier wurde als Einwickelpapier verwendet. 1829 entdeckte Mendelssohn die Noten und schenkte den Menschen Bachs von tiefem Glauben getragene Werke wieder. Im EG stehen seine Melodien und Sätze zu den Liedern 37, 70 und 535.

1942 St. Leopold Mandic; Western Christians working for greater dialogue with Orthodox Christians may be reaping the fruits of Father Leopold’s prayers; taught patrology, the study of the Church Fathers, to the clerics of his province for several years, but he is best known for his work in the confessional, where he sometimes spent 13-15 hours a day. Several bishops sought out his spiritual advice
Western Christians who are working for greater dialogue with Orthodox Christians may be reaping the fruits of Father Leopold’s prayers.
A born 1887 native of Croatia, Leopold joined the Capuchin Franciscans and was ordained several years later in spite of several health problems. He could not speak loudly enough to preach publicly. For many years he also suffered from severe arthritis, poor eyesight and a stomach ailment.
Leopold taught patrology, the study of the Church Fathers, to the clerics of his province for several years, but he is best known for his work in the confessional, where he sometimes spent 13-15 hours a day. Several bishops sought out his spiritual advice.
Leopold’s dream was to go to the Orthodox Christians and work for the reunion of Roman Catholicism and Orthodoxy. His health never permitted it. Leopold often renewed his vow to go to the Eastern Christians; the cause of unity was constantly in his prayers.
At a time when Pope Pius XII said that the greatest sin of our time is "to have lost all sense of sin," Leopold had a profound sense of sin and an even firmer sense of God’s grace awaiting human cooperation.
Leopold, who lived most of his life in Padua, died on July 30, 1942, and was canonized in 1982.

Comment: St. Francis advised his followers to "pursue what they must desire above all things, to have the Spirit of the Lord and His holy manner of working" (Rule of 1223, Chapter 10)—words that Leopold lived out. When the Capuchin minister general wrote his friars on the occasion of Leopold’s beatification, he said that this friar’s life showed "the priority of that which is essential."

Quote: Leopold used to repeat to himself: “Remember that you have been sent for the salvation of people, not because of your own merits, since it is the Lord Jesus and not you who died for the salvation of souls...I must cooperate with the divine goodness of our Lord who has deigned to choose me so that by my ministry, the divine promise would be fulfilled: ‘There will be only one flock and one shepherd’” (John 10:16).

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Smolensk "Hodigitria" "She who leads the way," Icon of the Theotokos, was, according to Church Tradition, painted by the holy

Evangelist Luke during the earthly life of the Most Holy Theotokos. The holy hierarch Demetrius of Rostov suggests that this icon was painted at the request of Theophilus, the prefect of Antioch. From Antioch the holy image was transferred to Jerusalem. From there the empress Eudokia, the spouse of Arcadius, gave it at Constantinople to Pulcheria, the sister of the emperor, who put the holy icon in the Blachernae church.

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In 1046, the Byzantine emperor Constantine IX Monomachos (1042-1054), gave his daughter Anna in marriage to Prince Vsevolod Yaroslavich, the son of Yaroslav the Wise. He blessed her on her way with this icon. After the death of Prince Vsevolod the icon went to his son Vladimir Monomachos, who transferred it at the beginning of the twelfth century into the Smolensk cathedral church in honor of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos. From that time, the icon was known as the Smolensk Hodigitria.
In the year 1238, at the bespeaking of the icon, the self-sacrificing Orthodox warrior Mercurius went by night into the camp of Batu and killed many of the enemy, in whose number was their most powerful warrior. Having accepted a martyr's death in battle, he was included by the Church in the ranks of the Saints (November 24).

In the fourteenth century, Smolensk came into the possession of the Lithuanian princes. The daughter of prince Vitovt, Sophia, was given in marriage to the Moscow Great Prince Basil Dimitrievich (1398-1425). In 1398, she brought the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God with her to Moscow. They set the holy image in the Annunciation cathedral of the Kremlin, on the right side of the Royal Doors.
In 1456, at the request of the inhabitants of Smolensk with Bishop Misael at the head, the icon was solemnly returned to Smolensk in a church procession, and at Moscow there remained two copies. One was put in the Annunciation cathedral, and the other, "a measure for measure," was put in the Novodevichi monastery, founded in memory of the return of Smolensk to Russia. The monastery was built on Devichi Pole (Virgin's Field), where "with many tears" the Muscovites handed over the holy icon to Smolensk. In 1602 an exact copy was painted from the wonderworking icon (in 1666 together with the ancient icon they brought a new copy to Moscow for restoration), which they placed in the tower of the Smolensk fortress wall over the Dneprovsk Gates, under a specially constructed cover. Afterwards, in 1727, a wooden church was built there, and in 1802, a stone church.
The new copy took on the power of the old image, and when the Russian armies left Smolensk on August 5, 1812, they took the icon with them for defense from the enemy forces. On the eve of the Battle of Borodino they carried this icon through the camp, to encourage and inspire the soldiers to great deeds. The ancient image of the Smolensk Hodigitria, taken to the Dormition cathedral on the day of the Battle of Borodino went in procession with the Iveron and Vladimir Icons of the Mother of God through the Belo and Kitai quarters and the Kremlin walls, and then they sent it to the sick and wounded at the Lefortovo palace. After leaving Moscow, the icon was taken to Yaroslavl.
Thus were these sister-icons preserved, and the Mother of God defended Russia through Her icons. After the victory over the enemy forces the Hodigitria Icon was returned to Smolensk together with its glorified copy. The celebration in honor of this wonderworking icon on July 28 was established in the year 1525 in memory of the return of Smolensk to Russia.
There exist many venerated copies of the Smolensk Hodigitria, for which the celebration is set on this day. There is also a day of celebration for the Smolensk Icon (November 5), glorified in the nineteenth century when this image was returned to Smolensk on the orders of the commander-in-chief of the Russian army M. I. Kutuzov. In memory of the expulsion of the enemy from Russia, it was decided to celebrate this day annually at Smolensk.
The holy icon of the Hodigitria Mother of God is one of the chief holy objects of the Russian Church. Believers have received and do receive from it an abundant help of grace. The Mother of God through Her holy icon intercedes for and strengthens us, guiding us on the way to salvation, and we call out to Her, "Thou art the All-Blessed Hodigitria for faithful peoples, Thou art the affirmation, the Praiseworthy of Smolensk and all the Russian land. Rejoice, Hodigitria, salvation of Christians!"
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Grebnevsk Icon of the Mother of God, glorified by miracles and situated in a church in the city of Grebna (on the River Chira, flowing into the Don), was presented by the inhabitants of the city to GreatPrince Dimitrii Donskoi upon his return from the Kulikovo Battle in 1380.
In the XV Century, after a successful campaign against Novgorod, GreatPrince Ivan Vasilevich in a vow built the church of the Uspenie in Moscow at Lubyanka and placed in it the Grebnevsk image of the Mother of God, which he had taken with him on the campaign. When the church burned in 1687, the icon miraculously was preserved.
The Greben Icon of the Mother of God, glorified by miracles and located in a church in the city of Greben (on the River Chira, flowing into the Don), was presented by the inhabitants of the city to Great Prince Demetrius of the Don upon his return from the Battle of Kulikovo in 1380.

In 1471, after a successful campaign against Novgorod, Great Prince Ivan III built the church of the Dormition in Moscow at Lubyanka and placed in it the Greben icon of the Mother of God, which he had taken with him on the campaign. He adorned the icon with a silver riza covered with precious stones, and ordered an Akathist to be written in honor of the icon. When the church burned in 1617, the icon miraculously was preserved. The icon, almost a reverse image of the Iveron icon (February 12, March 31, October 13), is recognized by the distinctive folds of the Virgin's omaphorion and the position of the Christ Child's legs.

Kostroma Hodegetria Icon of the Mother of God was written in 1672 on the wall of the southwest tower of the Kostroma Theophany monastery. In 1779 a great conflagration occurred at the monastery, and the tower was all enveloped by flames, but the holy Icon of the Mother of God did not suffer from the fire. In the year 1824 a church was built at the tower.
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The Seraphimo-Diveevsk "Tenderness" (Umilenie) Icon of the Mother of God belonged to the Monk Seraphim of Sarov, and was his cell icon. With the oil from the lampada, which burned before this holy icon, the Monk anointed the sick, who received healing after the anointing. The ascetic called the icon "Umilenie" (Tenderness) -- "Joy of all joys", and in front of it he died at prayer on 2 January 1833. After the death of the Monk Seraphim of Sarov the monastery head Father Niphont gave the holy icon "Joy of all joys" to the sisters of the Diveevsk Seraphimovsk monastery.
The Seraphim-Diveyevo "Tenderness" Icon of the Mother of God belonged to St Seraphim of Sarov, and was his cell icon. With the oil from the lampada, which burned before this holy icon, the saint anointed the sick, who received healing after the anointing. The ascetic died while at prayer before the icon on January 2, 1833. After the death of St Seraphim of Sarov the monastery Superior Father Niphon gave the holy "Tenderness" icon to the sisters of the Seraphim-Diveyevo monastery.

Ustiuzhensk Icon of the Mother of God (1290), glorified by many miracles, was situated in the city of Ustiuzhna under Novgorod governance (now Vologda district). At the beginning of the XVII Century the inhabitants of Ustiushna, praying for salvation before this holy icon, were delivered from an invasion of the Swedes and Polish by the intercession of the Queen of Heaven.

Vydropussk Hodegetria Icon of the Mother of God in the XV Century was situated in a temple of the GreatMartyr George in the village of Vydropussk, Novgorod governance. During the time of a conflagration of the church, this holy icon remained undamaged. After the taking of Novgorod by the Moscow GreatPrince Ivan III, his army returned to Moscow. One of the soldiers, a Murom native, having gone into the church took from it the icon of the Mother of God, and going to his own estate put it in a church of Saint Nicholas. When they served the first molieben before the stolen holy icon, after the reading of the words of the Gospel: "...and returned to Her own house" (Lk. 1: 56) suddenly a whirlwind flew, the canopy of the temple opened, the Icon of the Mother of God was raised up on the air and miraculously transported to the church of the village of Vydropussk.
The guilty thief of the holy icon repented himself and came on foot to Vydropussk, beseeching the Mother of God to forgive him. In the XVI Century this holy icon was taken to Moscow, and from it an exact copy was made for the church of the village of Vydropussk, and the original was put in the temple of the Transfiguration in the city of Torzhek.

Voroninsk Mother of God The Holy Icon of the was situated in the Voroninsk Uspenie (Dormition) of the Mother of God hermitage in the Cherepovetsk district of Novgorod governance. Its appearance occurred in 1524.

Christopherite (Khristophorovsk) The Holy Hodegetria Icon of the Mother of God, in 1555 was put in the temple of the monastery, founded by the Monk Christopher, a disciple of the Monk Longin of Koryazemsk (+ 1540). This icon was glorified by many miracles, and round about from the monastery flows from the earth a spring of healing water.

Suprasl'sk Holy Icon of the Mother of God, was located at the Annunciation women's monastery of Grodnensk governance at the beginning of the XVI Century. It was glorified by many miracles and both Orthodox and Catholics piously reverence it.

Yugsk Wonderworking Icon of the Mother of God, appeared at the beginning of the XVII Century to the starets schema-monk of the Pskovo-Pechersk monastery Saint Dorophei. The Mother of God, during a time of invasion of the Swedes, commanded him to take Her image to a place decreed by Her, and to transport the image into the environs of the Yaroslavsk diocese and there to start a monastery. The hegumen of the monastery was not agreeable to let go the Icon of the Mother of God that had appeared, but She appeared to him in a dream-vision commanding to fulfill Her will and let go the starets Dorophei with Her icon. The starets Dorophei, having come to the place told him in the vision, stopped to rest and put the holy icon upon a tree. When he wanted to continue the journey, then by some certain power he was unable to take the holy icon from the tree. Starets Dorophei realised, that the Queen of Heaven wanted to remain in this place. He then built a small hut and stayed to live by this sacred icon. News about the arrival of the elder quickly spread through the surrounding villages. Pilgrims started to throng to him for veneration of the holy icon, from which were done healings. Means were gathered by the pious local inhabitants and the beginning of construction of a new monastery was put in place.
The Monk Dorophei died in the year 1622. Clergy presented facts about the working of miracles to Patriarch Philaret. In reply they received the blessing for the founding at the River Yuga of a monastery with church in honour of the Uspenie of the MostHoly Mother of God. The monastery became named the Yugsk. In 1654 by the intercession of the Mother of God a deadly pestilence was halted in these localities.

Igritsk Holy Icon of the Mother of God, appeared in the year 1624 in the locale of Igritsa at the River Pesochna not far from the city of Kostroma. Local peasants found the icon in an old half-ruined church, being during the course of 50 years fully left neglected after a deadly plague. The icon stood in the altar and shone with bright hues, as though newly written. After the first molieben served in front of this holy icon, a boyar's (nobleman's) blind son Emilian gained his sight. Then four pious Christians stayed to live around the desolate church and took monastic vows. At the place of the appearance of the icon of the Mother of God there afterwards was built a new church and a monastic community emerged.
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Shuisk Holy Hodegetria Icon of the Mother of God, appeared in the city of Shui of Vladimir diocese at the very height of a raging deadly

epidemic in the years 1654-1655. The inhabitants of the city fled this misfortune by prayer, and gathered together in the churches, beseeching mercy of the Lord. A certain pious parishioner of the Resurrection church discussed with his compatriots to gather together the means and to commission a copy of the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God and place it in the temple, which was done. The icon was written in 7 days, during which time the inhabitants of Shui fasted and made fervent prayer to the Mother of God. Having communed the Holy Mysteries, they with a priest at the head carried the newly written icon into the church. And from that time the deadly pestilence ceased. In 1831 by the intercession of the Mother of God a cholera epidemic at Shui ceased. From this holy icon the lad Jakov received healing from demonic-affliction, and likewise many others of the sick.

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Sedmiezernsk Kazan Icon of the Mother of God was glorified by great miracles in the regions of the city of Kazan in the XVII Century. This holy icon was situated in the Sedmiezernsk hermitage near the city of Kazan. The founder of the monastery, the Monk Evphymii, placed in the temple of the newly established monastery the wonderworking icon of the Mother of God, brought by him from the city of Great Ustiug. In the middle of the XVII Century throughout all Russia there raged a deadly plague and it reached Kazan. There within a short time died 48,000 men, almost all the inhabitants of the city. And here, a certain pious monk had a vision in a dream: a radiant man came before him and commanded, that the inhabitants of the city should establish a seven-day fast and go out to meet the icon of the Mother of God coming to them for their deliverance from the Sedmiezernsk hermitage. The monk told the city-heads about the vision. A religious procession went out towards the icon of the Sedmiezernsk Mother of God, the icon was placed in a temple, and the deadly pestilence began to cease. The holy icon was in Kazan for an entire year, and when the pestilence was completely halted, -- it was returned to the Sedmiezernsk monastery. The Mother of God gave Kazan deliverance from this epidemic a second time in 1771. All the Orthodox inhabitants of Kazan and its surroundings deeply revere this holy icon and from the Mother of God they receive healing from sickness and help in misfortune.
The Seven Lakes (Sedmiezernaya) Icon of the Mother of God was glorified by great miracles in the seventeenth century in the area around the city of Kazan. This holy icon was in the Seven Lakes hermitage near the city of Kazan. Originally, seven small lakes surrounded the monastery, but these later merged into one large body of water. The wonderworking Icon of the Mother of God was brought from Great Ustiug near Kazan on October 13, 1615 by the monk Euthymius, founder of the Seven Lakes monastery. He placed this icon in the temple of the newly established monastery. In the middle of the seventeenth century, a deadly plague raged throughout all Russia, and reached Kazan. There 48,000 men died within a short time, almost all the inhabitants of the city.

A certain pious monk had a vision in a dream: a radiant man apeared to him and commanded that the inhabitants of the city should establish a seven-day fast and go out to meet the icon of the Mother of God which was coming to them from the Seven Lakes hermitage for their deliverance.
The monk told the authorities about the vision. The Seven Lakes Icon was brought through the city gates in procession. After circling the entire stone city, it was placed in the church of the Annunciation. After an All Night Vigil and Liturgy the next morning, the icon was carried to visit homes in the wooden city. After seven days of prayer and processions, the deadly pestilence began to abate.
When the monks asked to have their icon returned, it was decided to celebrate an All Night Vigil, then to carry the icon in procession back to the hermitage. A heavy snow storm came up, however, which prevented them from leaving the church. This was repeated three times, so it was decided to let the holy icon remain in Kazan for a time. It was returned to the Seven Lakes monastery in 1655.
Today's Feast commemorates a second deliverance of Kazan from pestilence in 1771. Orthodox inhabitants of Kazan and the surrounding area deeply revere this holy icon, and receive healing from sickness and help in misfortune from the Mother of God.

The Seven Lakes Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos is also commemorated on October 13 and June 26.

Sergiev Lavra Holy Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God is located at the Holy Trinity Sergiev Lavra in the Smolensk church on the left side of the Royal-doors. From this icon in 1730 there received healing a psalomschik (cantor), whose hands were bent and rigid to the back. The Mother of God appeared to him in a vision and healed him. This occurrence was attested to by physicians.

The White Lake Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos resembles the Vladimir Icon (May 21, June 23, August 26) in appearance. It was originally in the cell of St Cyril of White Lake (June 9), who often prayed before it.

One day, while chanting the Akathist before this icon, the Mother of God appeared to St Cyril and told him to establish a monastery on White Lake.

The Archangels Michael and Gabriel are seen on either side of the Virgin's head, and various saints are depicted around the border of the icon.

<The White Lake Icon is also commemorated on June 8.

To Save A Life is Earthly; To Save A Soul is Eternal

THE PSALTER OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY PSALM 9

O Lady, the heathen have come into the inheritance of God: which thou hast established in Christ by thy merits.

Let thy speech be sweet before Him: and unite me to Him who hath redeemed me.

Stretch forth thine arm against the cruel enemy: and unfold to me his craft.

Thy voice is sweet above every melody: the angelic harmony cannot be compared with it.

Drop down on me the sweetness of thy graces: and the fragrance of thy heavenly gifts.

Rejoice, ye Heavens, and be glad, O Earth: because Mary will console her servants and will have mercy on her poor.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost as it was in the beginning and will always be.

God loves variety. He doesn't mass-produce his saints. Every saint is unique, for each is the result of a new idea. As the liturgy says: Non est inventus similis illis--there are no two exactly alike. It is we with our lack of imagination, who paint the same haloes on all the saints. Dear Lord, grant us a spirit that is not bound by our own ideas and preferences. Grant that we may be able to appreciate in others what we lack in ourselves. O Lord, grant that we may understand that every saint must be a unique praise of Your glory. Catholic saints are holy people and human people who lived extraordinary lives. Each saint the Church honors responded to God's invitation to use his or her unique gifts. God calls each one of us to be a saint in order to get into heaven: only saints are allowed into heaven. The more "extravagant" graces are bestowed NOT for the benefit of the recipients so much as FOR the benefit of others.

There are over 10,000 named saints beati from history
and Roman Martyology Orthodox sources
Patron_Saints.html Widowed_Saints html Indulgences The Catholic Church in China
LINKS: Marian Shrines India Marian Shrine Lourdes of the East Lourdes 1858 China Marian shrines 1995
Kenya national Marian shrine Loreto, Italy Marian Apparitions (over 2000) Quang Tri Vietnam La Vang 1798
Links to Related MarianWebsites Angels and Archangels Saints Visions of Heaven and Hell
Widowed Saints html
Doctors_of_the_Church Acts_Of_The_Apostles Roman Catholic Popes Purgatory Uniates Chalcedon

Mary the Mother of Jesus Miracles_BC Lay Saints Miraculous_Icons Miraculous_Medal_Novena Patron Saints
Miracles by Century 100   200   300   400   500   600   700    800   900   1000    1100   1200   1300   1400 1500 1600 1700 1800 1900 2000
Miracles 100   200   300   400   500   600   700    800   900   1000
1100   1200   1300   1400 1500 1600 1700 1800   1900 Lay Saints

The great psalm of the Passion, Chapter 22, whose first verse “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?”
Jesus pronounced on the cross, ended with the vision: “All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord;
and all the families of the nations shall worship before him” For kingship belongs to the LORD, the ruler over the nations. All who sleep in the earth will bow low before God; All who have gone down into the dust will kneel in homage. And I will live for the LORD; my descendants will serve you. The generation to come will be told of the Lord, that they may proclaim to a people yet unborn the deliverance you have brought.

Pope Benedict XVI to The Catholic Church In China {whole article here} 2000 years of the Catholic Church in China
The saints “a cloud of witnesses over our head”, showing us life of Christian perfection is possible.

Join us on CatholicVote.org. Be part of a new movement committed to using powerful media projects to create a Culture of Life. We can help shape the movement and have a voice in its future. Check it out at www.CatholicVote.org

Saint Frances Xavier Seelos Practical Guide to Holiness

1. Go to Mass with deepest devotion. 2. Spend a half hour to reflect upon your main failing & make resolutions to avoid it.
3. Do daily spiritual reading for at least 15 minutes, if a half hour is not possible. 4. Say the rosary every day.
5. Also daily, if at all possible, visit the Blessed Sacrament; toward evening, meditate on the Passion of Christ for a half hour, 6. Conclude the day with evening prayer & an examination of conscience over all the faults & sins of the day.
7. Every month make a review of the month in confession.
8. Choose a special patron every month & imitate that patron in some special virtue.
9. Precede every great feast with a novena that is nine days of devotion. 10. Try to begin & end every activity with a Hail Mary

My God, I believe, I adore, I trust and I love Thee. I beg pardon for those who do not believe, do not adore, do not

O most Holy trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, I adore Thee profoundly. I offer Thee the most precious Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ, present in all the Tabernacles of the world, in reparation for the outrages, sacrileges and indifference by which He is offended, and by the infite merits of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. I beg the conversion of poor sinners, Fatima Prayer, Angel of Peace

The voice of the Father is heard, the Son enters the water, and the Holy Spirit appears in the form of a dove.

THE spirit and example of the world imperceptibly instil the error into the minds of many that there is a kind of middle way of going to Heaven; and so, because the world does not live up to the gospel, they bring the gospel down to the level of the world. It is not by this example that we are to measure the Christian rule, but words and life of Christ. All His followers are commanded to labour to become perfect even as our heavenly Father is perfect, and to bear His image in our hearts that we may be His children. We are obliged by the gospel to die to ourselves by fighting self-love in our hearts, by the mastery of our passions, by taking on the spirit of our Lord.

These are the conditions under which Christ makes His promises and numbers us among His children, as is manifest from His words which the apostles have left us in their inspired writings. Here is no distinction made or foreseen between the apostles or clergy or religious and secular persons. The former, indeed, take upon themselves certain stricter obligations, as a means of accomplishing these ends more perfectly; but the law of holiness and of disengagement of the heart from the world is general and binds all the followers of Christ.

God loves variety. He doesn't mass-produce his saints. Every saint is unique each the result of a new idea.

As the liturgy says: Non est inventus similis illis--there are no two exactly alike.
It is we with our lack of imagination, who paint the same haloes on all the saints.
Dear Lord, grant us a spirit not bound by our own ideas and preferences.
Grant that we may be able to appreciate in others what we lack in ourselves.
O Lord, grant that we may understand that every saint must be a unique praise of Your glory.
Catholic saints are holy people and human people who lived extraordinary lives.

Each saint the Church honors responded to God's invitation to use his or her unique gifts.

The 15 Promises of the Virgin Mary to those who recite the Rosary ) Revealed to St. Dominic and Blessed Alan)

1. Whoever shall faithfully serve me by the recitation of the Rosary, shall receive signal graces. 2. I promise my special protection and the greatest graces to all those who shall recite the Rosary. 3. The Rosary shall be a powerful armor against hell, it will destroy vice, decrease sin, and defeat heresies. 4. It will cause virtue and good works to flourish; it will obtain for souls the abundant mercy of God; it will withdraw the hearts of people from the love of the world and its vanities, and will lift them to the desire of eternal things. Oh, that soul would sanctify them by this means. 5. The soul that recommends itself to me by the recitation of the Rosary shall not perish. 6. Whoever shall recite the Rosary devoutly, applying themselves to the consideration of its Sacred Mysteries shall never be conquered by misfortune. God will not chastise them in His justice, they shall not perish by an unprovided death; if they be just, they shall remain in the grace of God, and become worthy of eternal life. 7. Whoever shall have a true devotion for the Rosary shall not die without the Sacraments of the Church. 8. Those who are faithful to recite the Rosary shall have during their life and at their death the light of God and the plentitude of His graces; at the moment of death they shall participate in the merits of the Saints in Paradise. 9. I shall deliver from purgatory those who have been devoted to the Rosary. 10. The faithful children of the Rosary shall merit a high degree of glory in Heaven. 11. You shall obtain all you ask of me by the recitation of the Rosary. 12. I shall aid all those who propagate the Holy Rosary in their necessities. 13. I have obtained from my Divine Son that all the advocates of the Rosary shall have for intercessors the entire celestial court during their life and at the hour of death. 14. All who recite the Rosary are my children, and brothers and sisters of my only Son, Jesus Christ. 15. Devotion to my Rosary is a great sign of predestination.

His Holiness Aram I, current (2013) Catholicos of Cilicia of Armenians, whose See is located in Lebanese town of Antelias. The Catholicosate was founded in Sis, capital of Cilicia, in the year 1441 following the move of the Catholicosate of All Armenians back to its original See of Etchmiadzin in Armenia. The Catholicosate of Cilicia enjoyed local jurisdiction, though spiritually subject to the authority of Etchmiadzin. In 1921 the See was transferred to Aleppo in Syria, and in 1930 to Antelias.

Its jurisdiction currently extends to Syria, Cyprus, Iran and Greece.

Aramaic dialect of Edessa, now known as Syriac

The exact date of the introduction of Christianity into Edessa {Armenian Ourhaï in Arabic Er Roha, commonly Orfa or Urfa, its present name} is not known. It is certain, however, that the Christian community was at first made up from the Jewish population of the city. According to an ancient legend, King Abgar V, Ushana, was converted by Addai, who was one of the seventy-two disciples. In fact, however, the first King of Edessa to embrace the Christian Faith was Abgar IX (c. 206) becoming official kingdom religion.

Christian council held at Edessa early as 197 (Eusebius, Hist. Ecc7V,xxiii).

In 201 the city was devastated by a great flood, and the Christian church was destroyed (“Chronicon Edessenum”, ad. an. 201).

In 232 the relics of the Apostle St. Thomas were brought from India, on which occasion his Syriac Acts were written.

Under Roman domination martyrs suffered at Edessa: Sts. Scharbîl and Barsamya, under Decius; Sts. Gûrja, Schâmôna, Habib, and others under Diocletian.

In the meanwhile Christian priests from Edessa evangelized Eastern Mesopotamia and Persia, established the first Churches in the kingdom of the Sassanides. Atillâtiâ, Bishop of Edessa, assisted at the Council of Nicæa (325). The “Peregrinatio Silviæ” (or Etheriæ) (ed. Gamurrini, Rome, 1887, 62 sqq.) gives an account of the many sanctuaries at Edessa about 388.

Although Hebrew had been the language of the ancient Israelite kingdom, after their return from Exile the Jews turned more and more to Aramaic, using it for parts of the books of Ezra and Daniel in the Bible. By the time of Jesus, Aramaic was the main language of Palestine, and quite a number of texts from the Dead Sea Scrolls are also written in Aramaic.

Aramaic continued to be an important language for Jews, alongside Hebrew, and parts of the Talmud are written in it.

After Arab conquests of the seventh century, Arabic quickly replaced Aramaic as the main language of those who converted to Islam, although in out of the way places, Aramaic continued as a vernacular language of Muslims.

Aramaic, however, enjoyed its greatest success in Christianity. Although the New Testament wins written in Greek, Christianity had come into existence in an Aramaic-speaking milieu, and it was the Aramaic dialect of Edessa, now known as Syriac, that became the literary language of a large number of Christians living in the eastern provinces of the Roman Empire and in the Persian Empire, further east. Over the course of the centuries the influence of the Syriac Churches spread eastwards to China (in Xian, in western China, a Chinese-Syriac inscription dated 781 is still to be seen); to southern India where the state of Kerala can boast more Christians of Syriac liturgical tradition than anywhere else in the world.

680 Shiite saint Imam Hussein, grandson of Islam's Prophet Muhammad Known as Ashoura and observed by Shiites across the world, the 10th day of the lunar Muslim month of Muharram: the anniversary of the 7th century death in battle of one of Shiite Islam's most beloved saints. Imam Hussein died in the 680 A.D. battle fought on the plains outside Karbala, a city in modern Iraq that's home to the saint's shrine. The battle over a dispute about the leadership of the Muslim faith following Muhammad's death in 632 A.D. It is the defining event in Islam's split into Sunni and Shiite branches. The occasion is the source of an enduring moral lesson. "He sacrificed his blood to teach us not to give in to corruption, coercion, or use of force and to seek honor and justice." According to Shiite beliefs, Hussein and companions were denied water by enemies who controlled the nearby Euphrates. Streets get partially covered with blood from slaughter of hundreds of cows and sheep. Volunteers cook the meat and feed it to the poor. Hussein's martyrdom recounted through a rich body of prose, poetry and song remains an inspirational example of sacrifice to many Shiites, 10 percent of the world's estimated 1.3 billion Muslims.

Meeting of the Saints walis (saints of Allah)

Great men covet to embrace martyrdom for a cause and principle.

So was the case with Hazrat Ali. He could have made a compromise with the evil forces of his time and, as a result, could have led a very comfortable, easy and luxurious life. But he was not a person who would succumb to such temptations. His upbringing, his education and his training in the lap of the holy Prophet made him refuse such an offer.
Rabia Al-Basri (717–801 C.E.) She was first to set forth the doctrine of mystical love and who is widely considered to be the most important of the early Sufi poets. An elderly Shia pointed out that during his pre-Partition childhood it was quite common to find pictures and portraits of Shia icons in Imambaras across the country.
Shah Abdul Latif: The Exalted Sufi Master born 1690 in a Syed family; died 1754. In ancient times, Sindh housed the exemplary Indus Valley Civilisation with Moenjo Daro as its capital, and now, it is the land of a culture which evolved from the teachings of eminent Sufi saints. Pakistan is home to the mortal remains of many Sufi saints, the exalted among them being Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai, a practitioner of the real Islam, philosopher, poet, musicologist and preacher. He presented his teaching through poetry and music - both instruments sublime - and commands a very large following, not only among Muslims but also among Hindus and Christians. Sindh culture: The Shah is synonymous with Sindh. He is the very fountainhead of Sindh's culture. His message remains as fresh as that of any present day poet, and the people of Sindh find solace from his writings. He did indeed think for Sindh. One of his prayers, in exquisite Sindhi, translates thus: “Oh God, may ever You on Sindh bestow abundance rare! Beloved! All the world let share Thy grace, and fruitful be.”
Shia Ali al-Hadi, died 868 and son Hassan al-Askari 874. These saints are the 10th and 11th of Shia's 12 most revered Imams. Baba Farid Sufi 1398 miracle, Qutbuddin Bakhtiar Kaki renowned Muslim Sufi saint scholar miracles 569 A.H. [1173 C.E.] hermit gave to poor, Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti greatest mystic of his time born 533 Hijri (1138-39 A.D.), Hazrat Ghuas-e Azam, Hazrat Bu Ali Sharif, and Hazrat Nizamuddi n Aulia Sufi Saint Hazrath Khwaja Syed Mohammed Badshah Quadri Chisty Yamani Quadeer (RA) 1236-1325 welcomed people of all faiths & all walks of life.

801 Rabi'a al-'Adawiyya Sufi One of the most famous Islamic mystics
(b. 717). This 8th century saint was an early Sufi who had a profound influence on later Sufis, who in turn deeply influenced the European mystical love and troubadour traditions. Rabi'a was a woman of Basra, a seaport in southern Iraq. She was born around 717 and died in 801 (185-186). Her biographer, the great medieval poet Attar, tells us that she was "on fire with love and longing" and that men accepted her "as a second spotless Mary" (186). She was, he continues, “an unquestioned authority to her contemporaries" (218).
Rabi'a began her ascetic life in a small desert cell near Basra, where she lost herself in prayer and went straight to God for teaching. As far as is known, she never studied under any master or spiritual director. She was one of the first of the Sufis to teach that Love alone was the guide on the mystic path (222). A later Sufi taught that there were two classes of "true believers": one class sought a master as an intermediary between them and God -- unless they could see the footsteps of the Prophet on the path before them, they would not accept the path as valid. The second class “...did not look before them for the footprint of any of God's creatures, for they had removed all thought of what He had created from their hearts, and concerned themselves solely with God. (218)
Rabi'a was of this second kind. She felt no reverence even for the House of God in Mecca: "It is the Lord of the house Whom I need; what have I to do with the house?" (219) One lovely spring morning a friend asked her to come outside to see the works of God. She replied, "Come you inside that you may behold their Maker. Contemplation of the Maker has turned me aside from what He has made" (219). During an illness, a friend asked this woman if she desired anything.
"...[H]ow can you ask me such a question as 'What do I desire?' I swear by the glory of God that for twelve years I have desired fresh dates, and you know that in Basra dates are plentiful, and I have not yet tasted them. I am a servant (of God), and what has a servant to do with desire?" (162)
When a male friend once suggested she should pray for relief from a debilitating illness, she said,
"O Sufyan, do you not know Who it is that wills this suffering for me? Is it not God Who wills it? When you know this, why do you bid me ask for what is contrary to His will? It is not well to oppose one's Beloved." (221)
She was an ascetic. It was her custom to pray all night, sleep briefly just before dawn, and then rise again just as dawn "tinged the sky with gold" (187). She lived in celibacy and poverty, having renounced the world. A friend visited her in old age and found that all she owned were a reed mat, screen, a pottery jug, and a bed of felt which doubled as her prayer-rug (186), for where she prayed all night, she also slept briefly in the pre-dawn chill. Once her friends offered to get her a servant; she replied,
"I should be ashamed to ask for the things of this world from Him to Whom the world belongs, and how should I ask for them from those to whom it does not belong?" (186-7)
A wealthy merchant once wanted to give her a purse of gold. She refused it, saying that God, who sustains even those who dishonor Him, would surely sustain her, "whose soul is overflowing with love" for Him. And she added an ethical concern as well:
"...How should I take the wealth of someone of whom I do not know whether he acquired it lawfully or not?" (187)
She taught that repentance was a gift from God because no one could repent unless God had already accepted him and given him this gift of repentance. She taught that sinners must fear the punishment they deserved for their sins, but she also offered such sinners far more hope of Paradise than most other ascetics did. For herself, she held to a higher ideal, worshipping God neither from fear of Hell nor from hope of Paradise, for she saw such self-interest as unworthy of God's servants; emotions like fear and hope were like veils -- i.e., hindrances to the vision of God Himself. The story is told that once a number of Sufis saw her hurrying on her way with water in one hand and a burning torch in the other. When they asked her to explain, she said:
"I am going to light a fire in Paradise and to pour water on to Hell, so that both veils may vanish altogether from before the pilgrims and their purpose may be sure..." (187-188)
She was once asked where she came from. "From that other world," she said. "And where are you going?" she was asked. "To that other world," she replied (219). She taught that the spirit originated with God in "that other world" and had to return to Him in the end. Yet if the soul were sufficiently purified, even on earth, it could look upon God unveiled in all His glory and unite with him in love. In this quest, logic and reason were powerless. Instead, she speaks of the "eye" of her heart which alone could apprehend Him and His mysteries (220).
Above all, she was a lover, a bhakti, like one of Krishna’s Goptis in the Hindu tradition. Her hours of prayer were not so much devoted to intercession as to communion with her Beloved. Through this communion, she could discover His will for her. Many of her prayers have come down to us:
       "I have made Thee the Companion of my heart,
        But my body is available for those who seek its company,
        And my body is friendly towards its guests,
        But the Beloved of my heart is the Guest of my soul." [224]

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Mother Angelica saving souls is this beautiful womans journey

Shrine_of_The_Most_Blessed_Sacrament

Colombia was among the countries Mother Angelica visited.
In Bogotá, a Salesian priest - Father Juan Pablo Rodriguez - brought Mother and the nuns to the Sanctuary of the Divine Infant Jesus to attend Mass. After Mass, Father Juan Pablo took them into a small Shrine which housed the miraculous statue of the Child Jesus. Mother Angelica stood praying at the side of the statue when suddenly the miraculous image came alive and turned towards her. Then the Child Jesus spoke with the voice of a young boy: “Build Me a Temple and I will help those who help you.”

Thus began a great adventure that would eventually result in the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament, a Temple dedicated to the Divine Child Jesus, a place of refuge for all. Use this link to read a remarkable story about The Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament

Father Reardon, Editor of The Catholic Bulletin for 14 years Lover of the poor; “A very Holy Man of God.”

Monsignor Reardon Protonotarius Apostolicus
Pastor 42 years BASILICA OF SAINT MARY Minneapolis MN

America's First Basilica Largest Nave in the World

August 7, 1907-ground broke for the foundation

by Archbishop Ireland-laying cornerstone May 31, 1908

James M. Reardon Publication History of Basilica of Saint Mary 1600-1932

Index to Part I and Part II 1932

James M. Reardon Publication History of the Basilica of Saint Mary 1955 {update}

Brief History of our Beloved Holy Priest Here and his published books of Catholic History in North America
Reardon, J.M. Archbishop Ireland; Prelate, Patriot, Publicist, 1838-1918.
A Memoir (St. Paul; 1919); George Anthony Belcourt Pioneer Catholic Missionary of the Northwest 1803-1874 (1955);
The Catholic Church IN THE DIOCESE OF ST. PAUL from earliest origin to centennial achievement 1362-1950 (1952);
The Church of Saint Mary of Saint Paul 1875-1922; (1932)
The Vikings in the American Heartland;
The Catholic Total Abstinence Society in Minnesota;

James Michael Reardon Born in Nova Scotia, 1872; Priest, ordained by Bishop Ireland;

Member -- St. Paul Seminary faculty.

Affiliations and Indulgences Litany of Loretto in Stained glass windows here. Nave Sacristy and Residence Here
Sanctuary spaces between them filled with grilles of hand-forged wrought iron the life of our Blessed Lady After the crucifixon

Apostle statues Replicas of those in St John Lateran--Christendom's earliest Basilica.
Ordered by Rome's first Christian Emperor, Constantine the Great, Popes' cathedral and official residence first millennium of Christian history.

The only replicas ever made: in order from west to east {1932}.

Saints Simon (saw), Bartholomew (knife), James the Lesser (book), John (eagle), Andrew (transverse cross), Peter keys), Paul (sword), James the Greater (staff), Thomas (carpenter's square), Philip (serpent), Matthew (book), and Jude sword

Every Christian must be a living book wherein one can read the teaching of the gospel
It Makes No Sense Not To Believe In GOD

THE BLESSED MOTHER AND ISLAM By Father John Corapi.

June 19, Trinity Sunday, 1991: Ordained Catholic Priest under Pope John Paul II;
then 2,000,000 miles delivering the Gospel to millions, and continues to do so.

By Father John Corapi
THE BLESSED MOTHER AND ISLAM By Father John Corapi.

June 19, Trinity Sunday, 1991: Ordained Catholic Priest under Pope John Paul II;
then 2,000,000 miles delivering the Gospel to millions, and continues to do so.

By Father John Corapi

Among the most important titles we have in the Catholic Church for the Blessed Virgin Mary are Our Lady of Victory and Our Lady of the Rosary. These titles can be traced back to one of the most decisive times in the history of the world and Christendom. The Battle of Lepanto took place on October 7 (date of feast of Our Lady of Rosary), 1571. This proved to be the most crucial battle for the Christian forces against the radical Muslim navy of Turkey. Pope Pius V led a procession around St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City praying the Rosary. He showed true pastoral leadership in recognizing the danger posed to Christendom by the radical Muslim forces, and in using the means necessary to defeat it. Spiritual battles require spiritual weapons, and this more than anything was a battle that had its origins in the spiritual order—a true battle between good and evil.

Today we have a similar spiritual battle in progress—a battle between the forces of good and evil, light and darkness, truth and lies, life and death. If we do not soon stop the genocide of abortion in the United States, we shall run the course of all those that prove by their actions that they are enemies of God—total collapse, economic, social, and national. The moral demise of a nation results in the ultimate demise of a nation. God is not a disinterested spectator to the affairs of man. Life begins at conception. This is an unalterable formal teaching of the Catholic Church. If you do not accept this you are a heretic in plain English. A single abortion is homicide. The more than 48,000,000 abortions since Roe v. Wade in the United States constitute genocide by definition. The group singled out for death—unwanted, unborn children.

No other issue, not all other issues taken together, can constitute a proportionate reason for voting for candidates that intend to preserve and defend this holocaust of innocent human life that is abortion.
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. These are not ordinary times and this is not business as usual. We are at a crossroads in human history and the time for Catholics and all Christians to act is now. All evil can ultimately be traced to its origin, which is moral evil. All of the political action, peace talks, international peacekeeping forces, etc. will avail nothing if the underlying sickness is not addressed. This is sin. One person at a time hearts and minds must be moved from evil to good, from lies to truth, from violence to peace.
Islam, an Arabic word that has often been defined as “to make peace,” seems like a living contradiction today. Islam is a religion of peace. As we celebrate the birthday of Our Lady, I am proposing that each one of us pray the Rosary for peace. Prayer is what must precede all other activity if that activity is to have any chance of success. Pray for peace, pray the Rosary every day without fail. There is a great love for Mary among Muslim people. It is not a coincidence that a little village named Fatima is where God chose to have His Mother appear in the twentieth century. Our Lady’s name appears no less than thirty times in the Koran. No other woman’s name is mentioned, not even that of Mohammed’s daughter, Fatima. In the Koran Our Lady is described as “Virgin, ever Virgin.”

Archbishop Fulton Sheen prophetically spoke of the resurgence of Islam in our day. He said it would be through the Blessed Virgin Mary that Islam would be converted. We must pray for this to happen quickly if we are to avert a horrible time of suffering for this poor, sinful world. Turn to our Mother in this time of great peril. Pray the Rosary every day. Then, and only then will there be peace, when the hearts and minds of men are changed from the inside.

Talk is weak. Prayer is strong. Pray! God bless you, Father John Corapi

Father Corapi's Biography

Father John Corapi is what has commonly been called a late vocation. In other words, he came to the priesthood other than a young man. He was 44 years old when he was ordained. From small town boy to the Vietnam era US Army, from successful businessman in Las Vegas and Hollywood to drug addicted and homeless, to religious life and ordination to the priesthood by Pope John Paul II, to a life as a preacher of the Gospel who has reached millions with the simple message that God's Name is Mercy!

Father Corapi's academic credentials are quite extensive. He received a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Pace University in the seventies. Then as an older man returned to the university classrooms in preparation for his life as a priest and preacher. He received all of his academic credentials for the Church with honors: a Masters degree in Sacred Scripture from Holy Apostles Seminary and Bachelor, Licentiate, and Doctorate degrees in dogmatic theology from the University of Navarre in Spain.

Father John Corapi goes to the heart of the contemporary world's many woes and wars, whether the wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, Lebanon, Somalia, or the Congo, or the natural disasters that seem to be increasing every year, the moral and spiritual war is at the basis of everything. “Our battle is not against human forces,” St. Paul asserts, “but against principalities and powers, against the world rulers of this present darkness...” (Ephesians 6:12).
The “War to end all wars” is the moral and spiritual combat that rages in the hearts and minds of human beings. The outcome of that unseen fight largely determines how the battle in the realm of the seen unfolds. The title talk, “With the Moon Under Her Feet,” is taken from the twelfth chapter of the Book of Revelation, and deals with the current threat to the world from radical Islam, and the Blessed Virgin Mary's role in the ultimate victory that will result in the conversion of Islam. Few Catholics are aware of the connection between Islam, Fatima, and Guadalupe. Presented in Father Corapi's straight-forward style, you will be both inspired and educated by him.

About Father John Corapi.

Father Corapi is a Catholic priest .

The pillars of father's preaching are basically:

Love for and a relationship with the Blessed Virgin Mary
Leading a vibrant and loving relationship with Jesus Christ
Great love and reverence for the Most Holy Eucharist from Holy Mass to adoration of the Blessed Sacrament
An uncompromising love for and obedience to the Holy Father and the teaching of the Magisterium of the Church

God Bless you on your journey Father John Corapi

Records on life of Father Flanagan, founder of Boys Town, presented at Vatican
Jul 23, 2019 - 03:01 am .- The cause for canonization of Servant of God Edward Flanagan, the priest who founded Nebraska's Boys Town community for orphans and other boys, advanced Monday with the presentation of a summary of records on his life.

Archbishop Fulton Sheen to be beatified
Jul 6, 2019 - 04:00 am .- Pope Francis approved the miracle attributed to Archbishop Fulton Sheen Friday, making possible the American television catechist's beatification.

Brooklyn diocese advances sainthood cause of local priest
Jun 25, 2019 - 03:01 am .- The Bishop of Brooklyn accepted last week the findings of a nine-year diocesan investigation into the life of Monsignor Bernard John Quinn, known for fighting bigotry and serving the African American population, as part of his cause for canonization.

Fr. Augustus Tolton, former African American slave, advances toward sainthood
Jun 12, 2019 - 05:03 am .- Fr. Augustus Tolton advanced along the path to sainthood Wednesday, making the runaway slave-turned-priest one step closer to being the first black American saint.

Pope Francis will beatify these martyred Greek-Catholic bishops in Romania
May 30, 2019 - 03:01 pm .- On Sunday in Blaj, Pope Francis will beatify seven Greek-Catholic bishops of Romania who were killed by the communist regime between 1950 and 1970.

Woman who served Brazil’s poorest to be canonized
May 14, 2019 - 06:53 am .- Pope Francis Tuesday gave his approval for eight sainthood causes to proceed, including that of Bl. Dulce Lopes Pontes, a 20th-century religious sister who served Brazil’s poor.

Seven 20th-century Romanian bishops declared martyrs
Mar 19, 2019 - 12:01 pm .- Pope Francis declared Tuesday the martyrdom of seven Greek-Catholic bishops killed by the communist regime in Romania in the mid-20th century.

Pope advances sainthood causes of 17 women
Jan 15, 2019 - 11:12 am .- Pope Francis approved Tuesday the next step in the canonization causes of 17 women from four countries, including the martyrdom of 14 religious sisters killed in Spain at the start of the Spanish Civil War.

Nineteen Algerian martyrs beatified
Dec 10, 2018 - 03:08 pm .- Bishop Pierre Claverie and his 18 companions, who were martyred in Algeria between 1994 and 1996, were beatified Saturday during a Mass in Oran.

The Algerian martyrs shed their blood for Christ, pope says
Dec 7, 2018 - 10:02 am .- Ahead of the beatification Saturday of Bishop Pierre Claverie and his 18 companions, who were martyred in Algeria between 1994 and 1996, Pope Francis said martyrs have a special place in the Church.
Algerian martyrs are models for the Church, archbishop says
Nov 16, 2018 - 03:01 am .- Archbishop Paul Desfarges of Algiers has said that Bishop Pierre Claverie and his 18 companions, who were martyred in Algeria between 1994 and 1996, are “models for our lives as disciples today and tomorrow.”

Francesco Spinelli to be canonized after healing of a newborn in DR Congo
Oct 9, 2018 - 05:01 pm .- Among those being canonized on Sunday are Fr. Franceso Spinelli, a diocesan priest through whose intercession a newborn was saved from death in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Algerian martyrs to be beatified in December
Sep 14, 2018 - 06:01 pm .- The Algerian bishops' conference has announced that the beatification of Bishop Pierre Claverie and his 18 companions, who were martyred in the country between 1994 and 1996, will be held Dec. 8.

Now a cardinal, Giovanni Angelo Becciu heads to congregation for saints' causes
Jun 28, 2018 - 11:41 am .- Newly-minted Cardinal Giovanni Angelo Becciu will resign from his post as substitute of the Secretariat of State tomorrow, in anticipation of his appointment as prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints later this summer.

Pope Francis creates new path to beatification under ‘offering of life’
Jul 11, 2017 - 06:22 am .- On Tuesday Pope Francis declared a new category of Christian life suitable for consideration of beatification called “offering of life” – in which a person has died prematurely through an offering of their life for love of God and neighbor.

Twentieth century Polish nurse among causes advancing toward sainthood
Jul 7, 2017 - 06:14 am .- Pope Francis on Friday approved a miracle attributed to the intercession of the Venerable Hanna Chrzanowska, a Polish nurse and nursing instructor who died from cancer in 1973, paving the way for her beatification.

Sainthood causes advance, including layman who resisted fascism
Jun 17, 2017 - 09:22 am .- Pope Francis on Friday recognized the heroic virtue of six persons on the path to canonization, as well as the martyrdom of an Italian man who died from injuries of a beating he received while imprisoned in a concentration camp for resisting fascism.

Solanus Casey, Cardinal Van Thuan among those advanced toward sainthood
May 4, 2017 - 10:47 am .- Pope Francis on Thursday approved decrees of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints advancing the causes for canonization of 12 individuals, including the American-born Capuchin Solanus Casey and the Vietnamese cardinal Francis Xavier Nguen Van Thuan.

Pope clears way for canonization of Fatima visionaries
Mar 23, 2017 - 06:44 am .- On Thursday Pope Francis approved the second and final miracle needed to canonize Blessed Francisco and Jacinta Marto, two of the shepherd children who witnessed the Fatima Marian apparitions.
Surgeon and father among sainthood causes moving forward
Feb 27, 2017 - 11:03 am .- Pope Francis recognized on Monday the heroic virtue of eight persons on the path to canonization, including an Italian surgeon and father of eight who suffered from several painful diseases throughout his life.

Records on life of Father Flanagan, founder of Boys Town, presented at Vatican
Jul 23, 2019 - 03:01 am .- The cause for canonization of Servant of God Edward Flanagan, the priest who founded Nebraska's Boys Town community for orphans and other boys, advanced Monday with the presentation of a summary of records on his life.

Archbishop Fulton Sheen to be beatified
Jul 6, 2019 - 04:00 am .- Pope Francis approved the miracle attributed to Archbishop Fulton Sheen Friday, making possible the American television catechist's beatification.

Brooklyn diocese advances sainthood cause of local priest
Jun 25, 2019 - 03:01 am .- The Bishop of Brooklyn accepted last week the findings of a nine-year diocesan investigation into the life of Monsignor Bernard John Quinn, known for fighting bigotry and serving the African American population, as part of his cause for canonization.

Fr. Augustus Tolton, former African American slave, advances toward sainthood
Jun 12, 2019 - 05:03 am .- Fr. Augustus Tolton advanced along the path to sainthood Wednesday, making the runaway slave-turned-priest one step closer to being the first black American saint.

Pope Francis will beatify these martyred Greek-Catholic bishops in Romania
May 30, 2019 - 03:01 pm .- On Sunday in Blaj, Pope Francis will beatify seven Greek-Catholic bishops of Romania who were killed by the communist regime between 1950 and 1970.

Woman who served Brazil’s poorest to be canonized
May 14, 2019 - 06:53 am .- Pope Francis Tuesday gave his approval for eight sainthood causes to proceed, including that of Bl. Dulce Lopes Pontes, a 20th-century religious sister who served Brazil’s poor.

Seven 20th-century Romanian bishops declared martyrs
Mar 19, 2019 - 12:01 pm .- Pope Francis declared Tuesday the martyrdom of seven Greek-Catholic bishops killed by the communist regime in Romania in the mid-20th century.

Pope advances sainthood causes of 17 women
Jan 15, 2019 - 11:12 am .- Pope Francis approved Tuesday the next step in the canonization causes of 17 women from four countries, including the martyrdom of 14 religious sisters killed in Spain at the start of the Spanish Civil War.

Nineteen Algerian martyrs beatified
Dec 10, 2018 - 03:08 pm .- Bishop Pierre Claverie and his 18 companions, who were martyred in Algeria between 1994 and 1996, were beatified Saturday during a Mass in Oran.

The Algerian martyrs shed their blood for Christ, pope says
Dec 7, 2018 - 10:02 am .- Ahead of the beatification Saturday of Bishop Pierre Claverie and his 18 companions, who were martyred in Algeria between 1994 and 1996, Pope Francis said martyrs have a special place in the Church.
Algerian martyrs are models for the Church, archbishop says
Nov 16, 2018 - 03:01 am .- Archbishop Paul Desfarges of Algiers has said that Bishop Pierre Claverie and his 18 companions, who were martyred in Algeria between 1994 and 1996, are “models for our lives as disciples today and tomorrow.”

Francesco Spinelli to be canonized after healing of a newborn in DR Congo
Oct 9, 2018 - 05:01 pm .- Among those being canonized on Sunday are Fr. Franceso Spinelli, a diocesan priest through whose intercession a newborn was saved from death in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Algerian martyrs to be beatified in December
Sep 14, 2018 - 06:01 pm .- The Algerian bishops' conference has announced that the beatification of Bishop Pierre Claverie and his 18 companions, who were martyred in the country between 1994 and 1996, will be held Dec. 8.

Now a cardinal, Giovanni Angelo Becciu heads to congregation for saints' causes
Jun 28, 2018 - 11:41 am .- Newly-minted Cardinal Giovanni Angelo Becciu will resign from his post as substitute of the Secretariat of State tomorrow, in anticipation of his appointment as prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints later this summer.

Pope Francis creates new path to beatification under ‘offering of life’
Jul 11, 2017 - 06:22 am .- On Tuesday Pope Francis declared a new category of Christian life suitable for consideration of beatification called “offering of life” – in which a person has died prematurely through an offering of their life for love of God and neighbor.

Twentieth century Polish nurse among causes advancing toward sainthood
Jul 7, 2017 - 06:14 am .- Pope Francis on Friday approved a miracle attributed to the intercession of the Venerable Hanna Chrzanowska, a Polish nurse and nursing instructor who died from cancer in 1973, paving the way for her beatification.

Sainthood causes advance, including layman who resisted fascism
Jun 17, 2017 - 09:22 am .- Pope Francis on Friday recognized the heroic virtue of six persons on the path to canonization, as well as the martyrdom of an Italian man who died from injuries of a beating he received while imprisoned in a concentration camp for resisting fascism.

Solanus Casey, Cardinal Van Thuan among those advanced toward sainthood
May 4, 2017 - 10:47 am .- Pope Francis on Thursday approved decrees of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints advancing the causes for canonization of 12 individuals, including the American-born Capuchin Solanus Casey and the Vietnamese cardinal Francis Xavier Nguen Van Thuan.

Pope clears way for canonization of Fatima visionaries
Mar 23, 2017 - 06:44 am .- On Thursday Pope Francis approved the second and final miracle needed to canonize Blessed Francisco and Jacinta Marto, two of the shepherd children who witnessed the Fatima Marian apparitions.
Surgeon and father among sainthood causes moving forward
Feb 27, 2017 - 11:03 am .- Pope Francis recognized on Monday the heroic virtue of eight persons on the path to canonization, including an Italian surgeon and father of eight who suffered from several painful diseases throughout his life.

8 Martyrs Move Closer to Sainthood 8 July, 2016
Posted by ZENIT Staff on 8 July, 2016

The angel appears to Saint Monica
This morning, Pope Francis received Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, Cardinal Angelo Amato. During the audience, he authorized the promulgation of decrees concerning the following causes:

***
MIRACLES:
Miracle attributed to the intercession of the Venerable Servant of God Luis Antonio Rosa Ormières, priest and founder of the Congregation of the Sisters of the Holy Guardian Angel; born July 4, 1809 and died on Jan. 16, 1890
MARTYRDOM:
Servants of God Antonio Arribas Hortigüela and 6 Companions, Missionaries of the Sacred Heart; killed in hatred of the Faith, Sept. 29, 1936
Servant of God Josef Mayr-Nusser, a layman; killed in hatred of the Faith, Feb. 24, 1945
HEROIC VIRTUE:

Servant of God Alfonse Gallegos of the Order of Augustinian Recollects, Titular Bishop of Sasabe, auxiliary of Sacramento; born Feb. 20, 1931 and died Oct. 6, 1991
Servant of God Rafael Sánchez García, diocesan priest; born June 14, 1911 and died on Aug. 8, 1973
Servant of God Andrés García Acosta, professed layman of the Order of Friars Minor; born Jan. 10, 1800 and died Jan. 14, 1853
Servant of God Joseph Marchetti, professed priest of the Congregation of the Missionaries of St. Charles; born Oct. 3, 1869 and died Dec. 14, 1896
Servant of God Giacomo Viale, professed priest of the Order of Friars Minor, pastor of Bordighera; born Feb. 28, 1830 and died April 16, 1912
Servant of God Maria Pia of the Cross (née Maddalena Notari), foundress of the Congregation of Crucified Sisters Adorers of the Eucharist; born Dec. 2, 1847 and died on July 1, 1919

Sunday, November 23 2014 Six to Be Canonized on Feast of Christ the King.

On the List Are Lay Founder of a Hospital and Eastern Catholic Religious
VATICAN CITY, June 12, 2014 (Zenit.org) - Today, the Vatican announced that during the celebration of the feast of Christ the King on Sunday, November 23, an ordinary public consistory will be held for the canonization of the following six blesseds, who include a lay founder of a hospital for the poor, founders of religious orders, and two members of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church, an Eastern Catholic Church in full communion with the Holy See:
-Giovanni Antonio Farina (1803-1888), an Italian bishop who founded the Institute of the Sisters Teachers of Saint Dorothy, Daughters of the Sacred Hearts
-Kuriakose Elias Chavara (1805-1871), a Syro-Malabar priest in India who founded the Carmelites of Mary Immaculate
-Ludovico of Casoria (1814-1885), an Italian Franciscan priest who founded the Gray Sisters of St. Elizabeth
-Nicola Saggio (Nicola da Longobardi, 1650-1709), an Italian oblate of the Order of Minims
-Euphrasia Eluvathingal (1877-1952), an Indian Carmelite of the Syro-Malabar Church
-Amato Ronconi (1238-1304), an Italian, Third Order Franciscan who founded a hospital for poor pilgrims

CAUSES OF SAINTS July 2015.
Pope Recognizes Heroic Virtues of Ukrainian Archbishop
Recognition Brings Metropolitan Archbishop Andrey Sheptytsky Closer to Beatification
By Junno Arocho Esteves Rome, July 17, 2015 (ZENIT.org)
Pope Francis recognized the heroic virtues of Ukrainian Greek Catholic Archbishop Andrey Sheptytsky. According to a communique released by the Holy See Press Office, the Holy Father met this morning with Cardinal Angelo Amato, Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints.

The Pope also recognized the heroic virtues of several religious/lay men and women from Italy, Spain, France & Mexico.
Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky is considered to be one of the most influential 20th century figures in the history of the Ukrainian Church.
Enthroned as Metropolitan of Lviv in 1901, Archbishop Sheptytsky was arrested shortly after the outbreak of World War I in 1914 by the Russians. After his imprisonment in several prisons in Russia and the Ukraine, the Archbishop was released in 1918.

The Ukrainian Greek Catholic prelate was also an ardent supporter of the Jewish community in Ukraine, going so far as to learn Hebrew to better communicate with them. He also was a vocal protestor against atrocities committed by the Nazis, evidenced in his pastoral letter, "Thou Shalt Not Kill." He was also known to harbor thousands of Jews in his residence and in Greek Catholic monasteries.
Following his death in 1944, his cause for canonization was opened in 1958.
* * *
The Holy Father authorized the Congregation to promulgate the following decrees regarding the heroic virtues of:
- Servant of God Andrey Sheptytsky, O.S.B.M., major archbishop of Leopolis of the Ukrainians, metropolitan of Halyc (1865-1944);
- Servant of God Giuseppe Carraro, Bishop of Verona, Italy (1899-1980);
- Servant of God Agustin Ramirez Barba, Mexican diocesan priest and founder of the Servants of the Lord of Mercy (1881-1967);
- Servant of God Simpliciano della Nativita (ne Aniello Francesco Saverio Maresca), Italian professed priest of the Order of Friars Minor, founder of the Franciscan Sisters of the Sacred Hearts (1827-1898);
- Servant of God Maria del Refugio Aguilar y Torres del Cancino, Mexican founder of the Mercedarian Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament (1866-1937);
- Servant of God Marie-Charlotte Dupouy Bordes (Marie-Teresa), French professed religious of the Society of the Religious of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary (1873-1953);
- Servant of God Elisa Miceli, Italian founder of the Rural Catechist Sisters of the Sacred Heart (1904-1976);
- Servant of God Isabel Mendez Herrero (Isabel of Mary Immaculate), Spanish professed nun of the Servants of St. Joseph (1924-1953)

October 01, 2015 Vatican City, Pope Authorizes following Decrees
(ZENIT.org) By Staff Reporter
Polish Layperson Recognized as Servant of God
Pope Authorizes Decrees
Pope Francis on Wednesday authorised the Congregation for Saints' Causes to promulgate the following decrees:

MARTYRDOM
- Servant of God Valentin Palencia Marquina, Spanish diocesan priest, killed in hatred of the faith in Suances, Spain in 1937;

HEROIC VIRTUES
- Servant of God Giovanni Folci, Italian diocesan priest and founder of the Opera Divin Prigioniero (1890-1963);
- Servant of God Franciszek Blachnicki, Polish diocesan priest (1921-1987);
- Servant of God Jose Rivera Ramirez, Spanish diocesan priest (1925-1991);
- Servant of God Juan Manuel Martín del Campo, Mexican diocesan priest (1917-1996);
- Servant of God Antonio Filomeno Maria Losito, Italian professed priest of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer (1838-1917);
- Servant of God Maria Benedetta Giuseppa Frey (nee Ersilia Penelope), Italian professed nun of the Cistercian Order (1836-1913);
- Servant of God Hanna Chrzanowska, Polish layperson, Oblate of the Ursulines of St. Benedict (1902-1973).

March 06 2016 MIRACLES authorised the Congregation to promulgate the following decrees:
Pope Francis received in a private audience Cardinal Angelo Amato, prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, during which he authorised the Congregation to promulgate the following decrees:
MIRACLES

– Blessed Manuel González García, bishop of Palencia, Spain, founder of the Eucharistic Missionaries of Nazareth (1877-1940);
– Blessed Elisabeth of the Trinity (née Elisabeth Catez), French professed religious of the Order of Discalced Carmelites (1880-1906);
– Venerable Servant of God Marie-Eugène of the Child Jesus (né Henri Grialou), French professed priest of the Order of Discalced Carmelites, founder of the Secular Institute “Notre-Dame de Vie” (1894-1967);
– Venerable Servant of God María Antonia of St. Joseph (née María Antonio de Paz y Figueroa), Argentine founder of the Beaterio of the Spiritual Exercise of Buenos Aires (1730-1799);
HEROIC VIRTUE

– Servant of God Stefano Ferrando, Italian professed priest of the Salesians, bishop of Shillong, India, founder of the Congregation of Missionary Sisters of Mary Help of Christians (1895-1978);
– Servant of God Enrico Battista Stanislao Verjus, Italian professed priest of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, coadjutor of the apostolic vicariate of New Guinea (1860-1892);
– Servant of God Giovanni Battista Quilici, Italian diocesan priest, founder of the Congregation of the Daughters of the Crucified (1791-1844);
– Servant of God Bernardo Mattio, Italian diocesan priest (1845-1914);
– Servant of God Quirico Pignalberi, Italian professed priest of the Order of Friars Minor Conventual (1891-1982);
– Servant of God Teodora Campostrini, Italian founder of the Minim Sisters of Charity of Our Lady of Sorrows (1788-1860);
– Servant of God Bianca Piccolomini Clementini, Italian founder of the Company of St. Angela Merici di Siena (1875-1959);
– Servant of God María Nieves of the Holy Family (née María Nieves Sánchez y Fernández), Spanish professed religious of the Daughters of Mary of the Pious Schools (1900-1978).

April 26 2016 MIRACLES authorised the Congregation to promulgate the following decrees:
Here is the full list of decrees approved by the Pope:

MIRACLES
– Blessed Alfonso Maria Fusco, diocesan priest and founder of the Congregation of the Sisters of St. John the Baptist (1839-1910);
– Venerable Servant of God John Sullivan, professed priest of the Society of Jesus (1861-1933);
MARTYRDOM
– Servants of God Nikolle Vinçenc Prennushi, O.F.M., archbishop of Durres, Albania, and 37 companions killed between 1945 and 1974;
– Servants of God José Antón Gómez and three companions of the Benedictines of Madrid, Spain, killed 1936;
HEROIC VIRTUES
– Servant of God Thomas Choe Yang-Eop, diocesan priest (1821-1861);
– Servant of God Sosio Del Prete (né Vincenzo), professed priest of the Order of Friars Minor, founder of the Congregation of the Little Servants of Christ the King (1885-1952);
– Servant of God Wenanty Katarzyniec (né Jósef), professed priest of the Order of Friars Minor Conventual (1889-1921);
– Servant of God Maria Consiglia of the Holy Spirity (née Emilia Paqualina Addatis), founder of the Congregation of the Sisters of the Addolorata, Servants of Mary (1845-1900);
– Servant of God Maria of the Incarnation (née Caterina Carrasco Tenorio), founder of the Congregation of the Franciscan Tertiary Sisters of the Flock of Mary (1840-1917);
– Servant of God , founder of the Congregation of the Sisters of the Family of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (1851-1923);
– Servant of God Ilia Corsaro, founder of the Congregation of the Little Missionaries of the Eucharist (1897-1977);
– Servant of God Maria Montserrat Grases García, layperson of the Personal Prelature of the Holy Cross and Opus Dei (1941-1959).

LINKS:
Marian Apparitions (over 2000) India Marian Shrine Lourdes of the East   Lourdes Feb 11- July 16, Loreto, Italy 1858
China Marian shrines May 23, 1995 Zarvintisya Ukraine Lourdes Kenya national Marian shrine    Quang Tri Vietnam La Vang 1798
Links to Related Marian Websites Angels and Archangels
Doctors_of_the_Church   Acts_Apostles Roman Catholic Popes Purgatory Uniates, PSALTER BLESSED VIRGIN MARY 9 2023