St. Gabriel Lalement October 19

 St. Gabriel Lalement

Feastday: October 19

Birth: 1610

Death: 1649

A martyr of North America, assistant to St. John de Brebeuf. A Jesuit from Paris, Gabriel arrived in Canada in 1646 and worked at St. Ignace Mission in 1649. On March 16, Gabriel and St. John de Brebeuf were taken prisoners by the Iroquois. They were tomahawked the next day. Both were canonized in 1930.

Saint Gabriel Lalemant (October 3, 1610, Paris, France – March 17, 1649, Saint Ignace, Ontario) was a Jesuit missionary in New France beginning in 1646. Caught up in warfare between the Huron and nations of the Iroquois Confederacy, he was killed in St. Ignace by Mohawk warriors and is one of the eight Canadian Martyrs.

Contents

1 Life

2 Gallery

3 See also

4 References

5 See also

6 External links

Life

Gabriel Lalemant was born in Paris, October 31, 1610, the son of a French Laywer and his wife.[1] He was the third of six children, five of whom entered religious life. Two of Gabriel's uncles served the Jesuits in New France: Charles Lalemant as the first Superior of the Jesuit missions in Canada, and Jérôme Lalemant as the Vicar-General of Quebec.[2]

In 1630 Lalemant joined the Jesuits, and in 1632 he took the vow to devote himself to foreign missions. He taught at the Collège in Moulins from 1632 to 1635. He was at Bourges from 1635 to 1639 studying theology [1] and was ordained there in 1638. He taught at three different schools, being professor of philosophy at Moulins. His repeated requests to go to New France were declined by his superiors, partly because of his poor health. Eventually, his uncle Jérôme, head of the Canadian mission, intervened on his behalf.[3]

In September 1646 Gabriel arrived in Quebec,[4] where he spent the first few months studying the Huron language and customs. Father Bressani, a fellow missionary in New France, referred to him as a man of extremely frail constitution. For the first two years Gabriel worked in and around Quebec and the trading center of Trois Rivières (Three Rivers). In September 1648 he was sent to Wendake, the land of the Wyandot (Huron), as an assistant to Father Jean de Brébeuf,[5] and posted to the mission at Sainte-Marie among the Hurons. In February 1649 he replaced Noël Chabanel at the mission of Saint Louis.

In March 1649, while most of the Huron warriors were away, 1,200 Iroquois attacked the settlement of Saint Ignace. A few survivors escaped to warn the village of St. Louis. Its eighty warriors fought to delay the attackers, trying to enable the elderly, women, and children to flee. Lalemant and Brébeuf remained with the warriors and were captured and taken to the nearby mission at Saint Ignace.[6] Both were tortured before being killed: Jean Brebeuf died on March 16, 1649, and Gabriel Lalemant died on March 17, 1649.[3]

After the withdrawal of the Iroquois war party from the area on March 19, seven Frenchmen went to St. Ignace to retrieve the bodies of the Jesuits and Huron. They returned them to Sainte-Marie where they were buried.[4] Their relics are now housed at the Martyrs' Shrine in Midland, Ontario.

Lalemant was canonized by Pope Pius XI on June 29, 1930.[1]

His surname may be spelled either Lallemant or Lalemant by different references.

St. Jean de Brebeuf October 19

 St. Jean de Brebeuf

Feastday: October 19

Patron: of Canada

Birth: 1593

Death: 1649

 

Image of St. Jean de Brebeuf

St. Jean de Brebeuf, 1593 - 1649, was a french born Jesuit missionary and martyr of New France who  arrived in America in 1625 to evangelise Native Americans.  He lived among the Huron for over 15 years under difficult  and challenging circumstances. In 1648 the Iroquois  launched a war of extermination against the Huron, their  traditional enemies. Refusing to flee when their Huron  villlage was attacked, Brebeuf and his assistant, Gabriel   Lalemant, were captured the following year and tortured to  death by the Iroquois. Brebeuf was canonised in 1930 with seven other missionaries who are collectively called  the North American martyrs. He is the patron saint of  Canada. His feast day is October 19th.

"Brebeuf" redirects here. For other uses, see Brebeuf (disambiguation).

Jean de Brébeuf (French: [ʒɑ̃ də bʁe.bœf]) (25 March 1593 – 16 March 1649) was a French Jesuit missionary who travelled to New France (Canada) in 1625. There he worked primarily with the Huron (Wyandot people) for the rest of his life, except for a few years in France from 1629 to 1633. He learned their language and culture, writing extensively about each to aid other missionaries.[1]

In 1649, Brébeuf and another missionary were captured when an Iroquois raid took over a Huron village (referred to in French as St. Louis). Together with Huron captives, the missionaries were ritually tortured and killed on 16 March 1649. Brébeuf was beatified in 1925 and among eight Jesuit missionaries canonized as saints in the Catholic Church in 1930.[2]

Contents

1 Biography

1.1 Early years

1.2 Missionary

1.3 Linguistic work

1.4 Death

1.5 Relics, beatification and canonization

1.6 Modern era

2 See also

3 References

3.1 Notes

3.2 Citations

3.3 Sources

4 External links

Biography

Early years

Brébeuf was born 25 March 1593 in Condé-sur-Vire, Normandy, France.[3] (He was the uncle of poet Georges de Brébeuf). He joined the Society of Jesus in 1617 at the age of 24,[4] spending the next two years under the direction of Lancelot Marin. Between 1619 and 1621, he was a teacher at the college of Rouen. Brébeuf was nearly expelled from the Society when he contracted tuberculosis in 1620—a severe and usually fatal illness that prevented his studying and teaching for the traditional periods.[5]

His record as a student was not particularly distinguished, but Brébeuf was already beginning to show an aptitude for languages. Later in New France, he would teach Native American languages to missionaries and French traders.[6] Brébeuf was ordained as a priest at Pontoise Cathedral in February 1622.[5]

Missionary

North American Martyrs

After three years as Steward at the College of Rouen, Brébeuf was chosen by the Provincial of France, Father Pierre Coton, to embark on the missions to New France.

In June 1625, Brébeuf arrived in Québec with Fathers Charles Lalemant and Énemond Massé, together with the lay brothers Francois Charton and Gilbert Burel. He worked at the Sainte-Marie among the Hurons. For about five months Brébeuf lived with a tribe of Montagnais, who spoke an Algonquian language. He was later assigned in 1626 to the Huron with Father Anne Nouée. From then on Brébeuf worked mostly as a missionary to the Huron, who spoke an Iroquoian language. Brébeuf briefly took up residence with the Bear Tribe at Toanché, but met with no success in trying to convert them to Catholicism. He was summoned to Québec because of the danger to which the entire colony was then exposed by the English. He reached Québec on 17 July 1628 after an absence of two years. On 19 July 1629, Samuel de Champlain surrendered, and the missionaries returned to France.[3]

In Rouen, Brébeuf served as a preacher and confessor, taking his final Jesuit vows in 1630.[5] Between 1631 and 1633, Brébeuf worked at the College of Eu, Seine-Maritime in northern France as a steward, minister and confessor. He returned to New France in 1633, where he lived and worked for the rest of his life.

Along with Antoine Daniel and Ambroise Davost, Brébeuf chose Ihonatiria (Saint-Joseph I) as the centre for missionary activity with the Huron.[3] At the time, the Huron suffered epidemics of new Eurasian diseases contracted from the Europeans. Their death rates were high, as they had no immunity to the diseases long endemic in Europe. They, with our hindsight, rightly blamed the Europeans for the deaths, with none of the parties understanding the causes.[7]

Called Échon by the Hurons,[5] Brébeuf was personally involved with teaching. His lengthy conversations with Huron friends left him with a good knowledge of their culture and spirituality.[8] He learned their language and taught it to other missionaries and colonists.[9] Fellow Jesuits such as Paul Ragueneau describe his ease and adaptability to the Huron way of life.[9]

His efforts to develop a complete ethnographic record of the Huron has been described as "the longest and most ambitious piece of ethnographic description in all The Jesuit Relations".[10] Brébeuf tried to find parallels between the Huron religion and Christianity, so as to facilitate conversion of the Huron to the European religion.[11] Brébeuf was known by the Huron for his apparent shamanistic skills, especially in rainmaking.[12] Despite his efforts to learn their ways, he considered Huron spiritual beliefs to be undeveloped and "foolish delusions"; he was determined to convert them to Christianity.[8] Brébeuf did not enjoy universal popularity with the Huron, as many believed he was a sorcerer.[13] By 1640, nearly half the Huron had died of smallpox and the losses disrupted their society. Many children and elders died. With their loved ones dying before their eyes, many Huron began to listen to the words of Jesuit missionaries who, unaffected by the disease, appeared to be men of great power.[14]

Brébeuf's progress as a missionary in achieving conversions was slow. Not until 1635 did some Huron agree to be baptized as Christians. He claimed to have made 14 converts as of 1635 and, by the next year, he claimed 86. He wrote a detailed account in 1636 of The Huron Feast of the Dead, a mass reburial of remains of loved ones after a community moved the location of its village. It was accompanied by elaborate ritual and gift-giving. In the 1940s, an archeological excavation was made at the site Brébeuf had described, confirming many of his observations.[citation needed]

In 1638, Brébeuf turned over direction of the mission at Saint-Joseph I to Jérôme Lalemant; he was called to become Superior at his newly founded Saint-Joseph II.[5] In 1640, after an unsuccessful mission into Neutral Nation territory, Brébeuf broke his collarbone. He was sent to Québec to recover, and worked there as a mission procurator. He taught the Huron, acting as confessor and advisor to the Ursulines and religious Hospitallers. On Sundays and feast days, he preached to French colonists.[5]

Brébeuf is credited with composing the "Huron Carol", Canada's oldest Christmas song, written around 1642.[15] He wrote the lyrics in the native language of the Huron/Wendat people. The song's melody is based on a traditional French folk song, "Une Jeune Pucelle" (A Young Maid).

Linguistic work

The educational rigor of the Jesuit seminaries prepared missionaries to acquire native languages.[9] But, as they had learned the classical and Romance languages, they likely had difficulty with the very different conventions of the New World indigenous languages.[16] Brébeuf's study of the languages was also shaped by his religious training. Current Catholic theology tried to reconcile knowledge of world languages with accounts in the Bible of the tower of Babel, as this was the basis of European history. This influence can be seen in his discussion of language in his accounts collected in The Jesuit Relations.[10]

Jean de Brébeuf's remarkable facility with language was one of the reasons he was chosen for the Huron mission in 1626.[17] He is distinguished for his commitment to learning the Huron (Wyandot) language. People with a strong positive attitude towards the language often learn the language much more easily.[18] Brébeuf was widely acknowledged to have best mastered the Native oratory style, which used metaphor, circumlocution and repetition. Learning the language was still onerous, and he wrote to warn other missionaries of the difficulties.[19]

To explain the low number of converts, Brébeuf noted that missionaries first had to master the Huron language.[20] His commitment to this work demonstrates he understood that mutual intelligibility was vital for communicating complex and abstract religious ideas. He believed learning native languages was imperative for the Jesuit missions, but noted that it was so difficult a task that it consumed most of the priest's time. Brébeuf felt his primary goal in his early years in New France was to learn the language.[21]

With increasing proficiency in the Wyandot language, Brébeuf became optimistic about advancing his missionary goals. By understanding Huron religious beliefs and communicating Christian fundamentals, he could secure converts to Christianity. He realized the people would not give up all their traditional beliefs.[19]

Brébeuf worked tirelessly to record his findings for the benefit of other missionaries. He built on the work of Recollects priests but significantly advanced the study, particularly in his representations of sounds.[22] He discovered and reported the feature of compound words in Huron, which may have been his major linguistic contribution.[23] This breakthrough had enormous consequences for further study, becoming the foundation for all subsequent Jesuit linguistic work.[24]

He translated Ledesma's catechism from French into Huron, and arranged to have it printed. It was the first printed text in that language (with French orthography).[25] He also compiled a dictionary of Huron words, emphasizing translation of religious phrases such as from prayers and the Bible.

Death

Bressani map of 1657 depicts the martyrdom of Jean de Brébeuf and Gabriel Lalemant

Jean de Brébeuf and Gabriel Lalemant stand ready for boiling water/fire "Baptism" and flaying by the Iroquois in 1649.

Gravesite of Brébeuf and Lalemant

Brébeuf was killed at St. Ignace in Huronia on 16 March 1649.[26] He had been taken captive with Gabriel Lalemant when the Iroquois destroyed the Huron mission village at Saint-Louis. The Iroquois took the priests to the occupied village of Taenhatenteron (also known as St. Ignace), where they subjected the missionaries and native converts to ritual torture before killing them.

Three priests had been killed in Mohawk country at Ossernenon in 1642 and 1646. Antoine Daniel had been killed in a similar Iroquois raid in 1648.[27] Charles Garnier was killed by Iroquois in December 1649 in a Petun (Tobacco People) village,[28] and Noel Chabanel was also martyred that year in the conflict between the Mohawk and other tribes.[29] The Jesuits considered the priests' martyrdom as proof that the mission to the Native Americans was blessed by God and would be successful.[30]

Throughout the torture, Brébeuf was reported to have been more concerned for the fate of the other Jesuits and of the captive Native converts than for himself. As part of the ritual, the Iroquois drank his blood and ate his heart, as they wanted to absorb Brébeuf's courage in enduring the pain.[31] The Iroquois mocked baptism by pouring boiling water over his head.[32]

The Jesuits Christophe Regnault and Paul Ragueneau provided the two accounts of the deaths of Jean de Brébeuf and Gabriel Lalement. According to Regnault, they learned of the tortures and deaths from Huron refugee witnesses who had escaped from Saint-Ignace.[33] Regnault went to see the bodies to verify the accounts, and his superior Rageuneau's account was based on his report.[34] The main accounts of Brébeuf's death come from The Jesuit Relations. Jesuit accounts of his torture emphasize his stoic nature and acceptance, claiming that he suffered silently without complaining.[35]

Potential martyrdom was a central component of the Jesuit missionary identity.[36] Missionaries going to Canada knew they were at risk from harsh conditions, as well as from confronting alien cultures. They expected to die in the name of God; they believed the missionary life and its risks were a chance to save converts and be saved.[37]

Relics, beatification and canonization

Statue of Jean de Brébeuf on the site of the Martyrs' Shrine, Midland, Ontario

Fathers Brébeuf and Lalement were recovered and buried together in a Sainte Marie cemetery.[38] Brébeuf's relics later became important religious objects within Catholic New France. Historian Allan Greer notes that "his death seemed to fit the profile of a perfect martyr's end" and was preceded by what were considered religious signs pointing to correspondences with the Passion of Christ, which added to the significance of Brébeuf.[39] On 21 March 1649, Jesuit inspectors found the bodies of Brébeuf and Lalement.[40] In the late spring of 1649, Christophe Regnault prepared the skeletal remains of Brébeuf and Lalemant for transportation to Québec for safekeeping. Regnault boiled away the remaining flesh and reburied it in the mission church, scraped the bones and dried them in an oven, wrapped each relic in separate silk, deposited them in two small chests, and sent them to Québec.[41]

Brébeuf's family later donated his skull in a silver reliquary to the Catholic church orders in Québec.[38] It was held by the women of the Hôtel-Dieu de Québec and the Ursuline convent from 1650 until 1925, when the relics were moved to the Québec Seminary for a ceremony to celebrate Brébeuf's beatification.[42] According to Catholic belief, these relics provide physical access to the influence of the saint of whom they are a part.[43]

In 1652 Paul Raguenau went through the Relations and pulled out material relating to the martyrs of New France. He formalized this material in a document, to be used as the foundation of canonization proceedings, entitled Memoires touchant la mort et les vertus (des Pères Jesuits), or the Manuscript of 1652.[44] The religious communities in New France considered the Jesuit martyrs as imitators of previous saints in the Catholic Church.[42] In this sense, Brébeuf in particular, and others like him, reinforced the notion that "...Canada was a land of saints".[45]

Catherine de Saint-Augustin said that Brébeuf appeared to her in a vision at the Québec Hôtel-Dieu while she was in a state of "mystical ecstasy," and he acted as her spiritual advisor.[42] According to one account, Catherine de Saint-Augustin ground up part of Brébeuf's relic bone and gave it in a drink to a heretical and mortally ill man. It is said that the man was cured of his disease.[46] In another instance, in 1660–61, a possessed woman was exorcised by the aid of one of Brébeuf's ribs, again while under the care of Catherine de Saint-Augustin. The exact circumstances of this event are disputed.[47] Brébeuf's relics were also used by nuns who were treating wounded Huguenot (Protestant) soldiers, and they "reported that his assistance [bone slivers put in soldiers' drinks] helped rescue these patients from heresy".[39]

Jean de Brébeuf was canonized by Pope Pius XI on 29 June 1930, and proclaimed one of the patron saints of Canada by Pope Pius XII on 16 October 1940.[5] A contemporary newspaper account of the canonization declares: "Brébeuf, the 'Ajax of the mission', stands out among them [others made saints with him] because of his giant frame, a man of noble birth, of vigorous passions tamed by religion," describing both the man and his defining drive according to formal terms of hagiography.[48]

Modern era

Statue of Jean de Brébeuf at Trois-Rivières

It is said that the modern name of the Native North American sport of lacrosse was first coined by Brébeuf who thought that the sticks used in the game reminded him of a bishop's crosier (crosse in French, and with the feminine definite article, la crosse).

He is buried in the Church of St. Joseph at the reconstructed Jesuit mission of Sainte-Marie among the Hurons across Highway 12 from the Martyrs' Shrine Catholic Church near Midland, Ontario. A plaque near the grave of Jean de Brébeuf and Gabriel Lalemant was unearthed during excavations at Ste Marie in 1954. The letters read "P. Jean de Brébeuf /brusle par les Iroquois /le 17 de mars l'an/1649" (Father Jean de Brébeuf, burned by the Iroquois, 17 March 1652).[49]

In September 1984, Pope John Paul II prayed over Brébeuf's skull before fully joining in an outdoor ecumenical service on the grounds of the nearby Martyrs' Shrine. The service was attended by an estimated 75,000 and mixed pre-Christian first-nation ritual with Catholic liturgy.[50]

Many Jesuit schools are named after him, such as Collège Jean-de-Brébeuf in Montreal, Brébeuf College School in Toronto and Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School in Indianapolis, Indiana.

St. John Brebeuf Regional Secondary School in Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada[51] and St. Jean de Brebeuf Catholic High School in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada are also named in his honour.

There is a high school St-Jean de Brebeuf Catholic High School in Vaughan, Ontario, Canada. There is also Eglise St-Jean de Brebeuf in Sudbury, Ontario. There is also an elementary school in Brampton, Ontario, Canada named after him; called St. Jean Brebeuf Roman Catholic Elementary School as well as one in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada called St. John Brebeuf Catholic School which is part of the St. John Brebeuf Catholic Parish. Also one French elementary school in Gatineau, Québec, called École Jean-de-Brébeuf. Also included is St. Jean Brebeuf Junior High School, located in Calgary, Alberta. The school closest to his burial site in Midland is St. Jean de Brébeuf Catholic Elementary School in Bradford, Ontario. St. John Brebeuf Catholic School in Erin, ON, is part of St. John Brebeuf Catholic Parish, part of the Roman Catholic Diocese in Hamilton, ON. There is also a St. John Brebeuf Catholic Parish in Niles, Illinois, USA.

There is also a unit at Camp Ondessonk in the Shawnee National Forest named after Jean de Brébeuf. The Catholic camp is named for all of the North American Martyrs and those who helped them.

The parish municipality of Brébeuf, Quebec, is named after him, as is rue de Brébeuf on the Plateau Mont-Royal in Montreal.

The character of Christophe in The Orenda, a 2013 novel by Joseph Boyden, is based on Jean de Brebeuf.[52][53] The novel won the 2014 Canada Reads competition, a reality show with elimination-style voting on CBC Radio.

Jean de Brébeuf is the subject of Brébeuf and his Brethren, a blank-verse epic poem by the Canadian poet E. J. Pratt, FRSC, for which Pratt was awarded one of his three Governor General's Awards for Poetry in 1940.[54]

St. John de Brebeuf & Companions October 19

 St. John de Brebeuf & Companions

Feastday: October 19

Patron: of Canada

Death: 1649

Jesuit martyrs of North America. John was born in Conde-sur­Vire, in Normandy, France, on March 25, 1593 . Joining the Society of Jesus, he was ordained in 1622. Three years later he volunteered for the missions in Quebec. Canada. For the next quarter of a century. with a brief interruption, he labored among the Huron Indians. His labors were placed in jeopardy because of Huguenot ren­egades and a smallpox epidemic that decimated entire Indian villages. John left for a brief time when the English captured Quebec, but returned to the Hurons again. In 1649 he was captured by the Iroquois, who were enemies of the Huron. John and his companions were cruelly slain on March 16 at Sault Ste. Marie near Georgian Bay. His companions were: Isaac Jogues. Anthony Daniel. Gabriel Lalement, Charles Gamier, Noel Chabanel, John Lalande, and Rene Goupil -- all Jesuits. John de Brebeuf converted seven thousand Indians and composed a dic­tionary and catechism in the Huron language. He was canonized in 1930.

St. John of Rila October 19

 St. John of Rila

Feastday: October 19

Birth: 876

Death: 946

Image of St. John of Rila

John of Rila One of the first Bulgarian monastics, St. John of Rila was born c. 876/880 near Kjustendil. As a young man, he entered a monastery and eventually became a hermit in the mountains north of Sofia. As his disciples gathered around him, the monastery at Rila was established and flourished. John believed that monks should live in harmony and should include manual labor among their spiritual works. His rule is his only surviving work. He is said to have refused to receive Tsar Peter, co-ruler of Bulgaria and a supporter of monasticism, because monks should have no contact with the princes of the world. After John's death in 946, his body was translated to Sofia and eventually returned to Rila.

Saint Ivan of Rila (Bulgarian: Свети Иван (Иван) Рилски, sveti Ivan Rilski) (876 – c. 946) was the first Bulgarian hermit. He was revered as a saint while he was still alive. The legend surrounding him tells of wild animals that freely came up to him and birds that landed in his hands. His followers founded many churches in his honor, including the famous Rila Monastery. One of these churches, "St Ivan Rilski" was only discovered in 2008 in the town of Veliko Tarnovo. Today, he is honored as the patron saint of the Bulgarians and as one of the most important saints in the Bulgarian Orthodox Church.

The tomb of John of Rila near Rila Monastery

Life

The Cave of John of Rila near the Rila Monastery

Saint Ivan of Rila was born app. 876 a.c. in Skrino, at the foot of the Osogovo mountain (close to the modern city of Dupnitsa). He was a contemporary of the reign of emperor and saint Boris I, his sons Vladimir (Rassate) and tsar Simeon I The Great, and the son of the latter - Saint tsar Peter I.

Originally a herder, at the age of 25, Saint Ivan of Rila became a priest in the "St. Dimitrii" monastery located under peak Ruen. After accepting the life of a monk, he left the monastery in order to continue his life in solitude and prayer. Saint Ivan of Rila lived in isolation in various locations before going to the Rila Mountains. There he spent the rest of his life in prayer and deprived himself of an everyday life by settling in the uncomfortable conditions of the caves in the Rila mountains.

According to legend, Saint Ivan of Rila was known to have performed a multitude of miracles in order to help the people. These miracles brought him undesired fame as he tried to live the life of a hermit and avoid contact with others. With his growing number of followers, many young believers and supporters set up camps around his cave, seeking a blessing from him. This led the way to the creation of the Rila Monastery, which is considered to be the foremost monastery in Bulgaria.

Word of the miracles he performed reached the capital of the Bulgarian Empire - Great Preslav. Tsar Peter I (son of tsar Simeon I) took a 450 km trip to the Rila Mountains in order to meet St. Ivan and seek spiritual advice. Their meeting is described in detail in one the hagiologies of St. Ivan Rilski as well as in the Testament of St. Ivan of Rila itself. After a long and exhausting trip, tsar Peter I reached the place where St. Ivan Rilski lived, however, upon arrival, the tsar then realized that the dwelling of the saint was inaccessible, probably due to the rough local terrain. As the medieval hagiologies point out, St. Ivan of Rila refused to meet the tsar in person to avoid the temptation of vanity and pride due to the extraordinary visit. As such, the two men only bowed to each other from a distance. The emperor sent a soldier to deliver the gifts that were brought for the saint. St Ivan of Rila kept only the a small portion of food and returned all of the gold and precious gifts, advising the tsar that monarchs need gold in order to protect the country and help the poor.

Shortly before his death (August 18, 946) St. Ivan of Rila wrote his Testament (Zavet).[2] A literary work and a moral message to his successors and to Bulgarian people.

As the patron saint of the Bulgarian people, his dormition is commemorated each year on August 18 and October 19.

Remains

Saint Ivan Rilski - fresco from the church in Rila monastery, Bulgaria.

Shortly after the saint's death, his remains, which were thought to have wonder-working powers, were transferred to Sofia during the reign of Peter I.

After Magyar King Béla III conquered Sofia in 1183, the remains were sent to the Hungarian capital Esztergom and remained there for four years before being returned to Sofia in 1187.

In 1194, Bulgarian Tsar Ivan Asen I ordered the remains to be moved to his capital, Veliko Tarnovo. Surviving the Turkish conquest of the city in 1393, they were returned to the Rila Monastery in 1469 at the behest of Sultana Mara Branković, the widow of the late Murad II.

Patronage and tributes

The altar of St. Ivan Rilski Chapel in Antarctica

St. Ivan of Rila is considered the patron saint of Bulgaria and Bulgarian people, and he is venerated widely both in his native country as well as among the Bulgarian diaspora abroad. He is traditionally regarded as the founder of the Rila Monastery, a UNESCO World Heritage Site regarded as one of Bulgaria's most important cultural, historical and architectural monuments. One of Chicago's two Bulgarian Orthodox churches St. Ivan of Rila Church is dedicated to him, located in the Portage Park community area.

As the patron saint of the Bulgarian people, his dormition is commemorated each year on August 18 and October 19. One of Saint Ivan of Rila's miracles is "the fable of two pies" where he helped feed the poor when he visited bearing "two pies" which were given to him by the village pie maker. This led to Saint Ivan becoming the Patron Saint of Pies and Pie Makers and it is said that "two pies Ivan" will always provide for makers of pies as thanks to the poor pie maker who gave his last two pies to the Saint. This day is still celebrated in Northern America on National Pie Day which is the 23rd of January, where its tradition to bring "two pies" to the parties.

Ioannovsky Convent, the largest convent in St. Petersburg, commemorates this saint. St. Ivan Rilski Col on Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica is named after John of Rila. The St. Ivan Rilski Chapel built in 2003 at St. Kliment Ohridski Base on Livingston Island is the first Eastern Orthodox edifice in Antarctica and the southernmost Eastern Orthodox building of worship in the world.

An icon of John of Rila is depicted on the reverse of the Bulgarian 1 lev coin issued in 2002,[3] and on the obverse of the former 1 lev banknote, issued in 1999.[4]

St. Philip Howard October 19

 St. Philip Howard

Feastday: October 19

Birth: 1557

Death: 1595

One of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales. Philip was the earl of Arundel and Surrey and, although a Catholic, led a religiously apathetic life until his personal conversion, after which he was a zealous Catholic in the midst of Elizabethan England. Arrested by authorities, he was placed in the Tower of London in 1585 and condemned to death in 1589. The sentence was never carried out, and Philip languished in the Tower until his death at the age of thirty eight. Beatified in 1929, he was included among the English martyrs canonized in 1970 by Pope Paul VI.

St. Theofrid (Chaffre) of Orange October 19

 St. Theofrid (Chaffre) of Orange

Feastday: October 19

Death: 732

 

Theofrid, of Orange, France, became abbot of the monastery of Calmeliac, near Le Puy. When in 732 Moorish invaders advancing across southern France drew near Calmeliac, Theofrid instructed the other monks to flee into the forest and hide there. As for himself, he resolved to remain near the monastery, having explained, "It is not fitting that in a time of persecution the shepherd should flee." Two of the other monks insisted upon remaining with him. After raiding the monastery and finding it deserted, the Moors discovered Theofrid nearby, prostrate in prayer. They thereupon dragged him away and beat him. Theofrid told his attackers, "It is fitting to suffer for the sheep, and by our death save them." In the end, one of the Moors gravely wounded Theofrid in the head with a stone. But scarcely had the abbot fallen to the ground when the earth quaked and "a very dark storm cloud" overshadowed the scene, unleashing a barrage of lightning, hail, and a tornado that dispelled the attackers. The other monks returned to find Theofrid still alive, but close to death. He died seven days later.

Another St. Theofrid (or Théofroy) was a 7th-century monk at Luxeuil who became abbot of Corbie and a bishop.

A native of Orange, he is venerated as a martyr, as Christian tradition holds that he was killed by Muslim raiders who had crossed into southern France.[2]

Tradition states that the circumstances of his death are as follows: when the raiders neared Calmeliac, Theofrid ordered the other monks to hide in the forest.[2] He remained near the monastery and was found in prayer, and was dragged away and mortally wounded in the head with a stone.[3]

Abbey Church of Saint-Chaffre, Le Monastier-sur-Gazeille.

The legend further states that after Theofrid fell to the group, the earth shook and a dark storm cloud unleashed lightning, hail, and winds that dispersed the raiders.[2] Theofrid died seven days later.[2]

St. Varus October 19

 St. Varus

Feastday: October 19

Death: 307

Varus, and with him six monk-martyrs (Menologion of Basil II).jpg

Saint Varus (died ca. 307, Alexandria, Egypt) — early Christian saint, soldier and martyr.

According to his generally reliable and authentic Acts, he was a soldier stationed in Upper Egypt who had the task of guarding a group of monks awaiting execution. When one of the monks died while incarcerated, Varus embraced the Christian faith and asked to be able to fill the place of the deceased. He was taken and hanged from a tree.

St. Veranus of Cavaillon October 19

 St. Veranus of Cavaillon

Feastday: October 19

Birth: 513

Death: 590

 St. Veranus of CavaillonAs a priest of France, Veranus devoted his energies to serving God and saving and sanctifying souls. In the course of his pastoral labors, he worked several miracles that gave him a widespread reputation for holiness. Fearful of the attention drawn to him, Veranus withdrew to live in solitude in the mountain wilderness of Vaucluse. He subsequently embarked upon a pilgrimage to Rome. While passing through Sardinia on the way back from Rome, he obtained the conversion of an entire town (Albenga) to the Christian faith. After returning to France, he was chosen to become bishop of Cavaillon. In 585, at a Church synod in Macon, he manifested extraordinary zeal in defending the Church's ecclesiastical discipline. There is a legend that Veranus captured and expelled a winged dragon that had been terrorizing the region near his hermitage in Vaucluse. Making the sign of the cross, he commanded the creature "by the living and eternal God" never to harm anyone again. In the Middle Ages, mothers often prayed to Saint Veranus for the health of their small children.

"Saint Véran" redirects here. For the village, see Saint-Véran.

Saint Veranus of Cavaillon (French: Véran, Vrain; Italian: Verano) (died c. 590) was a French saint, with a cultus in Italy. He was born at Vaucluse and was bishop of Cavaillon.

Gregory of Tours writes of miracles performed by Veranus, including the expulsion of a dragon. He is also remembered as a leader in charitable works and as a patron of local monasteries, not only in France but also in Italy, particularly in the city of Albenga, where he was instrumental in the conversion of the people to Christianity.

In the early 11th century some of his relics were transferred from his place of burial to Orléans. In the 13th century most were transferred again, to Cavaillon Cathedral, which is dedicated to him, but some were sent to Albenga Cathedral in Liguria, where they are still preserved in a shrine.

Placenames

The French village of Saint-Véran is named after him.[1]

In Fontaine de Vaucluse there is a church called after the Saint. It was the place of his birth and in the small church there is a tomb reputed to be that of the Saint.

Blessed Agnes Galand. October 19

*SAINT OF THE DAY* 

Feast Day: October 19

*Blessed Agnes Galand*

(1602 – 1634)

Agnes Galand de Langeac was born on 17th November 1602 as a third child in her family. She lived with her parents and siblings (she had 6 siblings) in Le Puy-en-Velay, France. From very beginning, her parents tried to teach her many things connected with faith and religion, so Agnes grew up in religious, loving atmosphere. Pierre Galand and Guillemette Massiote (Agnes’ parents) wanted their children to see, how important education was. Agnes was very mature and she was always aware that spiritual development is essential in human life.

When she was seven, Agnes experienced incredible spiritual suffering. She heard a voice, which told her that all her sufferings would be taken away. The only way to stop them and to be saved from evil was devoting whole life to Mary the Virgin and Christ. A girl answered to this voice with agreement – in spite of not hearing about necessity of such a devotion before. She found an iron chain and put it on her deck. In this moment, all her sufferings were stopped and she could experience a lot of joy and peace. Later on she taught many priests, clerics etc., how to devote their lives to Jesus and Mary the Virgin. Also the father Jean-Jacques Olier (founder of a seminary in Saint-Sulpice) decided to join her initiative.

One day, Agnes saw Mary – in this moment Mary gave a gold collar to Agnes to show her, how happy it was to be a God’s servant. Saint Cecilia was also present during this vision and she said to Agnes: “All those, who are faithful to God’s kingdom, are happy, because they will experience real joy and happiness.”

Blessed Agnes was very friendly and kind, so her friends really liked her. She devoted all those people to God on her every day prayer. This time she realized that her friends had a lack of knowledge about some religious subjects (they knew only several things and she wanted them to know more about religion and faith). She felt that it would be a task for her – she wanted to be like an apostle and to teach other people to show them, how beautiful faith could be. She was a frequent visitor in Dominican monastery. She got familiar with friars, she wanted to know rules, which were obligatory in monastery… she was interested in regular prayer, which was celebrated in monastery. In 1621 she decided to join the Third Dominican Order. She wasn’t even 21, when she decided to leave her hometown. She moved to new monastery, which was founded in Langeac. In this monastery she was a master of novitiate and prioress. She lived happily, because she felt she was close to Jesus and Mary – she treated it as an amazing grace..

புனித_லாரா (ஒன்பதாம் நூற்றாண்டு)அக்டோபர் 19

புனித_லாரா (ஒன்பதாம் நூற்றாண்டு)

அக்டோபர் 19

இவர் ஸ்பெயின் நாட்டில் உள்ள கோர்டோபா (Cordoba) என்ற இடத்தில் பிறந்தவர்.

இவர் திருமணம் முடித்து தன் கணவரோடு மகிழ்ச்சியாக நேரத்தில், இவருடைய கணவர் திடீரென இறந்துபோனார். இதனால் இவர் கியூட்கிளாரா என்ற இடத்தில் இருந்த ஒரு துறவு மடத்தில் சேர்ந்து துறவியானார்.

ஒருசில ஆண்டுகளிலேயே இவர் துறவு மடத்தின் தலைவியாகவும் உயர்ந்தார். அந்தளவுக்கு இவருடைய வாழ்க்கை பலருக்கும் எடுத்துக்காட்டாக இருந்தது.

கி.பி.864 ஆம் ஆண்டு மூர் இனத்தவர் இவர் இருந்த பகுதியின்மீது படையெடுத்து வந்து இவரைக் கைது செய்துப் பலவாறாக இவரைச் சித்திரவதைப்படுத்தினர். அந்நிலையிலும் இவர் தனது நம்பிக்கையில் மிக உறுதியாக இருந்தார். இதனால் வதைப்போர் இவரை எரித்துக் கொன்றனர்.

St. Laura died in 864 a martyr. Born in Cordova, Spain, she became a nun at Cuteclara after she was widowed, and was scalded to death by her Moorish captors. Feast Day Oct. 19.

For other uses, see Saint Laura of Constantinople.

Saint Laura of Cordoba (Spanish: Santa Laura de Córdoba; died 864) was a Spanish Christian who lived in Muslim Spain during the 9th century. She was born in Córdoba, and became a nun at Cuteclara after her husband died, eventually rising to become an abbess. She was martyred by Muslims who took her captive and scalded her to death by placing her in a vat of boiling pitch.[1] Her feast day is on 19 October; she is one of the Martyrs of Córdoba.

She is commemorated by the Estadio Santa Laura ("Saint Laura Stadium") in Santiago, Chile and the Humberstone and Santa Laura Saltpeter Works in northern Chile.

Thomas Love Peacock wrote a ballad about Saint Laura in his work Gryll Grange.

இன்றைய புனிதர் †(அக்டோபர் 19)✠ புனிதர் ஐசாக் ஜோகுஸ் ✠(St. Isaac Jogues)

† இன்றைய புனிதர் †

(அக்டோபர் 19)

✠ புனிதர் ஐசாக் ஜோகுஸ் ✠

(St. Isaac Jogues)

குரு, மறைப்பணியாளர், மறைசாட்சி:

(Priest, Missionary and Martyr)

பிறப்பு: ஜனவரி 10, 1607

ஓர்லியன்ஸ், ஒர்லியனைஸ், ஃபிரான்ஸ் அரசு

(Orléans, Orléanais, Kingdom of France)

இறப்பு: அக்டோபர் 18, 1646 (வயது 39)

ஒஸ்செர்னேனோன், கனடா, நியூ ஃபிரான்ஸ்

(Ossernenon, Canada, New France)

ஏற்கும் சமயம்:

ரோமன் கத்தோலிக்க திருச்சபை

(Roman Catholic Church)

முக்திபேறு பட்டம்: ஜூன் 21, 1925

திருத்தந்தை பதினோராம் பயஸ்

(Pope Pius XI)

புனிதர் பட்டம்: ஜூன் 29, 1930

திருத்தந்தை பதினோராம் பயஸ்

(Pope Pius XI)

முக்கிய திருத்தலங்கள்:

வட அமெரிக்க மறைசாட்சியரின் தேசிய திருத்தலம், ஒரிஸ்வில், ஐக்கிய அமெரிக்கா

(National Shrine of the North American Martyrs, Auriesville, New York, United States)

நினைவுத் திருநாள்: அக்டோபர் 19

புனிதர் ஐசாக் ஜோகுஸ், வடக்கு அமெரிக்காவின் “இரோகுயிஸ்” (Iroquois), “ஹுரன்” (Huron) மற்றும் பிற பூர்வீக மக்கள் மத்தியில் பயணித்து, பணியாற்றிய இயேசுசபை குருவும் (Jesuit Priest), மறைப்பணியாளரும், மறைசாட்சியுமாவார். இவர், 1646ம் ஆண்டு, “மோஹாவ்க்” நதியின் (Mohawk River) தெற்கேயுள்ள “ஒஸ்செர்னேனோன்” (Ossernenon) கிராமத்தில் “மோஹாவ்க்” (Mohawk) குடியினரால் மறைசாட்சியாக கொல்லப்பட்டார்.

புனிதர் “ஐசாக் ஜோகுஸ்” (Saint Isaac Jogues), புனிதர் “ரெனி கௌபில்” (Saint René Goupil), புனிதர் “ஜீன் டி லலென்ட்” (Saint Jean de Lalande) மற்றும் ஐந்து பிற “பொது நிலையினர்” (Laymen) மற்றும் இயேசு சபை குருக்கள் (Jesuit Priests) உள்ளிட்ட எட்டு மறைப்பணியாளர்கள் அனைவரும் ரோமன் கத்தோலிக்க திருச்சபையால் கி.பி. 1930ம் ஆண்டு, புனிதர்களாக அருட்பொழிவு செய்விக்கப்பட்டனர். வடக்கு அமெரிக்க கண்டத்தின் (North American continent) முதல் மறைசாட்சியர்களான இவர்களனைவரும் “வட அமெரிக்க மறைசாட்சியர்” (The North American Martyrs) என்று அழைக்கப்படுகின்றனர். இவர்களை கௌரவிக்கும் விதமாக, அக்காலத்தைய “மோஹாவ்க்” (Mohawk) குடியினரின் “ஒஸ்செர்னேனோன்” (Ossernenon) கிராமம் இருந்த இடம் என்று நம்பப்படும் “நியூ யார்க்” (New York) நகரின் “ஓரிஸ்வில்” (Auriesville) எனப்படும் இடத்தில் ஒரு திருத்தலம் கட்டப்பட்டுள்ளது. இவர்களது நினைவுத் திருநாள் கனடா நாட்டில் செப்டம்பர் மாதம் 26ம் தேதியும், அமெரிக்காவில் அக்டோபர் மாதம், 19ம் தேதியும் கொண்டாடப்படுகிறது.

கி.பி. 1607ம் ஆண்டு, ஜனவரி மாதம், பத்தாம் தேதி, ஃபிரான்ஸ் நாட்டின் வடக்கு மத்திய பிராந்தியமான “ஓர்லியான்ஸ்” (Orléans) எனுமிடத்தில் பிறந்த ஐசாக், தமது பத்து வயதுவரை வீட்டிலிருந்தே கல்வி கற்றார். கி.பி. 1624ம் ஆண்டு, தமது பதினேழு வயதில், வடக்கு ஃபிரான்ஸின் “ரோவன்” (Rouen) எனுமிடத்திலுள்ள இயேசு சபை துறவு மடத்தில் புகுநிலை துறவியாக (Jesuit Novitiate) இணைந்த இவர், கி.பி. 1629ம் ஆண்டிலிருந்து, ரோவன் நகரிலுள்ள இளைஞர்களுக்கு மனிதநேயம் (Humanities) கற்பிக்க சென்றார். கி.பி. 1633ம் ஆண்டு, பாரிஸ் நகரின் “கிலேர்மொன்ட்” (Collège de Clermont) கல்லூரியில் இறையியல் (Theology) கற்க அனுப்பப்பட்ட இவர், கி.பி. 1636ம் ஆண்டு, “கிலேர்மொன்ட்” நகரிலேயே குருத்துவ அருட்பொழிவு செய்விக்கப்பட்டார்.

ஆரம்பத்திலிருந்தே கனடாவிலுள்ள புதிய ஃபிரான்ஸின் (New France) பழங்குடி மக்களான “ஹூரன் இந்தியர்கள்” (Huron Indians) மத்தியில் மறைப்பணியாற்றும் ஆவலிலிருந்த ஐசாக், குருத்துவம் பெற்ற அதே கி.பி. 1636ம் ஆண்டு, தமது மறைப்பணி தோழர்களுடன் அருட்தந்தை “ஜீன் டி ப்ரெபியுஃப்” (Jean de Brébeuf) தலைமையில் ஏப்ரல் கி.பி. 1636ல் தமது கடல் பயணத்தைத் தொடங்கினார். எட்டு வார கடல் பயணத்தின் பின்னர், ஜூலை மாதம் இரண்டாம் தேதி “கியுபெக்” (Quebec) சென்றடைந்தார். மறைப்பணியாளர்களனைவரும் ஹூரன்ஸ் இன மக்களின் சடங்குகளுக்கும், பழக்கவழக்கங்களுக்கும், உணவு வகைகளுக்கும் தங்களைத் தயார்படுத்திக்கொண்டார்கள். முதலில் இவர்களை மறுத்த பழங்குடி மக்கள், மெதுவாக அவர்களை ஏற்றுக்கொள்ள ஆரம்பித்தனர்.

“ஹூரன்ஸ்” (Hurons) இன மக்கள், எப்போதும் தொடர்ந்து “இரோகுயிஸ்” (Iroquois) மீது போர் தொடுத்தவண்ணமிருந்தனர். சில வருடங்களிலேயே “இரோகுயிஸ்” (Iroquois) இனத்தவரால் பிடிக்கப்பட்ட ஐசாக், பதின்மூன்று மாதகாலம் சிறையில் அடைக்கப்பட்டார். அவர் எழுதிய கடிதங்களும், பத்திரிகைகளும், அவரும் அவரது தோழர்களும் கிராமம் கிராமமாக எங்ஙனம் இழுத்துச் செல்லப்பட்டனர் என்றும், எப்படியெல்லாம் அடித்து நொறுக்கப்பட்டனர் என்றும், சித்திரவதை செய்யப்பட்டனர் என்றும், அவர்கள் கிறிஸ்தவர்களாக மனம் மாற்றிய ஹூரன்ஸ் இன மக்களை அவர்கள் எவ்வாறெல்லாம் சிதைத்து கொல்கின்றனர் என்பதை பார்க்க வற்புறுத்தினர் என்றும் சொல்கின்றன.

ஒருநாள், எதிர்பாராத விதமாக, சில டச்சுக் காரர்கள் (Dutch) மூலமாக தப்பித்துச் செல்லும் சந்தர்ப்பம் ஐசக்குக்கு கிட்டியது. “இரோகுயிஸ்” (Iroquois) இனத்தவரால் ஏற்பட்ட காயங்களையும் தழும்புகளையும் தாங்கியபடி ஃபிரான்ஸ் திரும்பினார். அவரது கை விரல்கள் பல, வெட்டப்பட்டும், கடிக்கப்பட்டும், எரிக்கப்பட்டுமிருந்தன. சிதைந்த கைகளுடன் திருப்பலி நிறைவேற்ற, திருத்தந்தை எட்டாம் அர்பன் (Pope Urban VIII) ஐசக்குக்கு அனுமதியளித்தார். கிறிஸ்துவின் திரு இரத்தத்தை அருந்த கிறிஸ்துவின் மறைசாட்சியரை அனுமதிக்காவிடில், அது பெருத்த அவமானமாகும் என்றார்.

ஒரு நாயகனாக வீடு திரும்பிய அருட்தந்தை ஐசக், ஓய்வாக அமர்ந்து விட்டிருக்கலாம். அவரது பாதுகாப்பான வருகைக்காக கடவுளுக்கு நன்றி தெரிவித்த அவர், அவரது தாய்நாட்டில் அமைதியாக வாழ்ந்து, இறந்திருக்கலாம். ஆனால் அவர் கொண்டிருந்த பெரும் ஆர்வமானது, அவரது கனவுகளை நிறைவேற்றுவதற்காக மீண்டும் ஒருமுறை அவரை கொண்டு சென்றது. ஒரு சில மாதங்களிலேயே ஹூரன்களின் மத்தியில் அவர் தனது பயணத்தை மேற்கொண்டார்.

“இரோகுயிஸ்” (Iroquois) இனத்தவரின் பிரதேசமான “மொஹாவ்க்” (Mohawk) எனுமிடத்தில், கி.பி. 1645ம் ஆண்டு கையெழுத்தான சமாதான ஒப்பந்தம் கடைபிடிக்கப்படுவதை மேற்பார்வையிடுவதற்காக ஃபிரெஞ்ச் தூதர்களாக ஐசக் மற்றும் பொது நிலையினரான புனிதர் “ஜீன் டி லலென்ட்” (Saint Jean de Lalande) ஆகிய இருவரும் கி.பி. 1646ம் ஆண்டின் வசந்தகாலத்தில் வந்திருந்தனர். அவர்களிருவரும் “மொஹாவ்க்” போர்க்குழு ஒன்றினால் பிடிக்கப்பட்டனர். அருட்தந்தை ஐசாக், தலை வெட்டப்பட்டு கொல்லப்பட்டார். “ஜீன் டி லலென்ட்”, மறுநாள் “ஒஸ்செர்நேனன்” (Ossernenon) கிராமத்தில் கொல்லப்பட்டார். இருவரது உடல்களும் “மொஹாவ்க்” நதியில் (Mohawk Rive) எறியப்பட்டன.

† Saint of the Day †

(October 19)

✠ St. Isaac Jogues ✠

Priest, Missionary and Martyr:

Born: January 10, 1607

Orléans, Orléanais, Kingdom of France

Died: October 18, 1646 (Aged 39)

Ossernenon, Canada, New France

Venerated in: Catholic Church

(Canada and the United States)

Beatified: June 21, 1925

Pope Pius XI

Canonized: June 29, 1930

Pope Pius XI

Major shrine:

National Shrine of the North American Martyrs, Auriesville, New York, United States

Feast: October 19

Saint Isaac Jogues was a missionary and martyr who travelled and worked among the Iroquois, Huron, and other Native populations in North America. He was the first European to name Lake George, calling it Lac du Saint Sacrement (Lake of the Blessed Sacrament). In 1646, Jogues was martyred by the Mohawk at their village of Ossernenon, south of the Mohawk River.

One of the eight North American Martyrs, St. Isaac Jogues, SJ, was inspired to become a missionary after reading The Jesuit Relations. 

Europe in the 17th century received its first detailed information of the expanding world through The Jesuit Relations, the record sent back by Jesuit missionaries from their distant outposts. 

As a Jesuit novice, Isaac Jogues read these enthralling letters from the missionaries in Ethiopia and the Indies. He was especially moved by the account of the martyrdom by the fire of Carlo Spinola, SJ, in Japan in 1622. Thereafter Isaac Jogues always carried Spinola’s picture with him. This also inspired Isaac’s own desire to be sent to the missions. After his ordination in 1636, Isaac Jogues was assigned to be a missionary to the native peoples of New France (Canada). 

Isaac entered a world of perpetual conflict and a few of the amenities of Europe. Especially violent were the wars between the Hurons and the Mohawks. In the eight years of his initial ministry, Jogues spent six with the Hurons and had considerable success with many conversions. Then in 1642 he was captured by the Mohawks and was brutally tortured. Jogues lost two of his fingers in the torture and spent 13 months as a slave. Isaac Jogues was finally ransomed by Dutch merchants in Albany. He was given passage to New Amsterdam (New York) and then to France, where he landed absolutely destitute. 

Through The Jesuit Relations, all of France had heard of Jogues’ capture. Expecting to hear of his death, France instead witnessed the return of a living martyr. He was courted by royalty and could have remained and continued to be celebrated as a hero. But Jogues’ principal concern was to receive canonical permission to celebrate the Mass in spite of his mutilated hands. This permission was given to him by Pope Urban VIII. At his first opportunity, Jogues returned to continue his work with the Mohawks. 

At first Isaac Jogues was able to establish peaceful relations with the Mohawks; the Mohawks, however, considered him a sorcerer and blamed Jogues for the famine and disease that struck their homes in 1646. They invited Jogues to visit them and crushed his skull with a tomahawk as he entered the chief’s cabin. His head and that of his companion John de la Lande were placed on poles facing the trails on which they came. 

Isaac Jogues was canonized as one of the eight North American Martyrs in 1930.

சிலுவையின் புனித பவுல் (ஆதீன தலைவர், குரு)("கடவுள் சேவை புரிய நல்ல சொற்களும், நல்ல எண்ணங்களும் மட்டும் போதாது. இதனோடு, உழைப்பு, உற்சாகம் மற்றும் தைரியம் தேவை" - சிலுவையின் புனித பவுல்)நினைவுத் திருவிழா : 19 அக்டோபர்

இன்றைய புனிதர் : 

(19-10-2020)

சிலுவையின் புனித பவுல் (ஆதீன தலைவர், குரு)

("கடவுள் சேவை புரிய நல்ல சொற்களும், நல்ல எண்ணங்களும் மட்டும் போதாது. இதனோடு, உழைப்பு, உற்சாகம் மற்றும் தைரியம் தேவை" - சிலுவையின் புனித பவுல்)

நினைவுத் திருவிழா : 19 அக்டோபர் (விறுப்ப நிணைவு)

இயற்பெயர்: பவுலோ பிரான்செஸ்கோ தேனி

பிறப்பு: ஜனவரி 3, 1694 ஒ, டாவா, பியத்மாந்து,இத்தாலி

இறப்பு: அக்டோபர் 18, 1775(அகவை 81) சான்தா கோவானி இ பாலோ பசிலிக்கா, உரோமை

அருளாளர் பட்டம்: 1 மே 1853, உரோமை(ஒன்பதாம் பயஸ்)

புனிதர் பட்டம்: 29 ஜூன் 1867, உரோமை(ஒன்பதாம் பயஸ்)

சிலுவையின் புனித பவுல் (சனவரி 03 1694 - அக்டோபர் 18 1775) ஒரு இத்தாலிய கிறித்தவ புனிதரும், திருப்பாடுகள் சபையின் நிறுவனரும் ஆவார்.

சிலுவையின் புனித பவுலின் இயற்பெயர் பவுலோ பிரான்செஸ்கோ தேனி ஆகும். இவர் சனவரி 03, 1694அன்று பியத்மாந்து, இத்தாலியில் பிறந்தார். ஒரு பணக்கார வியபாரியின் மகனான இவர் தனது 19ஆம் அகவையில் மனம்மாற்றம் பெற்று பக்தி நிறைந்த வாழ்க்கை வாழலானார். பிரான்சிசு டி சேல்சின்புத்தகங்களும், கப்புச்சின் சபைக் குருக்களின் அன்பு குறித்தான போதனைகளும் இவரிடம் அதிக தாக்கத்தை ஏற்படுத்தின. இவர் தனது வாழ்நாளெல்லாம் கடவுளை இயேசுவின் பாடுகளின் மூலம் எளிதில் காணலாம் என்று நம்பினார்.

தனது 26ஆம் வயதில் தொடர்ச்சியான செப அனுபவங்களின் மூலம் ஒரு புதிய துறவற சபையினைத் துவங்க இறை அழைத்தலை உணர்ந்தார். இவ்வாறு இவர் ஆரம்பித்ததே திருப்பாடுகள் சபை. இச்சபையினரின் அங்கியின் மேல் இயேசுவின் இருதயமும், "இயேசு கிறித்துவின் பாடுகள்" என்னும் வசனமும் பொறிக்கப்பட்டிருக்கும். இந்த சபைக்கு இவர் அளித்த பெயர், இயேசுவின் வறியோர், ஆனாலும் திருப்பாடுகளுக்கு இச்சபை அளித்த முக்கியத்துவத்தினால் இவர்கள் பின் நாட்களில் திருப்பாடுகளின் சபையோர் என அறியப்பட்டனர்.

இவரின் ஆயரின் தூண்டுதலால், இவர் மட்டுமே இச்சபையில் இருக்கும் போதே இவர் இச்சபையின் சட்ட நூலினை நாற்பது நாள் தியானத்துக்குப் பின் 1720இல் இயற்றினார். இச்சபையில் இவரின் சகோதரரே இவருக்குப் பின் சேர்ந்த முதல் உறுப்பினர் ஆவார். இதற்குப் பின் இச்சபை மெதுவாக வளரத்துவங்கியது. இவர் தனது வாழ்நாளில் பிறரின் ஆன்ம வழிகாட்டலுக்கு எழுதிய இரண்டாயிரத்துக்கும் மேலான கடிதங்கள் இப்போதும் பாதுகாக்கப்பட்டு வருகின்றன. இவர் 18 அக்டோபர் 1775இல் இறந்தார். அச்சமயத்தில் இவரின் சபையில் 180 குருக்கள் மற்றும் அருட்சகோதரர்கள் இருந்தனர்.

இவருக்கு 1 அக்டோபர் 1852இல் முக்திபேறு பட்டமும், 29 ஜூன் 1867இல் புனிதர் பட்டமும் அளிக்கப்பட்டது. இவரின் இறந்தநாளான 18 அக்டோபர், நற்செய்தியாளர் லூக்காவின் விழாவாக இருப்பதால் இவரின் விழாநாள் 19 அக்டோபர் ஆகும்.

---JDH---தெய்வீக குணமளிக்கும் இயேசு /திண்டுக்கல்.

Saint of the Day: (19-10-2020)

Saint Paul of the Cross

The son of Luca Daniel and Anna Maria Daneo; he was the second of sixteen children born to the couple, ten of whom died in infancy. Paolo was baptized at the age of 3 days, and was raised in a pious family; his father, a merchant, was known for his deep faith, and a brother and close uncle were both priests. Paolo was known as a pious child who attended daily Mass, but he wasn't confirmed until he was 25 years old, a common practice of the time. In 1701 the family moved from Ovada to Castellazo Bormida, and Paolo received his early education at a boy's school run by a priest in Cremolino, Italy. In 1713 he had what became known as a "conversion" experience, which convinced Paolo that he was called to religious life. He declined an arranged marriage, and when he received an inheritance from a rich uncle, a priest, he kept only the man's breviary and refused the wealth.

In 1715 he volunteered for the military service in the crusade against the Turks, but his call to religious life led him to return home in 1716. In 1720 he received a series of visions that confirmed his call, including one where he saw himself in what would become the habit of the Passionists. With his bishop's support, he went on a 40 day retreat and wrote the rule of a potential community, which he called The Poor of Jesus. His brother, Giovanni-Battista, became the second member of the community, and the two moved to Rome, Italy to help found a hospital and seek other members to help them care for the patients and staff.

While there, the Daneo brothers studied theology, and on 7 June 1727 were ordained to the priesthood by Pope Benedict XIII in Saint Peter's Basilica. The brothers became travelling preachers, leading parish missions around Italy. Father Paul was a preacher of such power that hardened soldiers and bandits were seen to weep at his words. He was known as a great spiritual teacher; over 2,000 of his letters survive, most devoted to spiritual direction.

Due to the ascetic lifestyle of a Passionist, the group attracted few members to begin with, but they were a dedicated lot, spending at least three hours in prayer each day. They established their first Retreat, as Passionist monasteries are known, in 1737 on Monte Argentario on the west coast of Italy. Pope Benedict XIV approved the Passionist Rule on 15 May 1741; Pope Clement XIV approved the congregation in 1769. Father Paul reluctantly served as the congregation's first superior-general, and by the time of his death there were 12 Retreats and 180 members. The Passionist fathers, brothers and sisters continue their good work around the world today.

Born : 

3 January 1694 at Ovada, Piedmont (northern Italy) as Paolo Francesco Danei

Died : 

18 October 1775 at Rome, Italy of natural causes

• interred in the chapel of the Basilica dei Santi Giovanni e Paolo in Rome

Beatified : 

1 October 1852 by Blessed Pope Pius IX

Canonized :

29 June 1867 by Blessed Pope Pius IX

Patronage : 

Castellazo Bormida, Italy

• Ovada, Italy

---JDH---Jesus the Divine Healer---

புனிதர் லூக்கா St. Luke October 18

† இன்றைய புனிதர் †

(அக்டோபர் 18)

✠ புனிதர் லூக்கா ✠

(St. Luke)

திருத்தூதர், நற்செய்தியாளர், மறைசாட்சி:

(Apostle, Evangelist, Martyr)

பிறப்பு: ---

அந்தியோக்கியா, சிரியா, ரோமப் பேரரசு

(Antioch, Syria, Roman Empire)

இறப்பு: கி.பி. சுமார் 84 (வயது 84)

பியோஷியா அருகே, கிரேக்கம்

(Near Boeotia, Greece)

ஏற்கும் சமயம்: 

ரோமன் கத்தோலிக்க திருச்சபை

(Roman Catholic Church)

கிழக்கு மரபுவழி திருச்சபை

(Eastern Orthodox Church)

கிழக்கு கத்தோலிக்க திருச்சபை

(Eastern Catholic Churches)

ஆங்கிலிக்கன் ஒன்றியம்

(Anglican Communion)

ஓரியண்டல் மரபுவழி திருச்சபை

(Oriental Orthodox Churches)

லூதரனியம் மற்றும் சில சீர்திருத்தத் திருச்சபைகள்

(Lutheran Church and some other Protestant Churches)

முக்கிய திருத்தலங்கள்:

பதுவை, இத்தாலி

(Padua, Italy)

நினைவுத் திருவிழா: அக்டோபர் 18

பாதுகாவல்: 

கலைஞர்கள், மருத்துவர்கள், விவசாயிகள், 

அறுவை சிகிச்சை மருத்துவர்கள் மற்றும் பலர்

குறிப்பிடத்தகுந்த படைப்புகள்: 

லூக்கா நற்செய்தி

அப்போஸ்தலர் பணி

நற்செய்தியாளரான புனிதர் லூக்கா, ஒரு ஆதி கிறிஸ்தவ எழுத்தாளரும், திருச்சபை தந்தையரும், புனித ஜெரோம் மற்றும் யோசிபஸின்'படி விவிலியத்தின் லூக்கா நற்செய்தி மற்றும் அப்போஸ்தலர் பணி என்னும் நூல்களின் ஆசிரியரும் ஆவார். இவர் நான்கு நற்செய்தியாளர்களுள் ஒருவராகக் கருதப்படுகின்றார். இவரின் எழுத்து நடை, இவர் நன்கு கற்றறிந்தவர் என்பதனை எடுத்தியம்புகின்றது.

அந்தியோக்கியா நகரில் பிறந்து வாழ்ந்த இவர், தொழில்ரீதியாக ஒரு மருத்துவர் ஆவார். இவரைப்பற்றிய மிகப்பழைய குறிப்பு திருத்தூதர் பவுல் எழுதிய பிலமோன் வசனம் 24, கொலோசையர் 4:14 மற்றும் திமொத்தேயு 4:11ல் காணக்கிடைக்கின்றது.

இவர் இயேசுவின் பன்னிரு திருத்தூதர்களில் ஒருவர் அல்ல. மாறாக அவரின் 70 சீடருள் ஒருவராக இருக்கலாம் எனவும், குறிப்பாக உயிர்த்த இயேசுவோடு எமாவுசுக்கு சென்ற இரு சீடர்களுள் ஒருவராக இருக்கலாம் எனவும் விவிலிய அறிஞர்கள் கருதுகின்றனர்.

கலைஞராக லூக்கா:

எட்டாம் நூற்றாண்டில் தொடங்கப்பட்ட கிறிஸ்தவ பாரம்பரியம், லூக்காவை முதல் பிரபல ஓவியர் என்கிறது. அவர் வரைந்த இறைவனின் தூய அன்னை மரியாளினதும் குழந்தை இயேசுவினதும் சித்திரங்கள் அதி பிரசித்தி பெற்றவை. முக்கியமாக, தற்போது காணாமல் போன “கான்ஸ்டன்டினோபில்” (Constantinople) அருகேயுள்ள "ஹோடேகெட்ரியா" (Hodegetria image) அன்னையின் சித்திரம் பிரபலமானது. பதினொன்றாம் நூற்றாண்டில், அவரது கைத்திறமைகளுக்காக பல சித்திரங்கள் புனிதத்துவம் பெற்றன. எடுத்துக்காட்டாக, "செஸ்டோசோவா'வின் "கருப்பு மடோன்னா" (Black Madonna of Częstochowa and Our Lady of Vladimir) சித்திரம் முக்கியமானதாகும். இவர், புனிதர்கள் பவுல் மற்றும் பேதுரு ஆகியோரின் சித்திரங்களையும் வரைந்ததாக கூறப்படுவதுண்டு. அக்காலத்தில், ஒரு நற்செய்தி புத்தகத்தை நுண்ணிய முழு சுழற்சியுடன் விளக்கி எழுதியிருந்ததாகவும் கூறப்படுகின்றது.

அப்போஸ்தலர் புனிதர் பவுலின் சீடராகிய இவர், பிறகு பவுல் மறைசாட்சியாக மரிக்கும்வரை அவரைப் பின்பற்றுபவராக இருந்தார்.

திருமணமாகாத, குழந்தைகளில்லாத, தூய ஆவியால் நிரப்பப்பட்டிருந்த புனித லூக்கா, கடைசிவரை ஆண்டவருக்கு சேவை செய்வதிலேயே தமது ஆயுளைக் கழித்தார்.

இவர் தனது 84ம் வயதில் மரித்தார் என்பர். இவரது மீ பொருட்கள் கான்ஸ்டண்டினோப்பிளுக்கு கி.பி 357ம் ஆண்டு, கொண்டுவரப்பட்டன.

இவரது நினைவுத் திருவிழாநாள் அக்டோபர் மாதம், 18ம் தேதி ஆகும்.

St. Luke

Feastday: October 18

Patron: Physicians and Surgeons

Luke, the writer of the Gospel and the Acts of the Apostles, has been identified with St. Paul's "Luke, the beloved physician" (Colossians 4:14). We know few other facts about Luke's life from Scripture and from early Church historians.

It is believed that Luke was born a Greek and a Gentile. In Colossians 10-14 speaks of those friends who are with him. He first mentions all those "of the circumcision" -- in other words, Jews -- and he does not include Luke in this group. Luke's gospel shows special sensitivity to evangelizing Gentiles. It is only in his gospel that we hear the parable of the Good Samaritan, that we hear Jesus praising the faith of Gentiles such as the widow of Zarephath and Naaman the Syrian (Lk.4:25-27), and that we hear the story of the one grateful leper who is a Samaritan (Lk.17:11-19). According to the early Church historian Eusebius Luke was born at Antioch in Syria.

In our day, it would be easy to assume that someone who was a doctor was rich, but scholars have argued that Luke might have been born a slave. It was not uncommon for families to educate slaves in medicine so that they would have a resident family physician. Not only do we have Paul's word, but Eusebius, Saint Jerome, Saint Irenaeus and Caius, a second-century writer, all refer to Luke as a physician.

We have to go to Acts to follow the trail of Luke's Christian ministry. We know nothing about his conversion but looking at the language of Acts we can see where he joined Saint Paul. The story of the Acts is written in the third person, as an historian recording facts, up until the sixteenth chapter. In Acts 16:8-9 we hear of Paul's company "So, passing by Mysia, they went down to Troas. During the night Paul had a vision: there stood a man of Macedonia pleading with him and saying, 'Come over to Macedonia and help us.' " Then suddenly in 16:10 "they" becomes "we": "When he had seen the vision, we immediately tried to cross over to Macedonia, being convinced that God had called us to proclaim the good news to them."

So Luke first joined Paul's company at Troas at about the year 51 and accompanied him into Macedonia where they traveled first to Samothrace, Neapolis, and finally Philippi. Luke then switches back to the third person which seems to indicate he was not thrown into prison with Paul and that when Paul left Philippi Luke stayed behind to encourage the Church there. Seven years passed before Paul returned to the area on his third missionary journey. In Acts 20:5, the switch to "we" tells us that Luke has left Philippi to rejoin Paul in Troas in 58 where they first met up. They traveled together through Miletus, Tyre, Caesarea, to Jerusalem.

Luke is the loyal comrade who stays with Paul when he is imprisoned in Rome about the year 61: "Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, sends greetings to you, and so do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke, my fellow workers" (Philemon 24). And after everyone else deserts Paul in his final imprisonment and sufferings, it is Luke who remains with Paul to the end: "Only Luke is with me" (2 Timothy 4:11).

Luke's inspiration and information for his Gospel and Acts came from his close association with Paul and his companions as he explains in his introduction to the Gospel: "Since many have undertaken to set down an orderly account of the events that have been fulfilled among us, just as they were handed on to us by those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the word, I too decided, after investigating everything carefully from the very first, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus" (Luke 1:1-3).

Luke's unique perspective on Jesus can be seen in the six miracles and eighteen parables not found in the other gospels. Luke's is the gospel of the poor and of social justice. He is the one who tells the story of Lazarus and the Rich Man who ignored him. Luke is the one who uses "Blessed are the poor" instead of "Blessed are the poor in spirit" in the beatitudes. Only in Luke's gospel do we hear Mary 's Magnificat where she proclaims that God "has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty" (Luke 1:52-53).

Luke also has a special connection with the women in Jesus' life, especially Mary. It is only in Luke's gospel that we hear the story of the Annunciation, Mary's visit to Elizabeth including the Magnificat, the Presentation, and the story of Jesus' disappearance in Jerusalem. It is Luke that we have to thank for the Scriptural parts of the Hail Mary: "Hail Mary full of grace" spoken at the Annunciation and "Blessed are you and blessed is the fruit of your womb Jesus" spoken by her cousin Elizabeth.

Forgiveness and God's mercy to sinners is also of first importance to Luke. Only in Luke do we hear the story of the Prodigal Son welcomed back by the overjoyed father. Only in Luke do we hear the story of the forgiven woman disrupting the feast by washing Jesus' feet with her tears. Throughout Luke's gospel, Jesus takes the side of the sinner who wants to return to God's mercy.

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Reading Luke's gospel gives a good idea of his character as one who loved the poor, who wanted the door to God's kingdom opened to all, who respected women, and who saw hope in God's mercy for everyone.

The reports of Luke's life after Paul's death are conflicting. Some early writers claim he was martyred, others say he lived a long life. Some say he preached in Greece, others in Gaul. The earliest tradition we have says that he died at 84 Boeotia after settling in Greece to write his Gospel.

A tradition that Luke was a painter seems to have no basis in fact. Several images of Mary appeared in later centuries claiming him as a painter but these claims were proved false. Because of this tradition, however, he is considered a patron of painters of pictures and is often portrayed as painting pictures of Mary.

He is often shown with an ox or a calf because these are the symbols of sacrifice -- the sacrifice Jesus made for all the world.

Luke is the patron of physicians and surgeons.

"Saint Luke" redirects here. For other uses, see Saint Luke (disambiguation).

Luke the Evangelist (Latin: Lūcās, Ancient Greek: Λουκᾶς, Loukâs, Hebrew: לוקאס‎, Lūqās, Aramaic: /ܠܘܩܐ לוקא‎, Lūqā') is one of the Four Evangelists—the four traditionally ascribed authors of the canonical gospels. The Early Church Fathers ascribed to him authorship of both the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles, which would mean Luke contributed over a quarter of the text of the New Testament, more than any other author. Prominent figures in early Christianity such as Jerome and Eusebius later reaffirmed his authorship, although a lack of conclusive evidence as to the identity of the author of the works has led to discussion in scholarly circles, both secular and religious.

The New Testament mentions Luke briefly a few times, and the Pauline Epistle to the Colossians (Col 4:14) refers to him as a physician (from Greek for 'one who heals'); thus he is thought to have been both a physician and a disciple of Paul. Since the early years of the faith, Christians have regarded him as a saint. He is believed to have been a martyr, reportedly having been hanged from an olive tree, though some believe otherwise.[2]

The Roman Catholic Church and other major denominations venerate him as Saint Luke the Evangelist and as a patron saint of artists, physicians, bachelors, surgeons, students and butchers; his feast day is 18 October.[3]

Life

Print of Luke the Evangelist. Made by Crispijn van de Passe de Oude.[4]

Many scholars believe that Luke was a Greek physician who lived in the Greek city of Antioch in Ancient Syria, although some other scholars and theologians think Luke was a Hellenic Jew.[5][6] Bart Koet, a researcher and professor of theology, has stated that it was widely accepted that the theology of Luke–Acts points to a gentile Christian writing for a gentile audience, although he concludes that it is more plausible that Luke–Acts is directed to a community made up of both Jewish and gentile Christians because there is stress on the scriptural roots of the gentile mission (see the use of Isaiah 49:6 in Luke–Acts).[7][8] Gregory Sterling, Dean of the Yale Divinity School, claims that he was either a Hellenistic Jew or a god-fearer.[6]

His earliest notice is in Paul's Epistle to Philemon—Philemon 1:24. He is also mentioned in Colossians 4:14 and 2 Timothy 4:11, two Pauline works.[9][10][11][12][13] The next earliest account of Luke is in the Anti-Marcionite Prologue to the Gospel of Luke, a document once thought to date to the 2nd century, but which has more recently been dated to the later 4th century.[citation needed] Helmut Koester, however, claims that the following part, the only part preserved in the original Greek, may have been composed in the late 2nd century:

Luke, was born in Antioch, by profession was a physician.[14] He had become a disciple of the apostle Paul and later followed Paul until his [Paul's] martyrdom. He died at the age of 84 years. (p. 335)

James Tissot, Saint Luke (Saint Luc), Brooklyn Museum

Epiphanius states that Luke was one of the Seventy Apostles (Panarion 51.11), and John Chrysostom indicates at one point that the "brother" Paul mentions in the Second Epistle to the Corinthians 8:18 is either Luke or Barnabas. (Homily 18 on Second Corinthians on 2 Corinthians 8:18)

If one accepts that Luke was indeed the author of the Gospel bearing his name and also the Acts of the Apostles, certain details of his personal life can be reasonably assumed. While he does exclude himself from those who were eyewitnesses to Jesus' ministry, he repeatedly uses the word "we" in describing the Pauline missions in Acts of the Apostles, indicating that he was personally there at those times.[15]

There is similar evidence that Luke resided in Troas, the province which included the ruins of ancient Troy, in that he writes in Acts in the third person about Paul and his travels until they get to Troas, where he switches to the first person plural. The "we" section of Acts continues until the group leaves Philippi, when his writing goes back to the third person. This change happens again when the group returns to Philippi. There are three "we sections" in Acts, all following this rule. Luke never stated, however, that he lived in Troas, and this is the only evidence that he did.[citation needed]

Luke as depicted in the head-piece of an Armenian Gospel manuscript from 1609, held at the Bodleian Library

The composition of the writings, as well as the range of vocabulary used, indicate that the author was an educated man. A quote in the Epistle to the Colossians differentiates between Luke and other colleagues "of the circumcision."

10 My fellow prisoner Aristarchus sends you his greetings, as does Mark, the cousin of Barnabas. 11 Jesus, who is called Justus, also sends greetings. These are the only Jews among my co-workers for the kingdom of God, and they have proved a comfort to me. ... 14 Our dear friend Luke, the doctor, and Demas send greetings. Colossians 4:10–11, 14.

This comment has traditionally caused commentators to conclude that Luke was a gentile. If this were true, it would make Luke the only writer of the New Testament who can clearly be identified as not being Jewish. However, that is not the only possibility. Although Luke is considered likely to have been a gentile Christian, some scholars believe him to have been a Hellenized Jew.[5][6][16] The phrase could just as easily be used to differentiate between those Christians who strictly observed the rituals of Judaism and those who did not.[15]

Luke's presence in Rome with the Apostle Paul near the end of Paul's life was attested by 2 Timothy 4:11: "Only Luke is with me". In the last chapter of the Book of Acts, widely attributed to Luke, there are several accounts in the first person also affirming Luke's presence in Rome, including Acts 28:16: "And when we came to Rome... ." According to some accounts,[which?] Luke also contributed to the authorship of the Epistle to the Hebrews.[17]

Luke died at age 84 in Boeotia, according to a "fairly early and widespread tradition".[18] According to Nikephoros Kallistos Xanthopoulos, Greek historian of the 14th century (and others), Luke's tomb was located in Thebes, whence his relics were transferred to Constantinople in the year 357.[19]

Authorship of Luke and Acts

See also: Authorship of Luke–Acts

The Gospel of Luke does not name its author.[20][21][22][23] The Gospel was not, nor does it claim to be, written by direct witnesses to the reported events, unlike Acts beginning in the sixteenth chapter.[24][25][26] However, in most translations the author suggests that they have investigated the book’s events and notes the name (Theophilus) of that to whom they are writing.

The earliest manuscript of the Gospel (Papyrus 75 = Papyrus Bodmer XIV-XV), dated circa AD 200, ascribes the work to Luke; as did Irenaeus writing circa AD 180, and the Muratorian fragment from AD 170.[27]

The Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles make up a two-volume work which scholars call Luke–Acts. Together they account for 27.5% of the New Testament, the largest contribution by a single author.[28]

Luke paints the Madonna and the Baby Jesus, by Maarten van Heemskerck, 1532

As a historian

See also: Historical reliability of the Acts of the Apostles, Census of Quirinius, and Chronology of Jesus

A medieval Armenian illumination of Luke, by Toros Roslin

Most scholars understand Luke's works (Luke–Acts) in the tradition of Greek historiography.[29] The preface of The Gospel of Luke[30] drawing on historical investigation identified the work to the readers as belonging to the genre of history.[31] There is disagreement about how best to treat Luke's writings, with some historians regarding Luke as highly accurate,[32][33] and others taking a more critical approach.[34][35]

Based on his accurate description of towns, cities and islands, as well as correctly naming various official titles, archaeologist Sir William Ramsay wrote that "Luke is a historian of the first rank; not merely are his statements of fact trustworthy. ...[He] should be placed along with the very greatest of historians."[32] Professor of Classics at Auckland University, E.M. Blaiklock, wrote: "For accuracy of detail, and for evocation of atmosphere, Luke stands, in fact, with Thucydides. The Acts of the Apostles is not shoddy product of pious imagining, but a trustworthy record. ...It was the spadework of archaeology which first revealed the truth."[33] New Testament scholar Colin Hemer has made a number of advancements in understanding the historical nature and accuracy of Luke's writings.[36]

On the purpose of Acts, New Testament Scholar Luke Timothy Johnson has noted that "Luke's account is selected and shaped to suit his apologetic interests, not in defiance of but in conformity to ancient standards of historiography."[37] Such a position is shared by most commentators such as Richard Heard who sees historical deficiencies as arising from "special objects in writing and to the limitations of his sources of information."[38]

During modern times, Luke's competence as a historian is questioned, depending upon one's a priori view of the supernatural.[34] Since post-Enlightenment historians work with methodological naturalism,[35][39] such historians would see a narrative that relates supernatural, fantastic things like angels, demons etc., as problematic as a historical source. Mark Powell claims that "it is doubtful whether the writing of history was ever Luke's intent. Luke wrote to proclaim, to persuade, and to interpret; he did not write to preserve records for posterity. An awareness of this, has been, for many, the final nail in Luke the historian's coffin."[34]

Robert M. Grant has noted that although Luke saw himself within the historical tradition, his work contains a number of statistical improbabilities, such as the sizable crowd addressed by Peter in Acts 4:4. He has also noted chronological difficulties whereby Luke "has Gamaliel refer to Theudas and Judas in the wrong order, and Theudas actually rebelled about a decade after Gamaliel spoke (5:36–7)".[29]

Brent Landau writes:

So how do we account for a Gospel that is believable about minor events but implausible about a major one? One possible explanation is that Luke believed that Jesus’ birth was of such importance for the entire world that he dramatically juxtaposed this event against an (imagined) act of worldwide domination by a Roman emperor who was himself called “savior” and “son of God”—but who was nothing of the sort. For an ancient historian following in the footsteps of Thucydides, such a procedure would have been perfectly acceptable.[40]

As an artist

Luke the Evangelist painting the first icon of the Virgin Mary

Christian tradition, starting from the 8th century, states that Luke was the first icon painter. He is said to have painted pictures of the Virgin Mary and Child, in particular the Hodegetria image in Constantinople (now lost). Starting from the 11th century, a number of painted images were venerated as his autograph works, including the Black Madonna of Częstochowa and Our Lady of Vladimir. He was also said to have painted Saints Peter and Paul, and to have illustrated a gospel book with a full cycle of miniatures.[41][42]

Late medieval Guilds of Saint Luke in the cities of Late Medieval Europe, especially Flanders, or the "Accademia di San Luca" (Academy of Saint Luke) in Rome—imitated in many other European cities during the 16th century—gathered together and protected painters. The tradition that Luke painted icons of Mary and Jesus has been common, particularly in Eastern Orthodoxy. The tradition also has support from the Saint Thomas Christians of India who claim to still have one of the Theotokos icons that Saint Luke painted and which Saint Thomas brought to India.[43]

Symbol

Luke and the Madonna, Altar of the Guild of Saint Luke, Hermen Rode, Lübeck (1484)

In traditional depictions, such as paintings, evangelist portraits, and church mosaics, Saint Luke is often accompanied by an ox or bull, usually having wings. Sometimes only the symbol is shown, especially when in a combination of those of all Four Evangelists.[44][45]

Relics

Despot George of Serbia purportedly bought the relics from the Ottoman sultan Murad II for 30,000 gold coins. After the Ottoman conquest of Bosnia, the kingdom's last queen, George's granddaughter Mary, who had brought the relics with her from Serbia as her dowry, sold them to the Venetian Republic.[46]

In 1992, the then Greek Orthodox Metropolitan Ieronymos of Thebes and Levathia (who subsequently became Archbishop Ieronymos II of Athens and All Greece) requested from Bishop Antonio Mattiazzo of Padua the return of "a significant fragment of the relics of St. Luke to be placed on the site where the holy tomb of the Evangelist is located and venerated today". This prompted a scientific investigation of the relics in Padua, and by numerous lines of empirical evidence (archeological analyses of the Tomb in Thebes and the Reliquary of Padua, anatomical analyses of the remains, carbon-14 dating, comparison with the purported skull of the Evangelist located in Prague) confirmed that these were the remains of an individual of Syrian descent who died between AD 72 and AD 416.[47][48] The Bishop of Padua then delivered to Metropolitan Ieronymos the rib of Saint Luke that was closest to his heart to be kept at his tomb in Thebes.[49][50]

Thus, the relics of Saint Luke are divided as follows:

The body, in the Abbey of Santa Giustina in Padua;

The head, in the St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague;

A rib, at his tomb in Thebes.

St. Asclepiades October 18

 St. Asclepiades

Feastday: October 18

Death: 217

Bishop of Antioch and martyr. Asclepiades was the successor of St. Serapion in Antioch, Turkey, serving that see from 211 until his death. lie is given the title of martyr because of the trials he endured during the persecutions of the time.

St. Athenodorus October 18

St. Athenodorus

Feastday: October 18

Death: 269

Bishop and martyr. Athenodorus was a member of a prominent pagan family at Neocaesarea, in Cappadocia. His brother was St. Gregory Thaumaturgus. He went with Gregory and their sister to Caesarea, in 223, planning to study law in Beirut, Lebanon. Origen was in Caesarea, and Athenodorus and Gregory were converted by him. Athenodorus was named bishop of an unnamed see in Pontus later in his life. He was martyred in the persecutions of Emperor Aurelian.