St. Alphaeus
Feastday: November 17
Death: 303
Lector and martyr, a native of Eleutheropolis. He went to Caesarea, in modern Israel, where he became a lector in the parish church. When the persecutions conducted by Emperor Diocletian started, Alphaeus was arrested and tortured, with his companion, Zacchaeus, a deacon at Godara. The two were beheaded when they refused to deny Christ.
St. Valentine and Dubatatius
Feastday: November 17
Were executed for their faith at Carthage. Sts. Valentine and Dubatatius feast day is November 17th.
St. Roque Gonzalez de Santa Cruz
Feastday: November 17
Patron: of native traditions; Posadas, Argentina; Encarnaci�n, Paraguay
Birth: 1576
Death: 1628
Beatified: January 28, 1934 by Pope Pius XI
Canonized: Pope John Paul II
The earliest beatified martyrs of America are three Jesuits of Paraguay, and one of them was American-born.
Roque Gonzalez y de Santa-Cruz was the son of noble Spanish parents, and he came into this world at Asuncion, the capitol of Paraguay, in 1576. He was an unusually good and religious boy, and everybody took it for granted that young Roque would become a priest. He was in fact ordained, when he was twenty-three: but unwillingly, for he felt very strongly that he was unworthy of the priesthood. At once he began to take an interest in the Indians of Paraguay, seeking them out in remote places to preach to and instruct them in Christianity; and after ten years, to avoid ecclesiastical promotion and to get more opportunity for missionary work, he joined the Society of Jesus.
These were the days of the beginnings of the famous "reductions" of Paraguay, in the formation of which Father Roque Gonzalez played an important part. These remarkable institutions were settlements of Christian Indians run by the Jesuit missionaries, who looked on themselves, not like so many other Spaniards did as the conquerors and "bosses" of the Indians, but as the guardians and trustees of their welfare.
It was to bring about such a happy state of things that Father Roque labored for nearly twenty years, grappling patiently and without discouragement with hardships, dangers and reverses of all kinds, with intractable and fierce tribes and with the opposition of the European colonists. He threw himself heart and soul into the work. For three years he was in charge of the Reduction of St. Ignatius, the first of them, and then spent the rest of his life establishing others reductions, half a dozen in all, east of the Parana and Uruguay rivers; he was the first European known to have penetrated into some districts of South America.
In 1628, Father Roque was joined by two young Spanish Jesuits, Alonso (Alphonsus) Rodriguez and Juan (John)de Castillo, and together they founded a new reduction near the Ijuhi river, dedicated in honor of Our Lady's Assumption. Father Castillo was left in charge there, while the other two pushed on to Caaro (in the southern tip of what is now Brazil), where they established the All Saints' Reduction.
Here they were faced with the hostility of a powerful "medicine man", and at his instigation the Mission was soon attacked. Father Roque was getting ready to hang a small church bell when the raiding party arrived; one man stole up from behind and killed him with blows on the head from a tomahawk. Father Rodriguez heard the noise and, coming to the door of his hut to see what it was about, met the bloodstained savages who knocked him down. "What are you doing, my sons?" he exclaimed. But he was silenced by further blows. The wooden chapel was set on fire and the two bodies thrown into the flames. It was November 15, 1628. Two days later the Mission at Ijuhi was attacked; Father Castillo was seized and bound, barbarously beaten, and stoned to death.
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The first steps toward the beatification of these missionaries were taken within six months of their martyrdom, by the writing down of evidence about what had happened. But these precious documents were lost. Then copies of the originals turned up in the Argentine, and in 1934, Rogue Gonzalez, Alonso Rodrigues and Juan de Castillo were solemnly declared Blessed. They were canonized in 1988 by Pope John Paul II. Their feast day is November 17th.
Not to be mistaken for footballer Roque Santa Cruz.
Roque González de Santa Cruz, S.J. (17 November 1576 – 15 November 1628), was a Jesuit priest who was the first missionary among the Guarani people in Paraguay. He is honored as a martyr and saint by the Catholic Church.
Life
González was born in the City of Asunción, now part of Paraguay, on 17 November 1576.[1] He was the son of the Spanish colonists Bartolomé González y de Villaverde and María de Santa Cruz, who were both from noble families. Due to the large native population in the region, he spoke Guaraní fluently from an early age, as well as his native Spanish.
In 1598, at the age of 23, González was ordained a priest by Fernando Trexo y Senabria, O.F.M., the Bishop of Córdoba, to serve that diocese. In 1609 he became a member of the Society of Jesus, beginning his work as a missionary in what is now Brazil. He became the first European person to enter the region known today as the State of Rio Grande do Sul, extending the system of Jesuit reductions begun in Paraguay to that region.
González' arrival in the area happened only after his developing delicate relationships of trust with local indigenous leaders, some of whom feared that the priests were preparing the way for the arrival of masses of Spanish colonists in their land.
In 1613 González led the founding of the Reduction of San Ignacio Miní. In 1615 he founded Itapúa, which is now the City of Posadas in the Argentine Province of Misiones. Then he had to move the reduction to the other side of the river, now the site of the City of Encarnación. He also founded the reductions of Concepción de la Sierra Candelaria (1619), Candelaria (1627), San Javier, Yapeyú (now in the Province of Corrientes), San Nicolás, Asunción del Ijuí, and Caaró (now in Brazil).[2] In the region of Iyuí, he had difficulties with the local chieftain and sorcerer (cacique) Ñezú.
On 15 November 1628, while preparing to oversee the installation of a new bell for the church at the Mission of Todos los Santos de Caaró, González was struck down and killed with a tomahawk , along with his fellow Jesuit, Juan del Castillo, S.J., upon the orders of the local chieftain Nheçu who opposed the missions.[1] After their deaths, their bodies were dragged into the church, which was set ablaze. Two days later, their colleague, Alonso Rodríguez y Olmedo, S.J., was also murdered by followers of Ñezú.
Veneration
González was beatified by Pope Pius XI on 28 January 1934. He and his companions were later canonized by Pope John Paul II in Asunción, thus becoming the first native of Paraguay to be declared a saint by the Catholic Church.
González has been named the patron saint of the cities of Posadas, Argentina, and Encarnación, Paraguay. Liturgically he is commemorated on 16 November, along with the other "Martyrs of the Rio de la Plata".
González' heart and the weapon which killed him are in the Chapel of the Martyrs in his native city of Asunción.
St. Dionysius the Great of Alexandria
Feastday: November 17
Birth: 190
Death: 265
Image of St. Dionysius the Great of AlexandriaDIONYSIUS of Alexandria, Born in 190 A.D. as Dionysius the Great, I was Archbishop of Alexandria. I died in 265 A.D., 17 Nov.
This article is about the Bishop and Pope of Alexandria. For the topographical poet (sometimes known as Dionysius of Alexandria), see Dionysius Periegetes.
Saint Dionysius the Great was the 14th Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria from 28 December 248 until his death on 22 March 264. Most information known about him comes from his large surviving correspondence. Only one original letter survives to this day; the remaining letters are excerpted in the works of Eusebius.
Called "the Great" by Eusebius, Basil of Caesarea and others, he was characterized by the Catholic Encyclopedia as "undoubtedly, after St. Cyprian, the most eminent bishop of the third century... like St. Cyprian, less a great theologian than a great administrator."[2]
Early life
Dionysius was born to a wealthy polytheistic family sometime in the late 2nd, or early 3rd century. He spent most of his life reading books and carefully studying the traditions of polytheists. He converted to Christianity at a mature age and discussed his conversion experience with Philemon, a presbyter of Pope Sixtus II.[2] Dionysius converted to Christianity when he received a vision sent from God; in it he was commanded to vigorously study the heresies facing the Christian Church so that he could refute them through doctrinal study. After his conversion, he joined the Catechetical School of Alexandria and was a student of Origen and Pope Heraclas. He eventually became leader of the school and presbyter of the Christian church, succeeding Pope Heraclas in 231. Later he became Pope of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria & Patriarch of the See of St. Mark in 248 after the death of Pope Heraclas.[2]
Work as Bishop of Alexandria
Dionysius was more an able administrator than a great theologian.[2] Information on his work as Bishop of Alexandria is found in Dionysius' correspondence with other bishops and clergymen of the third century Christian Church. Dionysius’ correspondences included interpretations on the Gospel of Luke, the Gospel of John and the Book of Revelation.
During 249, a major persecution was carried out in Alexandria by a polytheist mob, and hundreds were assaulted, stoned, burned or cut down on account of their refusal to deny their faith. Dionysius managed to survive this persecution and the civil war that followed. In January 250 the new emperor Decius issued a decree of legal persecution. Out of fear many Christians denied their faith by offering a token polytheist sacrifice, while others attempted to obtain false documents affirming their sacrifice. Others who refused to sacrifice faced public ridicule and shame among their family and friends, and, if found by the authorities, brutal torture and execution. Many fled from the city into the desert, where most succumbed to exposure, hunger, thirst, or attacks by bandits or wild animals.[3]
Dionysius himself was pursued by the prefect Aurelius Appius Sabinus, who had sent out an assassin to murder him on sight. Dionysius spent three days in hiding before departing on the fourth night of the Decian decree with his servants and other loyal brethren. After a brush with a group of soldiers, he managed to escape with two of his followers, and set up a residence in the Libyan desert until the end of the persecution the following year.[3]
He supported Pope Cornelius in the controversy of 251, arising when Novatian, a learned presbyter of the Church at Rome, set up a schismatic church with a rigorist position on the readmittance of Christians who had apostasized during the persecution. In opposition to Novatian's teaching, Dionysius ordered that the Eucharist should be refused to no one who asked it at the hour of death, even those who had previously lapsed.[4]
In 252 an outbreak of plague ravaged Alexandria, and Dionysius, along with other priests and deacons, took it upon themselves to assist the sick and dying.[3]
The persecutions subsided somewhat under Trebonianus Gallus, but were renewed under Valerian who replaced Gallus. Dionysius was imprisoned and then exiled. When Gallienus, took over the empire he released all the believers who were in prison and brought back those in exile. Gallienus wrote to Dionysius and the bishops a letter to assure their safety in opening the churches.[5]
Prophetic exegesis
About AD 255 a dispute arose concerning the millennialist views taught in Refutation of Allegorists by Nepos, a bishop in Egypt, which insisted on the interpretation of Revelation Chapter 20 as denoting a literal "millennium of bodily luxury" on earth. Because he was taught by Origen, Dionysius succeeded through his oral and written efforts in checking this Egyptian revival of millennialism. He offered some critical grounds to reject the Book of Revelation, such as an alleged difference in style and diction from John's Gospel and Epistles. Dionysius main position was to claim it was not written by John: " 'I could not venture to reject the book, as many brethren hold it in high esteem,' " yet he ascribed it to another John - some "holy and inspired man" - but not the apostle John.[6]
His impact was felt in later years concerning the canonicity of the Apocalypse, causing much dialogue in the church, lingering in the East for several centuries. Thus it was that certain leaders began to retreat from millennialism in precisely the same quantity as philosophical theology became influential.[7]
Legacy
Basil of Caesarea writes to Pope Damasus I about aid sent by Dionysius, to the church at Caesarea. This correspondence is cited by Pope Pius IX in his encyclical Praedecessores Nostros (On Aid For Ireland) of 25 March 1847.[8]
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 Eusebio Roldán Vielva
• Blessed Josefa Gironés Arteta
• Blessed Lorenza Díaz Bolaños
Saint Alphaeus of Palestine
Profile
Tortured and martyred in the persecutions of Diocletian.
Died
beheaded c.302 in Palestine
Saint Zacchaeus of Palestine
Profile
Tortured and martyred in the persecutions of Diocletian.
Died
beheaded c.302 in Palestine
Saint Namasius of Vienne
Also known as
Naamat, Namaise, Namacio, Namat, Namatius
Profile
Bishop of Vienne, France.
Died
c.599
Saint Eugene of Florence
Profile
Spiritual student of Saint Ambrose of Milan. Deacon in Florence, Italy, working with Saint Zenobius of Florence.
Died
422
Saint Hugh of Novara
Also known as
• Hugo of Nucaria
• Hugo of Noaria
• Ugo, Hugh
Additional Memorial
16 August in Novara, Sicily
Profile
Cistercian Benedictine monk. Spiritual student of Saint Bernard of Clairvaux. Served as first abbot at the abbey in Novara, Sicily.
Born
French
Died
c.1170 of natural causes
Patronage
Bovara, Sicily
Saint Thomas Hioji Nishi Rokuzaemon
Also known as
Father Thomas of Saint Hyacinth
Profile
Dominican missionary priest, first Formosa and then Japan. Tortured and martyred in the persecutions of Tokugawa Yemitsu.
Born
1590 in Hirado, Nagasaki, Japan
Died
17 November 1634 in Nishizaka, Nagasaki, Japan
Canonized
18 October 1987 by Pope John Paul II
Saint Lazarus Zographos
Also known as
Lazarus the Painter
Profile
Monk at Constantinople. Skilled painter of icons. Opposed the Iconoclasts under emperor Theophilus. He defended sacred images, and restored those that were defaced by Iconoclasts. For his work he was arrested and tortured. When the Iconoclasts fell from power, Lazarus was released and given a prominent place in the new regime, eventually becoming ambassador to Rome.
Died
867 of natural causes
Name Meaning
the painter = zographos
Saint Victoria of Cordoba
Profile
Sister of Saint Acisclus. Martyred in the persecutions of Diocletian. After their deaths, their home was turned into a church. They have an office in the Mozabic Liturgy, and devotion to them is widespread throughout Spain and France.
Born
at Cordoba, Spain
Died
shot with arrows in 304
Representation
• crowned with roses
• in the company of Saint Acisclus
Patronage
Cordoba, Spain
Saint Acisclus
Also known as
Aciscle, Acisclo, Ascylus, Iscle, Ocysellus
Profile
Brother of Saint Victoria of Cordoba. Martyred in the persecutions of Diocletian. After their deaths, their home was turned into a church. They have an office in the Mozabic Liturgy, and devotion to them is widespread throughout Spain and France.
Born
at Cordoba, Spain
Died
beheaded in 304
Patronage
Cordoba, Spain
Representation
• with Saint Victoria
• wearing a crown of roses
Blessed Sébastien-Loup Hunot
Profile
Priest in the Archdiocese of Sens, France. 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
7 August 1745 in Brienon-l'Archevêque, Yonne, France
Died
17 November 1794 aboard the prison ship Washington, in Rochefort, Charente-Maritime, France
Beatified
1 October 1995 by Pope John Paul II
Saint Giacinto Ansalone
Also known as
• Giordano Ansaloni
• Giordano of Saint Stephen
• Hyacinth Jordan Ansalone
Profile
Dominican priest. Studying in Palermo, Italy and Salamanca, Spain. Missionary to Mexico, the Philippines and Japan. As he travelled, he wrote a book on the lives of Dominican saints. Martyr.
Born
1 November 1598 in San Stefano Quisquina, Agrigento, Italy
Died
17 November 1634 in Nishizaka, Nagasaki, Japan
Canonized
18 October 1987 by Pope John Paul II
Patronage
Santo Stefano Quisquina, Italy
Saint Juan del Castillo Rodríguez
Profile
Jesuit priest. One of the Jesuit Martyrs of Paraguay.
Born
14 September 1595 in Belmonte, Cuenca, Spain
Died
stoned to death on 17 November 1628 in Ijuí, Rio Grande do Sul, Paraguay (in modern Brazil)
Canonized
16 May 1988 by Pope John Paul II
Patronage
native traditions
Saint Gregory of Tours
Also known as
George Florentius
Profile
Born to the Gallic nobility; great-nephew of Saint Eustadius. Friend of Saint Magnericus and Saint Senoch. While on pilgrimage to the shrine of Saint Martin of Tours, his obvious piety led to his being chosen bishop of Tours, France in 573, taking the name Gregory on his ordination. An excellent bishop for 20 years; Pope Saint Gregory the Great thought highly of him. Historian and writer; his works are our best historical source for the Merovingian period.
Born
540 at Auvergne, France as George Florentius
Died
594 of natural causes
Blessed Yosafat Kotsylovskyi
Also known as
• Josaphat Kocylovskyj
• Josaphat Kotsylovsky
Additional Memorial
27 June as one of the Martyrs Killed Under Communist Regimes in Eastern Europe
Profile
Greek Catholic. Studied theology in Rome, graduating in 1907. Ordained on 9 October 1907. Vice-rector and professor of theology at the Stanislaviv, Ukraine seminary. Entered the Basilian novitiate on 2 October 1911. Bishop of Premeshyl, Poland on 23 September 1917. Imprisoned for his faith by Polish authorities in September 1945. Died in prison. One of the Martyrs Killed Under Communist Regimes in Eastern Europe.
Born
3 March 1876 at Pakoshivka, Lemkiv District, Ukraine
Died
martyred on 17 November 1947 in prison in Kiev, Ukraine
Beatified
27 June 2001 by Pope John Paul II in Ukraine
Saint Aignan of Orléans
Also known as
Agnan, Anian, Anianus
Profile
Born to the nobility, his parents were Hungarians who had fled to the Dauphine area of modern France to escape Arian persecutions. Lived as a hermit in a cave. Spiritual student of Saint Evurtius of Orléans. Priest. Monk. Abbot of the Saint Laurence Abbey in Orléans, France. Bishop of Orléans. Organized the defense of Orléans during the invasion of Attila the Hun, met with Attila and prevented him attacking the city in 451.
Born
358 at Vienne, France
Died
• 453 of natural causes
• in the 10th-century King Robert built a church in Orléans, France in Aignan's honour, and his relics were enshrined in it
• relics destroyed by Calvinists in the 16th century
Patronage
Diocese of Orléans, France
Representation
praying on the walls of Orléans, France with an army in the field near the city
Saint Hilda of Whitby
Also known as
Hild of Whitby
Profile
Daughter of Hereric and Breguswith. Sister of Saint Hereswitha. Grand-niece of King Saint Edwin of Northumbria. Baptized in 627 at age thirteen by Saint Paulinus of York. Lived as a single lay woman until age 33 when she became a Benedictine nun at the monastery of Chelles in France. Abbess at Hartepool, Northumberland, England. Abbess of the double monastery of Whitby, Streaneshalch. Abbess to Saint Wilfrid of York, Saint John of Beverley, and three other bishops. Patroness and supporter of learning and culture, including the work of the poet Caedmon.
Hilda and her houses followed the Celtic liturgy and rule, but many houses had adopted the continental Benedictine rule, and the Roman liturgy. Hilda convened a conference in 664 to help settle one a single rule. When the conference settled on the Roman and Benedictine, they were adopted throughout England, and Hilda insured the observance of her houses.
Born
614 at Northumbria, England
Died
680 of natural causes
Representation
• being carried to heaven by the angels
• holding Whitby abbey in her hands with a crown on her head or at her feet
• stopping wild birds from stealing a corn crop
• turning serpents into stone
Saint Florinus of Remüs
Also known as
• Florinus of Chur
• Florinus of Finsgowe
• Florinus of Matsch
• Florinus of Mazia
• Florinus of Ramosch
• Florinus of Val Venosta
• Florinus of Vinschgau
• Florinus of Vnuost
• Florin, Florian
Additional Memorials
• 7 August (translation of relics to Chur, Switzerland)
• 18 December (translation of relics to the Trier, Germany)
Profile
Legend says that his father was a Saxon, his mother a Jew who converted to Christianity; the two met while they were both on pilgrimage to Rome, Italy, they married, and then settled in the Val Venosta in the Italian Tyrol region. Educated by Father Alexander at the parish of Saint Peter in Remüs (modern Ramosch), Switzerland; previous minister's there include Saint Othmar of Saint Gall. Ordained in Unterengadin, Switzerland, he served as the parish priest at Saint Peter's in Remüs, living like a hermit and caring for the poor. Miracle worker who turned water to wine which he then gave away to the poor.
Born
late 8th century Val Venosta, Italy
Died
• c.856 at Remüs (modern Ramosch), Switzerland of natural causes
• buried in the graveyard of the parish of Saint Peter in Remüs
• some relics enshrined in Koblenz, Germany in 950
• some relics enshrined in Regensburg, Germany
Representation
• book
• chunk of limestone
• wine jug, pitcher, bottle or pot (referring to the miracle of turning water to wine)
Patronage
• Chur, Switzerland, diocese of
• Vaduz, Liechtenstein, diocese of
• Lower Engadine, Switzerland
• Val Venosta, Italy
Saint Hugh of Lincoln
Also known as
• Hugh of Avalon
• Hugh of Burgundy
Profile
Born to the nobility, the son of William, Lord of Avalon. His mother Anna died when he was eight, and he was raised and educated at a convent at Villard-Benoit in France. Monk at 15. Deacon at 19. Prior of a monastery at Saint-Maxim. Joined the Carthusians in 1160. Ordained in 1165. In 1175 he became abbot of the first English Carthusian monastery, which was built by King Henry II as part of his penance for the murder of Thomas Becket.
His reputation for holiness spread through England, and attracted many to the monastery. He admonished Henry for keeping dioceses vacant in order to keep their income for the throne. He resisted the appointment, but was made bishop of Lincoln on 21 September 1181. Restored clerical discipline in his see. Rebuilt the Lincoln cathedral, destroyed by earthquake in 1185.
Hugh denounced the mass persecution of Jews in England in 1190-91, repeatedly facing down armed mobs, making them release their victims. Diplomat to France for King John in 1199, a trip that ruined his health. While attending a national council in London a few months later, he was stricken with an unnamed ailment, and died two months later.
Born
1135 at Avalon Castle, Burgundy, France
Died
• 16 November 1200 at London, England of natural causes
• buried in the Lincoln Cathedral
Canonized
• 18 February 1220 by Pope Honorius III
• first canonized Carthusian
Patronage
• sick children
• sick people
• swans
Saint Gregory Thaumaturgus
Also known as
• Gregory of Neo Caesarea
• Gregory of Neocaesarea
• Gregory of Pontus
• Gregory the Wonder Worker
• The Wonder Worker
• Theodorus
Profile
Born to a wealthy and distinguished pagan family. Trained in law and rhetoric in his youth. Brother-in-law to the Roman governor of Palestine. His father died when Theodore was age 14. The boy had originally planned to study at the law school in Beirut, but when he arrived at Caesarea with his brother-in-law's entourage, he encountered Origen, head of the catechetical school in Alexandria, Egypt. He and his brother Athenodorus each gave up the idea of law school, became students of Origen, and converted to Christianity; Theodore changed his name to Gregory. Studied philosophy and theology for seven years under Origen. Returned to Pontus c.238.
Bishop of Caesarea, a diocese with only 17 Christians when he arrived. Gregory converted most of his bishopric; tradition says there were only 17 pagans left at the time of his death. Instituted the celebration of martyrs, teachings about the saints, and celebration of saint feast days as a way to interest pagans in the Church. During the Decian persecutions c.250, he and his flock fled into the desert. Worked among the sick when the plague struck soon after, and with refugees during the invasion of Pontus by the Goths in 252. Attended the First Council of Antioch in 264 and 265. Opposed the heresies of Sabellianism and Tritheism. Used his legal training to help his parishioners, and settle disputes between them without taking their problems to the civil courts controlled by pagans. Oversaw the council that chose Saint Alexander the Charcoal Burner as the first bishop of Comana. Saint Macrina the Elder heard Gregory preach many times in her youth, and passed his wisdom onto her grandsons Saint Basil the Great and Saint Gregory of Nyssa. Noted theological writer.
As you might expect from some one surnamed the Wonder Worker, there were many miraculous events in Gregory's life.
• Saint Gregory of Nyssa writes that the Wonder-Worker was the first person known to receive a vision of the Theotokus. The Virgin and Saint John the Baptist appeared to him in a vision, and gave him what became a statement of doctrine on the Trinity.
• Gregory had the power of healing by laying on of his hands. Often the healing was so powerful that the patient was cured of his illness, and became a fervent convert on the spot.
• During the construction of a church for his growing flock, the builders ran into a problem with a huge buried boulder. Gregory ordered the rock to move out of the way of his church; it did.
• In order to stop the River Lycus from its frequent and damaging floods, Gregory planted his staff at a safe point near the river bank. He then prayed that the river would never rise past the staff. The staff took root, grew into a large tree, and the river never flooded past it again. This act led to his patronage against floods and flooding.
• Two local pagans, hearing that Gregory was a soft touch for money, decided to con the bishop. One lay beside the road where Gregory was travelling, and pretended to be dead. The other stopped the bishop, pleaded poverty, and asked for money to bury his dead friend. Gregory had no money with him, so he took off his cloak and threw it over the "dead" man, telling the "live" one to sell the cloak and use the funds. When Gregory had moved on, the "live" con-man found that his friend had died.
• Two brothers in Gregory's diocese had inherited a piece of land that contained a lake. Unable to decide how to divide the lake, the two settled on armed combat to settle the matter. On the night before the battle, Gregory prayed for a peaceful solution to the matter. The next morning the brothers found that the lake had dried up leaving easily dividable farm land.
• During Gregory's time in the desert during the Decian persecutions, an informer told the authorities where to find the bishop. Guards went to the site, but found nothing but two trees standing in isolation in the desert. The informer went back to the place and found that what the soldiers had seen as trees were actually Gregory and a deacon in prayer. This convinced the informer of the reality of Gregory's God, and he converted.
• When returning from the wilderness, Gregory had to seek shelter from a sudden and violent storm. The only structure nearby was a pagan temple. Gregory made the sign of the cross to purify the place, then spent the night there in prayer, waiting out the storm. The next morning, the pagan priest arrived to receive his morning oracles. The demons who had been masquerading as pagan gods advised him that they could not stay in the purified temple or near the holy man. The priest threatened to summon the anti-Christian authorities to arrest Gregory. The bishop wrote out a note reading "Gregory to Satan: Enter". With this "permission slip" in hand, the pagan priest was able to summon his demons again.
• The same pagan priest, realizing that his gods unquestioningly obeyed Gregory's single God, found the bishop and asked how it was done. Gregory taught the priest the truth of Christianity. Lacking faith, the priest asked for a sign of God's power. Gregory ordered a large rock to move from one place to another; it did. The priest immediately abandoned his old life, and eventually became a deacon under bishop Gregory. This ordering about of boulders led to Gregory's patronage against earthquakes.
Born
c.213 at Pontus, Asia Minor (in modern Turkey) as Theodorus
Died
• c.270 at Pontus, Asia Minor (in modern Turkey) of natural causes
• remains translated to Calabria, Italy
Patronage
• against earthquakes
• against floods
• desperate, forgotten, impossible or lost causes
Representation
• bishop driving demons out of a temple
• presenting a bishop's mitre to Saint Alexander the Charcoal Burner
Writings
• Metaphrase of the Book Of Ecclesiastes
• Sectional Confession of Faith
