St. Ermelinda October 29

 St. Ermelinda

Feastday: October 29

Death: 595

A Belgian hermitess. She lived in Meldaert Belgium, and was revered for her penitential practices.

St. Elfleda October 29

 St. Elfleda

Feastday: October 29

Death: 1000

Benedictine abbess, the daughter of Earl Ethelwold, who founded her abbey in Ramsey, England

Douai Martyrs October 29

 Douai Martyrs

Feastday: October 29

More than 160 priests trained in the English College of Douai, France, returned to England and Wales and faced arrest, torture, and execution by English authorities. A large group - more than eighty- were beatified in 1929, and English dioceses celebrate the feasts of these martyrs.

The Douai Martyrs is a name applied by the Roman Catholic Church to 158 Catholic priests trained in the English College at Douai, France, who were executed by the English state between 1577 and 1680.[2]

History

Having completed their training at Douai, many returned to England and Wales with the intent to minister to the Catholic population. Under the Jesuits, etc. Act 1584 the presence of a priest within the realm was considered high treason. Missionaries from Douai were looked upon as a papal agents intent on overthrowing the queen. Many were arrested under charges of treason and conspiracy, resulting in torture and execution. In total, 158 members of Douai College were martyred between the years 1577 and 1680.[1] The first was Cuthbert Mayne, executed at Launceston, Cornwall.[3] The last was Thomas Thwing, hanged, drawn, and quartered at York in October 1680.[4] Each time the news of another execution reached the College, a solemn Mass of thanksgiving was sung.

Many people risked their lives during this period by assisting them, which was also prohibited under the Act. A number of the "seminary priests" from Douai were executed at a three-sided gallows at Tyburn near the present-day Marble Arch. A plaque to the "Catholic martyrs" executed at Tyburn in the period 1535 - 1681 is located at 8 Hyde Park Place, the site of Tyburn convent.[5]

Eighty were beatified by Pope Pius XI in 1929. Today, British Catholic dioceses celebrate their feast day on 29 October.[1]

The Douay Martyrs School in Ickenham, Middlesex is named in their honour.

St. Donatus of Corfu October 29

St. Donatus of Corfu

Feastday: October 29

Death: unknown

Unknown saint whose relics were brought to Corfu, Greece, and enshrined there by Pope St. Gregory the Great. 

St. Cuthbert Mayne October 29

 St. Cuthbert Mayne

Feastday: October 29

Birth: 1544

Death: 1577

An English martyr, born near Branstaple, in Devonshire, as a Protestant. He converted to Catholicism at St. John's, Oxford. Cuthbert was ordained at Douai, France, and sent home to England about 1575. Working in Cornwall, he was captured after a year. Condemned for celebrating a Mass, he was hanged, drawn, and quartered on November 25. Cuthbert was a friend of Edmund Campion, and he was aided by Francis Tregian in Cornwall. He was the first Englishman trained for the priesthood at Douai and was the protomartyr of English seminaries. Cuthbert was canonized by Pope Paul VI as one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales.

Cuthbert Mayne (c. 1543–29 November 1577) was an English Roman Catholic priest executed under the laws of Elizabeth I. He was the first of the seminary priests, trained on the Continent, to be martyred. Mayne was beatified in 1886 and canonised as one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales in 1970.

Early life

Mayne was born at Youlston, near Barnstaple in Devon, the son of William Mayne. He was baptised at the Church of St Peter, Shirwell on 20 March 1543/4, the feast day of St Cuthbert. An uncle who was a Church of England priest paid for him to attend Barnstaple Grammar School.

Mayne was instituted rector of the parish of Huntshaw in December 1561.[1] He attended Oxford University, first at St Alban Hall,[2] then at St John's College, and was awarded a B.A. on 6 April 1566 and M.A. on 8 April 1570.[3] On 27 April 1570, the papal bull Regnans in Excelsis excommunicated those who obeyed the laws and commands of Queen Elizabeth I.

Catholic conversion

Cuthbert Mayne in a mezzotint by Daniel Fournier (died ca 1766)

At Oxford, Mayne met Edmund Campion and other Catholics, such as Gregory Martin, Humphrey Ely, Henry Shaw, Thomas Bramston, Henry Holland, Jonas Meredith, and Roland Russell. At some point Mayne, too, became a Catholic. Late in 1570, a letter addressed to him from Gregory Martin, urging him to come to Douai, fell into the hands of the Bishop of London, and he sent a pursuivant to arrest Mayne and others mentioned in the letter. Warned by Thomas Ford, Mayne evaded arrest by going to Cornwall and then, in 1573, to the English College, Douai (now in northern France).[2]

Mayne was ordained a priest in the Roman Catholic Church at Douai in 1575 and on 7 February in the following year he obtained the degree of Bachelor of Theology of Douai University.

On 24 April 1576, he left for the English mission in the company of another priest, John Payne. He soon joined the household of Francis Tregian at Golden in the parish of Probus, Cornwall[2] where he posed as his steward. Francis Tregian (1548–1608) was one of the richest landowners in Cornwall.

Golden Manor, Probus, scene of Mayne's arrest

Missionaries from Douai were looked upon as a papal agents intent on overthrowing the queen. The authorities began a systematic search in June 1576, when the Bishop of Exeter William Bradbridge came to Cornwall. On 8 June 1577, the High Sheriff of Cornwall, Richard Grenville, conducted a raid on Tregian's house during which the crown officers "bounced and beat at the door" to Mayne's chamber. On gaining entry, Grenville discovered a Catholic devotional article, an Agnus Dei, around Mayne's neck, and took him into custody along with his books and papers.[4]

Imprisonment and trial

While awaiting trial at the circuit assizes in September, Mayne was imprisoned in Launceston Castle. At the opening of the trial on 23 September 1577 there were five counts against him:[4] first, that he had obtained from the Roman See a "faculty" (or bulla), containing absolution of the Queen's subjects; second, that he had published the same at Golden; third, that he had taught the ecclesiastical authority of the pope and denied the queen's ecclesiastical supremacy while in prison; fourth, that he had brought into the kingdom an Agnus Dei (a Lamb of God sealed upon a piece of wax from the Paschal candle blessed by the pope)[5] and delivered it to Francis Tregian; fifth, that he had celebrated Mass.

Mayne answered all counts. On the first and second counts, he said that the supposed "faculty" was merely a copy printed at Douai of an announcement of the Jubilee of 1575, and that its application having expired with the end of the jubilee, he certainly had not published it either at Golden (the manor house of Francis Tregian) or elsewhere. On the third count, he said that he had asserted nothing definite on the subject to the three illiterate witnesses who swore to the contrary. On the fourth count, he said that the fact he was wearing an Agnus Dei at the time of his arrest did not establish that he had brought it into the kingdom or delivered it to Tregian. On the fifth count, he said that the presence of a Missal, a chalice, and vestments in his room did not establish that he had said Mass.

The trial judge, Justice Sir Roger Manwood,[6] directed the jury to return a verdict of guilty, stating that, "where plain proofs were wanting, strong presumptions ought to take place".[7] Manwood also argued that it was illegal to introduce any papal letter into the country, no matter what it was. The jury found Mayne guilty of high treason on all counts, and accordingly he was sentenced to be hanged, drawn and quartered. Mayne responded, "Deo gratias".[4]

With him had been arraigned Francis Tregian and eight other laymen. The eight were sentenced to seizure of their goods and life imprisonment.[8] Tregian was sentenced to die but was in fact incarcerated for 28 years[9] until, on the petition of his friends, he was released by King James I.[10]

His execution was delayed because one of the judges, Jeffries, took exception to the proceedings and sent a report to the Privy Council. The Council submitted the case to the whole bench of judges, which was inclined to Jeffries's view. Nevertheless, the council ordered the execution to proceed.[2]

At the examination of Mayne after the trial, Mayne admitted to having said mass. The Record Office also recorded that among his papers were notes which brought him under suspicion of the charge that Catholics were bound, in the right opportunity, to rise against the Queen. The same office also recorded him admitting to this during his examination after the trial:

The words found in a book of his signifying that though the catholic religion did now serve, swear and obey, yet if occasion were offered they would be ready to help the execution, &c., were annexed to a text taken out of a general council of Lateran for the authority of the pope in his excommunication, and at the last council of Trent there was a consent of the catholic princes for a reformation of such realms and persons as had gone from the authority of the bishop of Rome, when it was concluded that if any catholic prince took in hand to invade any realm to reform the same to the authority of the see of Rome, that then the catholics in that realm should be ready to assist and help them. And this was the meaning of the execution as he saith, which he never revealed to any man before.[11]

Mayne had also supposedly stated that "the people of England may be won unto the catholic religion of the see of Rome by such secret instructions as either are or may be within the realm; but what these secret instructions are he will not utter, but hopeth when time serveth they shall do therein as pleaseth God."[12]

Execution

A gallows was erected in the marketplace at Launceston, and Mayne was executed there on 29 November 1577. Before being brought to the place of execution, Mayne was offered his life in return for a renunciation of his religion and an acknowledgment of the supremacy of the queen as head of the church. Declining both offers, he kissed a copy of the Bible, declaring that, "the queen neither ever was, nor is, nor ever shall be, the head of the church of England". He was not allowed to speak to the crowd but only to say his prayers quietly. It is unclear if he died on the gallows but all agree that he was unconscious, or almost so, when he was drawn and quartered. One source states that he was cut down alive, but in falling struck his head against the scaffold.

Political considerations

A. L. Rowse sees the condemnation of Mayne as arising from local rivalries between Protestant coastal and Catholic inland interests.[13] Grenville had been unsuccessful in his attempts to arrange a marriage between his daughter and the Tregian heir.[14]

The coming of Mayne and others made the English government fear the possibility of papal agents coming to the island to ready the populace to rise up in revolt in support of King Philip II of Spain in an invasion of England. This helped support the case to pass harsher legislation against Catholicism in England. Establishing a threat from subversive Catholic elements also served Elizabeth's counsellors such as Lord Burghley in their attempts to persuade the Queen to support the Dutch Revolt against Spain.[11]

Legacy

Mayne was beatified "equipollently" by Pope Leo XIII, by means of a decree of 29 December 1886 and was canonised along with other martyrs of England and Wales by Pope Paul VI on 25 October 1970.

Mayne was the first seminary priest, the group of priests who were trained not in England but in houses of studies on the Continent. He was also one of the group of prominent Catholic martyrs of the persecution who were later designated as the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales.

Relics of Mayne's body survive. A portion of his skull is in the Carmelite Convent at Lanherne, Cornwall. Christopher M. B. Allison suggests that the silver reliquary discovered in 2015 at Jamestown, Virginia in the grave of Captain Gabriel Archer (died 1609/10) may contain a relic of Mayne.[15]

There are many memorials to him in Launceston, and in 1977 the name of the Roman Catholic church on St Stephen's Hill there was changed from the Church of the English Martyrs to the Church of St Cuthbert Mayne; it is the site of the National Shrine to St Cuthbert Mayne.[16] In 1921 an annual June pilgrimage was initiated in Launceston to commemorate Mayne.[17]

St Cuthbert Mayne School, a voluntary aided Roman Catholic and Church of England school[18] in Torquay, and St Cuthbert Mayne Catholic Junior School in Hemel Hempstead, are named after him. The St Cuthbert Mayne RC High School in Fulwood, Lancashire merged in 1988 to become Our Lady's Catholic High School.

In fiction

In the historical novel The Grove of Eagles by Winston Graham, which is set in Cornwall some years after Mayne's death, there are several references to him. One character, a Catholic member of the prominent Arundell family of Tolverne, says that his Protestant brother, who was one of the jurors at Mayne's trial, will burn in Hell for his share in Mayne's death. The brother, filled with guilt for his share in the execution, has not only converted to the Roman Catholic faith but is risking his life by sheltering other priests.

St. Colman of Kilmacduagh October 29

 St. Colman of Kilmacduagh

Feastday: October 29

Birth: 550

Death: 632

Abbot-bishop, son of the Irish chieftain, Duac. He lived as a hermit at Arranmore and Burren, in County Clare, Ireland. Made a bishop against he will, he founded a monastery at Kilmacduagh, on landgiven by King Guaire of Connaught.

Saint Colman mac Duagh (c. 560 – 29 October 632) was born at Corker, Kiltartan, County Galway, Ireland, the son of the Irish chieftain Duac (and thus, in Irish, mac Duach). He initially lived as a recluse, living in prayer and prolonged fastings, first on Inismore, then in a cave at the Burren in County Clare. With his relative, King Guaire Aidne mac Colmáin (d. 663) of Connacht he founded the monastery of Kilmacduagh, ("the church of the son of Duac"), and governed it as abbot-bishop.

He has been confused with Saint Colman of Templeshanbo (d. 595) who was from Connacht and lived somewhat earlier.

Saint Colman's well, c.1880–1900

St Colman was reportedly the son of Queen Rhinagh and her husband the chieftain Duac, born in Kiltartan, now County Galway.

Priesthood

He was educated at Saint Enda's monastery in Inishmore/Árainn, the largest of the Aran Islands[1] on Inishmore and lived there as a hermit. He built a church, Teampuill Mor Mhic Duagh, and a small oratory, Teampuill beg Mhic Duagh, near Kilmurvy. These form part of a group known as the Seven Churches, although the designation does not indicate the actual number of churches, many destroyed during the time of Cromwell.[2]

Seeking greater solitude, around 590 he moved to the Burren, which was then covered in forest, accompanied by a servant. The hermitage is located in the townland of Keelhilla, part of the parish of Carran, at the foot of a cliff of Slieve Carran.[3] Today the site consists of a small stone oratory, a holy well, Colman's shallow cave, the grave of his servant and a bullaun stone. These are now surrounded by hazel scrub. Since the oratory is made from stone, it cannot have been built by Colman, as in his time the churches were all built from wood.[4]:58–9

King Guaire Aidne mac Colmáin had his principal place of residence at Kinvara, near the location of today's Dunguaire Castle. Upon learning of the hermitage, he was so impressed with Colman's holiness that he asked him to take episcopal charge of the territory of the Aidhne.[2] In 610, Colman founded a monastery, which became the centre of the tribal Diocese of Aidhne, practically coextensive with the See of Kilmacduagh.[5] This is now known as the monastery of Kilmacduagh.

Although reluctant to accept the title, Colman was ordained a bishop. His associates included Surney of Drumacoo. He died 29 October 632.

Veneration

Although the "Martyrology of Donegal" assigns his feast to 2 February, yet the weight of evidence and the tradition of the diocese point to 29 October.[5]

An annual pilgrimage to Colman's hermitage takes place on 21 October.[4]:59

Legends

Kilmacduagh

While she carried the child in her womb Colman's mother heard a prophecy that her son would be great man and surpass all others of his lineage. The pregnant Rhinagh, fearing her husband would seek to harm the child, fled. However, the king's men caught up to her and tried to drown her in the Kiltartin river by tying a stone around her neck. However, she was washed to shore.[6] The rock with the rope marks is on display by the Kiltartin river.

Not long after she gave birth to Colman (c. 560), Rhinagh took her newborn to a priest to baptise, but they realised there was no water. Fearing to return home, the mother sheltered under an ash tree and prayed. A fountain bubbled up from the earth and Colman was baptised. That fountain is now the miraculous well of Colman mac duagh. Rhinagh entrusted her child to the care of monks.

According to the Menology of Aengus, after austere fasting throughout Lent, on Easter morning Colman inquired as to whether his servant had found anything special for their Easter meal. The servant replied that he only had a small fowl and the usual herbs. Perceiving that the servant's patience was near exhausted, Colman prayed that the Lord provide an appropriate meal. At the same time, Colman's cousin King Guaire was sitting down to a banquet. No sooner had the dishes been served than they were spirited away by unseen hands. The king and his retinue followed only to find the banquet spread before Colman and his servant. An area of limestone pavement nearby is called to this day Bohir na Maes or Bóthar na Mias, the "road of the dishes".[2][4]:58

King Guaire bade him to build a monastery. Colman wanted God to show him where to build the monastery, and so asked God to give him a sign; later while walking through Burren woods, his cincture fell off. He took this to be God's sign and built the monastery on the place his cincture fell.[4]:58

It is said that Colman declared that no person nor animal in the diocese of Kilmacduagh would ever die of lightning strike, something that appears true to this day.

As with many relics, Colman's abbatial crozier has been used through the centuries for the swearing of oaths. Although it was in the custodianship of the O'Heynes of Kiltartan (descendants of King Guaire) and their relatives, the O'Shaughnessys, it can now be seen in the National Museum in Dublin (Attwater, Benedictines, Carty, D'Arcy, Farmer, MacLysaght, Montague, Stokes).

Other tales are recounted about Colman, who loved birds and animals.[7] He had a pet rooster who served as an alarm clock at a time before there were such modern conveniences.[7] The rooster would begin his song at the breaking of dawn and continue until Colman would come out and speak to it. Colman would then call the other monks to prayer by ringing the bells. But the monks wanted to pray during the night hours, too, and couldn't count on the rooster to awaken them at midnight and 3:00 am. So Colman made a pet out of a mouse that often kept him company in the night by giving it crumbs to eat. Eventually the mouse was tamed, and Colman asked its help:

"So you are awake all night, are you? It isn't your time for sleep, is it? My friend, the cock, gives me great help, waking me every morning. Couldn't you do the same for me at night, while the cock is asleep? If you do not find me stirring at the usual time, couldn't you call me? Will you do that?"

It was a long time before Colman tested the understanding of the mouse. After a long day of preaching and travelling on foot, Colman slept very soundly. When he did not awake at the usual hour in the middle of the night for Lauds, the mouse pattered over to the bed, climbed on the pillow, and rubbed his tiny head against Colman's ear. Not enough to awaken the exhausted monk. So the mouse tried again, but Colman shook him off impatiently. Making one last effort, the mouse nibbled on the saint's ear and Colman immediately arose—laughing. The mouse, looking very serious and important, just sat there on the pillow staring at the monk, while Colman continued to laugh in disbelief that the mouse had indeed understood its job.

When he regained his composure, Colman praised the clever mouse for his faithfulness and fed him extra treats. Then he entered God's presence in prayer. Thereafter, Colman always waited for the mouse to rub his ear before arising, whether he was awake or not. The mouse never failed in his mission.

The monk had another strange pet: a fly. Each day, Colman would spend some time reading a large, awkward parchment manuscript prayer book. Each day the fly would perch on the margin of the sheet. Eventually Colman began to talk to the fly, thanked him for his company, and asked for his help:

"Do you think you could do something useful for me? You see yourself that everyone who lives in the monastery is useful. Well, if I am called away, as I often am, while I am reading, don't you go too; stay here on the spot I mark with my finger, so that I'll know exactly where to start when I come back. Do you see what I mean?"

So, as with the mouse, it was a long time before Colman put the understanding of the fly to the test. He probably provided the insect with treats as he did the mouse—perhaps a single drop of honey or crumb of cake. One day Colman was called to attend a visitor. He pointed the spot on the manuscript where he had stopped and asked the fly to stay there until he returned. The fly did as the saint requested, obediently remaining still for over an hour. Colman was delighted. Thereafter, he often gave the faithful fly a little task that it was proud to do for him. The other monks thought it was such a marvel that they wrote it down in the monastery records, which is how we know about it.

But a fly's life is short. At the end of summer, Colman's little friend was dead. While still mourning the death of the fly, the mouse died, too, as did the rooster. Colman's heart was so heavy at the loss of his last pet that he wrote to his friend Saint Columba. Columba responded:

"You were too rich when you had them. That is why you are sad now. Trouble like that only comes where there are riches. Be rich no more."

Colman then realised that one can be rich without any money (Curtayne-Linnane).

St. Bond October 29

 St. Bond

Feastday: October 29

Death: 7th century

A hermit venerated in Sens, France. Bond was a Spaniard who became a public penitent, trained by St. Artemius, the bishop there. He is also called Baldus.

St. Anne October 29

 St. Anne

Feastday: October 29

Death: 820

Also called Euphemianus, a widow, born in Constantinople. From a good family, Anne was forced to marry. When widowed, she assumed a male disguise and the name of Euphemianus. As this male, Anne entered an abbey on Mount Olympus. Revered for holiness, she was asked to become an abbess but remained in an obscure monastery.

St. Abraham of Rostov October 29

 St. Abraham of Rostov

Feastday: October 29

Death: 11th century

Apostle to the Russian people and founder of religious institutions. He received many graces even before converting to Christianity and becoming a model of the faith. Born in Galicia, Russia, Abraham followed the pagan beliefs of the region. He was stricken with a severe disease and called upon Christ in his sufferings, whereupon he was healed miraculously. In gratitude, Abraham became a Christian and was baptized. He became a monk, and went to the city of Rostov where he began his apostolate among the pagans. He built two parish churches as well as a monastery. Many institutions for the poor and suffering were also started by this apostle of the faith.

Saint Abraham of Rostov, Archimandrite of Rostov, in the world Abercius, was born in tenth century in Chuhloma, which is in Kostroma region near Galich, Russia.[1]

Born Abercius, he was very ill as a child. He converted to Christianity in his youth after being cured from illness through prayer.[2] He decided to become a monk at Valaam and with the new name Abramius (Abraham) settled at Rostov on the shore of Lake Nero.[3]

Not far from his hut was a temple where the local tribes worshiped the stone idol of Veles, a source of superstitious fright in the whole neighborhood. His legend recounts a miraculous vision of Saint John the Evangelist, who gave him a staff, crowned with a cross, to destroy the idol. In commemoration of this, at the site of the temple, Abraham erected a monastery in honor of the Theophany. He also built a church dedicated to Saint John the Theologian, and preached the Gospel in his area. Convinced by his preaching, many pagans were baptized.[3]

At the petition of the Rostov princes Avraham was ordained to the rank of archimandrite of the monastery of the Theophany.[4]

His death and veneration

Abraham Reposed in old age and was buried in the church of the Theophany by his disciples.[5] His relics were found during the time of Grand Prince Vsevolod Georgievich (1176-1212).[6] According to Golubinsky the general church canonization of the Monk Abraham was held already by the time of the Makaryev Sobors of 1547-1549.[7] The divine service devoted to Abraham of Rostov, compiled in the imitation of the like to the Monk Sergius of Radonezh, was first mentioned in the manuscript collection of the 15th century.[8]

In 1551 Ivan the Terrible, during his military campaign against Khanate of Kazan, made a pilgrimage to the Abraham Monastery before the battles. He took the staff of the saint and upon successful defeat of Kazan khans he returned it back and ordered construction of the stone Cathedral of the Theophany in 1553- 1555.[9][6]

His feast days are: October 29 (November 11) (new style) - finding relics - in the Synaxis of the Kostroma saints, May 23 - in the Synaxis of Rostov-Yaroslavski Saints and in the Synaxis of the Karelian Saints - May 21 (dates are given according to the Julian calendar).[8]

Years of life and activity

The legend of the saint indicates 1010 as the date of his death, but most historians recognize this date to be wrong.[1] Nikolay Karamzin indicated, that Abraham was acting in Rostov during or after Andrey Bogolyubsky (c. 1111 – 1174). The activity of Abraham in Rostov dates from 1073–1077 years according to Vasily Klyuchevsky; Macarius Bulgakov refers it to (?)-1045 years, Andrei Titov - the end of the XI - the beginning of the XII century, Filaret (Gumilevsky) - the beginning of the XII century.[10]

Evgeny Golubinsky was skeptical about the very fact of the existence of Abraham, apparently considering him a single person with Abraham Galitzki and referring his activity to the last quarter of the fourteenth century (according to the legend, the latter lived the same years as Yury Dmitrievich, born in 1374). Arseny Kadlubovsky does not consider Abraham to be the founder of the Theophany Monastery, and also relates his life to the fourteenth century.

St. Abraham Kidunaja October 29

 St. Abraham Kidunaja

Feastday: October 29

Death: 366

Hermit and apostle who faced the pagan priests of Edessa in Mesopotamia. Born in that city, Abraham refused to enter into a marriage arranged by his prosperous parents and went out into the nearby desert to live in a sealed cabin. Food was provided for him through a single opening by disciples, and his influence attracted other hermits to the region. When Abraham's parents died, he gave away his large inheritance. Soon after, he was asked by the bishop of Edessa to start a hermitage at Beth-Kiduna, near the city. The pagans in the region persecuted him after he destroyed their idols, but Abraham won them over and claimed the area for the Church. He then returned to his hermitage, where he is reported to have reached the age of seventy before dying.

Saint Abraham the Great of Kidunja (or Kidunaja) (died c. 366) was a 4th-century hermit and priest. He is venerated as a saint in Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy and Oriental Orthodoxy.

Biography

The Vita of St. Abraham was written by his friend, St. Ephrem.[1]

Abraham was born to a wealthy family near Edessa, during the third century.[2] After receiving an excellent education, Abraham was encouraged to get married. He followed the wishes of his parents, but shortly before the wedding ceremony, he told his bride his desire to dedicate his life to God.[3] His bride accepted this resolution and Abraham retired to a cell near the city, where he walled up the cell door, leaving only a small window open for food to be brought him.

Ten years after he retreated from the world, his parents died, leaving Abraham a wealthy man.[4] He had the inheritance distributed to the poor. Abraham became known throughout the region as a holy man and many came to him for guidance.[1] Reports of his reputation came to the Bishop of Edessa who ordained him a priest and sent Abraham to Beth-Kidunaa. When Abraham destroyed the pagan idols and altars, the outraged townspeople drove him away. Abraham would return and urge them to give up their superstitions, and be driven out again. Eventually his persistence began to yield results.[5]

Abraham worked among them for the three years, when fearing that he would begin to desire material possessions he returned to his cell near Edessa where he spent the next fifty years in prayer and penance.[5] He was known never to reprove anyone sharply but always with charity and gentleness.

Around the year 360 Abraham died at the age of seventy after a long life of service to God.[3]

Legend

A popular story recounts that his orphan niece Mary had been entrusted to his care. He built a cell near his own and trained her in learning and piety until she was twenty. At this point, seduced by a false monk, she ran away ashamed and went to Troas, where she wound up a prostitute. For two years he lamented her departure not knowing what happened. When he finally learned where she was, he boldly went and recovered her.[3]

Veneration

The feast day of Saint Abraham is October 29 in the Eastern Orthodox Church and in the Roman Catholic Church.[6] The Syriac Catholic Church commemorates him on December 14, the Coptic Church on July 29, the Syriac Orthodox Church on October 24.

2020-10-29மறைசாட்சி ஃபெருடியஸ் Ferrutius

2020-10-29

மறைசாட்சி ஃபெருடியஸ் Ferrutius

பிறப்பு 

3 ஆம் நூற்றாண்டு

இறப்பு 

4 ஆம் நூற்றாண்டு, 

மைன்ஸ் Mainz, ஜெர்மனி

இவர் உரோம் படைவீரராக பணியாற்றியவர். கிறிஸ்துவைப்பற்றி அறிவித்தவர். நற்செய்தியை பறைசாற்றிய காரணத்திற்காக அரசன் தியோக்ளேசியன் (Diokletian) ஃபெருடியசை பிடித்து சிறையிலடைத்தான். கிறிஸ்துவ மதத்தை விட்டு விலகும்படி கட்டாயப்படுத்தினான். அவனின் சொற்களுக்கு பணியாததால், ஃபெருடியசை கொலை செய்யக் கூறினான். கடவுளின் விசுவாசத்திலிருந்து இறுதி வரை விலகாததால் கொலை செய்யப்பட்டார். பின்னர் மைன்ஸ் நகர் பேராயர் லூலூஸ் (Lullus) ஃபெருடியஸின் உடலை கொண்டு வந்து 778 ஆம் ஆண்டு புனித பெனடிக்ட் துறவறச் சபையில் வைத்தார். ஜெர்மனியிலுள்ள வீஸ்பாடனில் (Wiesbaden) இவரின் பெயரில் ஆலயம் ஒன்றும் உள்ளது. 

செபம்:

உயிரளிக்கும் ஊற்றே! உம்மை பின்பற்றியதற்காக தன் உயிரை ஈந்த மறைசாட்சி ஃபெருடியசைப்போல, இம்மண்ணில் உயிர்நீத்த மறைசாட்சியாளர்களை கண்ணோக்கியருளும். அவர்கள் அனைவரையும் உம் வான்வீட்டில் சேர்த்து, உம்மை முகமுகமாய் தரிசிக்கும் பேற்றைத் தந்தருளும். எமக்காக இவர்கள் பரிந்து பேசிடவும், அதன் வழியாக நாங்கள் உமக்கு சாட்சியம் பகரவும் எம்மை தயாரித்திட வேண்டுமென்று இறைவா உம்மை மன்றாடுகின்றோம்.

✠ ஜெருசலேம் நகர் புனிதர் நார்ஸிஸ்சஸ் ✠(St. Narcissus of Jerusalem)அக்டோபர் 29

† இன்றைய புனிதர் †

(அக்டோபர் 29)

✠ ஜெருசலேம் நகர் புனிதர் நார்ஸிஸ்சஸ் ✠

(St. Narcissus of Jerusalem)

ஜெருசலேம் ஆயர்/ ஒப்புரவாளர்:

(Bishop of Jerusalem and Confessor)

பிறப்பு: கி.பி. 99

இறப்பு: கி.பி. 216 (வயது 117)

ஏற்கும் சமயம்:

ரோமன் கத்தோலிக்க திருச்சபை

(Roman Catholic Church)

கிழக்கு மரபுவழி திருச்சபை

(Eastern Orthodox Church)

நினைவுத் திருவிழா: அக்டோபர் 29

புனிதர் நார்ஸிஸ்சஸ், ஜெருசலேமின் “ஆதி குலத் தலைவர்” (Patriarch of Jerusalem) ஆவார். மேற்கு மற்றும் கிழக்கு திருச்சபைகளால் புனிதராக அருட்பொழிவு செய்யப்பட்டவர். ரோமன் கத்தோலிக்க திருச்சபையில், அக்டோபர் மாதம் இருபத்தொன்பதாம் நாள் அவரது நினைவுத் திருநாள் கொண்டாடப்படுகின்றது.

கி.பி. 180ம் ஆண்டில், தனது என்பதாவது வயதில் எருசலேமின் முப்பதாவது ஆயராகப் பொறுப்பேற்றவர் புனிதர் நார்ஸிஸ்சஸ். பணிக்கு வயது ஒரு தடையல்ல என்பதுபோல் இளமைத் துடிப்புடன் இறைப்பணியைத் தொடர்ந்த இவர், கி.பி.195ம் ஆண்டில், “பாலஸ்தீனின்” (Palestine) “செசாரியா” (Caesarea) ஆயர் “தியோஃபிடஸ்” (Theophitus) அவர்களுடன் சேர்ந்து, செசாரியாவில் நடந்த ஆயர்கள் அவையில், கிறிஸ்து உயிர்ப்புப் பெருவிழா எப்போதும் ஞாயிற்றுக்கிழமையிலேயே கொண்டாடப்பட வேண்டுமென்றும், யூதர்களின் பெருநாளான “பாஸ்காவுடன்” (Passover) அல்ல என்றும் தீர்மானம் கொண்டு வந்தார்.

“யூசெபிசியசின்” (Eusebius) கூற்றின்படி, ஆயர் நார்ஸிஸ்சஸ் அவர்கள் வாழும்போதே பல புதுமைகள் செய்தவர். மின்வசதிகள் இல்லாத அக்காலத்தில், ஒரு கிறிஸ்து உயிர்ப்புப் பெருவிழா திருவிழிப்புத் திருவழிபாடு தொடங்கவிருந்த நேரத்தில், ஆலய விளக்குகளுக்குப் போதுமான எண்ணெய் இல்லாமல் அணைந்துபோகும் நிலையில் இருந்தன. உடனே இவர் தியாக்கோன்களை அழைத்து அருகிலிருந்த கிணற்றிலிருந்து தண்ணீர் எடுத்துவந்து விளக்குகளில் ஊற்றச் சொன்னார். பின்னர் அந்தத் தண்ணீர்மீது உருக்கமாகச் செபித்தார். உடனே அந்தத் தண்ணீர் எண்ணெய்யாக மாறி விளக்குகள் சுடர்விட்டு எரிந்தன.

“புனித குரு” என எல்லாராலும் இவர் போற்றப்பட்டதைக் கண்டு பொறாமையடைந்த மூவர், இவர்மீது அபாண்டமாகப் பழி சுமத்தினர்.

முதலாமவன், அனைவர் முன்னிலையிலும் வந்து, நான் சொல்வதில் உண்மை இல்லையென்றால், கடவுள் என்னை நெருப்பில் சுட்டெரிப்பாராக என்றான்.

இரண்டாவது ஆள் வந்து, எனது குற்றச்சாட்டுப் பொய்யானால், நான் தொழுநோயால் தாக்கப்படுவேன் என்று சபதமிட்டான்.

மூன்றாவது ஆள் வந்து, நான் பார்வையிழப்பேன் என்று உறுதியாகச் சொன்னான்.

இது நடந்து ஒரு சில நாட்களிலே ஓர் இரவில் முதல் ஆளின் வீடு தானாகத் தீப்பிடித்து முழுக் குடும்பமும் சாம்பலானது. அடுத்த ஆளும் அவர் கூறியதுபோலவே தொழுநோயால் தாக்கப்பட்டார்.

இவற்றைக் கண்டு பயந்த மூன்றாவது ஆள், ஆயர் மீது தாங்கள் மூவரும் சுமத்திய குற்றங்கள் அனைத்தும் பொய் என அனைவர் முன்னிலையில் அறிவித்து ஆயரிடம் மன்னிப்பு இறைஞ்சினான். ஆயரும் அவருக்கு மன்னிப்பளித்தார்.

பின்னர், பாலைநிலம் சென்று தனிமையில் செபத்தில் நாட்களைச் செலவழித்தார். சில காலம் கழித்து ஆயர் நார்ஸிஸ்சஸ் அவர்கள், எருசலேம் திரும்பி வந்தபோது மக்கள் அவரை மீண்டும் ஆயராக்கினார்கள். ஆனால் முதிர்வயது காரணமாக, புனிதர் “அலெக்சாண்டரை” (Saint Alexander) துணை ஆயராக நியமித்தார் அவர்.

புனித வாழ்வு வாழ்ந்த ஆயர் நார்ஸிஸ்சஸ், கி.பி. 216ம் ஆண்டில், தனது 117வது வயதில், முழங்கால் படியிட்டு செபித்துக்கொண்டிருக்கும் வேளையில் மரித்தார்.

† Saint of the Day †

(October 29)

✠ St. Narcissus of Jerusalem ✠

Bishop of Jerusalem and Confessor:

Born: 99 AD

Died: 216 AD (Aged 117)

Aelia Capitolina (Jerusalem), Syria Palaestina

Venerated in:

Roman Catholic Church

Eastern Orthodox Church of Arodon

Feast: October 29

Saint Narcissus of Jerusalem was an early patriarch of Jerusalem. He is venerated as a saint by both the Western and Eastern Churches. In the Roman Catholic Church, his feast day is celebrated on October 29, while in the Eastern Orthodox Church it is celebrated on August 7.

St. Narcissus was born towards the end of the first century, and he was nearly 80 years old when he was named as the 30th bishop of Jerusalem.

In 195, he and Theophilus, bishop of Caesarea in Palestine, presided together over a council of the bishops of Palestine held at Caesarea around Easter. There it was decreed that the feast be kept always on a Sunday, and not continue with the Jewish Passover.

The bishop and historian Eusebius says the following miracle can be attributed to him: One year on Easter-eve the deacons did not have any oil for the lamps in the church, which was necessary at the solemn divine office on that day. Narcissus ordered those who had the care of the lamps to bring him some water from the neighbouring wells. This being done, he pronounced a devout prayer over the water. Then he bade them pour it into the lamps; which they did. The water was immediately converted into oil, to the great surprise of all the faithful. Some of this miraculous oil was kept there as a memorial at the time when Eusebius wrote his history.

The veneration of all good men for this holy bishop, however, could not shelter him from the malice of the wicked. Three incorrigible sinners, fearing his severity in the observance of ecclesiastical discipline, accused him of a terrible act. The sinners swore that they were right, adding the following to their testimony: One wished that he might perish by fire, another, that he might be struck with leprosy, and the third, that he might lose his sight if what they alleged was not the truth. Their accusations were false, however, and soon Divine Retribution called upon them. The first was burnt in his house along with his whole family by an accidental fire in the night, the second was struck with universal leprosy and the third, terrified by these examples, confessed the conspiracy and slander, and by the abundance of tears which he continually shed for his sins, lost his sight before his death.

Narcissus either could not stand the shock of the bold calumny or perhaps he made it an excuse for leaving Jerusalem in order to spend some time in solitude, which had long been his wish. He spent several years undiscovered in his retreat, where he enjoyed all the happiness and advantage which a close conversation with God can bestow.

The neighbouring bishops appointed a new pastor for his church until Narcissus returned. Upon his return, the faithful rejoiced and convinced him to once again undertake the administration of the diocese, which he did.

As he reached extreme old age, he made St. Alexander his coadjutor. St. Narcissus continued to serve his flock, and even other churches, by his assiduous prayers and his earnest exhortations to unity and concord, as St. Alexander testifies in his letter to the Arsinoites in Egypt, where he says that Narcissus was at that time about one hundred and sixteen years old. The Roman Martyrology honours his memory on October 29th.

✠ அருளாளர் மைக்கேல் ருவா ✠(Blessed Michele Rua)அக்டோபர் 29

† இன்றைய புனிதர் †

(அக்டோபர் 29)

✠ அருளாளர் மைக்கேல் ருவா ✠

(Blessed Michele Rua)

டான் போஸ்கோவின் சலேசியன் சபை இணை நிறுவனர்:

(Co-founder of the Salesians of Don Bosco)

பிறப்பு: ஜூன் 9, 1837

டூரின், சார்டினியா அரசு

(Turin, Kingdom of Sardinia)

இறப்பு: ஏப்ரல் 6, 1910 (வயது 72)

டூரின், இத்தாலி

(Turin, Italy)

ஏற்கும் சமயம்:

ரோமன் கத்தோலிக்க திருச்சபை

(Roman Catholic Church)

முக்திபேறு பட்டம்: அக்டோபர் 29, 1972

திருத்தந்தை ஆறாம் பவுல்

(Pope Paul VI)

நினைவுத் திருநாள்: அக்டோபர் 29

அருளாளர் மைக்கேல் ருவா, ஒரு இத்தாலிய கத்தோலிக்க குருவும், புனிதர் ஜான் பாஸ்கோவின் மாணவர்களுள் ஒருவரும் ஆவார். சலேசிய சபையின் முதல் தலைமை அதிபரும் (Rector Major of the Salesians) இவரேயாவார்.

கி.பி. 1837ம் ஆண்டு இத்தாலி நாட்டிலுள்ள தூரின் (Turin) என்ற இடத்தில் ஜூன் 9ம் நாள் பிறந்த இவர், ஒன்பது சகோதாரர்களுள் இளையவராவார்.

ஆயுத தொழிற்சாலை ஒன்றின் மேற்பார்வையாளராக பணியாற்றிய "ஜியோவன்னி பட்டிஸ்டா" (Giovanni Battista) இவரது தந்தை ஆவார். "ஜியோவன்னா மரிய ருவா" (Giovanna Maria Rua) இவரது தாயார் ஆவார்.

கி.பி. 1845ம் ஆண்டு, ஆகஸ்ட் மாதம், 2ம் தேதி,  இவரது தந்தையார் இறந்ததும், இவரது தாய்க்கு அதே ஆயுத தொழிற்சாலையிலேயே பணி கிடைத்தது. விதவைத் தாயாருடன் வாழ்க்கையைத் தொடங்கிய மைக்கேல், 'கிறிஸ்தவ பள்ளிக்கூடங்களின் சகோதரர்கள்' (Brothers of the Christian Schools) நடத்திய பள்ளிக்கூடம் ஒன்றில் தமது ஆரம்பக் கல்வியை கற்றார்.

தமது 15ம் வயதில் தனது படிப்புகளை முடித்தபோது, கத்தோலிக்க குருவான புனிதர் டோன் ஜான் போஸ்கோ அவர்களால் தொடங்கப்பட்ட இளைஞரணியில் சேர்ந்தார். அப்போது மைக்கேல் ருவாவும், ஜான் போஸ்கோவும் நண்பர்கள் ஆனார்கள். 

கி.பி. 1861ம் ஆண்டு, தொன் ஜான் போஸ்கோ தொடங்கிய சலேசிய சபையில் இளைஞர்களுக்குப் பணியாற்றும் பணியில் ஈடுபட்டார். புனித சலேசிய சபை உருவாவதற்கு தொன் போஸ்கோவிற்கு பெருமளவில் உதவி செய்தார். அப்போது இளைஞர்களுக்கு எல்லாவிதங்களிலும் தாயாக இருந்து உதவிசெய்த ஜான் போஸ்கோவின் தாயார் நவம்பர் மாதம் கி.பி. 1856ல் இறந்ததால், இளைஞர்களுக்கு தாய் இல்லை என்ற எண்ணத்தைப் போக்க ரூவா தன் தாயை, இளைஞர்களுக்கு தாயாக இருந்து பணிபுரிய அர்ப்பணித்தார்.

இந்த இளைஞரணியானது திருச்சபையால் அதிகாரப் பூர்வமாக அங்கீகரிக்கப்பட வேண்டுமென்பதை உணர்ந்து, டோன் போஸ்கோவிற்கு துணையாக, தனது 22ம் வயதில் கி.பி. 1860ம் ஆண்டு ஜூலை 29ம் நாளன்று குருத்துவ அருட்பொழிவு பெற்று இளைஞர்களுக்கு ஞான மேய்ப்பராக பணியாற்றினார்.

தமது இருபத்தாறாம் வயதில் டூரின் நகரின் வெளியே அமைந்துள்ள "மிரபெல்லோ" (Mirabello) என்ற இளைஞர்கள் சமூக அமைப்பிற்கு தலைவராக பொறுப்பேற்றார். "மரியாளின் புதல்விகள்" (Daughters of Mary) என்றும், "கிறிஸ்தவர்களின் சகாயம்" (Help of Christians) என்றும் அழைக்கப்படும் கி.பி. 1872ம் ஆண்டு நிறுவப்பட்ட "சலேசிய அருட்சகோதரிகள்" (Salesian Sisters) சபைக்கு இயக்குனராக பணியாற்றினார்.

ஜான் போஸ்கோவின் பயணங்களில் மைக்கேல் நிலையான உடனிருப்பவராக - தோழராக இருந்தார். கி.பி. 1865ல் சலேசிய சபையின் தலைவராக பொறுப்பேற்றார். ஜான் போஸ்கோவின் திட்டவட்ட கோரிக்கையின் பேரில், திருத்தந்தை பதின்மூன்றாம் லியோ (Pope Leo XIII) ரூவாவை ஜான் போஸ்கோவின் வாரிசாக நியமித்தார்.

கி.பி. 1888ம் ஆண்டு, தொன்போஸ்கோ இறந்தவுடன் இச்சபையை வழிநடத்தும் தலைமைப் பொறுப்பை (Rector Major) திருத்தந்தையின் ஒப்புதலுடன் மைக்கேல் ருவா ஏற்றுக்கொண்டார். பின்பு திருத்தந்தை பதிமூன்றாம் லியோ (Pope Leo XIII) அவர்களால் இச்சபை சலேசிய சபையாக அறிவிக்கப்பட்டது. பின்பு உலகம் முழுவதிலும் சென்று இச்சபை தொடங்கப்பட்டது. 

பிறகு தனது 73ம் வயதில், கி.பி. 1910ம் ஆண்டு, ஏப்ரல் மாதம், 6ம் நாள், இத்தாலியிலுள்ள டூரின் என்ற நகரில் மைக்கேல் ருவா இறந்தார். தொன் போஸ்கோ இறந்தபோது 57 ஆக இருந்த சபைக் குழுமங்கள் (Communities) 345 சபைக் குழுமங்களாக பெருகின. 773 ஆக இருந்த சலேசியர்கள் 4000 ஆக பெருகினர். 6 ஆக இருந்த சபை மாநிலங்கள் 34 மாநிலங்களாக (Provincialate) 33 உலக நாடுகளில் நிறுவப்பட்டு, பல்கிப் பெருகின.

இவருக்கு திருத்தந்தை ஆறாம் பவுல் அவர்களால் 1972ம் ஆண்டு, அக்டோபர் மாதம், 29ம் நாள், முக்திபேறு பட்டம் (Blessed) கொடுக்கப்பட்டது. இன்று வரை "Don" என்ற பெயரிலேயேதான் சலேசிய குழுமங்கள் அழைக்கப்படுகின்றன.

† Saint of the Day †

(October 29)

✠ Blessed Michele Rua ✠

Priest, Salesian of Don Bosco:

Born: June 9, 1837

Turin, Kingdom of Sardinia

Died: April 6, 1910 (Aged 72)

Turin, Kingdom of Italy

Venerated in: Roman Catholic Church

Beatified: October 29, 1972

Pope Paul VI

Major shrine: Basilica di Maria Aiuto dei Cristiani, Turin

Feast: October 29

Blessed Michele Rua was an Italian Roman Catholic priest and professed member of the Salesians of Don Bosco. Rua was a student under Saint John Bosco and was also the latter's first collaborator in the order's founding as well as one of his closest friends. He served as the first Rector Major of the Salesians following Bosco's death in 1888. He was responsible for the expansion of the Salesians and the order had grown to a significant degree around the world at the time he died. Rua served as a noted spiritual director and leader for the Salesians known for his austerities and rigid adherence to the rule. It was for this reason that he was nicknamed, 'the living rule'.

Life:

Michael Rua was born in Turin on 9th June 1837, the last of nine children. His father, who worked in a munitions factory, died when he was only eight. Michael would have gone to work in the arms factory in Turin, but in 1852 he met with Don Bosco, who suggested Michael join his school at the Oratory and he did.

“We two will go halves in everything”:

One day Don Bosco was giving out little medals and Michael, who was late and at the end of the line, though he heard him say, “Take, Michelino”. The priest stood there but he didn’t give him anything. Then he said to him, “We two will go halves in everything”. And that was how it turned out. Michael went on to become the founder’s close friend and associate. He was among the first few with whom Don Bosco shared the idea of forming a Salesian Society. The order was called after Saint Francis de Sales (1567-1622), who had a genius for converting souls through kindness and persuasion.

Inspired by Don Bosco:

Michael Rua joined the other first Salesians at seventeen, and, inspired by Don Bosco’s example, he spent his days at the youth club, morning and evening classes, supervising theatre or music rehearsals, gymnastics, lively outdoor games, solitary study, along with frequent reception of the sacraments. “I got much more from observing Don Bosco, even in the humblest of actions,” Rua later said, “than from reading and meditating on a treatise on asceticism.”

Close collaborator:

Rua was Don Bosco’s closest collaborator in the development of the new Salesian congregation over the next thirty-six years. He made his first profession in 1855, was the first spiritual director of the Society at the age of 22 years (1859), was ordained a priest in 1860. At 26 became the rector of the college at Mirabello in Emilia-Romagna, the first Salesian foundation outside Turin.

Illness:

In 1865, Michael returned to Turin to rejoin Don Bosco, who was ill and over-burdened with work. He re-organized the house at Valdocco, a youth club with a boarding school of seven hundred students whose spirit had declined. With remarkable tact, he restored good discipline. But in July 1868, Don Rua’s constant activity got the better of his strength and he was confined to bed with a sudden attack of peritonitis. The doctors gave him only a few hours to live. But Don Bosco asserted, “Listen, Don Rua, even if you were thrown out the window just as you are, I assure you that you won’t die.” A few days later, despite the doctor’s prognosis, the patient recovered.

Differences in character:

Although the two men were close, each kept his own personality and sometimes were in opposition. Where Don Bosco would focus on the work of the day and be audacious in his projects, Don Rua was prudent, calculating, and foresaw and forestalled the problems he saw coming down the track.

The successor to Don Bosco:

When Don Bosco died, Pope Leo XIII, honouring his request, designated Michael as his successor.

“The Living Rule”:

Nicknamed “The Living Rule” because of his austere fidelity, Don Michael Rua was also known for his fatherliness and goodness. As the numbers of members and communities increased, he sent Salesians all over the world, showing special care for the missionary expeditions. In the long and difficult journeys which he undertook to visit the Salesian works in Europe and in the Middle East, he was a constant source of comfort and encouragement, always taking inspiration from the Founder with words like: “Don Bosco used to say… Don Bosco used to do it this way… Don Bosco wanted…”

Years of suffering:

These were years of great suffering. In 1895, a Salesian priest was murdered by a half-crazy student. Five months later, Bishop Lasagna, one of the great hopes of the Salesian Society, his secretary, and four sisters of Mary Help of Christians, were victims of a train accident. Then, a flood in Argentina destroyed the material results of ten years of missionary work. In France, the so-called Law of Associations (June 2, 1901) required the closing and sale of the Salesian establishments. In 1907, a scandal in a high school stirred up a violent storm of protest against the Salesians all across Italy. He vowed to make a pilgrimage to the Holy Land if the honour of his religious family was fully restored. It was, and he fulfilled his vow in 1908.

Growth of the society, death, and influence:

When Michael Rua died on 6th April 1910 at the age of 73, the Society had grown from 773 to 4000 Salesians, from 57 to 345 communities, from 6 to 34 Provinces in 33 countries. His body is venerated in the crypt of the Basilica of Mary Help of Christians at Valdocco in Turin. Don Rua was beatified by Pope Paul VI on October 29, 1972. Today the Salesians are one of the third largest missionary societies in the world, with about 18,000 members and some are involved in the work of the Curia in Rome.

St. Godwin October 28

 St. Godwin

Feastday: October 28

Death: 690

Benedictine abbot of the monastery of Stravelot Malmedy, Belgium, and a noted scholar.

St. Honoratus of Vercelli October 28

 St. Honoratus of Vercelli

Feastday: October 28

Birth: 330

Death: 415

Bishop of Vercelli, Italy, and a disciple of Sts. Eusebius and Ambrose. Born in Vercelli, Honoratus served St. Eusebius, who governed that see. When St. Eusebius went into exile in 355, Honoratus accompanied him to Scythopolis, Palestine. They traveled to Cappadocia , Egypt, and Illyricum, also Dalmatia. In 396, Honoratus was nominated as a bishop by St. Ambrose. Honoratus attended St. Ambrose on his deathbed.

 

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Vercelli (in Latin, Archidioecesis Vercellensis) is a Latin rite Metropolitan see in northern Italy, one of the two archdioceses which form the ecclesiastical region of Piedmont.

The archbishop's seat is in Basilica Cattedrale di S. Eusebio, a minor basilica dedicated to its canonized first bishop, in Vercelli, Piemonte (Piedmont). The city also has two Minor basilicas: Basilica di S. Andrea and Basilica di S. Maria Maggiore