St. Arilda October 30

 St. Arilda

Feastday: October 30

Death: unknown

Virgin, martyr of Gloucestershire, England. She was slain while defending her chastity. St. Arilda is honored by a church on Oldbury on the Hill.

புனித_டோரத்தி (1347-1394)அக்டோபர் 30

புனித_டோரத்தி (1347-1394)

அக்டோபர் 30

இவர் (#Dorothy_Of_Montau) ஜெர்மனியில் உள்ள ஒரு விவசாயக் குடும்பத்தில் பிறந்தவர்.

இவருக்கு ஏழு வயது நடந்துகொண்டிருக்கும்போது ஏற்பட்ட இறையனுபவம், இவரை இறைவன்மீது பற்றுக் கொள்ளச் செய்தது. இதன்பிறகு இவர் இறைவேண்டலுக்கு மிகுந்த முக்கியத்துவம் கொடுத்து வாழ்ந்து வந்தார்.

இவர் திருமண வயதை அடைந்தபொழுது ஆல்பிரக்ட் என்றொரு செல்வந்தருக்கு மணமுடித்துக் கொடுக்கப்பட்டார். அவர் இவரைக் கடுமையாகச் சித்திரவதை செய்தார். இதனால் இவருடைய இல்லற வாழ்க்கை மிகவும் துன்பம் நிறைந்ததாக இருந்தது.

ஒருபக்கம் தன் கணவர் தன்னைச் சித்திரவதை செய்து வந்தாலும், இன்னொரு பக்கம் இவர் அவருக்காக இறைவனிடம் தொடர்ந்து மன்றாடினார். ஒருகட்டத்தில் அவர் மனம்மாறி இவரை அன்பு செய்யத் தொடங்கினார். இதற்குப் பிறகு இவர்களுக்கு இறைவன் ஒன்பது குழந்தைகளைக் கொடுத்து, அருள்பாலித்தார்.

ஒருமுறை இவர் உரோமைக்குப் புனித பயணம் மேற்கொண்டார். அவ்வாறு இவர் உரோமைக்குச் சென்றுவிட்டுத் திரும்பி வந்தபொழுது இவரது கணவர் இறந்திருந்தார். எனவே இவர் பிள்ளைகளுக்குச் செய்யவேண்டியதைச் செய்துவிட்டு, மேரியன்வார்டர் என்ற இடத்தில் இருந்த துறவு மடத்தில் சேர்ந்து துறவியாக வாழ்ந்தார்.

துறவு மடத்தில் இருந்த நாள்களில் இவர் நிறைய காட்சிகளைக் கண்டார். அக்காட்சிகள் இவரை இறைவன் மீது ஆழமான நம்பிக்கை கொள்ள வைத்தன. 

இவர் 1394 ஆம் ஆண்டு இறையடி சேர்ந்தார். இவர் மணப்பெண்கள், கைம்பெண்கள் ஆகியோருக்குப் பாதுகாவலராக இருக்கின்றார்.

Widow and hermitess. She was born a peasant on February 6, 1347, in Montau, Prussia. After marrying a wealthy swordsmith, Albrecht of Danzig, Poland, she bore him nine children and changed his gruff character. He even accompanied her on pilgrimages. However, when she went to Rome in 1390, Albrecht remained at home and died during her absence. A year later Dorothy moved to Marienswerder, where she became a hermitess. She had visions and spiritual gifts. Dorothy died on June 25 and is the patroness of Prussia. She was never formally canonized.

Dorothea (or Dorothy) of Montau (German: Dorothea von Montau; Polish: Dorota z Mątowów) (6 February 1347 – 25 June 1394) was a hermit and visionary of 14th century Germany. After centuries of veneration in Central Europe, she was canonized in 1976.

✠ புனிதர் ஏஞ்செலோ ✠(St. Angelo of Acri)அக்டோபர் 30

† இன்றைய புனிதர் †

(அக்டோபர் 30)

✠ புனிதர் ஏஞ்செலோ ✠

(St. Angelo of Acri)

தென் இத்தாலியின் அப்போஸ்தலர்:

(Apostle of South Italy)

பிறப்பு: அக்டோபர் 19, 1669

அக்ரி, கலாப்ரியா, தென் இத்தாலி

(Acri, Calabria, Southern Italy)

இறப்பு: அக்டோபர் 30, 1739

அக்ரி, கலாப்ரியா, தென் இத்தாலி

(Acri, Calabria, Southern Italy)

ஏற்கும் சமயம்:

ரோமன் கத்தோலிக்க திருச்சபை

(Roman Catholic Church)

முக்திபேறு பட்டம்: டிசம்பர் 18, 1825

திருத்தந்தை பன்னிரெண்டாம் லியோ

(Pope Leo XII)

புனிதர் பட்டம்: அக்டோபர் 15, 2017

திருத்தந்தை ஃபிரான்சிஸ்

(Pope Francis)

நினைவுத் திருவிழா: அக்டோபர் 30

புனிதர் ஏஞ்செலோ, தமது நாற்பது வருட குருத்துவ வாழ்க்கையில், தமது ஓய்வற்ற மறைபோதனைகளால், “கலாப்ரியா” (Calabria) மற்றும் தென் இத்தாலியின் (Southern Italy) அப்போஸ்தலர் (Apostle) என அறியப்படும் கபுச்சின் (Capuchin) சபையைச் சேர்ந்த கத்தோலிக்க குரு ஆவார். நல்ல மேய்ப்பனைப் போலவே, பாவிகளையும், ஏழைகளையும், மிகச் சிறியோரையும் தேடிச்செல்ல அவர் தயங்கியதே கிடையாது. எப்போதும் தம்மையே வெளிப்படுத்தாமல், ஆண்டவரிடமிருந்து கிடைக்கும் நற்செய்திகளையே அவர் பிறருக்கும் வெளிப்படுத்தினார்.

“லூக்கா அன்டோனியோ ஃபால்கொன்” (Luca Antonio Falcone) எனும் இயற்பெயர் கொண்ட இப்புனிதர், கி.பி. 1669ம் ஆண்டு, அக்டோபர் மாதம், 19ம் தேதியன்று, தென் இத்தாலியின் “ஓல்ட் கசலிச்சியோ” (Old Casalicchio) பிராந்தியத்தின் அருகாமையிலுள்ள “சிலா” (Sila mountainous plateau) மழைப் தொடரிலுள்ள அக்ரி (Acri) எனும் சிறு நகரின், ஒரு தாழ்ச்சியான ஏழைத் தொழிலாளியின் மகனைப் பிறந்தார். இதில் எப்பொழுதும் பெருமிதம் அடைந்த அவர், பின்னர் ஒரு ரொட்டி சுட்டு விற்கும் மற்றும் ஒரு ஆடு மேய்ப்பவரின் மகனாகவும் தனது உரையாடல்களில் நினைவுகூருவார். அவர் பிறந்த மறுநாளன்று, செயின்ட் நிக்கோலஸின் (Church of St. Nicholas) தேவாலயத்தில் ஞானஸ்நானம் பெற்றார்.

ஒரு வகையான ஆரம்பநிலை பள்ளி திறக்கப்பட்திருந்த ஒரு அயலூரில் படிக்கவும் எழுதவும் கற்றுக் கொண்ட அவர், செயின்ட் நிக்கோலஸ் பங்கிலும் (Parish of St. Nicholas) மற்றும் கபுச்சின் துறவற சபையின் (Friary Church of the Capuchins) தேவ அன்னை மரியாளின் (St. Mary of the Angels) தேவாலயத்திலும் அடிக்கடி கிறிஸ்து கோட்பாடுகளின் அடிப்படைகளை கற்றுக்கொண்டார்.

அவர் வளரும் பருவத்திலே, அவரது தாய் மாமனும் கத்தோலிக்க குருவுமான “அருட்தந்தை டோமினிக்கோ எர்ரிகோ” (Fr. Domenico Errico) என்பவர், இவரது இளம் விதவைத் தாயாருக்கு இவர் உதவுவார் என்ற நம்பிக்கையில், இவரை படிக்க வைத்தார்.

கி.பி. 1689ம் ஆண்டு, கபுச்சின் துறவியான “அன்டோனியோ” (Capuchin Antonio of Olivadi) என்பவரது கவர்ச்சியான பிரசங்கத்தைக் கேட்ட இருபது வயதான லூக்கா அன்டோனியோ, தமது துறவு வாழ்க்கையின் சுருக்கமான அனுபவத்தைத் தொடர்ந்து, கபுச்சின் சபையில் அர்ப்பணிக்க எண்ணி இணைந்தார். ஆனால், இவ்விளைஞன் விரைவிலேயே தடைகளை சந்தித்தார். கபுச்சின் வாழ்க்கையின் எளிமைகளால் உற்சாகமற்று, இரண்டு முறை துறவற சீருடைகளை கழற்றிவிட்டு, புகுமுக  பயிற்சியை விட்டு ஓடிப்போனார். அவருக்கு, கண்ணீருடன் நின்றிருந்த தமது விதவைத் தாயாரின் முகமே கண்களில் நின்றது. ஆனால், மூன்றாம் முறை, கி.பி. கி.பி. 1690ம் ஆண்டு, நவம்பர் மாதம், 12ம் தேதி முதல், கலாப்ரியா (Calabria) பிராந்தியத்திலுள்ள “பெல்வேடர் மரிட்டிமோ” (Belvedere Marittimo) எனுமிடத்திலுள்ள துறவு மடத்தில், ஏஞ்செலோ (Angelo of Acri) எனும் பெயருடன் புகுமுக பயிற்சியை (Novitiate) தொடங்கினார்.

இந்த நேரத்தில் கூட, இரண்டாவது எண்ணங்களும் சோதனைகளும் குறைவாக இல்லை. ஆனால், “சகோதரர் பெர்னார்ட்” (Br. Bernard of Corleone) என்பவரின் முக்திபேறு நிலைக்கான ஆய்வுப் பணிகள் நடந்துகொண்டிருந்த அச்சமயத்தில், அவரது தீரங்களைப் பற்றி படிக்க நேர்ந்தது. சகோதரர் ஏஞ்செலோ, தமது போராட்டத்தில் உதவி கேட்டு ஆண்டவரில் ஆழ்ந்த ஜெபத்தை உயர்த்தினார். சகோதரர் பெர்னார்டின் அடிச்சுவடிகளைப் பின்பற்றி, அவரைப் போலவே நர்டந்துகொள்ளுமாறு, இவ்விளம் புகுமுக துறவி ஆண்டவரால் ஊக்குவிக்கப்பட்டார் என்றும், இதுவே எதிர்பார்க்கப்பட்ட சரியான அடையாளம் என்று ஆண்டவர் கூறியதாகவும் கூறப்படுகிறது.

கி.பி. 1691ம் ஆண்டு, நவம்பர் மாதம், 12ம் நாளன்று, தமது சத்தியப் பிரமாணங்களை ஏற்றுக்கொண்டார். ஏஞ்செலோ, பரிபூரண நற்செய்தி வழியில் தன்னை அமைத்தார். அத்துடன், குருத்துவ அருட்பொழிவுக்காக தம்மைத் தயார் படுத்தவும் தொடங்கினார். கி.பி. 1700ம் ஆண்டு, ஏப்ரல் மாதம், 10ம் நாள், உயிர்த்த ஞாயிறன்று, “கஸ்சானோ ஆல்இயோனியோ தேவாலயத்தில்” (Cathedral of Cassano all’Ionio) குருத்துவ அருட்பொழிவு பெற்றார். பின்னர், அவர் ஒரு பிரசங்கியாக தன்னை தயார்படுத்தும்படி கீழ்ப்படிதலைக் கேட்டுக்கொண்டார். கி.பி. 1702ம் ஆண்டு முதல் 1739ம் ஆண்டு, தாம் மரிக்கும் வரை, கலாபிரியா (Calabria) பிரதேசம் முழுதும் மற்றும் மத்திய இத்தாலியின் அநேக இடங்களுக்கும் ஓய்வொழிச்சலின்றி பயணங்கள் மேற்கொண்டு, தவக்கால நற்செய்திகளையும் (Lenten Sermons), தியானங்களையும் (Retreats), பிரபல மறைப்பணிகளையும் (Popular Missions) பிரசங்கித்தார்.

பிரசங்கப் பணிகளின் ஆரம்பம் மிகவும் மகிமையானதாகவோ, போற்றத்தக்கதாகவோ இருக்கவில்லை. “கொரிஜிலியானோ கலாப்ரோ” (Corigliano Calabro) அருகே “சான் ஜியோர்ஜியோ அல்பானீஸின்” (San Giorgio Albanese) அவரது அறிமுக பிரசங்கம், ஒரு உண்மையான தோல்வியாகவே அமைந்தது. தொடர்ச்சியான மூன்று மாலை நேரங்கள், அவர் வாசித்து, ஞாபகம் வைத்திருந்த உரைகளை நினைகூர முடியவில்லை. பிரசங்கத்தை தொடர முடியாது என்பதை கண்டுகொண்ட அவர், வேறு வழியின்றி, ஏமாற்றத்துடன் திரும்பிச் சென்றார்.

தமது அறையில், சிலுவையில் அறையுண்ட கிறிஸ்துவின் திருச்சொரூபத்தின் முன்பு கண்ணீர் விட்டழுத ஏஞ்சலோ, மாற்றவியலாத ஒரு முடிவுக்கு வந்தார். கிறிஸ்து நிர்வாணப்படுத்தப்பட்டு சிலுவையில் அறையப்பட்டதை மட்டுமே தாம் பிரசங்கிக்கப் போவதாயும், தாய்மொழியில் மட்டுமே பிரசங்கிக்கப் போவதாயும் முடிவெடுத்தார். பரிசுத்த ஆவியானவரின் வழிகாட்டுதலின்படியே தாம் இனி படிப்படியாக முன்னேறப்போவதாகவும் முடிவெடுத்தார். அவருடைய இதயம் வைராக்கியமும் பரிசுத்த ஆவிக்குரிய ஐக்கியமும் நிறைந்ததாக இருந்தது. இதனால்தான் அவர் வெற்றி பெற்றார், தங்களை தாங்களே சிந்தித்துக்கொண்டிருந்த எதிர்ப்பை சந்தித்தபோதும், அறிவொளியின் அறிவையும் அடைந்தார்.

மக்களிடம் அவர்களின் பாவங்களை கருணையுள்ளத்துடன் கேட்டு, அவர்களுக்கு ஒப்புரவு அருட்சாதனம் வழங்காத மறைபோதகர், அறுவடையைப் பற்றின சிந்தனையில்லாத விதைப்பவனைப் போன்றவர் ஆவார் என்பதனை ஏன்ஜெலோ நன்கு உணர்ந்திருந்தார். பாவிகளிடம் அவர்களின்  பாவசங்கீர்த்தனங்களை மணிக்கணக்கில் கேட்பதில் அவர் என்றுமே களைப்புற்றதேயில்லை. அவர்களை கருணையுடனும் அன்புடனும் கையாண்டார். அன்புடன் பேசியே அவர்களுக்கு ஒப்புரவு அருட்சாதனம் வழங்கினார். மிகக் கடினமான சூழ்நிலைகளைக் கூட கருணையாலும் இரக்கத்தாலும் தீர்க்கப் முடியும் என்பதில் அவர் உறுதியாக இருந்தார். கருணையும் இறை இரக்கமுமே பாவிகளை மீண்டும் கடவுளிடம் கொண்டு செல்லும் மார்க்கம் என்பதனை அறிந்திருந்தார். அது மட்டுமே அவர்களை பாவசங்கீர்த்தனம் என்ற பெயரில் அவர்களை முழந்தாள்படியிட வைத்திருந்தது. ஆனால் அவர் அவர்களுக்காக காத்திருக்கவில்லை; அநேக முறை கடவுளின் அன்பை அவர் சமாதானத் தேவைக்காக பாவிகளைத் தேட தாமே முன்வந்தார். நோயாளிகளுக்கு அவர்கள் கேட்காமலேயே ஆன்மீக உதவிகளை செய்து கொடுத்தார். ஏழை எளியோர் மீது ஏஞ்செலோ கொண்டிருந்த அன்பானது, அவர்களுக்கு துன்பங்கள் வரும்போதும், அவர்களுக்கு அநீதிகள் இழைக்கப்படும் போதும் பலமுறை, "சேன்செவேரினோ குடும்பங்களை" (Sanseverino families) உதவிக்கு அழைக்க தூண்டியிருக்கின்றன. பல நூற்றாண்டுகளாக "அக்ரியின்" (Acri) ஒரு பெரிய பிரமுகர்கள், மக்களின் நியாயமான கூற்றுக்களை செவி கொடுத்து வந்திருக்கின்றனர். அவர்களின் அடிப்படை உரிமைகளை மதிக்க வேண்டும் என்பதிலும் கருத்தை இருந்திருக்கின்றனர்.

("சேன்செவேரினோ குடும்பங்கள்" (Sanseverino families) என்பது, நேப்பில்ஸ் (Naples) இராச்சியத்திலும், இத்தாலி முழுவதிலும் மிகவும் புகழ்பெற்ற, வரலாற்று சிறப்புமிக்க மற்றும் சக்தி வாய்ந்த குடும்பங்களில் ஒன்றாகும்).

எங்கெல்லாம் அவர் இறை இரக்கத்தை பிரசங்கிக்கிறாரோ, எங்கெல்லாம் பாவிகளுக்கு ஒப்புரவு அருட்சாதனம் வழங்குகிறாரோ, அங்கெல்லாம் ஓரிரு அறிகுறிகளையாவது விட்டுச் செல்லாமல் இருந்ததில்லை. கல்வாரி காட்சிகளைக் கொண்ட ஒரு படமும், துன்புற்று, தம்மைத் தாமே ஈந்த கடவுளின் அன்பின் உறுதியான நினைவூட்டல்களாக, வியாகுல அன்னை மரியாளின் திருச்சொரூபமும் விட்டுச் செல்லும் வழக்கம் கொண்டிருந்தார்.

ஏஞ்செலோ கபுச்சின் சபையின் மாகான தலைமை (Provincial Minister) அதிகார பதவிகளிலும் இருந்திருக்கிறார். அவர் துறவியர்களை ஒரு உண்மையான கபுச்சின் வாழ்க்கையை நினைவுபடுத்த தவறவில்லை. அவர், அவர்களுக்கு “கடின வாழ்க்கை” (Austerity), “எளிமை” (Simplicity), “அரசியலமைப்பு மற்றும் விதிகளை சரியானபடி அனுசரித்தல்” (The exact observance of the Constitutions and the Rule), “குற்றமற்ற வாழ்க்கை” (Innocence of life) மற்றும் “எல்லையற்ற தொண்டு” (Boundless charity) ஆகிய ஐந்து விலைமதிப்பற்ற இரத்தினங்களை கொடுப்பதை வழக்கமாய் கொண்டிருந்தார்.

அக்ரி மற்றும் முழு கலாபிரியா மக்களின் நல்வாழ்வு மற்றும் சமாதானத்திற்காக தமது வாழ்வையை அர்ப்பணித்திருந்த ஏஞ்செலோ, தமது எழுபது வயதில், அக்ரி நகரிலுள்ள கபுச்சின் துறவு மடத்தில் மரித்தார்.

† Saint of the Day †

(October 30)

✠ St. Angelo of Acri ✠

Apostle of South Italy:

Born: October 19, 1669

Acri, Calabria, Southern Italy

Died: October 30, 1739

Acri, Calabria, Southern Italy

Venerated in: Roman Catholic Church

Beatified: December 18, 1825

Pope Leo XII

Canonized: October 15, 2017

Pope Francis

Patronage: Acri, and Missionaries

St. Angelo of Acri, known by all as the Apostle of Calabria for his tireless preaching during the thirty-eight years of his priestly life. In imitation of the Good Shepherd, he did not hesitate to go out in search of the sinner, the poor, and the least, holding back nothing of himself but rather returning to the Lord what he had received that the message of Life might be brought to all.

Biographical selection:

Angelo, who would be the great apostle of South Italy, was born in 1669 in Acri, Calabria. He was the son of a manual worker. He entered the Capuchins and was a missionary for 40 years until his death in 1739.

His sermons attracted thousands and the number of conversions he worked was impressive. He received a special grace to combat the evil of the errors of the philosophy of that century. His first sermon was supposed to be preached in Lent, and Angelo spent much time studying and preparing for it, planning its delivery in the florid oratorical style fashionable at the time. When he mounted the pulpit to give it, he forgot the text completely. It was a complete failure.

He returned to his home monastery and prayed to God to help him know what was expected of him. Then he heard a voice that told him: “I am He Who is. Do not be afraid. I will give you the gift of words, and your works will not be futile. From now on, preach in a simple and colloquial style so that all can understand you.” Angelo burned the sermons he had prepared and made new ones following this directive.

His life was filled with fruitful works and miracles. He used to cross rivers and creeks without getting his feet wet; other times he would travel long distances in a miraculously short time to hear confessions of sick persons or to preach in faraway villages. He became blind six months before his death but would recover his sight to celebrate Mass and pray the Divine Office.

On October 30, 1739, at age 70, he delivered his soul to the Creator, Whom he had served tirelessly.

Comments:

The life of St. Angelo of Acri offers us the profile of the Capuchin missionary that became famous because that Order gave the Church many preachers like him. The Capuchin Order was one of the more avant-garde and efficient armies of the Counter-Revolution in the Church during the 18th century.

To understand the vocation of St. Angelo, it seems useful to summarize the qualities and the defects of the 18th century and see how the Capuchin Order had a special mission in those times.

At the end of the 18th century, in 1789, the French Revolution took place in France and it went on until the defeat of Napoleon in 1815. There were, therefore, around 25 years of continuous revolution, one of the more important revolutions in History. But even before it erupted, the germs of that revolution had been present for a long time. Those germs came from Protestantism in the 16th century, developed for the next two centuries, exploding at the end of the 18th. Those germs contaminated principally the upper social classes.

On one hand, the 18th century reached a high point in some aspects of Christian Civilization. It was the century of elegance, distinction, good taste, and fine manners; it boasted great writers and artists; it attained a splendorous court life and perfected the art of conversation. To achieve all this was, in many ways, a work of asceticism, since it demanded an extraordinary prior preparation, discipline, and self-mastery; it was also a work of charity because one’s neighbour was treated with the highest consideration.

On the other hand, in the 18th century, the chasm widened between the more distinguished society and the Church. So, those good qualities born from Catholic Civilization were often corrupted by the impiety of the century. From this came the paradoxes: the century of delicacy was par excellence the century of the hardness of heart and egotism. The century of elegance was also the century of softness and sentimentalism. It was the century of distinction of manners, but also the century of sensuality. In that century both the good qualities and the vices of Europe reached an apogee. Naturally, the vices surpassed the qualities, and we had the French Revolution.

The revolutionary tendencies promoted by the Secret Forces targeted principally the highest classes in society, that is, the clergy, the nobility, and the high bourgeoisie. It is painful to say, but the clergy was so influenced by the Enlightenment that it was not rare to find openly atheist and libertine priests and Bishops. They were persons who received ecclesiastic benefices and titles because they were prestigious and profitable. After receiving them, they continued to lead worldly and debauched lives. The convents were a little more moral than the monasteries, but even some of the former were also liberal. Some of these convents became a kind of hotel for noblewomen who did not marry. Noble families with numerous children often did not have the financial means to sustain them all, so they pressured the single daughters to enter the convents. Thus, many convents were filled with persons without religious vocations who received all kinds of worldly visits.

The nobility still maintained its old courage. They were very good fighters. They were brilliant gentlemen, but profoundly alienated from the practice of religion and given to the sensuality and intrigues of court. The ladies followed the same path.

The high and rich bourgeoisie tried to imitate the nobility. They were always looking for marriages with impoverished nobles to raise their social rank. The bourgeoisie, who had been very moral in the 17th century, also became contaminated by the defects of the nobility in the 18th century.

But the little people, the simple manual workers, and peasants were still preserved in their morals. Their milieu was not penetrated by the Enlightenment of the 18th century. At that time, there were not great cities we have today. Paris, if I am not mistaken, had around 300,000 inhabitants, and was perhaps the largest city in the West. Rome was smaller, and Naples, the capital of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, was smaller yet. Blessed Angelo of Acri carried out his apostolate in Calabria and Sicily, parts of the Kingdom of Two Sicilies. At the time, the majority of the population lived either in small cities or in the countryside and was very preserved.

For the cause of the Counter-Revolution, it was very important to work with the little people to keep them practising the Faith and far away from the errors of the elites. To that effect, God made use of an old order in the 18th century, the Order of the Capuchin Friars.

The Capuchins were the most severe branch of the Franciscan family. Its preachers were missionaries who worked with the village folk. Therefore, they spoke simply and clearly. They used to tell the whole truth to the people, without cloaking their words in the ornate language. They were called to represent the virtues that the century denied: simplicity, honesty, frankness, the courage to stand against the fashions, and public opinion. In effect, the Capuchin Order shone in the 18th century for these qualities and helped to prevent the lower classes from adhering to the Revolution.

You heard that St. Angelo, who was himself a man of the people, tried to make a grand, complicated sermon. But Divine Providence gave him a lesson. His well-prepared sermon was a complete failure. After he prayed, God told him what he should do. God did not want elaborate, flowery sermons, but simple sermons saying exactly what should be said. He told Blessed Angelo to address the people and say things that they could follow, that is to say, based more on piety than on complex reasoning. God made the apostolate of Blessed Angelo fruitful and many conversions were worked through him. These conversions most probably came more from the example of his sanctity than from his arguments.

God also gave him the gift of miracles, and he worked extraordinary ones. The world considers it a great miracle – and rightfully so – that the Jews crossed the Red Sea without wetting their feet. Here you see that Blessed Angelo crossed rivers, torrents, and creeks many times without getting wet. You can imagine the impression this made on the little people in the villages and towns. They did not understand his apologetic arguments very well, but seeing him cross the river without getting wet, they would applaud and cry out in admiration: “God is among us!” Then, numerous conversions would take place.

Other times he would travel enormous distances on difficult roads in a short period of time. That is, he was transported in some miraculous way, probably by the action of Angels. The little people knew that no man on foot or horseback could make that trip in such a time. Again, they were strongly impressed and the word of his sanctity spread. His prestige grew and conversions followed.

You can imagine the man wearing his simple Capuchin habit, representing his lack of any earthly pretension; on his belt around the waist was the rosary with a small skull to indicate that the Capuchin must always have death before his eyes; on his feet the simply worn sandals. His life followed the severe Capuchin rule that requires fasting and mortifications. He had a long beard and tonsure, both considered ridiculous by the sophisticated men of the 18th century.

This unpretentious friar enters a town to preach a mission. The people gather in a small church on top of a mountain in a village of Calabria or Sicily. The Mass is being said; there is beautiful singing. Then, at the Gospel, Friar Angelo goes to the pulpit. Before reaching the top of the stairs, he kneels and prays to God to illuminate him. Then he stands up without any airs and starts to speak.

His words, the selection says, had the strong, virile language that characterized the Capuchins, that is, they did not preach about the good, but attacked the evil: the evil that was infiltrating the customs of the little people. At times, they would stop in the middle of a sermon and say: “You there, my lady, you should not wear that kind of dress showing so much of your neck. Don’t you realize that this is an offence to God?” Or, by a special grace of God, they would read the thoughts of a person in the audience and say: “You, Mr X, you are thinking this and this, but you are wrong because it is against the will of God. You cannot hide anything from God, Who is showing me your thoughts even now.”

After having attacked the defects of the listeners, then a second part of the sermon would follow where they would describe the mercy of God, how He is good and has compassion for us. “Do not despair but confide in Him through the intercession of Our Lady.” This was the great tradition of the Capuchin sermons.

You can imagine the impact of this kind of sermon over the vivacious southern Italian people: Great contrition, tears, confessions, penances, and absolutions. After three or four days of a Capuchin preacher giving a mission in a village, the parish was regenerated. For months or even years, those words would be remembered. The people would also recount the miracles of St. Angelo. One man who was feeble since he was a boy was blessed by Friar Angelo and was cured. Today he is a strong man capable of heavy work. Another man had been a bad husband for a long time, but Blessed Angelo spoke to him and from then on, he became an exemplary husband and father. The presence of the Capuchin remained in the locale for a long time, like a perfume, often for a whole generation.

The result was that among the people in southern Italy, a valorous counter-revolutionary movement was born, the Sanfedistas. The name comes from the title, “Defenders of the Santa Fede (Holy Faith).” This movement fought against the Revolution until recently. It was in Italy what the movement of the Vendée, the Vendeans, was in France. It represents the true right in Italy. The true right is not Fascism; this is the false right. The true right is represented by the Sanfedistas. The sermons and the sanctity of men like Blessed Angelo of Acri were what produced that movement, like the apostolate of St. Louis Grignion de Monfort produced the Counter-Revolution of the Vendée.

We should take the example of St. Angelo of Acri and the great Capuchin tradition as models so that we will have the courage to face and fight the revolutionary ideas and fashions of our century. We should ask Blessed Angelo to help us to say what should be said for the glory of God and the exaltation of Holy Mother Church, and to be the opposite of the Revolution in our manners and way of living.

~ Late Prof. Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira

✠ புனிதர் அல்ஃபோன்ஸஸ் ரொட்ரிகஸ் ✠(St. Alphonsus Rodriguez)அக்டோபர் 30

† இன்றைய புனிதர் †

(அக்டோபர் 30)

✠ புனிதர் அல்ஃபோன்ஸஸ் ரொட்ரிகஸ் ✠

(St. Alphonsus Rodriguez)

ஸ்பேனிஷ் இயேசுசபை பொதுநிலை சகோதரர்:

(Spanish Jesuit Lay Brother)

பிறப்பு: ஜூலை 25, 1532

செகோவியா, ஸ்பெயின்

(Segovia, Spain)

இறப்பு: அக்டோபர் 31, 1617 (வயது 85)

பல்மா, மஜோர்கா, ஸ்பெயின்

(Palma, Majorca, Spain)

ஏற்கும் சமயம்:

ரோமன் கத்தோலிக்க திருச்சபை

(Roman Catholic Church)

முக்திபேறு பட்டம்: கி.பி. 1825

திருத்தந்தை பன்னிரெண்டாம் லியோ

(Pope Leo XII)

புனிதர் பட்டம்: செப்டம்பர் 1888

திருத்தந்தை பதின்மூன்றாம் லியோ

(Pope Leo XIII)

முக்கிய திருத்தலம்:

இயேசுசபை கல்லூரி, பல்மா, மஜோர்கா, ஸ்பெயின்

(Jesuit College, Palma, Majorca, Spain)

நினைவுத் திருநாள்: அக்டோபர் 30

புனிதர் அல்ஃபோன்ஸஸ் ரொட்ரிகஸ், ஒரு “ஸ்பேனிஷ் இயேசுசபை பொதுநிலை சகோதரர்” (Spanish Jesuit Lay Brother) ஆவார். இவர், ஸ்பெயின் நாட்டின் “செகொவியா” (Segovia) பிராந்தியத்தைச் சேர்ந்தவர்.

அல்ஃபோன்ஸஸ், ஒரு கம்பளி வியாபாரியின் மகன் ஆவார். ஒருமுறை, இயேசு சபையின் இணை நிறுவனரும், போதகர்களில் ஒருவரான புனிதர் “பீட்டர் ஃபாபெர்” (St. Peter Faber) அந்நகரத்துக்கு போதனை செய்ய வந்திருந்தபோது, அல்ஃபோன்ஸஸின் குடும்பத்தினர் அவருக்கு விருந்தோம்பல் செய்தனர். மனம் மகிழ்ந்த “பீட்டர் ஃபாபெர்”, அல்ஃபோன்ஸஸை புதுநன்மை வாங்க தயாரித்தார். அல்ஃபோன்ஸஸுக்கு பதினான்கு வயதாகையில், அவரது தந்தை மரித்துப் போனதால், இவர் தமது குடும்பத்தினருக்கு உதவுவதற்காக கல்வியை விட்டுவிட்டு, தந்தையின் கம்பளி வியாபாரத்தை கவனிக்கப் போனார்.

தமது இருபத்தாறு வயதினிலே, அவர் தமது சொந்த ஊரைச் சேர்ந்த “மரியா ஸுவாரெஸ்” (María Suarez) என்ற பெண்ணை திருமணம் புரிந்தார். அவர்களுக்கு மூன்று குழந்தைகள் பிறந்தனர். இவரது முப்பத்தொரு வயதினிலேயே மனைவியும் இரண்டு குழந்தைகளும் மரித்துப் போயினர். அதன்பிறகு பெரும் அவமானமுற்ற இவர், தம்மைச் சுற்றியிருந்த உலகத்திலிருந்து விலகி, தனிமையில் செப வாழ்வு வாழ்ந்தார். அவரது மூன்றாவது குழந்தையும் மரித்தபோது, முற்றிலும் மனம் சோர்ந்துபோன அல்ஃபோன்ஸஸின் மனம், ஆன்மீக துறவற சபைகளின்பால் திரும்பியது.

ஆரம்பத்தில், தமது பதினான்கு வயதில் தமக்கு புதுநன்மை வாங்க தயாரித்து உதவிய இயேசுசபை துறவி “பீட்டர் ஃபாபெரை” தொடர்பு கொண்டார். அவர்மூலம் இயேசுசபையில் சேர முயற்சித்தார். ஆனால், அவரது முழுமையற்ற கல்வியினால் அவரால் இயேசுசபையில் சேர்ந்து குருத்துவம் பெற இயலாமல் போனது. தமது 39 வயதில், “பார்சிலோனா” (Barcelona) கல்லூரியில் சேர்ந்து இடைவிட்டுப் போன கல்வியை பூர்த்தி செய்ய முயற்சித்தார். ஆனால் அதிலும் ஜெயிக்க இயலவில்லை. அவரது தவ வாழ்க்கை, அவரது உடல் ஆரோக்கியத்தை பாதித்தது.

கணிசமான கால் தாமதத்தின் பிறகு, கி.பி. 1571ம் ஆண்டு, ஜனவரி மாதம், 31ம் நாள், தமது நாற்பது வயதில், இவர் இயேசுசபை திருத்தொண்டராக சேர்த்துக்கொள்ளப்பட்டார். அக்காலத்தில், ஸ்பெயின் நாட்டில் “தனித்துவ புகுநிலை பயிற்சி மடங்கள்” (Distinct Novitiates) இல்லாத காரணத்தால், “வலென்சியா” அல்லது “காண்டியா” (Valencia or Gandia) எனும் இடங்களில் திருத்தொண்டராக பயிற்சி மேற்கொண்ட அல்ஃபோன்ஸஸ், பின்னர் “மஜோர்கா” (Majorca) என்னுமிடத்தில் புதிதாக ஆரம்பிக்கப்பட்ட கல்லூரியில் பணி செய்ய அனுப்பப்பட்டார். அங்கே சுமார் நாற்பத்தாறு வருடங்கள் சுமை துாக்குபவராகவும், வாயில் காப்பவராகவும் தாழ்ச்சியுடன் பணி புரிந்தார்.

கல்லூரியின் உறுப்பினர்கள் மட்டுமல்லாது, அங்கே வருகை தருபவர்களின் சுமைகளையும் தூக்கி உதவுவது அவரது பணியாக இருந்தது. வாயில் காப்போனாக, கல்லூரிக்கு வருகை தருபவர்களை வரவேற்று, அவர்கள் சந்திக்க வந்திருக்கும் தந்தையர் மற்றும் மாணவர்களிடம் அழைத்துச் செல்வது போன்றவை அவரது பணியாக இருந்தது. மற்றும், செய்திகளை ஓரிடத்திலிருந்து மற்றோரிடத்திற்கு கொண்டு செல்வது, நோயாளிகளை கவனித்து சேவை செய்வது போன்ற பணிகளும் அவருடைய பணிகளாம். ஒவ்வொருமுறையும் வாயில் அழைப்பு மணி அடிக்கும்போதெல்லாம், ஆண்டவரே வெளியே இவருக்காக காத்திருப்பதாக இவர் எண்ணிக்கொள்வார் என்று இவர் கூறுவார்.

புகழ் பெற்ற இயேசுசபை குருக்களில் ஒருவரான “புனிதர் பீட்டர் கிளாவர்” (St. Peter Claver) இவருடன் மஜார்கா கல்லூரியில் தங்கியிருந்தார். அவர்கூட தாம் தென் அமெரிக்க நாடுகளில் செய்யவிருக்கும் மறைப்பணிகளுக்காக அல்ஃபோன்ஸஸின் அறிவுரைகளை பெற்றதாக கூறுவர்.

புனிதர் அல்ஃபோன்ஸஸ் ரொட்ரிகஸ், பணிக்காலத்தில் தாமாக ஏற்றுக்கொண்ட பணிச்சுமைகளாலும், அவமானங்களாலும், அவரது உடல் தீராத பாதிப்புகளுக்குள்ளானது. தீராத மன உளைச்சல்களுக்கும் ஆளானார்.

அருட்சகோதரர் அல்ஃபோன்ஸஸ், தமது இறுதி நாட்களில் மிகவும் வலுவற்றுப் போனார். அவரது ஞாபகச் சக்தி தவறிப்போனது. அவர் மிகவும் விரும்பிய செபங்களைக் கூட மறந்துபோன அல்ஃபோன்ஸஸ், கி.பி. 1617ம் ஆண்டு, அக்டோபர் மாதம், 31ம் நாள் மரித்துப் போனார்.

† Saint of the Day †

(October 30)

✠ St. Alphonsus Rodriguez ✠

Confessor:

Born: July 25, 1532

Segovia, Spain

Died: October 31, 1617 (Aged 85)

Palma, Majorca, Spain

Venerated in:

Catholic Church

(Society of Jesus)

Beatified: 1825 AD

Pope Leo XII

Canonized: September 1888

Pope Leo XIII

Major shrine:

Jesuit College, Palma, Majorca, Spain

Feast: October 30

St. Alfonso Rodriguez was born at Segovia, Spain in 1531, son of a pious wool merchant. He received the good influence of the first Jesuits to come to Spain, in particular Blessed Peter Faber, who lived for a time with his family, and later that of St. Francisco de Villanueva. After his father’s death, Alfonso took over the family business. However, because of his lack of aptitude, the business entered into bankruptcy. At around the same time, he lost his wife and three children, as well as his mother.

“In failure,” he said afterwards, “I saw the majesty of God. I recognized the wickedness of my life. I had not been concerned about God, and in that state, I was on the verge of my eternal perdition. I saw the sublime grandeur of God from the dust of my misery. I imagined myself as a second David, and the Miserere was the expression of my state of the soul.”

At age 40, he entered the Society of Jesus as a lay brother, and after a six-month novitiate, he was sent to the Jesuit College of Mount Zion on the Island of Palma de Majorca to be the doorkeeper at the adjoining monastery. He was the doorkeeper there for 45 years. His saintly behaviour led many to hold him in high regard and numerous people began to ask for his spiritual advice. St. Alfonso had a special gift for spiritual conversation. His superior affirmed that no spiritual treatise produced as much spiritual good as contact with that lay brother. He always responded to every request in his large correspondence. His fame spread and he became known as the Doctor of Majorca.

By bearing the enormous and multiple spiritual difficulties he experienced in his own life, he learned the spiritual science. Thanks to his good response to grace, he said, “insofar as the consciousness of my own debility became keen in me, I felt the grandeur of the Lord.”

For three days before his death, after his last Communion, St. Alfonso remained in ecstasy. “What happiness!” exclaimed an eyewitness. It was just a fragment of his internal joy. Witnesses decided to call for a painter to draw a faithful picture of him. He died on October 31, 1617.

Comments:

This is a magnificent life that has three very important points:

First, in an extremely humble position, St. Alfonso did enormous good for the island of Majorca, Spain, and the entire world. He was the doorkeeper of a monastery on the island of Palma de Majorca. In that time, communication from the island to the continent was difficult. It was much more isolated than it is today. There he spent 45 years of his existence; nothing less than 45 years! He had the most humble position possible. Notwithstanding, the exquisite perfume of Our Lord Jesus Christ exhaling from his soul spread out over the island of Palma de Majorca, Spain, and the entire world.

The figure of that old doorkeeper, amiable, hospitable, always accessible to everyone, available for every consultation, made the poor chair of this doorkeeper a venerable throne of wisdom. Everyone would go there to see him, to listen to him. This is the magnificence appropriate to even a very humble life when such a life is dedicated to the service of Our Lord and the Holy Catholic Church.

Why? Because both sanctity and wisdom have an incomparable power of irradiation. A saint does not need to be in a strategic place. Wherever he is, he attracts admiration and affection. It is enough for a man to have a sanctity that is “victa et not picta” – lived and not faked.

Second, the way St. Alfonso was called to contemplate and serve God Our Lord is magnificent. It is a way that speaks deeply to my soul. He considered the grandeur of God, infinitely great, infinitely majestic, infinitely wise, transcendent, excellent, sublime, radiant, absolute, and mysterious. When we consider everything in this world that we can see and analyze, we realize that all is insufficient and futile unless it is a reflection of God. If it were not for God, everything is empty, faded, and tasteless.

Since we have faith, we know that everything in creation, beyond its material being, is a symbol, a veil that permits us to see the Absolute Being - Perfect, Eternal, Most Wise, and Sublime - reflected in the visible reality. Only in considering that superior reality can our weary eyes marvel and rest. Finally, we found something that is worthy to see, contemplate and love, which rouses our complete dedication. To the measure that we consider that He is not like us, that He is perfect and we are just dust, mere creatures conceived in original sin, then our existence acquires meaning.

We see that St. Alfonso Rodriguez made this consideration and insofar as he ascended in his spiritual life, he repented of his sins and increasingly desired to know more about the grandeur of God. Today many persons are afraid to think about the grandeur of God. It is not my case, I feel a great joy to contemplate such grandeur, and I imagine that this was the source of the overwhelming happiness that St. Alfonso felt in his last three days. He was experiencing a pre-taste of his coming encounter with Our Lord Jesus Christ.

Third, it is interesting to note that St. Alfonso had a special gift for conversation. We know well that many saints are called to be silent and in this path they sanctify themselves. But it is also true that other saints are called to speak and talk in different types of conversations.

What is the gift or the charisma of conversation? It is a communicative form of the love of God, the Holy Church, and the Catholic cause that overflows from the heart of the one who speaks. A conversation can be a grace, and such a conversation can be the fruit of a charisma that comes from Our Lady to make a relationship a means for persons to sanctify themselves.

Let us ask St. Alfonso Rodriguez to help us follow his example of humility, his sense of the grandeur of God, and his fruitful conversations.

~ Late Prof. Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira

St. Zenobius October 29

 St. Zenobius

Feastday: October 29

Death: 310

Zenobius (d. 310) + Martyr. He was a doctor and also a priest at Sidon, Lebanon, at the time of his execution during the persecution of Emperor Galerius (r. 293-311). Zenobius was martyred at Antioch (modern Turkey), or Tyre, Lebanon Feast day: October 29.

St. Theodore October 29

 St. Theodore

Feastday: October 29

Death: 575

Abbot, also called Theudar or Chef. A disciple of St. Caesarius of Arles, he served as abbot over a monastery in Vienne, Gaul, for some years before becoming a hermit.

St. Terence of Metz October 29

 St. Terence of Metz

Feastday: October 29

Death: 520

Bishop of Metz, France, who was a noted scholar and advocate of the orthodox doctrines of his era.

St. Maximilian October 29

 St. Maximilian

Feastday: October 29

Death: 288

A duplicate feast day of St. Maximilian of Lorch. In this account he is given an unknown St. Valentine as a companion in martyrdom.

 

For other saints of the same name, see Maximilian.

Depiction of Maximilian of Lorch on a vitrail of the parish church in Aigen, Upper Austria

Grave of Saint Maximilian in Celje, Slovenia

Saint Maximilian of Lorch (also: Maximilian of Celeia, Latin: Maximilianus) (died 12 October 288)[1] was a missionary in the Roman province of Noricum. He was martyred in AD 288.[2]

Maximilian was born in Celeia in the Roman province of Noricum (in present-day Slovenia). As an adult he made a pilgrimage to Rome.[2] Pope Sixtus II sent him to Lauriacum (Lorch) in the Roman province of Noricum, where he worked as a missionary during the latter half of the third century.[2] He founded the church of Lorch. Maximilian was beheaded by the Roman Prefect of Emperor Numerian after refusing to abandon Christianity and sacrifice to the pagan gods. He is remembered on 12 October (and in some locations on 29 October).[2]

His cult dates at least from the eighth century. In that century, Saint Rupert built a church in his honour at Bischofshofen in the Salzach valley, and brought his relics there. They were later transferred to Passau in 985.[2]

Martyrs of Douai October 29

 Martyrs of Douai

Feastday: October 29

Beatified: 1929

A group of 160 priests trained at the English College of Douai, in France. They were martyred in England and Wales during the century following the foundation of the famed college by Cardinal William Allen in 1568. All perished at the hands of English authorities while laboring to reconvert the island. Eighty alumni of Douai were beatified in 1929.

 

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]

Contents

1 History

2 See also

3 References

4 External links

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.

Bl. Maria Restituta October 29

 Bl. Maria Restituta

Feastday: October 29

Birth: 1894

Death: 1943

Beatified: 21 June 1998 by John Paul II

Sister Maria Restituta (1 May 1894, Husovice, Austria-Hungary (now part of Brno, Czech Republic) - 30 March 1943, Vienna, Austria) was a nun and a nurse. Her birthname was Helen Kafka.[1] She was a shoemaker's daughter.

Maria Restituta Kafka

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St. Kennera October 29

 St. Kennera

Feastday: October 29

Death: 4th century

A virgin martyr of Scotland, educated with Sts. Ursula and Regulus of Patras, Greece. She was a hermitess in Kirk Kenner, Galloway, Scotland.

St. John of Autun October 29

 St. John of Autun

Feastday: October 29

Death: unknown

A bishop of Autun, he was venerated in that city. No details of his life are extant.

St. Hyacinth October 29

 St. Hyacinth

Feastday: October 29

Death: unknown

Martyr of Lucania, in Italy, with Felician, Lucius, and Quintus.

St. Gaetano Errico October 29

 St. Gaetano Errico

Feastday: October 29

Birth: 1791

Death: 1860

Beatified: 14 April 2002 by Pope John Paul II

Canonized: 12 October 2008 by Pope Benedict XVI

St. Gaetano Errico was born on October 19, 1791 in Secondigliano, a small village of Naples, Italy. He was the second of nine children born to Pasquale and Marie (Marseglia) Errico. His father managed a small pasta factory and his mother worked at the loom weaving plush. He founded the religious order the Missionaries of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary.

Gaetano Errico (19 October 1791 – 29 October 1860) was an Italian Roman Catholic priest from Naples and the founder of the Missionari dei Sacri Cuori di Gesù e Maria.[1][2][3] Errico was born to devout and hardworking parents whose income was modest but sufficient for him to do his ecclesial studies in Naples.[4] It was common for him to be seen twice a week tending to the ill despite his studies and he also helped his father on occasion at his warehouse.[3] He became a teacher after his ordination and later a parish priest.[1][2]

Errico became better known for having had a vision while on a retreat in 1818 in which Saint Alfonso Maria de' Liguori came to him in a vision requesting he both found a religious congregation and oversee the establishment of a new church dedicated to the Blessed Mother.[1][2] Errico did this despite several obstacles, though he did not see it through to the end until just over a decade later.[3]

His canonization cause was introduced under Pope Leo XIII in 1884 and he became titled as a Servant of God; Pope Paul VI later named him as Venerable in 1974 upon confirming his heroic virtue while Pope John Paul II later beatified him on 14 April 2002. Pope Benedict XVI canonized Errico as a saint on 12 October 2008 in Saint Peter's Square.[1][4]

Contents

1 Life

2 Sainthood

2.1 Diocesan process and heroic virtues

2.2 Beatification

2.3 Canonization

3 References

4 External links

Life

Gaetano Errico was born on 19 October 1791 in Secondigliano in Naples as the second of nine children to Pasquale Errico (d. 28 March 1834; Good Friday) and Maria Marseglia (d. 19 April 1837); his parents were married on 17 April 1788 in the Saint Charles church. His father (who came from Miano but whose relations hailed from Frattamaggiore) managed a small pasta warehouse and his mother (who was born in Secondigliano) worked at the local loom weaving plush. Errico was a pious child having learnt the Christian faith from his devout parents whom he helped in their work or in the chores around the house.[1][2] His nephew Beniamino Errico became a priest and two cousins were part of the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin as friars.[3]

His mother once took him as a child to the Redemptorists to be blessed and the priest did this after having looked at the child, telling his mother: "This child will be a priest, a great preacher, he will be a saint and he will do good work in Secondigliano".[3] Errico often aided his father at his warehouse where his father would sometimes lose his temper when under financial strain; he would sometimes slap Errico when he would lose his temper irrespective of whether or not Errico had behaved.[3] The priests Giovanni Tagliamonte and Michelangelo Vitagliano were his teachers growing up and Vitagliano would later serve as Errico's confessor until Vitaglaino died. The parish priest Fr. Pumpo gave him his First Communion when he turned seven and he received his Confirmation on 2 January 1802 in the Naples Cathedral from Bishop Iorio; the priest Domenico Cafolla acted as his sponsor.

Errico first felt compelled to enter the priesthood after he turned fourteen and he received permission from his parents to pursue that vocation. He had his sights set on either entering the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin (since two cousins were friars) or the Redemptorists, however, both rejected his application on the basis of his age.[1] But he was not dejected due to this experience and instead focused on his ecclesial studies that he began in Naples in January 1808 (also receiving the clerical cassock for the first time); he had to walk five miles from home to get to class since he was not living on Naples due to his parents' meagre income not providing for this. Errico – during his studies – visited the sick twice per week and also would encourage children to attend catechism classes for instruction in the faith.[2]

He received his ordination to the priesthood in the Naples Cathedral in the Santa Restituta chapel on 23 September 1815 from Cardinal Luigi Ruffo Scilla. He became a teacher after his ordination and worked as such until 1835 while he also served as a parish priest for the Santi Cosma e Damiano parish church. He was devoted to the sacrament of penance and ministering to the ill, which both became trademarks for his life. He also imposed austerities on himself and penances such as consuming only bread and water and self-flagellation.[1][2] Errico made annual retreats to the Redemptorist house in Pagani in Salerno. In 1818 during one such retreat he had a vision in which Saint Alfonso Maria de' Liguori came to him and told him that God wanted him to build a new church and to found a new religious congregation. Errico set himself on doing this, and had strong support from the people after having announced it at Pentecost in 1826 (he purchased the land back in 1822). However this support started to fade over time due to a lack of adequate funding and low work levels. But he continued the project and dedicated and blessed the new church of Madonna Addolorata on 9 December 1830; this church would become a popular destination for pilgrims.[1][4]

Around the beginning of 1833, he built a small house for himself and a companion (and left his parents' home); it was close to that church so that he could tend to its needs. His companion was not a priest but helped maintain the church.[4] In 1833 came the first members of what would become Errico's religious order known as the Missionari dei Sacri Cuori di Gesù e Maria. On 8 February 1834 the group signed a petition addressed to Cardinal Filippo Giudice Caracciolo asking that they be considered a religious congregation. but the priests grew impatient and left Errico to manage on his own. This small group received diocesan support on 14 March 1836 while the Rome-based Sacred Consistorial Congregation also provided approval on 30 June 1838. He also had to receive permission from the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies which provided its assent on 13 May 1840. In April 1846 he travelled to Rome with the intention of receiving papal approval for his order. This did not materialize for Pope Gregory XVI died on 1 June, leaving Errico in Rome during the conclave. He had a brief encounter with Cardinal Giovanni Mastai-Ferretti and referred to him as "Your Holiness" when speaking with him, having some indication that he would become pope. The order later received full papal approval on 7 August 1946 from the new Pope Pius IX after he and Errico met sometime prior to this.[1] He served as the order's first Superior General.[3][2]

Errico died in his hometown on 29 October 1860 at 10:00 am due to a visceral fever. He had been ill since mid-October, having contracted bronchitis at that point. It became hard for him to breathe on 26 October at which point his priest nephew Beniamino Errico celebrated Mass at his bedside. On 28 October he received the Anointing of the Sick, and died the next morning while looking at a statue of the Blessed Mother.[2] In 2015 his order had 27 houses (in places such as Indonesia and the United States of America) with 141 religious and 90 priest members. The order's generalate is based in Rome at the Santa Maria in Publicolis church.[1]

Sainthood

Diocesan process and heroic virtues

The beatification process commenced in Naples in an informative process tasked to collect evidence and documentation on Errico's life and possible prospects for being proclaimed a saint. The introduction of the cause came on 18 December 1884 under Pope Leo XIII, in which Errico was titled as a Servant of God – the first official stage in the sainthood process. Theologians deemed his writings to be in line with the magisterium of the faith in 1893 and later held an apostolic process. Both processes received validation from the Congregation of Rites on 11 December 1897.

Errico became titled as Venerable on 4 October 1974 after Pope Paul VI recognized that he had lived a life of heroic virtue in accordance with the cardinal and theological virtues.

Beatification

The process for the investigation of a miracle both opened and concluded in 1999 and received validation from C.C.S. officials in Rome on 10 December 1999. The healing believed to be a miracle was deemed to be a legitimate miracle on 24 April 2000 at the behest of Pope John Paul II who in a decree confirmed that Errico could be beatified on that basis. The miracle in question was the healing of Caccioppoli Salvatore who had a perforated stomach wall; his wife put a relic under his pillow and his health improved at a quick pace. This illness was first noted during the morning on 9 January 1952 and Salvatore healed in the hospital a short while later.[1]

John Paul II beatified Errico on 14 April 2002.

Canonization

The process for the investigation of the miracle required for canonization opened in Naples on 10 November 2004 and concluded its business on 10 October 2005 prior to it being validated in 2006. It received the papal approval of Pope Benedict XVI in mid-2007 in which he acknowledged the 2003 healing of Anna Russo (who hailed from Errico's hometown). The date for the canonization was announced on 1 March 2008.

On 12 October 2008 he was proclaimed to be a saint of the Roman Catholic Church during a Mass held in Saint Peter's Square.

St. Eusebia October 29

 St. Eusebia

Feastday: October 29

Death: 3rd century

Martyred virgin, the niece of St. Domino. She was slain at Bergamo, in Lombardy, Italy.

St. Eusebia may refer to:

Saint Xenia the Righteous of Rome (died 5th-century AD), Orthodox saint with baptismal name Eusebia

St. Eusebia (Late 3rd century), virgin-martyr in Bergamo, Italy

St. Eusebia of Douai (died ca. 680), abbess at Hamay-les-Marchiennes near Arras, France; daughter of Rictrude and Adalbard

St. Eusebia (Benedictine abbess) (died ca. 731), Benedictine abbess of the Abbey of St. Victor, Marseille, France