Feastday: September 25 Patron: of Cork, Diocese of Cork Birth: 550 Death: 620
He was the son of an artisan and a lady of the Irish royal court. Born in Connaught, Ireland, and baptized Lochan, he was educated at Kilmacahil, Kilkenny, where the monks named him Fionnbharr (white head) because of his light hair; he is also known as Bairre and Barr. He went on pilgrimage to Rome with some of the monks, visiting St. David in Wales on the way back. Supposedly, on another visit to Rome the Pope wanted to consecrate him a bishop but was deterred by a vision, notifying the pope that God had reserved that honor to Himself, and Finbar was consecrated from heaven and then returned to Ireland. At any rate, he may have preached in Scotland, definitely did in southern Ireland, lived as a hermit on a small island at Lough Eiroe, and then, on the river Lee, founded a monastery that developed into the city of Cork, of which he was the first bishop. His monastery became famous in southern Ireland and attracted numerous disciples. Many extravagant miracles are attributed to him, and supposedly, the sun did not set for two weeks after he died at Cloyne about the year 633. His feast day is September 25th.
Saint Finbar, Finnbar, or Finnbarr, in IrishFionnbharra, very often abbreviated to Barra, (c. 550–25 September 623) was Bishop of Cork and abbot of a monastery in what is now Cork city, Ireland. He is patron saint of the city and of the Diocese of Cork.[1] His feast day is September 25.
Contents
1Life
2Legacy
3Other Saint Finbarrs
4References
Life
Gougane Barra
Lived in Templemartin, near Bandon, and originally named Lóchán (modern form, Loan), he was the son of Amergin of Maigh Seóla, a skilled craftsman originally from Galway.[2] He studied in Ossory, corresponding approximately to the present County Kilkenny. He was renamed "Fionnbharra" (Fairhead in Irish), reportedly when, on being tonsured, the presiding cleric remarked: "Is fionn barr(find barr, in the Irish of the time) Lócháin", meaning, "Fair is the crest of Loan"), and he then became known as "Findbarr" ("Fionnbarra" in modern Irish).[3] He went on pilgrimage to Rome with some of the monks, visiting St David in Wales on the way back.[4]
On completion of his education he returned home and lived for some time on an island in the small lake then called Loch Irce.[5] The island is now called Gougane Barra (the little rock-fissure of Finnbarr). He is reputed to have built small churches in various other places, including one in Ballineadig, County Cork, called Cell na Cluaine, anglicised as Cellnaclona and sometimes referred to as Cloyne, causing it to be confused with Cloyne (Cluain Uamha) in east Cork.[3]
Saint Fin Barre's Cathedral
He settled for about the last seventeen years of his life in the area then known as Corcach Mór na Mumhan(the Great Marsh of Munster), now the city of Cork, where he gathered around him monks and students. This became an important centre of learning, giving rise to the phrase Ionad Bairre Sgoil na Mumhan.[6]"Where Finbarr taught let Munster learn", is the motto of today's University College Cork in English but is not a translation of the Irish motto Ionad Bairre Sgoil na Mumhan which means "Finbarr's foundation, the School of Munster".
The church and monastery he founded in 606 were on a limestone cliff above the River Lee, an area now known as Gill Abbey, after a 12th-century Bishop of Cork, Giolla Aedha Ó Muidhin.[3] It continued to be the site of the cathedral of his diocese. The present building on the site, owned by the Church of Ireland, is called Saint Fin Barre's Cathedral. The people of Cork often refer to the nearby Catholic church, also dedicated to St Finbarr, in Dunbar Street in the South Parish as 'the South Chapel', distinguishing it from the North Cathedral, the Catholic Cathedral of Saint Mary and Saint Anne, sometimes called 'the North Chapel'.[7]
Finnbarr died at Cell na Cluaine, while returning from a visit to Gougane Barra. He was buried in the cemetery attached to his church in Cork.[3]
Legacy
There are at least six St. Finbarr's schools in England, Chelsea, and Australia – at Ashgrove, Byron Bay, Invermay, Tasmania, Sans Souci (South Sydney, spelt St Finbar), East Brighton (Melbourne), Quilpie (South West Queensland) and Glenbrook, in the Blue Mountains. There is a St. Finbarr's school in Lagos, Nigeria.[8] There is also a St. Finn Barr school in San Francisco, California. [9] The original cathedral of the Diocese of Charleston, South Carolina, in the United States was named in honour of St. Finbarr and remained standing until the Great Fire of Charleston during the Civil War. It is believed to have been named so because John England, the first bishop of Charleston was originally from the County Cork and was consecrated a bishop in Saint Fin Barre's Church before travelling to the United States.[10] In Coventry, England, St Finbarr's Social Club was named in honour of the saint during the late 1980s attracting large numbers from an Irish background to socialise. Upon demolition in 2006, a new housing scheme was completed in 2008 on the same site with the new road name of Finbarr Close.
Other Saint Finbarrs
Portal of Cille Bharra on Barra Island
There are five Irish saints named Finnbarr.[1] One scholar has theorized that the Cork saint is identical with Finnian of Moville, a teacher of Colm Cille.[5]
Scotland has place names that refer to Saint Finnbarr, perhaps due to devotion to him having been carried there by disciples.[5] One such place is the Gaelic-speaking island of Barra, where there is a ruined church called Cille Bharra (Church of Finnbarr).[11] Tradition identifies that Finnbarr with the Cork saint, but it has been argued that he was Scottish
Benedictine abbot who founded Causance Monastery in France. He was a monk at Luxeuil and was trained by St. Waldeburt in the great monastic traditions of the era.
of two disciples who met Christ on the road to Emmaus. He was also identified as the father of Mary, one of whom stood with the Mother of God at the foot of the Cross. He has been identified as the father of St. James the Less and as brother of St. Joseph.
A saint of Wales. He was the son or grandson of the local king of Brecknock. A church at Tregaian in Anglesey is named after him.
St Caian's Church, Tregaian, also known as St Caean's Church, Tregaean, is a small medieval church dating from the 14th century in Anglesey, north Wales. It is dedicated to St Caian, a Christian from the 5th or 6th century about whom little is known. The building contains a late 14th-century east window and a late 15th-century doorway. The churchyard contains the grave of William ap Howel, who died in 1581 at the age of 105, leaving over forty children between the ages of 8 and 89 and over three hundred living descendants.
The church is still used for worship by the Church in Wales, and is one of three churches in a combined parish. It is a Grade II* listed building, a national designation given to "particularly important buildings of more than special interest",[2] in particular because it is regarded as "an excellent late Medieval rural church".[3]
Contents
1History and location
2Architecture and fittings
3Assessment
4References
5External links
History and location
The date of construction of the first Christian building on this site is unknown. The church is dedicated to St Caian, a Christian from the 5th or 6th century, about whom little is known. One manuscript says that his father was St Caw, a king in northern Britain who lost his lands and sought safety in Anglesey, where the ruler Maelgwn Gwynedd gave him land in the north-east of the island, the district known as Twrcelyn.[4][5] If Caian was a son of St Caw, then his sisters included St Cwyllog, who established the nearby church of St Cwyllog, Llangwyllog, in the 6th century.[6][7] Other manuscripts say that he was active in the 5th century and was a son or grandson of Brychan, a king from south Wales.[5][8]
Caian gives his name to the hamlet of Tregaian in which the church is situated: the Welsh word tref (shortened here to tre) means "settlement", and "‑gaian" is a modified form of the saint's name – i.e. "Caian's settlement".[9] Tregaian is about 2.5 miles (4.0 km) north of Llangefni, the county town of Anglesey, and the church is in the countryside by a small road.[10]
The present church is medieval, dating from the latter part of the 14th century, which is the period given to the east window. The doorway is from the late 15th century, the roof from the end of the 16th or beginning of the 17th century, and the nave windows and the panelling of the pulpit are from the 17th century.[3]It is still used for worship by the Church in Wales, as one of three churches in the combined benefice of Llangefni with Tregaean with Llanddyfnan (Talwrn).[1] It is within the deanery of Malltraeth, the archdeaconry of Bangor and the Diocese of Bangor.[11] As of 2013, the priest in charge of the parish is the Reverend J Ashley-Roberts.[1]
Architecture and fittings
The church is built from rubble masonry. The roof, which is made from slate, has a stone bellcote at the west end. Entrance is through the doorway on the south side, from the late 15th century; it has decorated surrounds and a square frame. There is no structural division between the nave (where the congregation sit) and the chancel (where the altar is located) apart from a single step up into the chancel.[3] The church is about 40 feet 6 inches (12.3 m) long by 14 feet 6 inches (4.4 m) wide.[12] The east window, from the late 14th century, is set in a pointed arch with decorative edging.[3] It has stained glass from 1916 depicting Christ crowning a knight with the words "Well done thou good and faithful servant / Take unto you the whole armour of God."[3][13] There are two pairs of square-headed windows in the south wall, dating from the 17th century. On the north side of the church, a second entrance was blocked up in the late 19th century, and there is one pair of square-headed windows, also from the 17th century; there is also a small window at the west end of the church, from the 17th or 18th century. The beams of the roof can be seen from inside the church. Behind the altar is a panelled reredosfrom the 19th century.[3]
A memorial by an old gravestone
The church has a 12th-century circular font, decorated with an irregular pattern of chevrons on the side.[3][10] The bell is dated 1717, whilst the pews are from the 19th century.[3] There are memorials tablets from the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries on the walls, some of which commemorate the Lloyd family from a nearby house, Plas Tregaian.[3][10] A 1937 survey by the Royal Commission on Ancient and Historical Monuments in Wales and Monmouthshire noted a plain silver cup dated 1714–15.[12] The churchyard contains the grave of William ap Howel, who died at the age of 105 in 1581. Married three times, he fathered 42 or 43 children in and out of wedlock, and more than 300 of his descendants attended his funeral. His children at his death ranged in age from 8 to 89.[10][14]
Assessment
The church has national recognition and statutory protection from alteration as it has been designated as a Grade II* listed building – the second-highest of the three grades of listing, designating "particularly important buildings of more than special interest".[2] It was given this status on 12 May 1970, and has been listed because it is "an excellent late Medieval rural church".[3] Cadw (the Welsh Assembly Government body responsible for the built heritage of Wales and the inclusion of Welsh buildings on the statutory lists) also states that it "retains a strong simple character in the retention of many early features and its original plan, with structurally undivided nave and chancel."[3]
The 19th-century antiquarian Angharad Llwyd described the church as "a small but neat edifice", and noted the "handsome" east window.[15] The 19th-century writer Samuel Lewis said that the church was "simple and primitive in its construction".[14] Writing in 1847, the clergyman and antiquarian Harry Longueville Jones said that the font was "remarkable" for having no drain, and was "hardly large enough for immersion."[16]He added that the east window was of "rather singular" design.[16]
A 2006 guide to the churches of Anglesey notes the "unusually wide" east window.[10] A 2009 guide to the buildings of the region says that the church "gives an impression of what the Anglesey parish churches were like before so many were reassembled in the 19th century" – partly because the walls lean, it adds.[13] The east window has also been compared to that of St Ceidio's Church, Rhodogeidio, also on Anglesey.[17]
Feastday: September 25 Patron: of Glamorgan; Llancarfan; famine victims; deafness; glandular disorders Birth: 497 Death: 580
A Welsh bishop and martyr, a companion of St. Gildas. Cadoc is also called Docus, Cathmael, and Cadvael. He founded Llancarfan Monastery near Cardiff, Wales, before becoming a missionary on the coast of Brittany, in France. Returning to Britain, Cadoc was involved in the Saxon occupation of the British lands. H e was martyred by the Saxons near Weedon, England.
For other uses, see Cadoc (disambiguation).
Saint Cadoc or Cadog (Medieval Latin: Cadocus; also Welsh: Cattwg; born c. 497[1] or before) was a 5th–6th-century Abbot of Llancarfan, near Cowbridge in Glamorganshire, Wales, a monastery famous from the era of the British church as a centre of learning, where Illtud spent the first period of his religious life under Cadoc's tutelage. Cadoc is credited with the establishment of many churches in Cornwall, Brittany,[2]Dyfed and Scotland. He is known as Cattwg Ddoeth, "the Wise", and a large collection of his maxims and moral sayings were included in Volume III of the Myvyrian Archaiology. He is listed in the 2004 edition of the Roman Martyrology under 21 September. His Norman-era "Life" is a hagiography of importance to the case for the historicity of Arthur as one of seven saints' lives that mention Arthur independently of Geoffrey of Monmouth's Historia Regum Britanniae.[3]
Contents
1Biography
1.1Llancarfan
1.2Scotland
2Legends
2.1Cadoc and Arthur
2.2Other legends
2.3Legendary genealogy
3Liturgical celebration
4See also
5References
6External links
Biography
Cadoc's story appears in a Vita Cadociwritten shortly before 1086 by Lifris of Llancarfan;[4] "it was clearly written at Llancarfan with the purpose of honouring the house and confirming its endowments,"[3] Consequently, it is of limited historical merit though some details are of interest. Llancarfan did not survive the intrusion of Norman power into South Wales, being dissolved about 1086.[5]
Cadoc began life under a cloud of violence. His father, Gwynllyw the Bearded, was one of the lesser kings of Wales, a brother of Saint Petroc, and a robber chieftain. He wanted to propose to Princess Gwladys, daughter of King Brychan of Brycheiniog, a neighboring chieftain, but Brychan turned away the envoys asking for Gwladys' hand. Wildly in love, Gwynllyw and Gwladys eloped from her father’s court at Brecon and escaped over the mountains[6] in a raid in which 200 of Gwynllyw's 300 followers perished.[7]
Born into the royal families of Gwynllwgand Brycheiniog, it is said, he worked miracles even before his birth. Strange lights shone in his parents’ house and the cellars were miraculously filled with food.[6]
Cadoc was born in Monmouthshire[8]around the year 497. An angel announced his birth and summoned the hermit Meuthi to baptise and teach him. A holy well sprang up for his baptism and afterwards flowed with wine and milk.[6]It is thought that he was baptised as Cathmail (Cadfael).[9] After the birth of his son, Gwynllyw went on a wild celebratory raid with a new band of fearless warriors. Among other livestock, he stole the cow of an Irish monk, St. Tathyw of Caerwent. This is probably Tathan, a reputed early abbot of nearby Caerwent whose dedications appear around Llantwit Major.[10] Tathyw was not afraid of Gwynllyw and boldly went to confront him, demanding the return of the cow. On a sudden impulse, or perhaps guided by divine inspiration, Gwynllyw decided Cadoc would go to live under the monk's care, and he was sent away to be educated at Tathyw's monastery in Caerwent. Cadoc picked up a basic knowledge of Latin and received a rudimentary education that prepared him for further studies in Ireland and Wales. Most important, Cadoc learned to appreciate the life of a monk and a priest.[7]
One day while in the Cardiff district of Glamorganshire, Cadoc was being chased by an armed swineherd from an enemy tribe. As he ran through the woods looking for a place to hide, he came upon a wild boar, white with age. Disturbed by his presence, the boar made three fierce bounds in his direction, but Cadoc's life was spared when the boar miraculously disappeared. Cadoc took this as a heavenly sign, and marked the spot with three tree branches. The valley was owned by his uncle, King Pawl of Penychen, who made a present of the land to his nephew. The location later became the site of the great church college and monastery at Llancarvan.[7]
Maches (Latin: Machuta), the sister of Cadoc according to tradition, was killed by robbers who were stealing her finest ram. Tathan, to whom the murderers confessed their crime, built a church on the spot.[11]
In adulthood Cadoc refused to take charge of his father's army, "preferring to fight for Christ". He founded his first monastery at Llancarfan in the Vale of Glamorgan, and from there he went to Ireland to study for three years. Returning to Wales, he studied with Bachan or Pachan, a teacher of rhetoric from Italy.[12] He then travelled to Scotland where he founded a monastery at Cambuslang. Back at Llancarfan, his influence helped it to grow into one of the chief monasteries in South Wales.[9]
One tradition has it that he went on pilgrimage to Rome, but more certain is the knowledge of time spent in Brittany. He settled there on an island in the Etel river, now called L'Ile de Cado, where he built an oratory, founded a monastery and devoted himself to spreading the Gospel.[9] There are chapels dedicated to him at Belz and Locoal-Mendon in Morbihan and at Gouesnac'h in Finistère, where he is called upon to cure the deaf. His name is also the basis of some thirty Breton place-names.
Llancarfan
St Catwg window in Caerphilly
According to Huddleston, most Welsh writers assign the founding of Llancarfan to the period of St. Germanus's visit to Britain in A.D. 447, stating further that the first principal was St. Dubric, or Dubricius, on whose elevation to the episcopate St. Cadoc, or Cattwg, succeeded. On the other hand, he notes that the Life of St. Germanus, written by Constantius, a priest of Lyons, about fifty years after the death of the saint, says nothing at all of any school founded by him or under his auspices, in Britain, nor is mention made of his presence in Wales.[13]
An alternate tradition holds that Llancarvan monastery or "Church of the Stags", in Glamorganshire, and not far from the Bristol Channel, was founded in the latter part of the fifth century by Cadoc. Here he established a monastery and college, which became the seminary of many great and holy men. The spot at first seemed an impossible one, an almost inaccessible marsh, but he and his monks drained and cultivated it, transforming it into one of the most famous and attractive religious homes in South Wales. The plan of the building included a monastery, a college, and a hospital.[14] Having got the community established, he went off to Ireland to study and teach. When he returned three years later, he found the monastery in ruins. Furious, he forced the monks back to manual labour, dragging timber from the woods to begin the work of reconstruction. Two stags came out of the forest to help them, which is said to be why the stream running past the monastery is called the Nant Carfan, the Stag Brook.[6]
Rev. Rees suggests that although the monastery was said to have been situated at Llancarfan, the particular spot on which it stood was called Llanfeithin.[15]
Scotland
About 528, after his father's death, Cadoc is said to have built a stone monastery in Scotland probably at Kilmadock, which was named for the saint, north-west of Stirling,[16] where the Annant Burn enters the River Teith about 2 miles upstream from Doune. Near the ruins of the old Kilmadock church and graveyard is Hermit's Croft, thought to be where he lived for seven years. Seven local churches that were built in his name came under the authority of Inchmahome Priory. It is also said that Cadoc's monastery was "below Mount Bannauc" (generally taken to be the hill southwest of Stirling down which the Bannockburn flows). It has been suggested that the monastery was where the town of St Ninians now stands, two kilometers south of Stirling. Scottish followers were known as "Gille Dog", the servants of Cadog, which appears as a surname, first as Dog, and later as Doig, Dock, and Doak.
Legends
Cadoc and ArthurSt Cadoc's Church, Caerleon
Cadoc came into conflict with Arthur: the Vita depicts Arthur as great and bold, but willful. Lifris writes that Cadoc gave protection to a man who had killed three of Arthur's soldiers and Arthur was awarded a herd of cattle from Cadoc as compensation. Cadoc delivered them, but when Arthur took possession of them they were transformed into bundles of ferns. Similar incidents are often described in mediaeval biographies such as those of Carannog, Padern and Goeznovius: miracles in dealings with temporal authority bolster the case for church freedom.[17] In later Arthurian Welsh Triads Cadoc, with Illtud and Peredur, is one of three knights said to have become keepers of the Holy Grail.[18]
The kings Maelgwn of Gwynedd and Rhain Dremrudd of Brycheiniog also feature in the Vita. Though Saint Cadoc's Church at Caerleon, which, though of Norman origin and much rebuilt, stands on the foundations of the Roman legion headquarters, may memorialize an early cell of Cadoc's. Caerleon was also associated with Arthur.
Other legends
A certain miraculous spot associated with Cadoc had a reputed healing effect until the time of king Hiuguel (Hywel vab weyn, who died in his old age ca. 1041–44) when, due to a malevolent influence, the spot was lost.[19]
This Cadoc, grandson of Brychan Brycheiniog, to whose offspring a large number of south-west British cult sites are dedicated, may be identical to or confused with Cadoc son of Brychan, for whom the churches at Llanspyddid near Brecon and at LlangadogCarmarthenshire, are said to be named along with a former chapel in the parish of Kidwelly.[15] According to Serenus de Cressy this Cadoc died AD 490, is buried in France, and is commemorated in the Calendar on 24 January.
The epithet of Doeth (Welsh for wise) induced some writers to confound him with St. Sophias (Greek for wisdom), bishop of Beneventum in Italy.[15] Hence he is said sometimes to have died at Bannaventa (Weedon, five kilometres east of Daventry in Northamptonshire),[20] in an episode towards the end of his vita Cadoc is carried off in a cloud from Britannia (de terra Britannie) to Beneventum, where a certain prior is warned of the coming of a "western Briton" who is to be renamed Sophias; as Sophias Cadoc becomes abbot, bishop and martyr. A magna basilica was erected over his shrine, which visiting Britons were not allowed to enter. A fictitious "Pope Alexander" is made to figure in the narrative.
Legendary genealogy
The parish church of St Cadoc, Llancarfan
In Lives of the Cambro British saints (1853), Rev W. J Rees wrote:
The genealogy of the blessed Cadoc arises from the most noble emperors of Rome, from the time of the incarnation of Jesus Christ, Augustus Cesar, in whose time Christ was born, begat Octavianus, Octavianus begat Tiberius, Tiberius begat Caius, Caius begat Claudius, Claudius begat Vespasian, Vespasian begat Titus, Titus begat Domitian, Domitian begat Nero, under whom the apostles Peter and Paul suffered, Nero begat Trajan, Trajan begat Adrian, Adrian begat Antonius, Antonius begat Commodus, Commodus begat Meobus, Meobus begat Severus, Severus begat Antonius, Antonius begat Aucanus, Aucanus begat Aurelian, Aurelian begat Alexander, Alexander begat Maximus, Maximus begat Gordian, Gordian begat Philip, Philip begat Decius, Decius begat Gallus, Callus begat Valerian, Valerian begat Cleopatra, Cleopatra begat Aurelian, Aurelian begat Titus, Titus begat Probus, Probus begat Carosius, Carosius begat Dioclesian, who perscuted the Christians throughout the whole world; for in his time the blessed martyrs Alban, that is Julian, Aaron, and many others suffered. Dioclesian begat Galerius, Galerius begat Constantine the Great the son of Helen, Constantine begat Constantius, Constantius begat Maximianus, with whom the British soldiers went from Britain, and he slew Gratian the Roman emperor, and held the government of all Europe; and he did not dismiss the soldiers, which he brought with him from Britain to return to their country on account of their bravery, but gave them many provinces and countries, that is from the pool which is on the top of the mountain of Jupiter to the city named Cantguic, and until the western mound that is Cruc Ochideint; and from those soldiers arose a nation which is called Lettau. Maximianus therefore begat Owain, Owain begat Nor, Nor begat Solor, Solor begat Glywys, Glywys begat Gwynlliw, Gwynlliw begat the most blessed Cadoc of whom we are speaking.[21]
Liturgical celebration
In the 2004 edition of the Roman Martyrology, Cadoc is listed among saints thought to have died on 21 September, with the Latin name Cadóci. He is mentioned as follows: 'In the monastery at Llancarfan in South Wales, Saint Cadoc the Abbot, under whose name many monasteries in Cornwall and Brittany were established.'[2] He does not appear in the current Roman Catholicliturgical calendar of saints celebrated annually in Wales.[22]
21 September is, however, the feast day of the Apostle Saint Matthew, and in Cardiff, St Cadoc's Day has traditionally been kept on 25 September; on the French Île de Saint-Cado [fr], a major pardon is traditionally celebrated on the third Sunday in September. Elsewhere his traditional feast day is 24 January.[9][23
Archbishop and Benedictine. Austindus was a native of Bordeaux, France. lie entered the Benedictines at St. Oren's Abbey, in Auch. When elected abbot, he instituted the Cluniac reform in the abbey. Austindus became the archbishopof Auch, France, in 1041.
A martyr of Japan. Augustine was a native Japanese. He aided the Catholicmissions as a catechist and was caught up in the persecution. Imprisoned at Iki, Augustine was received into the Jesuits before his death by beheading. His beatification was declared in 1867.
Bishop and patron of the Divine Officeand the Litany of the Saints. Anacharius was born near Orleans, France, and was educated at the court of King Guntram of Burgundy. Taking vows, he was made bishop of Auxerre, France, in 561, and promoted litanies and prayers.
my sister Iraya [Herais] with other martyrs, Abadir with his sister, Iraja (Herais). We are children martyrs of St. Basilides' sister. Basilides' is called the Father of Kings.
We were brought under arrest to Antinoe, Kemet, beheaded with Cluthus, a physician and priest, 3685 companions, and other martyrs.
Also martyred with us were Apa Paphnutius of Tentyra, priest; Apa Isaac of Tiphre, priest; Apa Shamul of Taraphia, priest; Apa Simeon of Tapcho, priest; Sissinius of Tantatho, priest; Theodore of Chotep, priest; Moses of Psammanius, priest; Philotheus of Pemdje, priest; Macarius of Fayum, priest; Maximus of Vuchim, priest; Macroni of Thoni, priest; Senuthius of Buasti, priest; Simeon of Thou, priest; priest Ptolemaeus, son of the Eparch, priest; Thomas of Tanphot, priest. Coptic calendar
Abadir and Iraja are saints in the Coptic Church and the Roman Catholic Church.
They are reported to have been children of the sister of Basilides, the father of kings. According to their legendstory, Abadir and Iraja fled from Antioch to Alexandria, were arrested there, brought to Antinoe, Kemet (the Ancient African name of Egypt) and beheaded there with Cluthus, a physician and priest, and other 3,685 companions.[1] These included the following priests:
Apa Paphnutius of Tentyra
Apa Isaac of Tiphre
Apa Shamul of Taraphia
Apa Simon of Tapcho
Sissinus of Tantatho
Theodore of Shotep
Moses of Psammaniu
Philotheus of Pemdje
Macarius of Fayum
Maximus of Vuchim
Macroni of Thoni
Senuthius of Buasti
Simeon of Thou
Ptolemaeus, son of the Eparch, and
Thomas of Tanphot.
Abadir and Iraja had a church dedicated to them in Asyut in Egypt. Their feast dayis on September 25 (Gregorian Calendar) and October 8 (Julian Calendar). The text of their Passion exists in both Sahidic and Bohairic Coptic and fragments can be found at the National Library, Vienna, Wiener Papyrussammlung, K2563 a-l, ed. Orlandi, 1974, the National Library, Paris, Copte 129.16.104 and the Vatican Library, Rome, Copti 63, fols. 1-65, ed. Hyvernat, 1886-1887.[2]
A summary of their lives, commemorated on Tout 28 (October 8), can be found in the Copto-Arabic Synaxarion.[3]
Saints Louis and Marie Zelie Guerin Martin, the parents of St. Therese of Lisieux.
Prayer:
Saints Louis Martin and Zélie Guerin’s Story
Born into a military family in Bordeaux, Louis trained to become a watchmaker. His desire to join a religious community went unfulfilled because he didn’t know Latin. Moving to Normandy, he met the highly-skilled lace maker, Zélie Guerin, who also had been disappointed in her attempts to enter religious life. They married in 1858, and over the years were blessed with nine children, though two sons and two daughters died in infancy.
Louis managed the lace-making business that Zélie continued at home while raising their children. She died from breast cancer in 1877.
Louis then moved the family to Lisieux to be near his brother and sister-in-law, who helped with the education of his five surviving girls. His health began to fail after his 15-year-old daughter entered the Monastery of Mount Carmel at Lisieux in 1888. Louis died in 1894, a few months after being committed to a sanitarium.
The home that Louis and Zélie created nurtured the sanctity of all their children, but especially their youngest, who is known to us as Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus. Louis and Zélie were beatified in 2008, and canonized by Pope Francis on October 18, 2015. The Liturgical Feast of Saints Louis Martin and Zélie Guerin is July 12.
இவர் ஸ்பெயின் நாட்டைச் சார்ந்தவர். இவரது தந்தை உரோமை அரசாங்கத்தில் ஓர் உயரதிகாரியாகப் பணிபுரிந்து வந்தவர். அவர் ஆயர் ஹானஸ்டஸ் என்பவரின் போதனையால் தொடப்பட்டு, கிறிஸ்துவை ஏற்றுக்கொண்டார். அதன் பிறகு அவர் தன் மகனாக ஃபெர்மினுஸையும் கிறிஸ்துவ நெறியின் படி வளர்த்து வந்தார்.
ஃபெர்மினுசுக்கு முப்பத்து ஒன்றாம் வயது நடக்கும்பொழுது, பிரான்ஸ் நாட்டிற்கு நற்செய்தி அறிவிக்கப் புறப்பட்டுச் சென்றார். அங்கு இவர் அமியன்ஸ் என்ற நகரின் ஆயராகத் திருநிலைப்படுத்தப்பட்டார்.
ஆயராகத் திருநிலைப்படுத்தப்பட்ட பின்பு இவர், கடவுளின் வார்த்தையை மிகத் துணிச்சலாக அறிவித்து வந்தார். இந்நிலையில்தான் உரோமை மன்னன் தியோகிளசியனின் ஆள்கள் இவரை கி.பி 303 ஆம் ஆண்டு தலைவெட்டிக் கொன்று போட்டார்கள்.
Herman was born into royalty, the son of a duke of Altshausen. From birth, it was apparent that he would be horribly crippled and disfigured, earning him the less-than-pleasant name of “Hermannus Contractus” (or “Herman the Twisted”). Sources suggest he was born with a cleft palate, cerebral palsy and spina bifida. Without assistance, he could not move, and could barely speak, but within his body was a keen mind and iron will.
At the age of seven, Herman’s parents left him at the Benedictine monastery of Reichenau, where they arranged for him to be raised and educated. Situated on the shores of Lake Constance, it was expected that this location would be ideal for Herman’s health, but also for his developing intellect. Abbot Berno, the monk who led the community, took Herman under his wing, educating him with kindness and compassion.
Despite his obvious intellect, Herman struggled to read and write at first, his physical limitations difficult to overcome. Once he mastered the basics, the academic world opened to him, and he impressed all with the breadth and depth of his subsequent studies. Not only did he immerse himself in the sciences, but also in languages, music and theology. Herman became fluent in Latin, Greek, and Arabic. He wrote extensively on mathematical and astronomical topics, as well as volumes on the history of the world. He was professed a monk at the age of 30, and continued to write, producing works of great spiritual depth.
St. Herman died at the young age of 40, having succumbed to the symptoms of his many afflictions. He was beatified in 1863. He was a man who took joy in his struggles, and looked at each difficult day as an opportunity to grow closer to the Lord.
புனிதர் சியோல்ஃப்ரித், ஒரு ஆங்கிலோ-சாக்சன் கிறிஸ்தவ மடாதிபதியும், துறவியும் ஆவார். ஏழு வயதிலிருந்து, கி.பி. 716ம் ஆண்டு, இறக்கும்வரை அவர், "வணக்கத்திற்குரிய புனிதர் பீட்" (Saint Bede the Venerable) அவர்களுடைய பாதுகாவலர் என்று நன்கு அறியப்பட்டவர். அவர் "மாங்க்வேர்மவுத்-ஜாரோ" (Monkwearmouth-Jarrow Abbey) துறவு மடத்தின் மடாதிபதியாகவும், "கோடெக்ஸ் அமியாட்டினஸ்" (Codex Amiatinus Bible) விவிலியத்தை தயாரிக்கும் திட்டத்தில் முக்கிய பங்களிப்பாளராகவும் இருந்தார். கோடெக்ஸின் நகல் ஒன்றினை திருத்தந்தை இரண்டாம் கிரகோரி (Pope Gregory I) அவர்களிடம் வழங்குவதற்காக ரோம் (Rome) நகர் செல்லும் வழியில், அவர் பர்கண்டி (Burgundy) நகரில் இறந்தார்.
ஆரம்ப கால வாழ்க்கை:
சியோல்ஃப்ரித்தின் வாழ்க்கையின் முந்தைய காலத்தைப் பற்றி அதிகம் அறியப்படவில்லை. கிறிஸ்தவ துறவற மரபுகள் மீது அவரது சொந்த சகோதரர் சினெஃப்ரிட் (Cynefrid) கொண்டிருந்த பக்தியின் காரணமாக துறவற சமூகத்தில் சேர அவருக்கு விருப்பம் இருந்திருக்கலாம். கி.பி. சுமார் 660ம் ஆண்டு, சினெஃப்ரிட் இறந்த தேதியின் காலத்திலேயே சியோல்ஃப்ரித் துறவற மரபில் நுழைந்ததாக வரலாற்றாசிரியர்கள் குறிப்பிடுகின்றனர். சியோல்ஃப்ரித், துறவற மரபுடன் ஒரு வலுவான குடும்ப தொடர்பைக் கொண்டிருப்பதாக அறியப்படுகிறது. அவரது சகோதரர் மட்டுமல்லாது, கூடுதலாக, "டன்பர்ட்" (Tunbert) எனும் அவரது உறவினர் ஒருவர் "ஹெக்சாம் மடாலயத்தின்" (Monastery of Hexham) முதல் மடாதிபதி (Abbot) ஆவார்.
கன்னி மட பயிற்சிக்கான அவரது முதல் நான்கு ஆண்டுகள், "கில்லிங்" (Gilling Abbey) துறவுமடத்தில் நடந்தது. இது, இப்போது வடக்கு யார்க்ஷயர் (North Yorkshire) என அறியப்படுகிறது. அயர்லாந்திற்கு (Ireland) புறப்படுவதற்கு முன்னர், சினெஃப்ரிட் (Cynefrid) இதில் கலந்து கொண்டார். சியோல்ஃப்ரித், வாசிப்பு, உழைப்பு மற்றும் துறவற ஒழுக்கம் ஆகியவற்றிற்கு தொடர்ந்து தனது மனதைக் கொடுத்தபடியால், அதிக பக்தியுடன் நடந்து கொண்டார் என்று விவரிக்கப்படுகிறார். இந்த நான்கு ஆண்டுகளுக்குப் பிறகு, ஒரு கடுமையான ஒழுங்கு நடவடிக்கைகளை கொண்ட ஒரு மடத்தை நாடி, சியோல்பிரித் கில்லிங் (Gilling Abbey) துறவுமடத்தை விட்டு வெளியேறினார். பிற்காலத்தில் புனிதர் வில்ஃப்ரிட் (Saint Wilfrid) என்று நியமனம் செய்யப்பட்ட வில்ப்ரிட் தலைமையிலான ஒரு குழுவினருடன் அவர் விரைவில் இணைந்தார். இந்த துறவிகள் அதே பெயரில் ரிப்பன் நகர மடத்தின் (Ripon monastery) பெனடிக்டைன் துறவியர் (Benedictines) என்று போட்ஃப்ளவர் (Boutflower) அடையாளம் காண்கிறார். இந்த நேரத்தில், அவர் சரியான துறவறக் கொள்கைகளைப் பற்றிய தனது சொந்த புரிதலைச் செம்மைப்படுத்த வந்தார். தனது 27 வயதில், குருத்துவம் பெற்ற சியோல்ஃப்ரிட், மேலும் துறவற வாழ்க்கையின் நடைமுறைகளுடன் தன்னை நன்கு அறிமுகப்படுத்தத் தொடங்கினார்.
ரிப்பன் துறவு மடத்தில் (Ripon) அவரது நாட்கள் முடிவடைவதற்கும், பெனடிக்ட் பிஸ்காப்பின் (Benedict Biscop) கீழ் அவர் நியமிக்கப்பட்டதற்கும் இடையிலான காலம் பற்றி மிகக் குறைவாகவே வெளிப்படுத்தப்பட்டுள்ளது. தவிர அவர் போடோல்ப் மடாதிபதியின் (Abbot Botolph) நிறுவனங்களில் சிறிது காலம் செலவிட்ட அவர் "பரிசுத்த ஆவியின் கிருபையால்" ("The Grace of Spirit") நிரப்பப்பட்டதாக விவரிக்கப்படுகிறார்.
இறுதி நாட்கள்:
சியோல்ஃப்ரித், தனது வாழ்க்கையின் இறுதிகாலம் சமீபிப்பதனை அறிந்திருந்தார். எனவே அவர் தனது பதவியை ராஜினாமா செய்தார். அவருக்குப் பின் ஹ்வெட்பெர்ட் (Hwaetberht) மடாதிபதியாக பொறுப்பேற்றார். பின்னர், கோடெக்ஸ் திருவிவிலிய (Codex Amiatinus Bible) நகலை திருத்தந்தை இரண்டாம் கிரிகோரிக்கு (Pope Gregory II) வழங்குவதற்கான நோக்கத்துடன் அவர் ரோம் நகர் பயணம் செய்தார். பர்கண்டி (Burgundy) பிராந்தியத்தில் உள்ள லாங்ரேஸ் (Langres) நகர் வரை பயணித்த இவர், அங்கு கி.பி. 716ம் ஆண்டு, செப்டம்பர் மாதம், 29ம் நாளன்று, மரித்தார். அவர், அங்கேயே அடக்கம் செய்யப்பட்டார்.
† Saint of the Day †
(September 25)
✠ St. Ceolfrith ✠
Abbot and Confessor:
Born: 642 AD
Died 716
Monastery of Langres in Burgundy
Venerated in:
Roman Catholic Church
Orthodox Church
Feast: September 25
Saint Ceolfrith, or Geoffrey, the friend and spiritual son of Saint Benedict Biscop (January 12), was born about the year 642 and was probably a native of the kingdom of Northumbria.
He is first mentioned in 674 as aiding Benedict in the foundation of the abbey of Wearmouth, and about the year 678, he accompanied him to Rome. A little later - about the year 681 - Ceolfrith was an active, learned and zealous man, and worthy to be the successor of Benedict. He doubled the large library which had been formed by his predecessor and increased the number of monks to six hundred. He also enriched the monastery, by obtaining from King Aldfrith a grant of lands on the river "Fresca," which were afterwards exchanged for an estate nearer the monastery, at a place then called "Sambuca." By some monks whom he sent to Rome, Ceolfrith obtained from Pope Sergios a new charter of privileges for the monastery, or rather a renewal of those which had been given to Benedict by Pope Agatho.
Saint Ceolfrith continued to preside over the two monasteries of Wearmouth and Jarrow during twenty-six years, and he appears to have occupied himself exclusively with his monks in study and teaching. The celebrity of his school, in which Bede imbibed his great learning, was very extensive; and in 701, the Pope sent a messenger to invite one of his monks to advise him in deciding certain ecclesiastical questions of great difficulty.
A few years afterwards (about 710), Ceolfrith's advice was sought by Naitan, King of the Picts, who had become a convert to the Orthodox Pascha and the Roman form of tonsure; and, at the earnest solicitation of that prince, he sent him a letter setting forth the arguments on which this was founded, and along with it architects to build a stone church after the West Roman style. This letter has been preserved by Bede.
When age and sickness announced to Ceolfrith the near approach of death, he was suddenly seized with the desire of ending his days in the Apostolic city of Rome. Bede, who was probably one of the actors in it, describes very particularly the emotional scene of parting. The monks urged Ceolfrith to stay, for they saw that he lacked the strength for so long a journey, and they feared that he would die on the way; but their efforts were in vain. On Thursday, the 4th day of June, 716, immediately after the first liturgical service of the day had been celebrated, Ceolfrith prepared for his departure, amid the lamentations of those with whom he had passed so many tranquil years.
The monks, about six hundred in number, were assembled in the church at Wearmouth, and Ceolfrith, after having prayed, stood by the altar, holding in his hand the censer with burning incense, and gave them his peace. Then they left the church and moved towards the shore, their chants being frequently interrupted by loud sobs. When they came to the dormitory, Ceolfrith entered the oratory of Saint Lawrence, which stood there, and delivered his last admonition, urging the monks to persevere in brotherly love, to keep strict discipline, and to be constant in their duties to God, and he ended by requesting their prayers for himself.
On the bank of the River Tyne, he gave them severally the kiss of peace, and they then fell on their knees and received his blessing. He was accompanied across the river by the deacons of the church, bearing lighted tapers and the cross of gold. When he reached the opposite shore, he venerated the cross and then mounted the horse which was to carry him to the place of embarkation.
On their return to Wearmouth, the first care of the monks was the election of a successor, and their new abbot, named Hwaetbert, was immediately dispatched, with a few of the brethren, to see Ceolfrith for the last time. They found him on the coast waiting for a ship; since his departure from amongst them, he approved their choice and confirmed their election, and then received from the new abbot a commendatory letter to Pope Gregory.
The apprehensions of the monks were soon verified; for after journeying slowly through Gaul, as he was approaching the city of Langres (Lingonas), in the diocese of Lyon, on the 25th of September of the same year, Ceolfrith became suddenly so feeble that his attendants were obliged to halt in the midst of the fields, where he died almost immediately.
His body was deposited in the monastery of the Twin Martyrs, in the southern suburb of the city, and his companions returned to England to bear the tidings to his friends. Bede, who gives the date of Ceolfrith's death, tells us that he was then seventy-four years of age and that he had been forty-seven years a presbyter and thirty-five years an abbot, including, of course, the period during which he presided only over the monastery of Jarrow.
His holy relics were afterwards removed from Langres, and carried to Wearmouth; and at a subsequent period, on the approach of the Danes, who reduced that monastery to ruins, they were again taken up by the monks, and, with those of the Abbess Hilda, finally deposited at Glastonbury.
Saint Ceolfrith is commemorated on the date of his repose, September 25. The translation of his relics is celebrated on October 8.
அலெக்ஸாந்திரியா நாட்டு புனிதர் யூப்ரோசைன், ஆண் உடையை அணிந்துகொண்டு உள்ளூர் துறவு மடத்தில் சந்நியாசியாக வாழ்ந்த ஒரு பெண் துறவி ஆவார். அவரது நினைவுத் திருநாள், கத்தோலிக்கம், மற்றும் கிழக்கு மரபுவழி திருச்சபைகளில் செப்டம்பர் மாதம், 25ம் நாளன்று, கொண்டாடப்படுகிறது.
யூப்ரோசைன், அலெக்ஸாந்திரியா நாட்டின் செல்வந்தர்களும் ஒருவரான "பாப்னூஷியஸ்" (Paphnutius) என்பவரது மகள் ஆவார். பெற்றோரின் முதுமை காலத்தில், துறவி ஒருவரது செபத்தின் மூலம் அற்புதமான முறையில் பிறந்தவர் ஆவார். இவரது அன்பான தந்தை பாப்னூஷியஸ், இவரை ஒரு பணக்கார இளைஞனுடன் திருமணம் செய்துவைக்க விரும்பினார்.
ஆனால் ஏற்கனவே தனது வாழ்க்கையை கடவுளிடம் அர்ப்பணிப்பதாக சபதம் ஏற்றிருந்த இவர், தனது சபதத்தை மீறுவதற்கான அழுத்தத்திலும், அவள் ஒரு ஆணின் உடையணிந்து "ஸ்மராக்டஸ்" (Smaragdus) ("மரகதம்") ("Emerald") என்ற அடையாளத்தை ஏற்றுக்கொண்டார்.
பின்னர் அவர் அருகிலுள்ள ஆண்கள் மடாலயத்திற்கு தப்பிச் சென்றார். அங்கு அவர் ஒரு முழுமையான சந்நியாச வாழ்க்கையை நோக்கி வேகமாக முன்னேறினார். அவருடைய பிறப்புக்காக ஜெபித்த அதே துறவியே அங்கே மடாதிபதியாக இருந்தார். அந்த மடாதிபதியின் வழிகாட்டுதலின் கீழ் இருந்தார்.
சில வருடங்கள் கழித்து, பாப்னூஷியஸ் தனது மரணத்தில் ஆறுதலுக்காக மடாதிபதியிடம் முறையிட்டபோது, மடாதிபதி அவரை ஸ்மராக்டஸ் என்ற போர்வையில் யூப்ரோசைனின் பராமரிப்பில் அவரை ஈடுபடுத்தினார். பயனுள்ள ஆலோசனைகள் பலவற்றையும், ஆறுதலான அறிவுரைகளையும் தனது சொந்த மகளிடமிருந்தே பெற்ற அவர், தமது மகளை அடையாளம் காணத் தவறிவிட்டார். தாம் இறக்கும்வரை தாம்தான் அவரது காணாமல் போன அவரது சொந்த மக்கள் என்று, யூப்ரோசின் தன்னை அவருக்கு வெளிப்படுத்தவேயில்லை.
யூப்ரோசைனை அடக்கம் செய்தபின், பாப்னூஷியஸ் தனது உலகப் பொருட்கள் அனைத்தையும் விட்டுவிட்டு, அதே மடத்தில் ஒரு துறவியாக ஆனார். அங்கு, பத்து ஆண்டுகளுக்குப் பிறகு அவர் இறக்கும் வரை தனது மகள் தங்கியிருந்த அதே பழைய அறையை பயன்படுத்தினார்.
† Saint of the Day †
(September 25)
✠ St. Euphrosyne of Alexandria ✠
Virgin:
Born: ----
Alexandria, Egypt
Died: 5th Century AD
Venerated in:
Catholic Church
Eastern Orthodox Church
Feast: September 25
Saint Euphrosyne of Alexandria was a female saint who adopted male attire and lived at a local monastery as an ascetic. Her feast day is celebrated both in the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches on 25 September.
St. Euphrosyne was, according to legend, a Christian virgin and sole daughter of a wealthy trader, the Holy Pafnutio from Alexandria. He and his wife had lived in a childless marriage for many years and began to grow old.
Pafnutios was a deeply faithful and devout Christian and he used to go in a monastery where the abbot was his spiritual guide. At this old monk’s intercession, Pafnutios’s wife finally became pregnant, and Euphrosyne was born. The mother died when her daughter was twelve years old, so she was raised by her pious father.
When she turned eighteen, her father wanted her to marry and he made sure she got engaged to a rich young man. But she wanted to preserve her chastity and wanted to go to the monastery, so she started selling her jewellery and giving away her possessions to the poor. She also stopped washing her face, “even with cold water”.
While her father was away, she secretly received the veil of a wandering monk. But she feared her father’s reaction and knew he would look for her in nuns, so she cut her hair and dressed in men’s clothes and stepped in as a monk in the monastery near Alexandria where her father used to go and where the old monk had Asked for her to be born was abbot.
She called herself the Ebony Smaragdos and the monks didn’t recognize her again in men’s clothing, so they accepted her as a monk. But the beauty of her facial distracted the monks from their piety exercises and they thought it was the devil who had sent her to tempt them, so the abbot ordered her to stay in her cell and not come to church. In her recluse cell, Eufrosyne spent the next 38 years in labour, fasting, and prayer, and she became famous for her holiness and spiritual wisdom.
When her father visited the abbot to get comfort in his grief over the missing daughter, he referred him to the young monk Smaragdus. The father did not recognize her again because her beautiful face was puzzled by long watches and strict fasting in recent times. He continued to come to her for religious counselling for 38 years.
Only when she was dying did she reveal her true identity to her father. Three days before her death around 470 she confessed that she was his missing daughter Euphrosyne. At the same time, she prayed that no one other than he should prepare her corpse for burial.
She died on January 1, around 470. After Pafnutius had buried the dead daughter, he shared his fortune between the poor and the monastery, and then he became a monk. He took over the daughter’s cell in the monastery and lived and worked there as a monk for ten years.
