Bl. Domingo Iturrate Zubero
Feastday: April 7
Birth: 1901
Death: 1927
Beatified: 30 October 1983 by Pope John Paul II
Domingo was devoted to the Blessed Virgin Mary at an early age. Trinitarian priest.
St. Celsus
Catholic Online Saints & Angels
Facts
Feastday: April 7
Celsus of Armagh was a layman named Ceallach mac Aedha. He succeeded to the bishopric of Armagh (it was a hereditary See) in 1105 when he was twenty-six, was consecrated bishop, put into effect many reforms in his diocese, and ruled well and effectively. He mediated between warring Irish factions, was a friend of St. Malachy, and ended the hereditary succession to his See by naming Malachy as his successor on his deathbed. He died on April at Ardpatrick, Munster. His feast day is April 7th.
St. Aphraates
Feastday: April 7
Death: 345
A Persian hermit involved in the struggle against the Arian heresy. Aphraates was born on the Persian border with Syria. He converted to Christianity and became a hermit in Edessa moving in time to Antioch, Turkey. His hermitage attracted many, and miracles were reported. When Aphraates spoke publicly against the Arians, servant of Emperor Valens tried to murder Aphraates. When the servant died suddenly, Valens took the death as a sign from God and protected Aphraates, refusing an Arian request to exile the hermit. Aphraates is sometimes identified as the bishop of the monastery of Mar Mattai, near Mosul Mesopotamia. Possibly a martyr, he is believed to have written a many-volumed defense of the faith called the Demonstrations, which is the oldest extant document of the Church in Syria. Aphraates is often referred to as "the Persian Sage."
Aphrahat (c. 280–c. 345; Syriac: ܐܦܪܗܛ Ap̄rahaṭ, Persian: فرهاد, Ancient Greek: Ἀφραάτης, and Latin Aphraates) was a Syriac Christian author of the third century from the Persian / Sasanian Empire who composed a series of twenty-three expositions or homilies on points of Christian doctrine and practice.[2] All his known works, the Demonstrations, come from later on in his life. He was an ascetic and celibate, and was almost definitely a son of the covenant (an early Syriac form of communal monasticism). He may have been a bishop, and later Syriac tradition places him at the head of Mar Mattai Monastery near Mosul in what is now Iraqi Kurdistan.[3] He was a near contemporary to the slightly younger Ephrem the Syrian, but the latter lived within the sphere of the Roman Empire. Called the Persian Sage (Syriac: ܚܟܝܡܐ ܦܪܣܝܐ, Ḥakkimā Pārsāyā), Aphrahat witnesses to the concerns of the early church beyond the eastern boundaries of the Roman Empire.
Life, history and identity
Aphrahat was born in modern-day Iran during the rule of emperor Shapur II on the border with Roman Syria around 280.[1] The name Aphrahat is the Syriac version of the Persian name Frahāt, which is the modern Persian Farhād (فرهاد). The author, who was known as "the Persian sage", may have come from a pagan family and been himself a convert from paganism, though this appears to be later speculation. However, he tells us that he took the Christian name Jacob at his baptism, and is so entitled in the colophon to a manuscript of 512 which contains twelve of his homilies. Hence he was already confused with Jacob of Nisibis,[4] by the time of Gennadius of Massilia (before 496), and the ancient Armenian version of nineteen of The Demonstrations has been published under this latter name. Thorough study of the Demonstrations makes identification with Jacob of Nisibis impossible. Aphrahat, being a Persian subject, cannot have lived at Nisibis, which became Persian only by Emperor Jovian's treaty of 363.[2]
Furthermore, Jacob of Nisibis, who attended the First Council of Nicaea, died in 338, and from the internal evidence of Aphrahat's works he must have witnessed the beginning of the persecution of Christians in the early 340s by Shapur II. The persecutions arose out of political tensions between Rome and Persia, particularly the declaration of Constantine the Great that Rome should be a Christian empire. Shapur perhaps grew anxious that the largely Syriac and Armenian Christians within his Empire might secretly support Rome. There are elements in Aphrahat's writing that show great pastoral concern for his harried flock, caught in the midst of all this turmoil.
It is understood that his name was Aphrahat from comparatively late writers, such as Bar Bahlul (10th century), Elias of Nisibis (11th), Bar Hebraeus and Abdisho. He appears to have been quite prominent in the Christian Church of the Persian Empire during the first half of the fourth century.[5] George, bishop of the Arabs, writing in 714 to a friend who had sent him a series of questions about the "Persian sage", confesses ignorance of his name, home and rank, but gathers from his works that he was a monk, and of high esteem in the clergy. The fact that in 344 he was selected to draw up a circular letter from a council of bishops and other clergy to the churches of Ctesiphon and Seleucia[4] and elsewhere (later to become Demonstration 14) is held by William Wright and others to prove that he was a bishop. According to a marginal note in a 14th-century manuscript (B.M. Orient. 1017), he was "bishop of Mar Mattai," a famous monastery near Mosul, but it is unlikely that this institution existed so early.[2]
About "The Demonstrations"
Aphrahat's works are collectively called the Demonstrations, from the identical first word in each of their titles (Syriac: ܬܚܘܝܬܐ, taḥwîṯâ). They are sometimes also known as "the homilies". There are twenty-three Demonstrations in all.[1] Each work deals with a different item of faith or practice, and is a pastoral homily or exposition. According to Francis Crawford Burkitt, they are intended to form "a full and ordered exposition of the Christian faith." The standpoint is that of the Syriac-speaking church, before it was touched by the Arian controversy. Beginning with faith as the foundation, the writer proceeds to build up the structure of doctrine and duty.[2]
The Demonstrations are works of prose, but frequently, Aphrahat employs a poetic rhythm and imagery to his writing. Each of the first twenty-two Demonstrations begins with each successive letter of the Syriac alphabet (of which there are twenty-two). The Demonstrations were not composed all at one time, but in three distinct periods. The first ten, composed in 337, concern themselves with Christian life and church order, and predate the persecutions. Demonstrations 11–22 were composed at the height of the persecution, in 344. Some of this group deal with matters as before, others focus on apocalyptic themes. However, four Demonstrations are concerned with Judaism. It appears that there was a movement within the Persian church by some either to become Jews or return to Judaism, or to incorporate Jewish elements into Christianity. Aphrahat makes his stand by explaining the meaning of the symbols of circumcision, Passover and Shabbat. The twenty-third Demonstration falls outside of the alphabetic system of the early works, and appears to be slightly later, perhaps near the end of Aphrahat's life. The twenty-third piece takes the symbolism of the grape, drawn from Isaiah chapter 65 and elsewhere, as its cue. It deals with the fulfilment of Messianic promise from Adam to Christ.[4] Aphrahat never strays too far from the Bible in the Demonstrations: he is not given to philosophizing. All of his gospel quotations seem to be drawn from the Diatessaron, the gospel harmony that served the church at his time. Aphrahat's mode of biblical interpretation is strikingly similar to that of the Babylonian rabbinic academies of his day. His position within the church is indicated in Demonstration 14, in which Aphrahat appears to be writing a letter on behalf of his synod to the clergy of the Persian capital, Ctesiphon-Seleucia on the Tigris.
In Demonstrations 5, Aphrahat, dealt with eschatology. Concerning the beasts of Daniel 7, he identified the first beast as Babylon; the second, Media and Persia; the third, Alexander's Macedonian empire. The four heads of the leopard were the four successors of Alexander. The fourth beast appeared to include both the Macedonian successors of Alexander and the Roman emperors. Its horns he applied to the Seleucid kings down to Antiochus, whom he identified as the Little Horn. He reduced the time, times, and half a time to one and one-half times, in order to fit the ten and a half years of Antiochus' persecution of the Jews. Aphrahat also mentioned the Persian ram and the Grecian he-goat of Daniel 8.[6]
In Demonstrations 8, Aphrahat stated that the Kingdom of Christ would not be established until the Second Advent at which time there would occur a literal resurrection of the righteous dead.[7]
Translations
The Demonstrations were originally composed in the Syriac language, but were quickly translated into other languages. The Armenian version, published by Antonelli in 1756 and containing only 19 homilies, circulated mistakenly under the name Jacob of Nisibis. Important versions in Georgian and Ge'ez exist. A few of the Demonstrations were translated into Arabic, but wrongly attributed to Ephrem the Syrian.
Saint John Baptist de La Salle
† இன்றைய புனிதர் †
(ஏப்ரல் 7)
✠ புனிதர் ஜான் பாப்டிஸ்ட் டி லா சால் ✠
(St. John Baptist De La Salle)
குரு (Priest):
லா சால் பள்ளிகளின் நிறுவனர்:
(Founder of La Salle Schools)
கிறிஸ்தவ பள்ளிகளின் சகோதரர்கள் அமைப்பின் நிறுவனர்:
(Founder of Brothers of the Christian Schools)
பிறப்பு: ஏப்ரல் 30, 1651
ரெய்ம்ஸ், சம்பக்ன், ஃபிரான்ஸ் அரசு
(Reims, Champagne, Kingdom of France)
இறப்பு: ஏப்ரல் 7, 1719 (வயது 67)
ரூவென், நோர்மண்டி, ஃபிரான்ஸ் அரசு
(Rouen, Normandy, Kingdom of France)
ஏற்கும் சமயம்:
ரோமன் கத்தோலிக்க திருச்சபை
(Roman Catholic Church)
முக்திபேறு பட்டம்: ஃபெப்ரவரி 19, 1888
திருத்தந்தை பதின்மூன்றாம் லியோ
(Pope Leo XIII)
புனிதர் பட்டம்: மே 24, 1900
திருத்தந்தை பதின்மூன்றாம் லியோ
(Pope Leo XIII)
நினைவுத் திருநாள்: ஏப்ரல் 7
பாதுகாவல்:
கல்வியாளர்கள் (Educators)
பள்ளி முதல்வர்கள் (School Principals)
ஆசிரியர்கள் (Teachers)
'லா சால்' பள்ளிகள் (La Salle Schools)
இளைஞர்களின் ஆசிரியர்கள் (Teachers of Youth)
'கிறிஸ்தவ பள்ளிகளின் சகோதரர்கள்' அமைப்பு (Brothers of the Christian Schools)
புனிதர் ஜான் பாப்டிஸ்ட் டி லா சால், ஒரு ஃபிரெஞ்ச் கத்தோலிக்க குருவும், கல்வி சீர்திருத்தவாதியும் ஆவார். தமது வாழ்நாளின் பெரும் பகுதியை ஃபிரான்ஸ் நாட்டின் ஏழைச் சிறுவர்களின் கல்வி மேம்பாட்டுக்காகச் செலவிட்ட இவர், கத்தோலிக்க பள்ளிகளின் முதல் நிறுவனர் என்று கருதப்படுகிறார். இவர், ஏழைக் குழந்தைகள், இளைஞர்கள் பேரில் அக்கறை கொண்டு உதவிகள் பல செய்து வந்தார்.
இவர், பிரான்ஸ் நாட்டிலுள்ள ரெய்ம்ஸ் நகரில் கி.பி. 1651ம் ஆண்டில் பிறந்தவர். மிகவும் வசதி படைத்த குடும்பத்தில் பிறந்த இவரது தந்தை பெயர் “லூயிஸ் டி லா சால்” (Louis de La Salle) ஆகும். இவரது தாயார் “நிக்கோல் டி மொயேட் டி ப்ரோயில்லெட்” (Nicolle de Moet de Brouillet) ஆவார்.
கி.பி. 1678ம் ஆண்டு, ஏப்ரல் மாதம், 9ம் நாளன்று, தமது 26ம் வயதில் குருத்துவ அருட்பொழிவு செய்யப்பட்ட இவர், இரண்டே வருடங்களில் இறையியலில் முனைவர் பட்டம் பெற்றார்.
பின்னர், கி.பி. 1679ம் ஆண்டு இளைஞர்களுக்கென்று பள்ளியை நிறுவி, அப்பள்ளியின் ஆசிரியராக தாமே பொறுப்பேற்று நடத்தினார். பின்னர் கி.பி. 1684ம் ஆண்டு தம்முடன் சேர்ந்து உழைத்த நண்பர்களை ஒன்று சேர்த்து ஓர் துறவற சபையை தோற்றுவிக்க எண்ணி, திட்டங்கள் தீட்டி, இதனால் பல துன்பங்களையும் அனுபவித்தார். இருப்பினும் தம் பணியில் இறைவனின் துணையோடு தம்மை முழுவதுமாக அர்ப்பணித்தார். தாழ்ச்சியுடனும், ஏழைகளின் மீது கொண்ட பாசத்திலும் சிறந்து விளங்கிய இவர், தம் வாழ்நாள் முழுவதும் ஏழை மாணவர்களின் கல்வி முன்னேற்றத்திற்கு தம்மை முழுவதுமாக அர்ப்பணித்தார்.
அப்போது ஜான்சனிசம் (Johnsonism) என்ற நச்சுக் கலந்த கொள்கை ஃபிரான்ஸ் நாட்டை அதிர வைத்தபோது, அண்டை நாடுகளுடன் ஓயாத போரும் ஏற்பட்டது.
இவைகள் அனைத்தும் ஒன்று சேர்ந்து நாட்டில் கடுமையான பஞ்சத்தையும், பல்வேறு இன்னல்களையும் கொண்டு வந்தது. இதனால் கல்வியறிவு முழுவதும் இல்லாமல் போகவே, மீண்டும் ஏழை மாணவர்களுக்கென்று இரு பள்ளிகள் நிறுவி, நாள்தோறும் தவறாமல் ஆசிரியர்களுக்கு கற்று கொடுத்து, தங்குவதற்கென்று இல்லமும், உணவையும் அளித்து, எல்லா வழிகளிலும் ஊக்கமூட்டினார்.
காலத்திற்கேற்ப தொடக்க, மேல்நிலை பள்ளிகளை தொடங்கியதோடு ஆசிரியர் பயிற்சி பெறும் பள்ளிகளையும் தொடங்கி, பல யுத்திகளை கற்றுக் கொடுத்தார்.
குருக்களுக்கு இவரின் நிறுவனத்தில் பணிபுரிய இடமளிக்கவில்லை. இவர் கல்விப்பணியின் மூலம் "நேர்மையான கிறிஸ்தவர்களை உருவாக்குதல்" என்பதனை குறிக்கோளாக முன்வைத்திருந்தார்.
இவர் மேற்கொண்ட அனைத்து முயற்சிகளும் வெற்றியடைந்து, ஓர் முடிவுக்கு வந்தபோது, இச்சபையை தொடர்ந்து வழிநடத்த, சபை சகோதரர் ஒருவரிடம் தம் முழு பணியையும் ஒப்படைத்தார்.
தமது நெடிய உழைப்பினால் நல்ஆரோக்கியத்தையும், ஆற்றலையும் இழந்த ஜான், ஆஸ்துமா மற்றும் கீழ்வாதம் போன்ற பலவித நோய்களால் உடல் வேதனைகளை அனுபவித்தார். கி.பி. 1719ம் ஆண்டு ஏப்ரல் மாதம் 7ம் நாள், பெரிய வெள்ளிக்கிழமையன்று ஃபிரான்ஸில் ரூவான் என்ற இடத்தில் இவர் மரித்தார்.
Also known as
Father of Modern Education
Profile
Studied for the priesthood in Paris, France, but quit to care for his brothers and sisters upon the death of his parents. When his siblings were grown, John returned to seminary. Canon of Rheims, France in 1667. Ordained in 1678. Doctor of theology in 1680.
Spiritual director of the Sisters of the Holy Infant who were devoted to teaching poor girls. Founded the Brothers of the Christian Schools (Christian Brothers or La Salle Brothers) in 1681, established and supported academic education for all boys. He liquidated his personal fortune, and his Brothers expected him to use it to further his education goals, but he surprised them by saying they would have to depend on Providence. The money (about $400,000) was given away to the poor in the form of bread during the great famine of 1683-1684. Saint John kept enough to endow a salary for himself similar to that which the Brothers received so he wouldn't be a burden on them.
He instituted the process of dividing students into grades; established the first teacher's school, started high schools and trade schools, and was proclaimed the patron of all teachers of all youth by Pope Pius XII in 1950.
Born
30 April 1651 at Rheims, France
Died
• 7 April 1719 at Saint-Yon, Rouen, France of natural causes
• buried in Rouen
• re-interred Lembecq-lez-Hal, Belgium in 1906
• re-interred in the chapel at the Christian Brothers Curia in Rome, Italy on 25 January 1937
Canonized
24 May 1900 by Pope Leo XIII
Patronage
• school principals
• teachers, educators (proclaimed on 15 May 1950 by Pope Pius XII)
• Brothers of the Christian Schools
Blessed Mary Assunta
Also known as
• Assunta Maria Liberta
• Maria Assunta Pallotta
Profile
Daughter of Luigi Pallotta and Eufrasia Casali. Baptized on 21 August 1878. She grew up in Castello di Croce, Marches of Ancona, Italy. Confirmed on 7 July 1880. In 1884 she briefly attended school, learning to read and write, but she received no further formal education. On 2 March 1897 she suddenly received an understanding of her call to religious life. Made her first vows with the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary in Rome, Italy on 5 May 1898. Moved to Florence, Italy on 3 January 1902. On 1 January 1904 she put in a request to go to China to work at a leper colony; her request was approved and she left Naples, Italy for China on 19 March 1904, arriving in Tong-Eul-Keou on 18 June 1904. She served several months as a cook in the orphanage there. In early April 1905 a wave of deadly typhus ran through the house. When one of her sisters appeared about to die, Sister Mary Assunta asked that she be taken instead; her prayer was granted.
Born
20 August 1878 as Assunta Maria Liberta
Died
• 7 April 1905 at Tong-Eul-Keou, China of typhus
• upon her death, a mysterious perfume filled the house for three days
• body found intact on 23 April 1913, but the burial robes were disintegrating
• thirty men carried the coffin 28 miles to its current resting place at Tai Yan-Fou, China
Beatified
7 November 1954 by Pope Pius XII at Saint Peter's Basilica, Rome, Italy
Blessed Herman Joseph
#புனித_ஹெர்மன்_ஜோசப் (1150-1241)
ஏப்ரல் 07.
இவர் (#StHermanJoseph) ஜெர்மனியில் இருந்த ஒரு சாதாரண குடும்பத்தில் பிறந்தவர்.
இவர் சிறுவயது முதலே புனித கன்னி மரியாவிடம் மிகுந்த பற்றுக்கொண்டு வாழ்ந்து வந்தார்; கடுங்குளிரிலும் காலில் காலணி இல்லாமல் திருப்பலிக்குச் சென்றார்.
ஒரு நாள் புனித கன்னி மரியா இவருக்குத் தோன்றி, "நீ ஏன் இந்தக் கடும் குளிரிலும் காலில் காலணி இல்லாமல் வருகிறாய்?" என்று கேட்டதற்கு, இவர், "காலணி வாங்குகிற அளவுக்கு என்னிடம் பணம் இல்லை" என்று சொல்ல, புனித கன்னி மரியா இவரிடம், "அருகில் உள்ள பாறையில் உனக்கு வேண்டிய பணம் இருக்கிறது; அதைக் கொண்டு காலணி வாங்கிக்கொள்" என்றார்.
இதைத் தொடர்ந்து இவர் அந்தப் பாறைக்குச் சென்று பார்த்தபோது, அங்கே காலணி வாங்குகிற அளவுக்குப் போதிய பணம் இருந்தது. அதைக் கண்டு பெரிதும் மகிழ்ந்த இவர் அப்பணத்தில் காலணி வாங்கி அணிந்து கொண்டார். பிறகு அதற்கு நன்றியாக தன்னுடைய தாயை தனக்குக் கொடுத்த ஓர் ஆப்பிள் பழத்தை புனித கன்னி மரியாவின் கையில் இருந்த குழந்தை இயேசுவுக்குக் கொடுத்தார்.
இவருக்குப் பன்னிரண்டு வயது நடக்கும்போது, நார்பட்டைன் துறவு அவையில் சேர்ந்து துறவியானார். அங்கு இவர் தனக்குக் கொடுக்கப்பட்ட மிகச் சாதாரண வேலைகளையும் மனமுவந்து செய்து வந்தார்.
இவர் அடிக்கடி புனித கன்னி மரியா, இயேசு கிறிஸ்து, யோசேப்பு ஆகியோருடைய காட்சிகளைக் கண்டார். தூய்மையான வாழ்விற்கும் தாழ்ச்சிக்கும் இவர் மிகச்சிறந்த எடுத்துக்காட்டாக விளங்கினார். இப்படிப்பட்டவர் 1241 ஆம் ஆண்டு இறையடி சேர்ந்தார். இவருக்குத் திருத்தந்தை பன்னிரண்டாம் பயஸ் 1958 ஆம் ஆண்டு புனிதர் பட்டம் கொடுத்தார்.
Also known as
Hermann Joseph
Additional Memorials
• 24 May (translation of relics)
• 21 May (diocese of Cologne, Germany
Profile
Son of Saint Hildegund. Had a great devotion to Mary from an early age, and as a child would spend his free time in prayer at the nearby church of Saint Mary. Mystic whose otherwordly experiences made him famous throughout the areas of modern Germany. Premonstratensian monk at Steinfeld, Germany; cared for the refectory and sacristy in the house, and could build or repair clocks. Priest. Mystical writer of prayers, hymns, and bible studies; his visions and ecstacies continued throughout his life. Spiritual director of a group of Cistercian nuns at Hoven, Germany.
Born
c.1150 at Cologne, Germany
Died
• 7 April 1241 in Hoven, Germany of natural causes
• buried at the Cistercian convent at Hoven
• relics transferred to a marble tomb at Steinfeld, Germany
• some relics in Cologne, Germany
• some relics in Antwerp, Belgium
Beatified
1958 by Pope Pius XII (cultus confirmed)
Blessed Ursuline of Parma
Also known as
Orsolina, Veneri, Venus
Profile
Daughter of Peter and Veneri Bertolina. At age 11 she was healed from a serious illness through the intercession of Saint Peter Martyr. At age 15, after having received a vision, she made a pilgrimage to Avignon, France to plead with anti-Pope Clement VII (Robert of Geneva) to resign in order to end the Western schism; when he refused, she travelled to Rome, Italy to ask Pope Boniface IX to resign for the same reason; when he refused, she returned to Avignon and made the same plea to Clement VI again. Benedictine Oblate nun, noted by her superiors for her deep spirituality and devotion to the contemplative life. Pilgrim to the Holy Lands in 1396. She stopped off in Venice, Italy on the way home and made such an impression that a monastery there was later dedicated to her, and civic leaders promoted her canonization.
Born
1375 in Parma, Italy
Died
• 7 April 1410 in Verona, Italy
• interred in the church of San Quentin in Parma, Italy
Saint Henry Walpole
Additional Memorials
• 25 October as one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales
• 29 October as one of the Martyrs of Douai
Profile
Educated at Norwich, Cambridge and Gray's Inn, London, England. Adult convert to Catholicism. Studied for the priesthood at Rheims, France in 1582, and English College, Rome, Italy in 1583. Joined the Jesuits in 1584. Ordained on 15 December 1588 at Paris, France. Chaplain to the English soldiers stationed in Brussels, Belgium. Vice-governor of the College of Saint Alban at Valladolid, Spain in early 1593. Returned to England on 4 December 1593 to minister to covert Catholics around York. He was arrested the next day for the crime of priesthood, serving time in York and the Tower of London, and being repeatedly tortured before his martyrdom. One of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales.
Born
1558 at Docking, Norfolk, England
Died
hanged, drawn, and quartered on 7 April 1595 at York, England
Canonized
25 October 1970 by Pope Paul VI
Blessed Edward Oldcorne
Profile
Jesuit priest, ordained in Rome, Italy, and received into the Society in 1587. Worked in the English mission in Worcestershire for 16 years. Father Edward developed throat cancer, but kept preaching through the pain. He made a pilgrimage to the shrine of Saint Winifred of Wales in Flintshire to seek a cure; his cancer healed, and he returned strong and healthy to his vocation.
Edward fell victim to the revenge following the Gunpowder Plot, a foolish conspiracy hatched by a small group of frustrated Catholic Englishmen to blow up the king and parliament. All it did was provide an excuse for renewed persecution of Catholics, especially Jesuits. Edward was arrested, falsely accused, and tortured on the rack for five days for information about the Plot. Martyred with Blessed Ralph Ashley.
Born
1561 at York, North Yorkshire, England
Died
hanged, drawn, and quartered on 7 April 1607 at Worcester, Worcestershire, England
Beatified
15 December 1929 by Pope Pius XI
Saint Albert of Tournai
Also known as
Aibert, Aybert
Profile
A pious youth, Albert received a good education in the faith from his parents, and preferred to spend his time alone and in prayer. One day he heard a travelling musician sing a hymn about the holy hermit Theobald of Provins, and was immediately taken with the idea of a life of prayer and solitude. Spiritual student of a Father John at the Saint-Crespina Monastery in the diocese of Cambrai (in modern France) where he lived an extremely ascetic life. Benedictine monk at Saint-Crespina where he worked as cellar master for 23 years before retreating again to the life of a hermit. His reputation for holiness spread, and he attacted so many would-be students that Bishop Burchard of Cambrai ordained him and built a chapel in his cell so that Albert could hear confessions and celebrate Mass. Known for his devotion to the Eucharist and for endlessly praying the Rosary.
Born
c.1060 in Espain (near Tournai), Flanders, Belgium
Blessed Ralph Ashley
Profile
Worked as a cook at Douay College. Entered the English College at Valladolid on 28 April 1590 where he became a Jesuit lay brother. Ill health forced him to leave college and return to England. Along the way he was captured by Dutch heretics; he stood up to them and explained their errors. Finally landed in England on 9 March 1598.
Servant and assistant to Blessed Edward Oldcorne. Arrested on 23 January 1606 at Hindlip House, near Worcester, England in connection with the Gunpowder Plot, and for the crime of helping a priest. Transferred to the Tower of London on 3 February 1606 along with Father Garnet and Saint Nicholas Owen. Tortured for information on other Catholics and for the hiding places of priests. When they could get no information from him, he was transferred to Worcester, and condemned for his faith. Martyr.
Died
hanged, drawn, and quartered on 7 April 1607 in Worcester, Worcestershire, England
Beatified
15 December 1929 by Pope Pius XI
Saint George the Younger
Also known as
George of Militene
Profile
Born wealthy, he used his fortune help the sick and poor until it was gone, then entered a monastery. Bishop of Mitylene, Greece; known as the Younger because there had been two previous bishops in Mitylene named George. Noted for his humility and fasting, for his gifts of healing, and his work as an exorcist. Stood against emperor Leo the Armenian and the iconoclasts. For his courage and defense of the icons he was exiled to Chersonese (near modern Sevastopol, Ukraine) for the rest of his life.
Born
c.776 at Mitylene, island of Lesbos, Greece
Died
• 816 in Chersonese (near modern Sevastopol, Ukraine) of natural causes while in exile
• his relics were returned to Mitylene, and his tomb became a scene of miraculous healings
Saint Hegesippus of Jerusalem
Profile
Born Jewish, he became an adult convert to Christianity. Hegesippus lived twenty years in Rome, Italy where he researched the early Church, but in later years he retired to Jerusalem. He was the first to trace and record the succession of the bishops of Rome from Saint Peter to his own day, and is considered the father of ecclesiastical history. Little of his writings survive, but he was highly recommended by other early writers including Eusebius and Saint Jerome. Compiled a catalogue of heresies during the first century of Christianity.
Born
in Jerusalem
Died
c.180 in Jerusalem of natural causes
Blessed Alexander Rawlins
Profile
Jailed twice in England for being such a fervent and out-spoken Catholic. Seminarian in Rheims, France in 1589. Ordained in Rheims in 1590, and then returned to England to minister to covert Catholics. Worked with Saint Henry Walpole and Saint Edmund Gennings. Imprisoned, tortured and martyred in the persecutions of Queen Elizabeth I for the crime of being a priest.
Born
Oxfordshire, England
Died
hanged, drawn and quartered on 7 April 1595 in York, North Yorkshire, England
Beatified
15 December 1929 by Pope Pius XI
Saint Brenach of Carn-Engyle
Also known as
Brynach, Bemach, Bemacus, Bernach, Bernacus, Bryynach
Profile
Contemporary of Saint Patrick. Fifth-century missionary to Wales. Converted a large part of Wales, including Brecan, ruler of South Wales who then founded many churches throughout the region. Built a cell and church at a place called Carn-Englyi (Mountain of the Angels), overhanging Nefyn in Gwynedd in Wales.
Born
Irish
Saint Phêrô Nguyen Van Luu
Also known as
• Pietro Nguyen Van Luu
• Peter Nguyen Van Luu
Additional Memorial
24 November as one of the Martyrs of Vietnam
Profile
Priest in the apostolic vicariate of West Cochinchina (modern Vietnam). Martyred in the persecutions of emperor Tu-Duc.
Born
c.1812 in Gò Vap, Gia Ðinh, Vietnam
Died
7 April 1861 in My Tho, Tien Giang, Vietnam
Canonized
19 June 1988 by Pope John Paul II
Saint Finian of Kinnitty
Also known as
• Finian Cam
• Finan, Finnian
Profile
Spiritual student of Saint Brendan the Navigator. Founded a monastery at Kinnitty, County Offaly, Ireland.
Born
Munster, Ireland
Died
6th-century
Patronage
Kinnitty, Ireland
Saint Gibardus of Luxeuil
Profile
Benedictine monk. Abbot at Luxeuil Abbey during an invasion of the Huns. He led his monks in an escape attempt, but they were caught by the Huns and the whole group martyred.
Died
c.888
Blessed Cristoforo Amerio
Profile
Mercedarian friar. Cardinal.
Died
1425 of natural causes
Saint Calliopius of Pompeiopolis
Profile
Martyred in the persecutions of Diocletian.
Died
crucified head downwards c.303 at Pompeiopolis, Cilicia, Asia Minor
Saint Cyriacus of Nicomedia
Profile
The only one of a group of eleven Christians martyred together in Nicomedia, Asia Minor whose name has come down to us.
Saint Peleusius of Alexandria
Also known as
Pelusio
Profile
Priest. Martyr.
Died
310 at Alexandria, Egypt
Saint Goran
Also known as
Gorran, Goron, Woranus
Profile
Lived at Bodmin, Cornwall, England in the 6th century. Several Cornish churches are named for him.
Saint Guainerth
Also known as
Weonard
Profile
Lived in the 6th century. Patron of a chapel in Herefordshire, England.
Saint Donatus of North Africa
Profile
One of a group of 13 martyrs in North Africa.
Saint Epiphanius the Martyr
Profile
Bishop. One of a group of 13 martyrs in North Africa.
Saint Saturninus of Verona
Profile
Fourth century bishop of Verona, Italy.
Saint Rufinus the Martyr
Profile
One of a group of 13 martyrs in North Africa.
Martyrs of Pentapolis
Profile
A bishop, deacon and two lectors at Pentapolis, Lybia who for their faith were tortured, had their tongues cut out, and were left for dead. They survived, and each died years later of natural causes; however, because they were willing to die, and because there were attempts to kill them, they are considered martyrs. We know little else except their names - Ammonius, Irenaeus, Serapion and Theodore
Died
c.310 at Pentapolis, Lybia
Martyrs of Sinope
Profile
200 Christian soldiers martyred together for their faith. We don't even have their names.
Died
Sinope, Pontus, Asia Minor (in modern Turkey)
