Bl. Maria Restituta
Feastday: October 29
Birth: 1894
Death: 1943
Beatified: 21 June 1998 by John Paul II
Sister Maria Restituta (1 May 1894, Husovice, Austria-Hungary (now part of Brno, Czech Republic) - 30 March 1943, Vienna, Austria) was a nun and a nurse. Her birthname was Helen Kafka.[1] She was a shoemaker's daughter.
St. Hyacinth
Feastday: October 29
Death: unknown
Martyr of Lucania, in Italy, with Felician, Lucius, and Quintus.
St. Elfleda
Feastday: October 29
Death: 1000
Benedictine abbess, the daughter of Earl Ethelwold, who founded her abbey in Ramsey, England.
St. Cuthbert Mayne
Feastday: October 29
Birth: 1544
Death: 1577
An English martyr, born near Branstaple, in Devonshire, as a Protestant. He converted to Catholicism at St. John's, Oxford. Cuthbert was ordained at Douai, France, and sent home to England about 1575. Working in Cornwall, he was captured after a year. Condemned for celebrating a Mass, he was hanged, drawn, and quartered on November 25. Cuthbert was a friend of Edmund Campion, and he was aided by Francis Tregian in Cornwall. He was the first Englishman trained for the priesthood at Douai and was the protomartyr of English seminaries. Cuthbert was canonized by Pope Paul VI as one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales.
Cuthbert Mayne (c. 1543–29 November 1577) was an English Roman Catholic priest executed under the laws of Elizabeth I. He was the first of the seminary priests, trained on the Continent, to be martyred. Mayne was beatified in 1886 and canonised as one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales in 1970.
Early life
Mayne was born at Youlston, near Barnstaple in Devon, the son of William Mayne. He was baptised at the Church of St Peter, Shirwell on 20 March 1543/4, the feast day of St Cuthbert. An uncle who was a Church of England priest paid for him to attend Barnstaple Grammar School.
Mayne was instituted rector of the parish of Huntshaw in December 1561.[1] He attended Oxford University, first at St Alban Hall,[2] then at St John's College, and was awarded a B.A. on 6 April 1566 and M.A. on 8 April 1570.[3] On 27 April 1570, the papal bull Regnans in Excelsis excommunicated those who obeyed the laws and commands of Queen Elizabeth I.
Catholic conversion
At Oxford, Mayne met Edmund Campion and other Catholics, such as Gregory Martin, Humphrey Ely, Henry Shaw, Thomas Bramston, Henry Holland, Jonas Meredith, and Roland Russell. At some point Mayne, too, became a Catholic. Late in 1570, a letter addressed to him from Gregory Martin, urging him to come to Douai, fell into the hands of the Bishop of London, and he sent a pursuivant to arrest Mayne and others mentioned in the letter. Warned by Thomas Ford, Mayne evaded arrest by going to Cornwall and then, in 1573, to the English College, Douai, now in northern France.[2]
Mayne was ordained a priest in the Roman Catholic Church at Douai in 1575 and on 7 February in the following year he obtained the degree of Bachelor of Theology of Douai University.
On 24 April 1576, he left for the English mission in the company of another priest, John Payne. He soon joined the household of Francis Tregian at Golden in the parish of Probus, Cornwall[2] where he posed as his steward. Francis Tregian (1548–1608) was one of the richest landowners in Cornwall.
Missionaries from Douai were looked upon as papal agents intent on overthrowing the queen. The authorities began a systematic search in June 1576, when the Bishop of Exeter William Bradbridge came to Cornwall. On 8 June 1577, the High Sheriff of Cornwall, Richard Grenville, conducted a raid on Tregian's house during which the crown officers "bounced and beat at the door" to Mayne's chamber. On gaining entry, Grenville discovered a Catholic devotional item, an Agnus Dei, around Mayne's neck, and took him into custody along with his books and papers.[4]
Imprisonment and trial
While awaiting trial at the circuit assizes in September, Mayne was imprisoned in Launceston Castle. At the opening of the trial on 23 September 1577 there were five counts against him:[4] first, that he had obtained from the Roman See a "faculty" (or bulla), containing absolution of the Queen's subjects; second, that he had published the same at Golden; third, that he had taught the ecclesiastical authority of the pope and denied the queen's ecclesiastical supremacy while in prison; fourth, that he had brought into the kingdom an Agnus Dei (a Lamb of God sealed upon a piece of wax from the Paschal candle blessed by the pope)[5] and delivered it to Francis Tregian; fifth, that he had celebrated Mass.
Mayne answered all counts. On the first and second counts, he said that the supposed "faculty" was merely a copy printed at Douai of an announcement of the Jubilee of 1575, and that its application having expired with the end of the jubilee, he certainly had not published it either at Golden (the manor house of Francis Tregian) or elsewhere. On the third count, he said that he had asserted nothing definite on the subject to the three illiterate witnesses who swore to the contrary. On the fourth count, he said that the fact he was wearing an Agnus Dei at the time of his arrest did not establish that he had brought it into the kingdom or delivered it to Tregian. On the fifth count, he said that the presence of a Missal, a chalice, and vestments in his room did not establish that he had said Mass.
The trial judge, Justice Sir Roger Manwood,[6] directed the jury to return a verdict of guilty, stating that, "where plain proofs were wanting, strong presumptions ought to take place".[7] Manwood also argued that it was illegal to introduce any papal letter into the country, no matter what it was. The jury found Mayne guilty of high treason on all counts, and accordingly he was sentenced to be hanged, drawn and quartered. Mayne responded, "Deo gratias".[4]
With him had been arraigned Francis Tregian and eight other laymen. The eight were sentenced to seizure of their goods and life imprisonment.[8] Tregian was sentenced to die but was in fact incarcerated for 28 years[9] until, on the petition of his friends, he was released by King James I.[10]
His execution was delayed because one of the judges, Jeffries, took exception to the proceedings and sent a report to the Privy Council. The Council submitted the case to the whole bench of judges, which was inclined to Jeffries's view. Nevertheless, the council ordered the execution to proceed.[2]
At the examination of Mayne after the trial, Mayne admitted to having said mass. The Record Office also recorded that among his papers were notes which brought him under suspicion of the charge that Catholics were bound, in the right opportunity, to rise against the Queen. The same office also recorded him admitting to this during his examination after the trial:
Mayne had also supposedly stated that "the people of England may be won unto the catholic religion of the see of Rome by such secret instructions as either are or may be within the realm; but what these secret instructions are he will not utter, but hopeth when time serveth they shall do therein as pleaseth God."[12]
Execution
A gallows was erected in the marketplace at Launceston, and Mayne was executed there on 29 November 1577. Before being brought to the place of execution, Mayne was offered his life in return for a renunciation of his religion and an acknowledgment of the supremacy of the queen as head of the church. Declining both offers, he kissed a copy of the Bible, declaring that, "the queen neither ever was, nor is, nor ever shall be, the head of the church of England". He was not allowed to speak to the crowd but only to say his prayers quietly. It is unclear if he died on the gallows but all agree that he was unconscious, or almost so, when he was drawn and quartered. One source states that he was cut down alive, but in falling struck his head against the scaffold.
Political considerations
A. L. Rowse sees the condemnation of Mayne as arising from local rivalries between Protestant coastal and Catholic inland interests.[13] Grenville had been unsuccessful in his attempts to arrange a marriage between his daughter and the Tregian heir.[14]
The coming of Mayne and others made the English government fear the possibility of papal agents coming to the island to ready the populace to rise up in revolt in support of King Philip II of Spain in an invasion of England. This helped support the case to pass harsher legislation against Catholicism in England. Establishing a threat from subversive Catholic elements also served Elizabeth's counsellors such as Lord Burghley in their attempts to persuade the Queen to support the Dutch Revolt against Spain.[11]
Legacy
Mayne was beatified "equipollently" by Pope Leo XIII, by means of a decree of 29 December 1886 and was canonised along with other martyrs of England and Wales by Pope Paul VI on 25 October 1970.
Mayne was the first seminary priest, the group of priests who were trained not in England but in houses of studies on the Continent. He was also one of the group of prominent Catholic martyrs of the persecution who were later designated as the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales.
Relics of Mayne's body survive. A portion of his skull is kept at Lanherne Convent in Cornwall.[15] Christopher M. B. Allison suggests that the silver reliquary discovered in 2015 at Jamestown, Virginia in the grave of Captain Gabriel Archer (died 1609/10) may contain a relic of Mayne.[16]
There are many memorials to him in Launceston, and in 1977 the name of the Roman Catholic church on St Stephen's Hill there was changed from the Church of the English Martyrs to the Church of St Cuthbert Mayne; it is the site of the National Shrine to St Cuthbert Mayne.[17] In 1921 an annual June pilgrimage was initiated in Launceston to commemorate Mayne.[18]
St Cuthbert Mayne School, a voluntary aided Roman Catholic and Church of England school[19] in Torquay, and St Cuthbert Mayne Catholic Junior School in Hemel Hempstead, are named after him. The St Cuthbert Mayne RC High School in Fulwood, Lancashire merged in 1988 to become Our Lady's Catholic High School.
In fiction
In the historical novel The Grove of Eagles by Winston Graham, which is set in Cornwall some years after Mayne's death, there are several references to him. One character, a Catholic member of the prominent Arundell family of Tolverne, says that his Protestant brother, who was one of the jurors at Mayne's trial, will burn in Hell for his share in Mayne's death. The brother, filled with guilt for his share in the execution, has not only converted to the Roman Catholic faith but is risking his life by sheltering other priests.
St. Bond
Feastday: October 29
Death: 7th century
A hermit venerated in Sens, France. Bond was a Spaniard who became a public penitent, trained by St. Artemius, the bishop there. He is also called Baldus.
Saint Gaetano Errico
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Second of nine children born to Pasquale, a pasta factory manager, and Marie Marseglia Errico, who worked weaving plush. A good child, pious, always ready to help his father at work, or his mother with his younger siblings. He felt a call to the priesthood at age fourteen. He was turned away by the Capuchins and Redemptorists due to his youth. Studied at a diocesan seminary in Naples, Italy from age sixteen, walking the five miles to class each day, and was ordained on 23 September 1815 in Naples.
School teacher for twenty years. Parish priest at the church of Saint Cosmas and Damian. Known for his devotion to the Sacrament of Reconciliation and ministry to the sick, his self-imposed austerties and penances. He made yearly retreats to the Redemptorist house in Pagani, Italy.
During his retreat in 1818, Saint Alphonsus Maria de Liguori appeared to him in a vision, and told him that God wanted Gaetano to build a new church, and to found a new religious congregation. While Gaetano initially received strong support from the local people, it faded in the face of fund-raising and work, and it wasn't until 9 December 1830 that he dedicated and blessed the church Our Lady of Sorrows at Secondigliano; it has since become one of Italy's most popular pilgrimage sites.
Nearby he built a small house for himself and a lay-brother who took care of the church; this was the beginning of the Missionaries of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary. The Missionaries received local approval on 14 March 1836, approval by the Congregation of Bishops on 30 June 1838, royal approval on 13 May 1840, and papal approval by Blessed Pope Pius IX on 7 August 1846. Gaetano served as first Superior General.
His beatification miracle occurred in southern Italy in January 1952 and involved a man with a perforated stomach wall. Just before emergency surgery, his wife slipped a relic of Father Gaetano under his pillow, and together they prayed for his intercession. His health began to improve immediately, and he was soon healed without medical intervention.
Born
19 October 1791 in Secondigliano, Naples, Italy
Died
10am 29 October 1860 in Secondigliano, Naples, Italy of natural causes
Canonized
Sunday 12 October 2008 by Pope Benedict XVI
Saint Abraham Kidunaia
Also known as
• Abraham the Great of Kidunja
• Abraham of Edessa
• Abraham of Kidunja
• Abrhahn of Kidunaja
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Born to a wealthy family near Edessa, Syria. Forced into an arranged marriage at an early age. During the wedding festivities, Abraham fled. He walled himself up in a nearby building, leaving a small hole through which his family could send in food and water, and by which he could explain his desire for a religious life. His family relented, the marriage was called off, and he spent the next ten years in his cell.
After a decade of this life, the bishop of Edessa ordered Abraham from his cell. Against Abraham's wishes, the bishop ordained him, and sent him as a missionary priest to the intransigently pagan village of Beth-Kiduna. He built a church, smashed idols, suffered abuse and violence, set a good example, and succeeded in converting the entire village. After a year, he prayed that God would send the village a better pastor than he, and he returned to his cell. It is from his success in Kiduna that he became known as Kidunaia.
He left the cell only twice more. Once a niece, Saint Mary of Edessa, was living a wild and misspent life. Abraham disguised himself as a soldier, which he knew would get her attention, and went to her home. Over supper he convinced her of the error of her ways; she converted and changed her life, and Abraham returned to his cell. His final trip out was his funeral, attended by a large, loving throng of mourners. His biography was written by his friend Saint Ephrem of Syria.
Born
c.296 at Edessa, Osrhoene, Mesopotamia (in modern Syria)
Died
c.366 at Edessa, Osrhoene, Mesopotamia (in modern Syria) of natural causes
Saint Achahildis of Wendelstein
Also known as
• Achachildis, Achatia, Atzin
• Reinilda of Luxemburg
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Born to the nobility, the sister of Saint Cunegundes. Married to Thietmar and mother of quintuplets; she and her husband, both of whom were drawn to religious life, then took vows of celibacy. Noted for her charity to the poor, and as a miracle worker. Founded a parish church in Wendelstein, Germany. Once when she discovered that a servant had killed and stolen some geese, she forgave the servant and brought the geese back to life - including the one that had been cooked.
Died
• c.970 of natural causes
• interred at the church in Wendelstein, Germany that she had founded
• tomb re-discovered in 1447
• healing miracles, especially of children, were reported at the tomb
• church later taken over by Protestants and devotion ceased
Blessed Chiara Badano
Also known as
Luce Badano
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Young lay woman in the Diocese of Aqui Terme, Italy. Daughter of Ruggero Badano, a truck driver, and Maria Teresa Caviglia. A kind, happy and pious girl, she enjoyed tennis, swimming, hiking, singing, dancing and initially wanted to be a flight attendant. Member of the Focolare Movement at age nine. At age 16 she began to feel drawn to religious life; soon afterward she was diagnosed with cancer in her shoulder. Chiara insisted that she could become a missionary, but the cancer spread quickly, affecting her spine, and she lost the use of her legs. She finally accepted that she wasn't going anywhere and spent her remaining time praying and being supportive of her family and friends.
Born
29 October 1971 in Savona, Italy
Died
7 October 1990 in Sassello, Savona, Italy of natural causes
Beatified
25 September 2010 by Pope Benedict XVI
Saint Narcissus of Jerusalem
✠ ஜெருசலேம் நகர் புனிதர் நார்ஸிஸ்சஸ் ✠
(St. Narcissus of Jerusalem)
ஜெருசலேம் ஆயர்/ ஒப்புரவாளர்:
(Bishop of Jerusalem and Confessor)
பிறப்பு: கி.பி. 99
இறப்பு: கி.பி. 216 (வயது 117)
ஏற்கும் சமயம்:
ரோமன் கத்தோலிக்க திருச்சபை
(Roman Catholic Church)
கிழக்கு மரபுவழி திருச்சபை
(Eastern Orthodox Church)
நினைவுத் திருவிழா: அக்டோபர் 29
புனிதர் நார்ஸிஸ்சஸ், ஜெருசலேமின் “ஆதி குலத் தலைவர்” (Patriarch of Jerusalem) ஆவார். மேற்கு மற்றும் கிழக்கு திருச்சபைகளால் புனிதராக அருட்பொழிவு செய்யப்பட்டவர். ரோமன் கத்தோலிக்க திருச்சபையில், அக்டோபர் மாதம் இருபத்தொன்பதாம் நாள் அவரது நினைவுத் திருநாள் கொண்டாடப்படுகின்றது.
கி.பி. 180ம் ஆண்டில், தனது என்பதாவது வயதில் எருசலேமின் முப்பதாவது ஆயராகப் பொறுப்பேற்றவர் புனிதர் நார்ஸிஸ்சஸ். பணிக்கு வயது ஒரு தடையல்ல என்பதுபோல் இளமைத் துடிப்புடன் இறைப்பணியைத் தொடர்ந்த இவர், கி.பி.195ம் ஆண்டில், “பாலஸ்தீனின்” (Palestine) “செசாரியா” (Caesarea) ஆயர் “தியோஃபிடஸ்” (Theophitus) அவர்களுடன் சேர்ந்து, செசாரியாவில் நடந்த ஆயர்கள் அவையில், கிறிஸ்து உயிர்ப்புப் பெருவிழா எப்போதும் ஞாயிற்றுக்கிழமையிலேயே கொண்டாடப்பட வேண்டுமென்றும், யூதர்களின் பெருநாளான “பாஸ்காவுடன்” (Passover) அல்ல என்றும் தீர்மானம் கொண்டு வந்தார்.
“யூசெபிசியசின்” (Eusebius) கூற்றின்படி, ஆயர் நார்ஸிஸ்சஸ் அவர்கள் வாழும்போதே பல புதுமைகள் செய்தவர். மின்வசதிகள் இல்லாத அக்காலத்தில், ஒரு கிறிஸ்து உயிர்ப்புப் பெருவிழா திருவிழிப்புத் திருவழிபாடு தொடங்கவிருந்த நேரத்தில், ஆலய விளக்குகளுக்குப் போதுமான எண்ணெய் இல்லாமல் அணைந்துபோகும் நிலையில் இருந்தன. உடனே இவர் தியாக்கோன்களை அழைத்து அருகிலிருந்த கிணற்றிலிருந்து தண்ணீர் எடுத்துவந்து விளக்குகளில் ஊற்றச் சொன்னார். பின்னர் அந்தத் தண்ணீர்மீது உருக்கமாகச் செபித்தார். உடனே அந்தத் தண்ணீர் எண்ணெய்யாக மாறி விளக்குகள் சுடர்விட்டு எரிந்தன.
“புனித குரு” என எல்லாராலும் இவர் போற்றப்பட்டதைக் கண்டு பொறாமையடைந்த மூவர், இவர்மீது அபாண்டமாகப் பழி சுமத்தினர்.
முதலாமவன், அனைவர் முன்னிலையிலும் வந்து, நான் சொல்வதில் உண்மை இல்லையென்றால், கடவுள் என்னை நெருப்பில் சுட்டெரிப்பாராக என்றான்.
இரண்டாவது ஆள் வந்து, எனது குற்றச்சாட்டுப் பொய்யானால், நான் தொழுநோயால் தாக்கப்படுவேன் என்று சபதமிட்டான்.
மூன்றாவது ஆள் வந்து, நான் பார்வையிழப்பேன் என்று உறுதியாகச் சொன்னான்.
இது நடந்து ஒரு சில நாட்களிலே ஓர் இரவில் முதல் ஆளின் வீடு தானாகத் தீப்பிடித்து முழுக் குடும்பமும் சாம்பலானது. அடுத்த ஆளும் அவர் கூறியதுபோலவே தொழுநோயால் தாக்கப்பட்டார்.
இவற்றைக் கண்டு பயந்த மூன்றாவது ஆள், ஆயர் மீது தாங்கள் மூவரும் சுமத்திய குற்றங்கள் அனைத்தும் பொய் என அனைவர் முன்னிலையில் அறிவித்து ஆயரிடம் மன்னிப்பு இறைஞ்சினான். ஆயரும் அவருக்கு மன்னிப்பளித்தார்.
பின்னர், பாலைநிலம் சென்று தனிமையில் செபத்தில் நாட்களைச் செலவழித்தார். சில காலம் கழித்து ஆயர் நார்ஸிஸ்சஸ் அவர்கள், எருசலேம் திரும்பி வந்தபோது மக்கள் அவரை மீண்டும் ஆயராக்கினார்கள். ஆனால் முதிர்வயது காரணமாக, புனிதர் “அலெக்சாண்டரை” (Saint Alexander) துணை ஆயராக நியமித்தார் அவர்.
புனித வாழ்வு வாழ்ந்த ஆயர் நார்ஸிஸ்சஸ், கி.பி. 216ம் ஆண்டில், தனது 117வது வயதில், முழங்கால் படியிட்டு செபித்துக்கொண்டிருக்கும் வேளையில் மரித்தார்.
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Bishop of Jerusalem, consecrated c.180 when he was already an old man. Late in life, he was accused of a crime. None of the Christians in his diocese believed it, but Narcissus did not believe he should serve after being under such a cloud, and he became a desert hermit. After a complete acquittal, Narcissus returned to his see, older, weathered, but stronger and more zealous than ever, and served several more years. One Holy Saturday he turned water into lamp oil so the Easter vigil services could be conducted. When his age began to wear on him, Narcissus begged God to send a bishop to help him. Saint Alexander of Cappadocia responded, and the two ruled the diocese together, Narcissus living to age 116.
Born
99
Died
215 of natural causes
Patronage
against insect bites
Saint Abraham of Rostov
Also known as
Averkii, Avraamii
Profile
Raised as a pagan, as a young man Abraham was struck down by a nearly fatal illness, then cured by prayer. Convert. Monk, taking the name Abraham. Became a travelling evangelist and preacher in Rostov, Russia. Legend says that a vision of Saint John the Divine gave Abraham his own staff, and that Abraham used it to smash the pagan stone idol of Veles in Rostov; he then built the monastery of the Theophany on the site of the old pagan temple, and the staff was later carried into battle by Ivan the Terrible who hoped to benefit from its holy power. Abraham built two parish churches, one dedicated to Saint John, and started charitable organizations. Chosen abbot, he led by doing the most menial tasks, and serving all others.
Born
10th century in Galich, Russia as Averkii
Died
• at the monastery of Rostov, Russia of natural causes
• buried at the church of the Theophany monastery
Saint Dodone of Wallers-en-Fagne
Also known as
Dodo, Dodón
Profile
Eighth-century Benedictine monk at Lobbes Abbey. Spiritual student of Saint Ursmar of Lobbes in Belgium. Abbot of the monastery of Wallers-en-Fagne, Cambrai, Neustria (in modern France). Late in life he retired to live as a hermit in the area of the moden town of Moustiers-en-Fagne, France.
Born
Vaux, Lomme (near Laon, France)
Died
• c.750 in Moustiers-en-Fagne, France of natural causes
• re-interred in the church of the Priory of Wallers-en-Fagne in 888 by order of the bishop Of Cambrai, France
• relics enshrined at the altar of the church c.930
• relics later re-enshrined in a small church in the town of Moustiers-en-Fagne
Saint Mary of Edessa
Profile
Niece of Saint Abraham Kidunaia. She lived for 20 years as an anchoress near Abraham's cell. In a moment of weakness, she was seduced by a renegade monk who had turned from his vows. Mary despaired of forgiveness for her lapse, and in her shame, moved far away and gave herself over to a wild, dissolute, and sexually active life. Saint Abraham only left his hermit's cell twice - the second being to visit Mary in the guise of a soldier. Like so many others, Mary picked him up and took him home. There, over supper, Abraham convinced her of the error of her ways. She converted and returned to the life of an anchoress, spending the rest of her days in prayer.
Patronage
against sexual temptation
Saint Colman of Kilmacduagh
Profile
Son of a chieftain named Duagh. Hermit in Arranmore where he built two churches. His reputation for holiness attracted too much attention, so he retreated to the woods of Burren in 592 to live in isolation. In 610, on land donated by King Guaire of Connacht, he founded a monastery which became the center of the diocese of Kilmacduagh. He reluctantly served as the house's first abbot, the diocese's first bishop.
Born
c.560 at Kiltartan, Ireland
Died
29 October 632 of natural causes
Canonized
1903 by Pope Leo XIII (cultus confirmed)
Patronage
diocese of Kilmacduagh, Ireland
Saint Anne of Mount Olympus
Also known as
• Anne of Constantinople
• Euphemianus of
Profile
Born to a prominent family, Anne was drawn to religious life but her parents pushed her into an arranged marriage. Widow. She then disguised herself as a man, used the name Euphemianus, and became a monk at an abbey on Mount Olympus. Her piety was such that the brothers asked her to become their 'abbot', but she declined.
Born
Constantinople (modern Istanbul, Turkey)
Died
820 of natural causes
Saint Honoratus of Vercelli
Profile
Spiritual student of Saint Eusebius who he accompanied into exile at Scythopolis in 335, and on his travels through Cappadocia, Egypt, and Illyricum. Bishop in 396. Gave the sacrament of the Annointing of the Sick to Saint Ambrose on his deathbed.
Born
c.330 at Vercelli, Italy
Died
415 of natural causes
Saint Ermelinda of Meldaert
Also known as
Ermelindis
Profile
She declined a marriage, donated her inhertiance to the poor, and lived as a hermitess near Bevekom, Belgium. Anchoress in Meldaert, Belgium.
Born
c.510 in Lovenjoel, Belgium
Died
c.590 in Meldaert, Belgium of natural causes
Patronage
• against eye pain
• against fever
• against lameness
• Meldaert, Belgium
Saint Stephen of Caiazzo
Also known as
Stefano Minicillo
Profile
Abbot of San Salvatore Maggiore territorial abbey. Bishop of Cajazzo, Italy in 979.
Born
935 in Macerata, Italy
Died
1023
Patronage
Cajazzo, Italy
Saint Theodore of Vienne
Also known as
Theudar, Teuderio, Teodario
Profile
Priest. Monk. Spiritual student of Saint Caesarius of Arles. Abbot of a monastery in Vienne, France. Founded several monasteries in the region. In late life he lived as a hermit in the church of Saint Laurence in Vienne.
Died
c.575
Saint Eusebia of Bergamo
Profile
Third-century niece of Saint Domnio. Nun in Bergamo, Italy. Martyred in the persecutions of Maximian Herculeus.
Died
• beheaded in the late 3rd century
• relics re-discovered and enshrined in 1401
Saint Zenobius of Sidon
Also known as
Zenobio
Profile
Priest. Martyred in the persecutions of Diocletian for encourging condemned Christians not to abandoned their faith.
Died
Sidon, Phoenicia
Saint Sigolinus of Stavelot
Also known as
Sighelm
Profile
Monk. Abbot of Stavelot-Malmédy Abbey in Belgium.
Died
c.670 of natural causes
Saint Terence of Metz
Profile
Bishop of Metz, France. A noted scholar, he fought for orthodox doctines.
Died
520 of natural causes
Saint Felician of Carthage
Also known as
Feliciano
Profile
Martyr.
Died
Carthage, North Africa
Saint Donatus of Corfu
Profile
In 600 Saint Gregory the Great had the relics of Donatus enshrined on Corfu.
Saint Kennera
Profile
Educated with Saint Ursula and Saint Regulus of Patras. Nun. Recluse at Kirk-Kinner, Galloway, Scotland.
Saint John of Autun
Profile
Bishop venerated at Autun, France.
Douai Martyrs
Feastday: October 29
More than 160 priests trained in the English College of Douai, France, returned to England and Wales and faced arrest, torture, and execution by English authorities. A large group - more than eighty- were beatified in 1929, and English dioceses celebrate the feasts of these martyrs.
The Douai Martyrs is a name applied by the Catholic Church to 158 Catholic priests trained in the English College at Douai, France, who were executed by the English state between 1577 and 1680.[2]
History
Having completed their training at Douai, many returned to England and Wales with the intent to minister to the Catholic population. Under the Jesuits, etc. Act 1584 the presence of a priest within the realm was considered high treason. Missionaries from Douai were looked upon as a papal agents intent on overthrowing the queen. Many were arrested under charges of treason and conspiracy, resulting in torture and execution. In total, 158 members of Douai College were martyred between the years 1577 and 1680.[1] The first was Cuthbert Mayne, executed at Launceston, Cornwall.[3] The last was Thomas Thwing, hanged, drawn, and quartered at York in October 1680.[4] Each time the news of another execution reached the College, a solemn Mass of thanksgiving was sung.
Many people risked their lives during this period by assisting them, which was also prohibited under the Act. A number of the "seminary priests" from Douai were executed at a three-sided gallows at Tyburn near the present-day Marble Arch. A plaque to the "Catholic martyrs" executed at Tyburn in the period 1535 - 1681 is located at 8 Hyde Park Place, the site of Tyburn convent.[5]
Eighty were beatified by Pope Pius XI in 1929. Today, British Catholic dioceses celebrate their feast day on 29 October.[1]
Bl Alexander Crow
Bl Anthony Middleton
Bl Antony Page
Bl Christopher Bales
Bl Christopher Buxton
Bl Christopher Robinson
Bl Christopher Wharton
Bl Edmund Catherick
Bl Edmund Duke
Bl Edmund Sykes
Bl Edward Bamber
Bl Edward Burden
Bl Edward James
Bl Edward Jones
Bl Edward Osbaldeston
Bl Edward Stransham
Bl Edward Thwing
Bl Edward Waterson
Bl Everald Hanse
Bl Francis Ingleby
Bl Francis Page
Bl George Beesley
Bl George Gervase
Bl George Haydock
Bl George Napper
Bl George Nichols
Bl Henry Heath
Bl Hugh Green
Bl Hugh More
Bl Hugh Taylor
Bl James Claxton
Bl James Fenn
Bl James Thompson
Bl John Adams
Bl John Amias
Bl John Bodey
Bl John Cornelius
Bl John Duckett
Bl John Hambley
Bl John Hogg
Bl John Ingram
Bl John Lockwood
Bl John Lowe
Bl John Munden
Bl John Nelson
Bl John Nutter
Bl John Pibush
Bl John Robinson
Bl John Sandys
Bl John Shert
Bl John Slade
Bl John Sugar
Bl John Thules
Bl Joseph Lambton
Bl Lawrence Richardson
Bl Mark Barkworth
Bl Matthew Flathers
Bl Montfort Scott
Bl Nicholas Garlick
Bl Nicholas Postgate
Bl Nicholas Woodfen
Bl Peter Snow
Bl Ralph Crockett
Bl Richard Hill
Bl Richard Holiday
Bl Richard Kirkman
Bl Richard Newport
Bl Richard Sergeant
Bl Richard Simpson
Bl Richard Thirkeld
Bl Richard Yaxley
Bl Robert Anderton
Bl Robert Dalby
Bl Robert Dibdale
Bl Robert Drury
Bl Robert Johnson
Bl Robert Ludlam
Bl Robert Nutter
Bl Robert Sutton
Bl Robert Thorpe
Bl Robert Wilcox
Bl Roger Cadwallador
Bl Roger Filcock
Bl Stephen Rowsham
Bl Thomas Alfield
Bl Thomas Atkinson
Bl Thomas Belson
Bl Thomas Cottam
Bl Thomas Maxfield
Bl Thomas Palaser
Bl Thomas Pilchard
Bl Thomas Pormort
Bl Thomas Reynolds
Bl Thomas Sherwood
Bl Thomas Somers
Bl Thomas Sprott
Bl Thomas Thwing
Bl Thomas Tunstal
Bl Thurstan Hunt
Bl William Andleby
Bl William Davies
Bl William Filby
Bl William Harrington
Bl William Hart
Bl William Hartley
Bl William Lacey
Bl William Marsden
Bl William Patenson
Bl William Southerne
Bl William Spenser
Bl William Thomson
Bl William Ward
Bl William Way
St Alban Bartholomew Roe
St Alexander Briant
St Ambrose Edward Barlow
St Cuthbert Mayne
St Edmund Arrowsmith
St Edmund Campion
St Edmund Gennings
St Eustace White
St Henry Morse
St Henry Walpole
St John Almond
St John Boste
St John Kemble
St John Payne
St John Southworth
St John Wall
St Luke Kirby
St Ralph Sherwin
St Robert Southwell
Ven Edward Morgan
Ven Thomas Tichborne
Bl Alexander Rawlins
Bl Edward Campion
Francis Dickinson
James Bird
James Harrison
John Finglow
John Goodman
John Hewitt
Matthias Harrison
Miles Gerard
St Polydore Plasden
Richard Horner
Robert Leigh
Robert Morton
Robert Watkinson
Roger Dickinson
Thomas Felton
Thomas Ford
Thomas Hemerford
Thomas Holford
William Dean
William Freeman
William Gunter
Bl William Richardson
The Douay Martyrs School in Ickenham, Middlesex is named in their honour.
Martyrs of Lucania
Profile
A group of Christians executed together for their faith. Only their names have survived - Felician, Hyacinth, Lucius and Quintus.
Died
Lucania, southern Italy
Martyred in the Spanish Civil War
Thousands of people were murdered in the anti-Catholic persecutions of the Spanish Civil War from 1934 to 1939. I have pages on each of them, but in most cases I have only found very minimal information. They are available on the CatholicSaints.Info site through these links:
• Blessed Arsenio Merino Miguel
• Blessed Benito Paradela Novoa
• Blessed Joaquina Rey Aguirre
• Blessed José Ruiz Bruixola
• Blessed Maurilio Tobar González
• Blessed Ponciano Nieto Asensio
• Blessed Victoria Arregui Guinea
மறைசாட்சி ஃபெருடியஸ் Ferrutius
பிறப்பு
3 ஆம் நூற்றாண்டு
இறப்பு
4 ஆம் நூற்றாண்டு,
மைன்ஸ் Mainz, ஜெர்மனி
இவர் உரோம் படைவீரராக பணியாற்றியவர். கிறிஸ்துவைப்பற்றி அறிவித்தவர். நற்செய்தியை பறைசாற்றிய காரணத்திற்காக அரசன் தியோக்ளேசியன் (Diokletian) ஃபெருடியசை பிடித்து சிறையிலடைத்தான். கிறிஸ்துவ மதத்தை விட்டு விலகும்படி கட்டாயப்படுத்தினான். அவனின் சொற்களுக்கு பணியாததால், ஃபெருடியசை கொலை செய்யக் கூறினான். கடவுளின் விசுவாசத்திலிருந்து இறுதி வரை விலகாததால் கொலை செய்யப்பட்டார். பின்னர் மைன்ஸ் நகர் பேராயர் லூலூஸ் (Lullus) ஃபெருடியஸின் உடலை கொண்டு வந்து 778 ஆம் ஆண்டு புனித பெனடிக்ட் துறவறச் சபையில் வைத்தார். ஜெர்மனியிலுள்ள வீஸ்பாடனில் (Wiesbaden) இவரின் பெயரில் ஆலயம் ஒன்றும் உள்ளது.
St. Ferrutius
Feastday: October 28
A Roman soldier at Mainz, Germany, who refused to take part in pagan ceremonies. Thrown into prison, Ferrutius died of abuse and starvation.
✠ அருளாளர் மைக்கேல் ருவா ✠
(Blessed Michele Rua)
டான் போஸ்கோவின் சலேசியன் சபை இணை நிறுவனர்:
(Co-founder of the Salesians of Don Bosco)
பிறப்பு: ஜூன் 9, 1837
டூரின், சார்டினியா அரசு
(Turin, Kingdom of Sardinia)
இறப்பு: ஏப்ரல் 6, 1910 (வயது 72)
டூரின், இத்தாலி
(Turin, Italy)
ஏற்கும் சமயம்:
ரோமன் கத்தோலிக்க திருச்சபை
(Roman Catholic Church)
முக்திபேறு பட்டம்: அக்டோபர் 29, 1972
திருத்தந்தை ஆறாம் பவுல்
(Pope Paul VI)
நினைவுத் திருநாள்: அக்டோபர் 29
அருளாளர் மைக்கேல் ருவா, ஒரு இத்தாலிய கத்தோலிக்க குருவும், புனிதர் ஜான் பாஸ்கோவின் மாணவர்களுள் ஒருவரும் ஆவார். சலேசிய சபையின் முதல் தலைமை அதிபரும் (Rector Major of the Salesians) இவரேயாவார்.
கி.பி. 1837ம் ஆண்டு இத்தாலி நாட்டிலுள்ள தூரின் (Turin) என்ற இடத்தில் ஜூன் 9ம் நாள் பிறந்த இவர், ஒன்பது சகோதாரர்களுள் இளையவராவார்.
ஆயுத தொழிற்சாலை ஒன்றின் மேற்பார்வையாளராக பணியாற்றிய "ஜியோவன்னி பட்டிஸ்டா" (Giovanni Battista) இவரது தந்தை ஆவார். "ஜியோவன்னா மரிய ருவா" (Giovanna Maria Rua) இவரது தாயார் ஆவார்.
கி.பி. 1845ம் ஆண்டு, ஆகஸ்ட் மாதம், 2ம் தேதி, இவரது தந்தையார் இறந்ததும், இவரது தாய்க்கு அதே ஆயுத தொழிற்சாலையிலேயே பணி கிடைத்தது. விதவைத் தாயாருடன் வாழ்க்கையைத் தொடங்கிய மைக்கேல், 'கிறிஸ்தவ பள்ளிக்கூடங்களின் சகோதரர்கள்' (Brothers of the Christian Schools) நடத்திய பள்ளிக்கூடம் ஒன்றில் தமது ஆரம்பக் கல்வியை கற்றார்.
தமது 15ம் வயதில் தனது படிப்புகளை முடித்தபோது, கத்தோலிக்க குருவான புனிதர் டோன் ஜான் போஸ்கோ அவர்களால் தொடங்கப்பட்ட இளைஞரணியில் சேர்ந்தார். அப்போது மைக்கேல் ருவாவும், ஜான் போஸ்கோவும் நண்பர்கள் ஆனார்கள்.
கி.பி. 1861ம் ஆண்டு, தொன் ஜான் போஸ்கோ தொடங்கிய சலேசிய சபையில் இளைஞர்களுக்குப் பணியாற்றும் பணியில் ஈடுபட்டார். புனித சலேசிய சபை உருவாவதற்கு தொன் போஸ்கோவிற்கு பெருமளவில் உதவி செய்தார். அப்போது இளைஞர்களுக்கு எல்லாவிதங்களிலும் தாயாக இருந்து உதவிசெய்த ஜான் போஸ்கோவின் தாயார் நவம்பர் மாதம் கி.பி. 1856ல் இறந்ததால், இளைஞர்களுக்கு தாய் இல்லை என்ற எண்ணத்தைப் போக்க ரூவா தன் தாயை, இளைஞர்களுக்கு தாயாக இருந்து பணிபுரிய அர்ப்பணித்தார்.
இந்த இளைஞரணியானது திருச்சபையால் அதிகாரப் பூர்வமாக அங்கீகரிக்கப்பட வேண்டுமென்பதை உணர்ந்து, டோன் போஸ்கோவிற்கு துணையாக, தனது 22ம் வயதில் கி.பி. 1860ம் ஆண்டு ஜூலை 29ம் நாளன்று குருத்துவ அருட்பொழிவு பெற்று இளைஞர்களுக்கு ஞான மேய்ப்பராக பணியாற்றினார்.
தமது இருபத்தாறாம் வயதில் டூரின் நகரின் வெளியே அமைந்துள்ள "மிரபெல்லோ" (Mirabello) என்ற இளைஞர்கள் சமூக அமைப்பிற்கு தலைவராக பொறுப்பேற்றார். "மரியாளின் புதல்விகள்" (Daughters of Mary) என்றும், "கிறிஸ்தவர்களின் சகாயம்" (Help of Christians) என்றும் அழைக்கப்படும் கி.பி. 1872ம் ஆண்டு நிறுவப்பட்ட "சலேசிய அருட்சகோதரிகள்" (Salesian Sisters) சபைக்கு இயக்குனராக பணியாற்றினார்.
ஜான் போஸ்கோவின் பயணங்களில் மைக்கேல் நிலையான உடனிருப்பவராக - தோழராக இருந்தார். கி.பி. 1865ல் சலேசிய சபையின் தலைவராக பொறுப்பேற்றார். ஜான் போஸ்கோவின் திட்டவட்ட கோரிக்கையின் பேரில், திருத்தந்தை பதின்மூன்றாம் லியோ (Pope Leo XIII) ரூவாவை ஜான் போஸ்கோவின் வாரிசாக நியமித்தார்.
கி.பி. 1888ம் ஆண்டு, தொன்போஸ்கோ இறந்தவுடன் இச்சபையை வழிநடத்தும் தலைமைப் பொறுப்பை (Rector Major) திருத்தந்தையின் ஒப்புதலுடன் மைக்கேல் ருவா ஏற்றுக்கொண்டார். பின்பு திருத்தந்தை பதிமூன்றாம் லியோ (Pope Leo XIII) அவர்களால் இச்சபை சலேசிய சபையாக அறிவிக்கப்பட்டது. பின்பு உலகம் முழுவதிலும் சென்று இச்சபை தொடங்கப்பட்டது.
பிறகு தனது 73ம் வயதில், கி.பி. 1910ம் ஆண்டு, ஏப்ரல் மாதம், 6ம் நாள், இத்தாலியிலுள்ள டூரின் என்ற நகரில் மைக்கேல் ருவா இறந்தார். தொன் போஸ்கோ இறந்தபோது 57 ஆக இருந்த சபைக் குழுமங்கள் (Communities) 345 சபைக் குழுமங்களாக பெருகின. 773 ஆக இருந்த சலேசியர்கள் 4000 ஆக பெருகினர். 6 ஆக இருந்த சபை மாநிலங்கள் 34 மாநிலங்களாக (Provincialate) 33 உலக நாடுகளில் நிறுவப்பட்டு, பல்கிப் பெருகின.
இவருக்கு திருத்தந்தை ஆறாம் பவுல் அவர்களால் 1972ம் ஆண்டு, அக்டோபர் மாதம், 29ம் நாள், முக்திபேறு பட்டம் (Blessed) கொடுக்கப்பட்டது. இன்று வரை "Don" என்ற பெயரிலேயேதான் சலேசிய குழுமங்கள் அழைக்கப்படுகின்றன
.Michele Rua (English: Michael Rua; 9 June 1837 – 6 April 1910) was an Italian Roman Catholic priest and professed member of the Salesians of Don Bosco.[1][2] Rua was a student under Don Bosco and was also the latter's first collaborator in the order's founding as well as one of his closest friends. He served as the first Rector Major of the Salesians following Bosco's death in 1888.[3] He was responsible for the expansion of the Salesians and the order had grown to a significant degree around the world at the time he died. Rua served as a noted spiritual director and leader for the Salesians known for his austerities and rigid adherence to the rule.[4][1] It was for this reason that he was nicknamed, 'the living rule'.
The process of Rua's beatification opened after his death and culminated as Pope Paul VI beatified Rua in 1972
Michele Rua was born in Turin on 9 June 1837 in a poor neighborhood on the outskirts of Turin. Rua was the last of nine children to Giovanni Battista and Giovanna Maria Rua. His father - the supervisor of a weapons warehouse - died on 2 August 1845. He lived with his widowed mother in their apartment in the warehouse which she was able to keep and where she would begin work.[4][3] His father was widowed with five children prior to his marriage to Rua's mother.[1]
Rua attended a school that the Brothers of the Christian Schools managed. It was not long following this that he met Giovanni Bosco who was working to improve the lives of the children of the neighborhood and who had just built his "oratorio" (oratory) of Francis de Sales in Valdocco. Rua was among the first with whom Bosco had shared his idea of founding a religious congregation and he joined the "oratorio" on 22 September 1852 to finish his education.[4][1] One morning in 1847 Bosco was handing medals to passing children and extended his open left hand to Rua and made the gesture with his other hand of cutting the left in half and offering it to Rua. Bosco said to "take it!" but Rua said: "But take what?" No response was given until sometime later when Bosco told Rua that their lives were intertwined into doing the work of God.[3] Bosco also sent him to Saint Giuseppe Cafasso for spiritual guidance.[1]
In 1850 Bosco asked Rua what he planned to do in 1851 to which Rua said he would aid his mother in working to provide for his siblings but Bosco asked if he felt like continuing his ecclesial studies. Rua responded that it depended on his mother's word to which Bosco asked him to ask her. Rua's mother approved him continuing his studies and he informed Bosco he would continue his studies.[3] In 1851 his brother Luigi died and his other brother Giovanni Battista died. He told Bosco that "next it's me" though Bosco assured him that he would live for another five decades.[4]
Blessed Michele Rua (left) with Don Bosco during a visit to Barcelona in 1885.
Bosco granted him and another named Roccheti the cassock on 3 October 1853.[3] Rua made his first profession on 25 March 1855 in the new Societá di San Francesco de Sales (Society of St. Francis de Sales) which Bosco was then forming; Rua was among its first members. For over the next three decades he was Bosco's closest collaborator in the development of the congregation. The death of Don Bosco's mother in 1856 prompted Rua to bring his own mother to live at the oratory where she remained for the next two decades. In 1858 he accompanied Bosco to Rome to seek official authorization for the congregation. He served as the first spiritual director for the congregation from 1859 even before his ordination to the priesthood which was celebrated on 29 July 1860; Monsignor Giovanni Balma ordained him.[4] In 1859 he had been ordained a subdeacon and then raised to the diaconate on 24 March 1860.[2]
Priesthood and Salesian leadership
From 20 October 1863 he began to serve as the rector at Mirabello where the congregation's first house outside Turin was located. He returned to Turin in 1865 to serve as the Valdocco vice-rector and later as the manager for the "Letture Cattoliche" (Catholic Readings). But he also returned to Turin to aid an ill Bosco but fell ill himself with peritonitis in 1868 deemed incurable. But Bosco said he would live and he was out of danger within the week.[3] He made his final profession on 15 November 1865. Rua was also involved in the formation of new candidates and was the first director for the Salesian Sisters which had been founded in 1872.[5][4]
Rua was a constant companion of Bosco on his trips and became the vicar for the congregation in 1865. On 24 September 1885 he was designated as Bosco's successor after the saint made the explicit request to Pope Leo XIII himself though would not succeed him until Bosco died.[2] He was designated as Rector Major in 1888 after Bosco's death and met with Leo XIII after in a private audience. Leo XIII advised Rua to hold off on the order's expansion until he could consolidate the foundation that Bosco had worked to build. Rua was nicknamed as "The Living Rule" due to his austereness and his strict adherence to the rule; he was also known for his tender approach and thoughtfulness to people. He made frequent visits to Salesian houses in Europe and in the Middle East and made constant referrals to the example of the late Bosco. Rua travelled to France and the Netherlands in 1890. He visited England for the first time in 1893 and visited both Algeria and Portugal in 1899. In 1900 he visited Tunisia and in 1904 visited Belgium as well as Switzerland and Poland; he later visited Malta in 1906. He visited Jerusalem and Palestine in 1908 and also to Austria.[1] Pope Pius X asked him in 1908 to oversee the construction of a church dedicated to Santa Maria Liberatore.[2]
Death
Rua died at the age of 73 on 6 April 1910 at 9:30am after having been ill since the fall in 1909; his remains are housed in Turin in the Basilica di Nostra Signora Aiuto dei Cristiani.[3][4] His tenure saw the Salesian Society grow from 773 to 4000 Salesians, from 57 to 345 communities, from 6 to 34 Provinces in 33 countries around the world.[4][1][2]
Beatification
The beatification process opened in the Archdiocese of Turin in an informative process that Cardinal Agostino Richelmy inaugurated on 2 May 1922 and that Cardinal Maurilio Fossati closed on 8 May 1939. The formal introduction to the cause came under Pope Pius XI on 15 January 1936 and Rua became titled as a Servant of God. Rua became Venerable on 26 June 1953 after Pope Pius XII confirmed his life of heroic virtue.
Pope Paul VI beatified Rua on 29 October 1972 in Saint Peter's Square and during the beatification Paul VI declared:
The Salesian Family had its origin in Don Bosco, its continuity in Don Rua... He made the example of Don Bosco into a school, his Rule into a spirit, his holiness into a model; he made a spring into a river.[6]
The current postulator for Rua's cause of canonization is the Salesian priest Pierluigi Cameroni.
