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20 August 2021

இன்றைய புனிதர்கள் ஆகஸ்ட் 21

 St. Apollinaris Sidonius


Feastday: August 21

Birth: 430

Death: 489



Bishop and classical scholar. Caius Sollius Apollinaris Sidonius was born in Lugdunum, about 423. He was from a noble family and received a brilliant education in the classical style. Entering the military, he married Papianilla, the daughter of Avitus, who became emperor of the West in 455. Living at the imperial court, Apollinaris survived the deposition of Avitus in 456 and subsequently served as the chief senator and prefect of Rome from 468 to 469. He then retired to Gaul, where he carried on a vast correspondence that gives considerable insight into the political period. In 469, although unwilling and not yet a priest, Apollinaris was named bishop of Avernum. He was chosen because of his piety and because he was considered the only one capable of defending the people against the invading Goths, under Alaric. Apollinaris assumed the humble lifestyle of the bishopric and learned so much about ecclesiastical affairs that he was soon recognized as an authority. He opposed King Euric of the Goths in 474 and was exiled briefly. He was an outstanding orator and poet, and he introduced the days of public prayer called "Rogation Days." Twenty-four of his letters and poems survived and are a valuable resource on the period. Apollinaris is considered to be the last representative of the great classical culture of Rome which was being overrun by the Germanic invasions.



Gaius Sollius Modestus Apollinaris Sidonius, better known as Sidonius Apollinaris (5 November[1] of an unknown year, c. 430 – 481/490 AD), was a poet, diplomat, and bishop. Sidonius is "the single most important surviving author from fifth-century Gaul" according to Eric Goldberg.[2] He was one of four Gallo-Roman aristocrats of the fifth- to sixth-century whose letters survive in quantity; the others are Ruricius, bishop of Limoges (died 507), Alcimus Ecdicius Avitus, bishop of Vienne (died 518) and Magnus Felix Ennodius of Arles, bishop of Ticinum (died 534). All of them were linked in the tightly bound aristocratic Gallo-Roman network that provided the bishops of Catholic Gaul.[3] His feast day is 21 August.



Life

Sidonius was born in Lugdunum (Lyon). His father (anonymous) was Prefect of Gaul under Valentinian III; he recalls with pride being present with his father at the installation of Astyrius as consul for the year 449.[4] Sidonius' grandfather was Praetorian Prefect of Gaul sometime prior to 409 and a friend of his successor Decimus Rusticus. Sidonius may be a descendant of another Apollinaris who was Prefect of Gaul under Constantine II between 337 and 340.


Sidonius married Papianilla, the daughter of Emperor Avitus, around 452.[5] This union produced one son, Apollinaris, and at least two daughters: Sidonius mentions in his letters Severina and Roscia, but a third, Alcima, is only mentioned much later by Gregory of Tours, and Theodor Mommsen has speculated that Alcima may be another name for one of his other daughters.[6] His known acquaintances include bishop Faustus of Riez and his theological adversary Claudianus Mamertus; his life and friendships put him in the center of 5th-century Roman affairs.


In 457 Majorian deprived Avitus of the empire and seized the city of Lyons; Sidonius fell into his hands. However, the reputation of Sidonius's learning led Majorian to treat him with the greatest respect. In return Sidonius composed a panegyric in his honour (as he had previously done for Avitus), which won for him a statue at Rome and the title of comes. In 467 or 468 the emperor Anthemius rewarded him for the panegyric which he had written in honour of him by raising him to the post of Urban Prefect of Rome, which he held until 469, and afterwards to the dignity of Patrician and Senator. In 470 or 472, he was elected to succeed Eparchius in the bishopric of Averna (Clermont).


When the Goths captured Clermont in 474 he was imprisoned, as he had taken an active part in its defense; but he was afterwards released from captivity by Euric, king of the Goths, and continued to shepherd his flock as he had done before; he did so until his death.


Sidonius's relations have been traced over several generations as a narrative of a family's fortunes, from the prominence of his paternal grandfather's time into later decline in the 6th century under the Franks. Sidonius's son Apollinaris, who was a correspondent of Ruricius of Limoges, commanded a unit raised in Auvergne on the losing side of the decisive Battle of Vouille, and also was bishop of Clermont for four months until he died.[7] Sidonius's grandson Arcadius, on hearing a rumor that the Frankish king Theuderic I had died, betrayed Clermont to Childebert I, only to abandon his wife and mother when Theuderic appeared; his other appearance in the history of Gregory of Tours is as a servant of king Childebert.[8]


Sidonius was still living in 481.[9] He was dead before 490, when his successor as bishop, Aprunculus, died. His date of death was 21 or 23 August.[10]


Works


Opera (1598)

His extant works are his Panegyrics on different emperors (in which he draws largely upon Statius, Ausonius and Claudian), which document several important political events. Carmen 7 is a panegyric to his father-in-law Avitus on his inauguration as emperor. Carmen 5 is a panegyric to Majorian, which offers evidence that Sidonius was able to overcome the natural suspicion and hostility towards the man who was responsible for the death of his father-in-law. Carmen 2 is a panegyric to the emperor Anthemius, part of Sidonius' efforts to be appointed Urban Prefect of Rome; several samples of occasional verse; and nine books of Letters, about which W.B. Anderson notes, "Whatever one may think about their style and diction, the letters of Sidonius are an invaluable source of information on many aspects of the life of his time."[11] While very stilted in diction, these Letters reveal Sidonius as a man of genial temper, fond of good living and of pleasure. A letter of Sidonius's addressed to Riothamus, "King of the Brittones" (c. 470) is of particular interest, since it provides evidence that a king or military leader with ties to Britain lived around the time frame of King Arthur. The best edition is that in the Monumenta Germaniae Historica (Berlin, 1887), which gives a survey of the manuscripts. An English translation of his poetry and letters by W.B. Anderson, with accompanying Latin text, have been published by the Loeb Classical Library (volume 1, containing his poems and books 1-2 of his letters, 1939;[12] remainder of letters, 1965). Among his lost works, is the one on Apollonius of Tyana.


Gregory of Tours speaks of Sidonius as a man who could celebrate Mass from memory (without a sacramentary) and give unprepared speeches without any hesitation.





Pope Saint Pius X


✠ புனிதர் பத்தாம் பயஸ் ✠

(St. Pius X)


257வது திருத்தந்தை:

(257th Pope)


இயற்பெயர்:

குயிசெப் மேல்ச்சியோர் ஸர்டோ

(Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto)


பிறப்பு: ஜூன் 2, 1835

ரெய்சி, ட்ரேவிசோ, லம்பர்டி-வெனிஷியா, ஆஸ்திரிய பேரரசு

(Riese, Treviso, Lombardy-Venetia, Austrian Empire)


இறப்பு: ஆகஸ்ட் 20, 1914 (வயது 79)

அப்போஸ்தலர் மாளிகை, ரோம், இத்தாலி அரசு

(Apostolic Palace, Rome, Kingdom of Italy)


ஏற்கும் சமயம்:

ரோமன் கத்தோலிக்க திருச்சபை

(Roman Catholic Church)


முக்திபேறு பட்டம்: ஜூன் 3, 1951

திருத்தந்தை பன்னிரண்டாம் பயஸ்

(Pope Pius XII)


புனிதர் பட்டம்: மே 29, 1954

திருத்தந்தை பன்னிரண்டாம் பயஸ்

(Pope Pius XII)


நினைவுத் திருவிழா: ஆகஸ்ட் 21


பாதுகாவல்:

அட்லான்டா உயர் மறைமாநிலம்; தேஸ் மொயின்ஸ், ஐயோவா மறைமாநிலம்; புது நன்மை வாங்குவோர்; கிரேட் பால்ஸ்-பில்லிங்ஸ் மறைமாநிலம்; [கோட்டயம், இந்தியா மறைமாநிலம்; திருப்பயணிகள்; சான்டா லுசிஜா, மால்டா; ஸ்பிரிங் பீல்டு, மிசூரி மறைமாநிலம்; சம்போஙா, பிலிப்பைன்சு மறைமாநிலம்


திருத்தந்தை புனிதர் பத்தாம் பயஸ், கி.பி. 1903ம் ஆண்டு முதல் 1914ம் ஆண்டு வரை கத்தோலிக்க திருச்சபையின் 257-ஆவது திருத்தந்தையாக ஆட்சி செய்தவர் ஆவார். இவர் ஐந்தாம் பயஸுக்கு பின் புனிதர் பட்டம் பெற்ற திருத்தந்தையாவார். இவர் திருச்சபையின் கொள்கைகளுக்கு நவீனத்துவ விளக்கங்கள் அளிப்பதை எதிர்த்தார். பாரம்பரிய விளக்கங்களையே ஊக்குவித்தார். இவரின் மிகமுக்கிய செயல்பாடாக கருதப்படுவது, இவர் வெளியிட்ட திருச்சபை சட்ட தொகுப்பாகும். இவ்வாறு வெளியிடப்படுவது இதுவே முதல் முறையாம். இவர் கிறிஸ்தவ ஒழுக்கங்களை தனிமனித வாழ்விலும் கடைபிடிப்பதில் ஊக்குவித்தார். இவர் பிறந்த ஊரான ரெய்சி, இவரின் பொருட்டு பின்நாளின் ரெய்சி பியோ X (இத்தாலிய ஒளி பெயர்ப்பில் இவரின் பெயர்) என பெயர் மாற்றம் செய்யப்பட்டது.


இவர் மரியாளிடம் பக்தி கொண்டவராக விளங்கினார். இவர் “Ad Diem Illum” என்னும் தனது சுற்றறிக்கையில், "மரியாளின் வழியாக கிறிஸ்துவில் யாவற்றையும் புதுப்படைப்பாக்க" என்னும் தனது விருப்பத்தை வெளிப்படுத்தினார். இதையே தனது ஆட்சியின் குறிக்கோளுரையாகக் கொண்டார். கி.பி. 20ம் நூற்றாண்டில் திருத்தந்தையாக இருந்தவரில் பத்தாம் பயஸ் மட்டுமே அதிக தளப்பணி செய்தவராவார். இந்த அனுபவத்தாலேயே அவரவரின் சொந்த மொழியிலேயே மறைபரப்ப தூண்டினார்.


இவரின் தொண்டு உள்ளம் வியக்கத்தக்கது. கி.பி. 1908ல் நடந்த மெசினா நிலநடுக்கத்தில் பாதிக்கப்பட்டவர்களை, இத்தாலிய அரசு உதவி புரிய ஆரம்பிக்கும் முன்பே, தாமாகவே முன்வந்து திருத்தூதரக அரண்மனையில் தங்க வைத்தார். தம் குடும்பத்திற்கு எந்தவித உதவியும் பெறவில்லை. இவரின் மிகவிருப்பமான உடன் பிறந்தவரின் மகன் கடைசிவரை கிராமத்தில் பங்கு குருவாகவே இருந்தார். மற்ற மூன்று சகோதரிகளும் ஏழ்மையிலேயே வாழ்வைக் கழித்தனர். 'நான் ஏழையாக பிறந்தேன், ஏழையாக வாழ்ந்தேன், ஏழையாகவே சாக விரும்புகிறேன்' என அடிக்கடி சொல்வார். பலர் இவரின் மரணத்தின் பின்னர், இவரை புனிதரெனக் கொண்டாடி வெளிப்படையான வணக்கம் செலுத்தினர். இதனாலேயே இவரின் புனிதர் பட்ட நிகழ்வு விரைவில் நடந்தேறியது.


கி.பி. 1878ல் மறைமாவட்ட ஆயர் சனாலியின் மரணத்திற்குப் பின், மறைமாவட்டப் பேராலய உயர்நிலைக் குருக்கள் பேரவை இவரை (மற்றொரு ஆயர் நியமிக்கப் படும் வரை) அதன் தலைவராகத் தேர்ந்தெடுத்தது. கி.பி. 1878 டிசம்பர் முதல் ஜூன் 1880 வரை இப்பொறுப்பில் அவர் இருந்தார்.


கி.பி. 1880-க்கு பின் திரிவிசோ குருமடத்தில் ஆசிரியராக பணியாற்றினார்.


கர்தினாலாகவும் மூப்பராகவும்:

கி.பி. 1893ம் ஆண்டு, ஜூன் மாதம், 12ம் நாளன்று, பதின்மூன்றாம் லியோ இவரை கத்தோலிக்க கர்தினாலாக உயர்த்தினார். சான் பெர்னாதோ அலே தெர்மியின் (பட்டம் சார்ந்த) கர்தினால் குருவாகவும், மூன்று நாட்களுக்கு பின் வெனிசின் மூப்பராகவும் திருத்தந்தை அறிவித்தார். இத்தாலிய அரசுடன் திருச்சபைக்கு இருந்த மனக்கசப்பால் கி.பி. 1894ம் ஆண்டு வரை பொறுப்பேற்க இயலவில்லை.


திருப்பீட தேர்வு:

கி.பி. 1903ம் ஆண்டு, ஜூலை மாதம், 20ம் நாளன்று, பதின்மூன்றாம் லியோ காலமானார். அதன் பின் கூடிய திருப்பீடத்தேர்வில் (en:Papal Election) கர்தினால் சார்தோ 1903ம் ஆண்டு, ஆகஸ்ட் மாதம், 4ம் நாளன்று, திருத்தந்தையாக தேர்த்தெடுக்கப்பட்டார். இவர் தன் ஆட்சிப்பெயராக பத்தாம் பயஸை தெரிவு செய்தார். 1903ம் ஆண்டு, ஆகஸ்ட் மாதம், 9ம் தேதி, முடிசூட்டு விழா நடந்தது.


திருப்பீட ஆட்சி:

இவர் கிறிஸ்தவத்தின் அடிப்படைவாத கொள்கையையுடையவர். இதனையே தம் ஆட்சிக்காலத்திலேயும் கையாண்டார். இவர் முடி சூட்டப்பட்ட தினத்தன்று இவரின் கழுத்தில் இருந்த சிலுவை முலாம் பூசப்பட்டது என்பதை அறிந்த பணியாளர்கள் அதிர்ந்தனர். ஆனால் இவர் அமைதியாக தன்னிடம் வேறு சிலுவை இல்லை எனக்கூறி அதனையே அணிந்து வந்தார். திருத்தந்தை எட்டாம் அர்பனால் கொண்டுவரப்பட்ட பழக்கமான, திருத்தந்தை தனியாக உணவருந்துதலை இவர் அழித்தார். இவர் தன் நண்பர்களைத் தன்னோடு உணவருந்த அழைப்பு விடுத்தார்.


இவர் சிறுவர்களிடம் தனிப்பட்ட அன்பு செலுத்தினார். சிறுவர்களைக் கவர எப்போதும் தன்னுடன் இனிப்புகளை எடுத்துச் செல்வார். இவர் பங்குகளில் சிறுவர்களுக்கான மறைக்கல்வியின் முக்கியத்துவத்தை எடுத்துரைத்து, சிறுவர்களை ஆன்மிக இருளிலிருந்து வெளிக்கொணர முயன்றார்.


திருச்சபை சீர்திருத்தங்களும் இறையியலும்:

கிறிஸ்தியல் மற்றும் மரியாலியலில்:

பத்தாம் பயஸ் தினசரி நற்கருணை வாங்குவதை ஊக்குவித்தார். 1904ல் வெளியிட்ட சுற்றுமடலில் (Encyclical Ad Diem Illum), "கிறிஸ்துவில் எல்லாவற்றையும் புனிதமாக்குவதில்" மரியாளுக்கு இருக்கும் பங்கினை எடுத்தியம்பினார். நாம் அனைவரும் மரியாளின் ஆன்மிகப் பிள்ளைகளாயிருப்பதால் அவருக்கு அன்னைக்குரிய வணக்கம் செலுத்தப்பட வேண்டும் என்றார். வாக்கு மனிதர் ஆனார் என கிறிஸ்துவைப்பற்றி விவிலியம் கூறுகின்றது. ஆனால் மனு உருவான அவ்வாக்கிற்கு உடல் கொடுத்ததால் அவர் கிறிஸ்துவின் அன்னையாகிறார். கிறிஸ்துவின் மறைஉடலான திருச்சபை, கிறிஸ்துவின் மனித உடலிலிருந்து வேறுபடுத்திப் பார்க்க இயலாது, ஆகவே மரியாள் திருச்சபையின் ஆன்மீக அன்னை மட்டுமல்ல, அவள் உண்மையான அன்னையும் கூட என்றார்.


திருச்சபை சட்டங்களில் சீர்திருத்தம்:

1904ம் ஆண்டு, மார்ச் மாதம், 19ம் தேதி, திருச்சபையின் சட்டத்தொகுப்பை உலகம் முழுமைக்கும் ஒரே சட்டத்தொகுப்பாக்கும்படி கர்தினால் குழாமின் ஆணையம் ஒன்றை வடிவமைத்தார். இவருக்கு முன் உலகம் முழுமைக்கும் ஒரே திருச்சபை சட்டத்தொகுப்பு இருந்ததில்லை. இவருக்குப் பின் திருத்தந்தையானவர்களுள் இருவர் (பதினைந்தாம் பெனடிக்ட் மற்றும் பன்னிரண்டாம் பயஸ்) இவ்வாணையத்தில் இருந்தனர். இவ்வாணையம் தன் பணியை பதினைந்தாம் பெனடிக்டின் ஆட்சியில் 1917ம் ஆண்டு, மே மாதம், 27ம் நாளன்று, நிறைவு செய்தது. அவை, 1918ம் ஆண்டு, மே மாதம், 19ம் நாளன்று துவங்கி, 1983ம் ஆண்டின் திருவருகை காலம் வரை நடைமுறையில் இருந்தது.


திருச்சபை சட்டத்தில் சீர்திருத்தம்:

பத்தாம் பயஸ் திருத்தந்தையின் திருப்பீடத்தின் கீழ் வரும் ஆட்சித்துறைகளை (Roman Curia) சீரமைத்தார். குறிப்பாக குருத்துவக் கல்லூரிகளை மேல்பார்வையிடும் ஆயர்களின் பணியைப் புதிய சட்டங்களால் 'Pieni L'Animo' என்னும் சுற்றுமடலின் மூலமாக திருத்தினார். பல சிறிய குருத்துவக் கல்லூரிகளை ஒன்றிணைத்து பெரிய குருமடம் உருவாக செய்தார். புதிய குருத்துவ கல்வி முறையை உருவாக்கினார். பொதுப்பணித்துறை நிறுவனங்களை குருக்கள் தலைமை தாங்கி நடத்த தடை விதித்தார்.


வாழ்நாளில் செய்ததாக கூறப்படும் புதுமைகள்:

பத்தாம் பயஸ் தன் வாழ்நாளிலேயே பல புதுமைகளை செய்துள்ளார் என்பர். முடக்கு வாதம் உற்ற குழந்தை இவர் தூக்கியதால் நலம் பெற்றது என்பர். மூளைக் காய்ச்சல் உடைய இரண்டு வயது குழந்தையின் பெற்றோர் இவரை செபிக்கும்படி கடிதம் எழுதினர். இரண்டு நாட்களில் குழந்தை குணமானது என்பர்.


காச நோயுற்றிருந்த எர்னஸ்தோ ருபின் (பின்நாளின் பலேர்மோவின் பேராயர்) இவரைக்கண்ட போது, ருபின் குணமடைந்து விடப்போவதாகவும், அதனால் குருத்துவக் கல்வியை தொடர மீண்டும் குரு மடத்திற்கு செல்ல அறிவுறுத்தியதாக குறியுள்ளார்.


பிற செயல்கள்:

பத்தாம் பயஸ் பத்து பேருக்கு முக்திபேறு பட்டமும், நான்கு பேருக்கு புனிதர் பட்டமும் அளித்துள்ளார். பத்தாம் பயஸ் 16 திருத்தூது மடல்களை வரைந்துள்ளார்; அவற்றுள் “Vehementer nos” என்னும் மடல் ஃபெப்ரவரி 11, 1906, அன்று வெளியிடப்பட்டதில் 1905ம் ஆண்டு ஃபிரான்ஸ் நாட்டின் அரசு சமயம் பிரிவினை சட்டத்தைக் கண்டித்தார்.


இறப்பும் அடக்கமும்:

1913ல், புகைப்பழக்கம் உள்ள பத்தாம் பயஸ், மாரடைப்பால் உடல் நலம் குன்றினார். 1914ல் வின்னேற்பு அன்னை திருவிழாவன்று (15 ஆகஸ்ட்) இவர் திரும்பவும் நோய்வாய்பட்டார். முதலாம் உலகப் போர் துவங்கியதால் மனம் பாதிக்கப்பட அவர், 20 ஆகஸ்ட் 1914 அன்று இயற்கை எய்தினார். பின்பு இவர் புனித பேதுரு பேராலயத்தில் அடக்கம் செய்யப்பட்டார்.


இவருக்கு முன்பு வரை திருத்தந்தையரை அடக்கம் செய்யும் முன், உடல் பதனிடும்போது உள் உறுப்புகளை நீக்குவர். ஆனால் இவர் இதை தடை செய்தார். இன்றுவரை இத்தடை அமலில் உள்ளது.

Also known as

• Giuseppe Melchior Sarto

• Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto

• Giuseppe Sarto

• Joseph Sarto

• Pope of the Blessed Sacrament



Profile

Son of Giambattista Sarto, a village cobbler, and Margherita Sanson, living an impoverished childhood as one of eight children. Baptized on 3 June 1835. Confirmed on 1 September 1848. He early felt a calling to the priesthood. Studied at the seminary of Padua, Italy, and was known as an exceptional student. Ordained by Blessed Giovanni Antonio Farina on 18 September 1858. Chaplain at Tombolo from 1858 to 1867. Archpriest of Salzano from 1867 to 1875. Canon of the Treviso cathedral chapter in 1875. Rector of the Treviso seminary and its spiritual director for nine years. Primicerius of the cathedral in 1879. Chancellor of the diocese of Treviso. Vicar capitular from December 1879 to June 1880. Bishop of Mantua, Italy on 10 November 1884. Assistant at the Pontifical Throne on 19 June 1891. Created cardinal-priest of Saint Bernardo alle Terme on 12 June 1893. Patriarch of Venice on 15 June 1893. Chosen 257th pope in 1903, taking the name Pius X.


Issued decrees on early Communion (age 7 instead of 12 or 14 as previously). Destroyed the last vestiges of Jansenism by advocating frequent and even daily Communion. Reformed the liturgy, promoted clear and simple homilies, and brought Gregorian chant back to services. Revised the Breviary, and teaching of the Catechism. Fought Modernism, which he denounced as "the summation of all heresies". Reorganized the Roman curia, and the other administrative elements of the Church. Worked against the modern antagonism of the state against the Church. Initiated the codification of canon law. Promoting Bible reading by all the faithful. Supported foreign missions. His will read: "I was born poor; I lived poor; I wish to die poor."


Born

2 June 1835 at Riese, diocese of Treviso, Venice, Austria (now Italy) as Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto


Papal Ascension

• elected 4 August 1903

• installed 9 August 1903


Died

• 21 August 1914 at Vatican City from natural causes aggravated by worries over the beginning of World War I

• buried under the altar of the chapel of the Presentation, Saint Peter's basilica


Canonized

29 May 1954 by Pope Pius XII


Patronage

• first communicants

• pilgrims

• 7 dioceses




Blessed Ladislaus Findysz


Also known as

Wladyslaw Findysz



Profile

Born to pious peasants, the son of Stanislaus Findysz and Apollonia Rachwal. Received his early education from the Felician Sisters. Joined the Marian Solidality as a young student. Entered the major seminary in Przemysl in the autumn of 1927. Spiritual student of Blessed John Balicki. Ordained on 19 June 1932.


Assistant parish priest at Boryslaw, Poland (in modern Ukraine) on 1 August 1932. Assistant parish priest at Drohobycz, Poland (in modern Ukraine) on 17 September 1935. Assistant parish priest at Strzyzów, Poland on 1 August 1937. Assistant parish priest at Jaslo, Poland on 10 October 1940. Parish administrator and then parish priest in Nowy Zmigród beginning on 8 July 1941.


On 3 October 1944 Ladislaus and the rest of the town were expelled by the retreating German army. Having survived the oppression of the Nazis, he returned on 23 January 1945 to rebuild the parish, and to care for war refugees under the oppression of the Communists. He saved several Greek Catholic families who were being persecuted and exiled by the Communists. From 1946 until his death he was under surveillance of the secret police; that same year he was recognized for his good work by being declared an honorary canon. Ordered to stop teaching the catechism in 1952. In order to hinder his work, in 1952 and 1954 he was ordered to live outside the area of his parish. Vice-dean of the Nowy Zmigród deanery in 1957; dean in 1962.


In 1963 he started the Conciliar Works of Charity, a letter writing campaign to parishioners to exhort them to return to the Church, and to spread the word of the reforms of Vatican II. The Communists took a very dim view of this work, and on 25 November 1963 Father Ladislaus was arrested and imprisoned in the Rzeszów Castle, two months after major surgery to remove Ladislaus' thyroid gland. A standard show trial was conducted on 16 and 17 December 1963, and Ladislaus was given a 30 month sentence for the crime of "forcing" religion on his parishioners. This was followed by (also standard) series of published slanders and lies to discredit Ladislaus while he was being abused and starved in prison. Transferred to the central prison hospital on 25 January 1964, his health broken, and suffering from cancer of the esophagus. Surgery was postponed, and Ladislaus was permitted to suffer and deteriorate. Released from prison to his parish, Nowy Zmigród, on February 1964 due to his health, but civilian doctors proclaimed his tumors inoperable. Martyr.


Born

13 December 1907 in Kroscienko Nizne, near Krosno, Poland


Died

• morning of 21 August 1964 of cancer of the esophagus in the presbytery of Nowy Zmigród, Poland

• buried the same day in the parish cemetery


Beatified

• 19 June 2005 by Pope Benedict XVI

• recognition celebrated by Cardinal Jozef Glemp in Pilsudski Square, Warsaw, Poland

• the Cause for canonization began on 27 June 2000, the first Cause from the diocese of Rzeszów

• beatification approved on 20 December 2004 by Pope John Paul II

• first successful cause for beatification of a martyr of the Communist persecution in Poland

• recognition originally scheduled for 24 April 2005, but delayed due to the death of Pope John Paul II



Blessed Jacinto Blanch Ferrer


Profile

The son of José Blanch Bosch, a secretary, and Maria Ferrer Raurell, Jacinto was baptized on the day of his birth in his parish church of Santa Maria. His was a large and pious family; all his siblings would enter religious life, five of them as Claretian Missionaries. He made his First Communion at age 12, and entered the Claretian Missionaries' novitiate on 21 July 1884 in Vic, Spain at age 16. He studied in Vic, then Santo Domingo de la Calzada, and made his profession on 18 September 1885. Ordained a priest in the diocese of Zaragoza, Spain on 12 March 1892. As a seminarian, Jacinto had not been noted for scholarship, but was an immensely practical young man. He was assigned to teach Latin, and soon developed the speaking skills to preach in a series of Spanish cities for several years.



In the early 20th century, anti–Catholic violence broke out in Spain. Father Jacinto convinced some local nuns to wear street clothes instead of their habits in order to work in the community without persecution. He conducted a covert ministry in private homes for those who feared making their faith public, and he mixed with anti–Catholic mobs to talk them down from burning churches. His church and community house in Barcelona were burned in 1909. Jacinto was made superior of the community, and oversaw its reconstruction from 1911 through 1913. Superior of the Claretian community in Sallent, Spain in 1920 where he oversaw re-construction of their entire infrastructure.


In addition to a strong devotion to the Eucharist, the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Rosary, Father Jacinto was a student and devotee of Father Anthony Mary Claret, the founder of the Claretian Missionaries. He served as Vice-Postulator the Cause for Canonization of Saint Anthony Mary Claret and Father Francesc Crusats Franch from 1916 to 1936, and he published a bibliographic study of Father Claret.


When the Spanish Civil War began in earnest, Father Jacinto moved to the house of Don Eugenio Bofill from which he continued to conduct his covert ministry, celebrating Mass in private homes, receiving other Claretians for instruction, hearing Confessions, teaching catechism, and leading groups to pray the Rosary. On 17 August 1936, fearing his work and visitors would draw attention to the Bofill family, he moved out; he was seized by the militia on 19 August. We have no record of his last two days, but he was executed on 21 August for the crime of being a priest. Martyr.


Born

27 April 1868 in Vilanova de Sau, Barcelona, diocese of Vic, Spain


Died

• shot on 21 August 1936 in Pedrales, Barcelona, Spain

• interred in a niche in the Bofill family mausoleum in the All Saints cemetery

• his bones were later thrown into a common grave, making identification or recovery of relics impossible


Beatified

• 21 October 2017 by Pope Francis

• beatification recognition celebrated in the Basilica of Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, Spain, presided by Cardinal Angelo Amato



Blessed Victoire Rasoamanarivo


Profile

Daughter of Rainiandriantsilavo and Rambahinoro. Raised by her paternal uncle, Rainimaharavo, the commander-in-chief of the Malagasy army, the girl grew up in the animist faith of her ancestors. She began attending a Catholic school at age 13 and was immediately drawn to the faith. A convert, baptized on 1 November 1863, taking the name Victoire. A change in the national politics led to antipathy to the French and to Catholics; Victoire's family, being part of the ruling class, put her in a Protestant school and threatened to make her an outcast if she held to her new faith, but she would not change. Victoire felt drawn to religious life, but her family arranged a marriage for her to Ratsimatahodriaka, a cousin and leading figure in the military; they were wed on 13 May 1864. Her new husband was a violent, womanizing drunk, and all of Victoire's friends urged her to divorce him; she refused, saying that marriage was a sacrament and could not be broken, and instead she prayed for his conversion.



In 1883 the political situation in Madagascar turned forcefully against the French. All foreign missionaries, which included all priests, were ordered out of the country; Catholic schools and churches were ordered closed, Catholic gatherings were outlawed, and all Catholics were ordered to renouce the Church or be considered traitors. The faithful ignored the orders, held prayer services in boarded up churches, catechized new converts, and did it all peacefully and without a priesthood. Victoire helped lead and support the movement, keeping schools open, sometimes being the first into a church, shaming the police guards into letting the Christians enter. During 1885 peace was established between France and Madagascar, and on 7 March 1886 the missionaries were allowed to return; they found the faith alive and growing.


Victoire was widowed in in 14 March 1888, her husband asking forgiveness and being baptized on his death bed. She devoted the rest of her life to caring for the poor, the sick and the imprisoned, with all her free time spent in prayer.


Born

1848 in Antananarivo, Madagascar as Rasoamanarivo


Died

21 August 1894 in Anatanarivo, Madagascar


Beatified

30 April 1989 by Pope John Paul II



Saint Abraham of Smolensk


✠ ஸ்மோலென்ஸ்க் நகர் புனிதர் ஆபிரகாம் ✠

(St. Abraham of Smolensk)


ரஷிய துறவி மற்றும் குரு:

(Russian Monk and Priest)


பிறப்பு: கி.பி. 1150

ஸ்மோலென்ஸ்க், ரஷியா

(Smoensk, Russia)


இறப்பு: கி.பி. 1222

ஸ்மோலென்ஸ்க், ரஷியா

(Smoensk, Russia)


ஏற்கும் சமயம்:

ரோமன் கத்தோலிக்க திருச்சபை

(Roman Catholic Church)

கிழக்கு மரபுவழி திருச்சபை

(Eastern Orthodox Church)


புனிதர் பட்டம்: கி.பி. 1549

திருத்தந்தை மூன்றாம் பவுல்

(Pope Paul III)


நினைவுத் திருவிழா: ஆகஸ்ட் 21


பாதுகாவல்:

ஸ்மோலென்ஸ்க் (Smoensk)


புனிதர் ஆபிரகாம், ஒரு ரஷிய துறவியும் குருவும் (Russian Monk and Priest) ஆவார். “பொகாரோடிட்ஸ்காஜா” கான்வென்ட்டில் (Bogoroditzkaja convent) வசித்துவந்த இவர், அற்புதங்கள் புரிபவராக கருதப்பட்டார். விரிவான பிரசங்கங்களிலும், விவிலிய ஆய்வுகளிலும் ஈடுபட்டிருந்த இவர், மங்கோலிய ரஷியாவுக்கு முந்தைய (Pre-Mongol Russia) முக்கிய பிரமுகராக கருதப்படுகிறார்.


இப்புனிதர், கி.பி. 1150ம் ஆண்டு அல்லது 1172ம் ஆண்டில் பிரபுக்களுக்கு பிறந்ததாக கூறப்பட்டது. சிறு வயதிலேயே அனாதையான இவர், இவ்வுலக வாழ்க்கையை கைவிட்டு, மிகவும் கடினமான மற்றும் எளிய ஆன்மீக வாழ்க்கையை தேர்வு செய்ய முடிவு செய்தார். அவர் மனதில் கண்டிப்பு மற்றும் போர்க்குணமிக்க ஒரு மனிதராக விவரிக்கப்படுகிறார். இறுதி நியாயதீர்ப்பினை தமது மனதில் இருத்தியிருந்த இவர், அதனை பிறர் மனதிலும் இருத்த முயற்சித்தார். நோயுற்றவர்களுக்காகவும், கஷ்டபட்டவர்களுக்காகவும் பணிபுரிந்த அவர், உண்மையிலேயே விசுவாசமுள்ளவர்களுள் பிரபலமடைந்திருந்தார். அவருடைய உதவிக்காகவும் ஆலோசனைக்காகவும் அவரிடம் வருகிறவர்களுடன் அவர் மென்மையாக நடந்துகொண்டார். அவரது வெற்றிகள்மீது பொறாமை கொண்டிருந்த பிற குருமார்களோடு அவர் குறைவாகவே பிரபலமடைந்திருந்தார். பிற குருக்களிடையே இருந்த இந்த பதற்றம், அவருக்கு எதிரான பல தார்மீக மற்றும் இறையியல் குற்றச்சாட்டுகளுக்கு வழிவகுத்தது. இதன்காரணமாக, உள்ளூர் ஆயர் இவர் மீது நடவடிக்கை எடுத்து, இவரை பிரசங்கிக்க தடை விதித்தார். இதன் காரணமாக, இவர்மீது எப்போதும் சந்தேகம் கொண்டிருந்த குருக்களைத் தவிர்த்து, இவருக்கு நண்பர்கள் எவரும் இல்லாது போயினர்.


பின்னர், இவருக்கு எதிரான வழக்கை மீண்டும் கையிலெடுத்த உள்ளூர் ஆயர், இவர் மீதிருந்த அனைத்து குற்றச்சாட்டுக்களிலிருந்தும் இவரை விடுவித்தார். பின்னர், அப்பகுதியிலுள்ள கடவுளின் அன்னையின் சிறிய மற்றும் வறிய பள்ளியின் மடாதிபதியாக அவரை நியமித்தார்.


தமது மீதமுள்ள வாழ்க்கையை அங்கேயே வாழ்ந்த இப்புனிதர், கி.பி. 1222ம் ஆண்டு, மரித்தார்.

Also known as

• Avraamii

Profile



Born wealthy and orphaned young. When he was old enough to choose for himself, he gave away his fortune, and became a monk at the Bogoroditskaya monastery. Bible scholar, priest, and noted preacher. A stern and forceful man, his sermons concerned the Day of Judgement, and he lived his life as though he were about to be judged. He was very popular among the laity, gentle and ever concerned with the sick, the abused, and the troubled. However, it was a different matter among the clergy, many of whom were openly jealous or hostile toward him, and with the wealthy laity who opposed his teaching on poverty, an austere life, and the emptiness of worldly wealth. His abbot was pressured by local authorities, and he ordered Abraham to stop preaching.


To escape the disturbance, Abraham withdrew from the monastery, and joined the monks of the Holy Cross. He made no friends there, either, and in order to silence him some of his critics brought charges of moral and theological errors, heresy and immorality against him. He was acquitted in his first trial, so he was tried again. When he was acquitted again, he was ordered back to the Bogoroditskaya monastery, stripped of his priestly functions, and for five years he lived under a cloud of suspicion and disciplinary orders.


During a time of drought, the people demanded that he be reinstated as the hard times made them crave the intervention of an obviously holy man; the bishop re-opened his investigation, and this time Abraham was cleared of all charges. Legend says that Abraham then prayed for the city, and had not even returned to his cell in the monastery before it started to rain.


Appointed abbot of the small, impoverished Mother of God monastery in Smolensk, he lived the rest of his life in quiet prayer, supervising his house and receiving visitors, but declining to preach for fear of causing dissension in the faithful. His biography was written by one of his brother monks, and has survived to today.


Born

12th century at Smolensk, Russia


Died

c.1222 at Smolensk, Russia of natural causes


Canonized

1549 by Pope Paul III



Our Lady of Knock


Occurred

Thursday 21 August 1879 at 8pm



Status

devotion approved by Archbishop Thomas P Gilmartin, Archdiocese of Tuam, Ireland in 1936


Description

Our Lady, Saint Joseph and Saint John the Evangelist appeared in a blaze of light at the south gable of Saint John the Baptist Church, Knock, County Mayo, Ireland. They appeared to float about two feet above the ground, and each would occassionally move toward the visionaries, and then away from them. The Blessed Virgin Mary was clothed in white robes with a brilliant crown on her head. Where the crown fitted to her brow, she wore a beautiful full-bloom golden rose. She was praying with her eyes and hands raised towards Heaven. Saint Joseph wore white robes, stood on Our Lady's right, and was turned towards her in an attitude of respect. Saint John was dressed in white vestment, stood was on Mary's left, and resembled a bishop, with a small mitre. He appeared to be preaching and he held an open book in his left hand. Behind them and a little to the left of Saint John was a plain altar on which was a cross and a lamb with adoring angels. The apparition was witnessed by fifteen people. Miraculous healings were reported soon after the area, and it is now a major pilgrimage destination.


Patronage

Ireland




Blessed Bruno Zembol


Also known as

• Jan Zembol

• Johannes Zembol

Additional Memorial

12 June as one of the 108 Martyrs of World War II



Profile

Franciscan friar at the monastery in Chelm Lubelski, Poland, taking the name Bruno. Arrested for his faith by the Nazis in November 1939 and sent to the Dachau concentration camp which had a special unit for dealing with imprisoned Catholic clergy. Bruno spent his time in the camp ministering to other prisoners. One of the 108 Martyrs of World War II.


Born

7 September 1905 in Letownia, Malopolskie, Poland as Jan Zembol


Died

beaten to death on 21 August 1942 in the Dachau concentration camp, Oberbayern, Bavaria, Germany


Beatified

13 June 1999 by Pope John Paul II in Warsaw, Poland



Saint Gracia of Lérida

புனித கிரேஸ் (அ) கிராசியா (-1180)


ஆகஸ்ட் 21



இவர் தற்போதைய ஸ்பெயின் நாட்டில் உள்ள லெரிதா என்ற இடத்தைச் சார்ந்தவர். இவரது தந்தை லெரிதாவை ஆண்டு வந்த கலிபா (அ) மன்னர் அல்மான்ஜர் என்பவர் ஆவார் ‌. 


இவருக்குப் பெர்னார்ட் மற்றும் அல்மான்ஜர் என்று இரண்டு சகோதரர்களும், மரியா என்ற சகோதரியும் இருந்தனர். பிறப்பால் இஸ்லாமியரான இவர் தன் சகோதரர் பெர்னார்ட் மூலம் கிறிஸ்துவை ஏற்றுக் கொண்டார். இவரைத் தொடர்ந்து இவரது சகோதரியும் தந்தையும் கிறிஸ்துவை ஏற்றுக் கொண்டு, உண்மையான கிறிஸ்தவர்களாக வாழ்ந்து வந்தார்கள்.



இச் செய்தி இவரது மற்றொரு சகோதரரான அல்மான்ஜருக்குத் தெரியவர, அவர் இவரையும் இவரது சகோதரர், சகோதரி, தந்தை என நான்கு பேரையும் பற்றி மூர் இனத்தவரிடம் சொல்ல, அவர்கள் இவர்களைக் கொலைக் செய்தார்கள்.


இவ்வாறு கிரேஸ் (அ) கிராசியா தன்னுடைய இன்னுயிரைத் தந்து இயேசுவுக்குச் சான்று பகர்ந்தார்.

Also known as

Grace, Zaida



Profile

Daughter of Almanzor, Muslim caliph of Lerida, Catalonia. Sister of Saint Bernard and Saint Maria. Convert, brought to the faith by her brother Bernard. The three tried to convert their brother Almanzor, who turned them over to Moorish authorities. Martyr.


Born

at Lerida, Catalonia (in modern Spain) as Zaida


Died

c.1180


Patronage

Alcira, Valencia, Spain



Saint Maria of Lérida


Also known as

• Mary of Lérida

• Zoraida of Lérida



Profile

Daughter of Almanzor, Muslim caliph of Lerida, Catalonia in modern Spain. Sister of Saint Bernard of Lérida and Saint Grace of Lérida. Convert, brought to the faith by her brother Bernard. The three tried to convert their brother Almanzor, who turned them over to Moorish authorities. Martyr.


Born

at Lérida, Catalonia,Spain as Zoraida


Died

martyred c.1180


Patronage

Alcira, Valencia, Spain



Saint Bernard of Lérida


Also known as

Achmed



Profile

Son of Almanzor, Muslim caliph of Lerida, Catalonia. Brother of Saint Mary and Saint Grace. Convert. Benedictine Cistercian monk at Poblet, taking the name Bernard. With his sisters, he tried to convert his brother Almanzor, who turned them over to Moorish authorities. Martyr.


Born

at Lerida, Catalonia (in modern Spain) as Achmed


Died

c.1180


Patronage

Alcira, Valencia, Spain



Saint Bassa of Edessa


Profile

A devout Christian woman married to a pagan priest. Mother of Saint Theogonius, Saint Agapius and Saint Fidelis. Martyred in the persecutions of Diocletian. She was forced to watch her three sons be executed first; she prayed for them and encouraged them to not abandon their faith.



Died

c.304 in Edessa, Syria



Saint Giuse Ðang Van Viên


Also known as

Joseph


Additional Memorial

24 November as one of the Martyrs of Vietnam


Profile

Priest in the apostolic vicariate of East Tonkin. Martyr.


Born

c.1787 in Tiên Chu, Hung Yên, Vietnam


Died

beheaded on 21 August 1838 in Bay Mau, Hanoi, Vietnam


Canonized

19 June 1988 by Pope John Paul II



Saint Luxorius of Sardinia


Also known as

Lussurio



Profile

Christian soldier in the imperial Roman army. Comforted Saint Cisellus and Saint Camerinus after the boys had been sentenced to death. Martyred in the persecutions of Diocletian.


Died

beheaded in 303 in Sardinia, Italy



Saint Anastasius Cornicularius


Profile

Military tribune, a position known as cornicularius. He was so impressed and moved by the courage of Saint Aeapitus under torture for his faith that he announced, "The God of Aeapitus is my God." He was immediately arrested and executed by order of Aurelian. Martyr.


Died

274 at Salone, Italy



Saint Cyriaca


Also known as

Dominica


Profile

Wealthy married woman in Rome, Italy. Widowed, she spent her fortune sheltering persecuted Christians. Saint Lawrence of Rome used her house as a base for alms-giving and charitable work. Martyr. The church of Saint Mary in Dominica in Rome is named for her.


Died

scourged to death in 249 in Rome, Italy



Saint Maximianus the Soldier


Also known as

Maximinian, Maximilian


Profile

Soldier in the imperial Herculean Legion serving under an uncle of Julian the Apostate. Tortured and executed for refusing to change the Labarum of Constantine, a Christian banner, for a pagan one. Martyr.


Died

362



Saint Privatus of Mende

Also known as

Privado, Privato


Profile

Bishop of Mende, France. Captured by invading barbarians, but was offered his freedom if he would reveal where his flock was hiding or sacrifice to idols; he declined both offers. Martyr.


Died

beaten to death in 260 in Mende, France



Blessed Gilbert of Valenciennes


Profile

Benedictine monk at Saint-Crespin-en-Chaie, Soissons, France. Abbot at the monastery of Saint John the Baptist Abbey at Valenciennes, France. Persecuted by the Count of Hainault (in modern Belgium).


Died

1185 of natural causes



Blessed Beatrice de Roelas


Profile

Mercedarian nun. Founded the Assumption monastery in Seville, Spain.



Died

1580 in the Mercedarian monastery of the Assumption in Seville, Spain



Saint Natale of Casale Monferrato


Profile

Martyr.



Died

relics in the cathedral of Casale Monferrato, Italy



Saint Quadratus of Utica


Profile

Bishop of Utica in North Africa. Martyred with all his flock.


Died

3rd century


Readings

He taught his whole people, clergy and laity, to confess Christ. - Saint Augustine of Hippo



Saint Maximilian of Antioch


Profile

Christian soldier of the Herculean cohort. Ordered by Julian the Apostate to remove the monogram of Christ from the cohort's standard; he refused. Martyr.


Died

c.353 in Antioch



Saint Bonosus


Profile

Soldier; officer in the imperial Herculean Legion serving under an uncle of Julian the Apostate. Tortured and executed for refusing to change the Labarum of Constantine, a Christian banner, for a pagan one. Martyr.


Died

362



Saint Agathonicus of Constantinople


Profile

Member of the Patrician class in the area around Constantinople. Martyred in the late 3rd-century persecutions of Diocletian and Maximian Herculeus.



Saint Zoticus the Philosopher


Profile

Philosopher and teacher martyred with several of his spiritual students in the late 3rd-century persecutions of Diocletian and Maximian Herculeus.



Saint Theogonius of Edessa


Profile

Son of Saint Bassa of Edessa. Martyred in the persecutions of Diocletian.


Died

c.304 in Edessa, Syria



Saint Bernard de Alziva


Profile

Convert, with his two sisters, from Islam to Christianity; they were all martyred for this choice.


Died

1180



Saint Agapius of Edessa


Profile

Son of Saint Bassa of Edessa. Martyred in the persecutions of Diocletian.


Died

c.304 in Edessa, Syria



Saint Fidelis of Edessa


Profile

Son of Saint Bassa of Edessa. Martyred in the persecutions of Diocletian.


Died

c.304 in Edessa, Syria



Saint Camerinus of Sardinia


Profile

Martyred in the persecutions of Diocletian.


Died

beheaded in 303 in Sardinia, Italy



Saint Cisellus of Sardinia


Profile

Martyred in the persecutions of Diocletian.


Died

beheaded in 303 in Sardinia, Italy



Saint Avitus I of Clermont


Profile

Bishop of Clermont, France. Ordained Saint Gregory of Tours as deacon.


Died

c.600



Saint Hardulph


Profile

The church at Breedon-on-the-Hill, Leicestershire, England is dedicated to this saint, but nothing of his story has survived.



Saint Paternus of Fondi


Profile

Martyr.


Born

Alexandria, Egypt


Died

c.255 in Fondi, Italy



Saint Leontius the Elder


Profile

Bishop of Bordeaux, France.


Died

c.541



Saint Euprepius of Verona


Profile

First century bishop of Verona, Italy.



Saint Aria of Rome


Profile

Martyr.


Died

Rome, Italy



Saint Cameron


Profile

Martyr.


Died

Cagliari, Italy



Martyred in the Spanish Civil War


Thousands of people were murdered in the anti-Catholic persecutions of the Spanish Civil War from 1934 to 1939. I have pages on each of them, but in most cases I have only found very minimal information. They are available on the CatholicSaints.Info site through these links:


• Blessed Joan Cuscó Oliver

• Blessed Joan Vernet Masip

• Blessed Pere Sadurní Raventós

• Blessed Ramon Peiró Victori

• Blessed Salvador Estrugo Salves

19 August 2021

இன்றைய புனிதர்கள் ஆகஸ்ட் 20

 St. Bernard of Clairvaux

† இன்றைய புனிதர் †

(ஆகஸ்ட் 20)


✠ க்ளேர்வாக்ஸ் நகர் புனிதர் பெர்னார்ட் ✠

(St. Bernard of Clairvaux)


மடாதிபதி, ஒப்புரவாளர், மறைவல்லுநர்:

(French Abbot, Confessor, Doctor of the Church)


பிறப்பு: கி.பி. 1090

ஃபவுன்டைன்-லெஸ்-டிஜோன், ஃபிரான்ஸ்

(Fontaine-lès-Dijon, France)


இறப்பு: ஆகஸ்டு 20, 1153 (வயது 63)

க்ளேர்வாக்ஸ், ஃபிரான்ஸ்

(Clairvaux, France)


ஏற்கும் சமயம்:

ரோமன் கத்தோலிக்க திருச்சபை

(Roman Catholic Church)

ஆங்கிலிக்கன் திருச்சபை

(Anglican Church)

லூதரன் திருச்சபை

(Lutheran Church)


புனிதர் பட்டம்: ஜனவரி 18, 1174 

திருத்தந்தை 3ம் அலெக்சாண்டர்

(Pope Alexander III)


முக்கிய திருத்தலங்கள்:

ட்ரோய்ஸ் பேராலயம், வில்லே-சௌஸ்-ல-ஃபெர்ட்,

(Troyes Cathedral, Ville-sous-la-Ferté)


நினைவுத் திருநாள்: ஆகஸ்ட் 20


பாதுகாவல்: 

சிஸ்டர்சியன் சபையினர் (Cistercians), பர்கண்டி (Burgundy), தேனீ வளர்ப்பவர்கள் (Beekeepers), மெழுகுவர்த்தி தயாரிப்பாளர்கள் (Candle makers), ஜிப்ரால்டர் (Gibraltar), அல்ஜீசிராஸ் (Algeciras), குயின்ஸ் கல்லூரி (Queens' College), கேம்பிரிட்ஜ் (Cambridge), 

ஸ்பீயர் பேராலயம் (Speyer Cathedral), நைட்ஸ் டெம்ப்ளர் (Knights Templar), பினன்கொனம் (Binangonan), ரிஸால் (Rizal)


புனித பெர்னார்ட், ஒரு ஃபிரெஞ்ச் மடாதிபதியும் (French abbot), சிஸ்டெர்சியன் சபையின் (Cistercian order) பிரதான சீர்திருத்தவாதியும், பெனடிக்டின் துறவறத்தின் (Benedictine monasticism) சீர்திருத்தங்களின் முக்கிய தலைவருமாவார்.


பெர்னார்டின் தந்தை, “டெஸ்செலின்” (Tescelin de Fontaine), “ஃபவுன்டைன்-லெஸ்-டிஜோன்” (Fontaine-lès-Dijon) பிரபு ஆவார். இவரது தாயார், “அலேத்” (Alèthe de Montbard) ஆவார். இவர்கள் இருவமே “பர்கண்டியின்” (Burgundy) பிரபுக்கள் குடும்பத்தைச் சேர்ந்தவர்கள் ஆவர்.


தமது ஒன்பது வயதில் கல்வி கற்க ஆரம்பித்த பெர்னார்ட், இலக்கியத்தில் பெரும் ஆர்வம் கொண்டிருந்தார். கவிதைகள், செய்யுள் போன்றவற்றை எழுதுவதிலும் ஆர்வம் கொண்டிருந்தார். கல்வியில் அவர் கொண்ட வெற்றிகள், அவரது ஆசிரியர்களிடம் அவருக்கு பெரும் புகழை பெற்றுத்தந்தது. திருவிவிலியத்தை கற்கவும், ஆராய்வதற்காகவும், அவர் இலக்கியத்தில் சிறந்து விளங்க விரும்பினார். அவர், அன்னை கன்னி மரியாளிடம் சிறப்பு பக்தி கொண்டிருந்தார். பிற்காலத்தில், விண்ணரசி அன்னையைப் பற்றி பல்வேறு படைப்புகளை எழுதினர்.


தத்துவ அறிஞர்களால் ஏற்றுக்கொள்ளப்பட்ட தெய்வீக புரிதலுக்கான பகுத்தறிவு அணுகுமுறைக்கு எதிராக, பெர்னார்ட் ஒரு உடனடி விசுவாசத்தைப் பிரசங்கித்தார், அதனை பரிந்துரை செய்தது அன்னை மரியாள் ஆவார்.


பெர்னார்டுக்கு பத்தொன்பது வயதாகையில் அவரது அன்னை மரித்துப்போனார். தமது இளமைக்காலத்தில் அவர் சோதனைகளிலிருந்து தப்பிவிடவில்லை. இச்சமயத்தில், உலக நடவடிக்கைகளிலிருந்து விடுபட்டு, தனிமை மற்றும் செப வாழ்வை தேர்ந்தெடுக்க விரும்பினார். தமது 22 வயதில், ஒரு தேவாலயத்தில் அவர் செபித்துகொண்டிருக்கையில், “சிடாக்ஸ்” (Cîteaux) நகரிலுள்ள “சிஸ்டேர்சியன்” (Cistercian Monks) துறவியர் மடத்தில் இணைய கடவுள் அழைப்பதாக உணர்ந்தார். பெர்னார்டின் நண்பர்கள், சகோதரர்கள் மற்றும் உறவினர்கள் என்று சுமார் முப்பது பேர் இவருடன் சேர்ந்து துறவு மடத்தில் இணைய பெர்னார்டின் சாட்சியம் தவிர்க்க இயலாத முக்கிய காரணியாய் அமைந்தது.


மூன்று ஆண்டுகளின் பிறகு, (Val d'Absinthe) எனப்படும் தனிமைப்படுத்தப்பட்ட ஒரு ஒடுங்கிய பள்ளத்தாக்கில் துறவு மடமொன்றை நிறுவுவதற்காக அனுப்பப்பட்டார். மரபுப்படி, கி.பி. 1115ம் ஆண்டு, ஜூன் மாதம், 25ம் நாளன்று, துறவு மடத்தை நிறுவினார். அதற்கு “கிளேர் வள்ளி” (Claire Vallée) என்று பெயரிட்டார். பின்னர் அது மருவி, “க்ளேர்வாக்ஸ்” (Clairvaux) என்றானது. அங்கே, உடனடியாக விசுவாசத்தை போதித்து பிரசங்கிக்க தொடங்கினார். அதற்கு பரிந்துரையாளராக அன்னை மரியாள் இருந்தார்.


கி.பி. 1130ம் ஆண்டு, ஃபெப்ரவரி மாதம், 13ம் நாள், திருத்தந்தை “இரண்டாம் ஹானரியல்” (Pope Honorius II) மரித்ததும், திருச்சபையில் ஒரு கலகம் வெடித்தது. ஃபிரான்ஸ் நாட்டின் அரசன் “ஆறாம் லூயிஸ்” (King Louis VI of France) “எடம்ப்ஸ்” (Étampes) எனுமிடத்தில் ஃபிரெஞ்ச் ஆயர்களின் தேசிய மகாசபையைக் கூட்டினார். திருத்தந்தைப் பதவிக்கான போட்டியாளர்களிடையே தீர்ப்பு வழங்க பெர்னார்ட் தேர்ந்தெடுக்கப்பட்டார். “எடம்ப்ஸ்” (Étampes) மகா சபையின் பின்னர், திருத்தந்தை “இரண்டாம் இன்னொசன்டிற்கான” (Pope Innocent II) அரசனின் ஒதுக்கீட்டிற்காக, பெர்னார்ட் இங்கிலாந்தின் அரசன் “முதலாம் ஹென்றியுடன்” (King Henry I of England) பேச்சு நடத்தினார். இங்கிலாந்தின் பெருமளவு ஆயர்கள், எதிர் திருத்தந்தை “இரண்டாம் அனக்லெட்டஸுக்கு” (Antipope Anacletus II) ஆதரவு தெரிவித்ததால், அரசன் நம்பிக்கையற்றிருந்தார். இன்னொசன்டுக்கு ஆதரவு அளிக்குமாறு பெர்னார்ட் அரசனை வற்புறுத்தினார். பெர்னார்டின் நண்பர் “நார்பர்ட்” (Norbert of Xanten) மூலமாக, இன்னொசன்டுக்கு ஆதரவளிக்க ஜெர்மன் முடிவு செய்தது. எனினும், தூய ரோம பேரரசர் “இரண்டாம் லோதைரை” (Lothair II, Holy Roman Emperor) சந்திக்க செல்கையில் பெர்னார்ட் உடன் வரவேண்டுமென இன்னொசன்ட் வலியுறுத்தினார். திருத்தந்தைப் பதவிக்கான மொத்த யுத்தமும் கி.பி. 1138ம் ஆண்டு, ஜனவரி மாதம், 25ம் நாளன்று, “இரண்டாம் அனக்லெட்டஸ்” (Antipope Anacletus II) இறந்ததும் முடிவுக்கு வந்தது.


முன்னர் திருச்சபைக்குள்ளே ஏற்பட்ட பிரிவினைகளுக்கு முடிவுகட்ட உதவிய காரணங்களால், பெர்னார்ட் இப்போது மதங்களுக்கு எதிரான கொள்கைகளுக்கெதிராக (Heresy) போரிட அழைக்கப்பட்டார். ஜூன் 1145ல், பெர்னார்ட் தென்-ஃபிரான்ஸ் பிராந்தியங்களுக்கு பயணித்தார். அங்கே அவரது போதனைகளும் பிரசங்கங்களும் மதங்களுக்கு எதிரான கொள்கைகளுக்கெதிராக ஆதரவை அதிகரித்தது. “எடிஸ்ஸா முற்றுகையின்” (Siege of Edessa) கிறிஸ்தவ தோல்விக்குப் பிறகு, இரண்டாம் சிலுவைப்போரைப் (Second Crusade) பிரசங்கிக்க, திருத்தந்தை அவர்கள், பெர்னார்டை நியமித்தார். சிலுவைப்போரின் தோல்விகள் காரணமாக, பெர்னார்டின் வாழ்க்கையின் இறுதி ஆண்டுகள் துன்பங்கள் நிறைந்ததாக இருந்தன. தோல்விக்கான முழு பொறுப்பும் அவர் மீதே சுமத்தப்பட்டன.


40 வருடங்கள் ஒரு துறவியாக வாழ்ந்த பெர்னார்ட், தமது 63 வயதில் மரித்தார். புனிதர்களின் நாட்காட்டியில் (Calendar of Saints) இடம் பிடித்த முதல் “சிஸ்டேர்சியன்” (Cistercian) துறவி இவரேயாவார். திருத்தந்தை “மூன்றாம் அலெக்சாண்டரால்” (Pope Alexander III) புனிதராக அருட்பொழிவு செய்விக்கப்பட்ட இவர், திருத்தந்தை “எட்டாம் பயசால்” (Pope Pius VIII) கி.பி. 1830ம் ஆண்டு திருச்சபையின் மறைவல்லுனராக (Doctor of the Church) பிரகடணம் செய்யப்பட்டார்.

Feastday: August 20

Death: 1153


St. Bernard, Abbot and Doctor of the Church St. Bernard was born of noble parentage in Burgundy, France, in the castle of Fontaines near Dijon. Under the care of his pious parents he was sent at an early age to a college at Chatillon, where he was conspicuous for his remarkable piety and spirit of recollection. At the same place he entered upon the studies of theology and Holy Scripture. After the death of his mother, fearing the snares and temptations of the world, he resolved to embrace the newly established and very austere institute of the Cistercian Order, of which he was destined to become the greatest ornament. He also persuaded his brothers and several of his friends to follow his example. In 1113, St. Bernard, with thirty young noblemen, presented himself to the holy Abbot, St. Stephen, at Citeaux. After a novitiate spent in great fervor, he made his profession in the following year. His superior soon after, seeing the great progress he had made in the spiritual life, sent him with twelve monks to found a new monastery, which afterward became known as the celebrated Abbey of Clairvaux. St. Bernard was at once appointed Abbot and began that active life which has rendered him the most conspicuous figure in the history of the 12th century. He founded numerous other monasteries, composed a number of works and undertook many journeys for the honor of God. Several Bishoprics were offered him, but he refused them all. The reputation of St. Bernard spread far and wide; even the Popes were governed by his advice. He was commissioned by Pope Eugene III to preach the second Crusade. In obedience to the Sovereign Pontiff he traveled through France and Germany, and aroused the greatest enthusiasm for the holy war among the masses of the population. The failure of the expedition raised a great storm against the saint, but he attributed it to the sins of the Crusaders. St. Bernard was eminently endowed with the gift of miracles. He died on August 20, 1153. His feast day is August 20.



Bernard of Clairvaux (Latin: Bernardus Claraevallensis; 1090 – 20 August 1153), venerated as Saint Bernard, was a Burgundian abbot and a major leader in the revitalization of Benedictine monasticism through the nascent Cistercian Order.


He was sent to found Clairvaux Abbey at an isolated clearing in a glen known as the Val d'Absinthe, about 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) southeast of Bar-sur-Aube. In the year 1128, Bernard attended the Council of Troyes, at which he traced the outlines of the Rule of the Knights Templar,[a] which soon became an ideal of Christian nobility.


On the death of Pope Honorius II in 1130, a schism arose in the church. Bernard was a major proponent of Pope Innocent II, arguing effectively for his legitimacy over the Antipope Anacletus II.


In 1139, Bernard attended the Second Council of the Lateran and criticized Peter Abelard vocally. Bernard advocated crusades in general and convinced many to participate in the unsuccessful Second Crusade, notably through a famous sermon at Vézelay (1146).


Bernard was canonized just 21 years after his death by Pope Alexander III. In 1830 Pope Pius VIII declared him a Doctor of the Church.




Early life (1090–1113)

Bernard's parents were Tescelin de Fontaine, lord of Fontaine-lès-Dijon, and Alèthe de Montbard [fr], both members of the highest nobility of Burgundy. Bernard was the third of seven children, six of whom were sons. Aged nine, he was sent to a school at Châtillon-sur-Seine run by the secular canons of Saint-Vorles. Bernard had an interest in literature and rhetoric. He had a special devotion to the Virgin Mary, and he later wrote several works about the Queen of Heaven.[3]



The Vision of St Bernard, by Fra Bartolommeo, c. 1504 (Uffizi)

Bernard emphasized the value of a personally held faith, with the life of Christ as a model and new emphasis on the Virgin Mary. In opposition to the rational approach to divine understanding used by the scholastics, Bernard preached an immediate faith, in which the intercessor was the Virgin Mary.


Bernard was nineteen years old when his mother died. During his youth, he did not escape trying temptations and around this time he thought of living a life of solitude and prayer.[4]


In 1098, a group led by Robert of Molesme had founded Cîteaux Abbey, near Dijon, with the purpose of living literally according to the Rule of St Benedict. After his mother died, Bernard decided to go to Cîteaux. In 1113 he and thirty other young noblemen of Burgundy sought admission into the new monastery.[5] Bernard's example was so convincing that scores followed him into the monastic life.


Abbot of Clairvaux (1115–28)


Bernard exorcising a possession, altarpiece by Jörg Breu the Elder, c. 1500


Bernard helding a Satan at his feet, oiloncanvas by Marcello Baschenis, c. 1885

The little community of reformed Benedictines at Cîteaux grew rapidly. Three years after entering, Bernard was sent with a group of twelve monks to found a new house at Vallée d'Absinthe, in the Diocese of Langres. This Bernard named Claire Vallée, or Clairvaux, on 25 June 1115, and the names of Bernard and Clairvaux soon became inseparable.[4] During the absence of the Bishop of Langres, Bernard was blessed as abbot by William of Champeaux, Bishop of Châlons-sur-Marne. From then on a strong friendship grew between the abbot and the bishop, who was professor of theology at Notre Dame of Paris and the founder of St. Victor Abbey in Paris.[3]


The beginnings of Clairvaux Abbey were austere; Bernard soon became ill. Nonetheless, candidates for the monastic life flocked to it in great numbers. Even his father and all his brothers entered Cîteaux, leaving only Humbeline, his sister, in the secular world. She, with the consent of her husband, later took the veil in the Benedictine nunnery of Jully-les-Nonnains. Gerard of Clairvaux, Bernard's older brother, became the cellarer of Cîteaux. Clairvaux soon started founding new communities.[6] In 1118 Trois-Fontaines Abbey was founded in the diocese of Châlons; in 1119 Fontenay Abbey in the Diocese of Autun; and in 1121 Foigny Abbey near Vervins.


In addition to successes, Bernard also had his trials. During an absence from Clairvaux, the Grand Prior of the Abbey of Cluny went to Clairvaux and enticed away Bernard's cousin, Robert of Châtillon. This was the occasion of the longest and most emotional of Bernard's letters.[3]



The abbey of Cluny as it would have looked in Bernard's time

The monks of the powerful Benedictine abbey of Cluny were unhappy to see Cîteaux take the lead role among the monastic orders. They criticized the Cistercian way of life. At the solicitation of William of St.-Thierry, Bernard defended the Cistercians with his Apology. Peter the Venerable, abbot of Cluny, answered Bernard and assured him of his admiration and friendship. In the meantime, Cluny launched a reform and Abbot Suger, the minister of Louis VI of France, was converted by Bernard's Apology.


Doctor of the Church


Christ Embracing St Bernard by Francisco Ribalta

In 1128, Bernard participated in the Council of Troyes, which had been convoked by Pope Honorius II, and was presided over by Cardinal Matthew of Albano. The purpose of this council was to settle certain disputes of the bishops of Paris, and regulate other matters of the Church of France. The bishops made Bernard secretary of the council, and charged him with drawing up the synodal statutes. After the council, the bishop of Verdun was deposed. It was at this council that Bernard composed a rule for the Knights Templar; it soon became an ideal of Christian nobility. Around this time, he praised them in his Liber ad milites templi de laude novae militiae.[7]


Schism

Bernard's influence was soon felt in provincial affairs. He defended the rights of the Church against the encroachments of kings and princes, and recalled to their duty Henri Sanglier, archbishop of Sens and Stephen of Senlis, bishop of Paris. When Honorius II died in 1130, a schism broke out in the Church by the election of two popes, Pope Innocent II and Antipope Anacletus II. Innocent, having been banished from Rome by Anacletus, took refuge in France. King Louis VI convened a national council of the French bishops at Étampes and Bernard, summoned there by the bishops, was chosen to judge between the rival popes. He decided in favour of Innocent.


Bernard travelled on to Italy and reconciled Pisa with Genoa, and Milan with the pope. The same year Bernard was again at the Council of Reims at the side of Innocent II. He then went to Aquitaine where he succeeded for the time in detaching William X, Duke of Aquitaine, from the cause of Anacletus.[4]



Saint Bernard and the Duke of Aquitaine, by Marten Pepijn

Germany had decided to support Innocent through Norbert of Xanten, who was a friend of Bernard's. However, Innocent insisted on Bernard's company when he met with Lothair II, Holy Roman Emperor. Lothair II became Innocent's strongest ally among the nobility. Although the councils of Étampes, Würzburg, Clermont, and Rheims all supported Innocent, large portions of the Christian world still supported Anacletus.


In a letter by Bernard to German Emperor Lothair regarding Antipope Anacletus, Bernard wrote, “It is a disgrace for Christ that a Jew sits on the throne of St. Peter’s” and “Anacletus has not even a good reputation with his friends, while Innocent is illustrious beyond all doubt.”


Bernard wrote to Gerard of Angoulême (a letter known as Letter 126), which questioned Gerard's reasons for supporting Anacletus. Bernard later commented that Gerard was his most formidable opponent during the whole schism. After persuading Gerard, Bernard traveled to visit William X, Duke of Aquitaine. He was the hardest for Bernard to convince. He did not pledge allegiance to Innocent until 1135. After that, Bernard spent most of his time in Italy persuading the Italians to pledge allegiance to Innocent. The conflict ended when Anacletus died in 1138.[8]


In 1132, Bernard accompanied Innocent II into Italy, and at Cluny the pope abolished the dues which Clairvaux used to pay to that abbey. This action gave rise to a quarrel between the White Monks and the Black Monks which lasted 20 years. In May of that year, the pope, supported by the army of Lothair III, entered Rome, but Lothair III, feeling himself too weak to resist the partisans of Anacletus, retired beyond the Alps, and Innocent sought refuge in Pisa in September 1133. Bernard had returned to France in June and was continuing the work of peacemaking which he had commenced in 1130. Towards the end of 1134, he made a second journey into Aquitaine, where William X had relapsed into schism. Bernard invited William to the Mass which he celebrated in the Church of La Couldre. At the Eucharist, he "admonished the Duke not to despise God as he did His servants".[3] William yielded and the schism ended. Bernard went again to Italy, where Roger II of Sicily was endeavouring to withdraw the Pisans from their allegiance to Innocent. He recalled the city of Milan to obedience to the pope as they had followed the deposed Anselm V, Archbishop of Milan. For this, he was offered, and he refused, the archbishopric of Milan. He then returned to Clairvaux. Believing himself at last secure in his cloister, Bernard devoted himself to the composition of the works which won for him the title of "Doctor of the Church". He wrote at this time his sermons on the Song of Songs.[b] In 1137, he was again forced to leave the abbey by order of the pope to put an end to the quarrel between Lothair and Roger of Sicily. At the conference held at Palermo, Bernard succeeded in convincing Roger of the rights of Innocent II. He also silenced the final supporters who sustained the schism. Anacletus died of "grief and disappointment" in 1138, and with him the schism ended.[3]


In 1139, Bernard assisted at the Second Council of the Lateran, in which the surviving adherents of the schism were definitively condemned. About the same time, Bernard was visited at Clairvaux by Malachy, Primate of All Ireland, and a very close friendship formed between them. Malachy wanted to become a Cistercian, but the pope would not give his permission. Malachy died at Clairvaux in 1148.[3]


Conflict with Abelard

Towards the close of the 11th century, a spirit of independence flourished within schools of philosophy and theology. The movement found an ardent and powerful advocate in Peter Abelard. Abelard's treatise on the Trinity had been condemned as heretical in 1121, and he was compelled to throw his own book into a fire. However, Abelard continued to develop his controversial teachings. Bernard is said to have held a meeting with Abelard intending to persuade him to amend his writings, during which Abelard repented and promised to do so. But once out of Bernard's presence, he reneged.[10] Bernard then denounced Abelard to the pope and cardinals of the Curia. Abelard sought a debate with Bernard, but Bernard initially declined, saying he did not feel matters of such importance should be settled by logical analyses. Bernard's letters to William of St-Thierry also express his apprehension about confronting the preeminent logician. Abelard continued to press for a public debate, and made his challenge widely known, making it hard for Bernard to decline. In 1141, at the urgings of Abelard, the archbishop of Sens called a council of bishops, where Abelard and Bernard were to put their respective cases so Abelard would have a chance to clear his name.[10] Bernard lobbied the prelates on the evening before the debate, swaying many of them to his view. The next day, after Bernard made his opening statement, Abelard decided to retire without attempting to answer.[10] The council found in favour of Bernard and their judgment was confirmed by the pope. Abelard submitted without resistance, and he retired to Cluny to live under the protection of Peter the Venerable, where he died two years later.[4]


Cistercian Order and heresy

Bernard had occupied himself in sending bands of monks from his overcrowded monastery into Germany, Sweden, England, Ireland, Portugal, Switzerland, and Italy. Some of these, at the command of Innocent II, took possession of Tre Fontane Abbey, from which Eugene III was chosen in 1145. Pope Innocent II died in the year 1143. His two successors, Pope Celestine II and Pope Lucius II, reigned only a short time, and then Bernard saw one of his disciples, Bernard of Pisa, and known thereafter as Eugene III, raised to the Chair of Saint Peter.[11] Bernard sent him, at the pope's own request, various instructions which comprise the Book of Considerations, the predominating idea of which is that the reformation of the Church ought to commence with the sanctity of the pope. Temporal matters are merely accessories; the principles according to Bernard's work were that piety and meditation were to precede action.[12]


Having previously helped end the schism within the Church, Bernard was now called upon to combat heresy. Henry of Lausanne, a former Cluniac monk, had adopted the teachings of the Petrobrusians, followers of Peter of Bruys and spread them in a modified form after Peter's death.[13] Henry of Lausanne's followers became known as Henricians. In June 1145, at the invitation of Cardinal Alberic of Ostia, Bernard traveled in southern France.[14] His preaching, aided by his ascetic looks and simple attire, helped doom the new sects. Both the Henrician and the Petrobrusian faiths began to die out by the end of that year. Soon afterwards, Henry of Lausanne was arrested, brought before the bishop of Toulouse, and probably imprisoned for life. In a letter to the people of Toulouse, undoubtedly written at the end of 1146, Bernard calls upon them to extirpate the last remnants of the heresy. He also preached against Catharism.[11]


Crusade preaching

Second Crusade (1146–49)

News came at this time from the Holy Land that alarmed Christendom. Christians had been defeated at the Siege of Edessa and most of the county had fallen into the hands of the Seljuk Turks.[15] The Kingdom of Jerusalem and the other Crusader states were threatened with similar disaster. Deputations of the bishops of Armenia solicited aid from the pope, and the King of France also sent ambassadors. In 1144 Eugene III commissioned Bernard to preach the Second Crusade and granted the same indulgences for it which Pope Urban II had accorded to the First Crusade.[16]


There was at first virtually no popular enthusiasm for the crusade as there had been in 1095. Bernard found it expedient to dwell upon taking the cross as a potent means of gaining absolution for sin and attaining grace. On 31 March, with King Louis VII of France present, he preached to an enormous crowd in a field at Vézelay, making "the speech of his life".[17] The full text has not survived, but a contemporary account says that "his voice rang out across the meadow like a celestial organ"[17]


James Meeker Ludlow describes the scene romantically in his book The Age of the Crusades:


A large platform was erected on a hill outside the city. King and monk stood together, representing the combined will of earth and heaven. The enthusiasm of the assembly of Clermont in 1095, when Peter the Hermit and Urban II launched the first crusade, was matched by the holy fervor inspired by Bernard as he cried, "O ye who listen to me! Hasten to appease the anger of heaven, but no longer implore its goodness by vain complaints. Clothe yourselves in sackcloth, but also cover yourselves with your impenetrable bucklers. The din of arms, the danger, the labors, the fatigues of war, are the penances that God now imposes upon you. Hasten then to expiate your sins by victories over the Infidels, and let the deliverance of the holy places be the reward of your repentance." As in the olden scene, the cry "Deus vult! Deus vult! " rolled over the fields, and was echoed by the voice of the orator: "Cursed be he who does not stain his sword with blood."[18]


When Bernard was finished the crowd enlisted en masse; they supposedly ran out of cloth to make crosses. Bernard is said to have flung off his own robe and began tearing it into strips to make more.[16][17] Others followed his example and he and his helpers were supposedly still producing crosses as night fell.


Unlike the First Crusade, the new venture attracted royalty, such as Eleanor of Aquitaine, Queen of France; Thierry of Alsace, Count of Flanders; Henry, the future Count of Champagne; Louis's brother Robert I of Dreux; Alphonse I of Toulouse; William II of Nevers; William de Warenne, 3rd Earl of Surrey; Hugh VII of Lusignan, Yves II, Count of Soissons; and numerous other nobles and bishops. But an even greater show of support came from the common people. Bernard wrote to the pope a few days afterwards, "Cities and castles are now empty. There is not left one man to seven women, and everywhere there are widows to still-living husbands."[16]


Bernard then passed into Germany, and the reported miracles which multiplied almost at his every step undoubtedly contributed to the success of his mission. Conrad III of Germany and his nephew Frederick Barbarossa, received the cross from the hand of Bernard.[15] Pope Eugenius came in person to France to encourage the enterprise. As in the First Crusade, the preaching led to attacks on Jews; a fanatical French monk named Radulphe was apparently inspiring massacres of Jews in the Rhineland, Cologne, Mainz, Worms, and Speyer, with Radulphe claiming Jews were not contributing financially to the rescue of the Holy Land. The archbishop of Cologne and the archbishop of Mainz were vehemently opposed to these attacks and asked Bernard to denounce them. This he did, but when the campaign continued, Bernard traveled from Flanders to Germany to deal with the problems in person. He then found Radulphe in Mainz and was able to silence him, returning him to his monastery.[19]


The last years of Bernard's life were saddened by the failure of the Second Crusade he had preached, the entire responsibility for which was thrown upon him.[11] Bernard considered it his duty to send an apology to the Pope and it is inserted in the second part of his "Book of Considerations." There he explains how the sins of the crusaders were the cause of their misfortune and failures.


Wendish Crusade (1147)

Bernhard preached the Wendish Crusade against Western Slavs, setting a goal to the crusade of battling them "until such a time as, by God's help, they shall either be converted or deleted".[20]


Final years (1149–53)


Bernard receiving milk from the breast of the Virgin Mary. The scene is a legend which allegedly took place at Speyer Cathedral in 1146.

The death of his contemporaries served as a warning to Bernard of his own approaching end. The first to die was Suger in 1152, of whom Bernard wrote to Eugene III, "If there is any precious vase adorning the palace of the King of Kings it is the soul of the venerable Suger". Conrad III and his son Henry died the same year. Bernard died at age sixty-three on 20 August 1153, after forty years of monastic life.[11] He was buried at Clairvaux Abbey, and after its dissolution in 1792 by the French revolutionary government his remains were transferred to Troyes Cathedral.



Theology

Main article: Doctor Mellifluus

Bernard was named a Doctor of the Church in 1830. At the 800th anniversary of his death, Pope Pius XII issued an encyclical about him, titled Doctor Mellifluus, in which he labeled him "The Last of the Fathers." The central elements of Bernard's Mariology are how he explained the virginity of Mary, the "Star of the Sea", and her role as Mediatrix.


The first abbot of Clairvaux developed a rich theology of sacred space and music, writing extensively on both.[citation needed]


John Calvin and Martin Luther quoted Bernard several times[21] in support of the doctrine of Sola Fide.[22][23] Calvin also quotes him in setting forth his doctrine of a forensic alien righteousness, or as it is commonly called imputed righteousness.[24]


Spirituality


Stained glass representing Bernard. Upper Rhine, c. 1450

Bernard was instrumental in re-emphasizing the importance of lectio divina and contemplation for monks. Bernard had observed that when lectio divina was neglected, monasticism suffered.[25] Bernard "noted centuries ago: the people who are their own spiritual directors have fools for disciples."[26]


Legacy

Bernard's theology and Mariology continue to be of major importance, particularly within the Cistercian and Trappist Orders.[c] Bernard helped found 163 monasteries in different parts of Europe. His influence led Alexander III to launch reforms that led to the establishment of canon law.[27] He was canonized by Alexander III 18 January 1174. He is labeled the "Mellifluous Doctor" for his eloquence. Cistercians honour him as one of the greatest early Cistercians.



His feast day (observed in several denominations) is 20 August.


Bernard is Dante Alighieri's last guide, in Divine Comedy, as he travels through the Empyrean. Dante's choice appears to be based on Bernard's contemplative mysticism, his devotion to Mary, and his reputation for eloquence.


The Couvent et Basilique Saint-Bernard, a collection of buildings dating from the 12th, 17th and 19th centuries, is dedicated to Bernard and stands in his birthplace of Fontaine-lès-Dijon.





St. Baamin


Feastday: August 20


Eudoxia with (Panammon) with my sister. Martyred in Kemet. 20 Aug. Coptic Calendar. 





Martyrs of Thrace


Feastday: August 20


A group of thirty-seven martyrs who suffered in Thrace, in modem northern Greece. Their feet and hands were sliced off and then they were cast into a furnace.






Blessed Teofilius Matulionis


Profile

The middle of three brothers born to the peasant family of Jurgis Matulionis and Ona Juocepyte; after his mother died, his father re-married, and the couple then had seven more children. Teofilius studied at Antaliepte, Lithuania from 1887 to 1892, then Dvinsk (modern Daugpilis, Latvia) from 1892 to 1900, and then at the seminary in Saint Petersburg, Russia; he could speak Russian, Latvian and Polish. At one point he questioned his vocation, left seminary, and supported himself by teaching, but later returned to seminary. Ordained a priest of the diocese of Mohilev, Belarus on 17 March 1900.



He assisted briefly in several parishes in Latvia, and on 26 June 1900 was assigned to Latgalia, Latvia. From 1910 to 1929 he was assigned to the parish of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Saint Petersburg, an area where Catholics were a distinct minority, and where they came under increased persecution following the Communist takeover of Russia. The Bolsheviks confiscated all churches in 1922. Father Teofilius was imprisoned from 1923 to 1925 for failure to cooperate with the Soviets in the persecution of Archbishop Jan Cieplak.


Chosen Auxiliary Bishop of Mohilev, Belarus and Titular Bishop of Matrega by Pope Pius XI on 8 December 1928, he was consecrated in secret on 7 February 1929. On 24 November 1929 he was arrested and sentenced to hard labour in a prison camp north of Arctic Circle for the crime of having had contact with people outside the Soviet Union. In prison he would often get up in the middle of the night to celebrate Mass in secret, distributing the Eucharist to other prisoners when possible. The privations of the prison broke his health; Father Teofilius was re-located to solitary confinement in a prison in Saint Ptersburg and finally turned over to Lithuania as part of a prisoner exchange.


Chosen Archbishop of Kaisiadorys, Lithuania on 9 January 1943 by Pope Pius XII. In 1946 he released a pastoral letter to his diocese; the Soviet authorities imprisoned him for ten years for actively practising his vocation. Released in 1956, he was placed under house arrest in Birstonas, Lithuania to prevent his returning to active work as a bishop. On 25 December 1957 Matulionis consecrated Vincentas Sladkevicius a bishop without the consent of the Communists. The authorities mocked him for celebrating the consecration is his kitchen; Matuliones shamed them for forcing him to such a reduced state. For his disobediance, the Communists exiled him to Seduva, Lithuania for the rest of his life. Martyr.


Born

22 June 1873 in Alantos, Moletai, Russian Empire (in modern Lithuania)


Died

• during a routine search of his apartment by Soviet authorities, he was given an injection by a KGB nurse and dropped dead on 20 August 1962 in Seduva, Radviliskis, Lithuania

• his body was exhumed and autopsied in 1999; tests indicated that he had been poisoned

• interred in the crypt of the Transfiguration Cathedral of Kaisiadorys, Kaisiadorys, Kaisiadorys District Municipality, Kaunas, Lithuania


Beatified

• 25 June 2017 by Pope Francis

• beatification celebrated at the square of the Cathedral Basilica of Sventasis Stanislovas ir Sventasis Vladislovas, Vilnius, Lithuania, presided by Cardinal Angelo Amato

• it was the first beatification celebrated in Lithuania

• it was the first beatification of a Lithuanian martyred by Communists



Saint Maria de Mattias


Profile

Born to a pious and educated upper class family. Though women of her day were forbidden a formal education, she learned to read and write, and much about her faith at home from her father. Being an upper class girl of the time, she grew up isolated and self-involved, but in her mid-teens she felt the hollowness of her life, and began to search for more meaning. She prayed for enlightment and received a mystical vision that led her to leave home and wander the roads, explaining the love of God to any who would listen.



At age 17 she attended a mission preached by Saint Gaspare de Bufalo, and saw the obvious changes to people who attended. She wanted to have the same effect, and with the aid of Venerable Giovanni Merlini she founded the Congregation of the Sisters Adorers of the Blood of Christ in Acuto, Italy on 4 March 1834, a woman's congregation for teaching girls. She expanded their work to teaching and catechizing women and boys. Though, due to the social mores of the time she was not allowed to speak to men, they would often gather on their own, sometimes in hiding, to listen to her teaching. Pope Pius IX assigned her to running the San Luigi Hospice in Rome, and from there she worked to expand the Adorers. The congregation experienced occasional opposition from the clergy, but always support from the laity; they ran 70 schools by Mary's death, most in small isolated towns, and over 400 by her beatification.


Born

4 February 1805 at Vallecorsa, Frosinone, Papal States (modern Italy)


Died

• 20 August 1866 in Rome, Italy of natural causes

• buried in the Verano cemetery, Rome

• relics venerated in Rome at the Church of the Precious Blood


Canonized

18 May 2003 by Pope John Paul II at Vatican Basilica




Saint Zacchaeus the Publican


Also known as

Zaccheo



Additional Memorials

• 20 April (Coptic calendar)

• 32nd Sunday after Pentecost (Byzantine calendar)

• 27 August (Martyrology of Rabban Sliba)


Profile

Mentioned in Gospel of Luke as the short tax collector who climbed a tree in order to see Jesus because he couldn't see over the crowd. Jesus decided to go to the man's house, and when the locals grumbled that Christ was friendly with sinners, Zacchaeus showed his conversion by making retribution to any he had harmed, and by giving largely to charity.


Since that's all we actually know, many legends have grown around him, including that he married Saint Veronica, that he became bishop of Caesarea in Palestine, and that he is Saint Amadour who was an early hermit in France.


Patronage

innkeepers (the word publican formerly meant a collector of taxes from the public; in English it later meant the proprietor of a public house, pub or inn



Saint Oswine of Deira


Also known as

Osuine, Oswin



Profile

Born a prince, the son of King Osric of Deira in Britain. Educated by Saint Aidan. Succeeded Saint Oswald of Northumbria as king of Deira in 642. Saint Bede describes him as "most generous to all men and above all things humble; tall of stature and of graceful bearing, with pleasant manner and engaging address." While his reign was one of peace and order, there was constant political wrangling with his cousin Oswy who desired the throne and eventually had him murdered.


Died

• murdered 20 August 651 at Gilling, Yorkshire, England on the orders of his cousin Oswy

• initially buried at Gilling

• re-interred at Tynemouth

• his gravesite was lost during the turmoil of the Viking invasions

• grave re-discovered in 1065 following an apparition of Oswine to a monk named Edmund

• relics moved on 11 March 1100

• relics moved on 20 August 1103

• following the dissolution of monasteries by King Henry VIII, relics moved to Durham, England


Patronage

betrayal victims (his location was betrayed to his murders by a one of his supposedly loyal nobles)




Saint Philibert of Jumièges


Profile

The only son of a member of the court of King Dagobert I. Educated by Saint Ouen of Rouen. Monk of Rébais Abbey at age 20. Abbot of Rébais. He spent some time travelling to various monasteries, studying their Rules, constitutions and methods of mangement. Founded Jumièges Abbey on land he received as a gift from King Clovis II. He created a Rule for the Abbey, and served as its first abbot. Imprisoned and then exiled for opposition to Ebroin. Founded the monastery of Noirmoutier. Abbot of Luçon Abbey. Returning from exile, he founded the monastery of Cunaut and a convent at Pavilly, and helped restore Quinçay. The filbert, or hazelnut, is said to have been named for him as it ripens in England around the time of his feast day.



Born

c.608 in Gascony, France


Died

• 684 on the island of Héri, France of natural causes

• interred in Noirmoutier Abbey

• when the monks abandoned Noirmoutier in 836 due to Viking invasion, they took Philibert's relics with them

• the relics were housed in five different abbeys during the next 39 years

• relics moved to the Saint Philibert Abbey in Tournus, France in 875



Blessed Manuel López Álvarez


Profile

Born to a peasant family, Manuel was baptized on the day he was born. Ordained as a priest in the archdiocese of Granada, Spain on 16 July 1905. Parish priest in Alcolea, Spain. In the time leading up to the Spanish Civil War, Father Manuel came increasingly in conflict with anti–Catholic elements – he had a shotgun pulled on him for officiating at a funeral, and had to sleep in his church to run off would-be arsonists. On 20 August 1936, he was reported by Communist sympathizers to the militia who seized him along with eight other Catholics. The group was loaded into a truck, driven to a cemetery and murdered. Martyr.



Born

26 March 1881 in Mairena, Granada, Spain


Died

• shot, dragged to a pit, and then his skull crushed with a gravedigger's tool on 20 August 1936 at the cemetery in Berja, Almeria, Spain

• buried in a mass grave in Berja with other murdered Catholics


Beatified

• 25 March 2017 by Pope Francis

• beatification celebrated in the Palacio de Exposiciones y Congresos de Aguadulce, Almería, Spain, presided by Cardinal Angelo Amato



Saint Bernardo Tolomei


Also known as

• Bernard Ptolomei

• Bernard Tolomeo

• Giovanni Tolomeo



Profile

Giovannni early changed his name to Bernard from admiration for Bernard of Clairvaux. Educated by his Dominican uncle. His father prevented Bernard from entering religious life. Lawyer. Theologian. Soldier. Politician and government official. Struck blind, Bernardo recovered his sight through the intervention of the Blessed Virgin Mary, after which he gave up worldly life to become a hermit. Accused of heresy, Bernard soon cleared his name. Priest. Founder of the Benedictine Congregation of the Blessed Virgin of Monte Oliveto (Olivetan Congregation; Olivetans). During a bout of the plague, Bernard and his monks cared for any who needed it; none of the brothers became sick.


Born

10 May 1272 at Siena, Tuscany as Giovanni Tolomei


Died

20 August 1348 in Siena, Italy of natural causes


Beatified

24 November 1644 by Pope Innocent X (cultus confirmed)


Canonized

26 April 2009 Pope Benedict XVI



Saint Amadour the Hermit


Also known as

• Amadour of Lucca

• Amadour of Rocamadour

• Amadoro, Amator, Amatore


Profile

In 1126 or 1162 (record vary), the body of this saint was found, possibly incorrupt, in a tomb with indications that the person had died about 1000 years earlier. With no background information available about the body, a series of stories (and guesses) grew up around the person –


• he was Saint Zacchaeus the Publican who changed his name when he converted to Christianity


• he was a servant in the house of the Holy Family


• he was married to Saint Veronica


• he and Saint Veronica served as missionaries in the area of Bordeaux, France


• he was in Rome, Italy to witness the martyrdoms of Paul and Peter


• upon the death of Veronica, he became the first Christian hermit of Gaul with a cell at Quircy, France


• he built the Our Lady of Rocamadour shrine and pilgimage site in France


Died

some relics enshrined at the Saint Michelotto Franciscan convent



Blessed Enrique Rodríguez Tortosa


Profile

Orphaned when he was very small, Enrique was raised by his aunt Araceli. He grew to be a pious and committed Christian, an honest, humble and well-liked layman in his community in the diocese of Almería, Spain. Member of Catholic Action. When Communist militia came to his down in the Spanish Civil War, they ordered Enrique to renounce Christianity; he refused. They seized him, threw him into truck, drove him out of the village and murdered him. Martyr.


Born

30 April 1908 in Terque, Almería, Spain


Died

20 August 1936 in La Rambla de Gérgal, Almería, Spain


Beatified

• 25 March 2017 by Pope Francis

• beatification celebrated in the Palacio de Exposiciones y Congresos de Aguadulce, Almería, Spain, presided by Cardinal Angelo Amato




Blessed José Tapia Díaz de Villachica


Profile

Young layman in the diocese of Almería, Spain, he was the son of merchants and early began working as a clerk to learn the family trade. Member of Catholic Action. Martyred in the Spanish Civil War for refusing to renounce his faith.


Born

6 January 1913 in Terque, Almería, Spain


Died

20 August 1936 in La Rambla de Gérgal, Almería, Spain


Beatified

• 25 March 2017 by Pope Francis

• beatification celebrated in the Palacio de Exposiciones y Congresos de Aguadulce, Almería, Spain, presided by Cardinal Angelo Amato




Blessed María Climent Mateu


Profile

Lay woman in the archdiocese of Valencia, Spain, she was baptized on the day of her birth at her parish church of Saint Tecla. Educated by the Dominican Sisters in Valencia, Spain. Singer, musician and loved to work on embroidery. Secretary of the Catholic Women's Trade Union. Member of the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul. Martyred in the Spanish Civil War; her dying words - "Viva Christo Rey!" (Long live Christ the King!)



Born

30 May 1887 in Xàtiva, Valencia, Spain


Died

stabbed to death on 20 August 1936 in Picadero de Paterna, Valencia, Spain


Beatified

11 March 2001 by Pope John Paul II



Blessed Wladyslaw Maczkowski


Also known as

Ladislaus Maczkowski


Additional Memorial

12 June as one of the 108 Martyrs of World War II



Profile

Priest in the Archdiocese of Gniezno, Poland, serving in the parish of Lubowo. Arrested on 26 August 1940 by occupying Nazis, he was imprisoned in the Dachau concentration camp where he ministered to fellow prisoners and was abused by guards for nearly two years. Martyr.


Born

24 June 1911 in Ociaz, Wielkopolskie, Poland


Died

20 August 1942 in the Dachau concentration camp, Oberbayern, Germany


Beatified

13 June 1999 by Pope John Paul II



Saint Ronald of Orkney

இன்றைய புனிதர் 


(ஆகஸ்ட் 20) 


✠ புனித ரொனால்ட்  ✠ 


(1158) 


இவர் ஸ்காட்லாந்து நாட்டிற்கு அருகில் உள்ள ஓர்க்னே தீவை சார்ந்தவர். 


சிறு வயதிலேயே இறைவன்மீது மிகுந்த பற்றுக்கொண்டு,  துடிப்போடு இருந்த இவர், பின்னாளில் இராணுவ வீரராக மாறி, நாட்டிற்காகப் பணிபுரியத் தொடங்கினார். 


"எங்களுடைய பகுதியில் கோயிலே இல்லை" என்று மக்கள் மிகவும் வருந்திக் கொண்டிருந்த வேளையில், இவர் "நான் உங்களுக்கு ஒரு கோயிலைக் கட்டித் தருகிறேன்" என்று வாக்குறுதி தந்து, ஒரு கோயிலைத் கட்டித் தந்தார். 


அவ்வாறு இவர் கட்டித்தந்த கோயில் தான் கிர்க்வால் என்ற இடத்தில் உள்ள புனித மாக்னுஸ் பெருங்கோயில் ஆகும். இவர் தான் சொன்னது போன்றே ஒரு கோயிலைக் கட்டி தந்ததால், மக்கள் இவரை உயர்வாக மதிக்கத் தொடங்கினார்கள். 


இதன் பிறகு இவர் கடவுள்மீது இன்னும் மிகுதியான நம்பிக்கையோடு வாழத் தொடங்கினார். 


ஒருமுறை நாத்திகர்கள் சிலர் இவரைக் கிறிஸ்துவை மறுதலிக்க சொன்னார்கள். அதற்கு இவர், "எனது உயிரே போனாலும் நான் கிறிஸ்துவை ஒருபோதும் மறுதலிக்க மாட்டேன்" என்று சொல்லி தன்னுடைய நம்பிக்கையில் மிக உறுதியாக இருந்தார். இதனால் அவர்கள் வெகுண்டெழுந்து இவரைக் கொலை செய்தார்கள்

Also known as

• Rögnvald Kali Kolsson

• Ragnvald Kale Kollsson



Profile

Son of Lendmann Kol Kalisson and Gunhild Erlendsdotter, and described as "elegant and accomplished". Appointed Earl of the Orkney and Shetland Islands by King Sigurd I of Norway in 1129. He made a vow to build a church in his lands; the result was the Saint Magnus Cathedral in Kirkwall, Scotland. Murdered by a group of warriors rebelling against him, his rule and his religion, and is considered a martyr in Kirkwall.


Born

1100 in Norway


Died

20 August 1158 in Caithness, Scotland


Canonized

1192 by Pope Celestine III



Blessed Matías Cardona-Meseguer


Also known as

Matías of Saint Augustine



Profile

Son of Narciso Cardona and Domenica Meseguer. Soldier. Joined the Piarists on 25 June 1929, and made his solemn profession on 15 August 1934. Priest, ordained on 11 April 1935. Served in Barcelona, Spain. Martyred in the Spanish Civil War.


Born

23 December 1902 in Vallibona, Castellón, Spain


Died

shot on 20 July 1936 in Pigro de Coll, Vallibona, Castellón, Spain


Beatified

1 October 1995 by Pope Saint John Paul II



Samuel the Patriarch


Profile

The last Judge of Israel, described in the Old Testament book of 1 Kings. The son of Elcana and Hannah, who vowed before his birth to give him to God. Delivered the Israelites from the rule of the Philistines (1 Kings 7). Believed by some to be the author of the books of Judges and Ruth, and the first 24 verses of 1 Kings. In his old age he appointed his sons judges over Israel, but they displeased the ancients, who asked him for a king, and the Lord told him to anoint Saul (1 Kings 8).



Born

c.1132 BC at Ramatha in the moutains of Ephraim



Blessed Gervais-Protais Brunel


Profile

Trappist monk. Priest. Imprisoned on a ship in the harbor of Rochefort, France and left to die during the anti-Catholic persecutions of the French Revolution. One of the Martyrs of the Hulks of Rochefort.


Born

18 June 1744 in Magnières, Meurthe-et-Moselle, France of typhus


Died

20 August 1794 aboard the prison ship Deux-Associés, in Rochefort, Charente-Maritime, France


Beatified

1 October 1995 by Pope John Paul II



Blessed Louis-François Lebrun


Profile

Benedictine Maurist priest. Imprisoned on a ship in the harbor of Rochefort, France and left to die during the anti-Catholic persecutions of the French Revolution. One of the Martyrs of the Hulks of Rochefort.


Born

4 April 1744 in Rouen, Seine-Maritime, France


Died

20 August 1794 aboard the prison ship Deux-Associés, in Rochefort, Charente-Maritime, France


Beatified

1 October 1995 by Pope John Paul II



Saint Laura of Pollenza


Profile

Martyred in the persecutions of Diocletian.


Died

• beheaded in the early 4th century in Rome, Italy

• buried in the Roman catacombs

• relics exhumed on 4 January 1846 and enshrined in the church of Santa Maria del Trebbio, near the Franciscan convent of Pollenza, Italy

• relics re-enshrined in an urn on 27 May 1889 in the Collegiate Church of San Biagio

• relics re-enshrined in May 1912



Blessed Georg Häfner


Also known as

Georg Haefner



Profile

Priest in the diocese of Würzburg, Germany. Arrested by the Nazis and sent to die in the concentration camps for his faith. Martyr.


Born

19 October 1900 in Würzburg, Germany


Died

20 August 1942 in Dachau, Oberbayern, Germany


Beatified

15 May 2011 by Pope Benedict XVI



Saint Lucius of Cyprus


Profile

4th century imperial Roman government official in Cyrene, Africa. He witnessed the faith and martyrdom of Saint Theodore of Cyrene, which led to interest in Christianity and eventually his conversion. Retired to the island of Cyprus to live away from the empire, but was one of a group of Christians martyred in the persecutions of Diocletian.


Died

311 on Cyprus



Blessed Francesco Matienzo


Profile

Mercedarian friar who worked to free Christians held in slavery in Spain by Muslims; he freed 185 of them in 1371.



Died

latter 14th century



Saint Edbert of Northumbria


Profile

King of Northumbria, England for 20 years after which he abdicated and retired to spent his last ten years in prayer and seclusion in a monastery in York, England.


Died

768



Saint Bernard of Valdeiglesias


Also known as

Bernard of Candeleda


Profile

Benedictine Cistercian monk.


Died

1155 of natural causes


Patronage

Candelada, Spain



Saint Christopher of Cordoba


Profile

Monk at the Saint Martin de La Rojana monastery near Cordoba, Spain. Martyred in the persecutions of Abderrahman II.


Died

852 in Cordoba, Spain



Saint Haduin of Le Mans


Also known as

Harduin


Profile

Bishop at Le Mans, France. Founded several monasteries including Notre-Dame-d'Evron.


Died

c.662 of natural causes



Saint Burchard of Worms


Profile

Monk at Lobbes Abbey in Belgium. Canonist. Reluctant bishop of Worms, Germany in 1006.


Born

Hesse, Germany


Died

1026



Saint Heliodorus of Persia


Profile

Martyred with several hundred companions during the persecutions of Shapur II.


Born

Persia


Died

362



Saint Herbert Hoscam


Profile

Archbishop of Conze, Basilicata, Italy.


Born

in England


Died

1180 of natural causes


Patronage

Conze, Italy



Saint Gobert of Apremont


Profile

Count of Apremont. Crusader. Benedictine Cistercian monk at Villers, Brabant, Belgium.


Died

1263 of natural causes



Saint Leovigild of Cordoba


Profile

Priest. Monk in Cordoba, Spain. Martyred in the persecutions of Abderrahman II.


Died

852 in Cordoba, Spain



Saint Maximus of Chinon


Profile

Spiritual student of Saint Martin. Founded the monastery of Chinon in France.


Died

c.470



Saint Porphyrius of Palestrina


Profile

Martyr.


Died

in Palestrina, Italy



Saint Brogan


Profile

Mentioned in the Gorman Martyrology.



Martyred in the Spanish Civil War


Thousands of people were murdered in the anti-Catholic persecutions of the Spanish Civil War from 1934 to 1939. I have pages on each of them, but in most cases I have only found very minimal information. They are available on the CatholicSaints.Info site through these links:


• Blessed Cristòfol Baqués Almirall

• Blessed Emili Bover Albareda

• Blessed Francesc Llagostera Bonet

• Blessed Hilario Barriocanal Quintana

• Blessed Ismael Barrio Marquilla

• Blessed Magí Albaigés Escoda

• Blessed Serapio Sanz Iranzo

• Blessed Tomás Campo Marín