St. Abraham
Feastday: February 5
Death: 345
A bishop of Arbela in Assyria who suffered martyrdom during the persecutions conducted by King Shapur II of Persia. He is recorded as being executed at a site called Telman.
St. Philip of Jesus
Feastday: February 5
Patron: of Mexico City
Birth: 1572
Death: 1597
Franciscan martyr in Japan. A Spaniard born in Mexico City, he entered the Franciscans at Puebla but then departed the order in 1589 to journey to the Philippines as a trader. In 1590, he repented and returned to the Franciscan fold. His superiors commanded him to sail back to Mexico to be ordained a priest and, while on the way, his ship was caught in a storm and driven into the waters of Japan. Landing in 1596, he was soon arrested and, with St. Peter Baptist, was put to death by crucifixion at Nagasaki. He was canonized in 1862.
For the 1949 Mexican film, see Philip of Jesus (film). For other people with similar names, see Philip (name).
Philip of Jesus (Spanish: Felipe de Jesús) was a Novohispanic Catholic missionary who became one of the Twenty-six Martyrs of Japan, the first Mexican saint and patron saint of Mexico City.[1]
Philip was born in Mexico City in 1572. Though unusually frivolous as a boy, he joined the Reformed Franciscans of the Province of St. Didacus, founded in Mexico by Peter Baptista, with whom he suffered martyrdom later. After some months in the Order, Philip grew tired of religious life, left the Franciscans in 1589, took up a mercantile career, and went to the Philippines, another Spanish colony, where he led a life of pleasure. Later he desired to re-enter the Franciscans and was again admitted at Manila in 1590.[2]
After some years it was determined that he was ready for ordination and sent to Mexico for this, since the episcopal see of Manila was vacant at that time, and thus no bishop was available locally to ordain him. He sailed on the San Felipe on 12 July 1596, but a storm drove the vessel upon the coast of Japan. The governor of the province confiscated the ship and imprisoned its crew and passengers, among whom were another Franciscan friar, Juan de Zamorra, as well as three other friars, two Augustinians and a Dominican. The discovery of soldiers, cannon and ammunition on the ship led to the suspicion that it was intended for the conquest of Japan, and that the missionaries were merely to prepare the way for the soldiers. This was also said, falsely and unwarrantably, by one of the crew, and it enraged the Japanese Taikō, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, generally called Taicosama by Europeans. In consequence, he commanded on December 8, 1596, the arrest of the Franciscans in the friary at Miako, now Kyoto, whither Philip had gone.[2]
The friars were all kept prisoners in the friary until December 30, when they were transferred to the city prison. There were six Franciscan friars, seventeen Japanese Franciscan tertiaries and the Japanese Jesuit Paul Miki, with his two native servants. The ears of the prisoners were cropped on January 3, 1597, and they were paraded through the streets of Kyoto; on January 21 they were taken to Osaka, and thence to Nagasaki, which they reached on February 5, 1597. They were taken to a mountain near Nagasaki city, "Mount of the Martyrs", bound upon crosses, after which they were pierced with spears.[2]
Philip was beatified in 1627 by Urban VIII, and, with his companions, canonized 8 June, 1862, by Pius IX. He is the patron saint of the city of Mexico.
In 1949 a Mexican film Philip of Jesus portrayed his life and death. It was directed by Julio Bracho with the actor Ernesto Alonso playing Philip.
St. Louis Ibachi
Feastday: February 5
Death: 1597
Martyr of Japan. A twelve year-old who served the Franciscan mission, Louis was crucified at Nagasaki, Japan, with twenty-five companions. He was canonized in 1867.
St. Leo Karasuma
Feastday: February 5
Death: 1597
Martyr of Japan and a Korean Franciscan tertiary. He was martyred in Nagasaki, Japan, receiving canonization in 1862.
St. Gonsalo Garcia
Feastday: February 5
Patron: of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Bombay
Birth: 1556
Death: 1597
Saint Gonsalo Garcia (1556-1597) is a Roman Catholic saint from India. Born in the western coastal town of Vasai, an exurb of the city of Bombay, he preached from the Bassein fort during the time the town was under Portuguese colonial rule. The feast of St. Garcia has traditionally been held on the first Sunday nearest to the neap tide following Christmas in Vasai.
Gonsalo Garcia was born Gundi Slavus Garcia-- to a Portuguese father and a Canarese (resident of the Konkan coast) mother in Bassein, on February 5, 1557. He was the right hand of father St. Peter Baptist Superior of Franciscan mission in Japan. He was tutored by Fr. Sebastian Gonçalves, a Jesuit priest working in Vasai, in the college near Bassein fort. Garcia studied under the tutelage of the Jesuits for eight years from 1564 to 1572. Then, at the age of fifteen, Fr. Sebastian took Garcia to Japan. He soon managed to learn the language and since was seen as an affable person; he soon became popular in the local community as a catechist. He resigned and left to Alcao to set up trade. His business prospered and branches were opened in different locales in Southeast Asia.
Gonsalo's long cherished dream to be a Jesuit did not materialise and moved on to Manila in the Philippines as a lay missionary. In the Philippines, he was influenced by a Franciscan priest, Fr. Peter Baptista and soon joined the Seraphic Order as a lay brother. After working with the leprosy patients there he was formally ordained as a Franciscan as the Friars Minor at Manila.
On May 26, 1592, the Spanish governor in the Philippines sent Gonsalo on a diplomatic mission back to Japan along with Baptista. After working for four years, the Japanese shogun suspected the missionaries of sedition and were placed under house arrest in their monastery in Miaco (Kyoto) on 8 December 1596. A few days afterwards, when they were singing vespers, they were arrested, manacled and immured.
On January 3, 1597, the left ears of twenty-six confessors among them Garcia, were exscinded; but were then collected in reverence by the local Christians. On February 5, Garcia was crucified on Nagasaki Hills with twenty six of his companions. St. Garcia was the first to be extended on, and nailed to, the cross, which was then erected in the middle of those of his companions. Fr. Gonsalo, the first to arrive, went straight to one of the crosses and asked "Is this mine?". The reply was "It is not". Then he was taken to another cross, where he knelt down and embraced it. The others, one after another, started doing the same. "That was quite a sight, the way Br. Philip was embracing his cross. . . " comments one of the witnesses. [3] Two lances impaled his body through his heart. While being nailed, Garcia sang praises of God, earning him the martyr's title.
In 1627, Garcia and his fellow martyrs were declared as Venerable by Pope Urban VIII. The martyr's feast day occurs on Feb 5th and in 1629, their veneration was permitted throughout the Catholic Church. On June 8, 1862 Garcia was declared a saint by Pope Pius IX. The Gonsalo Garcia Church in Vasai was built in 1942 and renovated in 1957. A weeklong feast is celebrated there in February in his honour. The church is tallest church in Vasai[citation needed]. It was built by Msgr. Louise Caitan D'souza a Goan priest.
For other people named Gonzalo Garcia, see Gonzalo Garcia (disambiguation).
Gonsalo Garcia, O.F.M. (Portuguese: Gonçalo Garcia; 1556 – 5 February 1597),[4] was a Franciscan lay brother from Portuguese India, who died as a martyr in Japan and is venerated as a saint, one of the Twenty-six Martyrs of Japan so venerated. The first Indian born to attain sainthood[4] was born in the western coastal town of Baçaim, later Bassein in English (now known as Vasai, an exurb of the city of Mumbai.[5] During his lifetime, the town was under Portuguese colonial rule.
Historical background
Bassein (or Vasai) is about 30 miles north of Bombay. The Portuguese ruled this place for about 205 years (1534-1739 A.D). In 1498 A.D Vasco da Gama arrived at the harbour of Calicut (Kozhikode) on the western coast of India.[6] It was after this that the Portuguese established their power on the western coast of India. During that time John III of Portugal had ascended the throne of Portugal. He appointed Nuno da Cunha as the Governor of Goa in order to conquer the island of Diu from the sultan of Gujarat. Under his leadership, the Portuguese started endeavours to conquer the island of Diu. The Portuguese tried to siege Bassein, because they believed that conquering Bassein would provide them a strategic momentum to acquire Diu.
During this period Da Cunha learned that the Sultan Bahadur Shah of Gujarat had sent his forces to build a small fort in Bassein. Governor Nuno da Cunha soon realized that if the Sultan built the fort in Bassein, their desire to conquer Diu would soon be vanished.[7] Ultimately Governor Nuno da Cunha decided to conquer Bassein, after consulting the council of fidalgos (noblemen) in Goa. Portuguese fidalgos and thousands of naval soldiers sailed in the direction of Bassein on 150 ships. A battle took place between the Portuguese forces and those of the Sultan of Gujarat on 20 January 1533, which was won by the Portuguese on the feast day of Saint Sebastian. The fort came into the actual control of Portuguese on 23 December 1534 when Bahadurshah signed a treaty with the Portuguese to hand over the complete authority of Bassein. Following the event, Captain Garcia de Sá was appointed to build Fort Bassein and the work began on 20 January 1536.[8]
A number of rich Portuguese fidalgos living in the different towns were attracted to Bassein's climate and location.[9] They came to Bassein and built castle-like palaces in the vicinity of the fortress. Because of these changes the area took on characteristics of a European city. The Portuguese king issued a special order and gave this city the status of ‘Évora’ i.e. a city in Portugal. The Portuguese nicknamed the city as "Dom Baçaim (Bassein)" mocking the numerous "Dom (a Portuguese title for Sir)" people residing in the city of Bassein. The prosperity of Bassein increased such that it was considered among the richest cities among the Portuguese colonies in the world at that time. The dominion of the Portuguese in this part increased and the city became the capital of the Portuguese Province of the North of India; Goa being the capital of Portuguese Province of South.
Life
Childhood
Garcia was born in 1557. Documents in the Lisbon Archives (ANTT) describe him as "natural de Agaçaim" (a resident of Agashi village) in Bassein. His father was a Portuguese soldier and his mother a Canarim as the Portuguese called the inhabitants of the Konkan. Modern scholars such as Gense and Conti accept the fact that Gonsalo’s mother was from Bassein.[10][11]
According to Garcia's companion, Marcelo de Ribandeneira, who became a historian and is considered as the most authentic source on his life, Garcia once told him that his mother was from Bassein and his father a Portuguese soldier. Hence the papal bull declaring Garcia a saint mentions that he was Basseinite (a native of Bassein). As the child of a European father and an Indian mother he was a mestiço in the Portuguese sense of term.
Window pane in the Cathedral of Pune
Garcia spent eight years (1564-1572) in Fort Bassein. The fort was reserved for the European people and their servants. According to the policy adopted by the Portuguese colonial government, any Portuguese who got married with a local woman was given certain privileges. So Garcia’s father was permitted to quit the job and stayed in the fort as a civilian employee, and because of that his family came to reside inside the fort. He studied at the Jesuit school of Fort Bassein and helped in their Igreja do Santo Nome de Jesus (Church of the Holy Name of Jesus), now known as St. Gonsalo Garcia Church. Here Garcia came into contact with the Jesuit priest, Sebastião Gonsalves, who became a friend and guide throughout his life. During his stay with the Jesuits, he learned grammar, philosophy and Roman history.
Lay missionary
Garcia was willing to accompany to Japan the Jesuit missionaries who were sent there from Bassein. In 1569 he told Gonsalves about his desire to go East, but his request was turned down as he was quite young. But in 1572 Gonsalves permitted him when he was fifteen. He surprised Garcia by disclosing that he had also decided to leave for Japan. The two missionaries left Bassein together in the first week of March 1572 and reached Japan the following July. During the course of his voyage, Garcia learned Japanese with the help of a Japanese native who accompanied them on the same ship.
Garcia was appointed a catechist (Japanese: dojuku) by the Jesuit missionaries he had accompanied. As a missionary, he went about in public places drawing children to himself by his amiable disposition, by his fluency in the language of the country and by his kindness. Garcia reached one and all and soon became a favorite with the Japanese. He served them faithfully as a catechist for eight years. In the meantime, he had expressed the desire to join the Jesuit Order. Though promises of admission were held out to him, his Indian ancestry proved to be a bar to his entry in the Society of Jesus. Finally Garcia lost hope and left the company of the Jesuits, much to their regret.
Missionary-turned-merchant
On leaving the Jesuits, Garcia went to another city named Alacao. There he established himself as a merchant. He did not, however, lose his spirit of piety and Christian zeal because of his new career. Gradually, his business transactions expanded and he was able to found new establishments. His commercial relations brought him into contact with all the ranks of Japanese society. His business flourished and he gained great wealth. Still, at heart, he remained a religious man in word and deed. Later, he resolved to become a Franciscan Friar. His petition for admission to the Friars Minor, which he made to the Guardian of the Franciscan friary in Manila was accepted. In this way, as a Friar Minor, Garcia began the second phase of his missionary activities.
A Franciscan preacher
Garcia was very much delighted when he was accepted into the Franciscan order. In Manila, he came into contact with the Franciscan missionary, Friar Peter Baptist, who remained his companion until their shared death. Garcia started his career as a catechist in Manila. The main advantage for him was his ability to speak the Japanese language. From the different parts of Japan, people began to send him invitations to return. It was at this time that the King of Spain wanted to send a delegation to Japan. The Spanish Governor of Manila selected Peter Baptist as the leader of the delegation, and, since he did not know the Japanese language, Garcia was selected as his translator as well as his companion. Garcia was so happy with this offer that he immediately accepted the responsibility. The missionaries left Manila on 21 May 1593 and reached Hirado, a harbor in Japan, on 8 July 1593.
In Japan, Garcia became the center of attraction, as he knew Japanese language well. After facing some initial difficulties the Franciscans settled in Japan and began their missionary work in Kyoto, Osaka, etc. The Japanese regent Toyotomi Hideyoshi was very friendly with these Franciscans. It was a time when Jesuits were facing lot of opposition in Japan. The people of Japan appreciated the simple way of living adopted by these Franciscan missionaries. It helped them to accelerate their conversion program. Many Japanese, including their overlords. began to accept Christianity. Slowly Japan became the great center of evangelization for the Franciscan missionaries.
Clouds of adversity
The Franciscans were very successful in their conversion policy. In response, however, the traditional religious lenders began to express opposition. They tried to influence the regent Hideyoshi to take action against the Franciscans and to expel them, but Hideyoshi refused to budge. The situation, however, took a turn for the worse with the arrival of the ill-fated Spanish ship San Felipe. It was bound from Manila to Acapulco, but due to a terrible tempest, it was driven onto the coast of Japan. It was laden with gold and silver when it anchored in Urado Bay. The pilot of the ship, Francisco de Olandia, while conversing with the Japanese customs officials, spoke of "La Espanha de los Conquistadores" and boasted that the King of Spain had captured many countries in the world. He told them that the King of Spain sent the missionaries first to instigate the people against their ruler. When the matter was reported to Toyotomi Hideyoshi, he became enraged. The situation was exploited by Yakuin Zenso, his physician and close advisor. The shogun issued an order to arrest and execute all Christian missionaries in Japan. The Franciscans, including Peter Baptist, Garcia and others were arrested on 8 December 1596 and were sentenced to death. There were three Jesuits also, including the native seminarian, Paul Miki.
Road to martyrdom
On 4 January the prisoners who had been sentenced to death began their journey from Kyoto. They traveled six hundred miles from Kyoto to Nagasaki through Sakai, Okayama, Hiroshima, Shimonoseki, and Karatsu. They reached Nagasaki on 4 February 1597. The next morning they were taken to a hill known as Nishigaoka where Terazawa Hazaburo, the brother of the Governor of Nagasaki, had planned for the crucifixion to take place. As Garcia was prominent among the missionaries, he was given the middle place. There Garcia met one of his friends from Fort Bassein, Francis Rodrigues Pinto, to whom he said: "My good friend, God be with you. I am going to heaven. A hearty hug to Father Sebastião Gonsalves on my behalf".
The execution started at 10 o'clock in the morning. He, Peter Baptist, and the other friars were crucified, along with fifteen teenage boys who were members of the Third Order of Saint Francis, as well as the three Jesuits. The condemned were so tired that they could not endure it for long and within half an hour everything was over. The two soldiers who worked as executioners completed their task by stabbing their spears into the missionaries' chests. The Portuguese and Japanese Christians attending the execution broke past the guards and started soaking pieces of cloth in the blood of the executed, gathering lumps of the blood-soaked dirt, and tearing up their religious habits and kimonos for holy relics. The guards beat the relic-hunters away and order was reestablished. Terazawa positioned guards all around the hill, with strict orders not to allow anyone near the crosses. After completing the task, Terazawa withdrew from the hill.
Veneration
After the sensational drama, the corpses of the victims were neglected by the local authorities thinking that they would be eaten by the vultures. But for nearly forty days they remained intact. Afterwards it was reported in The Examiner (12 March 1904) that the Portuguese brought the head of Garcia to India, where it was kept at Fort Bassein. They carried it to Goa when they left Bassein in 1739 (page 82). Since the author of the article does not mention the source of the information, it cannot be taken to be a historical fact.
Then followed a series of miracles on the concerned hill in Nagasaki. So in 1627, thirty-five years after the crucifixion of the martyrs, Pope Urban VIII declared Garcia and his co-martyrs as ‘Blessed Ones’ and permitted the Jesuits and the Franciscans to venerate them. This permission was extended to other religions later on, but in 1629 the same Pope completed the beatification of these martyrs.
The matter was neglected for more than two centuries. It was once again taken up in 1862 and on 8 June 1862 Pope Pius IX did the canonization of Gonsalo Garcia and his co-martyrs. Brother Gonsalo Garcia became St. Gonsalo Garcia. The first catholic Saint of India and the Indian Sub-Continent, and 8 June 2012 marked the 150th anniversary of his canonization.
Legacy
Garcia's memory is kept alive with a college named after him in Vasai.[4] He is the patron saint of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Vasai and his feast day is a joint one for the group of martyrs, on February 6 (as the actual day of his heavenly birth, February 5, is the feast of St. Agatha). Thomas Dabre, the Bishop of Vasai, says Garcia's relevance even today lies in the universalism of his charity and love. A small statue of Gonçalo Garcia was taken from Portugal to Recife in Brazil as early as 1745 by a local Brazilian -because of his brown complexion (a further proof of his Indian ancestry)- where his veneration soon took off.
Saint Agatha of Sicily
† இன்றைய புனிதர் †
(ஃபெப்ரவரி 5)
✠ சிசிலியின் புனிதர் அகதா ✠
(St. Agatha of Sicily)
கன்னி மற்றும் மறைசாட்சி:
(Virgin and Martyr)
பிறப்பு: கி.பி. 231
கேட்டனியா அல்லது பலெர்மோ, சிசிலி
(Catania or Palermo, Sicily)
இறப்பு: கி.பி. 251
கேட்டனியா, சிசிலி
(Catania, Sicily)
ஏற்கும் சபை/ சமயம்:
ரோமன் கத்தோலிக்க திருச்சபை
(Roman Catholic Church)
கிழக்கு மரபுவழி திருச்சபை
(Eastern Orthodox Churches)
ஓரியண்ட்டல் மரபுவழி திருச்சபை
(Oriental Orthodoxy)
ஆங்கிலிக்கன் சமூகம்
(Anglican Communion)
நினைவுத் திருவிழா: ஃபெப்ரவரி 5
பாதுகாவல்:
கேட்டனியா (Catania), மோலிஸ் (Molise), மால்ட்டா (Malta), சேன் மரினோ (San Marino), ஸ்பெயின் நாட்டின் செகோவியா பிராந்தியத்திலுள்ள 'ஸமர்ரமல' என்னும் ஊர்ப்பஞ்சாயத்து (Zamarramala, a municipality of the Province of Segovia in Spain), மார்பக புற்று நோயாளிகள் (Breast cancer patients), மறைசாட்சிகள் (Martyrs), செவிலியர் (Wet Nurses), கலிபோர்னியாவின் தென்மேற்கு பிராந்தியத்திலுள்ள "பெல்" என்ற நகரை கண்டுபிடித்தவர்கள் (Bell-Founders), ரொட்டி செய்யும் தொழிலாளி (Bakers), தீ (Fire), பூகம்பம் (Earthquakes), "எட்னா" மலையின் வெடிப்புகள் (Eruptions of Mount Etna).
சர்ச்சைகள் (Controversy):
ரோமப் பேரரசர்களை வணங்க மறுத்தல்
(Rejection to worship Roman Emperors)
கட்டாயப்படுத்தப்பட்ட பாலியல் தொழில்
(Forced prostitution)
பாலியல் வன்கொடுமை, மற்றும் கன்னித்தன்மையை காத்துக்கொள்வதற்கான போர்
(Rape and conflict to maintain virginity)
புனிதர் அகதா, மறைசாட்சியாக மரித்த ஒரு கன்னியரும், கிறிஸ்தவ புனிதருமாவார். ரோமன் கத்தோலிக்க திருச்சபையின் திருப்பலியின்போது, கடவுளை அதிதூய அன்னை, அர்ச்சிஷ்ட்ட கன்னி மரியாளுடன் சேர்ந்து நினைவுகூறப்படும் ஏழு பெண்களில் இவரும் ஒருவர் ஆவார்.
பழங்கால கிறிஸ்தவ புராணத்தில், மிகவும் உயர்வாக போற்றப்படும் கன்னியராக மறைசாட்சியாக மரித்த பெண்களுள் புனிதர் அகதாவும் ஒருவர் ஆவார். கி.பி. 249ம் ஆண்டு முதல் 253ம் ஆண்டு வரையான காலகட்டத்தில், ரோமப் பேரரசை ஆண்ட பேரரசன் "டேசியஸ்" (Full Name - Gaius Messius Quintus Trajanus Decius) என்பவன் கிறிஸ்தவர்களுக்கெதிரான துன்புறுத்தல் மற்றும் சித்திரவதைகளை ஆரம்பித்து வைத்த முதல் பேரரசன் ஆவான். இவனது காலத்திலேயே புனிதர் அகதா, சிசிலியில் உள்ள “கேட்டனியா” (Catania) என்னும் இடத்தில் வைத்து, தமது மிக உறுதியான கிறிஸ்தவ விசுவாசத்திற்காக கொடூரமான முறையில் வதைக்கப்பட்டு கொல்லப்பட்டார்.
வசதிவாய்ப்புகளுள்ள குடும்பமொன்றில் பிறந்த அகதா, ஆன்மீகத்தில் ஈடுபாடு மிகக்கொண்டிருந்தார். தமது வாழ்வின் ஒவ்வொரு தருணங்களும் இறைவனால் தீர்மானிக்கப்பட்டவை என்ற தீவிர விசுவாசம் கொண்டிருந்தார். "ஜாகொபஸ் டி வொராஜின்" (Jacobus de Voragine) என்ற கிறிஸ்தவ சரித்திர ஆசிரியரின் (Legenda Aurea of 1288 AD) எனும் இலக்கியத்தின்படி, அகதா தமது கன்னிமையை இறைவனுக்கே அர்ப்பணித்தார். இவருக்கு பதினைந்து வயதானபோது, இவர்மீது மோகம் கொண்ட ரோமன் நிர்வாக அலுவலரான (Roman prefect) "குயின்ஷியானஸ்" (Quintianus) என்பவனை தீர்க்கமாக நிராகரித்தார். ஆத்திரம் கொண்ட குயின்ஷியானஸ், இவரை இவரது கிறிஸ்தவ விசுவாசத்துக்காக துன்புறுத்தினான். பின்னர், "அப்ரோடிசியா" (Aphrodisia) என்ற விபச்சார விடுதி நடத்துபவனிடம் அனுப்பினான்.
அவரை எளிதில் கையாள முடியாது என்பதை கண்டுகொண்ட குயின்ஷியானஸ், அகதாவை பயமுறுத்தினான். அவருடன் வாதிட்டான். இறுதியில் அவரை சிறையில் அடைத்தான். சிறையில் எண்ணற்ற சித்திரவதைகளுக்கு ஆளான அகதாவின் மார்பகங்களை குறடு போன்ற இடுக்கியால் அறுத்தனர். மேற்கொண்டும் அவனுக்கு மசியாத அகதா அவனுடன் வியக்கத்தக்க வகையில் வாதிட்டு தமது மனோபலம் மற்றும் உறுதியான பக்தியைக் காண்பித்தார்.
இறுதியில், அகதாவை கூறிய மரக்குச்சுகளினால் தீயிட்டு எரித்துக் கொள்ள தீர்ப்பிடப்பட்டது. ஆனால் அவரது விதி, அவரை ஒரு பூகம்பம் மூலம் இரட்சித்தது. மீண்டும் சிறையிலடைக்கப்பட்ட அகதாவுக்கு அப்போஸ்தலரான புனிதர் பேதுரு (St. Peter the Apostle) காட்சியளித்து அவரது மார்பக மற்றும் உடலிலிருந்த காயங்களை ஆற்றினார். புனிதர் அகதா சிறையிலேயே மரித்துப் போனார். "கட்டானியா" பேராலயம் (Catania Cathedral) இவர் பெயரில் அர்ப்பணிக்கப்பட்டதாகும்.
Also known as
• Agatha of Catania
• Agatha of Palermo
• Águeda...
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We have little reliable information about this martyr, who has been honoured since ancient times, and whose name is included in the canon of the Mass. Young, beautiful and rich, Agatha lived a life consecrated to God. When Decius announced the edicts against Christians, the magistrate Quinctianus tried to profit by Agatha's sanctity; he planned to blackmail her into sex in exchange for not charging her. Handed over to a brothel, she refused to accept customers. After rejecting Quinctianus's advances, she was beaten, imprisoned, tortured, her breasts were crushed and cut off. She told the judge, "Cruel man, have you forgotten your mother and the breast that nourished you, that you dare to mutilate me this way?" One version has it that Saint Peter healed her. She was then imprisoned again, then rolled on live coals; when she was near death, an earthquake stuck. In the destruction that followed, a friend of the magistrate was crushed, and the magistrate fled. Agatha thanked God for an end to her pain, and died.
Legend says that carrying her veil, taken from her tomb in Catania, in procession has averted eruptions of Mount Etna. Her intercession is reported to have saved Malta from Turkish invasion in 1551.
Born
in prison at Catania or Palermo, Sicily (sources vary)
Died
martyred c.250 at Catania, Sicily by being rolled on coals
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hand-painted medals
St. Agatha, also known as Agatha of Sicily, is one of the most highly venerated virgin martyrs of the Catholic Church. It is believed that she was born around 231 in either Catania or Palermo, Sicily to a rich and noble family.
From her very early years, the notably beautiful Agatha dedicated her life to God. She became a consecrated virgin, a state in life where young women choose to remain celibate and give themselves wholly to Jesus and the Church in a life of prayer and service. That did not stop men from desiring her and making unwanted advances toward her.
However, one of the men who desired Agatha, whose name was Quintianus, because he was of a high diplomatic ranking, thought he could force her to turn away from her vow and force her to marry. His persistent proposals were consistently spurned by Agatha, so Quintianus, knowing she was a Christian during the persecution of Decius, had her arrested and brought before the judge. He was the Judge.
He expected her to give in to his demands when she was faced with torture and possible death, but she simply reaffirmed her belief in God by praying: "Jesus Christ, Lord of all, you see my heart, you know my desires. Possess all that I am. I am your sheep: make me worthy to overcome the devil." With tears falling from her eyes, she prayed for courage.
To force her to change her mind, Quintianus had her imprisoned - in a brothel. Agatha never lost her confidence in God, even though she suffered a month of assaults and efforts to get her to abandon her vow to God and go against her virtue. Quintianus heard of her calm strength and ordered that she be brought before him once again. During her interrogation, she told him that to be a servant of Jesus Christ was her true freedom.
Enraged, Quintianus sent her off to prison instead of back to the brothel -- a move intended to make her even more afraid, but it was probably a great relief to her.
Agatha continued to proclaim Jesus as her Savior, Lord, Life and Hope. Quintianus ordered her to be tortured. He had her stretched on a rack to be torn with iron hooks, burned with torches, and whipped. Noticing Agatha was enduring all the torture with a sense of cheer, he commanded she be subjected to a worse form of torture ? this evil man ordered that her breasts be cut off.
He then sent her back to prison with an order of no food or medical attention. But the Lord gave her all the care she needed. He was her Sacred Physician and protector. Agatha had a vision of the apostle, St. Peter, who comforted her and healed her wounds through his prayers.
After four days, Quintianus ignored the miraculous cure of her wounds. He had her stripped naked and rolled over naked over hot coals which were mixed with sharp shards. When she was returned to prison, Agatha prayed, "Lord, my Creator, you have ever protected me from the cradle; you have taken me from the love of the world, and given me patience to suffer: receive now my soul."
Agatha is believed to have passed into Heaven around the year 251.
She is commonly featured in religious art with shears, tongs, or breasts on a plate.
St. Agatha is the patron saint of Sicily, bellfounders, breast cancer patients, Palermo, rape victims, and wet nurses. She is also considered to be a powerful intercessor when people suffer from fires. Her feast day is celebrated on February 5.
"St Agatha" redirects here. For communities named after St Agatha, see Sainte-Agathe (disambiguation). For churches, see St Agatha's Church. For the painting, see Saint Agatha (Zurbarán).
Agatha[4] of Sicily (c. 231 – c. 251 AD) is a Christian saint. Her memorial is on 5 February. Agatha was born in Catania or Palermo, Sicily, and she was martyred in approximately 251. She is one of several virgin martyrs who are commemorated by name in the Canon of the Mass.[5]
She is the patron saint of Catania, Molise, Malta, San Marino, Gallipoli in Apulia,[6] and Zamarramala, a municipality of the Province of Segovia in Spain. She is also the patron saint of breast cancer patients, martyrs, wet nurses, bell-founders, bakers, and invoked against fire, earthquakes, and eruptions of Mount Etna.
Early history
Agatha is buried at the Badia di Sant'Agata, Catania.[7] She is listed in the late 6th-century Martyrologium Hieronymianum associated with Jerome,[8] and the Synaxarion, the calendar of the church of Carthage, ca. 530.[9] Agatha also appears in one of the carmina of Venantius Fortunatus.[10]
Two early churches were dedicated to her in Rome,[11] notably the Church of Sant'Agata dei Goti in Via Mazzarino, a titular church with apse mosaics of ca. 460 and traces of a fresco cycle,[12] overpainted by Gismondo Cerrini in 1630. In the 6th century AD, the church was adapted to Arianism, hence its name "Saint Agatha of Goths", and later reconsecrated by Gregory the Great, who confirmed her traditional sainthood.
Agatha is also depicted in the mosaics of Sant'Apollinare Nuovo in Ravenna, where she appears, richly dressed, in the procession of female martyrs along the north wall. Her image forms an initial I in the Sacramentary of Gellone, which dates from the end of the 8th century.
Life
One of the most highly venerated virgin martyrs of Christian antiquity, Agatha was put to death during the persecution of Decius (250–253) in Catania, Sicily, for her determined profession of faith.[8]
Her written legend[13] comprises "straightforward accounts of interrogation, torture, resistance, and triumph which constitute some of the earliest hagiographic literature",[14] and are reflected in later recensions, the earliest surviving one being an illustrated late 10th-century passio bound into a composite volume[15] in the Bibliothèque nationale de France, originating probably in Autun, Burgundy; in its margin illustrations Magdalena Carrasco detected Carolingian or Late Antique iconographic traditions.[16]
Agatha in front of the judge as depicted in a stained glass window from 1515 in Notre-Dame, Saint-Lô[17]
According to the 13th-century Golden Legend (III.15) by Jacobus de Voragine, fifteen-year-old Agatha, from a rich and noble family, made a vow of virginity and rejected the amorous advances of the Roman prefect Quintianus, who thought he could force her to turn away from her vow and marry him. His persistent proposals were consistently spurned by Agatha. This was during the persecutions of Decius, so Quintianus, knowing she was a Christian, reported her to the authorities. Quintianus himself was governor of the district.[18]
He expected her to give in to his demands when she was faced with torture and possible death, but she simply reaffirmed her belief in God by praying: "Jesus Christ, Lord of all, you see my heart, you know my desires. Possess all that I am. I am your sheep: make me worthy to overcome the devil." With tears falling from her eyes, she prayed for courage. To force her to change her mind, Quintianus sent Agatha to Aphrodisia, the keeper of a brothel, and had her imprisoned there. Agatha never lost her confidence in God.[19]
Quintianus sent for her again, argued, threatened, and finally had her imprisoned and tortured. She was stretched on a rack to be torn with iron hooks, burned with torches, and whipped. Amongst the tortures she underwent was the cutting off of her breasts with pincers. After further dramatic confrontations with Quintianus, represented in a sequence of dialogues in her passio that document her fortitude and steadfast devotion, Agatha was then sentenced to be burnt at the stake, but an earthquake saved her from that fate; instead, she was sent to prison where St. Peter the Apostle appeared to her and healed her wounds.[20]
Agatha died in prison, probably in the year 251 according to the Legenda Aurea. Although the martyrdom of Agatha is authenticated, and her veneration as a saint had spread beyond her native place even in antiquity, there is no reliable information concerning the details of her death.[8]
Osbern Bokenam, A Legend of Holy Women, written in the 1440s, offers some further detail.[21]
Veneration
According to Maltese tradition, during the persecution of Roman Emperor Decius (AD 249–251), Agatha, together with some of her friends, fled from Sicily and took refuge in Malta. Some historians believe that her stay on the island was rather short, and she spent her days in a rock-hewn crypt at Rabat, praying and teaching the Christian Faith to children. After some time, Agatha returned to Sicily, where she faced martyrdom. Agatha was arrested and brought before Quintanus, praetor of Catania, who condemned her to torture and imprisonment. The crypt of St. Agatha is an underground basilica, which from early ages was venerated by the Maltese. At the time of St. Agatha's stay, the crypt was a small natural cave which later on, during the 4th or 5th century, was enlarged and embellished.[22]
After the Reformation era, Agatha was retained in the calendar of the Church of England's Book of Common Prayer with her feast on 5 February. Several Church of England parish churches are dedicated to her.
Blessed Elisabetta Canori Mora
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Born to a wealthy Italian noble family, the daughter of Tommaso and Teresa Primoli. She married Cristoforo Mora on 10 January 1796. Cristoforo, a lawyer, was jealous, controlling, and became suspicious of Elisabetta's family ties; he finally became resentful, abusive, then cold and indifferent to her. Along the way they had four daughters, two of whom died in infancy. Cristoforo took up with another woman, spent the family funds on her, and finally deserted Elisabetta and the girls, leaving them in poverty. Elisabetta's health broke, she became very ill, and was finally compelled to sell inherited jewelry and her wedding dress to pay her bills. She dedicated herself to caring for her children, to prayer, and to a quiet ministry of caring for the sick and the poor, especially poor families. Trinitarian tertiary. Her reputation for holiness spread, as did a reputation for mystic experiences and miracles. Her prayers certainly achieved one amazing result - after her death, Cristoforo changed his life, joined in the Franciscans, and became a priest in Sezze, Italy.
Born
21 November 1774 in Rome, Italy
Died
• the night of 5 February 1825 in Rome, Italy
• buried at the Church of San Carlino alle Quattro Fontane, Rome
Beatified
24 April 1994 by Pope John Paul II
Saint Adelaide of Guelders
Also known as
• Adelaide of Vilich
• Adelaide of Bellich
• Alice, Adelheid, Adalheide
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Daughter of Megingoz (Megengose), Count of Guelders. Joined the Ursuline convent at Cologne, Germany. Benedictine nun. Abbess of Villich, Germany. Abbess of Our Lady of the Capitol at Cologne. Both houses had been founded by her father. She insisted that the sisters in her houses study Latin so they would better understand the Mass. Noted for her charity to the poor. Counselor to the archbishop of Cologne.
Born
c.960 in Geldern, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
Died
• 5 February 1015 at Our Lady of the Capitol convent at Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany of natural causes
• buried in Villich, Germany
Beatified
27 January 1966 by Pope Paul VI (cultus confirmation)
Patronage
against eye diseases
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Saint Avitus of Vienne
Also known as
Alcimus Ecdicius
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Son of Saint Isychius. Brother of Saint Apollinaris of Valence. Bishop of Vienne, France, succeeding his father. Fought Arianism, ransomed captives, and supported papal authority as the mainstay of religious unity. Brought King Saint Sigismund of Burgundy, and was well thought of personally not only by the Christians in his diocese but also the pagan Franks and Arian Burgundians. Presided over the Council of Epaon in 517. He wrote a long, elegant narrative poem describing original sin, expulsion from paradise, the Flood, and crossing of the Red Sea; Milton made use of it when writing Paradise Lost.
Born
c.451 in Auvergne, Vienne, Gaul (in modern France)
Died
• c.525 of natural causes
• relics at Vienne, France
/
Saint Bertulph of Renty
Also known as
Berton, Bertou, Bertoul, Bertulf, Bertulphe, Bertulphus
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Convert as a young man in Flanders, Belgium. Managed a farm in Renty, France for Count Wambert for several years. Pilgrim to Rome, Italy. Parish priest in Renty. Founded and led a monastery nearby until his death.
Born
c.640 in eastern Europe
Died
• c.705 of natural causes
• relics enshrined at Harelbeke, Belgium
• relics interred in an iron chest at Saint Peter's Abbey, Ghent, Belgium
• relics stolen in 939 but located and returned by Count Arnulf of Flanders and Bishop Wigbert of Thérouanne
• relics destroyed by Huguenots in 1578
Patronage
against storms
Representation
• monk handing out alms with an eagle nearby
• monk in prayer being sheltered from the rain by an eagle with its wings outstretched over him
• monk with a ship in his hand
• monk changing water into wine
Saint Genuinus of Sabion
Also known as
Genuino, Ingenium, Ingenuin, Ingenuino, Ingenuinus, Ingwin, Jenewein
Additional Memorial
13 May (translation of relics)
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Bishop of Sabion, a small town of the Italian Tyrol that has since disappeared. Attended the Synod of Marano in 588.
Born
6th century
Died
• c.605 in Sabiona, Italy of natural causes
• relics transferred to the main altar in the cathedral in Bressanone, Italy
Patronage
• mines
• miners
• diocese of Bolzano-Bressanone, Italy
• diocese of Brixen, Italy
Representation
with Saint Albinus of Brixen
Saint Albinus of Brixen
Also known as
• Albinus of Säben-Brixen
• Albinus of Bressanone
• Albuin, Albuino, Albuinus
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Born to the nobility, the son of Blessed Agatha Hildegardis of Carinthia and Count Paul, Margrave of Carinthia. Bishop of Sabion, South Tyrol (in modern Italy) in 975, a see that was moved to Brixen, Italy.
Born
10th century Carinthia, Austria
Died
• 5 February 1005 in Brixen, Italy
• relics transferred to the cathedral in Bressanone, Italy in 1141
Patronage
• Bressanone, Italy
• Brixen, Italy, city of
• Brixen, Italy, diocese of
Saint Calamanda of Calaf
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Young woman martyred in the persecutions of Diocletian. A number of other stories have been attached to her including that she was one of the companions of Saint Ursula or that her father killed her for refusing an arranged marriage, but these are apparently stories in search of a character that were simply stuck on her later.
Born
Calaf or Anoia, Catalonia, Spain
Died
• arms hacked off so that she bled to death in 303 in Calaf, Spain
• buried in the church of San Jaume in Calaf
Canonized
Pope Urban V (cultus confirmation)
Saint Agatha Hildegard of Carinthia
Also known as
Liharda
Profile
Lay woman, married to Count Paul of Carinthia (part of modern Austria. He was a jealous man who abused her for years before her prayers and devotion converted him to the faith and changed his ways. Mother of Saint Albinus of Brixen. Widow. Venerated in Carinthia as a model wife.
Born
Austrian
Died
1024 of natural causes
Saint Luca di Demenna
Also known as
Luca d'Armento
Profile
Monk in Sicily. When the Muslim Saracens invaded the region, he moved from house to house to avoid them. Founded the monastery of Saints Elias and Anastasio, Carbone, Italy and served as its first abbot. Luca based his approach to the monastic life on the Greek monks.
Born
10th century Sicily, Italy
Died
• 5 February 995 in the monastery of Saints Elias and Anastasio in Carbone, Italy of natural causes
• buried in the monastery church
Saint Jes¨s Méndez-Montoya.
Also known as
Ges¨ Méndez
Additional Memorial
21 May as one of the Martyrs of the Mexican Revolution
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Priest in the diocese of Morelia, Mexico. During the persecutions of the Mexican Revolution, he hid in the villages of the peasants, living with the poorest, teaching catechism. Musician and music teacher. Martyr.
Born
10 June 1880 in Tarímbaro, Michoacán, Mexico
Died
shot three times on 5 February 1928 in Valtierrilla, Guanajuato, Mexico
Canonized
21 May 2000 by Pope John Paul II
Saint Anthony of Athens
Also known as
Antonius
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A slave purchased by a series of Muslims, each of which tried (and failed) to convert him from Christianity. One of them finally falsely denounced him as having converted to Islam and then back to Christianity, which was a capital offense. Martyr.
Born
Athens, Greece
Died
• the executioner tapped him lightly on the neck several times in hopes that Anthony would denounce Christianity; he wouldn't
• beheaded in 1777 in Constantinople
Saint Kichi Franciscus
Also known as
• Caius Francis
• Gaius Francis
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Layman soldier. Convert. Franciscan tertiary. When soldiers came to arrest the Franciscan friars, he insisted he was a Christian, too; they took him, and he shared their fate. Martyr.
Born
Kyoto, Japan
Died
crucified on 5 February 1597 at Nagasaki, Japan
Canonized
8 June 1862 by Pope Pius IX
Saint Dominica of Shapwick
Also known as
Drusus
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Irish princess. Following a pilgrimage to Rome, Italy, she was murdered with her brother, Saint Indract, and six others by heathen Saxon brigands. Because they were on a holy journey, and were killed by non-Christians, contemporaries considered them martyrs. Later legends swell the number of her martyred companions to 100.
Born
Irish
Died
• c.710 at Shapwick, England
• relics at Glastonbury, England
Saint Indract
Profile
Irish prince, noted for gentleness and piety. Following a pilgrimage to Rome, Italy, he was murdered with his sister, Saint Dominica, and six others by heathen Saxon brigands; because they were on a holy journey, and were killed by non-Christians, contemporaries considered them martyrs. Later legends incorrectly make Indract a friend of Saint Patrick, and swell the number of his martyred companions to 100.
Born
Irish
Died
• c.710 at Shapwick, England
• relics at Glastonbury, England
Blessed Françoise Mézière
Additional Memorial
21 January as one of the Blessed Martyrs of Laval
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Lay woman in the diocese of Laval, France. Martyred in the French Revolution.
Born
25 August 1745 in Mézangers, Mayenne, France
Died
5 February 1794 in Laval, Mayenne, France
Beatified
19 June 1955 by Pope Pius XII at Rome, Italy
Saint Gabriel de Duisco
Profile
Convert, brought to the faith by Saint Gundisalvus Garcia. Franciscan tertiary. Catechist. Martyr.
Born
c.1578 at Ise, Japan
Died
crucified on 5 February 1597 at Tateyama (Hill of Wheat), Nagasaki, Japan
Canonized
8 June 1862 by Pope Pius IX
Blessed John Morosini
Profile
Benedictine monk at Cuxá, Catalonian Pyranees. Founded the monastery of San Giorgio Maggiiore in Venice, Italy c.982, and served as its first abbot.
Born
at Venice, Italy
Died
1012 of natural causes
Beatified
never formally beatified, and there is no evidence of popular cultus, but always referred to as beatus
Saint Agricola of Tongres
Also known as
Agricolus, Agricolaus
Additional Memorial
15 May as one of the Bishops of Maastricht
Profile
Bishop of Tongres, Belgium in 384.
Born
4th century Netherlands
Died
• early morning of 18 July 401 of natural causes
• buried in the church of Our Lady in Huy, Belgium
Blessed Primo Andrés Lanas
Also known as
Trinidad
Profile
Monk. Member of the Hospitallers of Saint John of God. Martyred in the Spanish Civil War.
Born
7 February 1877 in Maeztu, Alava, Spain
Died
5 February 1937 in Madrid, Spain
Beatified
13 October 2013 by Pope Francis
Saint Vodoaldus of Soissons
Also known as
Vodale, Voel, Vodalis, Vodalus
Profile
Missionary from the British Isles to France. Hermit beside Saint Mary's convent at Soissons, France. Known as a miracle worker.
Born
Irish or Scottish
Died
725 near Soissons, France of natural causes
Saint Saba the Younger
Profile
Brother of Saint Macarius. Monk. Worked with his brother to spread the monastic life through the Calabria and Lucania regions of Italy during a time when Muslim Saracen invaders were disrupting religious life.
Died
995 in the monastery of San Cesario, Rome, Italy
Saint Modestus of Carinthia
Also known as
Modestus of Salzburg
Profile
Benedictine monk. Spiritual student of Saint Virgilius at Salzburg, Austria. Bishop of Carinthia, Austria, and largely responsible for the region's evangelization.
Died
c.722 of natural causes
Saint Buo of Ireland
Profile
Monk. Missionary to the Norwegians on Iceland and the Faroe Islands.
Born
Irish
Died
c.900 of natural causes
Saint Isidore of Alexandria
Profile
Martyr.
Born
Egyptian
Died
Alexandria, Egypt
Saint Fingen of Metz
Profile
Monk. Abbot. Known for restoring old monasteries.
Born
10th century Ireland
Died
c.1005
Martyrs of Pontus
Profile
An unknown number of Christians who were tortured and martyred in assorted painful ways in the region of Pontus (in modern Turkey) during the persecutions of Maximian.
