இன்றைய புனிதர்கள் ஆகஸ்ட் 02

 Saint Peter Julian Eymund

புனிதர் பீட்டர் ஜூலியன் ஈமார்ட் 

நற்கருணையின் திருத்தூதர்:

பிறப்பு: ஃபெப்ரவரி 4, 1811

லா மூர், க்ரெனோபுல், ஃபிரெஞ்ச் பேரரசு

இறப்பு: ஆகஸ்ட் 1, 1868 (வயது 57)

லா மூர், க்ரெனோபுல், ஃபிரெஞ்ச் பேரரசு

ஏற்கும் சமயம்: 

ரோமன் கத்தோலிக்க திருச்சபை

முக்திபேறு பட்டம்: ஜூலை 12, 1925

திருத்தந்தை பதினோராம் பயஸ்

புனிதர் பட்டம்: டிசம்பர் 9, 1962

திருத்தந்தை 23ம் ஜான்

முக்கிய திருத்தலம்:

சேன்டி கிளாடியோ ஈ ஏன்ட்ரியா டேய் போர்கொக்நோனி

நினைவுத் திருவிழா: ஆகஸ்ட் 2

பாதுகாவல்:

நற்கருணை (Eucharist), நற்கருணைப் பாத்திரம் (Monstrance), நற்கருணை ஆராதனை (Eucharistic Adoration), நற்கருணை மகாசபை (Eucharistic Congress), ஆன்மீக ஆடை (Cope), ரோமன் கத்தோலிக்கம் மற்றும் சில லூதரன் மற்றும் ஆங்கிலிக்க திருச்சபைகளில் நற்கருணை ஆராதனையின்போது குருவால் அணியப்படும் ஆடை (Humeral Veil), ஆசீர்வதிக்கப்பட்ட நற்கருணையின் சபை (Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament)

புனிதர் பீட்டர் ஜூலியன் ஈமார்ட், ஒரு ஃபிரெஞ்ச் கத்தோலிக்க குருவும், புனிதரும் ஆவார். இவர், “ஆசீர்வதிக்கப்பட்ட நற்கருணையின் சபை” (Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament) என்ற ஆண்களுக்கான ஆன்மீக சபையையும், “ஆசீர்வதிக்கப்பட்ட நற்கருணையின் ஊழியர்கள்” (Servants of the Blessed Sacrament) என்ற பெண்களுக்கான ஆன்மீக சபையையும் நிறுவியவர் ஆவார்.

“நற்கருணையின் திருத்தூதர்” (Apostle of the Eucharist) என்ற சிறப்பு பெயரால் அழைக்கப்படும் இவரது நினைவுத் திருவிழா ஆகஸ்ட் மாதம், 3ம் தேதி ஆகும்.

தொடக்க காலம்:

பீட்டர் ஜூலியன் ஃபிரான்ஸ் நாட்டின் “லா மூர்” (La Mure) என்ற பகுதியில் 1811ம் ஆண்டு, ஃபெப்ரவரி மாதம், 4ம் நாள், பிறந்தார். இவர் சிறு வயது முதலே, இறைவனின் அதி தூய அன்னை மரியாளின் மீது பக்தி கொண்டிருந்தார். இவர் புதுநன்மை வாங்குவதற்கு முன்னமேயே, 1823ம் ஆண்டு, மார்ச் மாதம், 16ம் நாளன்று, “நோட்ரே-டேம் டு லாஸ்” (Notre-Dame du Laus) எனுமிடத்திலுள்ள அன்னை மரியாள் முதன்முதலாய் காட்சி தந்த புனித ஸ்தலமான “லாஸ் அன்னை அல்லது “பாவிகளின் அடைக்கலம்” (Our Lady of Laus or Refuge of Sinners) திருத்தலத்திற்கு நடைபயணமாகவே சென்றார். அதன் பின்னரே, “அன்னை லா சலேத்” (Notre-Dame de La Salette) திருத்தலத்தில் காட்சியளித்த சரிதம் பற்றி அறிந்தார். ஆன்ம புளகாங்கிதமடைந்த ஈமார்ட், ஃபிரான்ஸ் நாடு முழுதுமுள்ள அன்னை மரியாளின் பல்வேறு திருத்தலங்களுக்கு யாத்திரை சென்றார்.

கி.பி. 1828ம் ஆண்டு, இவரது தாயார் மரித்ததும், இவர் “மாசற்ற மரியாளின் துறவற சபையின்” (Oblates of Mary Immaculate) புகுமுக துறவற நிலையில் இணைந்தார். ஆனால், உடல் நலம் ஒத்துழைக்காததால் சபையில் இருந்து விலகினார். ஜூலியன் நலிவுற்ற உடல்நலம் கொண்டவராயிருந்தார். குறிப்பாக, சுவாசப்பைகளின்  பலவீனமானமும், கடுமையான ஒற்றைத்தலைவலியும் அவருக்கு இருந்தது.

பின்னர், அவரது தந்தை மரித்ததன் பின்னர், 1831ம் ஆண்டு, “க்ரெனோபுல்” மறைமாவட்டத்திலுள்ள (Diocese of Grenoble) குருத்துவ கல்லூரியில் பயிற்சி பெற்று 1834ம் ஆண்டு, ஜூலை மாதம், 20ம் தேதி, குருத்துவ அருட்பொழிவு பெற்றார். “ச்சாட்” (Chatte) எனும் நகரின் உதவி பங்குத் தந்தையாக மூன்று வருடங்கள் பணியாற்றினார். பின்னர், “மவுன்ட் செயின்ட் ஈனார்ட்” (Mount Saint-Eynard) பங்கின் பங்குத் தந்தையாக பணியாற்றினார். சில ஆண்டுகள் பணிக்குப் பிறகு, 1837ம் ஆண்டு, ஆகஸ்ட் மாதம், 20ம் தேதியன்று, “லியோன்” (Lyon) எனுமிடத்திலுள்ள “மரியாளின் துறவற சபையில்” (Marists (the Society of Mary) இணைந்தார். புனித மரியாளின் பக்தியையும், திவ்விய நற்கருணை நாதரின் பக்தியையும் பரப்பினார்.

சபை நிறுவனர்:

1857ம் ஆண்டு, ஜனவரி மாதம், 6ம் தேதியன்று, பீட்டர் ஜூலியன், “ஆசீர்வதிக்கப்பட்ட நற்கருணையின் சபை” (Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament) என்ற ஆண்களுக்கான ஆன்மீக சபையைத் தொடங்கினார். இந்த சபையைச் சார்ந்த துறவிகள், முதல்முறை நற்கருணை பெறத் தயார் செய்யும் சிறுவர்களுக்கு மறைக்கல்வி கற்பிப்பதில் ஆர்வமாக உழைத்தார்கள்.

மேலும் 1858ம் ஆண்டு, அருட்சகோதரி “மார்கரெட் குய்லோட்” (Marguerite Guillot) என்பவருடன் இணைந்து “ஆசீர்வதிக்கப்பட்ட நற்கருணையின் ஊழியர்கள்” (Servants of the Blessed Sacrament) என்ற பெண்களுக்கான ஆன்மீக சபையையை நிறுவினார்.

ஜூலியன் அடிக்கடி திவ்விய நற்கருணை உட்கொள்ளும் வழக்கத்தை கிறிஸ்தவர்கள் நடுவில் ஏற்படுத்த உழைத்தார்; திவ்விய நற்கருணை நாதரை அன்பு செய்ய மக்களுக்கு அறிவுரை வழங்கினார். வாரம் ஒருமுறையாவது நற்கருணை ஆராதனை செய்யும் பக்தி முயற்சியையும் இவர் மக்களிடையே பரப்பினார்.

அற்புதமான முறையில் திவ்விய நற்கருணையில் எழுந்தருளி இருக்கும் இயேசு கிறிஸ்துவுக்கு தமது வாழ்வை அர்ப்பணித்த பீட்டர் ஜூலியன் ஈமார்ட், கி.பி. 1868ம் ஆண்டு, ஆகஸ்ட் மாதம், 1ம் தேதியன்று, தமது ஐம்பத்தி ஏழு வயதில், பக்கவாதம் நோயின் சிக்கல்களின் காரணமாக, “லா மியூர்” (La Mure) நகரில் மரணம் அடைந்தார்.

இவர், 1908ம் ஆண்டு, வணக்கத்திற்குரியவராகவும், 1925ம் ஆண்டு அருளாளராகவும் உயர்த்தப்பட்டார். 1962ம் ஆண்டு, டிசம்பர் மாதம், 9ம் நாள், திருத்தந்தை “23ம் ஜான்” (Pope John XXIII) இவருக்கு புனிதர் பட்டம் வழங்கினார்.

Also known as

• Peter Julian Eymard

• Pierre-Julien Eymard

Additional Memorial

1 August (La Mure, Isère, France)

Profile

Peter grew up in a poor family during the anti-clerical, anti-Catholic aftermath of the French Revolution. His first attempt at the priesthood, against his family's wishes, ended when he had to withdraw from seminary due to illness; he never completely recovered his health. He returned, however, and was ordained on 20 July 1834 in the diocese of Grenoble, France. Joined the Marist Fathers on 20 August 1839. Friend of Saint John Mary Vianney. Provincial superior of the Society of Mary in 1845.

Peter had a strong Marian devotion, and travelled to the assorted Marian shrines and apparition sites in France. Organized lay societies under the direction of the Marists, preached and taught, and worked for Eucharistic devotion. He felt a call to found a new religious society, and founded the Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament in 1856, and the lay Servants of the Blessed Sacrament in 1858. His work encountered a series of setbacks, including have to close his nascent houses and move twice, and the houses not being able to support themselves financially. However, his vision of priests, deacons, sisters, and lay people dedicated to the spiritual values celebrated in the Mass and prayer before the Blessed Sacrament anticipated many of the renewals brought about by Vatican Councils I and II.

Late in life, during a lengthy retreat in Rome, he became more mystical as he came in closer communion with the love of Christ. Six volumes of his personal letters, and nine volumes of his meditations have been printed in English.

Born

4 February 1811 at La Mure, France

Died

1 August 1868 at La Mure, Isère, France following a stroke

Canonized

9 December 1962 by Pope John XXIII

Saint Eusebius of Vercelli

புனித ஓசேபியஸ் (Eusebius von Vercelli)

ஆயர், மறைசாட்சி

பிறப்பு 

283

சார்டினியன் (Sardinien), இத்தாலி

இறப்பு 

1 ஆகஸ்டு 371

வெர்செல்லி, இத்தாலி

ஆரியனிஸ கொள்கையாளர்களால் (Arianism) கல்லால் எரிந்து கொல்லப்பட்டார்.

இவர் சில இக்கட்டான சூழ்நிலைகளை சந்தித்த பின்னர் மறைபரப்பு பணியை ஆற்றினார். இவர் உரோம் நகரில் குருவாக திருநிலைப்படுத்தப்பட்டார். 345 ஆம் ஆண்டு வெர்செல்லி என்ற மறைமாவட்டத்திற்கு முதல் ஆயராக தேர்ந்தெடுக்கப்பட்டார். தன்னுடைய எளிமையான மறையுரையின் வழியாக திருச்சபையை அம்மண்ணில் பரவச் செய்தார். தம் மறைமாவட்டத்தில் ஆதின வாழ்க்கையை உருவாக்கினார். திருச்சபைக்காக மன்னர் கொன்ஸ்தான்சியுஸால்(Konsthansiysal) நாடுகடத்தப்பட்டார். அப்போது அவர் பல துன்பங்களை அனுபவித்தார். சில ஆண்டுகள் கழித்து மீண்டும் தன் நாட்டிற்கு திரும்பினார். ஆரியுசின் ஆதரவாளர்களுக்கு எதிராக நம்பிக்கையை திரும்பவும் நிலைநாட்டும்படியாக உழைத்தார். 

இவர் ஆரிய பதிதர்களின் அநீதிகளை சுட்டிக்காட்டினார். இதனால் மீண்டும் பாலஸ்தீன நாட்டுக்கு நாடுகடத்தப்பட்டார். அங்கு தான் அனுபவித்த துன்பங்களை இறைவனுக்காக ஏற்றுக்கொண்டார். மக்களும் மன்னனும் மனந்திரும்ப தன் துன்பங்களை பொறுமையோடு ஏற்று, வாழ்வை தியாகம் செய்தார். 

Also known as

Eusebi, Eusebio, Eusebe, Euzebiusz, Euzebije

Memorial

• 1 August (in the Piedmont region of Italy)

• 15 December (consecration of Saint Eusebius)

Profile

Born to a pious family - his father died a martyrs when the Eusebius was small, he was baptized in Rome, Italy by Pope Saint Eusebius, his mother, Saint Restituta, died a martyr in her old age, and his sister Eusebia became a nun and mother superior of a monastery in Vercelli, Italy that Eusebius founded. Eusebius studied in Rome; one of his fellow seminarians was the future Pope Saint Liberius. Eusebius was ordained priest and lector in Rome. Chosen as the first bishop of Vercelli, Italy, he was consecrated on 16 December 340 by Pope Saint Julius I.

As bishop, Eusebius lived with and followed the same discipline as his priests. He attended the synod of Milan, Italy in 355. He was exiled for eight years by emperor Constantius to Palestine and Cappadocia for his strong opposition to Arianism; he spent part of the time in prison, and as soon as he returned, he began preaching against Arianism. Friend of Saint Athanasius of Alexandria, and attended a synod organized by him in Alexandria. A profilic writer according to his contemporaries, none of his works have survived. May have been martyred by Arians, but reports vary; many consider him a martyr as he may have died as a result of his sufferings in exile.

Born

283 at Sardinia

Died

1 August 371 in Vercelli, Italy

Patronage

• Congregation of the Daughters of Saint Eusebius

• Berzo Demo, Italy

• Piedmont, Italy

• Vercelli, Italy

Our Lady of the Angels

Also known as

• La Negrita

• The Little Black One

• Virgin de los Angeles

Profile

The image of Our Lady of the Angels is only about three inches high, and is carved in a simple fashion on dark stone. She has a round, sweet face, slanted eyes and a delicate mouth. Her coloring is leaden, with scattered golden sparkles. She carries the Christ Child on her left arm. Only the faces of Mary and the Child are visible; the rest is covered by a cloak that is gathered in pleats. The statuette is displayed in a large gold monstrance that surrounds it and enlarges its appearance.

While searching for firewood on 2 August 1635, the feast of the Holy Angels, a poor mestizo woman named Juana Pereira discovered this small image of the Virgin sitting beside the footpath near Cartago, Costa Rica. Juana took it home with her, but it soon disappeared only to be re-discovered at the same place beside the same path. The statue repeated this behavior five more times - taken to homes and then the parish church - and returning on its own to the site where Juana found it. The locals finally took this to mean that Our Lady wanted a shrine built there, and so it was.

The shrine soon became a point of pilgrimage, especially for the poor and outcast. The image was solemnly crowned in 1926. In 1935 Pope Pius XI declared the shrine of the Queen of Angels a basilica. The stone on which the statue was originally sitting is in the basilica, and is being slowly worn away by the touch of the hands of the pilgrims. A spring of water appeared from beneath the stone, and its waters carried away to heal the sick.

Patronage

• Costa Rica

• diocese of Getafe, Spain

Saint Giustino Maria Russolillo

Profile

Studied at the seminary of Pozzuoli, Italy where he was noted for his personal piety and stood out as an exceptional student. Priest in the Diocese of Pozzuoli, Italy, ordained on 20 September 1913. Parish priest in Pianura, Italy. Founded the Society of Divine Vocations (Vocationists) in 1919 which encouraged and supported those discerning a call to the priesthood and religious life. The Vocationists continue their work in Italy, France, Brazil, Argentina, the United States, Nigeria, India, the Philippines, Madagascar, Colombia and Ecuador.

Born

18 January 1891 in Pianura, Naples, Italy

Died

• 2 August 1955 in Pianura, Naples, Italy of natural causes

• re-buried at the Vocationist mother-house at Pianura on 14 April 1956

Beatified

• 7 May 2011 by Pope Benedict XVI

• the beatification miracle involved the 1998 healing of the carcinoma of a 59-year-old woman

Canonized

• 15 May 2022 by Pope Francis

• the canonization miracle involved the 21 April 2016 healing of a young Vocationist religious who suffered from epilepsy, seizures, serious rhabdomiliosis, pneumonia with ingestis, acute respiratory failure, and was in a coma at the time

Saint Serenus of Marseille

Also known as

Sereno, Clear (translation of his name)

Additional Memorials

• 1st Sunday in August (Biandrate, Italy)

• 11 August (Marseille, France)

Profile

Bishop of Marseille, France c.595. Correspondent with Saint Gregory the Great; four of their letters have survived and provide what little we know about Serenus. He questioned the use of sacred images, and destroyed some icons in his cathedral to stop what he considered a tendency to idolatry, especially by people who came from outside the port city, but Pope Gregory convinced him of their value in catechising the illiterate. Assisted Saint Augustine of Canterbury on his mission to England in 596. Died while returning to Marseille from a visit to Rome, Italy.

Died

• c.606 near Biandrate, Piedmont, Italy of natural causes

• buried in a field near Biandrate, and location of his grave was lost

• years later his grave was dug up by a farmer working the field

• relics enshrined in the church of San Columba in Biandrate

• relics re-enshrined in an urn in 1678

Patronage

• for good weather

• for good harvests

• Biandrate, Italy

Pope Saint Stephen I

Profile

Son of Jovius; little else known of his early life. Archdeacon under Pope Lucius I. Elected 23rd pope in 254. Explicitly proclaimed the primacy of the diocese of Rome in matters of theology, and the current understanding of Christ's statement to Saint Peter: "You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My Church." He condemned the Carthaginian practice of re-baptizing heretics, and accepted baptisms performed by heretics when the convert had acted in good faith; he corrected Saint Cyprian's thinking on the matter. Ordered that there be special clothing (vestments) for use in liturgy, that priests not conduct Mass in street clothes, and not wear their vestments into the streets. Often listed as a martyr in old records, but modern scholarship has found no evidence of it.

Born

Roman

Papal Ascension

12 May 254

Died

• 2 August 257 of natural causes

• buried in the papal crypt of Callistus on the Appian Way

• transferred by Pope Saint Paul I to Saint Stephen's monastery

Patronage

Fiano Romano, Italy

Representation

being murdered at an altar

Blessed Felipe de Jesús Munárriz Azcona

Additional Memorial

13 August as one of the Martyred Claretians of Barbastro

Profile

Born to a pious family; he became a Claretian priest, as did two of his brothers. He joined the Claretians in 1886. Studied at Santo Domingo de la Calzada. Ordained in 1898. Novice master. Worked to reduce the spread of tuberculosis, which was spreadly wildly at the time. Superior of communities in the Spanish cities of Barcelona, Cartagena and Zaragoza. Noted preacher of home missions. Known for his devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, the rules of his Order, and passing on Claretian spirituality to younger members and seminarians. Martyred in the persecutions of the Spanish Civil War.

Born

4 February 1875 in Allo, Navarra, Spain

Died

shot on 2 August 1936 at the gates of the cemetery in Barbastro, Huesca, Spain

Beatified

25 October 1992 by Pope John Paul II

Blessed Francisco Calvo Burillo

Profile

Member of the Dominicans. Studied at the Dominican convents of Padron and Corias in Asturias, Spain, and later at university in Barcelona, Spain. Ordained a priest in 1905 in Salamanca, Spain. Teacher for several years in Oviedo, Spain. Assigned in 1912 led the restoration of the Dominican presence in the province of Aragon, Spain. Imprisoned on 1 July 1936 for the crime of bring a priest; he spent his last night praying and writing a final letter to his mother. Martyred in the Spanish Civil War while praying for the forgiveness of his executioners.

Born

21 November 1881 in Hijár, Teruel, Spain

Died

• shot on 2 August 1936 in Híjar, Teruel, Spain

• buried at the Calanda cemetery

• re-interred at the Dominican Zaragoza College of Santa Rosa

• re-interred in the Cardinal Xavierre convent in Zaragoza in 1962

Beatified

11 March 2001 by Pope John Paul II

Blessed Juana de Aza

Also known as

Jane, Joan, Joanna

Profile

Born to the Castilian nobility, the daughter of Felix de Caleruega, constable of Castile. Lay woman noted for her physical and spiritual beauty. Married to Felix de Guzman, governor of Calaruega, Burgos, Spain c.1165. Mother of four. Her oldest son, Venerable Anthony, became a priest, the middle son was Blessed Manés, and the youngest was Saint Dominic de Guzman. When pregnant with Dominic, she had a vision that her unborn child was a dog who would set the world on fire with a torch it carried in its mouth; a dog bearing a torch in its mouth became a symbol for the Dominicans. Popular devotion to Joan sprang up almost immediately upon her death.

Born

at Castle Aza, Aranda, Old Castile, Spain

Died

c.1190 at Celeruga, Spain of natural causes

Beatified

1828 by Pope Leo XII (cultus confirmed)

Saint Pedro de Osma

Also known as

Pedro of Bourges

Profile

Benedictine monk at the Cluniac Saint-Orens Abbey in Auch, France. He and several brother monks moved to Castile at the request of Archbishop Bernardo de Salvivat of Toledo, Spain in order to bring the Cluniac reform to the region. Arch-deacon of the Toledo. Bishop of Osma, Spain in 1101; the area was newly freed of Muslim rule. Pedro was known for his personal piety, his endless hard work, and his ministry and support of the poor, the sick and the imprisoned. Started construction of the Cathedral of Santa Maria de Osma. Some sources say he was chosen archbishop of Toledo in 1109, but that’s questionable. Died while attending the funeral of King Alfonso VI.

Born

Bourges, France

Died

• 1109 in the house of the bishop of Palencia, Castile, Spain of natural causes, having contracted a disease at the monastery of Sahagún

• interred in the cathedral of Burgo de Osma

Blessed Leoncio Pérez Ramos

Additional Memorial

13 August as one of the Martyred Claretians of Barbastro

Profile

Born to a poor peasant family. Joined the Claretian at the school in Alagón in 1889. Priest, ordained in Miranda de Ebro, Spain in 1901. Superior of the house at Olesa de Montserrat in 1907. Treasurer and administrator of houses in several cities beginning in 1913. Martyred in the persecutions of the Spanish Civil War.

Born

12 September 1875 in Muro de Aguas, Logroño, Spain

Died

shot on 2 August 1936 at the gates of the cemetery in Barbastro, Huesca, Spain

Beatified

25 October 1992 by Pope John Paul II

Blessed Juan Díaz Nosti

Additional Memorial

13 August as one of the Martyred Claretians of Barbastro

Profile

Joined the Claretians in 1893. Ordained in 1906 in Zaragoza, Spain. Superior of the community in Calatayud, Spain in 1913. Began teaching moral theology in Barbastro, Spain in 1916; he worked there for 18 years. Prefect of students in Barbastro in 1934. Noted teacher, preacher and spiritual director. Martyred in the persecutions of the Spanish Civil War.

Born

17 February 1880 in Oviedo, Asturias, Spain

Died

shot on 2 August 1936 at the gates of the cemetery in Barbastro, Huesca, Spain

Beatified

25 October 1992 by Pope John Paul II

Blessed Leoncio Pérez Nebreda

Profile

Joined the Vincentians on 19 August 1911, making his profession on 1 January 1914. Ordained on 10 August 1921. Professor at the Vincentian Apostolic College in Teruel, and the in 1935 at Alcorisa, Spain. Regardless of his assignment, he never forgot that his first vocation was to be a priest, leading people to Christ. Martyred in the Spanish Civil War.

Born

18 March 1895 in Villarmentero, Burgos, Spain

Died

• beaten to death with a hand tool on 2 August 1936 in Las Planas de Oliete, Teruel, Spain

• body thrown off a cliff

Beatified

13 October 2013 by Pope Francis

Blessed Frederic Campisani

Profile

Born to the nobility. Known as a pious child, Frederic joined the Franciscans as soon as they would taken him. Hermit on the Magdalena peninsula of Sicily near the area of modern Plemmirio, Contrada Isola. Miracle worker, healer, exorcist with the gift of prophesy.

Born

c.1255 in Syracuse, Sicily, Italy

Died

2 August 1335 of natural causes

Beatified

• popular devotion began immediately, and the diocese started the process in 1336

• in 1761 Bishop Giuseppe Antonio De Requesens ordered the canonical recognition of the relics of Blessed Frederic

Blessed Gundekar of Eichstätt 

Also known as

• Gundekar Aureatensis

• Gundekar Eystetensis

• Gundechar, Gundecharus, Guntaker, Gunzo

Profile

Born to the Frankish nobility, the son of Reginher and Irmingart. Moved to Bavaria, Germany as a child. Educated at Cathedral School in Eichstätt, Germany. Chaplain to Empress Agnes in 1045. Bishop of Eichstätt on 20 August 1057.

Born

10 August 1019 in Germany

Died

• 2 August 1075 in Eichstätt, Germany

• interred in the Baptist chapel of the cathedral of Eichstätt

• relics relocated to an above ground tomb in September 1309

Saint Etheldritha

Also known as

Alfreda, Etelreda

Profile

A princess, the daughter of King Offa of Mercia. Betrothed to Saint Ethelbert of East Anglia. After the murder of Ethelbert, Etheldritha moved to Croyland, England and lived as a Benedictine anchoress.

Born

795 in Mercia (in modern England)

Died

• c.835 in Croyland, England of natural causes

• relics enshrined in Croyland Abbey

• relics destroyed in 870 by Danish raiders

Representation

woman in a black Benedictine habit and a crown

Saint Sidwell 

Also known as

Sativola, Sadfyl

Profile

Sister of Saint Urith and Saint Juthwara. Virgin-martyr, murdered by reapers at the instigation of the girl's step-mother.

Born

near Exeter, England

Died

• beheaded with a scythe, date unknown

• a well sprang up at the site of her martyrdom, and its waters were reputed to heal

• buried outside the city of Exeter, England

• her grave became a place of pilgrimage and healing

• the church of Saint Sidwell still exists and was re-built following bombings in World War II

Representation

• scythe

• well

Saint Betharius of Chartres

Also known as

Betario, Boetharius, Bohaire

Profile

Studied philosophy at the chapter school of Chartres, France. Monk. Priest. Hermit. Court chaplain to King Clotaire II. Reluctant bishop of Chartres, France, c.595. Directed the defenses of Chartres during a siege by Theodoric II of Burgundy; the city fell, Betharius was captured but released after he miraculously healed some Burgundian soldiers. Attended the Council of Sens.

Born

Rome, Italy

Died

c.623 of natural causes

Saint Centolla of Burgos

Profile

Daughter of a noble of Toledo, Spain who made a private vow of chastity and dedication to God. To escape the persecutions of Diocletian, she fled to Siero, Burgos, Spain. She was seized there, dragged to court, tortured, and executed when she would not renounce her faith. Martyr.

Died

beheaded c.304 at Burgos, Spain

Saint Rutilius 

Also known as

Rutilio

Profile

Rutilius traveled extensively to avoid the persecutions of Decius, sometimes hiding, sometimes bribing officials to leave him alone, but never giving up his faith. He was finally captured, tortured and martyred.

Born

North Africa

Died

burned at the stake in 250 in a small town in northern Africa

Portiuncula Indulgence 

Article

An indulgence which may be gained in any church so designated by the bishop, by all the faithful who after Confession and Holy Communion, visit such churches between noon of 1 August and midnight of 2 August, or on the Sunday following. The indulgence is toties quoties and is applicable to the souls in Purgatory.

Saint Plegmund

Profile

Noted scholar. Tutor to King Alfred. Archbishop of Canterbury, England. Restored the Church in England after the attacks of pagan Danes. The hermitage at Plemstall, Plegmundstow, was named after him.

Born

Cheshire, England

Died

923 of natural causes 

Saint Auspicius of Apt 

Also known as

Auspice

Profile

First bishop of Apt, France in the late 1st century, consecrated by Pope Saint Clement I.

Saint Maximus of Padua

Saint Maximus of Padua was a 14th-century Italian hermit. He was born in Padua, Italy, in the early 14th century. He was ordained a priest, but he left the priesthood to live a life of solitude. He lived in a cave near Padua, and he spent his time praying and meditating. 

Second century Bishop of Padua, Italy. Known as a miracle worker.

Martyred in the Spanish Civil War

Thousands of people were murdered in the anti-Catholic persecutions of the Spanish Civil War from 1934 to 1939.

• Blessed Fernando Olmedo Reguera

• Francesc Company Torrelles 

• Francisca Pons Sarda

• Francisco Manzano Cruz

• Blessed José Giménez Reyes

• José Peris Ramos

• Martí Anglés Oliveras

• Blessed Miguel Amaro Rodríguez

இன்றைய புனிதர்கள் ஆகஸ்ட் 01

 Saint Alphonsus Maria de Liguori

புனித அல்போன்ஸ் மரிய லிகோரி 

ஆயர், மறைவல்லுநர் 

பாதுகாவல்: ஒப்புரவு தரும் அருள்தந்தையர் (Confessor), நல்லொழுக்க நீதி சார் இறையியலர்(Moral theologians)

பிறப்பு 

27 செப்டம்பர் 1696

நேயாபல், இத்தாலி (Marinella bei Neapel, Italien)

 இறப்பு 

01 ஆகஸ்டு 1787

நேயாபல்(Nocera dei Pagani bei Neapel)

முத்திபேறுபட்டம்: 1816, திருத்தந்தை 7ஆம் பயஸ்

புனிதர்பட்டம்: 29 மே 1839, திருத்தந்தை 16 ஆம் கிரகோரி

ஆயர்பட்டம்: 1762, திருத்தந்தை 13 ஆம் கிளமெண்ட், வடக்கு நேயாபல் (Diocese S.Agatha dei Goti im Norden von Neapel)

இவர் உரோமன் சட்டத்திலும், திருச்சபை சட்டத்திலும் பட்டம் பெற்றார். மறைபரப்பு பணியில் ஆர்வம் கொண்டிருந்தார். இதனால் குருத்துவ வாழ்விற்கு தன்னை ஈடுபடுத்தினார். இவரின் வாழ்வு மக்களிடையே பல தாக்கத்தை ஏற்படுத்தியது. மிக சிறப்பான இவரின் மறைபரப்புப் பணியால், நேப்பிள்ஸ் நகர் ஆயராக தேர்ந்தெடுக்கப்பட்டார். பின்னர் "புனித இரட்சகர்" என்ற பெயரில் ஒரு துறவற சபையை நிறுவினார். மக்களிடையே கிறிஸ்துவ வாழ்வை வளப்படுத்த, சிறப்பான மறையுரையை ஆற்றினார். ஒழுக்க நெறி சார்ந்த இறையியல் நூல்கள் பல எழுதினார். இவர் தலைசிறந்த இறையியல் ஆசிரியராகவும் பணியாற்றினார். பின்னர் ஆயர் பொறுப்பிலிருந்து விலகினார். தான் தொடங்கிய துறவற சபையில் வாழ்ந்தார். மரியன்னையின்மீது பக்தி, திவ்ய நற்கருணை சந்திப்பு, சிலுவைப்பாதை செய்தல் இவைகளில் தன் சபையிலுள்ளவர்களை ஈடுபடுத்தினார். எவற்றின் மீதும் பற்றுக்கொள்ளக்கூடாது என்பதை வலியுறுத்தினார். 

இவர் பல பயணங்களை மேற்கொண்டு, நேப்பிள்ஸ் நாட்டில் சிறப்பான மறையுரையை ஆற்றி நன்மைகள் பல செய்தார், இவர் வயது முதிர்ந்தவராய் இருந்ததால் பார்வையிழந்து காணப்பட்டார். இதனால் சிலர் இவரை தவறான வழியில் நடத்தினர். எதிரிகளின் சூழ்ச்சியால், சில முக்கிய ஒப்பந்தங்களில் தெரியாமல், தவறாக கையொப்பமிட்டார். இதனால் இவரின் சபையில் பல பிளவுகள் உண்டானது. இதனால் அல்போன்ஸ் மனமுடைந்து, மிக வேதனை அடைந்தார். சில உறவுகளையும் இழந்தார். நோயினால் தாக்கப்பட்டு கொடுமையான வேதனையை அனுபவித்த அல்போன்ஸ் தனது 83 ஆம் வயதுவரை தன் சபையை சேர்ந்தவர்களாலேயே, ஒதுக்கி வைக்கப்பட்டார். இயேசுவின் பாடுகளை இடைவிடாமல் தனது இறுதி நாட்களில் அனுபவித்து இறைவனடி சேர்ந்தார். 

Also known as

Alfonso, Alfons, Alfontso, Alphonse, Alfonsu, Afonso

Profile

Born to the nobility, Alphonsus was a child prodigy; he became extremely well-educated, and received his doctorate in law from the University of Naples at age 16. He had his own legal practice by age 21, and was soon one of the leading lawyers in Naples, though he never attended court without having attended Mass first. He loved music, could play the harpsichord, and often attended the opera, though he frequently listened without bothering to watch the over-done staging. As he matured and learned more and more of the world, he liked it less and less, and finally felt a call to religious life. He declined an arranged marriage, studied theology, and was ordained at age 29.

Preacher and home missioner around Naples. Noted for his simple, clear, direct style of preaching, and his gentle, understanding way in the confessional. Writer on asceticism, theology, and history; master theologian. He was often opposed by Church officials for a perceived laxity toward sinners, and by government officials who opposed anything religious. Founded the Redemptoristines women's order in Scala in 1730. Founded the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer (Liguorians; Redemptorists) at Scala, Italy in 1732.

Appointed bishop of the diocese of Sant'Agata de' Goti, Italy by Pope Clement XIII in 1762. Worked to reform the clergy and revitalize the faithful in a diocese with a bad reputation. He was afflicted with severe rheumatism, and often could barely move or raise his chin from his chest. In 1775 he resigned his see due to ill health, and went into what he thought would be a prayerful retirement.

In 1777 the royal government threatened to disband his Redemptorists, claiming that they were covertly carrying on the work of the Jesuits, who had been suppressed in 1773. Calling on his knowledge of the Congregation, his background in thelogy, and his skills as a lawyer, Alphonsus defended the Redemptorists so well that they obtained the king's approval. However, by this point Alphonsus was nearly blind, and was tricked into giving his approval to a revised Rule for the Congregation, one that suited the king and the anti-clerical government. When Pope Pius VI saw the changes, he condemned it, and removed Alphonsus from his position as leader of the Order. This caused Alphonsus a crisis in confidence and faith that took years to overcome. However, by the time of his death he had returned to faith and peace.

Alphonsus vowed early to never to waste a moment of his life, and he lived that way for over 90 years. Declared a Doctor of the Church by Pope Pius IX in 1871.

When he was bishop, one of Alphonsus's priests led a worldly life, and resisted all attempts to change. He was summoned to Alphonsus, and at the entrance to the bishop's study he found a large crucifix laid on the threshold. When the priest hesitated to step in, Alphonsus quietly said, "Come along, and be sure to trample it underfoot. It would not be the first time you have placed Our Lord beneath your feet."

Born

27 September 1696 at Marianelli near Naples, Italy

Died

1 August 1787 at Nocera, Italy of natural causes

Canonized

26 May 1839 by Pope Gregory XVI

Martyrs of Nowogrodek

Also known as

• Martyrs of Novogrudok

• Nasaret-sostrene fra Nowogródek

• Nowogrodek Martyrs

• Sister Mary Stella and her Ten Companions

• Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth

Profile

A group of eleven Holy Family of Nazareth nuns who were murdered by the Nazi Gestapo in exchange for 120 condemned citizens of Nowogrodek, Belarus who were scheduled for revenge killings. They are –

• Adela Mardosewicz

• Anna Kukolowicz

• Eleonora Aniela Józwik

• Eugenia Mackiewicz

• Helena Cierpka

• Jadwiga Karolina Zak

• Józefa Chrobot

• Julia Rapiej

• Leokadia Matuszewska

• Paulina Borowik

• Weronika Narmontowicz

Died

• machine-gunned by firing squad on 1 August 1943 by the Gestapo about three miles outside Novogrudok (Nowogródek), Hrodzyenskaya voblasts', in Nazi occupied Belarus

• buried on the site of the execution in a common grave

• one of their surviving sisters, Maria Malgorzata Banas, located the grave on 19 March 1945 and tended to it until her death in 1966

• relics re-interred in a common sarcophagus in the chapel of the Novograd Farny Church (the Church of the Transfiguration, also known as Biala Fara or the White Church)

Beatified

5 March 2000 by Pope John Paul II in Rome, Italy

Feast of Saint Peter in Chains

Also known as

• Saint Peter ad Vincula

• San Pietro in Vincoli

• Liberation of Saint Peter

• Release of Saint Peter

• Deliverance of Saint Peter

About the Feast

The feast was originally kept in Rome, Italy to commemorate the dedication of the Church of Saint Peter on the Esquiline Hill built by Eudoxia Licinia in 442, and rebuilt by Adrian I in the 8th century. When the chains which Saint Peter had worn in prison, and from which he was freed by angelic intervention (see readings below) were later venerated there, the feast received its present name.

The date when these chains were brought from Jerusalem is disputed; some claim they were brought in 116 by travellers sent in search of them by Saint Balbina and her father Saint Quirinus, while others think Saint Eudoxia brought them in 439. Pope Saint Leo the Great united them to the chains with which Saint Peter had been fettered in the Mamertine Prison, forming a chain about two yards long which is preserved in a bronze safe and guarded by a special confraternity.

Patronage

• diocese of Annecy, France

• Donnas, Italy

Blessed Pierre-Lucien Claverie

Also known as

the bishop of the Muslims (he was called this by Muslim mourners at his funeral)

Profile

Born to a working class French family living in Algeria. At age 10, Pierre joined the scouts in a troop led by Dominicans, and became familiar with their spirituality. He attended college in Grenoble, France, and joined the Dominicans himself at the convent in Lille, France on 7 December 1958. He studied at a Dominican institute near Paris, France, and in 1962, after the Algerian war of independence, he returned to Algiers. There he served his mandatory time in the armed forces, but refused to bear arms. After his service, Pierre resumed his studies in France in September 1963, and was ordained a priest on 4 July 1965.

Father Pierre spent time learning Arabic and studying Islam, then returned to Algeria to help the people re-build their lives after the war. From 1973 to 1981 he ran an institute in Algiers for the study of classical Arabic and Islamic history; it was started as a way to prepare Christian missionaries for work in Islamic regions, but became a popular school for local Muslims who wanted to learn Arabic and their Islamic cultural history. Father Pierre worked for dialogue between Christians and Muslims, believing that communication and open religious discussion could lead to peace.

He was chosen bishop of Oran, Algeria on 25 May 1981. He built libraries, therapy centers for the handicapped, and schools, including ones for women. When the Algerian Civil War broke out in 1992, many of the Catholic clergy fled the country, but Father Pierre considered himself an Algerian as well as French, and stayed to work for peace and serve his flock. He died with his driver and friend Mohamed Bouchikhi in a bomb blast set by anti–Christian forces. Martyr.

Born

8 May 1938 in Algiers, Algeria

Died

• from a bomb explosion that destroyed the entrance to the chancery as he was entering the building on 1 August 1996 in Oran, Algeria

• seven people were convicted of the murders and sentenced to death on 23 March 1998; the Catholic Church of Algeria managed to get their sentences commuted

Venerated

26 January 2018 by Pope Francis (decree of martyrdom)

Holy Maccabees

Also known as

The Machabees

Profile

Jewish dynasty which began with the rebellion of Mathathias and his five sons against the Syrian king, Antiochus IV (168 BC) and ruled the fortunes of Israel until the advent of Herod the Great. Syrian attempts to force Greek paganism on the Jews, the profanation of the Temple at Jerusalem, and the massacre which followed, brought the nation to arms under Mathathias, a priest of the sons of Joarib. At the death of Mathathias, Judas Machabeus, his third son, drove the Syrians and Hellenists out of Jerusalem, rededicated the Temple, and began an offensive and defensive alliance with the Romans. Before the treaty was concluded, however, Judas, with 800 men, risked battle at Laisa with an overwhelming army of Syrians under Bacchides, and was slain. He was succeeded in command by his youngest brother, Jonathan (161 BC). Jonathan defeated Bacchides, revenged the death of his brother, and made peace with Alexander who had usurped the throne of Demetrius, the successor to Antiochus. A period of peace followed in which Jonathan ruled as high priest in Jerusalem, but Tryphon, who was plotting for the throne of Asia, treacherously captured him at ptolemais and later put him to death. The captaincy of the armies of Israel then fell to Simon, the second son of Mathathias. Under him the land of Juda flourished exceedingly. He obtained the complete independence of the country and a grateful people bestowed upon him the hereditary kingship of the nation. His rule marked five years of uninterrupted peace. He was treacherously slain by his son-in-law, Ptolemy, about the year 135 BC After Simon the race of the Machabees quickly degenerated. In 63 BC the Romans thought it necessary to interfere in the fratricidal war between Hyrcanus II and Aristobulus II. With this interference and the advent of Herod the Great the scepter passed forever from the land of Juda. The story of the Machabees is written in the two books of the Old Testament which bear that name.

Saint Peter Faber

Also known as

• Peter Favre

• Peter Lefrevre

• Petrus, Pierre

• Apostle of Germany

Profile

Born to a farm family, he was a shepherd in his youth. Taught catechism to other children. Entered Saint-Barbe College, Paris, France in 1525. Friend of Saint Francis Xavier and Saint Ignatius Loyola. Ordained in 1534. Joined Ignatius' early band of Jesuits on 15 August 1534. Assisted at the Diet of Worms in 1540. Assisted at the Diet of Ratisbon in 1541. Preached in Parma, Speyer, Mainz, Cologne, Savoy, Portugal, Lisbon and Valladolid, revitalizing the laity, reforming the clergy and opposing Lutheranism. Helped Saint Peter Canisius realize his vocation. Worked with Saint Francis Borgia. The pope planned to send him to the Council of Trent as theologian of the Holy See, and Pope John III wanted him to be the Patriarch of Ethiopia, but his health failed and he could not take either of these responsibilities. Had a great devotion to the angels. The diary of his travels and work has survived.

Born

13 April 1506 at Villaret, Savoy

Died

1 August 1546 at Rome, Italy of natural causes

Canonized

17 December 2013 by Pope Francis

Saint Ethelwold of Winchester

Also known as

• Adeluoldus, Aethelwald, Aethelwold, Etelvoldo, Etelwold, Ethelwald

• Father of Monks

Profile

He grew up in the court of King Athelstan. Studied under and was ordained by his relative, Saint Alphege of Winchester. Ordained with Saint Dunstan of Canterbury. Benedictine dean at Glastonbury Abbey after Dunstan restored the Rule. Abbot of Abingdon, England in 954. Bishop of Winchester, England on 29 November 963. Built abbeys in his diocese, restored the monasteries of Newminster, Milton Abbas, Chertsey, Peterborough, Thorney and Ely, enforced discipline, and was one of the leaders of the 10th century monastic revival. Scholar, teacher, prelate, and royal counsellor. Supported the liturgical arts including music and manuscript illumination. Wrote Regularis Concordia, a monastic decree based on the Benedictine Rule.

Born

c.912 at Winchester, England

Died

• 1 August 984 of natural causes

• buried at cathedral of Winchester, England

Blessed Emericus of Quart

Also known as

Émeric, Emerico

Profile

Born to the Italian nobility, the son of James II, lord of the region of Quart, Italy; two of his brothers also had lives in religion. Emericus studied theology in his youth, and earned a doctorate. He then lived as a hermit, dedicated to prayer and contemplation in an area now known as Valsainte, and which became the site of a oratory and pilgrimages. Cathedral canon at Sant’Orso in the late 13th century. Bishop of Aosta, Italy in 1301. He was noted for his austere life and his zeal for the salvation of souls.

Born

mid 13th century in the castle of Quart, Italy

Died

• 1 September 1313 of natural causes

• buried in the cathedral of Aosta, Italy

• relics exhumed and enshrined in 1515

Beatified

14 July 1881 by Pope Leo XIII (cultus confirmation)

Blessed Aleksy Sobaszek

Profile

After graduating high school in Ostrów, Poland, he studied in Freising, Germany, Poznan, Poland, and Gniezno, Poland, Aleksy was ordained a priest in 1919. He served as parish priest and sometimes teacher in the Polish cities of Wagrowiec, Slupy, Trzemeszno, Siedlemin, and Gniezno. Prefect of a teacher's college for nine years. For being Polish and a priest, he was arrested by Nazis on 6 October 1941 and imprisoned in the Dachau concentration camp where he ministered to other prisoners until his death several months later. One of the 108 Polish Martyrs of World War II.

Born

17 August 1895 in Przygodzice, Wielkopolskie, Poland

Died

1 August 1942 at the concentration camp at Dachau, Oberbayern, Germany

Beatified

13 June 1999 by Pope John Paul II at Warsaw, Poland

Saint Almedha

Also known as

Aled, Electa, Eled, Elevetha, Elined, Ellyw, Filuned, Luned, Lynette

Profile

A princess, the daughter of King Brychan. A pious girl, she made a private vow of chastity, and dedicated her life to Jesus. When her family tried to force her into an arranged marriage for political reasons, she fled her father's kingdom. Fearing Brychan's revenge if they helped her, villages turned her away. At Brecon she acquired a small hut, and lived there briefly as a prayerful hermitess. However, Brychan found her and demanded that she return home to be married. When she refused, standing by her vows, he killed her. Legend says that a healing spring of water appeared at the site of her death, and that the villages that had turned her away were beset with disasters. She is the Luned of the Mabinogion and the Lynette of Tennyson's Gareth and Lynette.

Born

Welsh

Died

beheaded in the 6th century by her father at Brecon, Wales

there is no historical evidence to support the existence of Saint Eluned. She is only mentioned in medieval Welsh literature, and there is no contemporary evidence to support her existence. As such, she should be considered a folk saint, rather than a historical figure.

It is possible that Saint Eluned is based on a real person, but there is no way to know for sure. 

Blessed Gerhard Hirschfelder

Profile

Priest in the archdiocese of Münster, Germany, ordained in 1932. Member of the Schoenstatt Movement. For preaching against Nazism, he was arrested by the Gestapo and shipped to the Dachau concentration camp on 15 December 1941. Martyred by the Nazis.

Born

17 February 1907 in Klodzko, Dolnoslaskie, Germany (in modern Poland)

Died

1 August 1942 in the Dachau concentration camp, Oberbayern, Bavaria, Germany of pneumonia and starvation

Beatified

• 19 September 2010 by Pope Benedict XVI

• beatification recognition celebrated at the cathedral of Münster, Germany, Cardinal Joaquim Meisner, Archbishop of Cologne, Germany presiding

Blessed Vicente Montserrat Millán

Profile

The son of a merchant, Vincente was baptized at the age of 4 days. He entered a minor seminary at age 10, and studied at the San Indalecio seminary. Ordained as a priest in the diocese of Almería, Spain on 2 June 1928. Martyred in the Spanish Civil War.

Born

6 January 1904 in Lorca, Murcia Spain

Died

shot ten times and stabbed on 1 August 1936 next to the walls of the cemetery in La Almolda, Zaragoza Spain

Beatified

• 25 March 2017 by Pope Francis

• beatification celebrated in the Palacio de Exposiciones y Congresos de Aguadulce, Almería, Spain, presided by Cardinal Angelo Amato

Blessed Giovanni Bufalari

Also known as

• Giovanni Bufalari

• John...

Profile

Brother of Blessed Lucy Bufalari. Augustinian friar-hermit at Rieti, Italy. Loved to serve at Mass. Friary porter, caring for travellers and the poor.

Blessed John Buonafede, who was a 14th-century Italian hermit and confessor. He was born in Rome in c.1270 and died in c.1350. He was known for his piety and his ability to perform miracles. His tomb in Rome became a popular pilgrimage site, and many people reported being healed after praying at his tomb.

Born

at Castel Porziano near Rome, Italy as Giovanni Bufalari

Died

• c.1350 of natural causes

• miraculous healings reports at his tomb

Beatified

1832 by Pope Gregory XVI (cultus confirmed)

Saint Bênadô Võ Van Duê

Also known as

Bernard Due Van Vo

Additional Memorial

24 November as one of the Martyrs of Vietnam

Profile

Adult convert to Catholicism. Priest in the apostolic vicariate of East Tonkin. Worked for decades at various missions around the country. Arrested in 1838 for the crime of priesthood. One of the Martyrs of Vietnam.

Born

1755 in Quan Anh, Nam Dinh, Vietnam

Died

beheaded on 1 August 1838 in Ba Tòa, Nam Dinh, Vietnam

Canonized

19 June 1988 by Pope John Paul II

Saints Faith, Hope and Charity

Profile

The daughters of Saint Sophia. While still children, they were tortured and martyred for their faith in the persecutions of Hadrian.

Died

scourged, thrown into a fire, and then beheaded

Saint Ðaminh Nguyen Van Hanh

Also known as

Dominic, Domenico

Dominic Nguyen Van Hanh was a Vietnamese Dominican priest who was martyred during the Vietnam War. He was born in 1917 in the village of Phuc Van, Vietnam. He was ordained a priest in 1947 and served as a pastor in several parishes in Vietnam.

In 1965, Hanh was arrested by the North Vietnamese government and accused of being a spy for the United States. He was tortured and imprisoned, and he died on August 1, 1966.

Born

1772 in Nang A, Nghe An, Vietnam

Died

beheaded on 1 August 1838 in Ba Tòa, Nam Dinh, Vietnam

Canonized

19 June 1988 by Pope John Paul II

Blessed Orlando of Vallombrosa

Additional Memorial

20 May (Benedictines)

Profile

Lay-brother in the Vallombrosan Order. Noted exorcist.

Died

• 1242 of natural causes

• buried in a church yard next to the bell tower of Vallombrosa

• relics exposed in May 1600 along with several other Vallombrosans

• relics enshrined in a chapel for them in 1604

Beatified

21 August 1600 by Bishop Alessandro de Medici (cultus approved)

Saint Arcadius of Bourges

Also known as

Arcadio, Arcade

Profile

Born to the Gallo-Roman aristocracy, the son of Count Apollinaire. Senator in the court of the Visigothic king Alaric II. Thrown from power due to political conflicts, he relocated to Bourges, France where he served as bishop in the mid 6th century. Attended the Council of Orléans in 538.

Born

latter 5th century Clermont (in modern France)

Died

• c.549 of natural causes

• relics at Saint Ursin, France

Saint Procopius of Taormina

Also known as

Procopio di Taormina

Profile

Bishop of Taormina, Sicily, Italy. Murdered along with hundreds of other Christians by invading Muslim Berbers. Martyr.

Born

9th century

Died

heart torn from his chest on 1 August 906 in Sicily, Italy by Hibraìm, leader of the invading Berbers

Saint Sophia

புனித சோபியா (- 137)

மிலன் நகரைச் சார்ந்த இவர் ஒரு கைம்பெண்.  இவருக்கு மூன்று பெண் குழந்தைகள் இருந்தார்கள். 

பிழைப்பு தேடி இவர் மிலன் நகரைவிட்டு, தனது மூன்று குழந்தைகளோடு உரோமை நகருக்குச் சென்றார். 

அக்காலக்கட்டத்தில் உரோமையில் ஹட்ரியன் என்ற மன்னனின் தலைமையில் கிறிஸ்தவர்களுக்கு எதிரான வன்முறை மிகுதியாக நடைபெற்றது.

இந்த வன்முறையில் இவருடைய மூன்று பெண் குழந்தைகளும் கிறிஸ்துவின்மீது கொண்ட உறுதியான நம்பிக்கைக்காகக் கொல்லப்பட்டார்கள்.

தன்னுடைய மூன்று பெண் குழந்தைகளும் கிறிஸ்துவுக்காகக் கொல்லப்பட்டதை  நினைத்து  இவர் ஒருபக்கம் பெருமைப்பட்டாலும், இன்னொரு பக்கம் அவர்களுடைய பிரிவு இவரை மிகுதியாக வாட்ட, இவர் அவர்களுடைய கல்லறையிலேயே அவர்கள் கொல்லப்பட்ட மூன்றாம் நாளில் இறந்து போனார்.

இவர் கைம்பெண்களின் பாதுகாவலராக இருக்கிறார்.

Also known as

Sofia

Profile

Legendary mother of the virgin martyrs Faith, Hope, and Charity. Three days after the death of the daughters, Sophia passed peacefully away while praying by their tomb. As her name means wisdom, and her offspring are named for virtues, some writers believer she is a personification of an allegory.

Died

early 2nd century

Saint Friard

Also known as

Friardo

Profile

Hermit on the island of Vindomitte, France. Friend of Saint Secundel. When tormented for his piety, a cloud of wasps attacked his tormenters; when Friard prayed for them, the wasps left.

Born

511 at Bresne, France

Died

577 of natural causes

Patronage

against fear of wasps

Saint Felix of Gerona

Also known as

Feliu, Felice

Profile

Missionary. Martyred in the persecutions of Maximian Herculeus and Prefect Dacianus. The Christian poet Prudentius wrote in his honour.

Born

Spanish

Died

cut to pieces with knives in 303 in Gerona, Spain

Blessed Thomas Welbourne

Profile

Lifelong layman in the apostolic vicariate of England. School teacher. Martyred in the persecutions of King James I for the crime of being vocally Catholic.

Born

Hutton Bushel, North Yorkshire, England

Died

hanged on 1 August 1605 in York, North Yorkshire, England

Beatified

15 December 1929 by Pope Pius XI

Saint Peregrinus of Modena 

Also known as

Pellegrino

Profile

Celtic monk. Pilgrim to the Holy Lands. On his return, he spent the rest of his life as a hermit in the Apennines near Modena, Italy where he was known by the locals for his sanctity.

Died

643 of natural causes

Patronage

Casola in Lunigiana, Italy

Saint Buono

Also known as

Bonus

Profile

Priest. Martyred with eleven others. The town of San Buono, Italy is named for him.

Died

• c.259 on the Latin Way, Rome, Italy

• buried in the cemtery fo San Priscilla

Patronage

San Buono, Italy

Portiuncula Indulgence

Article

An indulgence which may be gained in any church so designated by the bishop, by all the faithful who after Confession and Holy Communion, visit such churches between noon of 1 August and midnight of 2 August, or on the Sunday following. The indulgence is toties quoties and is applicable to the souls in Purgatory.

Saint Secundus of Palestrina

Also known as

Secondino

Additional Memorial

3 August (diocese of Palestrina, Italy)

Profile

Bishop of Palestrina, Italy. Martyred in the persecutions of Diocletian.

Died

315 on the Via Prenestina, 13 miles from Rome, Italy

Saint Exuperius of Bayeux

Also known as

Exsuperije, Exupere, Soupierre, Soupir, Soupire, Spire, Spirius

Profile

Fourth century bishop of Bayeux, France.

Saint Attius of Perga 

Also known as

Athius, Attus

Profile

Martyred with several companions by order of Flavian for destroying the altar of a pagan goddess during the persecutions of Diocletian.

Died

beheaded c.300 at Perga, Pamphylia

Saint Alexander of Perga

Profile

Martyred during the persecutions of Diocletian with several companions by order of Flavian for destroying the altar of a pagan goddess.

Died

beheaded c.300 at Perga, Pamphylia

Saint Leontius of Perga

Profile

Martyred with several companions by order of Flavian for destroying the altar of a pagan goddess during the persecutions of Diocletian.

Died

beheaded c.300 at Perga, Pamphylia

Blessed Rudolph 

Profile

Vallombrosan monk. Spiritual student of Saint John Gualbert. Abbot general.

Died

1076 of natural causes

Beatified

1600 by Bishop Alessandro de Medici of Fiesole (cultus confirmed)

Saint Rioch 

Profile

Nephew of Saint Patrick who consecrated him as a travelling, missionary bishop. Worn from his travels, he retired to live as a monk and then abbot of the monastery Inishboffin, Ireland.

Died

c.480

Saint Kenneth of Wales 

Also known as

Kined of Wales

Profile

Son of a 6th century chieftain. Hermit on the peninsula of Gower, Wales, a place later known as Llangenydd in his honour.

Saint Jonatus

Profile

Benedictine monk at Elnone, Belgium. Spiritual student of Saint Amandus of Maastricht. Abbot at Saint Machiennes c.643-652. Abbot at Elnone c.652-659.

Died

c.690

Saint Verus of Vienne

Profile

Bishop of Vienne, Gaul (modern France). Attended the Synod of Arles in 314.

Died

314 of natural causes

Saint Secundel

Also known as

Secondello

Profile

Hermit on the island of Vindomitte, France. Friend of Saint Friard.

Died

6th century

Saint Justin of Paris

Profile

Small child martyr.

Saint Justin of Paris, also known as Justin the Martyr, is a third-century saint who is venerated in the Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church. He was a philosopher and apologist who wrote several works in defense of the Christian faith. He was martyred during the persecution of Christians under the Roman emperor Maximinus II.

Justin was born in Flavia Neapolis (modern-day Nablus) in Palestine in the early third century. He was a student of philosophy and was initially attracted to the teachings of the Stoics and the Platonists. However, he eventually came to believe that Christianity was the true philosophy.

Justin traveled to Rome, where he began to teach and write in defense of the Christian faith. He wrote several works, including "Dialogue with Trypho," "First Apology," and "Second Apology." In these works, Justin argued that Christianity was the true philosophy and that it was compatible with reason. He also defended the Christian faith against the charges of atheism and immorality.

Justin was martyred during the persecution of Christians under the Roman emperor Maximinus II. He was arrested and brought before the prefect of Rome, Rusticus. Justin was offered the opportunity to recant his faith, but he refused. He was then tortured and beheaded.

Died

c.290 at Louvre, archdiocese of Paris, France

Saint Nemesius of Lisieux

Nemesius was born in the 5th century in Lisieux, France. He was a bishop of Lisieux and was known for his piety and his ability to perform miracles.

Nemesius died in Lisieux in the early 6th century. He is the patron saint of Lisieux and of those who suffer from eye diseases.

Martyrs of Philadelphia

Profile

A group of six Christians martyred. No information about them has survived but the names - Aquila, Cyril, Domitian, Menander, Peter and Rufus.

Died

in Philadelphia (modern Alasehir, Turkey)

Martyred in the Spanish Civil War

Thousands of people were murdered in the anti-Catholic persecutions of the Spanish Civil War from 1934 to 1939. 

• Benito Iñiguez de Heredia Alzola

• Francesc de Paula Soteras Culla

• Francisco Morales Valenzuela

• Joan Bonavida Dellá

• José de Miguel Arahal

• Justino Alarcón Vera

• Sebastià Tarragó Cabré

• Vicente Montserrat Millán

 

Eleazar the Scribe

Eleazar the Scribe is commemorated on August 1 in the Eastern Orthodox Church and on September 2 in the Roman Catholic Church. He was a Jewish scribe who lived in the 2nd century BC. He is known for his martyrdom during the persecution of Jews under the Seleucid king Antiochus IV Epiphanes.

Eleazar was a devout Jew who refused to eat pork, which was forbidden by the Mosaic Law. He was brought before Antiochus IV, who ordered him to eat pork. Eleazar refused, even though he knew that he would be put to death. He said, "It is better for me to die than to break the law of God."

Eleazar was tortured and then burned alive. His death is a reminder of the cost of following God's law. It is also a reminder of the importance of courage and of standing up for what you believe in, even in the face of persecution.

• 

Leo of Montefeltro

Saint Leo of Montefeltro is celebrated on August 1. He was a 3rd-century bishop of Montefeltro (now called San Leo) in Italy. He was martyred during the persecution of Christians under the Roman emperor Diocletian.

Leo was born in Montefeltro in the early 3rd century. He was ordained a priest and served as a pastor in several parishes in the region. He was known for his piety and his ability to perform miracles.

In 256, Leo was elected bishop of Montefeltro. He served as bishop for many years and was a strong advocate for the Christian faith. He was martyred during the persecution of Christians under Diocletian.

Severus of Aquitaine

Saint Severus of Aquitaine is not recognized as a Saint by the Catholic Church. There is a Saint Severus of Alexandria who is celebrated on August 1, but there is no Saint Severus of Aquitaine. 

Saint Severus of Alexandria was a 4th-century bishop of Alexandria. He was a strong opponent of Arianism, a heresy that denied the divinity of Jesus Christ. He was exiled from Alexandria by the Arian emperor Constantius II, but he was later restored to his see.

Saint Severus of Alexandria died in Alexandria in 378. His feast day is celebrated on August 1

இன்றைய புனிதர்கள் ஜீலை 31

 Saint Ignatius of Loyola

தூய லயோலா இஞ்ஞாசியார்

லயோலா இஞ்ஞாசியார் எப்போதும் கடவுளின் திருவுளத்தை நிறைவேற்றுவதில் ஆர்வம் கொண்டிருந்தார்.

இஞ்ஞாசியார் ஸ்பெயின் நாட்டில் உள்ள லயோலா என்னும் இடத்தில் 1491 ஆம் ஆண்டு பிறந்தார். இவர்தான் குடும்பத்தின் கடைசிப் பிள்ளை. இவருடைய குடும்பம் அரச குடும்பம். எனவே, செல்வச் செழிப்பில், எல்லா விதமான இன்பங்களையும் அனுபவித்து வாழ்ந்து வந்தார். இவருடைய கனவெல்லாம் மிகச் சிறந்த போர்வீரனாக மாறவேண்டும் என்பதே ஆகும். 1521 ஆம் ஆண்டில் ஒரு நாள் பிரான்சு நாட்டு இராணுவம் இவர் இருந்த பம்பிலோனா கோட்டையை சுற்றி வளைத்துக்கொண்டது. நீண்ட நேரம் நடைபெற்ற போராட்டத்தில் இவருடைய கால்களில் கடுமையான காயம் ஏற்பட இவர் நிலைகுலைந்து போனார். பின்னர் இவர் கைதுசெய்யப்பட்டு சிறையில் அடைத்துவைக்கப்பட்டார். அப்போது இவர் அங்கே இருந்தவர்களிடம் வாசிப்பதற்கு ஏதாவது கொடுங்கள் என்று கேட்டபோது, அவர்கள் இயேசுவின் வாழ்க்கை வரலாற்றுப் புத்தகத்தையும் புனிதர்களின் வாழ்க்கை வரலாற்றுப் புத்தகத்தையும் இவருக்குக் கொடுத்தார்கள். அதை வாசிக்க வாசிக்க இஞ்ஞாசியார் ஒருவிதமான பரவசநிலையை உணர்ந்தார். அதுமட்டுமல்லாமல் இதுவரை தான் வாழ்ந்த வாழ்க்கை முற்றிலும் வீண் என எண்ணத் தொடங்கி, சாதாரண மனிதர்கள் எல்லாம் புனிதராக மாறியிருக்கும்போது எதற்காக நாம் புனிதராக மாறக்கூடாது என சிந்தித்தார்.

இஞ்ஞாசியார்  ஆன்மீகப் பயிற்சிகளை மேற்கொண்டிருந்த தருணம் அவருக்கு மரியன்னை குழந்தை இயேசுவோடு காட்சிதந்தார். அந்த நிகழ்வு அவருடைய வாழ்வில் மிகப்பெரிய திருப்புமுனையாக இருந்தது.

பாரிஸ் நகருக்குச் சென்று, அங்கே குருத்துவப் பணிக்காக தன்னையே பக்குவப்படுத்திக்கொண்டார். இலத்தின்  போன்ற மொழிகளைக் கற்றுக்கொண்டு தன்னை மேலும் மெருகேற்றிகொண்டார். அங்கேதான் அவர் பிரான்சிஸ் சவேரியார், பீட்டர் பேபர் போன்ற ஆறு இளைஞர்களைச் சந்தித்தார். அவர்களைக் கொண்டு ‘இயேசு சபை’ என்னும் புதிய சபை ஒன்றைத் தோற்றுவித்தார். குருத்துவப் பயிற்சிகளை மேற்கொண்ட இஞ்ஞாசியார் 1538 ஆம் ஆண்டு குருவாக மாறினார்.

இஞ்ஞாசியார் ஏற்படுத்திய  இயேசு சபை, கற்பு, ஏழ்மை, கீழ்ப்படிதல் என்ற மூன்று வார்த்தைப்பாடுகளோடு சேர்த்து.

இஞ்ஞாசியார் நோயாளிகளைச் சந்திப்பதுமாக, சிறையில் இருந்தோரை பார்க்கச் செல்வதுமாக, மறைக்கல்வி கற்றுத்தருவதுமாக பற்பல பணிகளைச் செய்தார். தான் செய்த பணிகள் அனைத்தையும் இறைவனின் அதிமாக மகிமைக்காகச் செய்த்தார். இப்படி ஓய்வில்லாமல் இறைப்பணி செய்த இஞ்ஞாசியார் 1554 ஆம் ஆண்டு ஜூலை 31 ஆம் நாள் இந்த மண்ணுலக வாழ்க்கைத் துறந்தார். 1622 ஆம் ஆண்டு இவர் புனிதராக உயர்த்தப்பட்டார்.

Also known as

Inigo Lopez de Loyola

Profile

Born to the Spanish nobility. Youngest of twelve children. Page in the Spanish court of Ferdinand and Isabella. Military education. Soldier, entering the army in 1517, and serving in several campaigns. Wounded in the leg by a cannonball at the siege of Pampeluna on 20 May 1521, an injury that left him partially crippled for life. During his recuperation the only books he had access to were The Golden Legend, a collection of biographies of the saints, and the Life of Christ by Ludolph the Carthusian. These books, and the time spent in contemplation, changed him.

On his recovery he took a vow of chastity, hung his sword before the altar of the Virgin of Montserrat, and donned a pilgrim's robes. He lived in a cave from 1522 to 1523, contemplating the way to live a Christian life. Pilgrim to Rome and the Holy Land in 1523, where he worked to convert Muslims. In 1528 he began studying theology in Barcelona and Alcala in Spain, and Paris, France receiving his degree on 14 March 1534. His meditations, prayers, visions and insights led to forming the Constitutions of the Society of Jesus on 15 August 1534; it received papal approval in 1541. Friend of James Lainez, Alonso Salmerón, Nicholas Bobadilla, Simón Rodriguez, Blessed Peter Faber, and Saint Francis Xavier, the group that formed the core of the new Society. He never used the term Jesuit, which was coined as an insult by his opponents; the Society today uses the term with pride. He travelled Europe and the Holy Lands, then settled in Rome to direct the Jesuits. His health suffered in later years, and he was nearly blind at death.

The Jesuits today have over 500 universities and colleges, 30,000 members, and teach over 200,000 students each year.

Born

1491 at Loyola, Guipuzcoa, Spain as Inigo Lopez de Loyola

Died

31 July 1556 at Rome, Italy of fever

Canonized

12 March 1622 by Pope Gregory XV

Saint Germanus of Auxerre

Also known as

Germain of Auxerre

Profile

Born to a noble Gallic family, the son of Rusticus and Germanilla. Studied general topics in Arles and Lyon in France, and rhetoric and civil law in Rome, Italy. Successful lawyer for several years. Married to Eustachia, a member of the nobility with close ties to the emperor. Imperial governor of part of Gaul, based in Auxerre.

He led a worldly life, and frequently hung hunting trophies on an enormous, ancient tree that had been an object of worship by local pagans. This led to condemnation by Saint Amator of Auxerre, who said he set a terrible example, and was leading people back to their pagan origins. Germain ignored him, so Amator cut down the tree and burned the trophies. Germain tracked down Amator, intending to kill him; Amator forced the tonsure on Germain, made him a deacon, and told him to live as one destined to be a bishop. Germain took the whole incident to be an action of the Holy Spirit, and changed completely. He devoted himself to prayer, study and charity. When Saint Amator died soon after, Germain was unanimously chosen bishop of Auxerre on 7 July 418.

His administrative skills served Germain well in his new position. He gave away his property to the poor, and lived as a pauper. Converted and trained Saint Camilla. Dispatched with Lupus of Troyes to the British Isles by Pope Celestine I in 429, he fought the Pelagianist heresy in Britain. While en route he met the young child Saint Genevieve. One early document says that Saint Patrick was part of Germain's entourage. Once the Pelagians were in retreat, Germain travelled Britain, preaching and setting up seminaries; he trained Saint Brieuc of Brittany for his mission.

Germain returned to France, obtained tax relief for the people of his diocese, and built the church of Saint Alban in Auxerre. In 447 he returned to Britain with Severus of Trèves. They evangelized in Wales, and helped the Britons with a battle over invading Saxons and Picts. When he returned to Gaul, Germain found that the Armoricans in Brittany were going to be severely punished for a rebellion against the empire. He obtained a stay of execution for them until he could appeal to the emperor. In Ravenna, Italy he met with Saint Peter Chrysologus, pled his case to empress Galla Placidia, obtained pardon for the people, and died there a short time later.

Born

c.378 at Auxerre, France

Died

• 31 July 448 at Ravenna, Italy of natural causes

• interred in the Oratory of Saint Maurice, Auxerre, France

• re-interred in the church of Saint Germain that was built by Queen Clotilda on the site of the Oratory

• body found intact when re-located in the church several centuries later

• in 1567 the Huguenots desecrated the shrine and threw out the relics

• relics in Saint Marion abbey are reported to be Saint Germain's, but this cannot be proven

Blessed Cecilia Schelingová

Also known as

Zdenka Schelingová

feast day is celebrated on July 31 in the General Roman Calendar, May 15 in the Slovak Catholic Church, and October 13 in the Diocese of Spiš.

Profile

One of ten children born to Pavol Schelingová and Zuzana Pániková. She received her basic education locally, and later studied nursing and radiology. Known as a pious child, she early felt a call to religious life. At age 15 she requested entry to the Congregation of the Sisters of Charity of the Holy Cross, and made her first vows on 30 January 1937, taking the name Zdenka.

Nurse at a hospital in Humenné and then in Bratislava where she worked in radiology. While she was assigned to Bratislava, the Communists seized power and began a systematic persecution of the Church and its members. Many were arrested and tortured for their faith, and some of these were brought to Zdenka's hospital for treatment. In early 1952 Zdenka helped a condemned priest escape from certain death in Siberia. On 29 February 1952 she tried to help three priests and three seminarians escape, but she failed, and was arrested, tortured, and sentenced to twelve years in prison and ten years of loss of civil rights.

For the next three years she was shipped from prison to prison, regularly beaten and tortured; some of her wounds were never permitted to heal. She was released from prison on 16 April 1955, nine years early, so that she would not die on the government's hands. Due to police harassment, she was turned away from her congregation's motherhouse, and from the hospital where she used to work. She died a few months later, her health broken by the abuse, but ever loyal to her faith.

Born

25 December 1916 in Krivá na Orave, Zilinský kraj, Slovakia

Died

31 July 1955 in Trnava, Trnavský kraj, Slovakia

Beatified

14 September 2003 by Pope John Paul II at Bratislava, Slovak Republic

Saint Giustino de Jacobis

புனிதர் ஜஸ்டின் டி ஜேகொபிஸ் 

ஆயர்:

பிறப்பு: அக்டோபர் 9, 1800

சேன் ஃபிலே, போடேன்ஸா, நேப்பில்ஸ் அரசு

இறப்பு: ஜூலை 31, 1860 (வயது 59)

ஸுலா, செமெணவி கெஇஹ் பஹ்ரி, எரிட்ரீ

ஏற்கும் சமயம்:

ரோமன் கத்தோலிக்க திருச்சபை

முக்திபேறு பட்டம்: ஜூன் 25, 1939

திருத்தந்தை பன்னிரெண்டாம் பயஸ்

புனிதர் பட்டம்: அக்டோபர் 26, 1975

திருத்தந்தை ஆறாம் பவுல்

நினைவுத் திருநாள்: ஜூலை 31

பாதுகாவல்:

மறைப்பணியாளர்கள் (Missionaries)

புனிதர் ஜஸ்டின் டி ஜேகொபிஸ், ஒரு இத்தாலிய ரோமன் கத்தோலிக்க ஆயரும் (Italian Roman Catholic Bishop), "புனிதர் வின்சென்ட் டி பவுல்" (Vincent de Paul) நிறுவிய ரோமன் கத்தோலிக்க சமுதாய குருக்கள் மற்றும் சகோதரர்களின் திருத்தூதுப் பணிவாழ்வின் சபையின் (Congregation of the Mission) உறுப்பினருமாவார். இவர் பின்னாளில், எத்தியோப்பியாவின் துணை ஆயராகவும் (Vicar Apostolic in Ethiopia), “நிலோபோலிஸ்” நகரின் “பட்டம் மட்டுமே கொண்டிருக்கிற” (Titular Bishop of Nilopolis) ஆயருமாவார். இவர், “கியஸ்டினோ டி ஜேகோபிஸ்” (Giustino de Jacobis) என்றும் அறியப்படுகின்றார்.

கியஸ்டினோ செபஸ்டியனோ பஸ்குவேல் டி ஜேகோபிஸ் (Giustino Sebastiano Pasquale de Jacobis)  எனும் இயற்பெயர் கொண்ட “கியஸ்டினோ டி ஜேகோபிஸ்”, கி.பி. 1800ம் ஆண்டு, அக்டோபர் மாதம், 9ம் தேதி, நேப்பில்ஸ் அரசின் (Kingdom of Naples), போடேன்ஸா (Province of Potenza) பிராந்தியத்திலுள்ள “சேன் ஃபிலே” (San Fele) நகரில் பிறந்தவர் ஆவார்.

கி.பி. 1818ம் ஆண்டு, அக்டோபர் மாதம், பதினேழாம் தேதி, நேப்பில்ஸ் (Naples) நகரிலுள்ள “திருத்தூதுப் பணிவாழ்வு சபையில்” (Congregation of the Mission) இணைந்தார். கி.பி. 1820ம் ஆண்டு, அக்டோபர் மாதம், 18ம் தேதி, தமது சத்திய பிரமாணங்களை ஏற்றார். கி.பி. 1824ம் ஆண்டு, ஜூன் மாதம், 12ம் தேதி, தென் இத்தாலியின் (Southern Italy) “அபுலியா” (Apulia) பிராந்திய தலைநகரான “பிரிண்டிசி” (Brindisi) நகரில், குருத்துவ அருட்பொழிவு பெற்றார். “ஓரியா” (Oria) மற்றும் “மோனோபோலி” (Monopoli) நகர்களில், ஆத்மாக்களின் கவனிப்பில் சில நேரம் கழித்த பிறகு, முதலில் “லெஸ்சே” (Lecce) நகரிலும், அதன்பின்னர் “நேப்பில்ஸ்” (Naples) நகரிலும் தலைமை குருவானார்.       

கி.பி. 1839ம் ஆண்டு, “எத்தியோப்பியா” (Ethiopia) நாட்டின் “திருத்தூது தலைமை” (Prefect Apostolic) நியமனம் பெற்றார். அங்கே கத்தோலிக்க பணிகளின் அடித்தளத்தை ஒப்படைத்தார். ஏறக்குறைய ஒரு தசாப்தம் எத்தியோப்பியாவில் தமது உழைப்பின் பெரும் வெற்றியைப் பெற்றபின், கி.பி. 1847ம் ஆண்டு, “நிலோபோலிஸ்” நகரின் “பட்டம் மட்டுமே கொண்டிருக்கிற” (Titular Bishop of Nilopolis) ஆயராக நியமிக்கப்பட்டார். அதன்பின்னர், குறுகிய காலத்திலேயே எத்தியோப்பியாவின் துணை ஆயராக (Vicar Apostolic in Ethiopia) நியமிக்கப்பட்டார்.

உள்ளூர் எதியோப்பியன் திருச்சபையில் (Local Ethiopian Church), கிறிஸ்தவர்களுக்கு எதிரான சிறைத்தண்டனைகள், நாடு கடத்துதல் மற்றும் இன்னபிற சித்திரவதைகள் நடந்துகொண்டிருக்க, இவர் மட்டும் எண்ணற்ற கத்தோலிக்க மறைப்பணிகளை நிறுவிக்கொண்டிருந்தார்.

எத்தியோப்பியன் கத்தோலிக்க திருச்சபை (Ethiopian Catholic Church) மற்றும் "எரிட்ரீன்"  கத்தோலிக்க திருச்சபை (Eritrean Catholic Church) ஆகியவற்றின் துவக்கங்களைத் தோற்றுவிக்கும் ஒரு பூர்வ குருத்துவத்திற்கான பயிற்சி மற்றும் செயல்பாட்டு கல்விக்காக, வடக்கு எத்தியோப்பியாவின் (Northern Ethiopia) முன்னாள் பிராந்தியமும், தற்போதைய “டிக்ரே” (Tigray Region) பிராந்தியத்தின் ஒரு பாகமுமான “அகமே” (Agame) எனுமிடத்திலும், “அகேலே குசே” (Akele Guzay) பிராந்தியத்திலும் குருத்துவ பள்ளிகளை கட்டினார்.

புனிதர் ஜஸ்டின் டி ஜேகொபிஸ், கி.பி. 1860ம் ஆண்டு மரணமடைந்தார்.

Also known as

Justin de Jacobis

Profile

Justin grew up a pious youth in the city of Naples, Italy and joined the Vincentians at age 18. Ordained on 12 June 1824 in the Congregation of the Mission. Noted for his preaching skills, especially among the rural poor. Helped found a Vincentian house at Monopoli, Italy. Superior at Lecce, Italy. Worked in with the sick in the 1836-1837 cholera epidemic in Naples.

Appointed Prefect, Vicar Apostolic, and missionary to Adua, Ethiopia on 10 March 1839, beginning the African missionary work that would consume the rest of his life. The people were primarly a combination of pagan, Islamic, and Coptic Christian, and foreigners were not welcomed by authorities, civil or religious. Justin learned the language, lived with the people, and worked to improve relations at the local level. He tried to have one of his monks appointed Patriach of the Ethiopian church, but failed.

Justin returned to Rome, Italy for consultations with the Pope Gregory XVI, trying (and failing) to get some of the Ethiopian religious leaders to come with him. In 1846 he returned to Ethiopia to found a college and seminary at Guala. This work, and other Catholic missionary efforts, caused a backlash in the Ethiopian Church; Catholicism was banned, and Bishop Massaia was forced to flee to Rome. Despite exhortations for his death, Justin remained, and became an underground missionary, caring for converts. Consecrated as titular bishop of Nilopolis and vicar apostolic of Abyssinia, Ethiopia on 6 July 1847. Given authority to administer the sacraments in the Ethiopian rite. By 1853 he had consecrated twenty priests, made 5,000 converts, and was able to re-open the college at Guala.

In 1860, Kedaref Kassa became the Ethiopian King Thedore II with the backing of Abuna Salama, Patriarch of the Ethiopian Church. In gratitude, he prohibited Catholicism, and De Jacobis was imprisoned for several months. He was then force-marched to the area of Halai in southern Eritrea, spending his remaining months in missionary work along the Red Sea.

He is considered an apostle to Africa, and the founder of the Abyssinian mission. Blessed Ghebre Michael is among the estimated 12,000 converts he made in his time.

Born

9 October 1800 at San Fele, Luciana, Italy

Died

• 31 July 1860 on the side of a road near Halai of a tropical fever in the valley of Alghedien Zula, Semenawi Keih Bahri, Eritrea while on a missionary trip

• buried in a church at Hebo

Canonized

26 October 1975 by Pope Paul VI

Blessed John Colombini

Also known as

John Columbini

Profile

Wealthy, greedy, ambitious, and ill-tempered son of a patrician family. Married layman, and father of two children, his son Peter and daughter Angela. First magistrate (Gonfalionere) of Siena, Italy. With his family and friends, he alternated between bouts of anger and consequent periods of mortification and self-loathing. Converted to the faith while reading the story of the conversion of Saint Mary of Egypt. Reformed his personal and business life; visited hospitals, tended the sick, gave to the poor, personally tending to the poorest and most forgotten in his society.

Several years into his new life, John's son died, and his daughter became a nun. He established an annuity that allowed his wife to live in comfort, and used the rest of his wealth to endow a hospital and two convents. From then on he lived in poverty, begging for his bread from day to day. He soon attracted followers, many of them young men from wealthy families who were disillusioned with their lives, and felt a call to God and a call to give away their wealth. The patrician class demanded John's exile as he was leading the city's most promising young men to "folly."

Founded a small group of laymen, called the Jesuati (Gesuati or Jesuats) after their habit of saying "Praise be to Jesus Christ" about everything. They were devoted to penance and charity, and had a special devotion to Saint Jerome. The group received approval by Pope Urban V in 1367, just 37 days before John's death. It survived until 1668 when, because of abuses that had crept in over the years, it was suppressed by Pope Clement IX. A sister organization, the Jesuatesses or Sisters of the Visitation of Mary was founded around 1367 by John's cousin, Blessed Catharine Colombini; it survived until 1872 when it disappeared due to attrition.

Born

c.1300 at Siena, Italy

Died

31 July 1367 of natural causes while on the road to Acquapendente, Italy

Beatified

by Pope Gregory XIII

Blessed Élisabeth Eppinger

Also known as

• Mother Alphonse-Marie

• Sister Alphonse-Marie

• Alfonsa Maria Elisabeth Eppinger

• The Niederbronn Ecstatic

Profile

Eldest of eleven children born to a poor farm family. Élisabeth was a sickly but very pious child. In 1846 she had the first of a series of visions, including of Jesus Christ. The combination led her to her belief that suffering could block a person from experiencing God's love, and relieving suffering could free a person to easier find God. When Bishop Andreas Raess examined her in July 1848 and came away convinced that she was called to serve the poor and sick.

On 28 August 1849, in Niederbronn-les-Baines, France, Élisabeth founded the Sisters of the Holy Redeemer to care for the impoverished sick in their own homes. She placed it under the patronage of Saint Alphonse Maria Liguori, and served as the first superior of the Congregation. She made her religious vows on 2 January 1850, taking the name Alphonse-Marie. The Congregation received approval of Emperor Napoleon III in 1854; later that year they worked with victims of a cholera pandemic. They were praised by Pope Pius IX in 1863 by which point there were 700 Sisters in 83 houses; they received full Vatican approval in 1866, and continue their good work today in France, Germany, Austria, Hungary and Argentina.

Born

9 September 1814 in Niederbronn-les-Baines, Bas-Rhin, France during the Bourbon Restoration

Died

• 31 July 1867 in Niederbronn-les-Baines, Bas-Rhin, France during the Second French Empire of natural causes

• remains re-interred on 8 November 1950 as part of the canonization investigation process

Beatified

• 8 September 2018 by Pope Francis

• beatification recognition celebrated in Strasbourg, France

Blessed Franciszek Stryjas

Additional Memorial

12 June as one of the 108 Martyrs of World War II

Profile

The son of farmers, Franciszek was a married layman and father in the diocese of Kalisz, Poland; he and Józefa Kobylka were married in 1901, lived in Kuczowola, Poland, and had seven children. When Józefa died of natural causes, Franciszek married Józefa Nosal and moved to Takomysl, Poland. When all the priests in the area were arrested in the Nazi occupation in World War II, Franciszek began teaching religion to children, preparing them for their First Communion. This led to his arrest by the Gestapo who imprisoned him in Kalisz, Poland and abused him to death over the course of ten days. Martyr.

Born

26 January 1882 in Popów, Szczytniki, Kalisz, Poland

Died

tortured to death on 31 July 1944 in Kalisz, Poland

Beatified

13 June 1999 by Pope John Paul II at Warsaw, Poland

Saint Helen of Skofde

Also known as

• Helen of Skovde

• Elin...

Profile

Born to the Swedish nobility. She married young, and was the mother of one daughter. Built the church of Skofde, Sweden. Widowed early in her marriage, after which she gave away most of her fortune to the poor. Helen's son-in-law was murdered by his own servants because of his cruelty. Soon after, Helen left on a pilgrimage, and when the son-in-law's family arrived to investigate the death, the servants blamed it on Helen, claiming her pilgimage was a cover for fleeing justice. The in-laws believed the story, tracked her down, and killed her.

Born

12th century Vastergotland, Sweden

Died

• murdered c.1160

• miracles reported at her tomb

Canonized

1164 by Pope Alexander III

Blessed Everard Hanse

Additional Memorial

29 October as one of the Martyrs of Douai

Profile

Raised Protestant. Educated at Cambridge University. Anglican minister. A near-fatal illness caused him to re-examine his life and ministery, and with the support of his brother, William, he converted to Catholicism in 1568. Studied in Rheims, France, and was ordained on 25 March 1581. Father Everard sailed for England on 24 April 1581 with a plan to minister to covert Catholics. Captured soon after in the Marshalsea prison while visiting Catholic prisoners. Lodged in Newgate prison in 1581. Found guilty of the crime of persuading others to join the Catholic Church and refusing to accept the queen as head of the Church; martyr.

Born

Northamptonshire, England

Died

hanged, drawn and quartered on 31 July 1581 at Tyburn, London, England

Beatified

29 December 1886 by Pope Leo XIII (cultus confirmation)

Blessed Vicenta Achurra Gogenola

Also known as

• Daniela de San Bernabé

• Daniela of Saint Barnabas

Profile

Joined the Carmelite Missionaries in 1910, began her formal novitiate at Gracia-Barcelona, Spain in 1915, her profession in 1916, and her perpetual vows in 1921. Had a great devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Our Lady of Mount Carmel. Worked at the Las Corts mental hospital, the Badalona Asylum, the Amparo de Santa Lucia house for the blind in Barcelona, and then did home care for the sick from the Carmelite motherhouse in Barcelona. Martyred by the Communist “Red Committee” in the Spanish Civil War.

Born

4 April 1890 in Berriatúa, Vizcaya, Spain

Died

shot on 31 July 1936 at the L’Arrabassada highway, Barcelona, Spain

Beatified

28 October 2007 by Pope Benedict XVI

Blessed Michal Oziebijowski

Additional Memorial

12 June as one of the 108 Martyrs of World War II

Profile

Priest of the archdiocese of Warsaw, Poland, serving in the parish of Kutno where he was know for ministry and assistance to the poor. Arrested in October 1941 by the Gestapo and imprisoned in the Dachau concentration camp during the Nazi occupation of Poland in World War II. There he worked to minister to fellow prisoners until his death. Martyr.

Born

28 September 1900 in Izdebno Koscielne, Grodzisk Mazowiecki, Poland

Died

of starvation and abuse on 31 July 1942 at Dachau concentration camp in Oberbayern, Germany

Beatified

13 June 1999 by Pope John Paul II at Warsaw, Poland

Saint Neot

Also known as

the Pygmy Saint

Profile

Related to King Alfred the Great. Monk of Glastonbury Abbey. Priest. Sacristan. Hermit in Cornwall, England. Reports describe him from being 4 foot tall down to a mere 15 inches. Spent much of his day up to his neck in a well during his devotions. Neot had a strange way with animals and birds, and worked miracles with them.

Died

• 877 of natural causes

• some relics at Saint Neot's church, Cambridgeshire, England

• some relics at the abbey of Bee, Normandy, France

Saint Calimerius of Milan

Also known as

Apostle of the Po Valley

Profile

Educated in Rome, Italy by Pope Saint Telesphorus. Priest. Bishop of Milan, Italy for over 50 years. Evangelized throughout his diocese, making untold converts. Suffered in but survived the persecutions of Marcus Aurelius. Martyred in the persecutions of Commodus.

Born

Greek

Died

• drowned in a well c.190 in Milan, Italy

• buried under the altar of his church in Milan

Saint Fabius of Caesarea

Also known as

Fabio

Profile

Soldier. Martyred in the persecutions of Diocletian for refusing to carry a standard with emblems of idols.

Died

beheaded in 300 in Caesarea, Maurentania, North Africa

Saint Firmus of Tagaste 

Profile

Bishop of Tagaste, Numidia in North Africa (modern Souk Ahrus, Algeria). Tortured extensively to betray the hiding place of one of his flock; he refused.

Martyrs of Syria

350 monks massacred by heretics for their adherence to orthodox Christianity and the decrees of the Council of Chalcedon.

The Martyrs of Syria were a diverse group, including men, women, and children. They were from all walks of life, including farmers, merchants, and soldiers. They were united by their faith in Christ and their willingness to die for their beliefs.

The Martyrs of Syria were tortured and killed in a variety of ways. Some were beheaded, others were burned alive, and still others were thrown to the lions. They died bravely, proclaiming their faith in Christ to the end.

Died

517 in Syria

Saint Dionysius the Martyr

There are a couple of saints named Dionysius who are commemorated on July 31.

One is Saint Dionysius the Areopagite, a first-century Christian convert who was martyred in Athens. He is known for his writings on Christian theology, including his book "The Divine Names." 

Another saint named Dionysius who is commemorated on July 31 is Saint Dionysius the Martyr, a 4th-century Christian who was martyred in Syria during the persecutions of Diocletian. He is known for his courage and his willingness to die for his faith.

Saint Democritus

Saint Democritus is commemorated on July 31 in the Catholic Church. He is said to have been a martyr who was killed in either Africa or Phrygia with Secundus and Dionysius. However, there is no historical evidence to support this claim.

Saint Secundus

Saint Secundus is commemorated on July 31 in the Catholic Church. He is said to have been a martyr who was killed in Phrygia with Dionysius and Democritus. However, there is no historical evidence to support this claim.

Martyred in the Spanish Civil War

Thousands of people were murdered in the anti-Catholic persecutions of the Spanish Civil War from 1934 to 1939. 

• Blessed Ciriaco Olarte Pérez de Mendiguren

• Blessed Dionisio Vicente Ramos

• Blessed Francisco Remón Játiva

• Blessed Jaume Buch Canals

• Blessed Maria Roqueta Serra

• Blessed Miguel Francisco González-Díez González-Núñez

• Blessed Miguel Goñi Ariz

• Blessed Prudencio Gueréquiz y Guezuraga

• Blessed Segundo de Santa Teresa

• Blessed Teresa Subirá Sanjaume

Tertullinus of Rome

Tertullinus of Rome is commemorated on July 31, not August 4. This is because the Catholic Church has two different calendars for saints: the General Roman Calendar and the Calendar of Saints of the Diocese of Rome. Tertullinus is commemorated on July 31 in the Calendar of Saints of the Diocese of Rome, but he is commemorated on August 4 in the General Roman Calendar.