St. Peter Nolasco
Feastday: January 28
Birth: 1189
Death: 1256
With St. Raymond of Penafort, founder of the Order of Mercedarians, the religious community which sent members as ransom for Christian prisoners in the hands of the Saracens. Details of his life are uncertain, but he was probably a native of Languedoc, France. After taking part in the crusade against the heretic Albigensians of southern France, he became a tutor of King James I of Aragon and then settled at Barcelona. There he became friends with St. Raymond of Penafort, and in 1218, with the support of James I, they laid the foundation for the Mercedarians, devoted to the ransoming of Christian captives. Twice Peter went to Africa to serve as a captive, and it was reported that during one journey to Granada and Valencia he won the release from Moorish jails of some four hundred captive Christians. Retiring in 1249, he was followed as head of the order by William of Bas. He was canonized by Pope Urban VIII in 1628. His feast day is now confined to local calendars.
Saint Peter Nolasco (1189 – 6 May 1256), Pere Nolasc in Catalan, Pierre Nolasque in French and Pedro Nolasco in Spanish, is a Catholic saint, born at Mas-des-Saintes-Puelles, Languedoc, today's France, although some historians claim he was born in Barcelona (see Encyclopædia Britannica).
It is clear that Nolasco was in Barcelona when he was a teenager, became part of an army fighting the Moors in the Iberian peninsula, and was appointed tutor to the young king, James I of Aragon. In 1218 he formed a congregation of men that became the Royal and Military Order of Our Lady of Mercy of the Redemption of the Captives (the Mercedarians) with approval by Pope Gregory IX in 1230.
Background
Between the eighth and the fifteenth centuries, medieval Europe was in a state of intermittent warfare between the Christian kingdoms of southern Europe and the Muslim polities of North Africa, Southern France, Sicily and portions of Spain. According to James W. Brodman, the threat of capture, whether by pirates or coastal raiders, or during one of the region's intermittent wars, was a continuous threat to residents of Catalonia, Languedoc, and the other coastal provinces of medieval Christian Europe.[1] Raids by militias, bands, and armies from both sides was an almost annual occurrence.[2]
Alfonso VIII's incursions into Andalusia in 1182 are said to have brought him over 2,000 captives and thousands in ransom,[3] while in 1191 the governor of Córdoba, took 3,000 prisoners and 15,000 head of cattle in an attack on Silves.[4] For over six hundred years, these constant armed confrontations produced numerous war prisoners on both sides. Any Christian or Muslim near the ever-shifting territorial borders was in danger of capture. Captives were considered war booty. Those not ransomed were sold as slaves. In the lands of Visigothic Spain, both Christian and Moslem societies had become accustomed to the buying and selling of captives. In the thirteenth century, in addition to spices, slaves constituted one of the goods of the flourishing trade between Christian and Moslem ports.[5]
Life
San Pedro Nolasco has a vision of Jerusalem.
Sources for the origins of the Mercedarians are scant and almost nothing is known of the founder, Peter Nolasco. A narrative developed between the fifteenth and early seventeenth centuries that culminated in Nolasco's canonization as a saint in 1628. The two earliest accounts, those written by the mid-fifteenth-century Mercedarian chroniclers Nadal Gaver and Pedro Cijar, declare the founder, the son of a merchant, to be from the French village of Mas-Saintes-Puelles, near the town of Castelnaudary,[6] in the modern department of Aude. A fuller account of his life by Francisco Zumel appeared in 1588 and is the basis for the biography given in the Acta sanctorum.
According to Butler, Nolasco followed Simon de Montfort in the war against the Albigensians. In the Battle of Muret Montfort had defeated and killed King Peter II of Aragon, and took his son James prisoner, a child of six years old and sent him back to Aragon with Nolasco, then twenty-five years old, appointed his tutor.[7]
After making a pilgrimage to Our Lady of Montserrat, Nolasco went to Barcelona where he began to practice various works of charity. Nolasco became concerned with the plight of Christians captured in Moorish raids and decided to establish a religious order to succor these unfortunates.
Ransomer
St. Pedro Nolasco – Capilla de Santa Teresa – La Catedral – Córdoba
Nolasco began ransoming Christian captives in 1203. In 1218 Raymond of Pennafort started a lay confraternity for ransoming slaves from the Moors and Peter became the procurator for this.[8] Peter’s plan, was to establish a well-structured and stable redemptive religious order under the patronage of Mary.[6]
In 1230 Nolasco became the first Superior and also held the position of Ransomer, the order being concerned with the freeing of Christian prisoners from the Moors. He worked first in the Kingdom of Valencia and then in Granada. He made several other journeys to the coasts of Spain, besides a voyage to Algiers.[7] Saint Raymond Nonnatus later succeeded to this position.
The order originally attracted young noblemen whose heritage equipped them to practically address the matter of ransom,[9] and friars who were in holy orders, and attended the choir. The knights were to guard the coasts against the Saracens, but were obliged to choir when not on duty. Nolasco himself was never ordained priest; and the first seven generals or commanders were chosen out of the knights, though the friars were always more numerous.[7] The founder required of himself and his followers a special vow in addition to the usual three-to devote their "whole substance and very liberty to the ransoming of slaves," even to the point of acting as hostages in order to free others. According to records, the Order of the Blessed Virgin Mary for the Ransom of Captives accomplished approximately 70,000 rescues-some 2,700 during the founder's lifetime.[9]
The order elected a habit of white, signifying innocence. Some histories claim that Mary provided such guidance during her appearance to Nolasco. An enthusiastic King James authorized the members to wear- emblazoned on their breasts and long scapulars- his own distinguished arms -of Aragon.[9]
Nolasco died in 1256 in Barcelona, seven years after having resigned as Superior. According to tradition he died on 25 December, but recent studies of the Royal Archives of Barcelona have indicated that he died on 6 May.
Veneration
Nolasco was canonized by Pope Urban VIII. His festival was appointed by Pope Clement VIII to be kept on January 31, which was later moved to 28 January, when the former date was assigned to the liturgical celebration of Saint John Bosco (see General Roman Calendar as in 1954). He is presently inscribed in the Roman Martyrology, the official list of saints, on 6 May, the day of his death.
Legacy
The Order spread through most of Spain and was closely associated with the "Reconquista" of the southern provinces under Ferdinand and Isabella. The order flourished in France, England, Germany, Portugal, and Spain. From Spain, they provided a missionary presence in the New World
St. Antilnus
Feastday: January 28
Death: 8th century
Benedictine abbot at Brantome, France. Founded by Charlemagne in 769, the abbey was destroyed by Normans in 817.
.
Bl. Amadeus of Lausanne
Feastday: January 28
Death: 1159
Bishop and prominent official in the court of Savoy and Burgundy. Amadeus was a member of the royal family of Franconia, the son of Blessed Amadeus of Clermont, born in the castle of Chatte, Dauphine, France. He was educated at Bonnevaux and then at Cluny, where his father had become a monk. While serving in the household of King Henry V, Amadeus entered Clairvaux in 1124, becoming a Cistercian. He became abbot of Ilautecombe Savoy in 1139, and the bishop of Lausanne in 1144. In his last years, Amadeus served as co-regent for Duke Humbert of Savoy and as the chancellor of Burgundy, appointed to the post by Frederick Barbarossa.
Amadeus III of Savoy (1095 – April 1148) was Count of Savoy and Maurienne from 1103 until his death. He was also known as a crusader.[1]
Biography
He was born in Carignano, Piedmont, the son of Humbert II of Savoy and Gisela of Burgundy, the daughter of William I of Burgundy. He succeeded as count of Savoy upon the death of his father.[1] Amadeus had a tendency to exaggerate his titles, and also claimed to be Duke of Lombardy, Duke of Burgundy, Duke of Chablais, and vicar of the Holy Roman Empire, the latter of which had been given to his father by Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor.
He helped restore the Abbey of St. Maurice of Agaune, in which the former kings of Burgundy had been crowned, and of which he himself was abbot until 1147. He also founded the Abbey of St. Sulpicius in Bugey, Tamié Abbey in the Bauges, and Hautecombe Abbey on the Lac du Bourget.
In 1128, Amadeus extended his realm, known as the "Old Chablais", by adding to it the region extending from the Arve to the Dranse d'Abondance, which came to be called the "New Chablais" with its capital at Saint-Maurice. Despite his marriage to Mahaut, he still fought against his brother-in-law Guy, who was killed at the Battle of Montmélian. Following this, King Louis VI of France, married to Amadeus' sister Adélaide de Maurienne, attempted to confiscate Savoy. Amadeus was saved by the intercession of Peter the Hermit, and by his promise to participate in Louis' planned crusade.
Crusade
In 1147, he accompanied his nephew Louis VII of France and his wife Eleanor of Aquitaine on the Second Crusade. He financed his expedition with help from a loan from the Abbey of St. Maurice. In his retinue were many barons from Savoy, including the lords of Faucigny, Seyssel, La Chambre, Miolans, Montbel, Thoire, Montmayeur, Vienne, Viry, La Palude, Blonay, Chevron-Villette, Chignin, and Châtillon. Amadeus travelled south through Italy to Brindisi, where he crossed over to Durazzo, and marched east along the Via Egnatia to meet Louis at Constantinople in late 1147. After crossing into Anatolia, Amadeus, who was leading the vanguard, became separated from Louis near Laodicea, and Louis' forces were almost entirely destroyed.
Marching on to Adalia, Louis, Amadeus, and other barons decided to continue to Antioch by ship. On the journey, Amadeus fell ill on Cyprus, and died at Nicosia in April 1148.[2] He was buried in the Church of St. Croix in Nicosia. In Savoy, his son Humbert III succeeded him, under the regency of bishop Amadeus of Lausanne
Bl. Roger of Todi
Feastday: January 28
Death: 1237
Author and Publisher - Catholic Online
Franciscan and friend of St. Francis of Assisi. Ruggiero da Todi was one of the early Franciscans, receiving his habit from Francis himself. He was appointed by the saint to the post of spiritual director of the convent of the Poor Clares which had been established at Rieti, Italy, by Blessed Philippa Mareri. He died soon after Philippa, at Todi.
Saint Thomas Aquinas
† இன்றைய புனிதர் †
(ஜனவரி 28)
✠ புனிதர் தாமஸ் அக்குய்னஸ் ✠
(St. Thomas Aquinas)
துறவி/ குரு/ மறைவல்லுநர்:
(Friar/ Priest/ Doctor of the Church)
பிறப்பு: கி.பி. 1225
ரொக்காசெக்கா, சிசிலி அரசு
(Roccasecca, Kingdom of Sicily)
இறப்பு: மார்ச் 7, 1274
ஃபொஸ்ஸனோவா, திருத்தந்தையர் மாநிலம்
(Fossanova, Papal States)
ஏற்கும் சபை/ சமயம்:
கத்தோலிக்க திருச்சபை
(Catholic Church)
ஆங்கிலிக்கன் சமூகம்
(Anglican Communion)
லூதரனியம்
(Lutheranism)
புனிதர் பட்டம்: ஜூலை 18, 1323
திருத்தந்தை இருபத்தி இரண்டாம் ஜான்
(Pope John XXII)
முக்கிய திருத்தலங்கள்:
ஜாகொபின்ஸ் ஆலயம், டௌலூஸ், ஃபிரான்ஸ்
(Church of the Jacobins, Toulouse, France)
நினைவுத் திருவிழா: ஜனவரி 28
பாதுகாவல்:
கத்தோலிக்க கல்வி நிலயங்கள் (Catholic Academies), புயலுக்கெதிராக (Against storms), மின்னலுக்கெதிராக (Against Lightning), வக்காலத்து வாங்குபவர்கள் (Apologists), இத்தாலி (Italy), புத்தக விற்பனையாளர்கள் (Book Sellers), பள்ளிகள் (Schools), பல்கலை கழகங்கள் (Universities), கற்பு (Chastity), அந்துப்பூச்சி (Falena), கற்றல் (Learning), பென்சில் உற்பத்தியாளர்கள் (Pencil Makers), தத்துவயியலார்கள் (Philosophers), அறிஞர்கள் (Scholars), மாணவர்கள் (Students), ஸ்டோ பல்கலைக்கழகம் (University of Sto), இறையியலாளர்கள் (Theologians)
புனிதர் தாமஸ் அக்குய்னஸ், இத்தாலி நாட்டின் டொமினிக்கன் சபையைச் சேர்ந்த ஒரு துறவியும், கத்தோலிக்க மதகுருவும், மெய்யியலாளரும், இறையியலாளரும் ஆவார். இயற்கை இறையியலின் முன்னணிப் பரப்புரையாளராக இருந்ததுடன், இவர் மெய்யியல், இறையியல் என்பவற்றின் தோமியச் சிந்தனைப் பிரிவின் தந்தையும் ஆவார். பண்டித நுணுக்கத்தால் பாரம்பரிய நீதியாளர் ஆவார்.
குருத்துவ கல்வி பயிலுபவர்களுக்கான ஒரு முன்மாதிரியாக கத்தோலிக்கத் திருச்சபை இவரைப் போற்றியது. திருச்சபையால் மறைவல்லுனர் (Doctor of the Church) என்ற பட்டமும் இவருக்கு அளிக்கப்பட்டது. பல கல்வி நிறுவனங்கள் இவருடைய பெயரில் தொடங்கப்பட்டன.
வாழ்க்கை:
புனிதர் தாமஸ் அக்குய்னஸ், சிசிலி அரசின் "ரொக்காசெக்கா" (Roccasecca) என்னுமிடத்திலுள்ள (தற்போதைய இத்தாலியின் "லாஸியோ" (Lazio Region) பிராந்தியம்) தமது தந்தையின் கோட்டை அரண்மனையில் பிறந்தார். இவரது தந்தை பெயர், "லண்டல்ஃப் அக்குய்னோ" (Landulf of Aquino) ஆகும். இவரது தாயார் "தியோடோரா" (Theodora) ஆவார்.
தமது ஐந்து வயதில், "மாண்ட்டே கஸினோ" (Monte Cassino) நகரில் தொடங்கிய இவரது ஆரம்பக் கல்வி, பேரரசன் “இரண்டாம் ஃபிரெடெரிக்” (Emperor Frederick II) மற்றும் திருத்தந்தை “ஒன்பதாம் கிரகோரி” (Pope Gregory IX) ஆகியோரிடையே கி.பி. 1239ம் ஆண்டின் தொடக்கத்தில் நடந்து முடிந்த போரின் காரணமாக அங்குள்ள துறவு மடத்தில் சிதறியது.
தாமஸின் பெற்றோர் இவரை "நேப்பிள்ஸ்" (Naples) நகரில், "ஃபிரெடெரிக்" (Frederick) புதிதாய் ஆரம்பித்திருந்த பல்கலையில் சேர்த்துவிட்டனர். அங்கே தாமஸுக்கு "அரிஸ்ட்டாடில்", (Aristotle) "அவெர்ரோஸ்" (Averroes) மற்றும் "மைமொனிடேஸ்" (Maimonides) ஆகிய அறிஞர்களின் அறிமுகம் கிட்டியது. அவர்களனைவரும் தாமஸின் இறையியல் தத்துவ (Theological Philosophy) அறிவினால் ஈர்க்கப்பட்டனர்.
தாமஸ் தமது பத்தொன்பது வயதில் புதிதாய் ஆரம்பிக்கப்பட்டிருந்த "டொமினிக்கன் சபையில்" (Dominican Order) இணைய முடிவெடுத்தார். தாமஸின் மனமாற்றம் இவரது குடும்பத்தினருக்கு மகிழ்ச்சியை கொடுக்கவில்லை. தாமஸின் முடிவுகளை மாற்ற அவரது தாயார் தியோடோராவின் தலையீடுகளை தடுக்கும் விதமாக, டொமினிக்கன் துறவியர் தாமஸை ரோமுக்கும், பின்னர் அங்கிருந்து பாரிஸ் நகருக்கும் அனுப்ப ஏற்பாடுகள் செய்தனர். ஆயினும், தாமஸின் தாயார் தியோடோராவின் ஏற்பாடுகளின்படி, ரோம் நோக்கி பயணத்திலிருந்த தாமஸ், ஒரு நீர்ச்சுனையில் தண்ணீர் அருந்தும் வேளையில் அவரது சகோதரர்கள் அவரைப் பிடித்து தமது பெற்றோரின் “மான்டே சான் ஜியோவானி காம்பனோவின்” (Castle of Monte San Giovanni Campano) கோட்டை அரண்மனைக்கு கொண்டு சென்றனர். டொமினிக்கன் சபையில் சேரும் தாமஸின் புதிய விருப்பத்தைத் தவிர்க்கும் விதமாக இவர் ஏறத்தாழ ஒரு வருடம் வரை வீட்டுக் காவலில் வைக்கப்பட்டார்.
தாமஸ் தமது இந்த வீட்டுக்காவல் காலத்தை தம் சகோதரியருக்கு கல்வி கற்பிப்பதிலும், டொமினிக்கன் சபைத் துறவியருடன் தொடர்பு கொள்வதிலும் கழித்தார். டொமினிக்கன் சபையில் சேரும் எண்ணத்தில் உறுதியாக இருந்த தாமசை மனமாற்றம் செய்வது இயலாததென அவரது குடும்பத்தினர் நம்பினார். ஒரு கட்டத்தில், அவரது சகோதரர்கள் இருவர் அவரை தவறான வழியில் செலுத்த ஒரு விபச்சாரியை பணியமர்த்தும் நடவடிக்கையையும் கையிலெடுத்தனர். தாமஸ் அந்த பெண்ணை பழுக்க காய்ச்சிய இரும்பைக் கொண்டு விரட்டினார். அன்று இரவு, தாமஸ் உறங்கும் வேளையில் காட்சியளித்த இரண்டு தேவ தூதர்கள், அவரது பிரம்மச்சரிய மன உறுதியை வலுவாக்கினர்.
கி.பி. 1244ம் ஆண்டு, தாமஸின் மனமாற்றத்திற்கான அனைத்து முயற்சிகளும் தோற்றுப்போன நிலையில் அவரது தாயார் தியோடோரா, தமது குடும்பத்தின் கௌரவம் மற்றும் கண்ணியத்தைக் காக்க வேண்டி, அன்றிரவு தாமஸ் ஜன்னல் வழியாக வீட்டுக் காவலிலிருந்து தப்பித்துப் போக வழிவிட்டார். எல்லோருமறிய துறவு சபையில் சென்று சேர்வதைவிட, இரகசியமாக செல்வது குடும்ப கௌரவத்திற்கு குறைந்தபட்ச சேதாரமேயாகும் என நினைத்தார். முதலில் நேப்பிள்ஸ் நகருக்கு பயணித்த தாமஸ், “டொமினிக்கன் சபைகளின் பெரும்தலைவரான” (Master General of the Dominican Order) "ஜோஹன்னேஸ்" (Johannes von Wildeshausen) அவர்களை சந்திப்பதற்காக அங்கிருந்து ரோம் சென்றார்.
கி.பி. 1273ல் ஒருநாள், காலை வழிபாடுகளின் பின்னர், தாமஸ் “தூய நிக்கலஸ் சிட்றாலயத்தில்” (Chapel of Saint Nicholas) உலவிக்கொண்டிருந்தார். பின்னர் அவர் சிலுவையில் பாடுபட்ட இயேசுவின் சொரூபத்தின் முன்னே தியானிக்கையில், ஆண்டவரே அவருக்கு தோன்றி, "தாமஸ், என்னைப்பற்றின உன்னுடைய எழுத்துக்கள் அருமையாக உள்ளன; நீ என்ன பிரதிபலன் எதிர்பார்க்கிறாய்" என்று கேட்டார். தாமஸோ, "ஆண்டவரே, நீரல்லாது எனக்கு வேறொன்றும் வேண்டாம்" என்றார். இந்நிகழ்வின் பின்னர் ஆண்டவருக்கும் தமக்கும் இடையே நடந்த சம்பாஷனை பற்றி தாமஸ் யாரிடமும் எதுவும் சொல்லவுமில்லை; எழுதி வைக்கவுமில்லை.
கி.பி. 1273ம் ஆண்டு, டிசம்பர் மாதம், ஆறாம் தேதி, மற்றொரு விசித்திர அனுபவம் நேர்ந்தது. திருப்பலி நிகழ்த்திக்கொண்டிருந்த தாமசுக்கு ஒரு நீண்ட மெய்மறந்த இன்ப உணர்வு ஏற்பட்டது. அதன்பின்னர் அவர் தமது வழக்கமான பணிகளை கைவிட்டார். தமது உதவியாளருக்கு அடுத்து செய்யவேண்டிய பணிகள் பற்றின உத்தரவுகள் கொடுக்க மறுத்தார். நான் எழுதிய எழுத்துக்களே என்ன ஈர்க்கின்றன என்றார். இதன் விளைவாக, அவர் எழுதிக்கொண்டிருந்த (Summa Theologica) என்ற இறையியல் இலக்கியம் நிறைவடையாமலேயே போனது. இறைவனுடன் தாமஸுக்கு ஏற்பட்ட அனுபவமே இதற்கு காரணம் என்பது கத்தோலிக்க விசுவாசம்.
கி.பி. 1054ம் ஆண்டு, கிழக்கத்திய மற்றும் மேற்கத்திய திருச்சபைகளிடையே ஏற்பட்ட பெரும் பிளவின் காரணமாக கிழக்கு மரபுவழி திருச்சபை மற்றும் கத்தோலிக்க திருச்சபைகளிடையே ஒற்றுமை உண்டாக்கும் முயற்சியாக திருத்தந்தை பத்தாம் கிரகோரி (Pope Gregory X) இரண்டாம் லியோன் சங்கத்தை (Second Council of Lyon) கி.பி. 1274ம் ஆண்டு, மே மாதம், முதல் தேதி, கூட்ட ஏற்பாடு செய்தார். அவர் தாமசுக்கும் அழைப்பு விடுத்தார். இந்த கூட்டத்தில் தாமஸ், திருத்தந்தை நான்காம் அர்பனுக்காக (Pope Urban IV) பணியாற்றினார்.
இந்த கூட்டத்தில் கலந்துகொள்ள தாமஸ் ஒரு கழுதையின் மேல் பயணம் மேற்கொண்டார். இந்த பயணத்தின்போது, அவரது தலை விழுந்திருந்த ஒரு மரத்தின் கிளை மீது மோதியது. மிக மோசமாக உடல்நிலை பாதிக்கப்பட்ட தாமஸ் சிறிது ஓய்வுக்கு பின்னர் மீண்டும் தன் பயணத்தை தொடர்ந்தார். ஆனால் மீண்டும் நோயில் வீழ்ந்த தாமஸ் வழியில் ஒரு துறவு மடத்தில் தங்கினார். சில நாட்களின் பிறகு, கி.பி. 1274ம் ஆண்டும், மார்ச் மாதம், ஏழாம் தேதி, தாமஸ் மரணமடைந்தார்.
Additional Memorial
• 7 March (Fossanuova monastery near Terracina, Italy)
• 13 November as patron of Catholic schools (on the Dominican calendar from 1924 to 1962)
Also known as
• Angelic Doctor
• Doctor Angelicus
• Doctor Communis
• Great Synthesizer
• The Dumb Ox
• The Universal Teacher
Profile
Son of the Count of Aquino, born in the family castle in Lombardy near Naples, Italy. Educated by Benedictine monks at Monte Cassino, and at the University of Naples. He secretly joined the mendicant Dominican friars in 1244. His family kidnapped and imprisoned him for a year to keep him out of sight, and deprogram him, but they failed to sway him, and he rejoined his order in 1245.
He studied in Paris, France from 1245 to 1248 under Saint Albert the Great, then accompanied Albertus to Cologne, Germany. Ordained in 1250, then returned to Paris to teach. Taught theology at University of Paris. He wrote defenses of the mendicant orders, commentaries on Aristotle and Lombard's Sentences, and some bible-related works, usually by dictating to secretaries. He won his doctorate, and taught in several Italian cities. Recalled by king and university to Paris in 1269, then recalled to Naples in 1272 where he was appointed regent of studies while working on the Summa Theologica.
On 6 December 1273 he experienced a divine revelation which so enraptured him that he abandoned the Summa, saying that it and his other writing were so much straw in the wind compared to the reality of the divine glory. He died four months later while en route to the Council of Lyons, overweight and with his health broken by overwork.
His works have been seminal to the thinking of the Church ever since. They systematized her great thoughts and teaching, and combined Greek wisdom and scholarship methods with the truth of Christianity. Pope Leo VIII commanded that his teachings be studied by all theology students. He was proclaimed a Doctor of the Church in 1567.
Born
c.1225 at Roccasecca, Aquino, Naples, Italy
Died
• 7 March 1274 at Fossanuova monastery near Terracina, Italy of apparent natural causes
• relics interred at Saint-Servin, Toulouse, France
• relics translated to the Church of the Jacobins, Toulouse on 22 October 1974
Canonized
18 July 1323 by Pope John XXII
Blessed Charlemagne
Also known as
• Carlus Magnus
• Carolus Magnus
• Charles the Great
• Charles, King of the Franks
• Karl der Grosse
Profile
Born a prince, the eldest son of Bertha and Pepin the Short, Mayor of the Palace under King Childeric III and then King of the Franks in 751. Married, and father of Louis the Pious. King of the Franks in 768. As "Roman Patrician" Charles was obligated to defend the temporal rights of the Holy See, which were first threatened by the Lombards under Desiderius, whom he finally defeated at Pavia, Italy. Defeated the pagan Saxons, to whom he gave the alternative of baptism or death; their leader Wittekind accepted Christianity in 785. The Song of Roland recounts the death of the paladin Roland during Charlemagne's 777 invasion of Moslem Spain. Crowned the first Holy Roman Emperor, sovereign of Christendom in the West, by Pope Leo III on Christmas Day 800.
The reign of Charlemagne involved a greater degree of organic development and consolidation of Christian Europe than any other person. He supported agricultural development in his realm, organized and codified the principles of ancient Frankish law, and through the scholars whom he attracted to his court, including Saint Alcuin, he inaugurated educational reform. He furthered the spiritual welfare of the Church by his zeal for ecclesiastical discipline and took keen interest in the deliberations of synods. He improved and propagated church music, laying the foundations of modern musical culture. In 806 he divided his empire by will among his three sons.
Charlemagne is the hero of a cycle of romance in the Middle Ages. He first appeared as a legendary figure in the book of the so-called Monachus Sangallensis (883). In France he became the center of the national epics, or "Chansons de Geste," which relate his legendary deeds and those of his paladins (Oliver, Roland, Turpin), and vassals. In the older epics he is the incarnation of majesty, truth, and justice, and the champion of God's church against the infidel, but the later epics paint him as a tyrant and oppressor. His Saxon wars left many legends in Germany, concerned mainly with Wittekind and his conversion, which, according to the French version, was short-lived and insincere. Through French influence the Carlovingian legend spread to other countries; in Italy it inspired the Franco-Italian epics, and the "Reali di Francia" of Mignabotti, and culminated in the famous chivalrous epics of Boiardo and Ariosto; in Germany it appeared in the "Rolandslied" of Konrad der Pfaffe, "Karlmeinet," and the chap-books of the 15th century; in Scandinavia in the "Karlamagnus saga" (c.1300); in the Netherlands in numerous translations like "Carel ende Elegast"; and in England Caxton published "The Lyf of Charles the Grete" (1485) and "The four sonnes of Aymon" (1486).
Born
2 April 742 Aix-la-Chapelle (in modern Germany
Died
28 January 814 at Aachen (in modern Germany) of natural causes
Beatified
by Pope Benedict XIV (cultus confirmed)
Canonized
a decree of canonization was issued by the anti-pope Paschal III, but this was never ratified by valid authority
Patronage
University of Paris
Blessed Mosè Tovini
Also known as
Moses Tovini
Profile
Eldest of eight children, the son of Eugenio, an accountant, and Domenica Malaguzzi, a teacher. Nephew and god-son of Blessed Giuseppe Tovini. Attended elementary school in Breno, Italy, and was a good student. Moved in with Blessed Giuseppe in Brescia, Italy at age nine to continue his studies. He made his First Communion on 14 November 1886. Went to school in Romano Lombardia, Italy in 1889. Mose began to feel a call to the priesthood, but his father opposed it, and he put off the training. Attended high school in Celana, Bergamo, Italy, but had trouble with city life, and was abused by his fellow students. He returned home, and this time his father agreed with Mose's call to the priesthood. The boy moved back in with his uncle Giuseppe, and studied at the seminary in Brescia.
Upon finishing the minor seminary, during which his uncle had died, Mose took off from school and joined the army. His personal piety even impressed his fellow soldiers. He reached the rank of sergeant, was discharged on 31 October 1898, returned home, and resumed his studies for the priesthood. Ordained in Brescia on 9 June 1900 at age 22. Assigned as chaplain of Astrio, Italy. He was soon sent to Rome, Italy to continue his studies, and by 1904 had degrees in mathematics, philosophy, and theology. He returned home to Brescia, and in November 1904 began teaching at the seminary; he would continue in that job for the rest of his life, and was known for the orthodox Christianity of his lessons. Joined the new Congregation of Oblate Priests. Studied in Milan, Italy, and received a degree in dogmatic theology. He organized religious education for teachers, assisted in local parish work, and endlessly taught catechism.
Appointed parochial vicar at Provaglio d'Iseo in 1915. He received an exemption from the draft of World War I, and continued to teach. Vice-pastor of the parish of Torbole, Italy after its priest was drafted. Ministered fearlessly to the sick during the Spanish flu epidemic. After the war, he was assigned to help returning veterans resume their seminary studies. Appointed vice-prior of the Diocesan Commission of the Catechism in 1919. In 1922, he and Father Giuseppe Schena founded the Catholic Action Movement in Italy. Appointed canon of the Brescia cathedral and vice-official of the ecclesiastical tribunal in 1923. Director of the institute for Training Catechism Teachers in Brescia in 1926 where he helped prepare hundreds of catechists. Rector of the Brescia seminary in 1926, a post he held the rest of his life; his administration always emphasized devotion to the Eucharist, the Immaculate Virgin and the Pope as the great pillars of priestly vocation.
Born
27 December 1877 in Cividate Camuno, Brescia, Italy
Died
28 January 1930 in Brescia, Italy of pneumonia
Beatified
• 17 September 2006 by Pope Benedict XVI
• celebrated at the cathedral in Brescia, Italy
Saint Joseph Freinademetz
Also known as
• Giuseppe Freinademetz
• Joseph of Shantung
• Jozef Freinademetz
• Ujoep (nickname)
Profile
Born into a pious farm family, the fourth of twelve children. Joseph was a polymath who knew seven languages. Ordained in Bressanone, Italian Tyrol on 25 July 1875. Joined the Divine Word Missionaries when the congregation was only three years old. Missionary to China in 1879; he spent the rest of his life there, and did all he could to be Chinese in order to convert the Chinese.
He worked initially with Franciscan missionaries so he and his group could get acclimated. The bishop of Hong Kong planned to put Father Joseph in charge of the group, and later to ordain him as bishop; Joseph refused to leave the bishop's office until his superior had changed his mind and given the honor to some one else.
It was a time of persecution of Christians in China; many in authority resented foreigners of any sort, and others were openly anti-Christian no matter if the faithful were native or foreign. Father Joseph, his co-workers and his flock were chased from place to place, arrested, routinely beaten. Joseph is reported to have preached to his attackers while they were beating him; they were so moved and impressed, they left.
The abuse of the missionaries led to some foreign governments to dispatch armed forces to China to protect them. The Chinese government reacted by expelling all foreigners. Father Joseph stayed to minister covertly to the converts, finally resuming his work openly after the deportation orders were lifted. On the roads and from the mission, he worked to teach and convert up to the very end of his life.
Born
15 April 1852 in Pedraces in Val Gadena, the Tyrolean Alps, Italy
Died
28 January 1908 in Taikia, China of tuberculosis and typhus
Canonized
5 October 2003 by Pope John Paul II
Blessed Julian Maunoir
Also known as
• Julien Maunoir
• Apostle of Brittany
Additional Memorial
2 July (Jesuits)
Profile
Raised in a pious home. Classmate of Saint Isaac Jogues. Joined the Jesuits in 1625. Regent of the College of Quimper from 1630 to 1633. Ordained on 6 June 1637. Successfully fought secret societies in Brittany, France. Built homes for the aged in the French cities of Vannes and Quimper.
Having learned the Breton language, and developed a phonetic Breton alphabet while teaching in Quimper, Julian was well suited for evangelizing the impoverished people of Brittany. Though he requested to go do missionary work in Canada, he was assigned as a home missioner for 43 years, holding 375 missions and becoming the principal cause of religious renewal in the province. His missions sometimes attracted 10,000 to 30,000 people; he had to bring in several parish priests to help hear confessions, catechize, and distribute Communion. In 1651, seven of these priests asked permission to join Julian in his work, and the group became known as the Breton Missionaries. By 1665 there were 300, and by 1683 almost 1000.
Born
1 October 1606 at Saint-Georges-de-Reitembault, France
Died
• 8pm on 28 January 1683 at Plévin, France of natural causes
• buried in the parish church at Plévin
Beatified
20 May 1951 by Pope Pius XII
Saint Julian of Cuenca
#புனித_ஜூலியன் (1127-1208)
ஜனவரி 28
இவர் (#StJulianOfCuenca) ஸ்பெயின் நாட்டைச் சார்ந்தவர்.
இவர் தனது மேற்படிப்பை ஸ்பெயினில் உள்ள பலென்சியா பல்கலைக்கழகத்தில் கற்று, அங்கேயே பத்தாண்டுகளுக்கு மேல் பேராசிரியராகப் பணியாற்றினார்.
இவர் அங்குப் பணியாற்றிக் கொண்டிருக்கும் பொழுது, தனக்கு ஓய்வுநேரம் கிடைக்கும்போதெல்லாம் சிறு சிறு தொழில் செய்து, அதன் மூலம் கிடைத்த வருமானத்தைக் கொண்டு ஏழைகளுக்கு உதவி செய்தார்.
இதற்குப் பிறகு இவர் தான் செய்து வந்த பேராசிரியப் பணியை விட்டுவிட்டு ஒரு துறவியைப் போன்று வாழத் தொடங்கினார். அக்காலக் கட்டத்தில் இவர் இறைவேண்டலுக்கும் நோன்பிற்கும் மிகுதியான நேரம் ஒதுக்கினார். மேலும் இவர் பல இடங்களுக்குச் சென்று கடவுளின் வார்த்தையை அறிவித்து வந்தார்.
இந்நிலையில் அதாவது 1196 ஆம் ஆண்டு இவர் கூவன்கா (Cuenca) நகரின் இரண்டாவது ஆயராகத் திருநிலைப்படுத்தப்பட்டார். இவரது காலத்தில் மூர் இனத்தவரின் தாக்கம் மிகுதியாகவே இருந்தது. அதற்கு முற்றுப்புள்ளி வைத்த இவர், தன்னிடம் ஒப்படைக்கப்பட்ட பணியினை மிகச் சிறப்பாகச் செய்தார். குறிப்பாக இவர், ஏழைகள், விவசாயிகள், சிறைக் கைதிகள் ஆகியோருக்கு அளப்பரிய உதவிகள் செய்தார்.
இவர் செய்த சேவையினைப் பார்த்து, ஆண்டவர் இயேசு இவருக்குத் தோன்றி, இவரை வெகுவாகப் பாராட்டினார். இப்படி அயராது இறைப்பணியையும் மக்கள் பணியையும் ஒருசேரச் செய்த இவர் 1208 ஆம் ஆண்டு இறையடி சேர்ந்தார். இவருக்கு 1594 ஆம் ஆண்டு புனிதர் பட்டம் கொடுக்கப்பட்டது.
Also known as
Julian of Burgos
Profile
Educated at the cathedral school of Burgos, Spain and the University of Palencia, Spain. Taught theology and philosophy at Palencia from 1153 to 1163. Worked on the side making basket and trade goods for extra money, and then would gave away almost everything to the poor. In 1163 he retired to live as a hermit outside Palencia. Ordained in 1166. He and a fellow hermit, Lesmes, became wandering preachers. Archdeacon of the Archdiocese of Toledo, Spain in 1191 where he served as administrator, preacher - and basket weaver to make money for the poor. When King Alphonsus IX recaptured Cuenca of Castile from the Moors, Julian became its bishop in June 1196. He was known as a reformer and noted preacher whose charity extended to everyone, regardless of faith. (And, yes, he continued making baskets).
Born
1127 at Burgos, Spain
Died
• 28 January 1208 in Cuenca, Spain of natural causes
• relics re-interred under the altar dedicated to him in the cathedral of Cuenca, Spain in 1578
Canonized
18 October 1594 by Pope Clement VIII
Patronage
• basket makers
• for rain
• Cuenca, Spain, city of
• Cuenca, Spain, diocese of
Saint Paulinus of Aquileia
Also known as
Paulinus II
Additional Memorial
2 March (in Cividale, Italy)
Profile
Raised on a farm, and broadly self educated, gaining a wide reputation for scholarship. Teacher. Invited courtier to Charlemagne begining in 774, he was named "royal master of grammar". He served at court for over a decade and became a favorite of the emperor. Poet. Reluctant Patriarch of Aquileia in northern Italy in 787. He attended all the great councils convoked during his time, and well known as a defender of the faith against heretics. Fought the heresy of Adoptionism, and convoked a synod to combat several heresies that denied Christ's Divine nature; two surviving works attributed to him combat this heresy. He dispatched and supported missionaries to pagan territories, and ordered them not to force conversions, or baptize those ignorant of the Faith or who thought it was some type of magic. Noted preacher in the area of Styria and Crinthia.
Born
c.726 Premariacco near Cividale, Italy
Died
• 11 January 804 of natural causes
• relics are under the altar of the crypt of the basilica of Cividale del Friuli, Italy
Blessed Olympia Bida
Also known as
• Olga
• Olha
• Ol'ha
• Olimpia
Additional Memorial
27 June as one of the Martyrs Killed Under Communist Regimes in Eastern Europe
Profile
Greek Catholic. Joined the Congregation of the Sisters of Saint Joseph. Worked in several towns as a catechist and novice director, and with the aged and sick. Taught and helped to raise several young women. Convent superior in Kheriv where the Communists worked against her. Arrested for her faith in 1951, and exiled to a forced labour camp in the Tomsk region of Siberia in Russia. In the camp she continued her duties as superior, and organised other exiled nuns into prayer and support groups. Martyr.
Born
1903 at Tsebliv, L'vivs'ka oblast', Ukraine
Died
28 January 1952 in Kharsk, Tomskaya oblast', Russia
Beatified
27 June 2001 by Pope John Paul II in Ukraine
Saint Jean of Réomay
Also known as
Jean of Réomé
Profile
Hermit at Réomay, France. His reputation for holiness spread, and he began to attract would-be disciples. To escape them he sneaked away, and became a monk at Lérins Abbey. He was sent by his bishop back to Reomay as abbot of its monastery, which became Mount Saint Jean in his honour. He became one of the pioneers of Western monasticism. So strict in his refusal to be around women, he refused to receive his own mother when she visited the monastery.
Born
425 at Dijon, France
Died
25 January 539 at Réomay, France of natural causes
Representation
Benedictine hermit or monk or abbot near a well with a dragon on a chain
Blessed María Luisa Montesinos Orduña
Profile
Baptized at the age of two days, and Confirmed on 18 March 1907 at the parish of Saint Andrew the Apostle. Well-educated lifelong lay woman in the archdiocese of Valencia, Spain who spent years caring for her parents. Member of Catholic Action. Attended daily Mass. Had a deep devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Served as a catechist and minister to the poor and sick. Martyred in the Spanish Civil War along with several members of her family.
Born
3 May 1901 in Valencia, Spain
Died
28 January 1937 in Picassent, Valencia, Spain
Beatified
11 March 2001 by Pope John Paul II
Blessed Bartolomé Aiutamicristo
Profile
Born to the nobility. Camaldolese lay brother at the monastery of San Frediano, Pisa, Tuscany, Italy. Miracle worker.
Born
Pisa, Italy
Died
• 28 January 1224 at the monastery of San Frediano, Pisa, Tuscany, Italy of natural causes
• buried under the main altar in the church at the San Frediano monastery
• most relics destroyed in a fire in the church in 1675; remaining relics enshrined in the church sacristy
Beatified
1857 by Pope Pius XI (cultus confirmation)
Blessed James the Almsgiver
Profile
Born wealthy. Studied law but left it for the priesthood. Restored a ruined hospital where he tended the sick and gave legal advice for free. When he discovered that the hospital had fallen into disrepair because its funding had been misappropriated, he successfully sued the bishop of Chiusi, Italy for return of the funds; the bishop had him killed by paid hitmen.
Born
at Citta delle Pieve (Chiusi), Lombardy, Italy
Died
• murdered on 15 January 1304
• buried in a stand of trees
• body discovered by a group of shepherds who found the trees near his grave in full bloom in the dead of winter
Saint Jerome Lu
Also known as
• Hieronymus Lu Tingmei
• Jerome Lou-Tin-Mei
• Lu Tingmei Hieronymus
• Yeilou
Additional Memorial
28 September as one of the Martyrs of China
Profile
Lay man catechist. Martyr.
Born
c.1811 at Langdai, Guizhou, China
Died
tortured and beheaded on 28 January 1858 at Mao-Cheu, Langdai, Guizhou, China
Canonized
1 October 2000 by Pope John Paul II
Blessed Odo of Beauvais
Profile
A soldier when young, Odo initially planned on a military career. He gave up the military life to become a Benedictine monk at Corbie, France under Saint Pascasius Radbert. Tutor to the sons of Charles Martel. Abbot in 851. Bishop of Beauvais in 861. Known as a reformer in his diocese. Mediator between Pope Nicholas I and Archbishop Hincmar of Rheims, France.
Born
801 at Beauvais, Picardy, France
Died
880 of natural causes
Beatified
by Pope Pius IX (cultus confirmed)
Saint Agatha Lin
Also known as
• Agatha Lin Tchaio
• Lin Zhao Agatha
• Jiade
Additional Memorial
28 September as one of the Martyrs of China
Profile
Lay woman. Teacher in a Christian school. Catechist. Martyr.
Born
c.1817 at Qinglong, Guizhou, China
Died
beheaded 28 January 1858 at Mao-ken, Langdai, Guizhou, China
Canonized
1 October 2000 by Pope John Paul II
Saint James the Hermit
Also known as
James the Palestinian
Profile
James spent a wild youth, but became a convert to Christianity. Lived as a hermit for 15 years. At one point he lost his faith, and committed several crimes, one of which may have been murder. He was ready to abandon his faith, and his life, but an anchorite friend convinced him of the limitless forgiveness of God. James returned to the Church, moved into an abandoned sepulchre, and spent the rest of his life in prayer and penance.
Saint Lawrence Wang
Also known as
• Lawrence Ouang
• Lawrence Wang Bing
Additional Memorial
28 September as one of the Martyrs of China
Profile
Layman catechist in the apostolic vicariate of Guizhou. Martyr.
Born
c.1802 in Yuyang, Guizhou, China
Died
beheaded on 28 January 1858 in Maokou, Langdai Co., Guizhou, China
Canonized
1 October 2000 by Pope John Paul II
Saint Aemilian of Trebi
Also known as
Emiliano, Miliano
Profile
Fourth-century bishop of Trebi, Italy. Tortured and martyred in the persecutions of Diocletian.
Born
Armenian
Died
• tied to an olive tree and beheaded on 28 January 304 about two miles outside Trevi, Italy
• relics re-discovered in 1660 during work on the cathedral of Spoleto, Italy
Patronage
Trevi, Italy
Blessed Petrus Won Si-jang
Additional Memorial
20 September as one of the Martyrs of Korea
Profile
Layman martyr in the apostolic vicariate of Korea.
Born
1732 in Hongju, Chungcheong-do, South Korea
Died
28 January 1793 in Jeonju, Jeolla-do, South Korea
Beatified
15 August 2014 by Pope Francis
Saint Cannera of Inis Cathaig
Also known as
Cainder, Kinnera
Profile
Friend of Saint Senan. Anchoress near Bantry, Ireland.
Born
Irish
Died
• c.530 of natural causes
• buried on Saint Senan's Island, Enniscarthy, Ireland
Saint Glastian of Kinglassie
Also known as
Glastianus
Profile
Mediated a peace between the Picts and the Scots, greatly improving the conditions of the conqured Picts.
Died
830 of natural causes
Patronage
Kinglassie, Fife, Scotland
Saint Thyrsus of Apollonia
Profile
Martyred in the persecutions of Decius.
Died
• 251 at Apollonia, Phrygia (modern Turkey)
• relics translated to Constantinople
• relics translated to assorted churches in Spain
Blessed Giovanni of Medina
Profile
Mercedarian friar. Doctor of Theology. Assigned to north Africa, he ransomed 259 Christians from Muslim slavery.
Saint Constantly
Profile
Daughter of Constantine the Great. Healed of an unnnamed mortal illness a the tomb of Saint Agnes of Rome, she converted to Christianity. Lived the rest of her life near the tomb with a group of like-minded women that today would be nuns.
Saint Meallan of Cell Rois
Also known as
• Meallan of Cill Ruis
• Meallan of Kilrush
Profile
An Irish priest, he received a blessing from Saint Patrick for his desire for religious work.
Saint Richard of Vaucelles
Profile
Cistercian monk. Appointed abbot of Vaucelles Abbey, France, by Saint Bernard of Clairvaux.
Born
England
Died
1169 of natural causes
Saint Flavian of Civitavecchia
Profile
Roman deputy prefect. Martyred in the persecutions of Diocletian.
Died
304 in Civitavecchia, Italy
Saint Palladius of Antioch
Profile
Hermit in the desert near Antioch, Syria. Friend of Saint Simeon.
Died
390 of natural causes
Saint Leucius of Apollonia
Profile
Martyred in the persecutions of Decius.
Died
251 at Apollonia, Phrygia (modern Turkey)
Saint Brigid of Picardy
Profile
Martyred while on pilgrimage to Rome, Italy.
Born
Scotland
Died
Picardy, France
Saint Maura of Picardy
Profile
Martyred while on pilgrimage to Rome, Italy.
Born
Scotland
Died
Picardy, France
Saint Leonides of Thebaid
Profile
Martyred with a group of fellow Christians in the persecutions of Diocletian.
Saint Antimus of Brantôme
Profile
Eighth century abbot of the Benedictine Abbey of Brantôme, France.
Saint Callinicus of Apollonia
Profile
Martyred in the persecutions of Decius.
Died
251 at Apollonia, Phrygia (modern Turkey)
Saint Archebran
Profile
Lived in Cornwall, England. No other information is available.
Born
Irish
Martyrs of Alexandria
Profile
A group of 4th-century parishioners in Alexandria, Egypt. During the celebration of Mass one day an Arian officer named Syrianus led a troop of soldiers into their church and proceded to murder all the orthodox Christians in the place.
Died
356 in Alexandria, Egypt
