St. Perpetuus
Feastday: April 8
Died 30 December 490 AD
Venerated in Roman Catholic Church
Attributes Depicted as a bishop directing the building of a church. Sometimes the sick may be shown being healed at his tomb or as his relics are carried in procession.
Bishop of Rours from about 464. He enforced clerical discipline and regulated feast days. Perpetuus also rebuilt the basilica of St. Martin. A will attributed to him is known now by scholars to have been a forgery composed in the seventeenth century.
Saint Perpetuus (French: Saint-Perpetue) (died 30 December 490 AD)[a] was the sixth Bishop of Tours, serving from 460 to 490.
Life
Born of a senatorial family of the Auvergne, Perpetuus became bishop of Tours around 460. He succeeded his relative, possibly an uncle, Eustochius, and was succeeded by another close relative, Saint Volusian.[1] He was a student of sacred literature and a friend of the poet Sidonius Apollinaris.
It is said of him that he dedicated his considerable wealth to the relief of those in need. He guided the Church of Tours for thirty years, and it is apparent, from what little information we have, that during his administration Christianity was considerably developed and consolidated in Touraine.[1]
In 461, Perpetuus presided at a council in which eight bishops who were reunited in Tours on the Feast of St. Martin had participated, and at this assembly an important rule was promulgated relative to ecclesiastical discipline. He maintained a careful surveillance over the conduct of the clergy of his diocese, and mention is made of priests who were removed from their office because they had proved unworthy.[1] In 465, he presided over the Council of Vannes, which condemned the use of the Sortes Sanctorum.[2]
Perpetuus actively promoted the cult of St. Martin of Tours. He replaced with a beautiful basilica (470) the little chapel of SS. Peter and Paul that Saint Britius had constructed, to protect the tomb of St. Martin.[3] Euphronius of Autun sent marble for the cover of the saint's tomb. Perpetuus commissioned murals for the walls and inscriptions that explained them. Sidonius contributed a poem for the apse. Built 550 paces from the city, the saint's body was translated with great ceremony in July 473.[2] Perpetuus effectively popularized the cult by making it more accessible, both to the educated classes "...and to ordinary people who could visit the church, view its murals, participate in the festivals, and listen to readings about the saint."[4]
He built monasteries and a good many other churches, notably one in honour of St. Peter and St. Paul, which he constructed to receive the roof of the old chapel, as it was of elegant workmanship.[4]
St. Gregory of Tours states that Perpetuus decreed that all of the members of his diocese should fast on Wednesdays and Fridays, except for a few church festivals. He set aside several Mondays as fasts as well, especially from the Feast of St. Martin until the Nativity, a precursor of Advent.[5][6] These fasts were still being observed in the 7th century.
At his death, Perpetuus left his vineyards, gold, and houses to benefit the poor. He was buried in the Church of St. Martin, which he had built
St. Aedesius
Born unknown
Patara, Lycia
(modern-day Gelemiş, Kaş, Antalya, Turkey)[1]
Died 8 April 306
Alexandria, Egypt
Venerated in Roman Catholic Church
Eastern Orthodox Church
Feast 8 April (Western calendar)
2 April (Eastern calendar)[2]
Attributes Shipwrecked with his brother Aphian
Martyr and brother of St. Apphian. Aedesius, a Christian of some note in Caesarea, now part of modern Israel, witnessed the persecution of Christians, the result of Emperor Diocletian's policies. He publicly rebuked the local Roman officials who were placing Christian virgins in brothels as part of the persecutions. Arrested, Aedesius was tortured and then drowned.
Saint Aedesius of Alexandria (also Edese or Edesius[1]) (died 306) was an early Christian martyred under Galerius Maximianus. He was the brother of Saint Aphian (or Amphianus).[3] According to the martyrology, he publicly rebuked a judge who had been forcing Christian virgins to work in brothels in order to break them of their faith, so he was tortured and drowned.[3]
Life and martyrdom
Western tradition
At Alexandria, in the time of Emperor Maximian Galerius, the martyr St. Aedesius, brother of the blessed Apphian. Because he publicly reproved the wicked judge who delivered to corruptors virgins consecrated to God, he was arrested by the soldiers, exposed to the most severe torments, and thrown into the sea for the sake of Christ our Lord.
— The Roman Martyrology[4]
The historian Eusebius of Caesarea[5] elaborates Aedesius' story: like his brother, he was a philosopher that converted to Christianity.[1] Perhaps because of his standing among the educated, he seems to have thought little of professing his faith before magistrates, for which he was imprisoned several times and was sentenced to work in the mines of Palestine.[1] He sought solitude in Egypt after his release, but found the persecution there was harsher under Hierocles. Aedesius was offended by the enslavement of consecrated virgins (who were forced to work in brothels), and so presented himself before the governor, whereupon he was seized by soldiers, tortured, and drowned.[1] The saint's acta are preserved in a Chaldaic text. This story is probably confused,[1] and perhaps conflated with that of the contemporary Neoplatonist philosopher, Aedesius.
Eastern tradition
The account of the Eastern Church says Aedesius and his brother were born in Patara of high-standing pagan parents.[2] The brothers converted while studying in Beirut, secretly fleeing to Caesarea to be taught by a priest named Pamphylus.[2] It is reported that Amphianus gave himself up to martyrdom, having "a twenty-year-old body but the understanding and greatness of soul of a centenarian."[2] Having tried to stop the pagan governor of the area from sacrificing to idols, he was tortured; his legs were wrapped in cotton and burned, and they threw him into the sea with a stone around his neck. Aedesius was punished by being sent to a copper mine in Palestine, and then to Egypt. In Alexandria, he spoke out against Hierocles, who had been forcing Christian "nuns, virgins and pious women" to work alongside prostitutes in brothels.[2] The account says Aedesius struck the prince, for which he was tortured and drowned in the sea like his brother.[2]
Veneration
Aedesius' feast day is celebrated on 8 April in the Roman Catholic Church. In Eastern Orthodox Churches, his feast is 2 April.[2]
In art, Aedesius is shown shipwrecked with his brother;[1] the mention of a depiction that has his legs wrapped in oiled linen before he is burned to death is probably a reflection of the Eastern story of his brother's martyrdom.
St. Walter of Pontoise
Born c. 1030
Andainville, Picardy
Died Good Friday c. 1099
Venerated in Catholic Church
Canonized 1153 by Hugh de Boves, the Archbishop of Rouen
Feast March 23
April 8
Patronage Prisoners; prisoners of war; vintners; invoked against job-related stress[1][2]
St. Walter of Pontoise, Abbot (Feast - April 8) Walter Gautier was born in Picardy, France, in the eleventh century. A well-educated individual, he became a professor of philosophy and rhetoric. Later, he entered the Benedictine abbey of Rebais-en-Brie. When King Philip I appointed Walter as the first abbot of a new monastery at Pontoise, Walter reminded Philip that God was the one who conferred such honors, not the king. Seeking solitude, he fled Pontoise on two occasions, but both times he was forced to return. Walter then went to Rome to ask Pope Gregory VII for release from his position so that he could follow a life of solitude. However, the Pope told Walter to use the talents God had given him, and thus Walter resigned himself to staying at Pontoise. When he spoke out against simony and the evil lives of the secular clergy, this caused great outrage, and on one occasion he was beaten and thrown into prison. After his release, Walter continued to live a life of mortification, spending entire nights in prayer. After establishing the foundation of a convent in honor of Mary at Bertaucourt, Walter died on Good Friday in the year 1095.
For other people named Gaultier, see Gaultier (disambiguation).
Saint Walter of Pontoise (French: Saint Gautier, Gaultier, Gaucher; c. 1030 – c. 1099) was a French saint of the eleventh century. Born at Andainville,[3] he was a professor of philosophy and rhetoric before becoming a Benedictine monk at Rebais (diocese of Meaux). A story told of him is that while a novice, Walter took pity on an inmate at the monastery prison, and helped the prisoner to escape.[2]
Philip I appointed him abbot of a new foundation at Pontoise, despite Walter's protestations. The foundation of Pontoise was initially dedicated to Saint Germanus of Paris but then was dedicated to Saint Martin. The discipline at this new foundation was lax, and Walter fled the house several times to avoid this responsibility.[4]
Walter left his position at Pontoise to become a monk at Cluny under Hugh but he was forced to return to Pontoise.[4] A story told of him was that he once took the road to Touraine and hid himself on an island in the Loire, before being led back to the abbey.[3] He also escaped to an oratory near Tours dedicated to Cosmas and Damian before being recognized by a pilgrim there.[4]
After being forced to return again, this time Walter decided to go to Rome to appeal directly to the pope. Walter gave Pope Gregory VII his written resignation, but Gregory ordered him to assume his responsibilities as abbot and never leave again.[4]
Thereafter, he campaigned against the abuses and corruptions of his fellow Benedictines, and was beaten and imprisoned. He resumed his work after being released. He founded, in 1094, at Berteaucourt-les-Dames near Amiens, a monastery for women, with the assistance of Godelinda and Elvige (also spelled Godelende and Héleguide).
Veneration
Walter was buried in the abbey at Pontoise. He was canonized by Hugh the Archbishop of Rouen in 1153, and was the last saint in Western Europe to have been canonized by an authority other than the pope.[6][7] “The last case of canonization by a metropolitan is said to have been that of St. Gaultier, or Gaucher, abbat [sic] of Pontoise, by the Archbishop of Rouen, A.D. 1153. A decree of Pope Alexander III, A.D. 1170, gave the prerogative to the pope thenceforth, so far as the Western Church was concerned.”[6]
During the French Revolution, his body was translated to the cemetery of Pontoise, and was later lost.[4] The College of Saint Martin of Pontoise, now an Oratorian foundation, celebrates his feast.
Blessed Augustus Czartoryski
Also known as
• Prince August Franciszek Maria Anna Józef Kajetan Czartoryski
• Duke of Vista Alegre
Profile
Oldest child of Prince Ladislaus and Princess Maria Amparo, daughter of the Queen of Spain; the couple had settled in Paris, France after being losing all their property and being exiled in the 1830 revolution. Both Augustus and his mother contracted tuberculosis; she died when he was six years old, and he was sent to doctors in Switzerland, Italy, Spain and Egypt in a vain search for a cure. Though he was forced to attend court functions and amusements as the son of a prince, the boy had no interest in worldly life, and early felt a call to religious vocation. He studied in Paris and in Krakow, Poland, but school was often interrupted due to his poor health; one of his tutors was Saint Jozef Kalinowski.
The turning point in the young man’s life came in May 1883 when he met Saint John Bosco. Don Bosco celebrated Mass in the family chapel of Lambert Palace in Paris, and Augustus served as a 25 year old altar boy. After making all needed arrangements to turn his rights, privileges and inheritance as the first-born to his brothers, Augustus joined the Salesian Congregation in June 1887; Don Bosco was reluctant as he did not think Augustus’s health could withstand the life of a novice and seminarian, but Pope Leo XIII intervened and convinced him. Augustus studied in Turin, Italy, received his cassock on 24 November 1887, and in early 1888 made his Salesian vows at the grave of Don Bosco. After studying in Liguria, Italy, where he became close friends with Venerable Andrea Beltrami, he was ordained a priest at Sanremo, diocese of Ventimiglia, Italy on 2 April 1892 by Blessed Tommaso Reggio. He served as a parish priest in Alassio, Savona, in the diocese of Albenga, Italy for about a year before the tuberculosis did him in.
Born
2 August 1858 in Paris, France
Died
• evening of 8 April, 1893 in Alassio, Savona, Italy of tuberculosis
• interred in in the family mausoleum in the parish crypt in Sieniawa, Poland
• re-interred in the Salesian church in Przemysl, Poland
Beatified
25 April 2004 in Pope John Paul II in Rome, Italy
Saint Julia Billiart
புனிதர் ஜூலி பில்லியர்ட்
சபை நிறுவனர்:
பிறப்பு: ஜூலை 12, 1751
குவில்லி, பிகார்டி, ஃபிரான்ஸ்
இறப்பு: ஏப்ரல் 8, 1816 (வயது 64)
நாமுர், பெல்ஜியம்
ஏற்கும் சமயம்:
ரோமன் கத்தோலிக்க திருச்சபை
அருளாளர் பட்டம்: மே 13, 1906
திருத்தந்தை 10ம் பயஸ்
புனிதர் பட்டம்: ஜூன் 22, 1969
திருத்தந்தை ஆறாம் பவுல்
நினைவுத் திருநாள்: ஏப்ரல் 8
பாதுகாவல்: ஏழ்மை மற்றும் நோய்களுக்கெதிராக
புனிதர் ஜூலி பில்லியர்ட் ஒரு ஃபிரெஞ்ச் மத தலைவரும், 'நோட்ரே டேம்' எனும் ஸ்தல கத்தோலிக்க சகோதரிகளின் சபை'யின் (Congregation of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur) நிறுவனரும் ஆவார். இவரே அச்சபையின் முதலாவது தலைவரும் (Superior General) ஆவார்.
கி.பி. 1751ம் ஆண்டு ஃபிரான்ஸ் நாட்டில் தமது பெற்றோரின் ஏழு குழந்தைகளில் ஆறாவதாகப் பிறந்த ஜூலியின் தந்தை “ஜீன்-ஃபிரான்கொய்ஸ் பில்லியர்ட்” (Jean-François Billiart) ஆவார். இவரது தாயார், “மேரி-லூயிஸ்-அன்டோய்நெட்” (Marie-Louise-Antoinette) ஆவர்.
வசதி வாய்ப்புள்ள விவசாய குடும்பத்தில் பிறந்த இவர் பிறந்ததிலிருந்தே மறைக்கல்வியை நன்கு கற்று தேர்ந்து, கனிவான இதயத்துடனும், திறந்த மனதுடனும் சுற்றுப்புறமுள்ளவர்களுக்கும் மறைக்கல்வியை கற்பிப்பதில் ஆர்வமாயிருந்தார். நோய்வாய்ப்பட்டோரையும் ஏழைகளையும் உதவுவதில் ஆர்வம் காட்டினார்.
கி.பி. 1774ம் ஆண்டு இவரின் தந்தை முடக்குவாத நோயால் தாக்கப்பட்டதால், தன் தந்தையை கவனிக்கும் பொறுப்பில் ஈடுபட்டார். சில வருடங்களிலேயே அவரும் படுக்கையிலேயே கிடக்கும் நிலை வந்தது. அடுத்து சுமார் இருபது வருடங்கள் அவர் தமது படுக்கையில் இருந்தபடியே மறை கல்வி கற்பிப்பதிலும் ஆன்மீக ஆலோசனைகள் வழங்குவதிலும் ஈடுபட்டிருந்தார். அவரது தூய்மையை கேள்விப்பட்ட பலர் அவரை நாடி வந்து அவரது ஆன்மீக ஆலோசனைகளைப் பெற்றுச் சென்றனர்.
இதற்கிடையே, கி.பி. 1789ம் ஆண்டு, ஃபிரெஞ்ச் புரட்சி வெடித்தது. தப்பியோடிய குருக்களுடன் இவர் கூட்டணியாக இருந்தது புரட்சி படைகளுக்கு தெரிய வந்தபோது, இவர் சில நண்பர்களின் உதவியுடன் ஊருக்கு வெளியே தலைமறைவாக இருந்தார். அப்போதிருந்து பல வருடங்கள் தம்மால் நடக்க இயலாத நிலையிலும் வீடு வீடாக சென்று மறை பிரச்சாரத்தில் ஈடுபட்டார். ஒரு கால கட்டத்தில், அவர் தமது பேச்சுத் திறனையும் இழந்தார்.
ஆனால் இக்காலகட்டம், ஜூலியின் ஆன்மீக வெற்றியின் காரணமாகவும் அமைந்தது. ஒருமுறை அவர் கண்ட திருக்காட்சி ஒன்றில், துறவற ஆடையணிந்த பெண்கள் குழாம் ஒன்று கல்வாரி மலையில் கூடி நிற்பதையும், அசரீரி குரல் ஒன்று, "இதோ, சிலுவையை அடையாளமாக கொண்ட அமைப்பின் மகள்கள்" என்றது.
இவ்வாறு தமது வாழ்க்கையை நகர்த்திய ஜூலி, “ஃபிரான்காய்ஸ் ப்ளின் தி பௌர்டென்" (Françoise Blin de Bourdon) என்னும் ஒரு உயர்குடி பெண்ணுடன் அறிமுகம் ஆனார். அவரும் ஜூலியின் விசுவாசம் பரப்பும் ஆர்வத்தினை பகிர்ந்து கொண்டார். 1803ம் ஆண்டு, இவ்விரு பெண்களும் "நோட்ரே டாம்" (Institute of Notre Dame) என்ற அமைப்பினை தொடங்கினர். இவ்வமைப்பு, ஏழைப் பெண்களுக்கான கல்வி மற்றும் மறைக் கல்வி பயிற்சி ஆகியனவற்றில் தம்மை அர்ப்பணித்தது. அடுத்த வருடத்திலேயே அதன் முதல் அருட்சகோதரிகள் தமது மத ஆன்மீக பிரமாணம் ஏற்றனர். அதிசயமாக, அதே வருடம், ஜூலி தமது நோய்களிலிருந்து விடுபட்டார். சுமார் இருபத்திரெண்டு வருடங்களின் பின்னர் அவரால் நன்கு நடக்கவும் பேசவும் முடிந்தது.
ஏழைகளின் தேவைகளில் கவனமாக இருந்த ஜூலி, சமூகத்தின் பிற வகுப்பு மக்களுக்கும் கிறிஸ்தவ கல்வியின் அவசியத்தை உணர்ந்தார். "நோட்ரே டாம்" அமைப்பினை தொடங்கியது முதல் அவரது மரணம் வரை ஓயாமல் பணியாற்றிய ஜூலி, ஃபிரான்ஸ் மற்றும் பெல்ஜியம் ஆகிய நாடுகளில் பல்வேறு பள்ளிகளை நிறுவுவதில் சுறுசுறுப்பாக ஈடுபட்டிருந்தார். ஏழை பணக்காரன் பாகுபாடின்றி தொழில் முனையும் குழுக்களுக்கும் ஆசிரியர்களுக்கும் சேவையாற்றுவதில் அவரது பள்ளிகள் அர்ப்பணிக்கப்பட்டிருந்தன.
ஜூலியும் ஃஃபிரான்காய்ஸும் தமது தலைமை இல்லத்தை (motherhouse) பெல்ஜியத்திலுள்ள "நாமுர்" (Namur, Belgium) என்ற இடத்திற்கு கொண்டு சென்றனர்.
கி.பி. 1816ம் ஆண்டு், “பெல்ஜியம்” (Belgium) நாட்டின் “நாமுர்” (Namur) நகரிலுள்ள இவரது சபையின் தலைமை இல்லத்தில் 64 வயதான ஜூலி மரணமடைந்தார்.
அமெரிக்க (America) நாடுகள் மற்றும் “ஐக்கிய அரசு” (United Kingdom) நாடுகளிலுள்ள "நோட்ரே டாம் பள்ளிகள்" (Notre Dame" schools) உள்ளிட்ட அநேக பள்ளிகள் மற்றும் “நோட்ரே டாம் டி நாமுர் பலகலைகழகம்” (Notre Dame de Namur University) ஆகியன, இவரை கௌரவிக்கும் விதமாக இவரது பெயரில் இயங்குகின்றன.
Also known as
• Julia of Billiart
• Julie Billart
• Mary Rose Julia Billiart
Profile
Sixth of seven children of peasant farmers Jean-François Billiart and Marie-Louise-Antoinette Debraine. She was poorly educated, but knew her catechism by heart at age 7, and used to explain it to other children. At age 14 she took a private vow of chastity, and gave her life to serving and teaching the poor. At age 22, she was sitting next to her father when some one shot at him; the shock left her partially crippled for 22 years. During the French Revoluation, a group of her friends helped organize the work she'd started. Julia was miraculously healed of her paralysis on 1 June 1804, and resumed her work. Her organization became the Congregation of the Sisters of Notre Dame (Institute of Notre Dame; Sisters of Notre Dame), dedicated to the Christian education of girls, formally established in Amiens, France, the first vows being made by Saint Julia and two others on 15 October 1804. By the time of her death the Institute had 15 convents.
Born
12 July 1751 at Cuvilly, diocese of Beauvais, department of Oise, Picardy, France as Mary Rose Julia Billiart
Died
• 8 April 1816 at the Institute's motherhouse at Namur, Belgium of natural causes
• died while praying
Canonized
22 June 1969 by Pope Paul VI
Patronage
• against poverty
• against bodily ills or sickness
• sick people
Blessed Clement of Osimo
Additional Memorial
19 May (Augustinians)
Profile
Priest. Joined the Congregation of Hermits of Brettino, which in 1256 merged with the Augustinian Hermits. Chosen the Augustinian Provincial Prior of the Marches of Ancona, Italy in 1269. Chosen the third Augustinian Prior General on Pentecost Sunday 1271, and served till 1274, visiting houses throughout Italy and France, and participating in the Second Council of Lyons in 1274. Unanimously chosen Augustinian Prior General in 1284, and served in that position the rest of his life. He worked tireless for years with Blessed Augustine of Tarano to revise the constitutions of the Order, implementing them in 1290; they stood for centuries before a new revision was needed. As a leader, he insisted on proper observance of the Augustinian Rule, and worked to found Augustinian houses for women. He encouraged his brother friars to become educated, improved the training of Augustinian novices, founded five Augustinian schools, and supported the creation of libraries. He had a deep devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, and passed some of that along to the tradition of the Augustinians. Miracle worker.
Born
1235 in Osimo or San Elpidio (sources vary), Italy
Died
• 8 April 1291 in Orvieto, Tuscany, Italy of natural causes
• buried at the Augustinian house in Orvieto; by order of Pope Nicholas IV, the burial was delayed to allow all the flocks of mourners to pay their respects
• some relics later sent to Osimo, Italy
• some relics later sent to San Elpidio, Italy
• all relics gathered and re-interred in the Saint Augustine church in Rome, Italy in the early 18th century
• re-interred in the chapel in the Augustinian General Headquarters in Rome on 4 May 1970
Beatified
1761 by Pope Clement XIII (cultus confirmation)
Blessed Domingo Iturrate Zubero
Also known as
• Dominikus Zubero
• Domenico Iturrate of the Most Blessed Sacrament
• Domingo of the Blessed Sacrament
Profile
Devoted to the Blessed Virgin Mary at an early age. Trinitarian priest, taking the name Domenico Iturrate of the Most Blessed Sacrament.
Born
11 May 1901 in Dima, Vizcaya, in the Basque region of Spain
Died
• 8 April 1927 in Belmonte, Spain of tuberculosis
• interred in the Trinitarian church of Algorta, Vizacay, Spain
Beatified
30 October 1983 by Pope John Paul II
Blessed Julian of Saint Augustine
Also known as
Julian Martinet
Profile
Tailor's apprentice in youth. Briefly admitted to the Franciscan monastery at Medinaceli, Spain, but was dismissed as not suited for monastic life. Tailor at Santocraz, Spain. Briefly admitted as a lay brother to the Franciscan monastery of Our Lady of Salceda, but dismissed as mentally unstable, and not suited for monastic life. He then lived as a hermit; his reputation for holiness began to grow, and he returned to the monastery of Our Lady of Salceda. Accompanied Franciscan missionaries, ringing a bell in the streets to call people to services. Became a noted preacher in his own right, and known to his brothers for his austerities.
Born
c.1550 at Medinaceli, diocese of Segovia, Castile, Spain
Died
8 April 1606 at Saint Didacus Friary, Alcalá de Henares, Spain
Beatified
1825 by Pope Leo XII (cultus confirmation)
Saint Dionysius of Alexandria
Also known as
Dionysius the Great
Profile
He studied under Origen, and eventually became the head of the catechetical school of Alexandria, Egypt. Archbishop of Alexandria. In 250 during the persecutions of Decius, Dionysius tried to flee the city, but was caught and imprisoned. He was rescued by Christians and hid in the Libyan desert until 251. During the Novatian schism, Dionysius supported Pope Cornelius, and helped unify the East. Exiled during the persecution of Valerian in 257 to the desert of Mareotis; he returned to Alexandria when toleration was decreed by Gallienus in 260. Dionysius dealt leniently with the Christians who had lapsed during the persecutions. He wrote a noted commentary on Revelations. Greek Father of the Church.
Born
c.190 in Alexandria, Egypt
Died
265 of natural causes
Saint Agabus the Prophet
Also known as
Agabos
Additional Memorial
8 March (Greek calendar)
Profile
Jewish convert. One of the 72 disciples sent out by Jesus to preach. Had the gift of prophecy, and predicted an empire-wide famine that occurred in 49. Probably the one who predicted Paul's imprisonment in Jerusalem in Acts 21:10.
Born
in Antioch
Died
in 1st century Antioch
Representation
• Carmelite holding a church
• making a prophesy
• with a dove
Blessed Libania of Busano
Profile
Born to the nobility, the daughter of Lord Armerico of Barbania, and descended from the dukes of Lombardy. Feeling a call to religious life, Libania fled home from an arranged marriage at age 15, seeking shelter at the abbey of San Benigno Futtuaria where she became a Benedictine nun, receiving the habit from Saint William. Her father built the monastery of Saint Thomas for her and some sister Benedictines in Busano, Italy, and Libania served as its first abbess.
Born
Barbania, Italy
Died
• 8 April 1064 in church at the monastery of Saint Thomas in Busano, Turin, Italy of natural causes
• legend says that the night she died, an angel appeared in her cell and led her to the church for her passing
• buried in a hidden location in the church of to prevent destruction of her relics
Saint Amantius of Como
Also known as
Amanzio di Como
Profile
Member of the imperial Roman court. Third bishop of Como, Italy. Built the Basilica of Sant'Abbondio in Como.
Born
Canterbury, England
Died
• 8 April 448 in Como, Italy of natural causes
• interred at the Basilica of Sant'Abbondio in Como
• relics transferred to the Chiesa del Gesu, Como on 2 July 1590
• relics currently in the Church of San Fedele, Como
Saint Phlegon of Hyrcania
Also known as
Flegon
Profile
First century bishop of Hyrcania, Greece. May have been one of the "70 Disciples of Christ". Martyr. Mentioned by Saint Paul the Apostle in the Epistle to the Romans.
Readings
Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas, and the brothers who are with them. - Epistle to the Romans, 16:14
Saint Herodion of Patras
Also known as
• Herodian of Patras
• Rhodion of Patras
Profile
First century bishop of Patras, Greece. He may have been one of the "70 Disciples of Jesus". Martyr. Saint Paul the Apostle refers to Herodion as "my brother" or "my kinsman".
Reading
Greet Herodion, my kinsman. - Paul's Epistle to the Romans, 16:11
Blessed Gonzalo Mercador
Profile
Mercedarian friar. Bishop of Granada, Spain. Participated in the Council of Florence in 1450. On his way home from that council, he was captured, imprisoned, beaten, tortured and finally executed for his Christianity. Martyr.
Died
beheaded c.1450
Saint Asyncritus of Marathon
Profile
First century bishop of Marathon, Greece. May have been one of the "70 Disciples of Christ". Martyr. Mentioned by Saint Paul the Apostle in the Epistle to the Romans.
Readings
Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas, and the brothers who are with them. - Epistle to the Romans, 16:14
Saint Dionysius of Corinth
Also known as
Denis
Profile
Second century bishop of Corinth, Greece. Some of his correspondence, including testimony about the martyrdom of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, and correspondence with popes of the era, have survived. Fought the Marcionites and other heresies of his time.
Saint Beata of Ribnitz
Also known as
Beate, Beatrix
Profile
Born to the nobility, the daughter of Duke Heinrich of Mecklenburg. Poor Clare nun at the convent in Ribnitz, Germany. Abbess of the house in 1350.
Born
14th century Mecklenburg, Germany
Died
8 April 1399 in Ribnitz, Germany
Saint Redemptus of Ferentini
Profile
Bishop of Ferentini, Italy.
Died
586
Saint Concessa
Profile
Martyr venerated in Carthage, North Africa.
Martyrs of Africa
Profile
A group of African martyrs whose name appears on ancient lists, but about whom nothing is known but their names - Januarius, Macaria and Maxima.
Martyrs of Antioch
Profile
A group of Christians martyred together for their faith. We know little more than their names - Diogene, Macario, Massimo and Timothy.
Died
Antioch, Syria
Martyrs of Seoul
Additional Memorial
20 September as one of the Martyrs of Korea
Profile
A group laymen who were martyred together in the apostolic vicariate of Korea.
• Augustinus Jeong Yak-jong
• Franciscus Xaverius Hong Gyo-man
• Ioannes Choe Chang-hyeon
• Lucas Hong Nak-min
• Thomas Choe Pil-gong
Died
8 April 1801 at the Small West Gate, Seoul, South Korea
Beatified
15 August 2014 by Pope Francis
Also celebrated but no entry yet
• Cennfaoladh of Bangor
• Hamazasp
• Isaac
• Martin of Pegli
