St. Maximilian October 29

 St. Maximilian

Feastday: October 29

Death: 288

A duplicate feast day of St. Maximilian of Lorch. In this account he is given an unknown St. Valentine as a companion in martyrdom.

 

For other saints of the same name, see Maximilian.

Depiction of Maximilian of Lorch on a vitrail of the parish church in Aigen, Upper Austria

Grave of Saint Maximilian in Celje, Slovenia

Saint Maximilian of Lorch (also: Maximilian of Celeia, Latin: Maximilianus) (died 12 October 288)[1] was a missionary in the Roman province of Noricum. He was martyred in AD 288.[2]

Maximilian was born in Celeia in the Roman province of Noricum (in present-day Slovenia). As an adult he made a pilgrimage to Rome.[2] Pope Sixtus II sent him to Lauriacum (Lorch) in the Roman province of Noricum, where he worked as a missionary during the latter half of the third century.[2] He founded the church of Lorch. Maximilian was beheaded by the Roman Prefect of Emperor Numerian after refusing to abandon Christianity and sacrifice to the pagan gods. He is remembered on 12 October (and in some locations on 29 October).[2]

His cult dates at least from the eighth century. In that century, Saint Rupert built a church in his honour at Bischofshofen in the Salzach valley, and brought his relics there. They were later transferred to Passau in 985.[2]

Martyrs of Douai October 29

 Martyrs of Douai

Feastday: October 29

Beatified: 1929

A group of 160 priests trained at the English College of Douai, in France. They were martyred in England and Wales during the century following the foundation of the famed college by Cardinal William Allen in 1568. All perished at the hands of English authorities while laboring to reconvert the island. Eighty alumni of Douai were beatified in 1929.

 

The Douai Martyrs is a name applied by the Roman Catholic Church to 158 Catholic priests trained in the English College at Douai, France, who were executed by the English state between 1577 and 1680.[2]

Contents

1 History

2 See also

3 References

4 External links

History

Having completed their training at Douai, many returned to England and Wales with the intent to minister to the Catholic population. Under the Jesuits, etc. Act 1584 the presence of a priest within the realm was considered high treason. Missionaries from Douai were looked upon as a papal agents intent on overthrowing the queen. Many were arrested under charges of treason and conspiracy, resulting in torture and execution. In total, 158 members of Douai College were martyred between the years 1577 and 1680.[1] The first was Cuthbert Mayne, executed at Launceston, Cornwall.[3] The last was Thomas Thwing, hanged, drawn, and quartered at York in October 1680.[4] Each time the news of another execution reached the College, a solemn Mass of thanksgiving was sung.

Many people risked their lives during this period by assisting them, which was also prohibited under the Act. A number of the "seminary priests" from Douai were executed at a three-sided gallows at Tyburn near the present-day Marble Arch. A plaque to the "Catholic martyrs" executed at Tyburn in the period 1535 - 1681 is located at 8 Hyde Park Place, the site of Tyburn convent.[5]

Eighty were beatified by Pope Pius XI in 1929. Today, British Catholic dioceses celebrate their feast day on 29 October.[1]

The Douay Martyrs School in Ickenham, Middlesex is named in their honour.

Bl. Maria Restituta October 29

 Bl. Maria Restituta

Feastday: October 29

Birth: 1894

Death: 1943

Beatified: 21 June 1998 by John Paul II

Sister Maria Restituta (1 May 1894, Husovice, Austria-Hungary (now part of Brno, Czech Republic) - 30 March 1943, Vienna, Austria) was a nun and a nurse. Her birthname was Helen Kafka.[1] She was a shoemaker's daughter.

Maria Restituta Kafka

From a page move: This is a redirect from a page that has been moved (renamed). This page was kept as a redirect to avoid breaking links, both internal and external, that may have been made to the old page name.

St. Kennera October 29

 St. Kennera

Feastday: October 29

Death: 4th century

A virgin martyr of Scotland, educated with Sts. Ursula and Regulus of Patras, Greece. She was a hermitess in Kirk Kenner, Galloway, Scotland.

St. John of Autun October 29

 St. John of Autun

Feastday: October 29

Death: unknown

A bishop of Autun, he was venerated in that city. No details of his life are extant.

St. Hyacinth October 29

 St. Hyacinth

Feastday: October 29

Death: unknown

Martyr of Lucania, in Italy, with Felician, Lucius, and Quintus.

St. Gaetano Errico October 29

 St. Gaetano Errico

Feastday: October 29

Birth: 1791

Death: 1860

Beatified: 14 April 2002 by Pope John Paul II

Canonized: 12 October 2008 by Pope Benedict XVI

St. Gaetano Errico was born on October 19, 1791 in Secondigliano, a small village of Naples, Italy. He was the second of nine children born to Pasquale and Marie (Marseglia) Errico. His father managed a small pasta factory and his mother worked at the loom weaving plush. He founded the religious order the Missionaries of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary.

Gaetano Errico (19 October 1791 – 29 October 1860) was an Italian Roman Catholic priest from Naples and the founder of the Missionari dei Sacri Cuori di Gesù e Maria.[1][2][3] Errico was born to devout and hardworking parents whose income was modest but sufficient for him to do his ecclesial studies in Naples.[4] It was common for him to be seen twice a week tending to the ill despite his studies and he also helped his father on occasion at his warehouse.[3] He became a teacher after his ordination and later a parish priest.[1][2]

Errico became better known for having had a vision while on a retreat in 1818 in which Saint Alfonso Maria de' Liguori came to him in a vision requesting he both found a religious congregation and oversee the establishment of a new church dedicated to the Blessed Mother.[1][2] Errico did this despite several obstacles, though he did not see it through to the end until just over a decade later.[3]

His canonization cause was introduced under Pope Leo XIII in 1884 and he became titled as a Servant of God; Pope Paul VI later named him as Venerable in 1974 upon confirming his heroic virtue while Pope John Paul II later beatified him on 14 April 2002. Pope Benedict XVI canonized Errico as a saint on 12 October 2008 in Saint Peter's Square.[1][4]

Contents

1 Life

2 Sainthood

2.1 Diocesan process and heroic virtues

2.2 Beatification

2.3 Canonization

3 References

4 External links

Life

Gaetano Errico was born on 19 October 1791 in Secondigliano in Naples as the second of nine children to Pasquale Errico (d. 28 March 1834; Good Friday) and Maria Marseglia (d. 19 April 1837); his parents were married on 17 April 1788 in the Saint Charles church. His father (who came from Miano but whose relations hailed from Frattamaggiore) managed a small pasta warehouse and his mother (who was born in Secondigliano) worked at the local loom weaving plush. Errico was a pious child having learnt the Christian faith from his devout parents whom he helped in their work or in the chores around the house.[1][2] His nephew Beniamino Errico became a priest and two cousins were part of the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin as friars.[3]

His mother once took him as a child to the Redemptorists to be blessed and the priest did this after having looked at the child, telling his mother: "This child will be a priest, a great preacher, he will be a saint and he will do good work in Secondigliano".[3] Errico often aided his father at his warehouse where his father would sometimes lose his temper when under financial strain; he would sometimes slap Errico when he would lose his temper irrespective of whether or not Errico had behaved.[3] The priests Giovanni Tagliamonte and Michelangelo Vitagliano were his teachers growing up and Vitagliano would later serve as Errico's confessor until Vitaglaino died. The parish priest Fr. Pumpo gave him his First Communion when he turned seven and he received his Confirmation on 2 January 1802 in the Naples Cathedral from Bishop Iorio; the priest Domenico Cafolla acted as his sponsor.

Errico first felt compelled to enter the priesthood after he turned fourteen and he received permission from his parents to pursue that vocation. He had his sights set on either entering the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin (since two cousins were friars) or the Redemptorists, however, both rejected his application on the basis of his age.[1] But he was not dejected due to this experience and instead focused on his ecclesial studies that he began in Naples in January 1808 (also receiving the clerical cassock for the first time); he had to walk five miles from home to get to class since he was not living on Naples due to his parents' meagre income not providing for this. Errico – during his studies – visited the sick twice per week and also would encourage children to attend catechism classes for instruction in the faith.[2]

He received his ordination to the priesthood in the Naples Cathedral in the Santa Restituta chapel on 23 September 1815 from Cardinal Luigi Ruffo Scilla. He became a teacher after his ordination and worked as such until 1835 while he also served as a parish priest for the Santi Cosma e Damiano parish church. He was devoted to the sacrament of penance and ministering to the ill, which both became trademarks for his life. He also imposed austerities on himself and penances such as consuming only bread and water and self-flagellation.[1][2] Errico made annual retreats to the Redemptorist house in Pagani in Salerno. In 1818 during one such retreat he had a vision in which Saint Alfonso Maria de' Liguori came to him and told him that God wanted him to build a new church and to found a new religious congregation. Errico set himself on doing this, and had strong support from the people after having announced it at Pentecost in 1826 (he purchased the land back in 1822). However this support started to fade over time due to a lack of adequate funding and low work levels. But he continued the project and dedicated and blessed the new church of Madonna Addolorata on 9 December 1830; this church would become a popular destination for pilgrims.[1][4]

Around the beginning of 1833, he built a small house for himself and a companion (and left his parents' home); it was close to that church so that he could tend to its needs. His companion was not a priest but helped maintain the church.[4] In 1833 came the first members of what would become Errico's religious order known as the Missionari dei Sacri Cuori di Gesù e Maria. On 8 February 1834 the group signed a petition addressed to Cardinal Filippo Giudice Caracciolo asking that they be considered a religious congregation. but the priests grew impatient and left Errico to manage on his own. This small group received diocesan support on 14 March 1836 while the Rome-based Sacred Consistorial Congregation also provided approval on 30 June 1838. He also had to receive permission from the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies which provided its assent on 13 May 1840. In April 1846 he travelled to Rome with the intention of receiving papal approval for his order. This did not materialize for Pope Gregory XVI died on 1 June, leaving Errico in Rome during the conclave. He had a brief encounter with Cardinal Giovanni Mastai-Ferretti and referred to him as "Your Holiness" when speaking with him, having some indication that he would become pope. The order later received full papal approval on 7 August 1946 from the new Pope Pius IX after he and Errico met sometime prior to this.[1] He served as the order's first Superior General.[3][2]

Errico died in his hometown on 29 October 1860 at 10:00 am due to a visceral fever. He had been ill since mid-October, having contracted bronchitis at that point. It became hard for him to breathe on 26 October at which point his priest nephew Beniamino Errico celebrated Mass at his bedside. On 28 October he received the Anointing of the Sick, and died the next morning while looking at a statue of the Blessed Mother.[2] In 2015 his order had 27 houses (in places such as Indonesia and the United States of America) with 141 religious and 90 priest members. The order's generalate is based in Rome at the Santa Maria in Publicolis church.[1]

Sainthood

Diocesan process and heroic virtues

The beatification process commenced in Naples in an informative process tasked to collect evidence and documentation on Errico's life and possible prospects for being proclaimed a saint. The introduction of the cause came on 18 December 1884 under Pope Leo XIII, in which Errico was titled as a Servant of God – the first official stage in the sainthood process. Theologians deemed his writings to be in line with the magisterium of the faith in 1893 and later held an apostolic process. Both processes received validation from the Congregation of Rites on 11 December 1897.

Errico became titled as Venerable on 4 October 1974 after Pope Paul VI recognized that he had lived a life of heroic virtue in accordance with the cardinal and theological virtues.

Beatification

The process for the investigation of a miracle both opened and concluded in 1999 and received validation from C.C.S. officials in Rome on 10 December 1999. The healing believed to be a miracle was deemed to be a legitimate miracle on 24 April 2000 at the behest of Pope John Paul II who in a decree confirmed that Errico could be beatified on that basis. The miracle in question was the healing of Caccioppoli Salvatore who had a perforated stomach wall; his wife put a relic under his pillow and his health improved at a quick pace. This illness was first noted during the morning on 9 January 1952 and Salvatore healed in the hospital a short while later.[1]

John Paul II beatified Errico on 14 April 2002.

Canonization

The process for the investigation of the miracle required for canonization opened in Naples on 10 November 2004 and concluded its business on 10 October 2005 prior to it being validated in 2006. It received the papal approval of Pope Benedict XVI in mid-2007 in which he acknowledged the 2003 healing of Anna Russo (who hailed from Errico's hometown). The date for the canonization was announced on 1 March 2008.

On 12 October 2008 he was proclaimed to be a saint of the Roman Catholic Church during a Mass held in Saint Peter's Square.

St. Eusebia October 29

 St. Eusebia

Feastday: October 29

Death: 3rd century

Martyred virgin, the niece of St. Domino. She was slain at Bergamo, in Lombardy, Italy.

St. Eusebia may refer to:

Saint Xenia the Righteous of Rome (died 5th-century AD), Orthodox saint with baptismal name Eusebia

St. Eusebia (Late 3rd century), virgin-martyr in Bergamo, Italy

St. Eusebia of Douai (died ca. 680), abbess at Hamay-les-Marchiennes near Arras, France; daughter of Rictrude and Adalbard

St. Eusebia (Benedictine abbess) (died ca. 731), Benedictine abbess of the Abbey of St. Victor, Marseille, France

St. Ermelinda October 29

 St. Ermelinda

Feastday: October 29

Death: 595

A Belgian hermitess. She lived in Meldaert Belgium, and was revered for her penitential practices.

St. Elfleda October 29

 St. Elfleda

Feastday: October 29

Death: 1000

Benedictine abbess, the daughter of Earl Ethelwold, who founded her abbey in Ramsey, England

Douai Martyrs October 29

 Douai Martyrs

Feastday: October 29

More than 160 priests trained in the English College of Douai, France, returned to England and Wales and faced arrest, torture, and execution by English authorities. A large group - more than eighty- were beatified in 1929, and English dioceses celebrate the feasts of these martyrs.

The Douai Martyrs is a name applied by the Roman Catholic Church to 158 Catholic priests trained in the English College at Douai, France, who were executed by the English state between 1577 and 1680.[2]

History

Having completed their training at Douai, many returned to England and Wales with the intent to minister to the Catholic population. Under the Jesuits, etc. Act 1584 the presence of a priest within the realm was considered high treason. Missionaries from Douai were looked upon as a papal agents intent on overthrowing the queen. Many were arrested under charges of treason and conspiracy, resulting in torture and execution. In total, 158 members of Douai College were martyred between the years 1577 and 1680.[1] The first was Cuthbert Mayne, executed at Launceston, Cornwall.[3] The last was Thomas Thwing, hanged, drawn, and quartered at York in October 1680.[4] Each time the news of another execution reached the College, a solemn Mass of thanksgiving was sung.

Many people risked their lives during this period by assisting them, which was also prohibited under the Act. A number of the "seminary priests" from Douai were executed at a three-sided gallows at Tyburn near the present-day Marble Arch. A plaque to the "Catholic martyrs" executed at Tyburn in the period 1535 - 1681 is located at 8 Hyde Park Place, the site of Tyburn convent.[5]

Eighty were beatified by Pope Pius XI in 1929. Today, British Catholic dioceses celebrate their feast day on 29 October.[1]

The Douay Martyrs School in Ickenham, Middlesex is named in their honour.

St. Donatus of Corfu October 29

St. Donatus of Corfu

Feastday: October 29

Death: unknown

Unknown saint whose relics were brought to Corfu, Greece, and enshrined there by Pope St. Gregory the Great. 

St. Cuthbert Mayne October 29

 St. Cuthbert Mayne

Feastday: October 29

Birth: 1544

Death: 1577

An English martyr, born near Branstaple, in Devonshire, as a Protestant. He converted to Catholicism at St. John's, Oxford. Cuthbert was ordained at Douai, France, and sent home to England about 1575. Working in Cornwall, he was captured after a year. Condemned for celebrating a Mass, he was hanged, drawn, and quartered on November 25. Cuthbert was a friend of Edmund Campion, and he was aided by Francis Tregian in Cornwall. He was the first Englishman trained for the priesthood at Douai and was the protomartyr of English seminaries. Cuthbert was canonized by Pope Paul VI as one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales.

Cuthbert Mayne (c. 1543–29 November 1577) was an English Roman Catholic priest executed under the laws of Elizabeth I. He was the first of the seminary priests, trained on the Continent, to be martyred. Mayne was beatified in 1886 and canonised as one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales in 1970.

Early life

Mayne was born at Youlston, near Barnstaple in Devon, the son of William Mayne. He was baptised at the Church of St Peter, Shirwell on 20 March 1543/4, the feast day of St Cuthbert. An uncle who was a Church of England priest paid for him to attend Barnstaple Grammar School.

Mayne was instituted rector of the parish of Huntshaw in December 1561.[1] He attended Oxford University, first at St Alban Hall,[2] then at St John's College, and was awarded a B.A. on 6 April 1566 and M.A. on 8 April 1570.[3] On 27 April 1570, the papal bull Regnans in Excelsis excommunicated those who obeyed the laws and commands of Queen Elizabeth I.

Catholic conversion

Cuthbert Mayne in a mezzotint by Daniel Fournier (died ca 1766)

At Oxford, Mayne met Edmund Campion and other Catholics, such as Gregory Martin, Humphrey Ely, Henry Shaw, Thomas Bramston, Henry Holland, Jonas Meredith, and Roland Russell. At some point Mayne, too, became a Catholic. Late in 1570, a letter addressed to him from Gregory Martin, urging him to come to Douai, fell into the hands of the Bishop of London, and he sent a pursuivant to arrest Mayne and others mentioned in the letter. Warned by Thomas Ford, Mayne evaded arrest by going to Cornwall and then, in 1573, to the English College, Douai (now in northern France).[2]

Mayne was ordained a priest in the Roman Catholic Church at Douai in 1575 and on 7 February in the following year he obtained the degree of Bachelor of Theology of Douai University.

On 24 April 1576, he left for the English mission in the company of another priest, John Payne. He soon joined the household of Francis Tregian at Golden in the parish of Probus, Cornwall[2] where he posed as his steward. Francis Tregian (1548–1608) was one of the richest landowners in Cornwall.

Golden Manor, Probus, scene of Mayne's arrest

Missionaries from Douai were looked upon as a papal agents intent on overthrowing the queen. The authorities began a systematic search in June 1576, when the Bishop of Exeter William Bradbridge came to Cornwall. On 8 June 1577, the High Sheriff of Cornwall, Richard Grenville, conducted a raid on Tregian's house during which the crown officers "bounced and beat at the door" to Mayne's chamber. On gaining entry, Grenville discovered a Catholic devotional article, an Agnus Dei, around Mayne's neck, and took him into custody along with his books and papers.[4]

Imprisonment and trial

While awaiting trial at the circuit assizes in September, Mayne was imprisoned in Launceston Castle. At the opening of the trial on 23 September 1577 there were five counts against him:[4] first, that he had obtained from the Roman See a "faculty" (or bulla), containing absolution of the Queen's subjects; second, that he had published the same at Golden; third, that he had taught the ecclesiastical authority of the pope and denied the queen's ecclesiastical supremacy while in prison; fourth, that he had brought into the kingdom an Agnus Dei (a Lamb of God sealed upon a piece of wax from the Paschal candle blessed by the pope)[5] and delivered it to Francis Tregian; fifth, that he had celebrated Mass.

Mayne answered all counts. On the first and second counts, he said that the supposed "faculty" was merely a copy printed at Douai of an announcement of the Jubilee of 1575, and that its application having expired with the end of the jubilee, he certainly had not published it either at Golden (the manor house of Francis Tregian) or elsewhere. On the third count, he said that he had asserted nothing definite on the subject to the three illiterate witnesses who swore to the contrary. On the fourth count, he said that the fact he was wearing an Agnus Dei at the time of his arrest did not establish that he had brought it into the kingdom or delivered it to Tregian. On the fifth count, he said that the presence of a Missal, a chalice, and vestments in his room did not establish that he had said Mass.

The trial judge, Justice Sir Roger Manwood,[6] directed the jury to return a verdict of guilty, stating that, "where plain proofs were wanting, strong presumptions ought to take place".[7] Manwood also argued that it was illegal to introduce any papal letter into the country, no matter what it was. The jury found Mayne guilty of high treason on all counts, and accordingly he was sentenced to be hanged, drawn and quartered. Mayne responded, "Deo gratias".[4]

With him had been arraigned Francis Tregian and eight other laymen. The eight were sentenced to seizure of their goods and life imprisonment.[8] Tregian was sentenced to die but was in fact incarcerated for 28 years[9] until, on the petition of his friends, he was released by King James I.[10]

His execution was delayed because one of the judges, Jeffries, took exception to the proceedings and sent a report to the Privy Council. The Council submitted the case to the whole bench of judges, which was inclined to Jeffries's view. Nevertheless, the council ordered the execution to proceed.[2]

At the examination of Mayne after the trial, Mayne admitted to having said mass. The Record Office also recorded that among his papers were notes which brought him under suspicion of the charge that Catholics were bound, in the right opportunity, to rise against the Queen. The same office also recorded him admitting to this during his examination after the trial:

The words found in a book of his signifying that though the catholic religion did now serve, swear and obey, yet if occasion were offered they would be ready to help the execution, &c., were annexed to a text taken out of a general council of Lateran for the authority of the pope in his excommunication, and at the last council of Trent there was a consent of the catholic princes for a reformation of such realms and persons as had gone from the authority of the bishop of Rome, when it was concluded that if any catholic prince took in hand to invade any realm to reform the same to the authority of the see of Rome, that then the catholics in that realm should be ready to assist and help them. And this was the meaning of the execution as he saith, which he never revealed to any man before.[11]

Mayne had also supposedly stated that "the people of England may be won unto the catholic religion of the see of Rome by such secret instructions as either are or may be within the realm; but what these secret instructions are he will not utter, but hopeth when time serveth they shall do therein as pleaseth God."[12]

Execution

A gallows was erected in the marketplace at Launceston, and Mayne was executed there on 29 November 1577. Before being brought to the place of execution, Mayne was offered his life in return for a renunciation of his religion and an acknowledgment of the supremacy of the queen as head of the church. Declining both offers, he kissed a copy of the Bible, declaring that, "the queen neither ever was, nor is, nor ever shall be, the head of the church of England". He was not allowed to speak to the crowd but only to say his prayers quietly. It is unclear if he died on the gallows but all agree that he was unconscious, or almost so, when he was drawn and quartered. One source states that he was cut down alive, but in falling struck his head against the scaffold.

Political considerations

A. L. Rowse sees the condemnation of Mayne as arising from local rivalries between Protestant coastal and Catholic inland interests.[13] Grenville had been unsuccessful in his attempts to arrange a marriage between his daughter and the Tregian heir.[14]

The coming of Mayne and others made the English government fear the possibility of papal agents coming to the island to ready the populace to rise up in revolt in support of King Philip II of Spain in an invasion of England. This helped support the case to pass harsher legislation against Catholicism in England. Establishing a threat from subversive Catholic elements also served Elizabeth's counsellors such as Lord Burghley in their attempts to persuade the Queen to support the Dutch Revolt against Spain.[11]

Legacy

Mayne was beatified "equipollently" by Pope Leo XIII, by means of a decree of 29 December 1886 and was canonised along with other martyrs of England and Wales by Pope Paul VI on 25 October 1970.

Mayne was the first seminary priest, the group of priests who were trained not in England but in houses of studies on the Continent. He was also one of the group of prominent Catholic martyrs of the persecution who were later designated as the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales.

Relics of Mayne's body survive. A portion of his skull is in the Carmelite Convent at Lanherne, Cornwall. Christopher M. B. Allison suggests that the silver reliquary discovered in 2015 at Jamestown, Virginia in the grave of Captain Gabriel Archer (died 1609/10) may contain a relic of Mayne.[15]

There are many memorials to him in Launceston, and in 1977 the name of the Roman Catholic church on St Stephen's Hill there was changed from the Church of the English Martyrs to the Church of St Cuthbert Mayne; it is the site of the National Shrine to St Cuthbert Mayne.[16] In 1921 an annual June pilgrimage was initiated in Launceston to commemorate Mayne.[17]

St Cuthbert Mayne School, a voluntary aided Roman Catholic and Church of England school[18] in Torquay, and St Cuthbert Mayne Catholic Junior School in Hemel Hempstead, are named after him. The St Cuthbert Mayne RC High School in Fulwood, Lancashire merged in 1988 to become Our Lady's Catholic High School.

In fiction

In the historical novel The Grove of Eagles by Winston Graham, which is set in Cornwall some years after Mayne's death, there are several references to him. One character, a Catholic member of the prominent Arundell family of Tolverne, says that his Protestant brother, who was one of the jurors at Mayne's trial, will burn in Hell for his share in Mayne's death. The brother, filled with guilt for his share in the execution, has not only converted to the Roman Catholic faith but is risking his life by sheltering other priests.

St. Colman of Kilmacduagh October 29

 St. Colman of Kilmacduagh

Feastday: October 29

Birth: 550

Death: 632

Abbot-bishop, son of the Irish chieftain, Duac. He lived as a hermit at Arranmore and Burren, in County Clare, Ireland. Made a bishop against he will, he founded a monastery at Kilmacduagh, on landgiven by King Guaire of Connaught.

Saint Colman mac Duagh (c. 560 – 29 October 632) was born at Corker, Kiltartan, County Galway, Ireland, the son of the Irish chieftain Duac (and thus, in Irish, mac Duach). He initially lived as a recluse, living in prayer and prolonged fastings, first on Inismore, then in a cave at the Burren in County Clare. With his relative, King Guaire Aidne mac Colmáin (d. 663) of Connacht he founded the monastery of Kilmacduagh, ("the church of the son of Duac"), and governed it as abbot-bishop.

He has been confused with Saint Colman of Templeshanbo (d. 595) who was from Connacht and lived somewhat earlier.

Saint Colman's well, c.1880–1900

St Colman was reportedly the son of Queen Rhinagh and her husband the chieftain Duac, born in Kiltartan, now County Galway.

Priesthood

He was educated at Saint Enda's monastery in Inishmore/Árainn, the largest of the Aran Islands[1] on Inishmore and lived there as a hermit. He built a church, Teampuill Mor Mhic Duagh, and a small oratory, Teampuill beg Mhic Duagh, near Kilmurvy. These form part of a group known as the Seven Churches, although the designation does not indicate the actual number of churches, many destroyed during the time of Cromwell.[2]

Seeking greater solitude, around 590 he moved to the Burren, which was then covered in forest, accompanied by a servant. The hermitage is located in the townland of Keelhilla, part of the parish of Carran, at the foot of a cliff of Slieve Carran.[3] Today the site consists of a small stone oratory, a holy well, Colman's shallow cave, the grave of his servant and a bullaun stone. These are now surrounded by hazel scrub. Since the oratory is made from stone, it cannot have been built by Colman, as in his time the churches were all built from wood.[4]:58–9

King Guaire Aidne mac Colmáin had his principal place of residence at Kinvara, near the location of today's Dunguaire Castle. Upon learning of the hermitage, he was so impressed with Colman's holiness that he asked him to take episcopal charge of the territory of the Aidhne.[2] In 610, Colman founded a monastery, which became the centre of the tribal Diocese of Aidhne, practically coextensive with the See of Kilmacduagh.[5] This is now known as the monastery of Kilmacduagh.

Although reluctant to accept the title, Colman was ordained a bishop. His associates included Surney of Drumacoo. He died 29 October 632.

Veneration

Although the "Martyrology of Donegal" assigns his feast to 2 February, yet the weight of evidence and the tradition of the diocese point to 29 October.[5]

An annual pilgrimage to Colman's hermitage takes place on 21 October.[4]:59

Legends

Kilmacduagh

While she carried the child in her womb Colman's mother heard a prophecy that her son would be great man and surpass all others of his lineage. The pregnant Rhinagh, fearing her husband would seek to harm the child, fled. However, the king's men caught up to her and tried to drown her in the Kiltartin river by tying a stone around her neck. However, she was washed to shore.[6] The rock with the rope marks is on display by the Kiltartin river.

Not long after she gave birth to Colman (c. 560), Rhinagh took her newborn to a priest to baptise, but they realised there was no water. Fearing to return home, the mother sheltered under an ash tree and prayed. A fountain bubbled up from the earth and Colman was baptised. That fountain is now the miraculous well of Colman mac duagh. Rhinagh entrusted her child to the care of monks.

According to the Menology of Aengus, after austere fasting throughout Lent, on Easter morning Colman inquired as to whether his servant had found anything special for their Easter meal. The servant replied that he only had a small fowl and the usual herbs. Perceiving that the servant's patience was near exhausted, Colman prayed that the Lord provide an appropriate meal. At the same time, Colman's cousin King Guaire was sitting down to a banquet. No sooner had the dishes been served than they were spirited away by unseen hands. The king and his retinue followed only to find the banquet spread before Colman and his servant. An area of limestone pavement nearby is called to this day Bohir na Maes or Bóthar na Mias, the "road of the dishes".[2][4]:58

King Guaire bade him to build a monastery. Colman wanted God to show him where to build the monastery, and so asked God to give him a sign; later while walking through Burren woods, his cincture fell off. He took this to be God's sign and built the monastery on the place his cincture fell.[4]:58

It is said that Colman declared that no person nor animal in the diocese of Kilmacduagh would ever die of lightning strike, something that appears true to this day.

As with many relics, Colman's abbatial crozier has been used through the centuries for the swearing of oaths. Although it was in the custodianship of the O'Heynes of Kiltartan (descendants of King Guaire) and their relatives, the O'Shaughnessys, it can now be seen in the National Museum in Dublin (Attwater, Benedictines, Carty, D'Arcy, Farmer, MacLysaght, Montague, Stokes).

Other tales are recounted about Colman, who loved birds and animals.[7] He had a pet rooster who served as an alarm clock at a time before there were such modern conveniences.[7] The rooster would begin his song at the breaking of dawn and continue until Colman would come out and speak to it. Colman would then call the other monks to prayer by ringing the bells. But the monks wanted to pray during the night hours, too, and couldn't count on the rooster to awaken them at midnight and 3:00 am. So Colman made a pet out of a mouse that often kept him company in the night by giving it crumbs to eat. Eventually the mouse was tamed, and Colman asked its help:

"So you are awake all night, are you? It isn't your time for sleep, is it? My friend, the cock, gives me great help, waking me every morning. Couldn't you do the same for me at night, while the cock is asleep? If you do not find me stirring at the usual time, couldn't you call me? Will you do that?"

It was a long time before Colman tested the understanding of the mouse. After a long day of preaching and travelling on foot, Colman slept very soundly. When he did not awake at the usual hour in the middle of the night for Lauds, the mouse pattered over to the bed, climbed on the pillow, and rubbed his tiny head against Colman's ear. Not enough to awaken the exhausted monk. So the mouse tried again, but Colman shook him off impatiently. Making one last effort, the mouse nibbled on the saint's ear and Colman immediately arose—laughing. The mouse, looking very serious and important, just sat there on the pillow staring at the monk, while Colman continued to laugh in disbelief that the mouse had indeed understood its job.

When he regained his composure, Colman praised the clever mouse for his faithfulness and fed him extra treats. Then he entered God's presence in prayer. Thereafter, Colman always waited for the mouse to rub his ear before arising, whether he was awake or not. The mouse never failed in his mission.

The monk had another strange pet: a fly. Each day, Colman would spend some time reading a large, awkward parchment manuscript prayer book. Each day the fly would perch on the margin of the sheet. Eventually Colman began to talk to the fly, thanked him for his company, and asked for his help:

"Do you think you could do something useful for me? You see yourself that everyone who lives in the monastery is useful. Well, if I am called away, as I often am, while I am reading, don't you go too; stay here on the spot I mark with my finger, so that I'll know exactly where to start when I come back. Do you see what I mean?"

So, as with the mouse, it was a long time before Colman put the understanding of the fly to the test. He probably provided the insect with treats as he did the mouse—perhaps a single drop of honey or crumb of cake. One day Colman was called to attend a visitor. He pointed the spot on the manuscript where he had stopped and asked the fly to stay there until he returned. The fly did as the saint requested, obediently remaining still for over an hour. Colman was delighted. Thereafter, he often gave the faithful fly a little task that it was proud to do for him. The other monks thought it was such a marvel that they wrote it down in the monastery records, which is how we know about it.

But a fly's life is short. At the end of summer, Colman's little friend was dead. While still mourning the death of the fly, the mouse died, too, as did the rooster. Colman's heart was so heavy at the loss of his last pet that he wrote to his friend Saint Columba. Columba responded:

"You were too rich when you had them. That is why you are sad now. Trouble like that only comes where there are riches. Be rich no more."

Colman then realised that one can be rich without any money (Curtayne-Linnane).

St. Bond October 29

 St. Bond

Feastday: October 29

Death: 7th century

A hermit venerated in Sens, France. Bond was a Spaniard who became a public penitent, trained by St. Artemius, the bishop there. He is also called Baldus.