St. Verecundus October 22

 St. Verecundus

Feastday: October 22

Death: 522

Bishop of Verona, Italy. The details of his labors are lost but the Goths ruled Verona at the time. St. Valens succeeded him.

St. Philip of Heraclea October 22

St. Philip of Heraclea

Feastday: October 22

Death: 304

Bishop of Heraclea and martyr. During the persecution of the Church under Emperor Diocletian, Philip was arrested along with his deacon Severus and two other clergy, Hermes and Eusebius. Taken before the magistrate, Blassus, they were ordered to hand over the Sacred Scripture, but refused. Moved to Adrianople, they were burned at the stake. All four share the same feast day.

St. Philip October 22

 St. Philip

Feastday: October 22

Death: 270

Martyr. He was bishop of Fermo, Italy. He suffered martyrdom in the reign of Emperor Aurelian. Little is known of him save that his relics are preserved in the local cathedral of Fermo.

St. Nunctus October 22

 St. Nunctus

Feastday: October 22

Abbot and martyr, also called Noint. The abbot of a monastery near Merida, Spain, he was murdered by a group of robbers. He was venerated as a martyr. 

St. Nepotian October 22

 St. Nepotian

Feastday: October 22

Bishop of Clermont, also listed as Neptiamus. He succeeded the famed St. Illidius in 386. Clermont was blessed with a vast roster of sainted bishops. Nepotian's successor was St. Artemius.

St. Moderan October 22

 St. Moderan

Feastday: October 22

Death: 730

 

Benedictine bishop of Rennes, France, from 703-720. He made a pilgrimage to Rome and resigned his see to become a hermit in Berceto Abbey, in Parma, Italy. He is also called Moran and Moderammus.

 

St. Mellon October 22

 St. Mellon

Feastday: October 22

Death: 314

First bishop of Rouen, France. A native of Cardiff, Wales, he is listed as Mallonous, Mellouns, and Melanius. He was converted while in Rome and sent to France as a missionary by Pope St. Stephen.

 

This article is about the 4th-century, possibly legendary, Bishop of Rouen. For the Bishop of Rennes, see Melaine.

Saint Mellonius (229-314) was an early 4th-century Bishop of Rotomagus (now Rouen) in the Roman province of Secunda Provincia Lugdunensis (now Normandy in France). He is known only from a 17th-century 'Life' of little historical value, meaning the historicity of his existence is uncertain.[3]

Contents

1 Legend

2 Veneration

3 Legacy

4 References

5 External links

Legend

Detail of a stained glass window in Saint Ouen's church, Rouen portraying Mellonius, 1325/1339

Mellonius (surnamed Probus)[1] is said to have been born near Cardiff in Wales, presumably at St Mellons, although the saint there is generally thought to be Saint Melaine, Bishop of Rennes. The two have, unfortunately, been hopelessly confused in many biographies. Mellonius' story tells how he travelled to Rome to pay the British tribute. He was there converted to Christianity by Pope Stephen I,[4] who ordained him priest and later consecrated him a bishop.

Shortly after the martyrdom of Pope Stephen in 257, Mellonius set out for Gaul. He succeeded Nicasius of Rouen as Bishop of Rouen in 261. After a long episcopate, in 311, he retired to a hermit‘s cell at a place called Hericourt, where he died A.D. 314.[5] Mellonius was succeeded by Avitianus.

He is sometimes confused with Mellonius, Bishop of Troyes, from 390 to 400.

Veneration

His feast day is 22 October. In the English translation of the 1956 edition of the Roman Martyrology, 'St Mellon' is listed under 22 October with the citation: At Rouen, St Mellon, Bishop, who was ordained by Pope St Stephen and sent thither to preach the Gospel.[6]

In the 2004 edition of the Roman Martyrology, Mellonius is listed under the same date, 22 October, with the Latin name Mallóni. He is mentioned as follows: 'At Rothómagi (Rouen), bishop, who in that city announced the Christian faith and handed on the episcopate'.[7]

Bishop Mellonius is depicted in a fifteenth-century illuminated Book of Hours.[8]

Mellonius was buried at Rouen, but his remains were subsequently translated to a church in Pontoise towards the end of the eighth century to protect them from Norse warbands. They remained there until they were lost during the French Revolution.

Legacy

St. Mellon's Church in St. Mellons, Cardiff id dedicated to Mellonius of Rouen. A fair used to be held on his feast day in the village of St Mellons.[2] The church was previously dedicated to St. Lucius, but was changed upon the arrival of the Normans.[1] The church at Thiédeville is dedicated to him at Héricourt, where there was a holy well. There is also a church dedicated to St. Mellon in Plomelin, Brittany.

St. Mark October 22

 St. Mark

Feastday: October 22

First bishop of Jerusalem not of Jewish descent. He is reported to have been martyred after two decades.

St. Donatus of Fiesole October 22

 St. Donatus of Fiesole

Feastday: October 22

Death: 874

An Irishman who became bishop of Fiesole, Italy Traveling through that city while returning from a pilgrimage to Rome in 829, Donatus entered the cathedral. Candles caught light and bells rang, prompting the people to elect him bishop. He wasa noted scholar and became advisor to Lothair I and his son, Louis II.

Saint Donatus (Donat, Donnchad) of Fiesole was an Irish teacher and poet, and Bishop of Fiesole, about 829–876.

Donatus was born in Ireland of noble parents towards the end of the eighth century. There is good reason to believe that he was educated in the monastic school of Inishcaltra, a little island in Lough Derg, near the Galway shore, now better known as Holy Island: so he was probably a native of that part of the country. Here he studied with great industry and success. He became a priest, and in course of time a bishop: he was greatly distinguished as a professor.[1]

According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, in an ancient collection of the Vitae Patrum, of which an eleventh-century copy exists in the Laurentian library of Florence, there is an account of the life of Donatus, which states that about 816 Donatus visited the tombs of the Apostles in Rome with his friend, Andrew Scotus (meaning "the Irishman"). They remained in Rome for a considerable time, and then having obtained the Pope's blessing, set out once more, directing their steps now towards Tuscany, till at length they reached Fiesole, where they entered the hospice of the monastery, intending to rest there for a week or two, and then to resume their journey.[1]

According to tradition, he was led by Divine Providence to the cathedral of Fiesole, which he entered at the moment when the people were grouped around their altars praying for a bishop to deliver them from temporal and spiritual evils. When Donatus entered, the bells spontaneously began ringing and the candles lit. The people believed God meant this stranger to be their bishop. They elected him, although some said it's possible no one local wanted the position because the feudal lords had drowned the previous bishop.[2] Raised by popular acclaim to the See of Fiesole, Donatus instituted a revival of piety and learning in the church over which he was placed. Donatus made Andrew his deacon. This was in or about the year 824.[1]

He founded the abbey of San Martino di Mensola. Supposedly he was a teacher in service to the Frankish kings; there is a record, from 850, of his giving a church and hospice, St. Brigid's at Piacenza, to the abbey founded by St. Columban at Bobbio.[3] Donatus not only battled sin, he was also a military leader, organising armies to lead two expeditions against the Saracens. He was an advisor to Emperor Louis and Frankish King Lothair I. He judged a disagreement between the bishops of Arezzo and Siena. He also attended the Roman synod of Pope Nicholas I on 18 November 861.[4]

According to St. Donatus, St. Brigid of Kildare visited his deathbed to give him spiritual strength and comfort. His story, preserved in manuscript in the Laurentian Library in Florence, tells of this miracle: the great saint flew to his deathbed, and before she touched him, she hung her cloak on a sunbeam to dry.[5] He was buried in the cathedral, where his epitaph, dictated by himself, may still be seen.[6]

Works

A Life of the St. Brigid printed by Colgan is attributed to Coelan, an Irish monk of the eighth century, and it derives a peculiar importance from the fact that it is prefaced by a foreword from the pen of St. Donatus, who refers to previous lives by St. Ultan and St. Aileran.[7]

He himself did not disdain to teach "the art of metrical composition". His Life of Saint Brigid is interspersed with short poems of his own composition. The best known of these is the twelve-line poem in which he describes the beauty and fertility of his native land, and the prowess and piety of its inhabitants. Donatus also composed an epitaph in which he alludes to his birth in Ireland, his years in the service of the princes of Italy (Lothair and Louis), his episcopate at Fiesole, and his activity as a teacher of grammar and poetry.

Like St. Columkille, Donatus always cherished a tender regretful love for Ireland; and like him also he wrote a short poem in praise of it which is still preserved. It is in Latin, and the following is a translation, made by a Dublin poet many years ago:

Far westward lies an isle of ancient fame, By nature bless'd; and Scotia is her name,

Enroll'd in books: exhaustless is her store, Of veiny silver, and of golden ore.

Her fruitful soil, for ever teems with wealth, With gems her waters, and her air with health;

Her verdant fields with milk and honey flow;Her woolly fleeces vie with virgin snow;

Her waving furrows float with bearded corn; And arms and arts her envied sons adorn!

No savage bear, with lawless fury roves, Nor fiercer lion, through her peaceful groves;

No poison there infects, no scaly snake Creeps through the grass, nor frog annoys the lake;

An island worthy of its pious race, In war triumphant, and unmatch'd in peace![1]

Veneration

His feast day is 22 October.[3] The numerous locations and churches incorporating his name, San Donato, provide evidence of his influence and popularity throughout Tuscany.[6]

St. Bertharius October 22

 St. Bertharius

Feastday: October 22

Birth: 810

Death: 883

Benedictine abbot and martyr. A member of the royal house of France, he became abbot of Monte Cassino, in Italy, in 856. Invading Saracens martyred him and several companions in the chapel. An altar in Monte Cassino commemorates his death.

For the Frankish mayor of the palace, see Berthar.

Bertharius (Italian: San Bertario di Montecassino) (c. 810 – 883) was a Benedictine abbot of Monte Cassino who is venerated as a saint and martyr.[1] He was also a poet and a writer.[1] A member of the Lombard nobility,[2] Bertharius as a young man made a pilgrimage to Monte Cassino at the time of the abbacy of Bassacius and decided as a result to become a monk.[2]

He became abbot in 856, succeeding Bassacius in that position.[3] He became abbot at a critical time, in which Muslim incursions threatened central and southern Italy.[2] The basilicas extra muros of Rome had been sacked in 846 AD.

Bertharius fortified the abbey with massive walls and towers between 856 and 873,[2] while Louis II of Italy conducted various expeditions against the Muslim forces, beating them back temporarily.[2]

Bertharius founded the city that he named Eulogimenopoli, later renamed San Germano, and today called Cassino.[2] Bertharius promoted the study of texts and embellished the abbatial church with precious furnishings.[2] He established a new monastery for women at Teano and maintained good relations with the city of Capua.[1]

In 873, Muslim raids in Campania and Latium resumed, and a band of raiders paid by the Duke of Naples, Athanasius, established a base in the Apennines in 882.[2] They burned the abbey of San Vincenzo al Volturno, killing some of the monks there, and on September 4, 882, raiders attacked Monte Cassino, burning and destroying it.[2] Bertharius and the monks managed to escape, finding refuge at the foot of the mountain of Monte Cassino, in the monastery of San Salvatore.[2] Angelarius, a prior of Monte Cassino, took most of the monks to Teano.[2] However, Bertharius remained at Monte Cassino.[2]

In 883, the monastery was again attacked, and Bertharius was killed along with some other monks at the altar of St. Martin on October 22 of that year in the church of Saint Salvator at the foot of the hill.[4][5]

Bertharius was succeeded by Angelarius, who rebuilt the church of St. Salvator (later named St. Germanus).[5][6]

Veneration

Bertharius’ body was immediately translated to Monte Cassino and in 1486 moved to the abbatial church there, in front of the tombs of Saints Benedict and Scholastica.[2] In 1514, a chapel was dedicated in his honor; his body was placed under the altar.[2] Various artistic depictions of Bertharius were made during succeeding centuries, but these were lost during the Battle of Monte Cassino in World War II.[2] His cult was confirmed on August 26, 1727, by Pope Benedict XIII.[2]

He is also venerated in the Orthodox Church, his feast day being October 22

St. Benedict of Macerac Feastday October 22

 St. Benedict of Macerac

Feastday: October 22

Death: 845

A Greek abbot near Nantes, France. Originally from Petros, Benedict went to Macerac, in the Nantes diocese. His relics are in the abbey of Redon.

St. Alodia October 22

 St. Alodia

Feastday: October 22

Death: 851

Martyr and confessor, the daughter of a Muslim father and a Christian mother in Huesca, Spain. Alodia and her sister, Nunilo, were caught up in the persecutions conducted by Abdal-Rabman II, the ruler of Cordoba. Alodia and Nunilo dedicated themselves to Christ, despite their father's disapproval, and were arrested. When they refused to deny Christ, they were placed in a brothel and later beheaded.

Carving of Nunilo and Alodia on the collegiate church of Alquézar. The base of the carving reads "Nonyla", but her sister's name has been broken off.

Saints Nunilo and Alodia (died c. 842/51) were a pair of child martyrs from Huesca. Born of a mixed marriage, they eschewed the Islam of their father in favour of their mother's Christianity. They were executed by the Muslim authorities of Huesca in accordance with sharia law as apostates. Their feast day is 22 October.

The girls were arrested during the persecutions conducted by Abd ar-Rahman II, the Emir of Córdoba. When they refused to disavow their faith they were placed in a brothel and later beheaded. Their relics were revered at the monastery of Leyre in the tenth and eleventh centuries, when a portal was fashioned bearing their image, which still survives.

The Translatio sanctarum Nunilonis et Alodiae, a short account of the translation of their relics to the monastery of Leyre in 851, survives in two tenth-century manuscripts. The children's relics were translated from Huesca to Leyre by Oneca, the wife of Íñigo Arista, King of Navarre. There are some discrepancies between the account of the martyrdom in the Translatio and that recorded by Eulogius of Córdoba.

Bl. Alix Le Clercq October 22

 Bl. Alix Le Clercq

Feastday: October 22

Alix Le Clercq was born at Remiremont in the duchy of Lorraine in 1576. Her family was a solid one, of good position, but little is known about her life until she was nearly seventeen. Alix was attractive and intelligent, what the French call "spirituelle." About this time, she became a nun. When her family moved to Hymont, she met Peter Fourier, who became her spiritual director, and in 1597 she and three other women formed a new foundation under his direction. At her father's insistence, she went to a convent at Ormes, was unimpressed by its secular atmosphere, and in 1598 the wealthy Judith d'Apremont gave Alix and her group a house on her estate, which they used as their Motherhouse in the founding of a new congregation dedicated to the education of children. Despite opposition from Alix's father and others, and the lack of formal ecclesiastical approval, they established several new foundations. In 1616 they received two papal bulls formally approving the Augustinian Canonesses of the Congregation of Our Lady from Rome. Differences about what the bulls granted and internal strife caused Father Fourier to replace Alix as superioress of the Congregation, and the last years of her life were bitter, as even Father Fourier seemed to turn against her. She died in her convent at Nancy on January 9, and was beatified in 1947.

Sts. Alexander, Heraclins, and Companions October 22

 Sts. Alexander, Heraclins, and Companions

Feastday: October 22

Death: unknown

Martyrs. Alexander was a bishop who preached the faith. He was arrested and tortured, converting his guard, Heraclius, during his imprisonment. Others at the prison joined them in martyrdom.

St. Abercius Marcellus October 22

 St. Abercius Marcellus

Feastday: October 22

Death: 200

Image of St. Abercius MarcellusBishop and apologist whose hagiography dates to the second century. The bishop of Hieropolis in Phrygia, he made a visit to Rome at the age of seventy-two. In Rome, Abercius was supposedly commanded by Emperor Marcus Aurelius to rid his daughter, Lucilla, of a demon. Following this event, Abercius is recorded as visiting Syria and the Euphrates River. The details of Abercius' life led to debate through the centuries concerning their authenticity and veracity. It is known that Abercius was the bishop of Heiropolis in the area called Phrygia Salutaris. In the original "Inscriptions of Abercius," an epitaph on a stele now in the Vatican, the saintly bishop comments on the dazzling seal of Baptism that unites Christians everywhere. He speaks of the Holy Eucharist as well. Later interpretations of this "Inscription" were written in Greek and widely embellished, leading to debate. Abercius appears in Greek records in the tenth century but was not included in St. Jerome's martyrology.

Abercius of Hieropolis (Greek Αβέρκιος, died c. 167) was a bishop of Hierapolis at the time of Marcus Aurelius, also known as Abercius Marcellus.[1] He was supposedly the successor to Papias.

Abercius is said to have evangelized Syria and Mesopotamia, and is on that basis referred to as one of the Equals-to-the-Apostles. He was imprisoned under Marcus Aurelius, and died about 167.

Abercius' feast day is celebrated on 22 October (for those churches which follow the Julian Calendar, 22 October occurs on the Gregorian Calendar date of 4 November).

Several works are ascribed to Abercius:

An Epistle to the Emperor Marcus Aurelius, of which Baronius speaks as extant, but he does not produce it

A Book of Discipline (Greek Βίβλος διδασκαλίας) addressed to his clergy; this too is lost.[2]

Abercius is also the subject, and probable author, of the Inscription of Abercius, preserved in the Vatican Museums.

William Ramsay said that "Abercius was bishop of Hieropolis in the valley of Sandukli and not of Hierapolis in the Maeander valley, for the latter was in Phrygia Magna, or Pacatiana." He said, "The confusion of the two towns Hierapolis and Hieropolis has produced much error in early Christian history. ... Hierapolis of Salutaris must always be interpreted as the Hieropolis in the valley of Sandukli: Hierapolis near Laodicea is always assigned in the Byzantine authorities to Pacatiana."[3] J. B. Lightfoot said that "the city of Abercius was not Hierapolis on the Mæander but this Hieropolis near Synnada."[4] The Catholic Encyclopedia notes that Ramsay "discovered at Kelendres, near Synnada, in Phrygia Salutaris (Asia Minor), a Christian stele (inscribed slab) bearing the date of the year 300 of the Phrygian era (a.d. 216). The inscription in question recalled the memory of a certain Alexander, son of Anthony. De Rossi and Duchesne at once recognized in it phrases similar to those in the epitaph of Abercius. On comparison it was found that the inscription in memory of Alexander corresponded, almost word for word, with the first and last verses of the epitaph of the Bishop of Hieropolis; all the middle part was missing. Mr. Ramsay, on a second visit to the site of Hieropolis, in 1883, discovered two new fragments covered with inscriptions, built into the masonry of the public baths. These fragments, which are now in the Vatican Christian Museum, filled out the middle part of the stele inscribed with the epitaph of Abercius. It now became possible, with the help of the text preserved in the Life, to restore the original text of the epitaph with practical certainty."[5]

2020-10-22கலிலேயா நகர் சலோமி Salome von Galiläa

2020-10-22

கலிலேயா நகர் சலோமி Salome von Galiläa

சலோமி செபதேயுவின் மனைவி. அப்போஸ்தலர் அருளப்பர் மற்றும் யாக்கோபின் தாய். இவர் பெயர் லூக்கா, மத்தேயு, மார்க் ஆகிய மூன்று நற்செய்தியிலும் இடம்பெறுகின்றது. எருசலேமில் சிலுவையின் அடியில் நின்ற பெண்களில் இவரும் ஒருவராவார். இயேசுவின் உயிர்ப்பு திங்களன்று, இயேசுவின் காலியான கல்லறையை சென்று பார்த்தவர்களில் இவரும் உடன் இருந்தார்.

செபம்:

புதுமைகளை செய்பவரே எம் தந்தையே! சலோமியின் வழியாக, அவரின் பிள்ளைகள் இருவரை உம் சீடர்களாக தேர்ந்தீர். உமது சிலுவைப்பாடுகளை உடனிருந்து கண்டு வேதனை அனுபவித்ததின் வழியாக, அவரை நீர் உயர்த்தினீர். அவரை மாதிரியாக கொண்டு, தன் பிள்ளைகளை உம் பணிக்கு அர்ப்பணிக்க, நல்ல உள்ளம் தந்து எம் தாய்மார்களைக் காத்திட வேண்டுமாய் இறைவா உம்மை மன்றாடுகின்றோம்

இந்நாளில் நினைவுகூறப்படும் பிற புனிதர்கள்

• மறைசாட்சி பெர்த்தாரியுஸ் Bertharius

பிறப்பு: 810, இத்தாலி

இறப்பு: 22 அக்டோபர் 884, மோண்டேகசினோ Montecassino, இத்தாலி

• இன்கேபெர்ட் Ingebert

பிறப்பு: 6 அல்லது 7 ஆம் நூற்றாண்டு

இறப்பு: 7 ஆம் நூற்றாண்டு, சார்லாண்ட், Saarland

St. Mary Salome

Feastday: October 22

Death: 1st century

Image of St. Mary Salome

One of the "Three Marys" who served Christ. She was the mother of St. James the Great and St. John, and was the wife of Zebedee. Mary Salome witnessed the Crucifixion and was among the women who were at the burial place on the day of the Resurrection.

Not to be confused with Salome, the daughter of Herodias, who asked for the head of John the Baptist on a platter.

This article is about Salome (disciple). For other uses, see Salome (disambiguation).

Eastern Orthodox icon of the two Marys and Salome at the Tomb of Jesus (Kizhi, 18th century).

Crucifixion, from the Buhl Altarpiece, 1490s. Salome is one of the two leftmost women with a halo.

Mary Salome is the figure in the right-hand panel in this altarpiece of the Holy Kinship by Lucas Cranach the Elder.

Salome was a follower of Jesus who appears briefly in the canonical gospels and in apocryphal writings. She is named by Mark as present at the crucifixion and as one of the women who found Jesus's tomb empty. Interpretation has further identified her with other women who are mentioned but not named in the canonical gospels. In particular, she is often identified as the wife of Zebedee, the mother of James and John, two of the Twelve apostles.[1] In medieval tradition Salome (as Mary Salome) was counted as one of the Three Marys who were daughters of Saint Anne, so making her the sister or half-sister of Mary, mother of Jesus.[2]

Name

"Salome" may be the Hellenized form of a Hebrew name derived from the root word שָׁלוֹם‎ (shalom), meaning "peace".[3]

The name was a common one; apart from the famous dancing "daughter of Herodias", both a sister and daughter of Herod the Great were called Salome, as well as Queen Salome Alexandra (d. 67 BC), the last independent ruler of Judea.

In the canonical gospels

Main article: Women at the crucifixion

In Mark 15:40-41, Salome is named as one of the women present at the crucifixion who also ministered to Jesus: "There were also women looking on afar off: among whom was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the less and of Joses; and Salome who also followed Him and ministered to Him when he was in Galilee. And many other women who followed Him to Jerusalem."(15:40-41, King James Version) The parallel passage of Matthew 27:56 reads thus: "Among which was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee's children." The Catholic Encyclopedia (1913) concludes that the Salome of Mark 15:40 is probably identical with the mother of the sons of Zebedee in Matthew; the latter is also mentioned in Matthew 20:20, in which she petitions Jesus to let her sons sit with him in Paradise.[4]

In John, three, or perhaps four, women are mentioned at the crucifixion; this time they are named as Jesus' "mother, and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene." (John 19:25 KJV) A common interpretation identifies Salome as the sister of Jesus' mother, thus making her Jesus' aunt.[1] Traditional interpretations associate Mary the wife of Cleophas (the third woman in the Gospel of John) with Mary the mother of James son of Alphaeus (the third woman in the Gospel of Matthew).

In the Gospel of Mark, Salome is among the women who went to Jesus' tomb to anoint his body with spices. "And when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, had bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint him." (Mark 16:1 KJV) They discovered that the stone had been rolled away, and a young man in white then told them that Jesus had risen, and told them to tell Jesus' disciples that he would meet them in Galilee. In Matthew 28:1, two women are mentioned in the parallel passage: Mary Magdalene and the "other Mary" – identified previously in Matthew 27:56 as Mary the mother of James and Joses.

The canonical gospels never go so far as to label Salome a "disciple" ("pupil" mathētēs), and so mainstream Christian writers usually describe her as a "follower" of Jesus per references to the women who "followed" and "ministered" to Jesus (Mark 15:41). However, feminist critiques have argued that the mainstream tradition consistently underplays the significance of Jesus's female supporters[citation needed].

In non-canonical works

See also: Apocrypha

The Gospel of Thomas found at Nag Hammadi mentions among the "disciples" of Jesus (the Greek expression "apostles" does not appear) two women, Salome and Mary Magdalene (referred to simply as "Mary", The name might also denote Salome's mother Mary[citation needed], the sister of Elizabeth and Anne who is the mother of Christ's mother Mary. Thus Salome's mother Mary[citation needed] would be Jesus' great aunt, the sister of his grandmother Anne and aunt of his mother.[citation needed])

The Diatessaron, which is part of the Ante-Nicene Fathers collection, separates Salome and the mother of the sons of Zebedee as two distinct persons, contrary to tradition that identify them. "And there were in the distance all the acquaintance of Jesus standing, and the women that came with Him from Galilee, those that followed Him and ministered. One of them was Mary Magdalene; and Mary the mother of James the little and Joses, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee, and Salome, and many others which came up with Him unto Jerusalem." (Diatessaron 52:21-23)

The controversial Secret Gospel of Mark, that was referred to and quoted in the Mar Saba letter ascribed by his modern editors[5] to Clement of Alexandria, contains a further mention of Salome which is not present in the canonical Mark at 10:46. Clement quotes the passage in his letter: "Then he came into Jericho. And the sister of the young man whom Jesus loved was there with his mother and Salome, but Jesus would not receive them." The lines complete a well-known lacuna in Mark as the text currently stands.

In the non-canonical Greek Gospel of the Egyptians (2nd century), Salome appears again as a disciple of Jesus. She asks him how long death would hold sway, and he says to her, "So long as women bring forth, for I come to end the works of the female." To this Salome replies, "Then I have done well in not bringing forth." It would appear from this text that there was an early tradition that Salome the disciple was childless, and possibly unmarried.

In the Gospel of Thomas there is a reference to Jesus reclining on a couch and eating at a table that belonged to Salome and being asked by her: "Who are you sir, that you have taken your place on my couch and eaten from my table?" Jesus answers: "I am he who is from the One, and the things that belong to the Father have been given to me." Salome replies, "But I am your disciple", and Jesus answers, "When the disciple is united he will be filled with light, but if he is divided he will be filled with darkness."

A 2nd-century Greek, Celsus, wrote a True Discourse attacking the Christian sects as a threat to the Roman state. He described the variety of Christian sects at the time he was writing, c. AD 178, as extremely broad. His treatise is lost, but quotes survive in the attack written somewhat later by Origen, Contra Celsum ("Against Celsus"): "While some of the Christians proclaim [that] they have the same god as do the Jews, others insist that there is another god higher than the creator-god and opposed to him. And some Christians teach that the Son came from this higher god. Still others admit of a third god - those, that is to say, who call themselves gnostics - and still others, though calling themselves Christians, want to live according to the laws of the Jews. I could also mention those who call themselves Simonians after Simon, and those naming themselves Helenians after Helen, his consort. There are Christian sects named after Marcellina, Harpocratian Christians who trace themselves to Salome, and some who follow Mariamne and others who follow Martha, and still others who call themselves Marcionites after their leader, Marcion."

Salome (right) and the midwife (left), bathing the infant Jesus, is a common figure in Orthodox icons of the Nativity (fresco, 12th century, "Dark Church", Open Air Museum, Goreme, Cappadocia.

In the early Christian texts, there are several other references to "Salome". A Salome appears in the infancy gospel attached to the name of James the Just, the Protevangelion of James, ch. XIV:

"14 And the midwife went out from the cave, and Salome met her. 15 And the midwife said to her, "Salome, Salome, I will tell you a most surprising thing, which I saw. 16 A virgin has brought forth, which is a thing contrary to nature." 17 To which Salome replied, "As the Lord my God lives, unless I receive particular proof of this matter, I will not believe that a virgin has brought forth."

18 Then Salome went in, and the midwife said, "Mary, show yourself, for a great controversy has arisen about you." 19 And Salome tested her with her finger. 20 But her hand was withered, and she groaned bitterly, 21 and said, "Woe to me, because of my iniquity! For I have tempted the living God, and my hand is ready to drop off."

That Salome is the first, after the midwife, to bear witness to the Miraculous Birth and to recognize Jesus as the Christ, are circumstances that tend to connect her with Salome the disciple. By the High Middle Ages this Salome was often (but not always) identified with Mary Salome in the West, and therefore regarded as the believing midwife.[6]

An apocryphal Coptic Book of the Resurrection of Christ, attributed to the apostle Bartholomew, names the women who went to the tomb. Among them were: Mary Magdalene; Mary the mother of James, whom Jesus delivered out of the hand of Satan; Mary who ministered to him; Martha her sister; Joanna (perhaps also Susanna) who renounced the marriage bed; and "Salome who tempted him".

Sainthood

Saint Salome is commemorated in the Eastern Orthodox Church on the Sunday of the Myrrhbearers, i.e., the third Sunday of Pascha (Easter), and on August 3.[7][8]

Her feast day in the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church is April 24[9][10] or October 22.[11]

In the Calendar of Saints of the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod, her feast is on August 3 with Joanna and Mary.

In art, she is often portrayed with the Holy Family in paintings of the Holy Kinship. She is also portrayed holding a thurible as a symbol of her sacrifice and faith in Jesus Christ.

Legend of Saint Anne's three husbands

According to a legend propounded by Haymo of Auxerre in the mid-9th century,[12] but rejected by the Council of Trent,[13] Saint Anne had, by different husbands, three daughters, all of whom bore the name Mary and who are referred to as the Three Marys:

Mary, the mother of Jesus

Mary of Clopas

Salome, in this tradition called Mary Salome (as in the tradition of the three Marys at the tomb)

Mary Magdalene is not part of this group.[14] Mary Salome thus becomes the half-sister of the Virgin Mary.

This account was included in the Golden Legend of Jacobus de Voragine, written in about 1260.[15] It was the subject of a long poem in rhymed French written in about 1357 by Jean de Venette. The poem is preserved in a mid-15th-century manuscript on vellum containing 232 pages written in columns. The titles are in red and illuminated in gold. It is decorated with seven miniatures in monochrome gray.[16][17]

For some centuries, religious art throughout Germany and the Low Countries frequently presented Saint Anne with her husbands, daughters, sons-in-law and grandchildren as a group known as the Holy Kinship. During the Reformation the idea of the three husbands was rejected by Protestants, and by the Council of Trent by Catholic theologians also, but Salome continued to be regarded as probably the sister of the Virgin Mary, and the wife of Zebedee, and mother of the two apostles.[2] The Catholic Encyclopedia of 1913 said (rather more cautiously than leading 19th-century Protestant books of biblical reference) that "some writers conjecture more or less plausibly that she is the sister of the Blessed Virgin mentioned in John 19:25".[4]

✠ புனிதர் இரண்டாம் ஜான் பவுல் ✠(St. John Paul II)264ம் திருத்தந்தை:(264th Pope)அக்டோபர் 22

† இன்றைய புனிதர் †

(அக்டோபர் 22)

✠ புனிதர் இரண்டாம் ஜான் பவுல் ✠

(St. John Paul II)

264ம் திருத்தந்தை:

(264th Pope)

பிறப்பு: மே 18, 1920

வாடோவிஸ், போலந்து குடியரசு

(Wadowice, Republic of Poland)

இறப்பு: ஏப்ரல் 2, 2005 (வயது 84)

அப்போஸ்தலர் அரண்மனை, வாடிகன் நகரம்

(Apostolic Palace, Vatican City)

ஏற்கும் சமயம்:

ரோமன் கத்தோலிக்க திருச்சபை

(Roman Catholic Church)

முக்திபேறு பட்டம்: மே 1, 2011

திருத்தந்தை பதினாறாம் பெனடிக்ட்

(Pope Benedict XVI)

புனிதர் பட்டம்: ஏப்ரல் 27, 2014

திருத்தந்தை ஃபிரான்சிஸ்

(Pope Francis)

பாதுகாவல்:

“க்ரகோவ்” உயர்மறைமாவட்டம்” (Archdiocese of Kraków)

உலக இளைஞர் நாள் (இணை பாதுகாவல்) (World Youth Day (Co-Patron)

உலக குடும்பங்களின் சந்திப்பு 2015 (இணை பாதுகாவல்) (World Meeting of Families 2015 (Co-Patron)

இளம் கத்தோலிக்க குடும்பங்கள் (Young Catholics Families)

“ஸ்விட்னிகா” (தென்மேற்கு போலந்து நாட்டின் “சிலேசியா” (Silesia) பிராந்தியத்திலுள்ள நகரம்) (Świdnica)

நினைவுத் திருவிழா: அக்டோபர் 22

1978ம் ஆண்டு திருத்தந்தையாக பதவியேற்ற இரண்டாம் ஜான் பவுல், தமது முதல் திருப்பலியின் மறையுரையில் உலக கத்தோலிக்கர்களை நோக்கி, பின்வருமாறு அறைகூவல் விடுத்தார்.:

“கிறிஸ்துவுக்காக கதவுகளை அகலத் திறந்து வையுங்கள்” (Open wide the doors to Christ).

வாழ்க்கைக் குறிப்பு:

1920ம் ஆண்டு மே 18ம் தேதி போலந்தின் “வாடோவிஸ்” (Wadowice) நகரில் பிறந்த “கரோல் ஜோசெஃப் வோஜ்டிலா” (Karol Józef Wojtyła) என்ற இயற்பெயர் கொண்ட திருத்தந்தை இரண்டாம் ஜான் பவுல் அவர்களது தந்தை பெயர், “கரோல் வோஜ்டிலா” (Karol Wojtyła) ஆகும். தாயாரின் பெயர், “எமிலியா” (Emilia Kaczorowska) ஆகும். தமது பெற்றோருக்குப் பிறந்த மூன்று குழந்தைகளில் இரண்டாவதாகப் பிறந்தவர். இவரது மூத்த சகோதரியான “ஓல்கா” (Olga) இவர் பிறப்பதற்கு முன்னரே மரித்துப்போனார். பள்ளி ஆசிரியையான இவரது தாயார் “எமிலியா”, 1929ம் ஆண்டு, குழந்தைப் பிறப்பின்போது மரித்தார். மருத்துவரான தமது ஒரே சகோதரர் “எட்மண்டை” (Edmund) 1932ல் இழந்தார். “போலிஷ்” இராணுவ (Polish Army) அதிகாரியான இவரது தந்தை 1941ம் ஆண்டு, மாரடைப்பால் இறந்தார். ஜெர்மனிய நாசிகளின் ஆக்கிரமிப்பால் போலந்தில் பல்கலைக்கழகம் 1939ல் மூடப்பட்டது. எனவே ஜெர்மனிக்கு நாடு கடத்தப்படுவதைத் தவிர்க்கும் நோக்கத்திலும் தனது பிழைப்புக்காகவும் முதலில் சுண்ணாம்புக்கல் அகழ்விடத்திலும் பின்னர் சொல்வாய் நகரில் வேதித் தொழிற்சாலையிலும் வேலை செய்தார். இரண்டாம் உலகப் போருக்குப் பின்னர் கல்வியை மீண்டும் தொடர்ந்து 1946ம் ஆண்டில் குருத்துவம் பெற்றார். உடனடியாக ரோம் நகருக்கு அனுப்பப்பட்ட இவர், இறையியலில் முனைவர் பட்டம் வென்றார். பின்னர் போலந்து திரும்பிய அருட்தந்தை வோஜ்டிலா, தத்துவத்தில் முனைவர் பட்டம் வென்றார். பின்னர், “லூப்ளின் பல்கலையில்” (University of Lublin) கற்பிக்க ஆரம்பித்தார்.

1958ம் ஆண்டு, கம்யூனிஸ்ட் அதிகாரவர்க்கத்தினர், அருட்தந்தை வோஜ்டிலாவை “க்ராகோவ்” (Kraków) மறைமாவட்டத்தின் துணை ஆயராக நியமனம் செய்ய அனுமதித்தனர். 1964ம் ஆண்டு, க்ராகோவ் பேராயராகவும், 1967ம் ஆண்டு, கர்தினாலாகவும் உயர்த்தப்பட்டார்.

1978ம் ஆண்டு அக்டோபர் 16ல் திருத்தந்தையாகத் தேர்ந்தெடுக்கப்பட்ட கர்தினால் கரோல் ஜோசெஃப் வோஜ்டிலா, அச்சமயம் இரண்டாம் ஜான் பால் என்ற பெயரைத் தெரிவு செய்தார்.

திருத்தந்தை புனிதர் இரண்டாம் ஜான் பவுல், கத்தோலிக்க திருச்சபையின் 264வது திருத்தந்தை ஆவார். இவர் 26 ஆண்டுகள், 168 நாட்கள் கத்தோலிக்க திருச்சபையின் தலைவராக பணியாற்றினார். இதுவரை பணியாற்றிய திருத்தந்தையர்களில் போலந்து நாட்டைச் சேர்ந்த முதலாவது திருத்தந்தை இவராவர். மேலும் கி.பி. 1520ம் ஆண்டுக்கு பின்னர் இத்தாலியர் அல்லாத ஒருவர் திருத்தந்தையானதும் இதுவே முதல் தடவையாகும். இவர் 1978ம் ஆண்டு, அக்டோபர், 16ம் நாள், பதவியேற்றார். வரலாற்றில் நீண்ட காலம் இப்பதவியில் இருந்தவர்களில் இரண்டாம் இடம் பிடித்தவர் இவராவார்.

இவர் 1340 பேருக்கு அருளாளர் பட்டமும், 483 பேருக்கு புனிதர் பட்டமும் அளித்துள்ளார். இது, இவருக்கு முன், ஐந்து நாற்றாண்டுகளாக இருந்த எல்லா திருத்தந்தையர்களின் கூட்டு எண்ணிக்கையை விட அதிகமாகும். இவர் கி.பி. 20ம் நூற்றாண்டின் மிக முக்கிய தலைவர்களுல் ஒருவராக போற்றப்படுகின்றார். தம் 26 ஆண்டு ஆட்சிகாலத்தில் இவர் 129 நாடுகளுக்கு பயணம் செய்துள்ளார். தம் தாய்மொழியான போலியம் மட்டுமல்லாமல் இத்தாலியம், ஃபிரெஞ்சு, ஜெர்மன், ஆங்கிலம், எசுப்பானியம், போர்த்துக்கீசம், உக்குரேனிய மொழி, ரஷ்யன், குரோவாசிய மொழி, எஸ்பெராண்டோ, பண்டைய கிரேக்கம் (Ancient Greek) மற்றும் இலத்தீன் மொழிகள் இவருக்குத் தெரிந்திருந்தன.

திருத்தந்தை, ரோம் நகரிலுள்ள “பிரதான யூதர் வழிபாட்டுத் தலம்” (அ) “வழிபாட்டுக் கூடத்திற்கும்” (Main Synagogue), “எருசலேமின் மேற்கு சுவர்” (Western Wall in Jerusalem) என்றழைக்கப்படும் யூதர்கள் பாரம்பரியமாக வெள்ளிக்கிழமைகளில் பிரார்த்தனை செய்து வரும் “ஏரோதுவின்” ஆலயத்தின் (Herod's temple) தளத்துக்கும் வருகை தந்தார். கத்தோலிக்கர்களின் தலைமையகமான வாடிகனுக்கும் இஸ்ரேலுக்கும் இடையே இராஜதந்திர உறவுகளை ஏற்படுத்தினார். கத்தோலிக்க-முஸ்லீம் உறவுகளை மேம்படுத்திய திருத்தந்தை இரண்டாம் ஜான் பவுல், 2001ம் ஆண்டு, “சிரியா” (Syria) நாட்டின் தலைநகரான “டமாஸ்கஸில்” (Damascus) உள்ள மசூதிக்கும் வருகை தந்தார்.

ரோம் மற்றும் உலகெங்குமுள்ள கத்தோலிக்கர் மற்றும் பிற கிறிஸ்தவ மக்களிடையே கொண்டாட்டங்களை நிகழ்த்திய சிறப்பு ஜூபிளி ஆண்டான 2000, “ஜான் பவுல்” பணிக்காலத்தின் ஒரு முக்கிய நிகழ்வு ஆகும். “மரபுவழி திருச்சபைகளுடனான” (Orthodox Churches) உறவுகள் கணிசமாக முன்னேறியது.

1979ம் ஆண்டில், திருத்தந்தையின் போலந்து நாட்டு வருகை, அங்கே ஒற்றுமை இயக்கம் வளரவும், பத்து வருடங்களின் பின்னர் மத்திய மற்றும் கிழக்கு ஐரோப்பாவில் கம்யூனிசம் தகர்க்கப்படவும் காரணமாயிருந்தது. உலக இளைஞர் தினத்தை (World Youth Day) தொடங்கிய திருத்தந்தை, அதன் கொண்டாட்டங்களுக்காக பல்வேறு நாடுகளுக்கு விஜயம் தந்தார். அவர், “சோவியத் யூனியன்” (Soviet Union) மற்றும் “சீனா” (China) ஆகிய நாடுகளுக்கு விஜயம் செய்ய மிகவும் ஆர்வமாயிருந்தார். ஆனால், அந்நாடுகளிலுள்ள அரசுகள், அதனைத் தடுத்தன. இவரது திருத்தந்தையர் பணிக்காலத்தைய புகைப்படங்களில் மிகவும் நினைவுகூறத்தக்கது, இரண்டு ஆண்டுகளுக்கு முன்னர் தம்மை படுகொலை செய்ய முயன்ற “மெஹ்மெத் அலி அக்கா” (Mehmet Ali Agca) என்பவருடன் 1983ம் ஆண்டு அவர் நேருக்கு நேர் நடத்திய பேச்சுவார்த்தைகளின்போது எடுக்கப்பட்ட புகைப்படங்களாகும்.

திருத்தந்தை இரண்டாம் ஜான் பவுலின் 27 வருட பணிக்காலத்தில், அவர் கத்தோலிக்க ஆயர்களுக்கு 14 சுற்றறிக்கைகளை (Encyclicals) எழுதியிருந்தார். ஐந்து புத்தங்கங்களையும் எழுதியிருந்தார்.

தமது வாழ்க்கையின் இறுதி ஆண்டுகளில் “பார்கின்சன் நோய்” (Parkinson’s disease) எனப்படும் நடுக்கம், தசை இறுக்கம், மற்றும் மெதுவாக, துல்லியமற்ற, இயக்கங்களுடைய நரம்பு மண்டலத்தின் முற்போக்கான நோயால் பாதிக்கப்பட்டிருந்த திருத்தந்தை இரண்டாம் ஜான் பவுல், தமது அன்றாட நடவடிக்கைகள் சிலவற்றை குறைத்துக்கொள்ள கட்டாயப்படுத்தப்பட்டார்.

தூய பேதுரு சதுக்கத்தில் (St. Peter’s Square) நடந்த இறுதிச் சடங்கு திருப்பலிக்காக காத்திருந்த மக்கள் கூட்டத்திடையே, அப்போதைய கர்தினால்களின் கல்லூரியின் தலைவரான “கர்தினால் ஜோசஃப் ரட்சிங்கர்” (Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger) – பின்னால் திருத்தந்தையுமான “பதினாறாம் பெனடிக்ட்” (Pope Benedict XVI) பின்வருமாறு பேசினார்.:

“நோயினால் பாதிக்கப்பட்டிருந்த திருத்தந்தை, தமது வாழ்க்கையின் இறுதி உயிர்த்தெழுதல் ஞாயிறு (Easter Sunday) தினத்தன்று, அப்போஸ்தலர் மாளிகையின் ஜன்னலருகே மீண்டுமொருமுறை வந்து வாட்டிகன் நகருக்கும் உலகத்துக்கும் ஆசீர் தந்ததை நாம் யாரும் மறக்க இயலாது. இன்று, நமது அன்பான திருத்தந்தை தமது வீட்டின் ஜன்னலில் நின்றவாறு, நம்மைப் பார்த்து ஆசீர்வதிக்கிறார் என்பதில் உறுதியாக இருக்கிறோம். ஆமாம், திருத்தந்தையே, எங்களை ஆசீர்வதியுங்கள். உங்கள் அன்பான ஆத்மாவை, ஒவ்வொரு நாளும் உம்மை வழிநடத்திய கடவுளின் தாய், உன் தாயிடம் நாங்கள் ஒப்படைத்து விடுகிறோம். அவர் இனி உம்மை தமது மகனும், எங்கள் ஆண்டவராகிய இயேசு கிறிஸ்துவின் மகிமைக்காக உம்மை வழிநடத்துவாராக. ஆமென்.”

அருளாளர் பட்டம்:

திருத்தந்தை இரண்டாம் ஜான் பவுல் இறந்த சிறிது காலத்திற்குள்ளேயே அவருக்குப் புனிதர் பட்டம் அளிப்பதற்கான விசாரணை தொடங்கியது. வழக்கமாக இவ்வகையான விசாரணை தொடங்குவது ஒருவரது இறப்புக்குப் பின் ஐந்து ஆண்டுகள் கழித்தே தொடங்கும். ஆனால், இரண்டாம் ஜான் பவுலை விரைவில் புனிதராகக் காண பொதுமக்கள் விரும்பியதைத் தொடர்ந்து திருத்தந்தை “பதினாறாம் பெனடிக்ட்” (Pope Benedict XVI) அந்த விசாரணை உடனடியாகத் தொடங்க ஆணையிட்டு, ஐந்து ஆண்டு கால தாமதம் வேண்டாமென்று விதிவிலக்கு அளித்தார்.

திருத்தந்தை பதினாறாம் பெனடிக்ட், 2009ம் ஆண்டு, டிசம்பர் மாதம், 19ம் நாள் திருத்தந்தை இரண்டாம் ஜான் பவுலை வணக்கத்திற்குரியவர் என்று அறிவித்தார். ஃபிரான்ஸ் நாட்டைச் சார்ந்த ஒரு கன்னியர், இரண்டாம் ஜான் பவுலை நோக்கி மன்றாடியதைத் தொடர்ந்து “பார்க்கின்சன் நோயிலிருந்து” திடீரென குணம் பெற்றதை ஆராய்ந்த வாட்டிகன் பேராயம், அந்நிகழ்ச்சி இறையருளால் நிகழ்ந்ததே என்று அறிக்கையிட்டதைத் தொடர்ந்து, திருத்தந்தை பதினாறாம் பெனடிக்ட் 2011ம் ஆண்டு, மே மாதம், முதல் நாளன்று திருத்தந்தை இரண்டாம் ஜான் பவுலை அருளாளர் நிலைக்கு உயர்த்தினார்.

புனிதர் நிலைக்கு உயர்த்தப்படுதல்:

திருத்தந்தை இரண்டாம் ஜான் பவுலுக்கு அருளாளர் பட்டம் அளிக்கப்பட்ட சில மணி நேரம் சென்ற உடனேயே, அவருடைய பரிந்துரையின் பயனாக ஒரு புதுமை நிகழ்ந்ததாக செய்தி வந்தது. “கோஸ்டாரிக்கா” (Costa Rican) நாட்டு “ஃபுளோரிபெத் மோரா” (Floribeth Mora) என்ற பெண்மணிக்கு ஏற்பட்ட மூளை இரத்த அழற்சி, திருத்தந்தை இரண்டாம் ஜான் பவுலை நோக்கி மன்றாடியதன் விளைவாக, அற்புதமான விதத்தில் மறைந்ததாகவும், அதற்கு மருத்துவர்களால் விளக்கம் தர இயலவில்லை என்றும் செய்தி வெளியானது. இந்த நிகழ்வை ஆய்ந்த வாட்டிகன் பேராயம், அதை ஒரு புதுமை என்று அறிக்கையிட்டது.

திருத்தந்தை “ஃபிரான்சிஸ்” (Pope Francis) அவர்கள், 2014ம் ஆண்டு, ஏப்ரல் மாதம், 27ம் நாள், திருத்தந்தை இரண்டாம் ஜான் பவுலுக்கு புனிதர் பட்டம் அளித்தார்.

Saint of the Day : (22-10-2020)

St. John Paul II

St. John Paul-II was born on May 18, 1920 in the town of Wadowice in Poland. His father was Karol Wojtyla and mother Emilia. The name given to this saint by his parents is Karol Josef Wojtyla. He got a job of laborer in a German-run chemical factory in 1940, when Poland was occupied by Nazi Germany. When he was about 20 years old, he lost his mother, brother and father. The lose of the loved ones made him to look towards spiritual life and he entered a secret seminary and was o5rdained a priest on November 1, 1946.He was posted as Auxiliary Bishop of Krakow on September 28, 1958 when he was only 38 years old by Pope Pius-XII. He became cardinal on June 26, 1967 when Paul-VI was the pope. He participated in the Second Vatican Council as Bishop and contributed much in the deliberations. When Pope John Paul-I died suddenly after a very brief period in the papal chair, he was elected as pope by the cardinals on October 16, 1978 and was inaugurated as pope on October 22, 1978 when he was 58 years old as the 264th pope. He was the first pope from Poland and also the first pope from a communist country. During his long tenure as pope (26 years 5 months and 3 days) he beatified 1340 people and canonized 483 saints. He visited many countries in the world than any other pope as a missionary of peace and he is the cause for the fall of communism in Poland and in East European countries. He took very rigid stand against abortion and his view about human life as expressed by him during his visit to USA is “All human life from the moments of conception and through all subsequent stages is sacred”. He died of old age on April 2, 2005.

He was declared venerable on December 19, 2009 by pope Benedict-XVI. He was beatified on May 1, 2011 on the basis of a reported miraculous cure at his intercession, of a French nun Sister Marie Simon Pierre of the Congregation of Little Sisters of Catholic Maternity Wards, who was afflicted with Parkinson’s disease. He was canonized on April 27, 2014 by Pope Francis for a miraculous cure from an incurable brain neurism of a Costa Rican woman named Floribeth Mora Diaz. The feast day of Saint John Paul-II is October 22, the date of his papal inauguration.

---JDH---Jesus the Divine Healer---