BLESSED ANDREW OF MONTEREALE

Blessed Andrew of Montereale,
Feast day: April 12
Born at Mascioni near Rieti, Italy, in 1397;
Died 1480;
Cultus confirmed in 1764.
 When Andrew was 14 he joined the Augustinians at Montereale. After being ordained a priest, he preached for 50 years throughout Italy and France, while disciplining his own body by severe fasts. Known for his holiness and his learning, Andrew was for a time provincial of his order in Umbria

SAINT CONSTANTINE OF GAP

Constantine of Gap
Also known as Constantius

Feast day: April 12
Died 529.
Constantine was the first bishop of Gap, France, about whom nothing else is known

SAINT MECHTILDIS

Mechtildis,
Died . 1200.
Feast day: April 12
 Scottish Saint Mechtildis (Matilda) wanted to indulge in deeper prayer without bothering others, so she moved into the wilderness of Lappion, where she lived in a cabin 

BLESSED MEINHARD OF YXKILL

Blessed Meinhard of Yxkill,
Feast day: April 12
Died 1196.
The Augustinian canon regular Meinhard preached in Latvia. In 1184, he was consecrated bishop and fixed his residence in Yxkill on the Düna.

BLESSED PETER OF MONTEPIANO

Blessed Peter of Montepiano,

Feast day: April 12

Died 1098.
 A Vallombrosan abbot of San Virgilio at Brescia, who ended his life as a hermit at Montepiano, Tuscany, Italy

SAINT ZENO OF VERONA

St. Zeno of Verona
Also known as Zenone
Feast day: April 12


Born in North Africa;Zeno was probably born in Mauretania near Algiers before 302.
Died at Verona, Italy, April 12, 371 or 380

Additional feasts in Verona are celebrated on May 21 (translation) and December 6 (episcopal consecration). Because Saint Zeno's sermon on the martyrdom of Saint Arcadius appears to be an eyewitness description,

 Bishop of Verona, Italy, theological writer. A native of Africa, he was named bishop in 362 and proved an ardent opponent of Arianism. He also promoted discipline among the clergy and in liturgical life, built a cathedral, and founded a convent. Zeno wrote extensively on the virgin birth of Christ and other theological matters. He was the subject of numerous legends. F



On December 8, 362, during the reign of Julian the Apostate, Saint Zeno was consecrated bishop of Verona, Italy, possibly by Bishop Aussenzius of Milan. Soon after his arrival in Verona, he fought against the idolatry that had spread throughout the city; he even managed to reduce it in the surrounding country where paganism was more entrenched. He also strongly opposed the Arian heresy, and defended the eternal generation of the Word, the intimate union of the Holy Spirit and the Son with the Father.

His success, in part, was due to his training as an orator. Zeno drew large crowds for his sermons, 93 of which still exist--the earliest collection of Latin homilies we possess. In fact, the crowds were so massive whenever Zeno preached that he was obliged to build a bigger cathedral. Each Easter many whose hearts were converted were baptized into the faith. He preached often to a group of nuns who lived in a convent he himself had founded. Long before Saint Ambrose did the same in Milan, Zeno encouraged virgins living at home to be consecrated.

While Zeno had a reputation as a hard-working pastor, who was zealous in building churches, in almsgiving, and in purging Arianism, he is remembered primarily as an ecclesiastical writer, especially on the topic of the virgin birth of our Lord. His sermons are of interest for the information they provide about Christian teaching, worship, organization, and life in the fourth century. He emphasizes the importance of the Sacraments for the Christian life. To him, Baptism is "the sacrament that truly calls men from death to life." Even though his sermons never mention the Eucharist, he indirectly stresses its importance by speaking of the "precious bread and wine that comes from our Father's table" and admonishing his flock that "none of you should ever take the Sacrifice unworthily, because offering unworthily is sacrilege, and taking unworthily is deadly." Saint Zeno offers practical advice for the Christian life. He notes that faith in God's revealed truth is necessary, but more important for eternal salvation is charity.

Most of the extant details about Saint Zeno's life derive from medieval documents that mix facts and legend. According to these stories, Zeno loved fishing in the River Adige (the second longest in Italy) that flows through Verona and may have been a fisherman before his consecration. For this reason, his symbol today is a fish. He also chose to live in great poverty and seclusion. By the precepts and example of this good pastor, the people were so liberal in their alms, that their houses were always open to poor strangers, and none of their own country had the need even to ask for relief. He congratulates them upon the interest they accumulate in heaven by money bestowed on the poor, by which they not only subdue avarice, but convert its treasures to the highest advantage, and without exciting envy. "For what can be richer than a man to whom God is to acknowledge himself debtor?" This inspiration to charity proved vital when the Goths overran the neighborhood and took many captives. The people of Verona were foremost in offering all they possessed to ransom these prisoners.

Zeno is said to have saved the city of Pistoia, Italy, from flood by creating an exit for the waters of the Rivers Arno and Ombrone through what is now known as the Gonfolina Pass.

Saint Gregory the Great mistakenly calls Zeno a martyr, but the ancient missals of Verona and Saint Ambrose call him a confessor. This same Gregory relates a miracle that took place two centuries after Zeno's death based on an eyewitness account. In 589, when the River Adige threatened to drown most of Verona, the people flocked to the church of their holy patron Zeno. The waters seemed to respect its doors, they gradually swelled as high as the windows, yet the flood never broke into the church, but stood like a firm wall, as when the Israelites passed the Jordan; and the people remained there 24 hours in prayer until the waters subsided. The devotion of the people to Saint Zeno increased because of this and other miracles; and, in the reign of Pepin, son of Blessed Charlemagne and brother of Louis Debonnaire, Bishop Rotaldus of Verona, translated Zeno's relics into a spacious, new church.

The body of the saint lies today in one of the most beautiful Romanesque churches of Italy, San Zeno Maggiore in Verona. In the tympanum over the great west doorway is sculpted the dark-skinned saint, who holds a fishing rod as he tramples down the devil. Zeno's tomb is in the huge, 12th-century crypt, where they were placed in 807 after having rested in various churches

SAINT WIGBERT

St. Wigbert
Wigbert of Friesland
Feast day: April 12
Death: 690

Missionary. An Anglo-Saxon, he went to Ireland and became a disciple of the Irish Saint Egbert. before journeying to Friesland, the Netherlands, where he spent time as a missionary. He died in Ireland.

SAINT VISSIA OF FERMO

St. Vissia
Vissia of Fermo
Feast day: April 12
Death: 250


Virgin and martyr. This Italian maiden was put to death at Fermo, near Ancona, Italy, during the persecutions of Emperor Trajanus Decius  249-251

SAINT VICTOR OF BRAGA

St. Victor
Victor of Braga
Feast day: April 12
Death: 300

Martyr.  In his chronicle, Vasaeus records that Saint Victor was baptized by blood. The catechumen was beheaded at Braga, Portugal, under Diocletian for refusing to sacrifice to idols

SAINT TETRICUS

St. Tetricus

Tetricus of Auxerre,
Feast day: April 12
Death: 707

 Saint Tetricus, abbot of Benedictine Saint-Germanus Abbey at Auxerre, was elevated to city's episcopal chair by popular acclamation. The saint died at the hand of his archdeacon Raginfred, who killed him with a sword as he lay asleep on a bench. Immediately he was venerated as a martyr

SAINT SABAS THE GOTH

St. Sabas the Goth

Feast day: April 12
Birth: 334
Death: 372

Also Sabbas the Goth, a martyr in the area of modern Romania. He was a Goth converted to Christianity in his youth and became a lector in Targoviste, Romania, to a priest named Sansala.

 The account of the martyrdom of Saint Sabas was recorded in a letter soon after his death at the hands of a Gothic ruler north of the Danube. Saint Jerome tells us that King Athanaric of the Goths began persecuting Christians in his tribe about 370. Sabas, converted to Christianity in his youth, was lector to the priest Sansala, apparently at Targoviste in modern Romania.

We are told that Sabas exemplified the Christian virtues of obedience and humility, and that he loved to sing the divine praises in church and decorate the altar. His desire for chastity was so great that he refrained from even speaking to women unless it was absolutely necessary. Most of all, Sabas loved the truth.

Sabas denounced the practice of some Christians of pretending to eat meat offered to pagan gods though in reality it had not been sacrificed to the gods by arrangement with some officers. He said that they had renounced the faith by their pretense. For this, he was forced into exile but later was allowed to return.

During another persecution the following year, some Christians swore that there were no Christians among them. Sabas loudly proclaimed his Christianity. After his first arrest, he was released as an insignificant fellow, owning nothing but the clothes on his back, 'who can do us neither good nor harm.'

Just before Easter 372, the persecution was renewed. Atharidus and his troops broke into the lodgings of the sleeping Sansala, bound him, and threw him on a cart. They pulled Sabas out of bed without allowing him to dress and dragged the modest saint naked over thorns and briars, forcing him along with whips and staves. At daybreak Sabas said to his persecutors: "Have not you dragged me, quite naked, over rough and thorny grounds? Observe whether my feet are wounded, or whether the blows you gave me have made any impression on my body." His body bore no bruises or abrasions, which enraged his tormentors, causing them to rack him on a make- shift devise.

Sabas refused an opportunity to escape when the mistress of the house in which they were lodged overnight, untied him. He spent the rest of the night helping the woman to dress victuals for the family.

The next day he was hung upon a beam of the house, and offered and refused meats that had been sacrificed to idols. One of Atharidus's slaves struck the point of his javelin against the saint's breast with such violence that all present believed Sabas had been killed. But he was unharmed. At this, Atharidus declared that Sansala should be dismissed, but Sabas must be drowned.

On the banks of the river, the officers wanted to let him go. Overhearing them, Sabas asked why they were so dilatory in obeying their orders? Then he continued, "I see what you cannot: I see persons on the other side of the river ready to receive my soul, and conduct it to the seat of glory: they only wait the moment in which it will leave my body."

Thereupon he was tied to a pole and held down in the Buzau (Mussovo) River until he was dead; 'This death by wood and water,' says the correspondent, 'was an exact symbol of man's salvation,' i.e., symbols of baptism and the cross. When he was dead, they drew his body out of the water, and left it unburied: but the Christians of the place guarded it from birds and beasts of prey.

Junius Soranus, duke of Scythia, a man who feared God, sent the body to Cappadocia. A letter was sent with these relics from the church of Gothia to that of Cappadocia governed by Saint Basil, which contains an account of the martyrdom of Sabas, and concludes thus: "Wherefore offering up the holy sacrifice on the day whereon the martyr was crowned, impart this to our brethren, that the Lord may be praised throughout the Catholic and Apostolic Church for thus glorifying his servants."

About 50 other Christians were martyred during this same persecution and are honored today

SAINT ERKEMBODEN

St. Erkemboden
Erkemboden of Therouanne,
Feast day: April 12
Death: 714

Benedictine bishop of Therouanne, France. He was originally a monk of St. Sithin, at St. Omer, France, succeeding St. Bertinus as abbot.
 Thereafter he became bishop of Thérouanne, while continuing to rule the abbey. He was bishop for 26 years. So many miracles occurred at his shrine that pilgrim came in droves, leaving so many offerings that within a few years of his death it was possible to built a cathedral in his honor

SAINT DAMIAN

St. Damian

Damian of Pavia

Feast day: April 12

Death: 710

Bishop of Pavia, in Lombardy, Italy. He was elected in 680. e played the role of peacemaker between the Byzantine emperor and the lombards. Shortly before his death he visited Constantinople. He also opposed the heretical Monothelite.

BLESSED ANGELO OF CHIVASSO

Bl. Angelo of Chivasso

Feast day: April 12
Born at Chivasso in Piedmont, in 1411;
Died at Coni, in Piedmont, in 1495.

Moral theologian of the order of Friars Minor;  From his tenderest years the Blessed Angelo was remarkable for the holiness and purity of his life. He attended the University of Bologna, where he received the degree of Doctor of Civil and Cannon Law. It was probably at the age of thirty that he entered the Order of Friars Minor. His virtues and learning soon gained the confidence of his brethren in religion, and he was four times chosen to fill the office of vicar-general of that branch of the order then known as the Cismontane Observance. In 1480 the Turks under Mahout II took possession of Otranto, and threatened to overrun and lay waste the "bel paese". Blessed Angelo was appointed Apostolic Nuncio by Pope Sixtus IV, and commissioned to preach the holy war against the invaders. The death of Mahomet and the ultimate retirement of the Turkish forces from the Italian peninsula were evidences that God favoured his mission. Again, in 1491, he was appointed Apostolic Nuncio and Commissary by Innocent VIII, conjointly with the Bishop of Mauriana, the purpose of their mission being to take active steps to prevent the spread of the heretical doctrines of the Waldenses.

But it was perhaps by this writings that Blessed Angelo rendered the greatest service to religion. His works are given by Wadding in the latter's "Scriptores Ordinis Minorum". By far the most noted of these is the "Summa de Casibus Conscientiae", called after him the "Summa Angelica". The first edition of the "Summa Angelica" appeared in the year 1476, and from that year to the year 1520 it went through thirty-one editions, twenty-five of which are preserved in the Royal Library at Munich. The "Summa" is divided into six hundred and fifty-nine articles arranged in alphabetical order and forming what would now be called a dictionary of moral theology. The most valuable and most important of these articles is the one entitled "Interrogationes in Confessione". It serves, in a way, as an index to the whole work. Judging the character of the work of Bl. Angelo as a theologian from this, his most important contribution to moral theology, one is impressed with the gravity and fairness that characterized his opinions throughout. Besides, the "Summa", being written "pro utilitate confessariorum et eorum qui cupiunt laudabiliter vivere", is a most valuable guide in matters of conscience and approaches closely, in the treatment of the various articles, to casuistic theology as this science is now understood, hence the title of the work, "Summa de Casibus Conscientiae". Benedict XIII approved the cult that had for long been paid to Bl. Angelo, especially by the people of Chivasso and Coni. The latter chose him as their special patron, while his feast is kept on 12 April throughout the order of Friars Minor.

SAINT ALLERIUS

St. Allerius

Feast day: April 12
Death: 1050

Hermit and founder, a noble of Salerno, Italy. A member of the powerful Pappacarboni family of the region, Allerius was born in 930. He showed no disposition for the religious life until he was stricken with an illness. He vowed to become a monk if cured, and he kept his oath when restored to good health. He entered the famous monastery in Cluny, in France. After a time, Duke Gisulf ordered Allerius home to regulate the religious orders of Salerno. Allerius was not able to instill much discipline into these religious houses, so he retired to a hermitage just outside the city in 1011. Many hermits joined Allerius there, and with twelve of them he founded the Benedictine Abbey of La Cava. Records give him a life span of 120 years.

SAINT JULIUS I POPE

St. Julius
Julius I, Pope
Feast day: April 12


Born in Rome;
Died there in April 12, 352.



Saint Julius, son of Rusticus, was elected pope on February 6, 337, to succeed Pope Saint Mark. Soon Julius was involved in the Arian controversy when Eusebius of Nicomedia opposed the return of Saint Athansius to the see of Alexandria in 338. The Arian bishops in the East sent three deputies to Julius to accuse Athanasius. Julius shared the charges they presented with Athanasius, who thereupon sent his representatives to Rome. Upon questioning them, he decided that the accusations of Eusebius were false.

At the insistence of the Arians, Julius convened a synod in Rome in 340 or 341 in which Athanasius and other orthodox bishops participated. Neither the Arians or semi-Arians attended. When Julius demanded the they appear before him, they answered by convening the council of Antioch in 341 during which Eusebuis and his followers elected George as patriarch of Alexandria, whereupon the Arians elected Pistus (so now there are three bishops of the same see).

In a letter to the Eusebian bishops, Julius declared that Athanasius was the rightful patriarch of Alexandria and reinstated him. In it the Holy Father demonstrates the authority of the bishop of Rome. He writes:

"If they [Athanasius and Marcellus] had been guilty, you should have written to us all, that judgment might have been given by all: for they were bishops and churches that suffered, and these not common churches, but the same that the apostles themselves had governed. Why did they not write to us especially concerning the church of Alexandria? Are you ignorant, that it is the custom to write to us immediately, and that the decision ought to come from hence? In case therefore that the bishop of that see lay under any suspicions, you ought to have written to our church. But now, without having sent us any information on the subject, and having acted just as you thought proper, you require of us to approve your measures, without sending us any account of the reasons of your proceedings. These are not the ordinances of Paul, this is not the tradition of our fathers; this is an unprecedented sort of conduct. I declare to you what we have learned from the blessed apostle Peter, and I believe it so well known to everybody, that I should not have mentioned it, had not this happened."

This letter is considered one of the most momentous pronouncements of the Roman see, according to the historian Socrates, who wrote: "Julius, by virtue of the prerogative of his see, sent the bishops into the East, with letters full of vigor, restoring to each of them his see." Sozomen similarly writes: "For, because the care of all belonged to him, by the dignity of his see, he restored to every one his church."

The matter was not really settled until the Council of Sardica (Sofia), summoned by the Emperors Constans and Constantius in 342 or 343 at the urging of Julius, which declared Julius's action correct and that any deposed bishop had the right of appeal to the pope in Rome. It declared Athanasius and Marcellus of Ancyra as orthodox and restored them to their respective sees. (This was an ecumenical council but is considered as an appendix to the Council of Nicaea because it only confirmed its decrees, although it enacted 21 disciplinary canons.)

Julius, a model of charity and wisdom, also built several basilicas and churches in Rome before his death

SAINT AGERICUS OF TOURS

Agericus of Tours,
Feast day: April 11
Also known as Acry, Agery, Aguy, Airy
Died . 680.
Saint Agericus was a disciple of Saint Eligius, who became abbot of Saint Martin's in Tours, France, and spent himself entirely for his abbey

SAINT AID OF ACHAD FINGLAS

Aid of Achad-Finglas,

Feast day: April 11
Date unknown.
Abbot Saint Aid of Achard-Finglas, County Carlow, Ireland, may be identical with Saint Aed Maedhog. He is the titular of a church, an abbey, and several chapels

SAINT EUSTORGIUS OF NICOMEDIA

Eustorgius of Nicomedia
Feast day: April 11
Died . 300.
Eustorgius, a priest of Nicomedia, Asia Minor, was probably martyred under Diocletian

BLESSED GEORGE GERVASE

Blessed George Gervase,
Feast day: April 11
Born in Bosham, Sussex, England;
Died at Tyburn, England, in 1608;
Beatified in 1929.
 In his youth, George had an adventurous career with Francis Drake in the West Indies. Later he was educated for the priesthood and entered the Benedictines at Douai. In 1603 George was ordained to the priesthood and sent to the English mission, where he was condemned and died for his priesthood

SAINT GUTHLAC OF CROYLAND

Guthlac of Croyland,

Born in Mercia, . 673;
Died at Crowland, Lincolnshire, England, in 714;
Feast day: April 11

Feast day formerly on April 12; feast of his translation is August 30 and there is a commemoration on August 26.

As a young man of royal blood from the tribe of Guthlacingas, Guthlac had been a soldier for nine years, fighting for Ethelred, the King of Mercia. At age 24, he renounced both violence and the life of the world and became a monk in an Benedictine double abbey at Repton, which was ruled by an abbess named Elfrida.

Even in these early years his discipline was extraordinary. Some of the monks in fact disliked him because he refused all wine and cheering drink. But he lived down the criticism and gained the respect of his brothers. After two years in the monastery it seemed to him far too agreeable a place. On the feast of Saint Bartholomew about 701, he found a wet, remote, unloved spot on the River Welland in the Fens, which could be reached only by boat, and lived there for the rest of his life as a hermit, seeking to imitate the rigors of the old desert fathers.

His temptations rivalled theirs. Wild men came out of the forest and beat him. Even the ravens stole his few possessions. But Guthlac was patient, even with wild creatures. Bit by bit the animals and birds came to trust him as their friend. A holy man named Wilfrid once visited Guthlac and was astonished when two swallows landed on his shoulders and then hopped all over him. Guthlac told him, "Those who choose to live apart from other humans become the friends of wild animals; and the angels visit them, too- -for those who are often visited by men and women are rarely visited by angels."

Apparently, Guthlac was also had a vision of Saint Bartholomew, his patron. Nor was he entirely alone in his refuge: He had several disciples, Saints Cissa, Bettelin, Egbert, and Tatwin, who had cells nearby. Bishop Hedda of Dorchester ordained him to the priesthood during a visit. The exiled prince Ethelbald, often came to him for advice, learned from Guthlac that he would wear the crown of the Mercians.

When he was dying, Guthlac sent for his sister, Saint Pega, who was a hermitess in the same neighborhood  Peakirk or Pega's church. Abbess Edburga of Repton sent him a shroud and a leaden coffin. A year after his death, Guthlac's body was exhumed and found to be incorrupt. Soon his shrine, to which his sister had donated his Psalter and scourge, began popular. When both King Wiglaf of Mercia 827-840 and Archbishop Ceolnoth of Canterbury  who was cured by Guthlac of the ague in 851 became devotees, Guthlac's cultus grew and spread. A monastery was established on the site of Saint Guthlac's hermitage, which developed into the great abbey of Crowland, to which his relics were translated in 1136. There was another translation in 1196.

Guthlac's vita was recorded in Latin by his near contemporary Felix. Several others were composed in Old English verse and prose. Together with Saint Cuthbert, Guthlac was one of England's most popular pre-Conquest hermit saints

SAINT ISSAC OF SPOLETO

Isaac of Spoleto,
Also known as Isaac of Monteluco
Feast day: April 11
Died  550. Saint Isaac was a Syrian monk who fled from the Monophysite persecution and founded a laura at Monteluco, near Spoleto, Umbria, Italy. He was one of the restorers of eremitical life in 6th century Italy

BLESSED JOHN OF CUPRAMONTANA

Blessed John of Cupramontana,
Feast day: April 11
Died 1303
. John lived in the cave of Cupramonatan on Mount Massaccio for many years as a Camaldolese monk-hermit 

BLESSED RAYNERIUS INCLUSUS

Blessed Raynerius Inclusus,
Feast day: April 11
Died 1237.
 Raynerius Inclusus (i.e., 'shut up') lived as a hermit in a cell near the cathedral of Osnabrück. He spent 22 years in his cell wearing a coat of mail and heavy chains next to his skin

BLESSED STEPHEN , SAINT HILDERBRAND

Blesseds Stephen & Hilderbrand,
Feast day: April 11
Died 1209.
 Stephen, a Cistercian abbot, and Hilderbrand, one of his monks, were killed by the Albigenses at Saint-Gilles, Languedoc, where they are venerated through a popular cultus

BLESSED WALTMANN OF CAMBRAI

Blessed Waltmann of Cambrai,
Feast day: April 11
Died 1138.
Waltmann accompanied Saint Norbert to Cambrai to preach against heresy. He remained there as abbot of Saint Michael's of Anvers, which he directed with great vigor 

SAINT STANISLAUS OF KRAKOW

St. Stanislaus of Krakow

SStanislaus Szczepanowsky
Also known as Stanislaus of Cracow

Feast day: April 11
Patron: of Poland, Krakow, moral order
Born at Szczepanow, Poland, on July 26, 1030;
Died at Cracow, Poland, on April 11, 1079
Canonized by Pope Innocent IV in 1253, Assisi, Italy

 feast day formerly on May 7.

Stanislaus was born to noble parents who had been childless and prayed for a child. They raised him religiously, encouraging him in his devotion to God. He was educated at Gnesen and Paris, and was ordained a priest by Bishop Lampert Zula of Cracow. He was given a canonry in the cathedral and was later appointed preacher and archdeacon by the bishop.

His expressive preaching and good example brought about a spiritual revival among his congregation, and he was sought out by clergy and laymen for his spiritual advice. He was generous to the poor and was successful in bringing about religious reforms. The bishop wished to resign his office to Stanislaus, but Stanislaus convinced him not to. When the bishop died, however, Stanislaus was chosen to succeed him; after Pope Alexander II endorsed the choice, he was consecrated in 1072. He was a tireless preacher, zealous reformer, and generous benefactor to the poor.

Now the story becomes a little confused. Stanislaus is greatly venerated in Poland as a martyr, but there is much uncertainty about the events which led to his violent death.

At that time Poland was governed by Boleslaus II--"King Boleslav the Cruel"--whose virtues were eclipsed by his unbridled lust and savage cruelty. The story commonly told is that Stanislaus chastised King Boleslaus for his disordered private behavior. At first the king did what many of us do--he tried to justify his actions, but the saint pressed the ruler until he was temporarily brought to repentance. But his good intentions did not last long, and he had the beautiful wife of one of his noblemen kidnapped and taken to his palace. Stanislaus was the only one of the clergy or offended nobility brave enough to confront Boleslaus, whom he reprimanded for his action. Finding this to be in vain, he excommunicated the king, and the king feigned nonchalance.

When Boleslaus entered the cathedral of Cracow, Stanislaus halted the services. Enraged, Boleslaus followed him to the chapel of Saint Michael outside the city and ordered his guards to kill him. The men returned and said that they could not kill him because he was surrounded by a divine light. Upbraiding his men for their cowardice, the king himself entered the chapel and killed Stanislaus as he was celebrating the Mass. The guards cut the body up and scattered it to be eaten by wild animals. Three days later his remains were collected by cathedral canons and buried at the door of the chapel.

It is probable that the murder was motivated by politics--some historians hold that Stanislaus was conspiring to dethrone Boleslaus--but the available evidence is variously interpreted by historians. Boleslaus's action, however, did speed his fall from power. Pope Saint Gregory VII placed Poland under an interdict and Boleslaus fled the country, dying as a fugitive in Hungary

SAINT PHILIP OF GORTYNA

St. Philip of Gortyna

Feast day: April 11
Death: 180

Bishop of Gortyna, Crete. Little is known about him except for his authorship of a now lost treatise against the Gnostics.

SAINT MAEDHOG

St. Maedhog

Maedhog- Aedhan,
Also known as Aedhan, Mogue
Feast day: April 11
6th century.

An Irish abbot, also called Aedhan or Mogue. He ruled Clonmore Abbey, Ireland, and was associated with Saints. Oncho and Finan.

SAINT MACHAI

St. Machai

Machai of Bute,
Also known as Maccai
Feast day: April 11
5th century

Abbot founder of a monastery on the isle of Bute in Ireland. He was a disciple of St. Patrick and he was a leader of the evangelical mission there.

SAINT GODEBERTHA

St. Godebertha

Godeberta of Noyon,
Also known as Godebertha
Feast day: April 11
Born in the diocese of Amiens, France;
Died at Noyon, c. 700.

Abbess who was received into the religious life by St. Eligius, the bishop of Noyon, France. Godebertha was from Amiens. After establishing a convent in Noyon, she was made abbess. King Clotaire III built her convent. Godebertha was a miracle worker who stopped a plague and a raging fire.

SAINT GEMMA GALGANI

St. Gemma Galgani

Feastday: April 11
Patron: of Students, Pharmacists, against temptations, against the death of parents, against tuberculosis
Born at Borgo Nuovo di Camigliano near Lucca, Tuscany, Italy, 1878;
Death: April 11, 1903
Beatified: May 14, 1933 by Pope Pius XI
Canonized: May 2, 1940 by Pope Pius XII






Gemma's was the daughter of a poor pharmacist. Her mother died when she was seven, and from then on her life was one of domestic trials and great physical and spiritual pain. Through it all, however, she remained at peace and was the subject of extraordinary supernatural phenomena--visions, ecstasies, revelations, supernatural knowledge, visible conversations with her guardian angel, prophecy, miracles, recurring periodic stigmata, and diabolic assaults.

When she was 18, her father died, and Gemma joined the household of Matteo Giannini at Lucca as a domestic servant. She wished to join the Passionist congregation of which her spiritual director was a member, but she was prevented from doing so by her physical frailties, which included a condition of the spine (tuberculosis). Later Gemma believed herself to have been cured of the tuberculosis by the intercession of Saint Gabriel Possenti, who had himself died of consumption.

She was of a remarkably fervent religious disposition. Between 1899 and 1901, she was subject to various supernatural phenomena, which were carefully investigated by her confessor, Father Germano. For over 18 months she suffered the stigmata of Christ's Crucifixion and marks of His scourging while she prayed. She experienced visions of Christ, the Blessed Virgin, and her guardian angel. When she spoke in ecstasies, the sound of her voice changed, and listeners recorded her words.

At other times, however, she seemed to suffer possession and performed such acts as spitting on a crucifix and breaking a rosary. Throughout her life she patiently endured her spiritual and physical sufferings--which included the scorn of unbelieving relatives and townspeople--and practiced severe austerities.

She died an early death on Holy Saturday and shortly thereafter a popular cult developed. Her popularity increased in 1943, when her correspondence with her spiritual director was published. She was canonized, despite much opposition because of some of the phenomena connected with her, based not on the phenomenal nature of her religious experiences but on the holiness of her life

SAINT DOMNIO AND COMPANIONS

St. Domnio
Domnio and Companions
Feast day: April 11
Death: unknown

 According to an old legend, Saint Domnio was one of the 72 commissioned by Jesus to preach. The story continues that Saint Peter sent him from Rome to evangelize Dalmatia, where he was martyred as the first bishop of Salona. A more likely version of the tale says that Domnio was martyred during the persecution of Diocletian

SAINT BARSANUPHIUS

St. Barsanuphius
Barsanuphius of Gaza, Hermit
Feast day: April 11
Patron: of Oria
Death: 540/ 550

Hermit of Gaza, in Israel.  He was renowned for his holiness and wisdom, refusing to speak and communicating

 An Egyptian who for 50 years lived in absolute seclusion for the love of God, near the monastery of Saint Seridon of Gaza, Palestine, Saint Barsanuphius is greatly venerated by the Greeks who keep his feast on February 6. He 'conversed' only through his letters which have been preserved. A village near Sipontum (current Manfredonia) in southern Italy claims to possess his relics

SAINT ANTIPAS

St. Antipas
Antipas of Pergamus
Feast day: April 11

Death: 90
 Saint John calls Antipas, bishop of Perganum, Asia Minor, "my faithful witness" in Revelation 2:13; he died under Domitian, imprisoned in a bronze bull and roasted over the fire. His tomb was the site of many miracles

SAINT BADEMUS OF PERSIA

Bademus of Persia,
Also known as Bademe
Feast day: April 10
Born in Persia;
Died there  380.

The rich and noble Saint Bademus founded and governed an abbey near Bethlapeta in Persia. There he passed whole nights in prayer, and sometimes went several days together without eating: bread and water were his usual fare. With sweetness, prudence, and charity, he conducted his religious in the paths of perfection. God crowned the virtues of Bademus with suffering by allowing the abbot and seven of his monks to be arrested for their faith, thrown into a dungeon, and whipped daily for four months.

Prince Nersan of Aria, a Christian member of the Persian court, was captured and imprisoned about that same time. He could not withstand the repeated torture and apostatized. To test Nersan's resolve, King Shapur promised to release Nersan and restore his former dignities, if the prince would murder Bademus with his own hands. Thus the wretch, fearing the he himself would be martyred, accepted the sword but frozen in fear as he was about to thrust it into the abbot's breast.

The undaunted Bademus stood before him and said: "Unhappy Nersan, to what a pitch of impiety do you carry your apostasy. With joy I run to meet death; but could wish to fall by some other hand than yours: why must you be my executioner?"

Nersan vacillated between fear of King Shapur and fear of the King of kings. Finally he struck with a trembling hand that made his sword unsteady and forceless. Thus, Bademus was pierced numerous times before Nersan could deliver the ultimate thrust that severed the head of Bademus. The martyr's body was cast outside the city gates, but was secretly retrieved and buried by the Christians. His disciples were released from their chains four years later at the death of Shapur

SAINT BEDE THE YOUNGER

Bede the Younger,
Feast day: April 10
Died 883.
 Bede, a chief official at the court of the French Charles the Bald, became a Benedictine at the abbey of Gavello, near Rovigo in northern Italy. He refused several bishoprics. His relics were translated to Subiaco in the last century

SAINT MADELAINE

Madelaine
Feast day: April 10
Born in Italy;
Died in 1835.
Saint Madelaine was an orphan who attracted the attention of Napoleon Bonaparte because of her faith. She taught catechism and nursed the sick in Verona, Venice, Milan, and China as a member of the Order of the Daughters of Charity

BLESSED MARK FANTUCCI

Blessed Mark Fantucci, OFM
Feast day: April 10
Born in Bologna, Italy;
Died at Piacenza, Italy, in 1479;
Cultus approved in 1868.
Saint Mark studied law and, in 1430, became a Franciscan. He held several offices in the order and preached throughout Italy, Istria, and Dalmatia. He also visited the friars in Austria, Poland, Russia, and the Levant

MARTYRS OF ROME

Martyrs of Rome
Feast day: April 10
Died . 115.
 This is a rather unusual story. While Pope Saint Alexander was imprisoned in a public jail in Rome, he preached to the criminals he found there. They were converted and baptized. Later, the criminals were taken to Ostia and put on board an old boat which was then sent out to sea and scuttled. Note that there is some doubt that Saint Alexander was the pope. 

SAINT TERENCE,SAINT AFRICANUS, SAINT POMPEIUS AND COMPANIONS

St. Terence
Terence, Africanus, Pompeius & Comp.
Feast day: April 10
Death: 250

 A band of 50 martyrs who were imprisoned with snakes and scorpions and finally beheaded at Carthage under Decius

SAINT PATERNUS

St. Paternus
Paternus of Abdinghof
Feast day: April 10

Irish/Scottish hermit.

Born in Ireland;
Died in Germany, 1058.

Paternus was probably born in Ireland, but he travelled to Westphalia, and became one of the first monks at the monastery of Abdinghof in Paderborn founded by Saint Meinwerk. Wishing for solitude, he moved to a cell adjoining the abbey. He predicted that the city would be razed by fire within 30 days if the inhabitants did not turn from their sins, but he was mocked as a visionary. On the Friday before Palm Sunday in 1058, fires broke out simultaneously in seven parts of the city. The city and the monastery were destroyed. The monks escaped, with the exception of Paternus, who, refusing to break the vows of enclosure, remained in his cell and was killed.

His death made a great impression on his contemporaries. Saint Peter Damien greatly revered Paternus. Blessed Marianus Scotus, who visited the ruins two weeks after his death, prayed on the mat where he had died. This mat became the center of his cultus because it miraculously escaped the flames

SAINT PALLADIUS

St. Palladius
Palladius of Auxerre
Feast day: April 10
Death: 661

Bishop of Auxerre, France. He was abbot of St. Germanus until 622, when he became bishop of the city. Palladius founded monasteries in the region.

SAINT MALCHUS

St. Malchus
Malchus of Waterford,
Feastday: April 10

Died 1110.

Irish Saint Malchus entered the Benedictine monastery of Winchester, England, and was consecrated the first bishop of Waterford by Saint Anselm. He was one of the preceptors of Saint Malachy O'More. His life has been confused with those of several of his contemporaries

SAINT MACARIUS THE GHENT

St. Macarius the Ghent
Also known as Macaire of Antioch
Feast day: April 10
Death: 1012

Bishop of Antioch in Pisidia. Saint Macarius is said to have been born in Antioch, Pisidia, and to have been a bishop, who travelled westward as a pilgrim. He was received by the Benedictines of Saint Bavo in Ghent, in whose hospice he died of the plague then rampant in Belgium . Saint Macarius is portrayed as a Flemish bishop with three arrowheads. He may also be shown with his mitre and crozier on the ground to symbolize his resignation of the bishopric . He is venerated at Ghent and invoked against plague 

SAINT FULBERT OF CHARTRES

St. Fulbert of Chartres

Feast day: April 10

Born in Italy  952-960;
Died in Chartres, France, on April 10, 1029.


The glory of his century was born into a humble Italian family. Because of Fulbert's promise as a student he was sent to study at a Benedictine abbey at Rheims, France. He was one of their finest, for when the celebrated Gerbert, who taught him mathematics and philosophy, became Pope Sylvester II, he called Fulbert to Rome.

When the next pope succeeded Gerbert in 1003, Fulbert returned to France, and Bishop Odo of Chartres gave him a canonry and appointed him chancellor of the cathedral, thus, charging Fulbert with the government of the cathedral schools. Fulbert made them into the greatest educational center in France, attracting students from all over Europe.

Fulbert himself was a true poet and scholar, with a great range of learning, including all the sciences then taught. He was chosen to succeed Bishop Roger when he died. Fulbert's influence had now become impressive, for he acted as a counselor to the spiritual and temporal leaders of France. He became a respected statesman, and was consulted by the duke of Aquitaine and the king of France.

Yet he called himself 'the very tiny bishop of a very great church,' and continued to preach regularly and see to the instruction of the territories under his jurisdiction. He rebuilt the Chartres Cathedral when it burned down almost immediately after his consecration. It was built with great magnificence. All kinds of people gave him assistance, including Canute, king of England. Although much of the current cathedral is of a later date, Fulbert's Romanesque steeple still dominates the city.

Having a great devotion to the Virgin Mary, in whose honor he composed several hymns, he arranged that when the new cathedral opened, the newly introduced feast of her birthday be celebrated there, and that it be observed through the diocese.

He vigorously opposed simony and the bestowal of ecclesiastical endowments upon laymen. After ruling for 22 years, he died. He is the author of "Ye Choirs of New Jerusalem" and sermons, hymns, and letters; several of his treatises survive.

Fulbert's pupils loved him. Shortly after his death a pupil from Liége named Adelman who later became bishop of Brescia wrote: "With what dignity of spiritual interpretation, with what weight of literal sense, with what sweetness of speech did he expound the deep secrets of philosophy"

SAINT BEOCCA, SAINT ETHOR, SAINT HETHOR AND COMPANIONS

St. Beocca
Beocca, Ethor Hethor& Comp.,
Feast day: April 10
Death: 870

 The Danes, in their continual raids on England, singled out the Anglo-Saxon abbey as their special object of their ferocity. Thus, at Chertsey Abbey in Surrey, they put to death SS. Beocca, abbot; Ethor, monk-priest; and some 90 monks. At Peterborough, the Danes killed Saint Hedda's community; and at Thorney Abbey, Saint Torthred. All of these are venerated as martyrs. Their memories were kept alive by chronicles and the writings of William of Malmesbury

SAINT APOLLONIUS

St. Apollonius
Apollonius of Alexandria
Feast day: April 10
Death: 250


A priest in Egypt, martyred in Alexandria with five companions in the reign of Trajanus Decius.

BLESSED ANTHONY NEYROT

Bl. Anthony Neyrot

Feast day: April 10
Born 1425 Rivoli, Piedmont, Italy
Died 10 April 1460 Tunis, modern Tunisia
Venerated in Roman Catholic Church
Beatified 22 February 1767 by Pope Clement XIII cultus approved

A Dominican martyr. He was born in Rivoli, in Piedmont, Italy, and entered the Dominicans. Captured by Moorish pirates, Anthony became a Muslim and married. After a few months, he repented and put on his Dominican habit to preach Christ's message. As a result, Anthony was stoned to death in Tunis, in modem Tunisia.

Anthony Neyrot was born in Rivoli, in Piedmont, Italy, and entered the Dominicans. After completing his studies, he was ordained and lived for a while at San Marco in Florence where he studied under Antoninus of Florence. Unsatisfied, he asked for a mission change and he was sent to Sicily. Still unhappy, he left for Naples. On this voyage, his ship was captured by Moorish pirates, and along with the other passengers, was taken to North Africa.

It would appear that the Muslim caliph of Tunis favored Anthony, as he was treated kindly, and was not even confined, until his arrogance angered his captors. Antony was impatient and resented the idea of being a prisoner. Living on a diet of bread and water, he soon collapsed. He then denied his faith in order to buy his freedom.

Anthony lost all faith in Christianity and began to translate the Koran. He was adopted by the king and married a Turkish lady of high rank. Then came news of the death of Antoninus. This led to a radical change in Anthony's attitudes. He had a dream in which Antoninus appeared to him; the conversation that transpired caused Anthony to resolve to readopt the faith which he had left behind, although such an action would result in his certain death.

Finding a Dominican priest, Anthony confessed his sins, and on Palm Sunday of 1460, he publicly asked forgiveness from his fellow Catholics and was thereafter readmitted to his order.

Wanting his reconversion to be as public as his denial had been, Anthony waited until the king held a public procession. Having confessed and made his private reconciliation with God, Anthony mounted the palace steps where all could see him clothed in a Dominican habit. Anthony proclaimed his faith, and the outraged king ordered that he be stoned to death. Anthony was killed on Holy Thursday, 1460

SAINT MICHAEL DE SANCTIS

St. Michael de Sanctis
Michael of Sanctis, O. Trin.
Feast day: April 10
Patron: of cancer patients
Also known as Michael of the Saints
Born at Vich, Catalonia, Spain, in 1591;
Died at Valladolid, Spain, in 1625;
canonized in 1862.



Michael de Sanctis was born in Catalonia, Spain around 1591. At the age of six he informed his parents that he was going to be a monk. Moreover, he imitated St. Francis of Assisi to such a great extent that he had to be restrained. After the death of his parents, Michael served as an apprentice to a merchant. However, he continued to lead a life of exemplary fervor and devotion, and in 1603, he joined the Trinitarian Friars at Barcelona, taking his vows at St. Lambert's monastery in Saragosa in 1607. Shortly thereafter, Michael expressed a desire to join the reformed group of Trinitarians and was given permission to do so. He went to the Novitiate at Madrid and, after studies at Seville and Salamanca, he was ordained a priest and twice served as Superior of the house in Valladolid. His confreres considered him to be a saint, especially because of his devotion to the Most Blessed Sacrament and his ecstacies during Mass. After his death at the age of thirty-five on April 10, 1625 many miracles were attributed to him. He was canonized in 1862 by Pope Pius IX. St. Michael de Sanctis is noted in the Roman Martyrology as being "remarkable for innocence of life, wonderful penitence, and love for God." He seemed from his earliest years to have been selected for a life of great holiness, and he never wavered in his great love of God or his vocation. As our young people look for direction in a world that seems not to care, St. Michael stands out as worthy of imitation as well as of the prayers of both young and old alike. His feast day is April 10.

BLESSED ANTONY OF PAVONI

Blessed Antony of Pavoni,
Feast day: April 9
Born in Savigliano, Italy, in 1326;
Died in Turino, Italy, in 1374;
Beatified in 1868.
Antony was obviously martyred for the faith, yet it took more than 500 years before he was even beatified. He is still not canonized.

Antony grew up to be a pious, intelligent youth. At 15, he was received into the monastery of Savigliano, was ordained in 1351, and almost immediately was engaged in combatting the heresies of the Lombards.

Pope Urban V, in 1360, appointed him inquisitor-general of Lombardy and Genoa, making him one of the youngest men ever to hold that office. It was a difficult and dangerous job for a young priest of 34. Besides being practically a death sentence to any man who held the office, it carried with it the necessity of arguing with the men most learned in a twisted and subtle heresy.

Antony worked untiringly in his native city, and his apostolate lasted 14 years. During this time, he accomplished a great deal by his preaching, and even more by his example of Christian virtue. He was elected prior of Savigliano, in 1368, and given the task of building a new abbey. This he accomplished without any criticism of its luxury--a charge that heretics were always anxious to make against any Catholic builders.

The consistent poverty of Antony's life was a reproach to the heretics, who had always been able to gain ground with the poor by pointing out the wealth of religious houses. He went among the poor and let them see that he was one of them. This so discomfited the heretics that they decided they must kill him. He was preaching in a little village near Turin when they caught him.

The martyrdom occurred in the Easter octave. On the Saturday after Easter, he asked the barber to do a good job on his tonsure because he was going to a wedding. Puzzled, the barber complied. On the Sunday after Easter, as he finished preaching a vigorous sermon against heresy at Brichera, seven heretics fell upon him with their daggers, and he hurried off to the promised "wedding." He was buried in the Dominican church at Savigliano, where his tomb was a place of pilgrimage until 1827. At that time the relics were transferred to the Dominican church of Racconigi

SAINT CASILDA OF BRIVIESCA

Casilda of Briviesca

Feast day: April 9
Born in Toledo, Spain;
Died  1050.
 Saint Casilda was the daughter of a Moorish king of Toledo, who hated everything connected with Jesus Christ. Casilda secretly visited and fed Christian captives, which made her father angry. She escaped her father, illness, other horrors, and died as an anchorite near Briviesca in Burgos but with joy because she had been baptized

SAINT HERMOGENES, SAINT CAIUS AND COMPANIONS

Hermogenes, Caius & Companions
Feast day: April 9
Date unknown. Hermogenes, Caius, Expeditus, Aristonicus, Rufus and Galata are Armenian martyrs who are believed to have suffered at Melitene

BLESSED JOHN OF VESPIGNANO

Blessed John of Vespignano
Feast day: April 9
Born at Vespignano diocese of Florence, Italy;
Died 1331;
Cultus approved by Pius VII. During the civil wars, John devoted himself to works of charity among the refugees who flocked to Florence

SAINT MARCELLUS OF AVIGNON

Marcellus of Avignon
Feast day: April 9
Born in Avignon, France;
Died 474.
Saint Marcellus was educated by his own brother Saint Petronius, bishop of Die not of Saint-Dié, and later succeeded him. Marcellus was consecrated by Bishop Saint Mamertius of Vienne. Marcellus suffered much from the Arians and died after a long episcopate. Meanwhile, Mamertius was censured by the Holy See for the consecration without the proper authority Benedictines. Saint Marcellus is portrayed as a bishop leading a dragon with his stole around its neck. (This is typical of several saints because casting the stole round the creature's neck was the accepted way of subduing dragons or devils.) Marcellus is venerated at Avignon 

MARTYRS OF SIRMIUM

Martyrs of Sirmium
Feast day: April 9
Died . 303.
 A group of seven anonymous virgin martyrs who suffered under Diocletian at Sirmium (Mitrovica) in the Balkans

MASSYLITAN MARTYRS

Massylitan Martyrs
Feast day: April 9
Date unknown.
Little is known of these African martyrs, although they are mentioned by Saint Bede and in ancient calendars. We have a sermon that was preached by Saint Augustine on their festivals. They probably suffered a Massyla, or the adjacent country, on the sea-coast of Africa

SAINT PROCHORUS OF NICOMEDIA

Prochorus of Nicomedia
Feast day: April 9
1st century. One of the seven deacons ordained the by Apostles. Tradition says that he afterwards became bishop of Nicomedia and was martyred at Antioch

BLESSED REGINALD MONTESMARTI

Blessed Reginald Montesmarti,
Feast day: April 9
Born in Montesmarti near Orvieto, Italy, in 1292
Died at Piperno, Italy, 1348
Cultus approved in 1877

ROMAN CAPTIVES

Roman Captives
Feast day: April 9
Died in Persia, 362.
Nine thousand Christians, including Bishop Heliodorus, the ancient priests Dausas and Mariabus, and many other priests and nuns, were captured by Persians who besieged Bethzarbe Castle on the Tigris. The bishop died on the road after ordaining Dausas as his successor, even though canon law requires three bishop for episcopal consecration except in necessity. Daily the captives celebrated the Eucharist with Dausas. When they arrived in Assyria, 300 were given the option of worshipping the sun or dying. Twenty-five apostatized and were rewarded with gifts of land. The others remained constant and were all massacred together. Details can be found in Sozomen

SAINT THEODORE AND COMPANIONS

Theodore and Companions, OSB
Feast day: April 9
Died  870.
 This is another group martyred by the invading Danes. Theodore, abbot of Croyland, and several others of his large community were mentioned by name: Askega, prior; Swethin, subprior; Elfgete, deacon; Savinus, subdeacon; Egdred and Ulrick, acolytes; Grimkeld and Agamund , both centenarians 

BLESSED UBALD ADIMARI

Blessed Ubald Adimari, OSM
Feast day: April 9
Born in Florence, Italy, in 1246;
Died 1315
cultus confirmed in 1821.
Born into Ghebelline nobility, Ubald was notorious for his wild and dissolute life. In 1276, he was converted by Saint Philip Benizi, who admitted him to the Servite institute. Ubald spent the rest of his life on Mount Senario, a model to penitent souls

BLESSED THOMAS OF TOLENTINO AND COMPANIONS OFM

Bl. Thomas of Tolentino
Blessed Thomas of Tolentino & Comp  OFM
Feast day: April 9

Born in Tolentino, Italy
Died 1321
cultus approved in 1894.



Franciscan martyr. Born in Tolentino, Italy, he entered the Franciscans and was sent to preach in the difficult regions of Armenia and Persia modern Iran. Convinced to head further East, he set out for China with three companions Blesseds James of Padua, Peter of Siena both Franciscans, and a layman, Demetrius of Triflis. While traveling through Hindustan modem northern India they were beheaded at Thame.

SAINT MATERIANA

St. Materiana
Madrun

Feast day: April 9
Patron: of Minster, Cornwall Tintagel, Cornwall Trawsfynydd, Wales
Birth: 440
Death: 6th century
A second feast is celebrated on October 19.

 According to a dubious vita, Madrun was the daughter of Vortimer and wife of Ynyr Gwent, ruler of the area around Caerwent Monmouthshire. Following the battle described by Nennius in which Vortigern was killed, Madrun fled with the youngest of her three children, Ceidio, first to Carn Fadryn and then to Cornwall. She was either Welsh or Cornish, and churches are dedicated to her honor in Tintagel and Minster near Boscastle, where she was buried

MARTYRS OF PANNONIA

Martyrs of Pannonia

Feast day: April 9


 This group may possibly be the same as the one above. The Roman Martyrology states: "At Sirmium in Pannonia  on the Danube. the passion of seven holy virgins and martyrs." Modern research has found no further particulars about them 

MARTYRS OF CROYLAND

Martyrs of Croyland

Feast day: April 9


Benedictine monks who were slain by the Danes during an invasion of Croyland Abbey, England, and the surrounding area. The abbot was Theodore. Others suffering included Askega, the prior; Swethin, the subprior; and Elfgete, Savinus, Egdred, Agamund, Grimkeld, and Ulrick.

SAINT HUGH OF ROUEN

St. Hugh of Rouen

Feast day: April 9
Death: 730

Benedictine bishop of Rouen, Paris, and Bayeux, France, a nephew of Charles Martel. The son of Duke Drogo of Burgundy, he was named the bishop of Rouen in 722. He then moved to Paris and later to Bayeux. At the same time he was abbot of Fontenelles and Jumieges At the close of his life, Hugh retired to Jumieges and died as a simple choir monk.

SAINT HEDDA AND COMPANIONS

St. Hedda
Hedda and Companions,
Also known as Haeddi
Feast day: April 9
Death: 870

Martyred Benedictine abbot of Peterborough, England.

Hedda was the abbot of Peterborough Medehampstead). He and 84 monks of his community were slain by the Danes, who that same year killed Saint Edmund of East Anglia. Hedda and his monks are venerated as martyrs, even though modern scholars believe that the motivation for the murders was booty and not the hatred of Christianity. In the later Middle Ages the "Hedda stone" stood in the cemetery over the grave of the martyrs. Holes were cut into the slab to hold candles for using it as an altar at which to say Massa custom started by abbot Godric. In the 17th century, pilgrims would put their fingers into the holes, perhaps to take dust as a souvenir

SAINT GAUCHERIUS

St. Gaucherius
Gaucherius of Aureil,
Also known as Gaultier, Walter
Feast day: April 9
Birth: 1060
Death: 1140

He was canonized in 1194 by Pope Celestine III

Abbot founder and friend of St. Stephen of Grandmont. He was born in Meulan sur Seine, France, and became a hermit in the forest of Limoges with a companion, Germond. Attracting disciples even though he was only eighteen, Gaucherius founded St. John's Monastery at Aureilfor and a convent for women. He died from a fall from a horse and died at the age of 80.

SAINT EUPSYCHIUS

St. Eupsychius
Eupsychius of Caesarea
Also known as Eupsyque
Feast day: April 9
Death: 362

Martyr of Caesarea, in Cappadocia.


 Before he was martyred under Julian the Apostate, Saint Eupsychius was a newly-wed in Caesarea, Cappadocia, and the leader of a group of Christians accused of attacking the pagan god Fortuna by destroying her temple, the last in the area. In addition to the physical persecution of Christians here during his march to Antioch, Julian confiscated all the goods of the Christian churches, including books and sacred vessels. The clergy were forced into hard labor and Christians heavily taxed. Upon his departure, Julian ordered the Christians to rebuild the pagan temples; instead, they built a church on the site of the temple of Fortuna, where Saint Basil celebrated the feast of Eupsychius on April 8, 370, to which he invited all the bishops of Pontus

SAINT DOTTO

St. Dotto

Feast day: April 9
Death: 6th century

 Saint Dotto is said to have been the abbot of a monastery in the Orkney Islandsof Scotland. that is named after him and to have lived to a very venerable age

SAINT DEMETRIUS, SAINT CONCESSUS, SAINT HILARY AND COMPANIONS

St. Demetrius
Demetrius, Concessus, Hilary & Comp
Feast day: April 9
Death: unknown

Martyr with Concessus, Hilary, and companions.  This group includes martyrs from various places but nothing is known about them

SAINT CASILDA OF TOLEDO

St. Casilda of Toledo
Casilda of Briviesca
Born in Toledo, Spain;
Feast day: April 9
Death: 1050


 Saint Casilda was the daughter of a Moorish king of Toledo, who hated everything connected with Jesus Christ. Casilda secretly visited and fed Christian captives, which made her father angry. She escaped her father, illness, other horrors, and died as an anchorite near Briviesca in Burgos but with joy because she had been baptized

SAINT ACACIUS

St. Acacius
Acacius of Amida
Also known as Agace
Feast day: April 9
Death: 425/421

 Bishop Acacius of Amida Diarbekir in Mesopotamia is distinguished for his heroic charity to Persian prisoners. In order to ransom them, Acacius melted down and sold the sacred vessels of the church. This won for him the friendship of King Bahram V Varannes of Persia, who is said to have forthwith ceased to persecute his Christian subjects

SAINT WALDETRUDIS

St. Waldetrudis
Waldetrudis of Mons
Also known as Vaudru, Waltrude, Waudru
Feast day: April 9
Death: 688

 she was the daughter of Saints Walbert and Bertilia and sister of St. Aldegunus of Maubeuge. Marrying St. Vincent Madelgarius, she became the mother of saints Landericus, Madalberta, Adeltrudis, and Dentelin.

The family of Saint Waudru, patroness of Mons Belgium), was amazingly holy, too. Both her parents Walbert and Bertille and her sister Aldegund were canonized. Her four children were also declared saints Landericus, Dentelin, Aldetrude, and Madelberte and so was her husband  Madelgaire.

Madelgaire was the count of Hennegau (Hainault), and one of the courtiers of King Dagobert I. After their children were born both he and Waudru longed to live lives totally devoted to meditation and prayer. He retired to an abbey he had founded at Haumont near Maubeuge, where he took the name Vincent. For two additional years, Waudru remained in the world, devoting herself to the care of the poor and the sick under the direction of Saint Gislenus.

After Madelgaire's death, Waudru received the religious veil from Saint Autbert in 656, built a tiny home for herself near Castriloc (Châteaulieu), and, giving away her possessions, lived there alone. Though she clung to her solitude, her great wisdom and piety meant that countless men and women pressed on her for advice. Eventually Waudru had so many followers that she was obliged to found her own convent at Châteaulieu. She dedicated this convent to the Mother of Jesus, and around it grew the present town of Mons. By the time of Waudru's death she had become famous not only for her charity but also for her miraculous powers of healing, her patience in the face of trials, continual fasting, and prayer. Her relics are considered the most precious treasure of the church that bears her name in Mons

BLESSED CLEMENT OF SAINT ELPIDIO

Blessed Clement of Saint Elpidio,
Feast day: April 8
Born in Osimo;
Died 1291
Cultus approved in 1572.
Clement, the hermit friar of Saint Augustine, was chosen general of the order in 1270. In that position, he drew up its constitutions, where were approved in 1287. For this reason he is considered the second founder of the Augustinians

SAINT HERODION, SAINT ASYNCRITUS, SAINT PHLEGON

Herodion, Asyncritus & Phlegon

Feast day: April 8
1st century. Bishop Herodion of Patras, a kinsman of Saint Paul (Romans 16:11), was martyred with Bishop Asyncritus of Marathon and Bishop Phlegon of Hyrcania, both mentioned by the Apostle, at the instigation of the Jews

BLESSED JULIAN OF SAINT AUGUSTINE

Blessed Julian of Saint Augustine, OFM
Feast day: April 8
Born at Medinaceli (diocese of Segovia), Castile, Spain;
Died 1606; beatified in 1825.
Julian was rejected twice before finally gaining admittance to the Dominican Order as a lay-brother at Santorcaz. He accompanied the Franciscan preachers on their missions. It was his custom to ring the bell through the streets to summon people to the sermon

SAINT WALTER OF PONTOISE

St. Walter of Pontoise

Feast day: April 8
Patron: of prisoners; prisoners of war; vintners; invoked against job-related stress
Born in Andainville, Picardy, France, . 1030
Died 1099.


The Bible says that the road to holiness is narrow but it doesn't tell you that the road is straight or clear. Sometimes we need to find our way to God as though following a path through a forest. Sometimes the sun pokes through but often we walk in darkness, not quite knowing whether the destination is near or far. We grope. We trip over debris from dead trees or overgrown vines. We must continue to trust that God is leading us to Himself.

Saint Walter followed a meandering path. He enjoyed his studies and became a professor of rhetoric and philosophy, for which he won success, honor, and praise. But he wasn't happy because he wasn't sure that he was on the right road to God. So, he entered the Benedictine monastery of Rebais-en-Brie Diocese of Meaux with enthusiasm, where he practiced the most severe austerities in the hopes of escaping worldly applause. Each day until his death, Walter added some new practice of penance to his former austerities to remind himself of the obligation of continually advancing in spirit towards God.

At Rebais he found a peasant rotting in the abbey prison. Walter found it inconceivable that one could be kept in a monastery by bonds other than those of love. One night he gave the peasant the key to his fields. In the morning Walter faced the abbot's wrath, an inquisition, confession, and punishment.

After several years in Rebais (1060), Walter was made abbot of a new monastery near Pointoise, which is now called Saint Martin's. King Philip I personally made the investiture, handing him the Cross. The king considered it a bond to him, but Walter coldly placed his hand not under but over the hand of the king, saying: "It is not from you, but from God that I accept the governance of this abbey." Shock and surprise were the rather normal result, how could a man give God precedence over that of an earthly potentate?

Once again Walter enjoyed success, honors, and praise. In order to escape from the accolades, he left his cloister and walked to Cluny, where there were hundreds of monks among whom he could be anonymous. Or, at least, that's what he believed. Unfortunately, he was quickly recognized and compelled to return to Pointoise.

Once again he questioned whether he was on the road to God or the road to perdition. What if God wanted him elsewhere? He tested himself to see if his new vocation was that of a hermit and determined that it was.

One night, Walter, who had gotten into the habit of making escapes, climbed over the abbey wall. He took the road to Touraine to cover his tracks from those who were bound to seek him. In his hermitage, Walter thought he had found heaven on earth. Of course, terrestrial paradises never last for long. Soon the monks of Pointoise found him on an island in the Loire, and led him back to the abbey.

Walter must have been a very lovable character if, each time he disappeared, his monks would seek him out until they discovered him. They must have thought he had a very odd way of practicing stability, but they would not have changed their wandering abbot because he left them only in order to search for God.

The saintly abbot still wanted to flee the admiration of his fellows, but he knew that his monks would eventually catch up with him wherever he roamed. Then he had a brilliant idea: He would make his journey ad limina. He would return his cross to the holy father and at long last he would be free to seek God in his own way. He left for Rome, planning never to return to Pointoise.

God had different plans for Walter. In Rome, he explained his situation to Pope Gregory VII but the saintly pope refused Walter's plea. "Turn back, Father Abbot. From now on you must walk along the roads of the cloister and not along the grand highways of the world."

Was Walter disappointed? He was radiant. For the pope had spoken, and the pope was the spokesman for Jesus Christ. Thus, Jesus had shown him the way. And because, ever since his novitiate, he had searched for God with all his soul and all his heart and even with all his legs, he was given to understand that the image of our life that God fashions is infinitely preferable to the image that we fashion for ourselves.

When we understand that--and when that knowledge sinks from our head into our heart--then there's nothing else to do save go to heaven. Which Walter did on Good Friday in 1099. After diligent scrutiny the bishops of Rouen, Paris, and Senlis declared several miracles wrought at his tomb authentic and translated his relics on May 4. Abbot Walter Montague moved them again in 1655, and richly decorated his chapel. His life was written by a disciple

SAINT REDEMPTUS OF FERENTINO

St. Redemptus

Redemptus of Ferentino
Feast day: April 8
Death: 586

Bishop of Ferentini (Hernicis), a town south of Rome, Italy. He is known mainly because of his friend Pope St. Gregory I the Great who wrote of his holiness.

SAINT PERPETUUS

St. Perpetuus
Perpetuus of Tours
Feast day: April 8
Died December 30, 490, or April 8, 491.

Bishop of Rours from about 464. He enforced clerical discipline and regulated feast days. Perpetuus also rebuilt the basilica of St. Martin. A will attributed to him is known now by scholars to have been a forgery composed in the seventeenth century


 Perpetuus, born of a senatorial family, became bishop of Tours . 460. He dedicated the revenues of his estates to the relief of those in need. The poor, it is recorded, were his heirs he left them pastures, groves, vineyards, houses, gardens, water-mills, gold, silver, and his clothing.

He also venerated his great predecessor Saint Martin, the soldier who had sliced his cloak in two and given half to a beggar. Martin was buried in a basilica in Tours and Perpetuus rebuilt and enlarged this fine building to house the countless pilgrims who flocked to his tomb.

One hundred twenty years later, Saint Gregory of Tours mentions that Perpetuus decreed that all the people in his diocese should fast on Wednesdays and Fridays, save at a few church festivals. He also declared several Mondays in the Christian year as fasts, particularly in the time that became Advent. So great was Perptuus's influence that these fasts were still being observed in the diocese of Tours over a century after his death. And so powerful was his memory that, 13 centuries after his death, some unknown forgers drew up a fake will for the saint, declaring: "You, my dearly beloved brothers, my crown, my joy, that is to say, Christ's poor, needy, beggars, sick, widows, and orphans, you I hereby name and decree to be my heirs." Though the will was a fake, the true spirit of Saint Perpetuus shines through it

SAINT JANUARIUS, SAINT MAXIMA, SAINT MACARIA

St. Januarius, Maxima, and Macaria

Feast day: April 8
Death: unknown

Three African martyrs who were executed in an uncertain year during the Roman persecutions.

SAINT DIONYSIUS OF CORINTH

St. Dionysius of Corinth

Feast day: April 8
Death: 171/180
Feast day in the Greek Church is November 20 or 29.

Bishop of Corinth, Greece, famed for his letters. He is described in Eusebius' Ecclesiastical History. One of Dionysius' letters commemorated the martyrdom of Sts. Peter and Paul.


Bishop Dionysius of Corinth was an outstanding leader of the Church in the second century, as well as an eloquent preacher. He is now best remembered as an ecclesiastical writer with which he attempted to instruct, exhort, and comfort those at a distance. Several of his letters to various churches are still extant. Especially noteworthy is that in which he records the martyrdom of SS. Peter and Paul in Rome. He says that after initiating the faith at Corinth, the Apostles both went to Italy, and there sealed their testimony with their blood. The Church historian Eusebius mentions several of his instructive letters to other churches. One extends thanks to the church of Rome, under the pontificate of Saint Soter, for the traditional alms received from them. He writes: "From the beginning, it is your custom to bestow your alms in all places, and to furnish subsistence to many churches. You send relief to the needy, especially to those who work in the mines; in which you follow the example of your fathers. Your blessed bishop Soter is so far from degenerating from your ancestors in that respect, that he goes beyond them; not to mention the comfort and advice he, with the bowels of a tender father towards his children, affords all that come to him. On this day we celebrated together the Lord's day, and read your letter, as we do that which was heretofore written to us by Clement." He means that they read these letters of instruction in the church after the reading of the holy Scriptures, and the celebration of the divine mysteries.

In another place Dionysius complains about the rampant heresies that sprang from the adoption of pagan philosophical principles, rather than from any perverse interpretation of the scriptures. Dionysius point out the source of the heretical errors and the philosophical sect from which each heresy arose.

The Greeks honor Saint Dionysius as a martyr because he suffered much for the faith, though he seems to have died in peace; while the Latin Church styles him a confessor. Pope Innocent III translated his relics to Saint Denys Abbey near Paris, where the monks believed him to be Dionysius the Areopagite 

SAINT CONCESSA

St. Concessa
Concessa of Carthage
Feast day: April 8
Death: unknown

 A martyr venerated from ancient times at Carthage

SAINT AMANTIUS OF COMO

St. Amantius of Como

Feast day: April 8
Death: 448/440

Bishop of Como, Italy. Amantius succeeded St. Provinus and was much revered.

SAINT AEDESIUS

St. Aedesius

Aedesius of Alexandria
Also known as Edese, Edesius
Feast day: April 8
Death: 306

Martyr and brother of St. Apphian.

Born in Lycia;
Died at Alexandria, Egypt, on April 8, . 306.


 Aedesius's laus in the Roman Martyrology states: "At Alexandria, the memory of Saint Aedesius, martyr, a brother of Blessed Apphian, who, under Maximian Galerius the emperor, openly withstood an impious judge because he handed over to pimps virgins consecrated to God." The Church historian Eusebius (De Martyr. Pales., ch. 5) and Aedesius's Chaldaic acta give us further details. According to these, he was a philosopher, who continued to wear the cloak after his conversion to Christianity. Perhaps because of his standing among the educated, he seems to have had no qualms about professing his faith before magistrates. Apparently, he was imprisoned several times and had been condemned to work in the mines of Palestine. Upon his release, he sought refuge in Egypt, but found the persecution was more virulent there under the Prefect Hierocles. Aedesius, particularly offended by the enslavement and prostitution of consecrated virgins, boldly presented himself before the governor. He was seized by the soldiery, afflicted with most cruel punishments, and drowned in the sea for the Lord Christ.

This is obviously a very confused story; Roeder has entries under both Aedesius and Edese, which appear to be the same. In art, Saint Aedesius is shown shipwrecked with his brother Saint Frumentius . Saint Edese has his legs wrapped in oiled linen before he is burned to death

SAINT JULIE BILLIART

St. Julie Billiart
Julia (Julie) Billiart
Feast day: April 8


Born in Cuvilly (near Beauvais), Picardy, France, on July 12, 1751;
Died on April 8, 1816;
Beatified in 1906;
Canonized by Pope Paul VI in 1969.


 Julia, baptized Marie Rose Julia Billiart, was born to prosperous peasant farmers who also owned a small shop in Cuvilly. Early in life she evinced an interest in religion and helping the sick and the poor. At 14, she took a vow of chastity and dedicated herself to the service and instruction of the poor.

She was paralyzed by shock when someone shot a gun at her father, while she was sitting next to him. Thereafter, she was an invalid for 22 years. Although she was in pain, this malady gave her the luxury of spending more time in prayer.

In 1790, the curé of Cuvilly was replaced by a priest who had taken the oath prescribed by the revolutionary authorities, and Julia rallied the people to boycott him. She also helped find safe houses for fugitive priests, and for this reason was taken to Compiegne, where she had to change addresses often for her safety.

A friend brought her to Amiens to the house of Viscount Blin de Bourdon after the Reign of Terror. There she met Frances Blin de Bourdon, Viscountess de Gézaincourt, who became her friend and worked with her. Daily the viscountess and a small group of pious women gathered in Julia's sickroom for the sacrifice of the Mass. Throughout the French Revolution (1794-1804), Julia encourage the group in their works of charity. Heightened persecution forced Julia and Frances to move to a house belonging to the Doria family at Bettencourt, where, with a group of women, they conducted catechetical classes for the villages.

At Bettencourt Julia met Father Joseph Varin, who was convinced that the saint was meant to achieve great works. When Frances and Julia returned to Amiens, they laid the foundations of the Institute of Notre Dame, whose objects were to see to the religious instruction of poor children, the Christian education of girls of all classes, and the training of religious teachers. They also opened an orphanage.

The rules of the institute were somewhat innovative, requiring the abolition of the distinction between choir and lay sisters. At a mission held by the Fathers of the Faith of Amiens in 1804, the teaching of women was given to the Sisters of Notre Dame. At the end of the mission, Father Enfantin asked Julia to join him in a novena without telling her why, and on the fifth day, the feast of the Sacred Heart, he ordered her to walk. After 22 years as an invalid, at the age of 44, she got up and realized that she was cured.

Now fully functional, she worked to extend the new foundation and to assist at missions conducted by the Fathers of the Faith in other towns. She did this until the work was halted by the government. The educational work continued, however, and convents were opened at Namur, Ghent, and Tournai.

Unfortunately, Father Varin's post of confessor to the sisters was filled by a young priest who estranged Julia from the bishop of Amiens, and the bishop pressed for her withdrawal from his diocese in 1809. She moved the mother house to Namur, joined by nearly all the sisters, where she was well received by the bishop.

Soon she was vindicated and invited to return to Amiens, but since it was too difficult to restore the foundation there, Namur became the motherhouse. As of 1816, it was clear that Julia's health was failing rapidly. While repeating the Magnificat, she died. By the time of her death 15 convents had been established 

BLESSED CHRISTIAN OF DOUAI

Blessed Christian of Douai
Feast day: April 7
Date unknown.
 A priest of Douai, whose relics are in the church of Saint Albinus

BLESSED EDERHARD OF SCHAEFFHAUSEN

Blessed Eberhard of Schaeffhausen,
Feast day: April 7
Also known as Evrard
Born 1018;
Died 1078.
 Pious prince Eberhard III, count of Nellenburg, was the husband of the pious Itta and a relative of both Pope Saint Leo IX and the emperor Saint Henry II. Eberhard and Itta protected and built convents into which each was to retire later, including the Benedictine abbey of Schaffhausen, Switzerland, in 1050, where Eberhard retired 

SAINT GEORGE THE YOUNGER

George the Younger
Feast day: April 7
Died  816.
Bishop George of Mitylene, Lesbos Island, is called 'the Younger' because two of his predecessors in that see and century, also named George, are venerated as saints 

SAINT LLEWELLWYN AND SAINT GWRNERTH

Llewellwyn (LLywelyn) & Gwrnerth
Feast day: April 7
6th century.
Welsh monks at Welshpool and afterwards at Bardsey

SAINT VILLICUSOF METZ

Villicus of Metz

Died 568
Feast day: April 7 may be April 17 rather than 7th.
 Villicus governed the see of Metz from 543 to 568. He was praised for his virtues by Venantius Fortunatus

BLESSED WILLIAM CUFITELLA

Blessed William Cufitella,
Feast day: April 7
Born in Noto, Sicily;
Died 1411;
Cultus approved in 1537.
 For 70 years William lived as a Franciscan tertiary hermit at Scicli

BLESSED URSULINA OF PARMA

Bl. Ursulina of Parma
Blessed Ursulina of Bologna
Feast day: April 7
Born in Parma, Italy, in 1375;
Died in Verona, Italy, in 1410

Virgin and visionary. A young woman of Parma, Italy, she received visions and experienced ecstasies.

 Ursulina was much like Saint Catherine of Siena. She was a mystic accustomed to visions and ecstasies. At age 15, in response to a supernatural voice, Ursulina tried to end the scandals of the "Babylonian Captivity" of Avignon by visiting the antipope Clement VII to persuade him to give up the throne. Unsuccessful, she next went to Rome to ask Pope Boniface IX to resign, and then back again to petition Clement. After a pilgrimage to Rome and the Holy Land, she returned home and narrowly escaped being burned as a sorceress during a civil war in Parma. She fled to Bologna, where she lived for a time before retiring to Verona

SAINT SATURNINUS

St. Saturninus
Saturninus of Verona
Feast day: April 7
Death: 4th century
Died : 356
Bishop of Verona. His ministry is undocumented.

SAINT PELEUSIUS

St. Peleusius
Peleusius of Alexandria
Feast day: April 7
Death: 310

Martyr of Alexandria, Egypt. The details of his martyrdom are lost, and virtually nothing is known about him, save for his being a priest in Alexandria 

SAINT PELAGIUS

St. Pelagius

Pelagius of Alexandria
Feast day: April 7
Death: unknown


An Egyptian martyr. He was a priest in Alexandria, Egypt ,and was put to death for refusing to abjure the faith. He is mentioned in the Martyrology of St. Jerome.

SAINT HERMAN JOSEPH

St. Herman Joseph

Hermann Joseph, O. Praem.
Feast day: April 7

Born in Cologne, Germany, in 1150;

Died in Steinfeld, April 7, 1241;
Equivalently canonized by Pope John XXIII in 1960.

German Praemonstratensian and mystic. Born in Cologne, he demonstrated at an early age a tendency toward mystical experiences, episodes which made him well known and deeply respected through much of Germany. He subsequently entered the Praemonstratensians at Steinfeld, Germany, where he was ordained. Herman experienced visions of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, and authored a number of mystical writings. Long considered a saint, he was given an equivalent canonization by Pope Pius XII in 1958.


 His baptismal name, Hermann, was apt for it means 'vir honorabilis, vir exercitus.' Early in life Hermann pictured himself as a handsome knight and the Virgin was to be his lady fair. He had the physical strength of a knight and his capacity for work was exceptional.

Hermann was reportedly as handsome and charming as Saint Norbert, who founded the order Hermann entered. He was of noble bearing, calm appearance, dignified and reserved--master of himself. Yet his face betrayed his extreme sensibility. His gentle eyes gave off 'little sparks' according to those who knew him. He treated his body as a knight does his horse: he mastered it without brutality.

And his mind was as solid as his body. Hermann was of moderate intelligence but he cultivated his mind methodically. At age 7 he began to study literature and gained an appreciation for ancient writers. Nevertheless, he felt his time was better occupied. As severe as he could be with himself, Hermann preserved a courteousness towards others that gave irrefutable evidence that he remained in the presence of his Lady.

Hermann was both an ascetic and a poet. His precocious devotion to the Virgin was inspired by poetry and courtliness. The child was frequently seen absorbed in meditation before the image of Mary; he spoke to her Son spontaneously. Perhaps God blessed him so because his soul would melt in tender love when he remembered the incarnation, and he went into raptures whenever he recited the canticle Benedictus at Lauds. One day he brought some food to symbolize an offering and the image of the Virgin extended her hand to accept his gift. On another occasion this familiarity permitted him to play with Jesus and Saint John. Young Hermann's mental balance forbids us to reject these charming visions. These continuing visions that he experienced made him famous throughout Germany.

At age 12, Hermann decided to abandon the world and enter the monastery of Steinfeld, which had been founded in 920. Between 1121 and 1126, it was occupied by Premonstratensian canons. The monastery authorities decided that Hermann should complete his studies at the order's school in Friesland prior to admittance. With his education completed Hermann returned to Steinfeld and was assigned menial duties, such as serving at table.

Soon Hermann received an assignment that delighted him: He was named sacristan which allowed him to reconcile art and piety. The community soon employed him also to minister to the Cistercian nuns at a nearby convent. Up to the day of his death, he was to have a particular fondness for this ministry.

But Hermann was also an ascetic. He subjected himself to mortifications that his artist's temperament could not properly endure. The slackening of his muscles was accompanied by a weakening of his nerves.

Hermann slept on a hard couch for only a short time each night. After

But Hermann's spiritual balance preserved its stability despite his physical disturbances. The wounded knight was to preserve his soul intact at the center of the marvels, the course of which was to continue without interruption.

Hermann Joseph underwent a final ordeal before he was to be delivered from his tortured body. No doubt it was the only spiritual ordeal of this kind that he had ever experienced: frightful spiders and flies seemed to invade his cell. The presence of a priest dispelled the nightmare, and Hermann Joseph died in peace.

In accordance with his wishes, he was buried in the Cistercian convent at Hoven. His body was exhumed after seven weeks and returned to Steinfeld. An inquisitorial investigation was ordered in 1628, and the body was found to be in a state of perfect preservation. The process of Hermann's canonization was never brought to completion, but he was beatified.

Hermann Joseph's spiritual exercises, as he called them, were surprisingly modern. The five poems he dedicated to the Virgin and Jesus, which seem to have belonged to a private devotion, have been preserved. He also wrote a commentary on the "Song of Songs," which is the only courtly romance read by mystics. He also had a special devotion to Saint Ursula.

Should we be surprised that the monk who sang the praises of the Rose was also the first to sing the praises of the Sacred Heart? In singing the praises of the Sacred Heart, Hermann Joseph did not separate the heart of Mary and that of her Son, the uncreated Wisdom of which she was the Vase of honor and its most perfect receptacle. Just as the Crusade had established the cult of the Holy Sepulchre, that is, of the empty tomb and the Risen Christ, likewise Hermann Joseph did not propose the adoration of the bleeding internal organ which was to mark, in a sometimes disquieting manner, the private revelations of Margaret-Mary Alacoque. The singer of the Sacred Heart honored the organ of tenderness, the Holy Grail.

Most of Hermann's relics rest in a titular altar at Steinfeld, where pilgrim priests say a votive Mass in his honor. Small portions of his relics have been given to several other churches. Some are enshrined and exposed to public veneration Antwerp, Louvain, and Cologne. Emperor Ferdinand II solicited his canonization at Rome, and offered several proofs of miracles for that purpose