இன்றைய புனிதர்கள் மார்ச் 18

 St. Narcissus and Felix

Feastday: March 18

Martyrs. While it is certain that Narcissus, a bishop, and Felix, his deacon, were martyred in Spain, little else is known. Legends are associated with them, including their supposed escape to Germany or Switzerland.

St. Humphrey

Feastday: March 18

Death: 871

Benedictine bishop during the Norman invasion, also called Hunfrid. He was a monk at Prum until being made the bishop of Therouanne, France, in 856. Forced to flee the Normans, he returned to restore the city and to become abbot of St. Bertin in France.

St. Frediano

Feastday: March 18

Death: 588

Irish bishop, also called Frigidanus and Frigidian. He was reportedly a prince of Ireland who went on a pilgrimage to Rome and settled into a hermitage on Mount Pisano, near Lucca. The pope made him bishop of Lucca, but his see was attacked by Lombards. Frediano is believed to have founded a group of eremetical canons who merged with those of St. John Lateran in 1507.

 

Saint Cyril of Jerusalem

 புனிதர் சிரில் 

(St. Cyril of Jerusalem)

ஆயர்/ ஒப்புரவாளர்/ மறைவல்லுநர்:

(Bishop, Confessor and Doctor of the Church)

பிறப்பு: கி.பி. 313

ரோமானிய பாலஸ்தீனிய பிரதான நகரங்களில் ஒன்றான இஸ்ரேலின் மெடிட்டெரேனியன் கரையோரத்தில் உள்ள, “சீசரே மாரிடிமா” எனும் ஒரு பண்டைய துறைமுகம் அருகில், சிரியா பாலஸ்தீனம் (தற்போதைய இஸ்ரேல்)

(Possibly near “Caesarea Maritima”, an ancient port on the Mediterranean coast of Israel, one of the principal cities of Roman Palestine, Syria Palaestina (Modern-day Israel)

இறப்பு: கி.பி. 386 (வயது 73)

எருசலேம், சிரியா பாலஸ்தீனம்

(Jerusalem, Syria Palaestina)

ஏற்கும் சமயம்:

ரோமன் கத்தோலிக்க திருச்சபை

(Roman Catholic Church)

கிழக்கு மரபுவழி திருச்சபை

(Eastern Orthodox Church)

ஓரியண்டல் மரபுவழி திருச்சபை

(Oriental Orthodoxy)

ஆங்கிலிக்கன் சமூகம்

(Anglican Communion)

லூதரன் திருச்சபை

(Lutheran Church)

நினைவுத் திருநாள்: மார்ச் 18

தற்போதைய காலகட்டத்தில் திருச்சபைக்குள்ள நெருக்கடிகள் - அந்நாளைய நான்காம் நூற்றாண்டில் கிறிஸ்தவத்திற்கு எதிரான கொள்கைகளைக்கொண்ட ஆரியர்களால் (Arian heresy) திருச்சபைக்கு நேரிட்ட நெருக்கடிகளுக்கும் பயமுறுத்தல்களுக்கும் முன்னே மிகவும் சாதாரணமானதேயாகும். கிறிஸ்துவின் தெய்வீகத்தன்மையையே மறுதலித்த ஆரியர்கள் கிட்டத்தட்ட கிறிஸ்தவத்தை இல்லாது செய்தனர்.

புனிதர் சிரில், ஆரம்பகால திருச்சபையின் புகழ்பெற்ற இறையியலாளராக விளங்கினார். அனைத்துக் கிறிஸ்தவ திருச்சபைகளாலும் புனிதராக கொண்டாடப்பட்ட இவர், பாலஸ்தீனிய கிறிஸ்தவ சமூகத்தினரால் மிகவும் உயர்வாக மதிக்கப்பட்டவர். இவர், கி.பி. 1883ம் ஆண்டு, திருத்தந்தை பதின்மூன்றாம் லியோ (Pope Leo XIII) அவர்களால் திருச்சபையின் மறைவல்லுனர் என பிரகடணம் செய்விக்கப்பட்டார்.

"மாக்ஸிமசுக்குப் (Maximus) பின்னர் இவர் ஜெருசலேம் நகரின் ஆயராக பொறுப்பேற்றார். ஆனால், ஆரியனிச (Arians) ஆயர் "அகஸியஸ்" (Acacius of Caesarea) என்பவரது பகைமையாலும் பல்வேறு பேரரசர்களின் மாறுபட்ட கொள்கைகளாலும் இவர் ஒன்றுக்கும் மேற்பட்ட சந்தர்ப்பங்களில் நாடு கடத்தப்பட்டார்.

பாலஸ்தீன நகரில் அல்லது அதன் அருகாமையில் பிறந்த சிரில், சிறப்பாக கல்வி கற்றார். ஜெருசலேம் நகரின் ஆயர், புனிதர் "மகாரியஸ்" (St. Macarius of Jerusalem) அவர்களால் கி.பி. 335ம் ஆண்டு திருத்தொண்டராக அருட்பொழிவு செய்யப்பட்டார். சுமார் எட்டு ஆண்டுகளின் பின்னர் அருட்தந்தையாக அருட்பொழிவு செய்யப்பட்டார். கி.பி. சுமார் 350ம் ஆண்டின் பிற்பகுதியில் "மாக்ஸிமசுக்குப் (Maximus) பின்னர் ஜெருசலேம் நகரின் ஆயராக பொறுப்பேற்றார்.

அவர் ஜெருசலேமின் ஆயராகப் பொறுப்பேற்ற சூழ்நிலை பற்றி முரண்பட்ட தகவல்கள் உள்ளன. பிராந்திய ஆயர்களால் அவர் முறையாக அருட்பொழிவு செய்யப்பட்டார் எனவும், அதற்கு எதிராகவும் தகவல்கள் நிலவின. அவருக்கு எதிரான மற்றும் விரோதங்களைக்கொண்ட ஆரியனிச ஆயரான "அகஸியஸ்" சிரிலுக்கு எதிராக போர்க்கொடி தூக்கினான். ஜெருசலேம் திருச்சபையில் சிரிலுக்கு முக்கியத்துவம் அதிகரிப்பது கண்டு பொறாமை கொண்டான். ஜெருசலேம் கிறிஸ்தவர்களின் முக்கிய ஸ்தலமாகவும் யாத்திரை ஸ்தலமாகவும் மாறுவது கண்டு மென்மேலும் பொறாமை கொண்டான். தேவாலயங்களின் பொது சொத்துக்களை சிரில் விற்பதாக குற்றம் சாட்டினான். ஒருமுறை, ஜெருசலேம் நகரில் உணவுப் பற்றாக்குறையினால் பஞ்சம் ஏற்பட்டது. தமது மக்களுக்கு உணவுப்பொருட்களை வாங்குவதற்காக அவர் அங்ஙனம் செய்ததாக ஒரு நம்பிக்கை நிலவியது.

சிரில் மீதுள்ள குற்றங்களுக்கான விசாரணைக்காக "அகஸியஸ்" 'அழைப்பாணை' (Summons) அனுப்பினான். ஆனால், இரண்டு வருடம் வரை சிரில் அவற்றினை எதிர்த்தார். ஆனால், அகஸியஸின் செல்வாக்கின் காரணமாக கூடிய விசாரணை சபை, கி.பி. 357ம் ஆண்டு, சிரில் இல்லாத சமயம் பார்த்து அவரை பதவி இறக்கம் செய்தது. சிரில் "டாரஸ்" ஆயர் "சில்வானஸ்" (Silvanus) என்பவருடன் தஞ்சமடைந்தார்.

கி.பி. 359ம் ஆண்டு, சூழ்நிலைகள் அகஸியஸுக்கு எதிராக மாறின. அப்போது கூடிய "செலூஸியா" (Council of Seleucia) விசாரணை சபை, சிரிலின் ஆயர் பதவியை உறுதி செய்ததுடன், அகஸியசை பதிவியிறக்கம் செய்து தீர்ப்பளித்தது. இருப்பினும் 360ம் ஆண்டு, இத்தீர்ப்பு பேரரசன் "கான்ஸ்டன்ஷியசால்" (Emperor Constantius) மாற்றி எழுதப்பட்டது. சிரில் மீண்டும் தண்டனைக்குள்ளானார். ஜெருசலேமிலிருந்து நாடு கடத்தப்பட்டார். ஒரு வருடத்தின் பின்னர் பேரரசர் "ஜூலியன்" (Emperor Julian) இவரை நாடு திரும்ப அனுமதித்தார்.

கி.பி. 367ம் ஆண்டு, சிரில் மீண்டுமொருமுறை ஆரிய பேரரசன் "வலேன்ஸ்" (Arian Emperor Valens) என்பவரால் நாடு கடத்தப்பட்டார். மறு வருடம் கி.பி. 378ம் ஆண்டு, பேரரசன் "கிரேஷியன்" (Emperor Gratian) அவரை நாடு திரும்ப அனுமதித்தார். நாடு திரும்பிய அவர் மதங்களுக்கு எதிரான கொள்கைகள், பிளவு, கலவரம், குற்றங்கள் ஆகியவற்றால் ஜெருசலேம் சீர்குழைந்து போயிருப்பதைக் கண்டார். அவரது உதவிக்காக அனுப்பப்பட்ட புனிதர் கிரகோரி கூட (Saint Gregory of Nyssa) விரக்தியுற்று திரும்பினார். இருவரும் கி.பி. 381ம் ஆண்டு, நடந்த "கான்ஸ்டன்டினோபில்" சபையில் (Council of Constantinople) கலந்துகொள்ள சென்றனர். "நிசென்" ஒப்பந்தம் (Nicene Creed) பிரகடணப்படுத்தப்பட்டது. கிறிஸ்து, அதே பொருள் கொண்ட தந்தை என்று சிரில் ஏற்றுக்கொண்டார். சிலர் அதனை மனம் திரும்புதலின் நடவடிக்கை என விமரிசித்தனர். ஆனால், ஆயர் பேரவையோ ஆரியர்களுக்கெதிரான ஆச்சாரப் பணிகளின் வெற்றியாளர் என சிரிலை புகழ்ந்தனர்.

பின்னர், கி.பி. 386ம் ஆண்டு, அவர் மரிக்கும்வரை பிறர் தொந்தரவுகள் இல்லாதிருந்தார்.

Also known as

Cirillo, Kyrillos

Profile

Raised a Christian in Jerusalem. Well educated, especially in religion. Priest, ordained by Saint Maximus. A great teacher of catechumens, Cyril's instructions are still source documents for the Church's early teachings. Bishop of Jerusalem in 348. Exiled three times by the Arians, usually on some trumped up charge like selling church furniture, but actually on theological grounds. Attended the Council of Seleucia in 359. Attended the Council of Constantinople in 381. Greek Father of the Church. Doctor of the Church.

Born

315

Died

386 of natural causes

Saint Edward the Martyr

Also known as

Edward II

Additional Memorial

20 June (translation of relics)

Profile

Son of King Edgar the Peaceful, and ÆthelflÆd. On Edgar's death in 975, there was a disputed succession between Edward and his younger half-brother, Æthelred, Edgar's son by Ælfthryth, but Edward was chosen King of England at age 13; he reigned less than three years. Killed at the behest of his step-mother Elfrida so her son could take the throne, and popularly proclaimed a martyr.

Born

962

Died

• stabbed to death in the evening of 18 March 978 at Corfe Castle, Dorsetshire, England

• buried at Wareham, England

• relics translated to Shaftesbury Abbey on 13 February 981, and resided there for over 500 years

• relics hidden in 1539 when the abbey was seized by the state

• relics re-discovered in 1931 during an archeological dig on the site

• relics re-interred in the Brookwood Cemetery, Saint Edward the Martyr Orthodox Church, Woking, England under the care of monks in the Greek Orthodox tradition

Patronage

against glandular diseases

Saint Anselm of Lucca the Younger

Profile

Nephew of Pope Alexander II. Bishop of Lucca, Italy in 1073. Due to a dispute over imperial investiture, Anselm initially refused to accept the regalia of his office from Emperor Henry IV, but later gave in and accepted. He retired to lived as a Benedictine monk in a Cluniac monastery of Polirone in San Benedetto Po, Italy.

Recalled by Pope Gregory VII. Anselm's canons were slack in observance of the austere life, were placed under papal interdict and excommunicated, revolted, were supported by the emperor, and drove Anselm from his see in 1079.

Anselm retired to Canossa, Italy, as spiritual director of Countess Matilda of Tuscany, and then reformed the monasteries in her lands. Supported Pope Gregory VII's efforts to end lay investiture. Apostolic legate to Lombardy under Pope Victor III, again settling problems caused by the lay investiture conflict. Worked against the anti-pope Guibert of Ravenna. His prayers obtained the rout of the enemies of Gregory VII.

Born

1036 at Mantua, Italy

Died

• 18 March 1086 at Mantua, Italy of natural causes

• relics in the cathedral of Mantua

Patronage

Mantua, Italy

Representation

man standing in front of an army that is in confusion

Saint Frigidian of Lucca

Also known as

Erigdian, Finnian, Frediano, Fredianus, Fridian, Fridianus, Frigdianus, Frigianu, Frigidanus

Profile

Sometimes confused with Saint Finnian of Moville. Son of King Ultach of Ulster, Ireland. Educated in Irish monasteries. Priest. After a pilgrimage to Rome, Italy he settled as a hermit on Mount Pisano. Bishop of Lucca in 566, though he often left the city to spend days in prayer and solitude. Formed the clergy of his see into a community of canons regular. Rebuilt the cathedral in Lucca after it was burned by the Lombards.

The River Serchio frequently flooded the town of Lucca. Legend says that when the citizens called on Frigidian for aid, he asked for a rake or hoe, prayed over it, ordered the river to follow him, then dug new, safe course for the river by dragging the tool through the dirt.

Born

in Ireland

Died

18 March 588 of natural causes

Representation

• bishop hoeing a piece of ground

• bishop raking a piece of ground

• bishop with a crown at his feet

• changing the course of the River Serchio

• walking in procession as the Volto Santo crucifix is brought to Lucca on an ox cart

Blessed Aimée-Adèle le Bouteiller

Also known as

Amata Adele, Marta, Martha, Marthe

Profile

Third of four children of Andrea and Maria Francesca le Bouteiller Morel; the family were farmers and linen weavers, and her father died of tuberculosis when she was only 10 years old. Around age 20 she went to work as a maid. Aimee joined the Sisters of the Christian Schools of Mercy at the Abbey of Saint-Sauveur-le-Vicomte on 19 March 1841 and made her profession on 14 September 1842, taking the name Sister Martha; her novice mistress was Blessed Placide Viel. Martha worked in the kitchen, the fields, the wine cellar, caring for her sisters and guests at the house, serving 250 people a day during peace time, 500 a day during war, serving them drink and encouraging their faith. Legend says that her prayers insured that the cellars never ran dry.

Born

2 December 1816 in Percy, France as Aimée-Adèle

Died

Palm Sunday 18 March 1883 in Saint Sauveur-le-Vicomte Abbey in Normandy, France from a stroke

Beatified

4 November 1990 by Pope John Paul II

Saint Narcissus of Gerona

Also known as

• Narcissus of Ausburg

• Narcissus of Girona

• Narciso, Narcis

Profile

Born to he nobility. Priest, preacher and bishop of Gerona, Spain in the early 4th century. During the persecutions of Diocletian he fled to modern Augsburg, Germany with his deacon, Saint Felix of Gerona. There they befriended Saint Afra of Augsburg. Returning to Gerona, he and Felix were arrested and martyred.

Legend associates him with the miracle of the flies which led to some of his patronage topics and iconography. In 1286 the army of Philip II of Burgundy laid siege to the city of Gerona. When the troops tried to desecrate the tomb of Saint Narcissus, it broke open, a cloud of stinging flies emerged, chased the soldiers and caused to much havoc that the French troops fled, leaving the city in peace.

Died

• c.307 at Gerona, Catalonia, Spain

• relics in an urn in the San Narciso chapel in the church of San Felix in Gerona

Patronage

• against mosquitoes

• against stinging flies

• Augsburg, Germany

• Gerona, Spain

Saint Braulio of Saragossa

Also known as

Braulio

Additional Memorial

18 March (Spain)

Profile

Son of Gregory of Osma, a Hispano-Roman bishop. Monk at Saint Engratia's monastery, Zaragoza, Spain. Studied in Seville, Spain under Saint Isidore. Ordained in 624 by his brother John, archbhishop of Zaragoza. Archdeacon to John. Bishop in 631, and archbishop of Zaragoza. Noted scholar, writer, correspondent, and exceptional hagiographer. Advisor to kings of Spain. Fought Arianism, and converted the Visigoths from the heresy. Attended councils in Toledo in 633, 636 and 638. Collaborated with Saint Isidore to create his encyclopedic work, the Etymologies, which partially led Isidore to be proferred as the patron of computers and the Internet. His eyesight became extremely poor as he aged; we have letters in which he complained bitterly of the loss, as it put a stop to his studies.

Born

c.590

Died

• c.651 at Zaragoza, Spain of natural causes

• buried in the church of Nuestra Senora Merced del Pilar

Patronage

• Aragon, Spain

• University of Zaragoza

Saint Alexander of Jerusalem

Also known as

Alexander of Cappadocia

Profile

Studied in Alexandria, Egypt. Fellow student with Origen. Bishop of Cappadocia. Imprisoned from 204 to 211 for his faith during the persecutions of Severus. Pilgrim to Jerusalem upon his release. Coadjutor bishop of Jerusalem with Saint Narcissus in 212. Censured for encouraging Origen to teach in churches while still a laymen. Developed a large theological library. Imprisoned again during the persecutions of Decius. When given a chance to save himself by denouncing Christianity, he made a public pronouncement of his faith. He was thrown to wild animals, but they refused to attack him. Re-imprisoned, Alexander died in chains from general maltreatment. Martyr.

Died

martyred in 251 at Ceasarea

Blessed Celestine of the Mother of God

Also known as

• Celestina Donati

• Maria Anna Donati

• Marianna Donati

Profile

She early felt drawn to religious life. Founded the Congregation of the Daughters of the Poor of Saint Joseph Calasanzio (Calasanzian Sisters) in 1889 with a mission to teach the poor and the children of prisoners.

Born

26 October 1848 in Marradi, Florence, Italy as Maria Anna Donati

Died

18 March 1925 in Florence, Italy of natural causes

Beatified

• 30 March 2008 by Pope Benedict XVI

• recognition celebrated at the Cathedral of Florence, Italy, presided by Cardinal José Saraiva Martins

Saint Salvator of Horta

புனித_சால்வதோர் (1567-1938)

மார்ச் 18

இவர் (#StSalvatorOfHorta) ஸ்பெயின் நாட்டைச் சார்ந்தவர்.

மிகவும் எளிய குடும்பத்தில் பிறந்த இவர், சிறுவயதிலேயே தன் பெற்றோரை இழந்தார். இதனால் இவர் பார்சிலோனாவிற்குச் சென்று, செருப்புத் தைத்து அதிலிருந்து கிடைத்த சொற்ப வருமானத்தைக் கொண்டு வாழ்ந்து வந்தார்.

இவருக்கு இருபது வயது நடக்கும்போது பொதுநிலையினருக்கான பிரான்சிஸ்கன் மூன்றாம் சபையில் சேர்ந்து ஒரு துறவியைப் போன்று வாழ்ந்து வந்தார். அங்கு இவர் தனக்குக் கொடுக்கப்பட்ட மிகச் சாதாரண வேலைகளையும்கூட மிகத் தாழ்ச்சியோடு செய்து வந்தார்.

இவரால் பல அருமடையாளங்கள் நடந்தன. அதனால் இவரைச் சுற்றி எப்பொழுதும் நோயாளர்கள் இருந்தார்கள். இவர் வெறுங் காலோடு தான் எங்கும் சென்றார்; கடுமையான ஒறுத்தல் முயற்சிகளை மேற்கொண்டார். எனவே இவர் வாழ்ந்த காலத்திலேயே ஒரு புனிதராக அறியப்பட்டார்.

இவர் 1567 ஆம் ஆண்டு தனது 47 வயதில் இறையடி சேர்ந்தார். இவருக்கு 1938 ஆம் ஆண்டு திருத்தந்தை பதினொன்றாம் பயஸால் புனிதர் பட்டம் கொடுக்கப்பட்டது

Also known as

Salvador, Salvatore

Additional Memorial

17 April (Friars Minor)

Profile

Shepherd. Shoemaker. Franciscan lay brother at Barcelona, Spain. Cook, beggar and porter at the friary in the Horta-Guinardó area of Barcelona. Miracle worker and healer. His cell became a destination for sick pilgrims; said to have cured as many as 2,000 in a single day.

Born

1520 at Santa Columba, Gerona, Spain

Died

18 March 1567 at friary at Cagliari, Sardinia, Italy of natural causes

Canonized

17 April 1938 by Pope Pius XI

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Blessed Christian O'Conarchy

Also known as

• Christianus

• Giolla Criost Ua Condoirche

Profile

Spritual student and archdeacon of Saint Malachy O'More at Armagh, Ireland. Received the Cistercian habit at Clairvaux, France in 1139 from Saint Bernard of Clairvaux. Abbot of the first Cistercian monastery in Ireland in 1142. Bishop of Lismore, Ireland in 1150. Papal legate for Ireland. In old age he retired to live as a prayerful monk at Odorney Abbey.

Born

c.1100 at Bangor, County Down, Ireland

Died

1186 at Odorney Abbey, Abbeydorney, Ireland of natural causes

Blessed John Thules

Additional Memorials

• 22 November as one of the Martyrs of England, Scotland, and Wales

• 29 October as one of the Martyrs of Douai

Profile

Priest of the apostolic vicariate of England, ministering to covert Catholics during the persecutions of James I. Martyr.

Born

c.1568 in Upholland, Lancashire, England

Died

18 March 1616 in Lancaster, Lancashire, England

Beatified

22 November 1987 by Pope John Paul II

Blessed Roger Wrenno

Also known as

Ruggero

Additional Memorial

22 November as one of the Martyrs of England, Scotland, and Wales

Profile

Layman of the apostolic vicariate of England, ministering to covert Catholics during the persecutions of James I. Martyr.

Born

c.1576 in Chorley, Lancashire, England

Died

18 March 1616 in Lancaster, Lancashire, England

Beatified

22 November 1987 by Pope John Paul II

Saint Eucarpius of Nicomedia

Profile

Pagan soldier in the imperial Roman army and stationed in Nicomedia (in modern Turkey). Assigned to hunt Christians during the persecutions of Diocletian, he came to know them and the faith so well that he converted. Martyr.

Died

burned alive in 304 at Nicomedia

Saint Trophimus of Nicomedia

Profile

Pagan soldier in the imperial Roman army and stationed in Nicomedia (in modern Turkey). Assigned to hunt Christians during the persecutions of Diocletian, he came to know them and the faith so well that he converted. Martyr.

Died

burned alive in 304 at Nicomedia

Martyrs of Nicomedia

Profile

Commemorates the Christians who were martyred anonymously, either singly and in small groups, by local pagans in the area of Nicomedia prior to the year 300, and who may have been over-looked in the waves of Diocletian persecutions that resulted in the deaths of thousands.

Saint Leobard of Tours

Also known as

Leopardo, Leobardo, Leobardus, Liberd

Profile

Spiritual student of Saint Gregory of Tours. Hermit for over 20 years near Marmoutier, France.

Died

593 of natural causes

Saint Egbert of Ripon

Profile

Monk at Ripon, England.

Died

• c.720

• relics in Ripon, England

Saint Felix of Gerona

Profile

Deacon. Martyr.

Died

c.307 in Gerona, Catalonia, Spain

Saint Finan of Aberdeen

Profile

Spritiual student of Saint Kentigern.

Died

595

இன்றைய புனிதர்கள் மார்ச் 17

 Bl. Peter Lieou

Feastday: March 17

Death: 1834

 

Martyr of China. A Chinese native, he was converted to Catholicism and was consequently exiled to Mongolia in 1814. Permitted to return in 1827, he soon assisted the spread of Catholic missionary efforts and, during the persecution of Christianity by the Chinese government, managed to make his way into a prison where he gave comfort to Christian prisoners. He was caught and strangled. Peter was beatified in 1900.

St. Joseph of Arimathea

புனிதர் அரிமத்தியா யோசேப்பு 

(St. Joseph of Arimathea)

இயேசுவின் இரகசிய சீடர்:

(Secret Disciple of Jesus)

பிறப்பு: தெரியவில்லை

இறப்பு: தெரியவில்லை

சிரியாக் மரபுவழி ஆலயம், ஹோலி செபுல்ச்ரெ

(Syriac orthodox Chapel in Holy Sepulchre)

ஏற்கும் சமயம்:

கத்தோலிக்க திருச்சபை

(Catholic Church)

ஓரியண்டல் மரபுவழி திருச்சபை

(Oriental Orthodox Church)

கிழக்கு மரபுவழி திருச்சபை

(Eastern Orthodox Church)

ஆங்கிலிக்கம்

(Anglicanism)

லூதரனியம்

(Lutheranism)

நினைவுத் திருவிழா: 17 மார்ச்

பாதுகாவல்:

நீத்தோர் இறுதி சடங்கினை வழிநடத்துவோர்

(funeral directors)

அரிமத்தியா ஊரைச் சேர்ந்த புனித யோசேப்பு என்பவர் நற்செய்திகளின்படி இயேசுவின் சாவுக்குப்பின்பு அவரை அடக்கம் செய்தவர் ஆவார். இவர் நான்கு திருமுறை நற்செய்திகளிலும் குறிப்பிடப்பட்டுள்ளார். மாற்கு 15:43 இவரை மதிப்புக்குரிய தலைமைச் சங்க உறுப்பினர் எனவும் இறையாட்சியின் வருகைக்காகக் காத்திருந்தவர் எனவும் குறிக்கின்றது. மத்தேயு 27:57 இவர் இயேசுவுக்குச் சீடராய் இருந்தார் எனக் குறிக்கின்றது. யோவான் 19:38 இவரை இயேசுவின் சீடர்களுள் ஒருவர் எனவும் யூதருக்கு அஞ்சியதால் தம்மைச் சீடர் என்று வெளிப்படையாகக் காட்டிக்கொள்ளாதவர் எனவும் குறிக்கின்றது. இதன்படி இவர் இயேசுவின் உடலை எடுத்துக்கொண்டு போகப் பிலாத்துவிடம் அனுமதி கேட்டார். பிலாத்து நூற்றுவர் தலைவரிடமிருந்து கேட்டு இயேசுவின் இறப்பை உறுதி செய்தபின்பு யோசேப்புவிடம் இயேசுவின் உடலை அளித்தான்.

நிக்கதேமின் துணையோடு கொல்கொதாவில் இவர் இயேசுவின் உடலை சிலுவையிலிருந்து இறக்கி யூத அடக்க முறைப்படி நறுமணப் பொருள்களுடன் துணிகளால் சுற்றிக் கட்டினார். ஒரு புதிய கல்லறை ஒன்றில் அவரின் உடலை அடக்கம் செய்தார் என விவிலியம் கூறுகின்றது.

கத்தோலிக்க திருச்சபை, கிழக்கு மரபுவழி திருச்சபை, லூதரனியம் மற்றும் சில ஆங்கிலிக்கம் சபைகள் இவரை புனிதர் என ஏற்கின்றன.

Feastday: March 17

Patron: of funeral directors

Death: 1st century

The councillor (Lk 23:50) who, after the Crucifixion, requested the body of Christ from Pontius Pilate and provided for a proper burial for Christ. An immensely popular figure in Christian lore, Joseph was termed in the New Testament the "virtuous and righteous man" (Lk 23:50) and the man "who was himself awaiting the kingdom of God" (Mk 15:43). Described as .... . secretly a disciple of Jesus for fear of the Jews, [he] asked Pilate if he could remove the body of Jesus. And Pilate permitted it" (In 19:38). According to the apocryphal Gospel of Nicodemus, he helped establish the community of Lydda. He also was a prominent figure in the legends surrounding the Holy Grail, appearing in Rob­ert de Barron's early thirteenth-century romance Joseph d 'Arirnathea, William of Malmesbury's twelfth-century De Antiquitate Glastoniensis Ecclesiae, and Thomas Mallory's famed Morte D 'Arthur; William of almesbury's tale recounts Joseph's arrival in England with the Holy Grail and the building of the first church on the isle at Glastonbury; the passage on Joseph, however, was added in the thirteenth century.

Joseph of Arimathea was, according to all four canonical gospels, the man who assumed responsibility for the burial of Jesus after his crucifixion. The historical location of Arimathea is uncertain, although it has been identified with several towns. A number of stories that developed during the Middle Ages connect him with Glastonbury, England[3] and also with the Holy Grail legend.

Gospel narratives

Matthew 27:57 describes him simply as a rich man and disciple of Jesus, but according to Mark 15:43 Joseph of Arimathea was "a respected member of the council, who was also himself looking for the kingdom of God"; Luke 23:50–56 adds that he "had not consented to their decision and action".

According to John 19:38, upon hearing of Jesus' death, this secret disciple of Jesus "asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus, and Pilate gave him permission." Joseph immediately purchased a linen shroud (Mark 15:46) and proceeded to Golgotha to take the body of Jesus down from the cross. There, according to John 19:39-40, Joseph and Nicodemus took the body and bound it in linen cloths with the spices that Nicodemus had bought.

The disciples then conveyed the prepared corpse to a man-made cave hewn from rock in a garden of his house nearby. The Gospel of Matthew alone suggests that this was Joseph's own tomb (Matthew 27:60). The burial was undertaken speedily, "for the Sabbath was drawing on".

Veneration

Joseph of Arimathea by Pietro Perugino, a detail from his Lamentation over the Dead Christ.

Joseph of Arimathea is venerated as a saint by the Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and some Protestant churches. The traditional Roman calendar marked his feast day on 17 March, but he is now listed, along with Saint Nicodemus, on 31 August in the Martyrologium Romanum. Eastern Orthodox churches commemorate him on the Third Sunday of Pascha (i.e., the second Sunday after Easter) and on 31 July, the date shared by Lutheran churches.[4]

Although a series of legends developed during the Middle Ages (perhaps elaborations of early New Testament apocrypha) tied this Joseph to Britain as well as the Holy Grail, he is not currently on the abbreviated liturgical calendar of the Church of England, although this Joseph is on the calendars of some churches of the Anglican Communion, such as the Episcopal Church, which commemorates him on 1 August.

Old Testament prophecy

Tomb of Jesus in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre

Many Christians[5] interpret Joseph's role as fulfilling Isaiah's prediction that the grave of the "Suffering Servant" would be with a rich man (Isaiah 53:9), assuming that Isaiah was referring to the Messiah. The prophecy in Isaiah chapter 53 is known as the "Man of Sorrows" passage:

He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth.

The Greek Septuagint text:

And I will give the wicked for his burial, and the rich for his death; for he practiced no iniquity, nor craft with his mouth.

Development of legends

Since the 2nd century, a mass of legendary detail has accumulated around the figure of Joseph of Arimathea in addition to the New Testament references. Joseph is referenced in apocryphal and non-canonical accounts such as the Acts of Pilate and the medieval Gospel of Nicodemus. Joseph is mentioned in the works of early church historians such as Irenaeus, Hippolytus, Tertullian, and Eusebius, who added details not found in the canonical accounts. Francis Gigot, writing in the Catholic Encyclopedia, states that "the additional details which are found concerning him in the apocryphal Acta Pilati ("Acts of Pilate"), are unworthy of credence."[6] The Narrative of Joseph of Arimathea, a medieval work, is even purportedly written by him directly, although it adds more details on the robbers at Jesus's crucifixion than Joseph himself.[7]

Hilary of Poitiers enriched the legend, and Saint John Chrysostom, the Patriarch of Constantinople, was the first to write that Joseph was one of the Seventy Apostles appointed in Luke 10.[8][better source needed]

During the late 12th century, Joseph became connected with the Arthurian cycle, appearing in them as the first keeper of the Holy Grail. This idea first appears in Robert de Boron's Joseph d'Arimathie, in which Joseph receives the Grail from an apparition of Jesus and sends it with his followers to Britain. This theme is elaborated upon in Boron's sequels and in subsequent Arthurian works penned by others. Later retellings of the story contend that Joseph of Arimathea travelled to Britain and became the first Christian bishop in the Isles, a claim Gigot characterizes as a fable.[6][9]

Gospel of Nicodemus

The Gospel of Nicodemus, a text appended to the Acts of Pilate, provides additional details about Joseph. For instance, after Joseph asked Pilate for the body of the Christ and prepared the body with Nicodemus' help, Christ's body was delivered to a new tomb that Joseph had built for himself. In the Gospel of Nicodemus, the Jewish elders express anger at Joseph for burying the body of Christ, saying:

And likewise Joseph also stepped out and said to them: Why are you angry against me because I begged the body of Jesus? Behold, I have put him in my new tomb, wrapping in clean linen; and I have rolled a stone to the door of the tomb. And you have acted not well against the just man, because you have not repented of crucifying him, but also have pierced him with a spear.

— Gospel of Nicodemus. Translated by Alexander Walker.

The Jewish elders then captured Joseph, imprisoned him, and placed a seal on the door to his cell after first posting a guard. Joseph warned the elders, "The Son of God whom you hanged upon the cross, is able to deliver me out of your hands. All your wickedness will return upon you."

Once the elders returned to the cell, the seal was still in place, but Joseph was gone. The elders later discover that Joseph had returned to Arimathea. Having a change in heart, the elders desired to have a more civil conversation with Joseph about his actions and sent a letter of apology to him by means of seven of his friends. Joseph travelled back from Arimathea to Jerusalem to meet with the elders, where they questioned him about his escape. He told them this story:

On the day of the Preparation, about the tenth hour, you shut me in, and I remained there the whole Sabbath in full. And when midnight came, as I was standing and praying, the house where you shut me in was hung up by the four corners, and there was a flashing of light in mine eyes. And I fell to the ground trembling. Then some one lifted me up from the place where I had fallen, and poured over me an abundance of water from the head even to the feet, and put round my nostrils the odour of a wonderful ointment, and rubbed my face with the water itself, as if washing me, and kissed me, and said to me, Joseph, fear not; but open thine eyes, and see who it is that speaks to thee. And looking, I saw Jesus; and being terrified, I thought it was a phantom. And with prayer and the commandments I spoke to him, and he spoke with me. And I said to him: Art thou Rabbi Elias? And he said to me: I am not Elias. And I said: Who art thou, my Lord? And he said to me: I am Jesus, whose body thou didst beg from Pilate, and wrap in clean linen; and thou didst lay a napkin on my face, and didst lay me in thy new tomb, and roll a stone to the door of the tomb. Then I said to him that was speaking to me: Show me, Lord, where I laid thee. And he led me, and showed me the place where I laid him, and the linen which I had put on him, and the napkin which I had wrapped upon his face; and I knew that it was Jesus. And he took hold of me with his hand, and put me in the midst of my house though the gates were shut, and put me in my bed, and said to me: Peace to thee! And he kissed me, and said to me: For forty days go not out of thy house; for, lo, I go to my brethren into Galilee.

— Gospel of Nicodemus. Translated by Alexander Walker

According to the Gospel of Nicodemus, Joseph testified to the Jewish elders, and specifically to chief priests Caiaphas and Annas that Jesus had risen from the dead and ascended to heaven, and he indicated that others were raised from the dead at the resurrection of Christ (repeating Matt 27:52–53). He specifically identified the two sons of the high-priest Simeon (again in Luke 2:25–35). The elders Annas, Caiaphas, Nicodemus, and Joseph himself, along with Gamaliel under whom Paul of Tarsus studied, travelled to Arimathea to interview Simeon's sons Charinus and Lenthius.

Other medieval texts

Medieval interest in Joseph centered on two themes, that of Joseph as the founder of British Christianity (even before it had taken hold in Rome), and that of Joseph as the original guardian of the Holy Grail.

Britain

See also: Early centers of Christianity § Roman Britain

William Blake's Illustration Joseph of Arimathea Among the Rocks of Albion in its second state after Blake's 1773 original, engraved circa 1809

Legends about the arrival of Christianity in Britain abounded during the Middle Ages. Early writers do not connect Joseph to this activity, however. Tertullian wrote in Adversus Judaeos that Britain had already received and accepted the Gospel in his lifetime, writing, "all the limits of the Spains, and the diverse nations of the Gauls, and the haunts of the Britons—inaccessible to the Romans, but subjugated to Christ."[10]

Tertullian does not say how the Gospel came to Britain before AD 222. However, Eusebius, one of the earliest and most comprehensive of church historians, wrote of Christ's disciples in Demonstratio Evangelica, saying that "some have crossed the Ocean and reached the Isles of Britain."[11] Saint Hilary of Poitiers also wrote that the Apostles had built churches and that the Gospel had passed into Britain.[12] The writings of Pseudo-Hippolytus include a list of the seventy disciples whom Jesus sent forth in Luke 10, one of which is Aristobulus of Romans 16:10, called "bishop of Britain".[13]

In none of these earliest references to Christianity's arrival in Britain is Joseph of Arimathea mentioned. William of Malmesbury's De Antiquitate Glastoniensis Ecclesiae ("On the Antiquity of the Church of Glastonbury", circa 1125) has not survived in its original edition, and the stories involving Joseph of Arimathea are contained in subsequent editions that abound in interpolations placed by the Glastonbury monks "in order to increase the Abbey's prestige – and thus its pilgrim trade and prosperity" [14] In his Gesta Regum Anglorum (History of The Kings of England, finished in 1125), William of Malmesbury wrote that Glastonbury Abbey was built by preachers sent by Pope Eleuterus to Britain, however also adding: "Moreover there are documents of no small credit, which have been discovered in certain places to the following effect: 'No other hands than those of the disciples of Christ erected the church of Glastonbury';" but here William did not explicitly link Glastonbury with Joseph of Arimathea, but instead emphasizes the possible role of Philip the Apostle: "if Philip, the Apostle, preached to the Gauls, as Freculphus relates in the fourth chapter of his second book, it may be believed that he also planted the word on this side of the channel also."[15]

In 1989 A. W. Smith critically examined the accretion of legends around Joseph of Arimathea, by which the poem hymn of William Blake And did those feet in ancient time is commonly held as "an almost secret yet passionately held article of faith among certain otherwise quite orthodox Christians" and Smith concluded "that there was little reason to believe that an oral tradition concerning a visit made by Jesus to Britain existed before the early part of the twentieth century".[16] Sabine Baring-Gould recounted a Cornish story how "Joseph of Arimathea came in a boat to Cornwall, and brought the child Jesus with him, and the latter taught him how to extract the tin and purge it of its wolfram. This story possibly grew out of the fact that the Jews under the Angevin kings farmed the tin of Cornwall."[17] In its most developed version, Joseph, a tin merchant, visited Cornwall, accompanied by his nephew, the boy Jesus. Reverend C.C. Dobson (1879–1960) made a case for the authenticity of the Glastonbury legenda.[18] The case was argued more recently by the Church of Scotland minister Dr Gordon Strachan (1934–2010) [19] and by the former archaeologist Dennis Price.[20]

Holy Grail

The legend that Joseph was given the responsibility of keeping the Holy Grail was the product of Robert de Boron, who essentially expanded upon stories from Acts of Pilate. In Boron's Joseph d'Arimathe, Joseph is imprisoned much as in the Acts of Pilate, but it is the Grail that sustains him during his captivity. Upon his release he founds his company of followers, who take the Grail to Britain, though Joseph does not go. The origin of the association between Joseph and Britain is not entirely clear, though in subsequent romances such as Perlesvaus, Joseph travels to Britain, bringing relics with him. In the Lancelot-Grail cycle, a vast Arthurian composition that took much from Robert, it is not Joseph but his son Josephus who is considered the primary holy man of Britain.

Later authors sometimes mistakenly or deliberately treated the Grail story as truth. Such stories were inspired by the account of John of Glastonbury, who assembled a chronicle of the history of Glastonbury Abbey around 1350 and who wrote that Joseph, when he came to Britain, brought with him vessels containing the blood and sweat of Christ (without using the word Grail).[21] This account inspired the future claims of the Grail, including the claim involving the Nanteos Cup on display in the museum in Aberystwyth. There is no reference to this tradition in ancient or medieval text. John of Glastonbury further claims that King Arthur was descended from Joseph, listing the following imaginative pedigree through King Arthur's mother:

Helaius, Nepos Joseph, Genuit Josus, Josue Genuit Aminadab, Aminadab Genuit Filium, qui Genuit Ygernam, de qua Rex Pen-Dragon, Genuit Nobilem et Famosum Regum Arthurum, per Quod Patet, Quod Rex Arthurus de Stirpe Joseph descendit.

Elizabeth I cited Joseph's missionary work in England when she told Roman Catholic bishops that the Church of England pre-dated the Roman Church in England.[22]

Other legends

When Joseph set his walking staff on the ground to sleep, it miraculously took root, leafed out, and blossomed as the "Glastonbury Thorn". The retelling of such miracles encouraged the pilgrim trade at Glastonbury until the abbey was dissolved in 1539, during the English Reformation. The mytheme of the staff that Joseph of Arimathea set in the ground at Glastonbury, which broke into leaf and flower as the Glastonbury Thorn is a common miracle in hagiography. Such a miracle is told of the Anglo-Saxon saint Etheldreda:

Continuing her flight to Ely, Etheldreda halted for some days at Alfham, near Wintringham, where she founded a church; and near this place occurred the "miracle of her staff." Wearied with her journey, she one day slept by the wayside, having fixed her staff in the ground at her head. On waking she found the dry staff had burst into leaf; it became an ash tree, the "greatest tree in all that country;" and the place of her rest, where a church was afterwards built, became known as "Etheldredestow."

— Richard John King, 1862, in: Handbook of the Cathedrals of England; Eastern division: Oxford, Peterborough, Norwich, Ely, Lincoln.[23]

Medieval interest in genealogy raised claims that Joseph was a relative of Jesus; specifically, Mary's uncle, or according to some genealogies, Joseph's uncle. A genealogy for the family of Joseph of Arimathea and the history of his further adventures in the east provide material for Holy Grail romances Estoire del Saint Graal, Perlesvaus, and the Queste del Saint Graal.[24]

Another legend, as recorded in Flores Historiarum is that Joseph is in fact the Wandering Jew, a man cursed by Jesus to walk the Earth until the Second Coming.[25]

Arimathea

Main article: Arimathea

Arimathea is not otherwise documented, though it was "a town of Judea" according to Luke 23:51. Arimathea is usually identified with either Ramleh or Ramathaim-Zophim, where David came to Samuel (1 Samuel chapter 19

Saint Gertrude of Nivelles

Profile

Younger daughter of Saint Pepin of Landen and Saint Ida of Nivelles; sister of Saint Begga of Ardenne. Devoted to her faith from an early age, she turned down a noble marriage to pursue the religious life. Following the death of Pepin in 639, and on the advice of Saint Amand of Maastricht, Ida built a double monastery at Nivelles where both she and her daughter retired. Gertrude became abbess about age 20.

Known for her hospitality to pilgrims and the aid given to Irish missionary monks. Gertrude gave land to Saint Foillan, on which he built the monastery at Fosses, Belgium. She helped Saint Ultan in his evangelization. In 656, Gertrude resigned her office in favour of her niece, Saint Wilfetrudis of Nivelles, and spent the rest of her days studying Scripture and doing penance. Mystic and visionary. Died at the significant age of 33, the age of Our Lord at His death.

The cultus of Saint Gertrude spread widely in the Low Countries, neighbouring regions, and England, and folklore attached to her name. As late as 1822, offerings of gold and silver mice were left at her shrine in Cologne, Germany; mice represented souls in Purgatory, to whom she had a great devotion. Patron of gardeners because fine weather on her feast day meant it was time to begin spring planting. Her patronage of travellers comes from her hospitality to pilgrims. She is invoked as a patroness of those who had recently died, who were popularly supposed to experience a three-day journey to the next world; they spent the first night under the care of Gertrude, and the second under Michael the Archangel.

There is a legend that one day she sent some of her subjects to a distant country, promising that no misfortune would befall them on the journey; when they were on the ocean, a large sea-monster threatened to capsize their ship, but disappeared upon the invocation of Saint Gertrude. In memory of this occurence travellers during the Middle ages drank the so-called "Sinte Geerts Minne" or "Gertrudenminte" before setting out on their journey.

Born

626 at Landen, Belgium

Died

17 March 659 at Nivelles, Belgium of natural causes

Patronage

• against fear of mice

• against fear of rats

• against suriphobia

• against fever

• against insanity

• against mental disorders

• against mental illness

• against mice

• against rats

• cats

• for accomodations

• gardeners

• hospitals

• innkeepers

• mentally ill people

• pilgrims

• poor people

• prisoners

• recently dead people

• sick people

• suriphobics

• to obtain lodging while travelling

• travellers

• widows

• Landen, Belgium

• Nivelles, Belgium

• Wattenscheid, Germany

Saint Patrick

புனிதர் பேட்ரிக் 

(St. Patrick)

அயர்லாந்தின் அப்போஸ்தலர்:

(Apostle of Ireland)

பிறப்பு: கி.பி. 386

பெரிய பிரித்தானியா

(Great Britain)

இறப்பு: மார்ச் 17, 461

ஏற்கும் சமயம்:

கத்தோலிக்க திருச்சபை

(Catholic Church)

கிழக்கு கத்தோலிக்க திருச்சபைகள்

(Eastern Catholic Churches)

கிழக்கு மரபுவழி திருச்சபை

(Eastern Orthodox Church)

ஆங்கிலிக்கம்

(Anglicanism)

லூதரனியம்

(Lutheranism)

முக்கிய திருத்தலங்கள்:

அர்மாக் (Armagh), வட அயர்லாந்து (Northern Ireland),

கிலாஸ்டோன்பரி மடம் (Glastonbury Abbey),

இங்கிலாந்து (England)

நினைவுத் திருவிழா: 17 மார்ச்

பாதுகாவல்:

அயர்லாந்து (Ireland), நைஜீரியா (Nigeria), மொன்செராட் (Montserrat),

பாஸ்டன் (Boston), நியூயார்க் உயர் மறைமாவட்டம் (Archdiocese of New York),

மெல்பேர்ண் உயர் மறைமாவட்டம் (Archdiocese of Melbourne),

பாம்புகளுக்கு எதிராக, பாவ சோதனைக்கு எதிராக, பொறியாளர்கள்.

புனிதர் பேட்ரிக், 5ம் நூற்றாண்டைச் சேர்ந்த ரோமன்-பிரிட்டானியா கிறிஸ்தவ மறைப்பணியாளரும், அயர்லாந்தின் "அர்மாகி'ன்" (Armagh) ஆயராக இருந்தவரும் ஆவார். இவரே அயர்லாந்துக்கு கிறிஸ்தவத்தை கொண்டு வந்தார் என்பர். ஆதலால் இவர் அயர்லாந்தின் திருத்தூதர் என அழைக்கப்படுகின்றார். புனிதர் “கொலம்பா” (Columba) மற்றும் புனிதர் “பிரிஜிட்” (Brigit of Kildare) ஆகியோருடன் இவரும் அயர்லாந்தின் பாதுகாவலர் ஆவார்.

இவரது காலத்தை உறுதியுடன் அறிய இயலவில்லை. ஆயினும் இவர் அயர்லாந்தில் 5ம் நூற்றாண்டின் பிற்பகுதியில் பணிபுரிந்தார். இவரே அயர்லாந்தின் அர்மாகி'ன் (Armagh) முதல் ஆயர் என்பது மரபு.

இவருக்கு சுமார் 16 வயதிருக்கும் போது, பெரிய பிரிட்டானியாவில் இருந்த தனது இல்லத்திலிருந்து அயர்லாந்து கடற்கொள்ளையர்களால் பிடிக்கப்பட்டு, அயர்லாந்துக்கு அடிமையாக எடுத்துச் செல்லப்பட்டார். ஆறு ஆண்டுகள் அடிமையாக மிருகங்களைப் பராமரித்து வாழ்ந்த பின்னர், அங்கிருந்து தப்பித்து வீடு திரும்பினார். ஒரு குருவாக திருநிலைப்படுத்தப்பட்ட பின்பு, வடக்கு மற்றும் மேற்கு அயர்லாந்தில் பணி புரிந்தார். பிற்காலத்தில், அவர் ஆயராக பணியாற்றினார். ஆயினும் அவர் பணிபுரிந்த இடங்களைப் பற்றி சிறிய அளவே அறியக் கிடைக்கின்றது. ஏழாம் நூற்றாண்டு முதலே அயர்லாந்தின் பாதுகாவலர் என்னும் பட்டத்திற்காக இவர் வணக்கம் செலுத்தப்பட்டார் என்பதற்கான சான்றுகள் உள்ளன.

புனிதர் பேட்ரிக்கின் நினைவுத் திருநாள் ஆண்டுதோறும் இவரின் இறந்த நாளான 17 மார்ச் அன்று கொண்டாடப்படுகின்றது. இது அயர்லாந்துக்கு வெளியேயும் கலாச்சாரம் மற்றும் சமய நிகழ்வாக கொண்டாடப்படுகின்றது. அயர்லாந்து மறைமாவட்டத்தில் இது பெருவிழாவும் கடன் திருநாளும் ஆகும்.

Also known as

• Apostle of Ireland

• Maewyn Succat

• Patricius, Patrizio

Profile

Kidnapped from the British mainland around age 16, and shipped to Ireland as a slave. Sent to the mountains as a shepherd, he spent his time in the field in prayer. After six years of this life, he received had a dream in which he was commanded to return to Britain; seeing it as a sign, he escaped. He studied in several monasteries in Europe. Priest. Bishop. Sent by Pope Celestine to evangelize England, then Ireland, during which his chariot driver was Saint Odran, and Saint Jarlath was one of his spiritual students. In 33 years he effectively converted the Ireland. In the Middle Ages Ireland became known as the Land of Saints, and during the Dark Ages its monasteries were the great repositories of learning in Europe, all a consequence of Patrick's ministry.

Born

between 387 and 390 at Scotland as Maewyn Succat

Died

between 461 and 464 at Saul, County Down, Ireland of natural causes

Name Meaning

• warlike (Succat - pagan birth name)

• noble (Patricius - baptismal name)

Patronage

• against fear of snakes or ophidiophobia; ophidiophobics

• against snake bites

• against snakes

• barbers, hairdressers

• barrel makers; coopers

• blacksmiths

• cattle

• engineers

• excluded people

• miners

• Ireland

• Nigeria (1961)

• Loiza, Puerto Rico

• 29 dioceses

Blessed Juan Nepomuceno Zegrí y Moreno

Also known as

• John Nepomucene Zegrí y Moreno

• Johannes Nepomuk Zegrí y Moreno

Profile

Son of Antonio Zegrí Martín and Josefa Moreno Escudero. A pious child, he received a good religious education, and felt an early call to the priesthood. Studied at Saint Dionysius Seminary, Granada, Spain. Ordained at Granada on 2 June 1855. Parish priest at Huétor Santillán and San Gabriel de Loja in Granada. Synodal judge. Canon of the cathedral of Malaga, Spain. Visitor of the religious orders in his diocese. Spiritual director of seminarians. Preacher and royal chaplain to Queen Isabel II.

In Malaga on 16 March 1878, Juan founded the Congregation of the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mercy to work for the spiritual and physical improvement of the poor. The Congregation soon spread throughout Spain. However, a scandal developed when some of the Sisters accused Juan of impropriety, and on 7 July 1888 he was ordered away from the Congregation. A lengthy investigation followed during which Juan kept his silence and obeyed all orders of his superiors. On 15 July 1894 he was cleared of all the false allegations, and though he voluntarily stayed away from the Congregation, he again was recognized as its founder.

Born

11 October 1831 at Granada, Spain

Died

17 March 1905 at Malaga, Spain of natural causes

Beatified

9 November 2003 by Pope John Paul II

Saint Jan Sarkander

Also known as

• John Sarkander

• Johannes Sarkander

• Martyr of the Confessional

Profile

Son of Georg Mathias Sarkander and Helene Kornicz Sarkander. Born in a time and place in the midst of the turmoil of the Protestant Reformation. His father died when Jan was still young, and the family moved to Pribor. He married, but his wife died when they were young, and they had no children.

Educated by Jesuits at Prague, receiving a master of philosophy degree in 1603. Studied theology in Austria. Ordained in 1607 at Grozin. Curate at Boskowitz in 1613. Parish priest at Olmütz in 1616. There he became the center of a struggle for the hearts and souls of the local people; he was supported by Baron von Labkowitz of Moravia, but bitterly opposed by the wealthy anti-Catholic landowner Bitowsky von Bystritz.

The year 1618 saw the start of the Thirty Years War between Catholic and Protestant armies. When Protestant forces occupied Hollenschau, Jan was briefly exiled to Poland, but returned to minister to his oppressed parish flock. Polish forces moved into the area in 1620, and battle seemed imminent. Jan visited the field commander, carrying the Blessed Sacrament in a monstrance as a shield and chastisement. No battles were fought in the area of Hollenshau.

Siezing the opportunity to brand him a spy, and thus explain the lack of attack by the Polish troops, his enemy von Bystritz denounced Father Jan as a traitor. Jan was arrested, taken to Olmütz, and tortured for a confession, for revenge, and to get him to break the seal of the confessional and supply damaging information about his patron and parishioner Baron von Labkowitz. Sarkander was racked, beaten and murdered, but he clung to his faith and gave his tormentors nothing.

Born

20 December 1576 at Skotschau (Skoczow), Austrian Silesia (in modern Poland)

Died

• covered in flammable material and set on fire on 17 March 1620 at Olomouc, Moravia (in the modern Czech Republic)

• remains at the Cathedral of Jan Sarkander at Olomouc (in modern Czech Republic)

Canonized

Sunday 21 May 1995 by Pope John Paul II at Olomouc, Czech Republic

Blessed Conrad of Bavaria

Also known as

• Conrad di Baviera

• Conrad of Clairvaux

• Conrad of Molfetta

• Conrad the Confessor

• Corrado, Konrad

Additional Memorial

9 February (translation of relics; diocese of Molfetta, Italy; Cistercians)

Profile

Son of Duke Henry IX of Bavaria. Educated at Wiengarten Abbey in Ravensburg, Germany, and in Cologne, Germany. Joined of the Cistercians c.1124. Spiritual student of Saint Bernard of Clairvaux in Cologne in 1147. Pilgrim to the Holy Lands as part of the spiritual Crusade, and died on the road.

Born

1105 Veitsburg, Baden-Württemberg (in modern Germany

Died

• 1154 at the Santa Maria ad Cryptam Benedictine monastery near Modugno, Italy of natural causes

• interred in a cave near the monastery, a traditional resting place for the monastery's dead

• relics translated to the cathedral of Molfetta in 1785

• reliquary restored and relics re-enshrined in August 2007

Beatified

1832 by Pope Gregory XVI (cultus confirmation)

Patronage

• Molfetta, Italy, city of

• Molfetta, Italy, diocese of

Saint Gabriel Lalemant

Additional Memorial

19 October as one of the Martyrs of North America

Profile

Nephew of the Jesuit missionaries Charles and Jerome Lalemant. Entered the Jesuits in Paris, France on 24 March 1630. Missionary, arriving in Canada on 20 September 1646. Assigned as assistant to Saint John de Brebeuf among the Huron in early 1649, he was soon martyred with him. One of the Martyrs of North America.

Born

10 October 1610 at Paris, France

Died

• tortured to death over the course of three hours on 17 March 1649 at the Saint Ignatius mission in the Huron country, Canada

• interred by fellow priests at Saint Mary's mission

• some relics moved to Quebec in the spring of 1650

Canonized

29 June 1930 by Pope Pius XI

Blessed Maria Bárbara Maix

Also known as

Maria Bárbara of the Holy Trinity

Profile

Exiled from Austria for political reasons, she arrived in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on 9 November 1848. Drawn to the religious life, she founded the Congregation of the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary on 8 May 1849.

Born

27 June 1818 in Vienna, Austria

Died

• 17 March 1873 in Catumbi, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil of natural causes

• relics in the chapel of São Raphael, Rua Riachuelo, 508, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil

Beatified

6 November 2010 by Pope Benedict XVI

Saint Agricola of Châlon-sur-Saône

Also known as

• Aregl of Châlon-sur-Saône

• Agrele of Châlon-sur-Saône

Profile

Son of a Gallo-Roman senator. Bishop of Châlon-sur-Saône, France in 532; he governed the diocese for 48 years. Friend of Saint Gregory of Tours who wrote glowingly of him. Known for his simple, austere personal life, and his devotion to the spiritual lives of his flock.

Born

c.497

Died

580 at Châlon-sur-Saône, France of natural causes

Saint Withburgh of East Anglia

Also known as

• Withburgh of Dereham

• Vitburga, Wihtburh, Withburga

Profile

Born a princess, the youngest daughter of King Anna of East Anglia (part of modern England). Following the death of her father in battle, Withburgh became a nun and lived as an anchoress at East Dereham, Norfolk, England. Founded a convent there.

Died

c.743

Blessed Gertrude of Trzebnica

Profile

Daughter of Saint Hedwig of Silesia and Duke Henry I. Engaged to the Count Palatine Otto of Wittelsbach, but he died before the wedding. Cistercian nun and then abbess in Trzebnica, Poland.

Born

c.1200

Died

December 1268 in Trzebnica, Poland of natural causes

Blessed Josep Mestre Escoda

Profile

Priest in the archdiocese of Tarragona, Spain. Martyred in the Spanish Civil War.

Born

12 February 1899 in Dosaiguas, Tarragona, Spain

Died

17 March 1937 in Barcelona, Spain

Beatified

• 13 October 2013 by Pope Francis

• beatification celebrated in Tarragona, Spain

Saint Ambrose of Alexandria

Profile

Rich nobleman of Alexandria, Egypt. Friend and financial supporter of Origen. Imprisoned for his faith in the persecutions of Maximinus but survived. Confessor of the faith.

Died

c.250 of natural causes

Saint Paul of Cyprus

Profile

Cypriot monk. During the reign of the iconoclast emperor Constantine Copronymus, Paul was ordered to trample a crucifix. He refused, and was tortured and martryed.

Died

roasted to death hanging upside down over a slow fire in 775

Many Martyrs of Alexandria

Also known as

Martyrs of Serapis

Profile

An unknown number of Christians who were martyred together by a mob of worshippers of the Graeco-Egyptian sun god Serapis.

Died

c.392 in Alexandria, Egypt

Saint Stephen of Palestrina

Profile

Cistercian monk from the Clairvaux Abbey. Cardinal-bishop of Palestrina in 1141.

Died

1144

Canonized

• cultus originated within the Cistercians

• no formal recogition

Saint Thomasello

Also known as

Thomasellus

Profile

Dominican. Student of Saint Thomas Aquinas.

Born

1242 at Etruria, Italy

Died

• 1270 at Perugia, Italy of natural causes

• buried in the Dominican church in Perugia

Saint Llinio of Llandinam

Profile

Monk. Founded the abbey at Llandinam, Powys, Wales, and served as its first abbot.

Died

520 of natural causes

Saint Diemut of Saint Gall

Profile

Recluse in 12th century Saint Gall, Switzerland.

Saint Theodore of Rome

Profile

Martyr.

Died

martyred in 2nd century Rome, Italy

Saint Alexander

Profile

Martyr.

இன்றைய புனிதர்கள் மார்ச் 16

 St. Patrick of Malaga

Feastday: March 16

Bishop of Malaga, Spain. His life is relatively obscure, but it is believed that he fled to Auvergne, France, during a persecution, where he died. He is still honored in Spain.

Bl. John Cacciafronte

Feastday: March 16

Death: 1183

Bishop and martyr. Born John Sordi in Cremona, he entered the Benedictines and became abbot of St. Lawrence in Creinona in 1155. When the papacy entered into its Struggle with Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa, John sided with the Holy See and was banished. He retired and became a hermit near Mantua, but in 1174 was elevated to the office of bishop of Mantua after its bishop was deposed. After several years, John resigned in favor of the deposed bishop who desired to come back, and in 1177, John went to Vicenza where he was killed by a disgruntled man.

St. Finian Munnu

Feastday: March 16

Death: 635

Irish abbot and disciple of St. Columba and St. Seenell, called St. Mundus in Scotland. He stayed in Cluain Inis, in Ireland, for eighteen years and then went to Jona, Scotland. Returning to Ireland, he founded Taghmon in Wexford and became its abbot. Developing Taghmon into a famous monastery, Finian attended the Magh Lene Synod in 630, defending Celtic liturgical practices. In his later years he suffered from a terrible skin disease, possibly a form of leprosy.

Saint John de Brebeuf

Also known as

Jean

Additional Memorial

19 October as one of the Martyrs of North America

Profile

French Jesuit. He wanted to enter the priesthood from an early age, but his health was so bad there were doubts he could make it. His posting as a missionary to frontier Canada at age 32, however, was a literal god-send. He spent the rest of his life there, and the harsh and hearty climate so agreed with him that the Natives, surprised at his endurance, called him Echon, which meant load bearer, and his massive size made them think twice about sharing a canoe with him for fear it would sink. Brebeuf had great difficulty learning the Huron language. "You may have been a famous professor or theologian in France," he wrote in a letter home, "but here you will merely be a student, and with what teachers! The Huron language will be your Aristla crosse." However, he eventually wrote a catechism in Huron, and a French-Huron dictionary for use by other missionaries.

According to histories of the game, it was John de Brebeuf who named the present day version of the Indian game lacrosse because the stick used reminded him of a bishop's crosier (la crosse).

Saint John was martyred in 1649, tortured to death by the Iroquois. By 1650 the Huron nation was exterminated, and the laboriously built mission was abandoned. But it proved to be "one of the triumphant failures that are commonplace in the Church's history." These martyrdoms created a wave of vocations and missionary fervor in France, and it gave new heart to the missionaries in New France.

Born

1593 at Normandy, France

Died

tortured to death in 1649

Canonized

29 June 1930 by Pope Pius XI

Patronage

Canada

Saint Heribert of Cologne

கொலோன் நகர் பேராயர் ஹெரிபெர்ட் Herbert von Köln

பிறப்பு 

970, 

வோர்ம்ஸ் Worms, ஜெர்மனி

இறப்பு 

16 மார்ச் 1021, 

கொலோன் Köln, ஜெர்மனி

இவர் அரசர் ஹூயூகோபின் Hugo மகன். அரசர் 3 ஆம் ஒட்டோ அவர்களால் 994 ல் இவரின் 24 ஆம் வயதில் இத்தாலி நாட்டில் பேராலயக் கவுன்சிலராக தேர்ந்தெடுக்கப்பட்டார். பின்னர் அப்பொறுப்பை ஜெர்மனி நாட்டிலும் ஏற்றார். இவர் அரசர் ஒட்டோவின் நெருங்கிய நண்பரானார். பின்னர் இவர் 995 ல் குருப்பட்டம் பெற்றார். பிறகு 999 ஆம் ஆண்டு கொலோன் நகரின் பேராயராகத் தேர்ந்தெடுக்கப்பட்டார். அப்போது ஒருமுறை 1002 ஆம் ஆண்டு ஒட்டோ பயணம் ஒன்றை மேற்கொண்டபோது, திடீரென்று இறந்து போனார். 

இவ்விறப்பால் பேராயர் ஹெர்பெர்ட் பெரிதும் பாதிக்கபட்டார். இதனால் பல துன்பங்களை அனுபவித்தார். பல்வேறுபட்ட பிரச்சனைகளைச் சந்தித்தார். இவர் ஒட்டோவின் உடலை ஆஹனிற்கு Aachen கொண்டு வரப்பட்டு, அங்கு அடக்கம் செய்யப்பட்டார். ஒட்டோ இறந்ததால் அரசர் 2 ஆம் ஹென்றி பதவி ஏற்றார். அவர் பதவி ஏற்ற நாளிலிருந்து ஆயருக்கு தொல்லை கொடுக்க ஆரம்பித்தான். இதனால் ஆயரை கவுன்சிலர் பதவியிலிருந்து விலக வைத்தான். 

ஆயர் ஹெரிபெர்ட் தான் மேற்கொண்ட அனைத்து துன்பங்களையும் இறைவனின் அருளால் பொறுமையோடு ஏற்றார். தன் பணியை தளராமல் சிறப்பாக ஆற்றினார். ஏழைகளின் மேல் இரக்கங் கொண்டுச் செயல்பட்டார். இவர் இறந்தபிறகு கொலொனிலேயே அடக்கம் செய்யப்பட்டார்.

Also known as

Eriberto, Herbert, Bert, Berti, Berto, Heri, Herko

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Son of Duke Hugo of Worms, Germany. Educated at the cathedral school at Worms. Provost of the cathedral. Ordained in 994. Chancellor for Italy under King Otto III in 994. Chancellor for Germany in 997. Archbishop of Cologne, Germany on 9 July 999. Attended the death-bed of King Otto at Paterno. Initially opposed the ascension of King Henry II, and was imprisoned by him. However, when Henry was elected king on 7 June 1002, Heribert immediately acknowledged him as king, and became one of his advisors. Founded and endowed the Benedictine monastery and church of Deutz, Germany. Obtained miracles by prayer, including the end of a drought. Honoured as a saint even during his lifetime.

Born

c.970 at Worms, Germany

Died

• 16 March 1021 at Cologne, Germany of natural causes

• relics in the church at Deutz, Germany (part of modern Cologne

Canonized

1075 by Pope Saint Gregory VII

Patronage

• against drought

• for rain

• Deutz, Germany

Saint Eusebia of Hamage

Also known as

• Eusebia of Hamay

• Eusebia of Hamaye

Profile

Eldest daughter of Saint Adalbald of Ostrevant and Saint Rictrudis of Marchiennes; great-granddaughter of Saint Gertrude the Elder; sister of Saint Maurontius, Saint Clotsindis, and Saint Adalsindis of Hamay. After her father's murder when she was very young, she was sent to the abbey of Hamage, Doudi, France, which her great-grandmother had founded and served as abbess. Gertrude died when Eusebia was twelve years old; the young girl was elected to replace her. Rictrudis, realizing her daughter had no hope of governing the abbey, but wanting to keep it under the protection of a noble house, merged Hamage with her own house of Marchiennes, and ordered all the sisters to move in together under her rule. Many of the uprooted sisters, including Eusebia, were unhappy with this order as it kept them from obeying Saint Gertrude's last request. After much time and debate, the dissident sisters were permitted to return to their old house, taking Gertrude's relics with them, and taking Eusebia as their abbess. The delay had allowed her to grow into the position, and she proved an excellent abbess.

Born

c.640

Died

• c.680 of natural causes

• buried at her abbey church

Blessed John Sordi

Also known as

• John Cacciafronte

• Giovanni de Surdis Cacciafronte

• John de Surdis

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Benedictine monk at the abbey of Saint Lawrence in Cremona, Italy. Abbot in 1155. Sided with the Pope against Emperor Frederick Barbarossa, and so was banished from the abbey by the emperor. Hermit near Mantua, Italy.

Bishop of Mantua in 1174, replacing a bishop removed for transgressions in office. In 1177, his predecessor repented, returned, and requested the return of his see. John asked permission to resign, return the mitre to the previous bishop, and return to his life as a hermit. The request was granted, and John transferred to Vicenza, Italy.

John was murdered by a man who had embezzled Church funds, and whom John was reprimanding. As John died working for the Church, and correcting a sinner, he is considered a martyr.

Born

c.1125 at Cremona, Italy as John Sordi

Died

murdered on 16 March 1183 at Vicenza, Italy

Beatified

30 March 1824 by Pope Leo XII

Saint Julian of Anazarbus

Also known as

• Julian of Antioch

• Julian of Tarsus

• Julian of Cilicia

• Giuliano...

Profile

Prominent citizen of senatorial rank. Arrested for his faith during the persecutions of Diocletian, he was tortured then put on display for abuse for a year in cities all over Cilicia, being led around behind a camel. Martyr. Praised by Saint John Chrysostom in a homily during the enshrinement of his relics.

Born

Anazarbus, Cilicia (in modern Turkey)

Died

• sewn into a sack full of vipers and scorpions, and thrown into the sea to drown c.302

• relics enshrined in Antioch

Blessed John Amias

Also known as

John Anne

Additional Memorial

29 October as one of the Martyrs of Douai

Profile

Married layman cloth merchant in Wakefield, England. Father of several children. A widower, he divided his property among his children, and studied for the priesthood in Rheims, France. Ordained in 1581. He returned to England as a home missioner to covert Catholics. Arrested at the home of a Mr Murton in Lancashire for the crime of priesthood. Martyred with Blessed Robert Dalby.

Born

at Wakefield, West Riding, England

Died

hanged, drawn, and quartered on 16 March 1589 at York, England

Beatified

15 December 1929 by Pope Pius XI

Saint Finian Lobhar

புனித_ஃபின்னியன்_லோபர் (-560)

மார்ச் 16.

இவர் (#StFinnianLobhar) அயர்லாந்தைச் சார்ந்தவர்.

புனித கொலம்பியாவின் சீடரான இவர், அவரிடம் பயிற்சி பெற்று, குளோமோர் என்ற இடத்தில் தங்கி கோயிலையும் துறவுமடத்தையும் கட்டி, இறைப்பணியைச் செய்து வந்தார். 

இதற்கு இவர் டப்ளின் என்ற இடத்திற்கு அருகிலுள்ள ஓர் இடத்தில் துறவுமடத்தை நிறுவி, துறவு மட அதிபராகப் பணியாற்றினார். அங்கு இவர் தொழுநோயால் பாதிக்கப்பட்ட ஒரு சிறுவனை நலமாக்கினார். 

ஒருசில ஆண்டுகள் துறவு மட அதிபராகப் பணியாற்றிவிட்டு, முன்பிருந்த இடத்திற்கே திரும்பி வந்து, இறைவேண்டலிலும் நோன்பிலும் தன் நாள்களைச் செலவழித்து, இறுதியில் தன் ஆன்மாவை ஆண்டவனிடம் ஒப்படைத்தார்.

Also known as

• Finian Lobur

• Finian the Leper

• Finnian...

• Fintan...

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Disciple of Saint Columba. Founded a church and monastery at Innisfallen, Ireland. Monk at Clonmore, Ireland. Abbot of Swords abbey near Dublin, Ireland. In his later years he retired to Clonmore to spend his last days as a prayerful monk. He was called Lobhar (the Leper) because he briefly contracted leprosy when he miraculously cured a young boy of the disease.

Born

at Bregia, Leinster, Ireland

Died

c.560 at Clonmore, Ireland of natural causes

Blessed Robert Dalby

Additional Memorial

29 October as one of the Martyrs of Douai

Profile

Protestant minister. Convert to Catholicism. Studied in Douai and Rheims in France. Ordained in 1588, he returned to England to minister to covert Catholics. Arrested for the crime of priesthood in 1589, he was martyred with Blessed John Amias.

Born

at Hemingborough, Yorkshire, England

Died

hanged, drawn, and quartered on 16 March 1589 at York, England

Beatified

15 December 1929 by Pope Pius XI

Saint Dentlin of Soignies

Also known as

Dentelin, Denain

Profile

Son of Saint Vincent Madelgarus and Saint Waldetrudis; brother of Saint Landric, Saint Madalbarta and Saint Aldetrudis. Nephew of Saint Aldegund. An extraordinarily pious child, he is considered a confessor of the faith. A church in Cleves, Germany, was named for him.

Died

• at age 7 in 7th century of natural causes

• buried in Soignies, Belgium

• relics transferred to the abbey church in Rees, Germany in the 1040's

• miracles reported at his tomb

Patronage

Rees, Germany

Saint Abban of Kill-Abban

Also known as

• Abban of Magheranoidhe

• Abban of Murneave

• Abban of Murnevin

• Abbán moccu Corbmaic

• Eibbán, Moabba

Profile

Contemporary of Saint Patrick. Founded Kill-Abban abbey in Leinster, Ireland, and served as its first abbot. Founded the convent for Saint Gobnait of Ballyvourney, Ireland.

Born

Irish

Died

5th century Ireland of natural causes

Patronage

• Cell Abbáin, Ireland

• Killabban, Ireland

• Mag Arnaide, Ireland

Saint Megingaud of Würzburg

Also known as

Megingoz, Mengold, Megingaudus

Profile

Benedictine monk at the monastery of Fritzlar, Germany, in 738. Teacher at the abbey school. Abbot at Fritzlar. Bishop of Würzburg, Germany in February 754. In 769 he retired to Neustadt abbey to spend his last days as a prayerful monk.

Born

710 in Franconia

Died

783 at the abbey of Neustadt, Germany of natural causes

Blessed Torello of Poppi

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After a wild and misspent youth, Torello lived 60 years as a hermit in a walled-up cave. Vallombrosan oblate.

Born

1201 or 1202 at Poppi, Tuscany, Italy

Died

between 1281 and 1292 at Poppi, Tuscany, Italy of natural causes

Beatified

by Pope Benedict XIV (cultus confirmed)

Patronage

Poppi, Italy

Saint Hilary of Aquileia

Also known as

Elaro, Ellaro, Hilarius, Ilario

Profile

Bishop of Aquileia, Italy. His prayers would cause the collapse of pagan temples and idols. Martyred in the persecutions of Numerian by order of the prefect Beronius.

Died

tortured to death on 16 March c.284

Patronage

Gorizia, Italy

Blessed Ferdinand Valdes

Profile

Mercedarian friar. Priest. Bishop of Lugo, Spain. Royal chaplain to the court of Castile.

Died

• Saint Catherine monastery, Toledo, Spain

• body found incorrupt after 300 years

Blessed Joan Torrents Figueras

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Claretian priest. Martyred in the Spanish Civil War.

Born

8 December 1873 in La Secuita, Tarragona, Spain

Died

16 March 1937 in Montcada, Barcelona, Spain

Venerated

21 December 2016 by Pope Francis

Saint Benedicta of Assisi

Profile

Poor Clare nun. Succeeded Saint Clare of Assisi as abbess of Saint Damian's abbey at Assisi, Italy.

Died

1260 of natural causes

Saint Gregory Makar

Also known as

• Gregor Makar

• Gregory of Nicopolis

Profile

Armenian monk. Bishop of Nicopolis, Armenia. Became a hermit at Pithiviers, Orleans, France.

Died

c.1000

Saint Tatian of Aquileia

Also known as

Taziano

Profile

Deacon in Aquileia, Italy. Martyred in the persecutions of Numerian.

Died

beheaded c.284

Patronage

Gorizia, Italy

Blessed Eriberto of Namur

Profile

The details of this person's life have been lost.

Died

relics enshrined in a Marian chapel in the Saint Alban cathedral in Bois-Vlilliers, Namur, Belgium

Saint Dionysius of Aquileia

Also known as

Denis of Aquileia

Profile

Layman in Aquileia, Italy. Martyred in the persecutions of Emperor Numerian.

Died

beheaded c.284

Saint Largus of Aquileia

Profile

Christian lay man in Aquileia, Italy. Martyred in the persecutions of Numerian.

Died

beheaded c.284

Saint Papa of Seleucia

Also known as

Papas

Profile

Martyr.

Born

Lycaonia, Asia Minor

Died

Seleucia, Persia

Saint Felix of Aquileia

Profile

Layman in Aquileia, Italy. Martyred in the persecutions of Numerian.

Died

beheaded c.284

Saint Agapitus of Ravenna

Also known as

Agapetus, Agapito

Profile

Fourth century bishop of Ravenna, Italy.

Saint Malcoldia of Asti

Profile

Benedictine nun. Anchoress at Asti, Italy.

Died

c.1090 of natural causes

Saint Aninus of Syria

Profile

Hermit and miracle worker in Syria.

 புனிதர் கிளெமன்ட் மேரி ஹொஃப்பௌவர் 

(St. Clement Mary Hofbauer)

மறைபணியாளர், மத குரு, வியன்னாவின் அப்போஸ்தலர்:

(Religious, Priest and Apostle of Vienna)

பிறப்பு: டிசம்பர் 26, 1751

டப்விட்ஸ், ஸ்நோஜ்மோ மாவட்டம், போஹெமியா அரசு, ஹப்ஸ்பர்க் பேரரசு

(Taßwitz, Znojmo District, Kingdom of Bohemia, Habsburg Empire)

இறப்பு: மார்ச் 15, 1820

வியன்னா, ஆஸ்டிரியன் பேரரசு

(Vienna, Austrian Empire)

ஏற்கும் சமயம்:

ரோமன் கத்தோலிக்க திருச்சபை

(அதிதூய மீட்பர் சபை மற்றும் வியன்னா உயர்மறை மாவட்டம்)

(Roman Catholic Church)

(Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer & Archdiocese of Vienna)

முக்திபேறு பட்டம்: ஜனவரி 29, 1888

திருத்தந்தை பதின்மூன்றாம் லியோ

(Pope Leo XIII)

புனிதர் பட்டம்: மே 20, 1909

திருத்தந்தை பத்தாம் பயஸ்

(Pope Pius X)

நினைவுத் திருநாள்: மார்ச் 16

பாதுகாவல்:

வியன்னா, ஆஸ்திரியா

(Vienna, Austria)

புனிதர் கிளெமன்ட் மேரி ஹொஃப்பௌவர், ஒரு "மொராவியன் துறவியும்" (Moravian Hermit) பின்னர், "மீட்பர் சபையின்" (Redemptorist Congregation) மத குருவும் ஆவார். இவர் தமது சபையை இத்தாலியின் "ஆல்ப்ஸ்" மலைகளின் வடக்கே நிறுவினார். ஐரோப்பாவின் கொந்தளிப்பான வறுமையின் கோரப்பிடியில் ஆயிரக்கணக்கான மக்கள் பலியான காலகட்டத்தில், இவர் தமது வாழ்நாள் முழுவதையும் ஏழைகளின் சேவையில் அர்ப்பணித்தார். போலிஷ் (Polish people) மக்களின் சேவையில் தம்மை ஈடுபடுத்திய இவர், அங்கிருந்து ஆஸ்திரியா நாட்டுக்கு நாடுகடத்தப்படும்வரை போலிஷ் மக்களுக்கு சேவை புரிந்தார். “வியன்னாவின்” (Vienna) இணை பாதுகாவலரான இவர், தமது அளப்பற்ற தன்னலமற்ற சேவைகளுக்காக "வியன்னாவின் அப்போஸ்தலர்" (Apostle of Vienna) என்று அழைக்கப்பட்டார்.

"ஜோஹன்னஸ் ஹொஃப்பௌவர்" (Johannes Hofbauer) எனும் இயற்பெயர் கொண்ட இவர், புனிதர் ஸ்தேவானின் (Saint Stephen) நினைவுத் திருநாளான 1751ம் ஆண்டு, டிசம்பர் மாதம், 26ம் நாளன்றும், "மரியா ஸ்டீர்" (Maria Steer) மற்றும் “பவுல் ஹொஃப்பௌவர்" (Paul Hofbauer) ஆகிய பெற்றோருக்கு பிறந்த பன்னிரண்டு குழந்தைகளில் ஒன்பதாவது குழந்தையாகப் பிறந்தார். கிளமென்ட்டுக்கு ஆறு வயதாகையில் இவரது தந்தை மரித்தார். ஏழை விதவைத் தாயார் இவர்களை வளர்க்க கஷ்டப்பட்டார். குரு மாணவராக சேர அல்லது மத சபையொன்றில் இணைய கிடைத்த சிறு வாய்ப்பைப் பயன்படுத்தி, இலத்தீன் மொழி கற்க தொடங்கினார். அவரது உள்ளூர் பங்கின் பங்குத்தந்தையே அவருக்கு கற்பித்தார். கிளமென்ட்டின் குருத்துவ வாழ்வின் நெடிய பயணம் தொடங்கியது. இவருக்கு பதினான்கு வயதாகையில், இவருக்கு இலத்தீன் மொழி கற்பித்த பங்குத்தந்தையின் திடீர் மரணம் காரணமாக, சட்டென இவரது படிப்பு நின்றுபோனது. புதிதாக வந்த பங்குத்தந்தைக்கு, இவருக்கு கற்பிப்பதற்கான நேரம் கிடைக்கவில்லை.

தொடர்ந்து குருத்துவம் கற்க கையில் பணம் இல்லாத நிலையில், ஏதாவது ஒரு கைத்தொழிலோ, வியாபாரமோ கற்க வேண்டிய அவசியத்திலிருந்த கிளமென்ட், ஒரு துறவு மடத்தின் ரொட்டி முதலானவை செய்து விற்கும் பணியகம் (Bakery) ஒன்றில் பயிற்சியாளராக சேர்ந்தார். துறவு மடமென்பதால் அங்கேயே உள்ள இலத்தீன் பள்ளியின் வகுப்புகளுக்குச் சென்று கற்றுக்கொள்ள அனுமதிக்கப்பட்டார். ஆனால், சிறிது காலத்தில் அத்துறவு மடத்தின் மடாதிபதியின் மரணத்தின் பின்னர், கிளமென்ட் துறவு வாழ்க்கைக்கு முயற்சித்தார். ஆனால், “பேரரசர் இரண்டாம் ஜோசப்” (Emperor Joseph II) “ஹப்ஸ்பர்க்” (Habsburg Empire) பேரரசிலுள்ள அனைத்து ஆசிரமங்களை ஒழித்தார். இதன் காரணமாக கிளமென்ட் மீண்டும் வியன்னா திரும்பி ரொட்டித் தொழிலில் இணைந்தார்.

மழைக்காலத்தின் ஒருநாள், புனித ஸ்தேவான் பேராலயத்தில் (Cathedral of St. Stephen), திருப்பலியின் பின்னர் மழையில் காத்திருந்த இரண்டு பெண்களுக்காக வண்டி ஒன்றை அழைத்து வந்தார் கிளமென்ட். அவருடன் அப்பெண்கள் நடத்திய சிறு சம்பாசனையில், வறுமையின் காரணமாக அவரால் குரு கல்வி கற்க இயலவில்லை என்பதனை அறிந்துகொண்டனர். தாராள மனம் கொண்ட அப்பெண்களிருவரும் குரு கல்வி கற்க கிளமென்ட்டுக்கும் அவருடைய நண்பரான "தடேயஸ்" (Thaddeus) என்பவருக்கும் உதவுவதாக கூறினர்.

மகிழ்ச்சியுடன் ரோம் நகர் சென்ற நண்பர்கள் இருவரும் புனிதர் அல்ஃபோன்சஸ் லிகொரியின் (Saint Alphonsus Liguori) "மீட்பர் சபையினரால்" (Redemptorist Congregation) ஈர்க்கப்பட்டனர். 1785ம் ஆண்டு, இவ்விரு இளைஞர்களும் குருத்துவ அருட்பொழிவு பெற்றனர்.

புதிதாக குருத்துவம் பெற்ற இருவரும் வியன்னாவுக்கு அனுப்பப்பட்டனர். ஆனால், அங்கிருந்த மதச் சிக்கல்களால் அவர்கள் அங்கிருந்து கிளம்பி, போலந்தின் "வார்சாவ்" (Warsaw, Poland) சென்றனர். அங்கே அவர்கள் இயேசு சபையினர் ஒடுக்கப்பட்டதால், குருக்கள் இல்லாது விடப்பட்ட ஜெர்மன் மொழி பேசும் எண்ணற்ற கத்தோலிக்கர்களை காண நேர்ந்தது. ஆரம்பத்தில் மிகவும் வறுமையிலேயே வாழ நேர்ந்த அவர்களால் வெளியிடங்களிலேயே மறை போதனை செய்ய இயன்றது. இறுதியில், அவர்களுக்கு புனித "பென்னோ" (St. Benno) தேவாலயம் கொடுக்கப்பட்டது. பின்னர் சுமார் ஒன்பது வருடங்கள் வரை அவர்கள் தினமும் ஐந்து முறை மறைபோதனை நிகழ்த்தினர். மூன்று மறைபோதனைகள் போலிஷ் மொழியிலும் இரண்டு மறைபோதனைகள் ஜெர்மன் மொழியிலும் நிகழ்த்தினர். எண்ணற்ற பிற இன மக்களை கத்தோலிக்க விசுவாசத்துக்கு மனம் மாற்றினர். அவர்கள் ஏழைகளுக்கான சமூக சேவைகளிலும் சுறுசுறுப்பாக இயங்கினர். அனாதைகளுக்கான இல்லம் ஒன்றினை நிறுவினர். ஆண்களுக்கான பள்ளி ஒன்றினையும் நிறுவி நடத்தினர்.

மேலும் பலரை சபைக்கு ஈர்த்த இவர்கள் போலந்து (Poland), ஜெர்மனி (Germany) மற்றும் ஸ்விட்ஸர்லாந்து (Switzerland) ஆகிய நாடுகளுக்கு மறை பணியாளர்களை அனுப்பினர். ஆனாலும், அப்போதிருந்த மத, அரசியல் பதற்ற சூழ்நிலைகளால் இவர்களது நிறுவனங்கள் அனைத்தும் இறுதியில் கைவிடப்பட்டன. இருபது வருட கடின உழைப்பின் பின்னர் கிளமென்ட் கைது செய்யப்பட்டு சிறை செய்யப்பட்டார். பின்னர் அங்கிருந்து நாடு கடத்தப்பட்டார்.

மீண்டுமொரு கைதின் பின்னரே அவரால் வியன்னா சென்றடைய முடிந்தது. அங்கேயே பன்னிரண்டு வருடங்கள் தமது வாழ்க்கையின் இறுதி கால பணி புரிந்தார். ஏழை பணக்காரன் என்ற வித்தியாசம் பார்க்காமல் பாவ மன்னிப்பு வழங்கினார். நோயுற்றோரை காணச் சென்றார். அதிகார வர்க்கத்தினருக்கு ஆலோசகராக இருந்தார். தமது தூய்மையை நகரின் அனைவருக்கும் பகிர்ந்தார். அவர் மிகவும் நேசித்த அவரது நகரில் ஒரு கத்தோலிக்க கல்லூரியை ஸ்தாபித்ததுவே அவர் செய்த சீரிய பணிகளில் சிகரமாய் அமைந்தது. விரைவிலேயே அவர் "வியன்னாவின் அப்போஸ்தலர்" (The Apostle of Vienna) என்றழைக்கப்பட்டார்.

துன்புறுத்தல்கள் அவரையும் தொடர்ந்தன. அதிகாரத்திலிருந்த சிலரால் அவரின் மறை போதனைகளை சில காலம் வரை நிறுத்தி வைக்க இயன்றது. அவரை அகற்றிவிட உயர் பதவி வகித்தவர்களால் ஒரு முயற்சி கூட நடந்தது. ஆனால் அவரது தூய்மையும் புகழுமே அவரை இரட்சித்ததுடன், "மீட்பர் சபையினரின்" (Redemptorist Congregation) வளர்ச்சிக்கு தூண்டுகோலாக இருந்தது. அவரது மரணம் சம்பவித்த 1820ம் வருடம், கிளமென்ட்டின் பெருமுயற்சியால் "மீட்பர் சபை", "வடக்கு ஆல்ப்ஸ்" (North of the Alps) பகுதியில் ஸ்திரமாக நிறுவப்பட்டது.