Saints of the month: June

Saints of the Month: June

Saints of the Month: June

GO TO MARY

Saints of the Month: June Copyright © by Go to Mary. All Rights Reserved.

Contents Introduction ................................................................................. X Saint Justin Martyr ............................................................. 11 Saint Elmo .......................................................................... 13 Saint Kevin of Glendalough ................................................ 15 Saint Filippo Smaldone ....................................................... 17 Saint Boniface ..................................................................... 19 Saint Marcellin Champagnat .............................................. 22 Saint Anne of Saint Bartholomew ....................................... 24 Saint William of York .......................................................... 26 Blessed Anna Maria Taigi ................................................... 29 Saint Olivia of Palermo ....................................................... 32 Saint Barnabas ................................................................... 34 Pope Saint Leo III ............................................................... 36 Saint Anthony of Padua ...................................................... 38 Saint Joseph the Hymnographer ........................................ 40 Saint Germaine Cousin ....................................................... 42 Saint John Regis ................................................................. 46 Saint Emily de Vialar .......................................................... 48 Saints Mark and Marcellian ............................................... 50 Saints Gervasius and Protasius .......................................... 52 Blesseds John Fenwick and John Gavan ............................. 55 Saint Aloysius Gonzaga ...................................................... 57 Saint Thomas More ............................................................. 59 Saint Joseph Cafasso .......................................................... 61 Nativity of Saint John the Baptist ....................................... 63 Saint Dominic Henares ....................................................... 66 Saint JosemarĂ­a EscrivĂĄ ...................................................... 67 Saint Laszlo ........................................................................ 69

Saint Irenaeus .................................................................... 71 Saints Peter and Paul ......................................................... 73 First Martyrs of the Church of Rome ................................. 75 Appendix ........................................................................................

Introduction

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Saint Justin Martyr

Image: Saint Justin Martyr

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he 1st of June is the feast day of Saint Justin Martyr (100 – 165). He was martyred with some of his students and was an interpreter of the theory of the Logos in the 2nd century.

The following is from Butler’s Lives of the Saints: ST. JUSTIN was born of heathen parents at. Neapolis in Samaria, about the year 103. He was well educated, and 11

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gave himself to the study of philosophy, but always with one object, that he might learn the knowledge of God. He sought this knowledge among the contending schools of philosophy, but always in vain, till at last God himself appeased the thirst which He had created. One day, while Justin was walking by the seashore, meditating on the thought of God, an old man met him and questioned him on the subject of his doubts; and when he had made Justin confess that the philosophers taught nothing certain about God, he told him of the writings of the inspired prophets and of Jesus Christ Whom they announced, and bade him seek light and understanding through prayer.

The Scriptures and the constancy of the Christian martyrs led Justin from the darkness of human reason to the light of faith. In his zeal for the Faith he travelled to Greece, Egypt, and Italy, gaining many to Christ. At Rome he sealed his testimony with his blood, surrounded by his disciples. “Do you think,” the prefect said to Justin, “that by dying you will enter heaven, and be rewarded by God?” “I do not think,” was the Saint’s answer; “I know.” Then, as now, there were many religious opinions, but only one certain—the certainty of the Catholic faith. This certainty should be the measure of our confidence and our zeal.

Reflection.—We have received the gift of faith with little labor of our own. Let us learn how to value it from those who reached it after long search, and lived in the misery of a world which did not know God. Let us fear, as St. Justin did, the account we shall have to render for the gift of God.

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Saints of the Month: June

Saint Elmo

Image: St. Erasmus by the Master of MeĂ&#x;kirch, c. 1530.

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he 2nd of June is the feast day of Saint Elmo (d. c. 303). He is also known as Saint Erasmus of Formia. He is the patron saint of sailors, Gaeta, Formia, colic in children, intestinal ailments and diseases, cramps and the pain of women in labour, cattle pest, and Fort St. Elmo, (Malta).

Saint Elmo died in 303 AD. He was an Italian bishop during the

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reign of the brutal persecution of Christians by the Roman Emperors, Diocletian and Maximian. He fled to Mount Lebanon living there for seven years. However, an angel told him to return to his diocese to vanquish his enemies. As he returned, he was stopped by Roman soldiers whence he declared himself to be a Christian. He was immediately brought to stand trial before Diocletian and Saint Elmo again confessed his faith in Christ, denouncing the emperor for his impiety. He was tortured, thrown into prison but an angel freed him. He worked miracles and baptised thousands of people, was arrested, tortured and again miraculously freed. This happened twice before he arrived back to his own diocese. According to the oldest tradition, he died at peace in Formia, but other accounts said he was disembowelled and died a martyr.

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Saint Kevin of Glendalough

Image: Saint Kevin and the blackbird, miniature of an Irish codex, ca. 9th or 10th cent.

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he 3rd of June is the feast day of Saint Kevin of Glendalough (498 – 3 June 618). He is the patron saint of blackbirds, Archdiocese of Dublin, Glendalough, and Kilnamanagh.

He lived in Ireland during the time when great Irish saints lived, many being his contemporaries. He was baptised by Saint Cronan and from the age of 7 years old, he was taught by Saint Petroc.

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He was a student of Irish monks from the age of 12, and also became a monk. His friends included many saints such as Saint Comgall, Saint Columba, Saint Cannich, and Saint Kieran. After he was ordained, he became a hermit living in the caves for seven years. He had a number of followers and he formed the monastery of Glendalough. His fame made the remote spot into a town, and then into a city. Several offshoots of monastic foundations rose around it as well. He became an abbot in Glendalough and when the monastery was well established, became a hermit again for four years. He was then called to Glendalough where he served again as an abbot until he died at 120 years old. There are a number of legends of Saint Kevin involving wild animals who obeyed him, asking him for refuge and helping him feed other people.

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Saint Filippo Smaldone

Image: San Filippo Smaldone

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he 4th of June is the feast day of Saint Filippo Smaldone (27 July 1848 – 4 June 1923). He is the patron saint of the Salesian Sisters of the Sacred Hearts, deaf, and mute people.

He was born in Naples, Italy. During that time there was a period of upheaval and unrest in Italy and in the Church. He became a priest and while he was in the seminary, he assisted the deaf and the mute community in Naples. He spent so much time on this 17

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that he nearly didn’t pass his exams. When he was ordained, he continued to help the sick of the community. He contracted the plaque after it hit the city, but was cured after praying to Our Lady of Pompeii to whom he had a special devotion to. He continued his work on the education of the deaf and mute, but he became discouraged by its difficulty and wanted to go on foreign missions instead. However, his confessor dissuaded him and Saint Filippo continued to help the deaf and mute. He trained a group of nuns to do the work which grew into a religious foundation.

The work later expanded to include blind, orphaned and abandoned children.

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Saint Boniface

Image: Saint Boniface by Cornelis Bloemaert, c. 1630

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he 5th of June is the feast day of Saint Boniface (c. 675 – 5 June 754 AD). He was born Winfrid (also spelled Winifred, Wynfrith, Winfrith or Wynfryth). He is the patron saint of Fulda; Germania; and England (Orthodox Church; jointly with Ss. Augustine of Canterbury, and Cuthbert of Lindisfarne).

The following is from Butler’s Lives of the Saints: 19

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ST. BONIFACE was born at Crediton in Devonshire, England, in the year 680. Some missionaries staying at his father’s house spoke to him of heavenly things, and inspired him with a wish to devote himself, as they did, to God. He entered the monastery of Exminster, and was there trained for his apostolic work. His first attempt to convert the pagans in Holland having failed, he went to Rome to obtain the Pope’s blessing on his mission, and returned with authority to preach to the German tribes. It was a slow and dangerous task; his own life was in constant peril, while his flock was often reduced to abject poverty by the wandering robber bands. Yet his courage never flagged. He began with Bavaria and Thuringia, next visited Friesland, then passed on to Hesse and Saxony, everywhere destroying the idol temples and raising churches on their site. He endeavored, as far as possible, to make every object of idolatry contribute in some way to the glory of God; on one occasion, having cut down on immense oak which was consecrated to Jupiter, he used the tree in building a church, which he dedicated to the Prince of the Apostles. He was now recalled to Rome, consecrated Bishop by the Pope, and returned to extend and organize the rising German Church. With diligent care he reformed abuses among the existing clergy, and established religious houses throughout the land. At length, feeling his infirmities increase, and fearful of losing his martyr’s crown, Boniface appointed a successor to his monastery, and set out to convert a fresh pagan tribe. While St. Boniface was waiting to administer Confirmation to some newly-baptized Christians, a troop of pagans arrived, armed with swords and spears. His attendants would have opposed them, but the Saint said to his followers: “My children, cease your resistance; the long-expected day is come at last. Scripture forbids us to resist evil. Let us put our hope in God: He will save our souls.” Scarcely had he ceased speaking, when the barbarians fell upon him and slew him with all his attendants, to the number of fifty-two.

Reflection.—St. Boniface teaches us how the love of Christ changes all things. It was for Christ’s sake that he 20

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toiled for souls, preferring poverty to riches, labor to rest, suffering to pleasure, death to life, that by dying he might live with Christ.

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Saint Marcellin Champagnat

Image: Official portrait of Marcellin Champagnat

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he 6th of June is the feast day of Saint Marcellin Joseph Benedict Champagnat (20 May 1789 – 6 June 1840). He is the patron saint of education and teachers.

His family were peasants living near Lyons, France and he was born in the same year the French Revolution started. He was poor and illiterate because of the collapse of education, however, a 22

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visiting priest encouraged him to become a priest. At the age of sixteen, he entered the seminary but he struggled academically.

This inspired him to help others combat illiteracy and spiritual poverty due to the violence and chaos the French Revolution created. In 1816 he was ordained and he bought a house the next year, opened a school, and recruited some peasants to help him in the new community. They were devoted to Our Lady and helped young people have a proper Christian education. He organised the school year according to the farming seasons and made the fees affordable to the poor. His congregation became the Little Brothers of Mary, now known as The Marist Brothers. They are dedicated to the education of the neglected youth. By the time Marcellin died, his order had 48 establishments with 278 Brothers in France. Today, 5100 Brothers are located in over 80 countries.

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Saint Anne of Saint Bartholomew

Image: Portrait c. 1600

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he 7th of June is the feast day of Saint Anne of Saint Bartholomew (1 October 1550 – 7 June 1626). She was born as Ana García Manzanas. She is the patron saint of Antwerp.

She was born in Spain, to a family of seven children. At the age of ten, she became an orphan due to the plaque which killed her parents. She became a shepherdess to her brother’s sheep. She had many visions since a young child, one of which was that of 24

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Our Lady who told her she would become a nun. She tried to enter a monastery but was turned away due to her young age.

Her family tried to arrange a marriage for her years later, but she finally entered the Carmelite monastery at the age of 21. It was the same monastery which Saint Teresa of Avila lived. Saint Teresa taught her how to write and she became Saint Teresa’s personal secretary and assistant. She travelled with Saint Teresa of Avila for five years, helping her to establish new foundations.

Saint Teresa died in 1582 in Anne’s arms. After Saint Teresa died, Anne helped to found several other monasteries in France and became prioress to three of them. She also found a monastery in the Netherlands where she remained until she died. There has been over 150 approved miracles with many more that haven’t been officially approved that were attributed to her intercession.

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Saint William of York

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he 8th of June is the feast day of Saint William of York (late 11th century – 8 June 1154). He born as William fitzHerbert and is also known as William I FitzHerbert and William of Thwayt. He was an English priest and Archbishop of York.

The following is from Catholic Encyclopedia: (WILLIAM FITZHERBERT, also called WILLIAM OF THWAYT).

Archbishop of York. Tradition represents him as nephew of King Stephen, whose sister Emma was believed to have married Herbert of Winchester, treasurer to Henry I. William became a priest, and about 1130 he was canon and treasurer of York. In 1142 he was elected Archbishop of York at the instance of the king, in opposition to the candidature of Henry Murdac, a Cistercian monk. The validity of the election was disputed on the ground of alleged simony and royal influence, and Archbishop Theobald refused to consecrate him pending an appeal to Rome.

St. Bernard exercised his powerful influence against William in favour of Murdac, but in 1143 the pope decided that William should be consecrated, if he could clear himself from the accusation of bribery, and if the chapter could show that there had been no undue royal pressure. William proved his innocence so conclusively that the legate consecrated him archbishop at 26

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Winchester 26 September, 1143. He set himself at once to carry out reforms in his diocese, and his gentleness and charity soon won him popularity; but he neglected to obtain from Cardinal Hincmar the pallium which Lucius II sent him in 1146, and the pope died before William had been invested. The new pope, Blessed Eugenius III, was himself a Cistercian, and the English Cistercians soon renewed their complaints against William, which St. Bernard supported. Meanwhile Hincmar carried the pallium back to Rome, so that, in 1147, William had to travel there to obtain it, raising the expenses of his journey by sale of treasurers and privileges belonging to York. This afforded fresh matter of complaint and finally the pope suspended him from his functions on the ground that he had enthroned the Bishop of Durham without exacting the pledges required by the former pope.

William took refuge with his friend, the King of Sicily, but his partisans in England took an unwise revenge by destroying Fountains Abbey, of which Murdac was now prior. This further inflamed St. William’s enemies, who again approached the pope, with the result that in 1147 he deposed the archbishop from his seat; and on the failure of the chapter to elect a successor, he consecrated Murdac in his stead. St. William devoted himself to prayer and mortification at Winchester till 1153, when the pope and St. Bernard were both dead. He then appealed to the new pope, Anastasius IV, for restoration to his see, a request which the death of Murdac in October made it easier to obtain. St. William having received the pallium, returned to York, where he showed the greatest kindness to the Cistercians who had opposed him, and promised full restitution to Fountains Abbey. But his death, so sudden as to cause suspicion of poison, took place 27

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within a few weeks. Miracles took place at his tomb, and in 1227 he was canonized by Pope Honorius III. In 1283 his relics were translated to a shrine behind the high altar of York Minster, where they remained till the Reformation. His festival is observed in England on 8 June.

JOHN OF HEXHAM, Continuation of SYMEON OF DURHAM in R.S. (London, 1882-5); WILLIAM OF NEWBURGH, Historius rerum anglicasarum in R.S. (London, 1884-89); Acta S.S., II June; ST. BERNARD, Epistles in P.L. CLXXXIICLXXXV; CAPGRAVE, Nova Legenda Angliae (Oxford, 1901); CHALLONER, Britannia Sancta (London, 1745); RAINE, Historians of the Church of York in R.S. (London, 1879-94); IDEM, Fasti Eboracenses.

Edwin Burton.

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Blessed Anna Maria Taigi

Image: Anne Marie TaĂŻgi

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he 9th of June is the feast day of Blessed Anna Maria Gesualda Antonia Taigi (29 May 1769 – 9 June 1837). She was born as Anna Maria Giannetti, and her body is incorrupt. She is the patron saint of housewives, mothers, victims of verbal abuse, victims of spousal abuse, families and Trinitarian tertiaries.

The following is from Catholic Encyclopedia:

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(Maiden name Giannetti.)

Venerable Servant of God, born at Siena, Italy, 29 May, 1769; died at Rome, 9 June, 1837. Her parents, Luigi Giannetti and Maria Masi, kept an apothecary shop at Siena, but lost all their fortune and were obliged to go to Rome in search of a livelihood.

Anna Maria was then five years old. Having been educated in all the domestic virtues, she was married in course of time, 7 January, 1789, to Dominico Taigi, a retainer of the noble family of Chigi, with whom she lived happily for forty-eight years. Hitherto nothing extraordinary had happened in her life. But one day while she knelt with her husband at the Confessio in St. Peter’s she felt a strong inspiration to renounce such little vanities of the world as she had allowed herself. She began to pay little attention to dress and to listen to the inner voice of grace. Soon afterwards she was received publicly in the Third Order of Trinitarians in the Church of S. Carlo alle Quarto Fontane, and having found holy spiritual directors, she made rapid progress in the way of perfection. All the money she could spare she devoted to the poor and miserable, and though not rich she was very charitable. Of the hospitals she regularly visited, the preferred one was S. Giacomo of the Incurables. Despite her love for the poor, she never neglected her own family. Of her children two died young, the others grew up in piety under the surveillance of the mother.

But she never availed herself of her connections with persons of good position to take her children out of their humble social environment. The whole family were wont to assemble for prayers in a small private chapel, and here, later on, in a small private chapel, and here, later on, Mass was celebrated by a priest who dwelt with the family. The great virtues of Anna Maria were 30

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rewarded by extraordinary gifts of God’s grace. During many years, when praying in her chapel she had ecstasies and frequent visions, in which she foresaw the future. She exercised a peculiar influence over individuals and converted many a sinner to God. During her life she suffered much both corporally and spiritually, and was at times meanly calumniated. But after death her name soon became venerated in Rome. Her body was several times transferred, and rests finally at S. Crisogono in Trastevere. The process of her beatification was begun in 1863, but has not yet been finished.

G. LIVARIUS OLIGER

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Saint Olivia of Palermo

Image: Icon of the thirteenth century with S. Olivia, also S. Elia, S. Venera and S. Rosalia.

Diocesan Museum, Palermo

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he 10th of June is the feast day of Saint Olivia of Palermo (448 – 10 June 463). She was a virgin martyr and is the patron saint of the Sicilian towns of Palermo; Monte San Giuliano; Termini Imerese; Alcamo; Pettineo; CefalÚ, and Olesa de Montserrat (Catalonia).

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Saint Olivia was born of a noble family living near Palermo on the island of Sicily. She wanted to be consecrated virgin and gave her wealth to the poor. The King of the Vandals invaded Italy and came to Palermo, martyring many Christians. Olivia would visit the Christians who have been imprisoned, encouraging them.

Because of her piety, the local authorities sent her to Tunis to face the governor. At Tunis, she converted many to Christianity and was punished by being sent to the wilderness to starve to death or to be devoured by the wild beast. She was found by hunters and brought back to civilisation where she continued to convert many of the pagans. She was sent to the governor and tortured by being dipped in a vat of hot oil. She miraculously did not suffer any harm and was beheaded. There was an ancient Christian basilica dedicated to her in Tunisia that was built on the site of her tomb. A mosque is now at her site but still retains her name and relics. She is especially venerated in Sicily and Tunisia.

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Saint Barnabas

Image: Icon of Saint Barnabas

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he 11th of June is the feast day of Saint Barnabas (d. 61 AD).

He was born Joseph and was a prominent Christian disciple in Jerusalem. He is the patron saint of Cyprus, Antioch, against hailstorms, and invoked as peacemaker.

The following is from Butler’s Lives of the Saints: WE read that in the first days of the Church, “the multitude of believers had but one heart and one soul; neither did any one say that aught of the things which he possessed was his own.” Of this fervent company, one 34

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only is singled out by name, Joseph, a rich Levite, from Cyprus. “He having land sold it, and brought the price and laid it at the feet of the apostles.” They now gave him a new name, Barnabas, the son of consolation. He was a good man, full of the Holy Ghost and of faith, and was soon chosen for an important mission to the rapidlygrowing Church of Antioch. Here he perceived the great work which was to be done among the Greeks, so he hastened to fetch St. Paul from his retirement at Tarsus. It was at Antioch that the two Saints were called to the apostolate of the Gentiles, and hence they set out together to Cyprus and the cities of Asia Minor. Their preaching struck men with amazement, and some cried out, “The gods are come down to us in the likeness of men,” calling Paul Mercury, and Barnabas Jupiter. The Saints travelled together to the Council of Jerusalem, but shortly after this they parted. When Agabus prophesied a great famine, Barnabas, no longer rich, was chosen by the faithful at Antioch as most fit to bear, with St. Paul, their generous offerings to the Church of Jerusalem. The gentle Barnabas, keeping with him John, surnamed Mark, whom St. Paul distrusted, betook himself to Cyprus, where the sacred history leaves him; and here, at a later period, he won his martyr’s crown.

Reflection.—St. Barnabas’s life is full of suggestions to us who live in days when once more the abundant alms of the faithful are sorely needed by the whole Church, from the Sovereign Pontiff to the poor children in our streets.

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Pope Saint Leo III

Image: Pope Saint Leo III

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he 12th of June is the feast day of Pope Saint Leo III (d. 12 June 816). He was a Pope from 26 December 795 till his death in 816. He crowned Charlemagne as Holy Roman Emperor and “Augustus of the Romans.�

Pope Saint Leo III was a cardinal in Rome and was elected as pope on the same day his predecessor was buried. During his life, there was tension between popes and emperors. Pope Saint Leo 36

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recognised Charlemagne as the protector of the See of Rome.

This gained him enemies within the Roman nobles. Because of this, he was attacked by a mob who cut off his tongue and his eyes hoping he would not be able to serve anymore. He survived and was imprisoned by those that attacked him. His eyes and tongue were miraculously restored and he escaped to Charlemagne for protection. Charlemagne brought him back to Rome and put to trial his enemies. On 800 A.D. during Christmas Mass, Pope Saint Leo III crowned Charlemagne as Holy Roman Emperor. Pope Saint Leo III was known as an effective administrator and for improving the churches. He helped create greater cooperation between the Church and the secular nations of Europe, maintaining their collective identity as Christians.

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Saint Anthony of Padua

Image: Anthony of Padua with the Infant Jesus by Francisco de Zurbarán, 1627–1630

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he 13th of June is the feast day of Saint Anthony of Padua (15 August 1195 – 13 June 1231). He was born as Fernando Martins de Bulhões and is also known as Anthony of Lisbon. He was a Portuguese Catholic priest and a Franciscan friar. He is the patron saint of Lisbon, lost items, lost people, lost souls, American Indians; amputees; animals; barrenness; Brazil; elderly

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people; faith in the Blessed Sacrament; fishermen; Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land; harvests; horses; lost articles; lower animals; mail; mariners; oppressed people; poor people; Portugal; pregnant women; seekers of lost articles; shipwrecks; starvation; sterility; swineherds; Tigua Indians; travel hostesses; travellers; Tuburan, Cebu; Watermen; runts of litters; counterrevolutionaries; and San Antonio De Padua Parish, Taytay, Rizal.

Saint Anthony was born in Lisbon, Portugal, to a powerful and pious family. When he was 15 years old he chose to serve God and the Augustinians, relinquishing his wealth and nobility. After witnessing the bodies of martyred Franciscan friars passing through the town he decided to join the Franciscans and travel to Morocco to preach to the Moors. However, due to his poor health, he was forced to return to Italy where he lived a quiet and secluded life in prayer and priestly duties. One day, he was called upon to be substitute preacher and amazed everyone with his gift of preaching and depth of knowledge. He became known as a foremost preacher of the Franciscans and was sent to preach against the heretics. He was called the “Hammer of the Heretics,� and was also known for his holiness and as a miracle worker. In 1946 he was named a Doctor of the Church.

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Saint Joseph the Hymnographer

Image: Saint Joseph the Hymnographer, Russian Icon

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he 14th of June is the feast day of Saint Joseph the Hymnographer (c. 816 – 3 April 886). He is also known as “the sweet-voiced nightingale of the Church.”

Saint Joseph the Hymnographer was born in Sicily to pious Christians. His family moved to Greece to avoid persecution when the Muslims invaded. He entered a monastery at the age of 15, 40

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growing in holiness and virtue. Saint Gregory the Dekapolite went to Constantinople with Joseph to defend the traditional reference of icons and oppose the iconoclast heresy. Saint Joseph was chosen by the local clergy to obtain Pope Leo III’s assistance in their battle against the iconoclast heretics who were gaining in power. On his way there, the Muslims captured Saint Joseph and gave him to the iconoclast heretics. While he was a prisoner, Saint Nicholas appeared to Saint Joseph and asked him to sing in the name of God. He was a prisoner for six years and after being set free returned to Constantinople and founded a monastery dedicated to Saint Gregory. He dedicated a church in the name of Saint Bartholomew as well, as he had a devotion to him. In a dream, Saint Bartholomew appeared to Saint Joseph and encouraged him to write hymns for the Church. He dedicated his first hymn in honour of Saint Bartholomew and then wrote other hymns dedicated to Saint Nicholas, Our Lady and other saints. He composed nearly 1000 hymns in his life. He was first exiled when he rose against the heresy of iconoclasm for eleven years, and was exiled a second time for defending the doctrine of the orthodox Christians. He died in Constantinople.

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Saint Germaine Cousin

Image: Saint Germaine of Pibrac, Auch Cathedral, France.

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he 15th of June is the feast day of Saint Germaine Cousin (1579–1601). She is also known as Germana Cousin, Germaine of Pibrac, and Germana. She is the patron saint of abandoned people; abuse victims; against poverty; disabled people; girls from rural areas; illness; impoverishment; loss of parents; shepherdesses; sick people; unattractive people; and

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physical therapists.

The following is from Catholic Encyclopedia: Born in 1579 of humble parents at Pibrac, a village about ten miles from Toulouse; died in her native place in 1601.

From her birth she seemed marked out for suffering; she came into the world with a deformed hand and the disease of scrofula, and, while yet an infant, lost her mother. Her father soon married again, but his second wife treated Germaine with much cruelty. Under pretence of saving the other children from the contagion of scrofula she persuaded the father to keep Germaine away from the homestead, and thus the child was employed almost from infancy as a shepherdess. When she returned at night, her bed was in the stable or on a litter of vine branches in a garret. In this hard school Germaine learned early to practise humility and patience. She was gifted with a marvellous sense of the presence of God and of spiritual things, so that her lonely life became to her a source of light and blessing. To poverty, bodily infirmity, the rigours of the seasons, the lack of affection from those in her own home, she added voluntary mortifications and austerities, making bread and water her daily food. Her love for Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament and for His Virgin Mother presaged the saint. She assisted daily at the Holy Sacrifice; when the bell rang, she fixed her sheep-hook or distaff in the ground, and left her flocks to the care of Providence while she heard Mass. Although the pasture was on the border of a forest infested with wolves, no harm ever came to her flocks.

She is said to have practised many austerities as a reparation for the sacrileges perpetrated by heretics in the neighbouring churches. She frequented the Sacraments of Penance and the Holy Eucharist, and it was observed that her piety increased on the approach of every feast of Our Lady. The Rosary was her only book, and her devotion to the Angelus was so great that she used to fall on her knees at the first sound of the bell, 43

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even though she heard it when crossing a stream.

Whenever she could do so, she assembled the children of the village around her and sought to instil into their minds the love of Jesus and Mary. The villagers were inclined at first to treat her piety with mild derision, until certain signs of God’s signal favour made her an object of reverence and awe. In repairing to the village church she had to cross a stream. The ford in winter, after heavy rains or the melting of snow, was at times impassable. On several occasions the swollen waters were seen to open and afford her a passage without wetting her garments.

Notwithstanding her poverty she found means to help the poor by sharing with them her allowance of bread. Her father at last came to a sense of his duty, forbade her stepmother henceforth to treat her harshly, and wished to give her a place in the home with the other children, but she begged to be allowed to remain in the humbler position. At this point, when men were beginning to realize the beauty of her life, God called her to Himself.

One morning in the early summer of 1601, her father finding that she had not risen at the usual hour went to call her; he found her dead on her pallet of vine-twigs.

She was then twenty-two years of age.

Her remains were buried in the parish church of Pibrac in front of the pulpit. In 1644, when the grave was opened to receive one of her relatives, the body of Germaine was discovered fresh and perfectly preserved, and miraculously raised almost to the level of the floor of the church. It was exposed for public view near the pulpit, until a noble lady, the wife of François de Beauregard, presented as a thanks-offering a casket of lead to hold the remains. She had been cured of a malignant and incurable ulcer in the breast, and her infant son whose life was despaired of was restored to health on her seeking the intercession of Germaine. This was the first of a long series of wonderful cures wrought at her relics. The leaden casket was placed in the sacristy, and in 1661 and 1700 the remains were viewed and found fresh and intact by the vicars-general of Toulouse, who have left testamentary depositions of the fact. Expert medical evidence deposed that the body had not been embalmed, 44

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and experimental tests showed that the preservation was not due to any property inherent in the soil. In 1700 a movement was begun to procure the beatification of Germaine, but it fell through owing to accidental causes.

In 1793 the casket was desecrated by a revolutionary tinsmith, named Toulza, who with three accomplices took out the remains and buried them in the sacristy, throwing quick-lime and water on them. After the Revolution, her body was found to be still intact save where the quicklime had done its work.

The private veneration of Germaine had continued from the original finding of the body in 1644, supported and encouraged by numerous cures and miracles. The cause of beatification was resumed in 1850. The documents attested more than 400 miracles or extraordinary graces, and thirty postulatory letters from archbishops and bishops in France besought the beatification from the Holy See. The miracles attested were cures of every kind (of blindness, congenital and resulting from disease, of hip and spinal disease), besides the multiplication of food for the distressed community of the Good Shepherd at Bourges in 1845. On 7 May, 1854, Pius IX proclaimed her beatification, and on 29 June, 1867, placed her on the canon of virgin saints. Her feast is kept in the Diocese of Toulouse on 15 June. She is represented in art with a shepherd’s crook or with a distaff; with a watchdog, or a sheep; or with flowers in her apron.

GUÉRIN in Petits Bollandistes, 15 June; VEUILLOT, Vie de la bienheureuse Germaine (2d ed., Paris, 1904).

C. Mulcahy.

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Saint John Regis

Image: Saint John Regis

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he 16th of June is the feast day of Saint John Regis (31 January 1597 – 31 December 1640). He was born Jean-François Régis, and also known as Saint John Francis Regis and St. Regis.

He is the patron saint of Regis University, Regis High School, New York City, Regis Jesuit High School Aurora, Colorado, and lacemakers.

The following is from Butler’s Lives of the Saints: ST. JOHN FRANCIS REGIS was born in Languedoc, in 46

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1597. From his tenderest years he showed evidences of uncommon sanctity by his innocence of life, modesty, and love of prayer. At the age of eighteen he entered the Society of Jesus. As soon as his studies were over, he gave himself entirely to the salvation of souls. The winter he spent in country missions, principally in mountainous districts; and in spite of the rigor of the weather and the ignorance and roughness of the inhabitants, he labored with such success that he gained innumerable souls to God both from heresy and from a bad life. The summer he gave to the towns. There his time was taken up in visiting hospitals and prisons, in preaching and instructing, and in assisting all who in any way stood in need of his services.

In his works of mercy God often helped him by miracles.

In November, 1637, the Saint set out for his second mission at Marthes. His road lay across valleys filled with snow and over mountains frozen and precipitous. In climbing one of the highest, a bush to which he was clinging gave way, and he broke his leg in the fall. By the help of his companion he accomplished the remaining six miles, and then, instead of seeing a surgeon, insisted on being taken straight to the confessional. There, after several hours, the curate of the parish found him still seated, and when his leg was examined the fracture was found to be miraculously healed. He was so inflamed with the love of God that he seemed to breathe, think, speak of that alone, and he offered up the Holy Sacrifice with such attention and fervor that those who assisted at it could not but feel something of the fire with which he burned.

After twelve years of unceasing labor, he rendered his pure and innocent soul to his Creator, at the age of fortyfour.

Reflection.—When St. John Francis was struck in the face by a sinner whom he was reproving, he replied, “If you only knew me, you would give me much more than that� His meekness converted the man, and it is in this spirit that he teaches us to win souls to God. How much might we do if we could forget our own wants in remembering those of others, and put our trust in God!

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Saint Emily de Vialar

Image: Emily de Vialar

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he 17th of June is the feast day of Saint Emily de Vialer (1797–1856). She is also known as Émilie de Vialar. She was a was a French nun who founded the missionary congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph of the Apparition.

The following is from Wikipedia:

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Emily de Vialar was born on 12 September 1797 to Antoinette Portal and Jacques de Vialar. At a young age, Saint Emily was taught by her mother how to read and was also taught of God’s existence. Emily was born 3 years after the Reign of Terror, in the same year as Pope Pius VI was taken prisoner by French troops. She was the oldest of 3 children and was baptized in secret. At age 7, Emily moved to a boarding school in Paris. After a long journey, her mother got a horrible sickness. Antoinette’s father was trying to cure her as he lived in Paris and was also a doctor. However, on 17 September 1810, at the age of 35, her mother died. Poor Emily was only 15 when her died. She argued with her father daily, who wanted to pursue a religious life. In private, she lived a life of celibacy and prayer.

After many years spent between family tyranny and minor worldly pleasures, Emily decided to turn to God for help.

She started helping local poor people in need but her father was furious. He would shout at her for helping out.

She also helped with unfortunate women in her town get a better education. On Christmas she and 3 other women founded the sisters of Saint Joseph of the apparition. The congregation spread through Algeria, Tunisia, Greece, Malta, Jerusalem, and the Balkans. Emily and 17 other sisters received a formal approval for the rule of congregation in 1835.

After years, her grandfather had died and left a huge fortune for Emily and her brothers. And with that money, she decided to open her congregation. With that, she left her father’s house on Christmas Day, 1832.

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Saints Mark and Marcellian

Image: Saint Sebastian, with Saints Mark and Marcellian

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he 18th of June is the feast day of Saints Mark and Marcellian (d. c. 286). They were martyred at Rome under the Emperor Diocletian.

The following is from Butler’ Lives of the Saints: MARCUS AND MARCELLIANUS were twin brothers of an illustrious family in Rome, who had been converted to the 50

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Faith in their youth and were honorably married.

Diocletian ascending the imperial throne in 284, the heathens raised persecutions. These martyrs were thrown into prison, and condemned to be beheaded. Their friends obtained a respite of the execution for thirty days, that they might prevail on them to worship the false gods, Tranquillinus and Martia, their afflicted heathen parents, in company with their sons’ own wives and their little babes, endeavored to move them by the most tender entreaties and tears. St. Sebastian, an officer of the emperor’s household, coming to Rome soon after their commitment, daily visited and encouraged them. The issue of the conferences was the happy conversion of the father, mother, and wives, also of Nicostratus, the public register, and soon after of Chromatius, the judge, who set the Saints at liberty, and, abdicating the magistracy, retired into the country. Marcus and Marcellianus were hid by a Christian officer of the household in his apartments in the palace; but they were betrayed by an apostate, and retaken. Fabian, who had succeeded Chromatius, condemned them to be bound to two pillars, with their feet nailed to the same. In this posture they remained a day and a night, and on the following day were stabbed with lances.

Reflection.—We know not what we are till we have been tried. It costs nothing to say we love God above all things, and to show the courage of martyrs at a distance from the danger; but that love is sincere which has stood the proof.

“Persecution shows who is a hireling, and who a true pastor,” says St. Bernard.

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Saints Gervasius and Protasius

Image: Martyrdom of Gervasius and Protasius

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he 19th of June is the feast day of Saints Gervasius and Protasius (d. 2nd century). They are also known as Saints Gervase and Protase, Gervasis and Prothasis and in French Gervais and Protais. They are the patron saints of Milan; Breisach; haymakers; and invoked for the discovery of thieves.

The following is from Catholic Encyclopedia: Martyrs of Milan, probably in the second century, patrons of the city of Milan and of haymakers; invoked for the discovery of thieves. Feast, in the Latin Church, 19 June, the day of the translation of the relics; in the Greek Church, 14 Oct., the supposed day of their death.

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Emblems: scourge, club, sword.

The Acts (Acta SS., June, IV, 680 and 29) were perhaps compiled from a letter (Ep. liii) to the bishops of Italy, falsely ascribed to St. Ambrose. They are written in a very simple style, but it has been found impossible to establish their age. According to these, Gervasius and Protasius were twins, children of martyrs. Their father Vitalis, a man of consular dignity, suffered martyrdom at Ravenna under Nero (?). The mother Valeria died for her faith at Milan. The sons are said to have been scourged and then beheaded, during the reign of Nero, under the presidency of Anubinus or Astasius, and while Cajus was Bishop of Milan. Some authors place the martyrdom under Diocletian, while others object to this time, because they fail to understand how, in that case, the place of burial, and even the names, could be forgotten by the time of St. Ambrose, as is stated. De Rossi places their death before Diocletian. It probably occurred during the reign of Antoninus (161-168).

St. Ambrose, in 386, had built a magnificent basilica at Milan. Asked by the people to consecrate it in the same solemn manner as was done in Rome, he promised to do so if he could obtain the necessary relics. In a dream he was shown the place in which such could be found. He ordered excavations to be made in the cemetery church of Sts. Nabor and Felix, outside the city, and there found the relics of Sts. Gervasius and Protasius. He had them removed to the church of St. Fausta, and on the next day into the basilica, which later received the name San Ambrogio Maggiore. Many miracles are related to have occurred, and all greatly rejoiced at the signal favour from heaven, given at the time of the great struggle between St. Ambrose and the Arian Empress Justina. Of the vision, the subsequent discovery of the relics and the accompanying miracles, St. Ambrose wrote to his sister Marcellina. St. Augustine, not yet baptized, witnessed the facts, and relates them in his “Confessions”, IX, vii; in “De civ. Dei”, XXII, viii; and in “Serm. 286 in natal. Ss. Mm. Gerv. et Prot.”, they are also attested by St. Paulinus of Nola, in his life of St. Ambrose. The latter died 397 and, as 53

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he had wished, his body was, on Easter Sunday, deposited in his basilica by the side of these martyrs. In 835, Angilbert II, a successor in the See of Milan, placed the relics of the three saints in a porphyry sarcophagus, and here they were again found, January, 1864 (Civiltà Cattolica, 1864, IX, 608, and XII, 345).

A tradition claims that after the destruction of Milan by Frederick Barbarossa, his chancellor Rainald von Dassel had taken the relics from Milan, and deposited them at Altbreisach in Germany, whence some came to Soissons; the claim is rejected by Milan (Biraghi, “I tre sepoleri”, etc. Milan, 1864). Immediately after the finding of the relics by St. Ambrose, the cult of Sts. Gervasius and Protasius was spread in Italy, and churches were built in their honour at Pavia, Nola, etc. In Gaul we find churches dedicated to them, about 400, at Mans, Rouen, and Soissons. At the Louvre there is now a famous picture of the saints by Lesueur (d. 1655), which was formerly in their church at Paris. According to the “Liber Pontificalis”, Innocent I (402-417) dedicated a church to them at Rome. Later, the name of St. Vitalis, their father, was added to the title. Very early their names were inserted in the Litany of the Saints. The whole history of these saints has received a great deal of adverse criticism.

Some deny their existence, and make them a Christianized version of the Dioscuri of the Romans. Thus Harris, “The Dioscuri in Christian Legend”, but see “Analecta Boll.” (1904), XXIII, 427.

STOKES in Dict. Christ. Biog., s.v.; KRIEG in Kirchenlex., s.v.; BUTLER, Lives of the Saints (19 June).

FRANCIS MERSHMAN

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Blesseds John Fenwick and John Gavan

Image: John Fenwick, by Martin Bouche, print, published 1683

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he 20th of June is the feast day of Blesseds John Fenwick (1628–1679) and John Gavan (1640–1679). They were English Jesuits, executed at the time of the fabricated Popish Plot. They were beatified in 1929 by Pope Pius XI.

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John Fenwick’s parents were protestant and disowned him when he converted to the Catholic faith. They were both accused of being involved in the Popish Plot, along with three other Jesuits.

The Popish Plot was a fabricated conspiracy in England during the anti-Catholic hysteria. They were charged with plotting the assassination of King Charles II and condemned with High Treason and subversion of the Protestant religion. John Gavan acted as the spokesman for the group during their trial. Both of the priests were condemned to be hung, drawn and quartered.

The King knew they were innocent but did not want to pardon them, and declared that they should be hung only in an act of clemency. They were martyred together on 20th of June 1679.

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Saint Aloysius Gonzaga

Image: The Vocation of Saint Aloysius Gonzaga by Guercino circa 1650.

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he 21st of June is the feast day of Saint Aloysius Gonzaga (9 March 1568 – 21 June 1591). He is the patron saint of young students, Christian youth, Jesuit scholastics, the blind, AIDS patients, and AIDS care-givers.

The following is from Butler’s Lives of the Saints:

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ALOYSIUS, the eldest son of Ferdinand Gonzaga, Marquis of Castiglione, was born on the 9th of March, 1568. The first words he pronounced were the holy names of Jesus and Mary. When he was nine years of age he made a vow of perpetual virginity, and by a special grace was ever exempted from temptations against purity. He received his first Communion at the hands of St. Charles Borromeo.

At an early age he resolved to leave the world, and in a vision was directed by our blessed Lady to join the Society of Jesus. The Saint’s mother rejoiced on learning his determination to become a religious, but his father for three years refused his consent. At length St. Aloysius obtained permission to enter the novitiate on the 25th of November, 1585. He took his vows after two years, and went through the ordinary course of philosophy and theology. He was wont to say he doubted whether without penance grace would continue to make head against I nature, which, when not afflicted and chastised, tends gradually to relapse into its old state, losing the habit of suffering acquired by the labor of years. “I am a crooked piece of iron,” he said, “and am come into religion to be made straight by the hammer of mortification and penance.” During his last year of theology a malignant fever broke out in Rome; the Saint offered himself for the service of the sick, and he was accepted for the dangerous duty. Several of the brothers caught the fever, and Aloysius was of the number. He was brought to the point of death, but recovered, only to fall, however, into slow fever, which carried him off after three months. He died, repeating the Holy Name, a little after midnight between the 20th and 21st of June, on the octave-day of Corpus Christi, being Prather more than twenty-three years of age.

Reflection.—Cardinal Bellarmine, the Saint’s confessor, testified that he had never mortally offended God. Yet he chastised his body rigorously, rose at night to pray, and shed many tears for his sins. Pray that, not having followed his innocence, you may yet imitate his penance.

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Saint Thomas More

Image: Sir Thomas More by Hans Holbein 1527.

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he 22nd of June is the feast day of Saint Thomas More (7 February 1478 – 6 July 1535). He is the patron saint of adopted children; civil servants; court clerks; difficult marriages; large families; lawyers, politicians, and statesmen; stepparents; widowers; Ateneo de Manila Law School; Diocese of Arlington; Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee; Kerala Catholic Youth Movement; University of Malta; and the University of Santo 59

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Tomas Faculty of Arts and Letters.

Saint Thomas More lived between 1478 and 1535 and was born in London to a lawyer and a judge. Educated in the finest schools, he became an English statesman. He served in many positions in public administration, including in the King’sCouncill and as a diplomat. A Catholic, husband and a father, he was known for his moral integrity, humour and learning. He became a Lord Chancellor, as he was promoted by King Henry VIII. However, he resigned from his high post when the king divorced from his wife and declared himself sovereign of the Church in England. Saint Thomas More was then imprisoned in the Tower of London by King Henry, after he refused to to approve of the king’s decision to defy the Catholic Church. More testified that the Church had autonomy over the state, that the Pope is the head of the Church and that marriage was indissoluble in the eyes of God. He was condemned and beheaded, a martyr for the faith.

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Saint Joseph Cafasso

Image: Saint Joseph Cafasso (1895)

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he 23rd of June is the feast day of Saint Joseph Cafasso (15 January 1811 – 23 June 1860). In Italian his name is Giuseppe Cafasso. He is the patron saint of Italian prisons, prison chaplain, prisoners and those condemned to death.

Saint Joseph Cafasso lived between 1811 to 1860 and was born in Castelnuovo d’Asti, Italy to a family of peasants. He had a physical deformity of the spine which meant he was stunted and 61

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crippled. He entered the seminary in Turin where he met Saint John Bosco. Saint Joseph taught Saint John Bosco and encouraged his mission to minister to the town’s street youth. Saint Joseph became a professor of moral theology and was a famed preacher and confessor. He did his job well and was known as the “Priest’s Priest.” Entire days were spent preaching in prisons, hearing the prisoner’s confessions and he advocated for improvement to the poor conditions of the prisons. He then earned the name of “Priest of the Gallows.”

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Nativity of Saint John the Baptist

Image: Russian icon of the Nativity of John the Baptist

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he 24th of June is the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist. It is also known as the Birth of John the Baptist, or Nativity of the Forerunner, or, in German, Johannistag.

The following is from Butler’s Lives of the Saints: THE birth of St. John was foretold by an angel of the Lord to his father, Zachary, who was offering incense in the 63

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Temple. It was the office of St. John to prepare the way for Christ, and before he was born into the world he began to live for the Incarnate God. Even in the womb he knew the presence of Jesus and of Mary, and he leaped with joy at the glad coming of the son of man. In his youth he remained hidden, because He for Whom he waited was hidden also. But before Christ’s public life began, a divine impulse led St. John into the desert; there, with locusts for his food and haircloth on his skin, in silence and in prayer, he chastened his own soul. Then, as crowds broke in upon his solitude, he warned them to flee from the wrath to come, and gave them the baptism of penance, while they confessed their sins. At last there stood in the crowd One Whom St. John did not know, till a voice within told him that it was his Lord. With the baptism of St. John, Christ began His penance for the sins of His people, and St. John saw the Holy Ghost descend in bodily form upon Him. Then the Saint’s work was done. He had but to point his own disciples to the Lamb, he had but to decrease as Christ increased. He saw all men leave him and go after Christ. “I told you,” he said, “that I am not the Christ. The friend of the Bridegroom rejoiceth because of the Bridegroom’s voice. This my joy therefore is fulfilled.” St. John had been cast into the fortress of Machærus by a worthless tyrant whose crimes be had rebuked, and he was to remain there till he was beheaded, at the will of a girl who danced before this wretched king. In this time of despair, if St. John could have known despair, some of his old disciples visited him. St. John did not speak to them of himself, but he sent them to Christ, that they might see the proofs of His mission. Then the Eternal Truth pronounced the panegyric of the Saint who had lived and breathed for Him alone: “Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist” Reflection.—St. John was great before God because he forgot himself and lived for Jesus Christ, Who is the source of all greatness. Remember that you are nothing; your own will and your own desires can only lead to misery and sin. Therefore sacrifice every day some one of your natural inclinations to the Sacred Heart of Our Lord, 64

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and learn little by little to lose yourself in Him.

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Saint Dominic Henares

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he 25th of June is the feast day of Saint Dominic Henares (1764-1838).

Saint Dominic Henares lived between 1764 and 1838 and was born in Spain to a poor family. In 1790 he was ordained a priest in the Dominican Order. He was sent as a missionary to the Far East ten years after and went to Mexico the Philippines and then to North Vietnam. In 1804 he became a Bishop of Phunhay, Vietnam. However, the Vietnamese emperor prohibited Catholicism in 1841 and persecuted the Church where villages were sent to exile and priests tortured and then killed. People who assisted in catching priests were also rewarded. On June 25, 1848, Bishop Henares was arrested and beheaded in Nam Dinh.

The soldiers and villagers who helped in his arrest received great compensation. The estimated amount of Catholic martyred in Vietnam between 15th and 20th centuries is between 130 000 to 300 000, which Saint Dominic Henares was one. Pope St. John Paul II canonised them in 1988. The collective memorial for 117 of the Vietnamese Martyrs is on November 24.

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Saint Josemaría Escrivá

Image: Effigy of Monsignor Josemaría Escrivá de Balaguer, founder of the Opus Dei Prelature, inside the San Miguel Arcángel Cathedral Parish, in the town of San Miguel.

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he 26th of June is the feast day of Saint Josemaria Escriva (9 January 1902 – 26 June 1975). He is also known as Josemaría Escrivá de Balaguer y Albás. He is the patron saint of Opus Dei. Saint Josemaria Escriva lived between 1902 to 1975 and was born 67

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in Spain to a devout Catholic family and was one of their six children. However, three of their children died, and they experienced financial setbacks. When he was a teenager, he saw a path of bare footprints left in the snow by a Carmelite friar and decided his vocation was in the priesthood. He gave up his intended career as an architect and entered into the seminary. He earned a doctorate in civil law and theology and spent most of his life teaching in universities and studying. He founded Opus Dei, “The Work of God, which was an organisation of laity and priests that dedicated their lives to the universal call of holiness. Opus Dei now has over 80 000 members world wide. He wrote a book “The Way” which is now famous, and is a collection of spiritual and pastoral reflections. On June 26 1975 he died of a cardiac arrest after glancing at an image of Our Lady of Guadalupe in his office in Rome. He was canonised by Pope Saint John Paul II.

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Saint Laszlo

Image: Ladislaus I of Hungary 1488

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he 27th of June is the feast day of Saint Laszlo (c. 1040 – 29 July 1095). He is also known as Ladislaus I or Ladislas I. He was the King of Hungary from 1077 and King of Croatia from 1091.

The following is from Butler’s Lives of the Saints: LADISLAS the First, son of Bela, King of Hungary, was born in 1041. By the pertinacious importunity of the 69

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people he was compelled, much against his own inclination, to ascend the throne, in 1080. He restored the good laws and discipline which St. Stephen had established, and which seem to have been obliterated by the confusion of the times. Chastity, meekness, gravity, charity, and piety were from his infancy the distinguishing parts of his character; avarice and ambition were his sovereign aversion, so perfectly had the maxims of the Gospel extinguished in him all propensity to those base passions. His life in the palace was most austere; he was frugal and abstemious, but most liberal to the Church and the poor. Vanity, pleasure, or idle amusements had no share in his actions or time, because all his moments were consecrated to the exercises of religion and the duties of his station, in which he had only the divine will in view, and sought only God’s greater honor. He watched over a strict and impartial administration of justice, was generous and merciful to his enemies, and vigorous in the defence of his country and the Church. He drove the Huns out of his territories, and vanquished the Poles, Russians, and Tartars. He was preparing to command, as general-inchief, the great expedition of the Christians against the Saracens for the recovery of the Holy Land, when God called him to Himself, on the 30th of July, 1095.

Reflection.—The Saints filled all their moments with good works and great actions; and, whilst they labored for an immortal crown, the greatest share of worldly happiness of which this life is capable fell in their way without being even looked for by them. In their afflictions themselves virtue afforded them the most solid comfort, pointed out the remedy, and converted their tribulations into the greatest advantages.

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Saint Irenaeus

Image: An engraving of St Irenaeus, Bishop of Lugdunum in Gaul (now Lyon, France)

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he 28th of June is the feast day of Saint Irenaeus Greek: Ειρηναίος Eirēnaíos, (130 – 202).

The following is from Butler’s Lives of the Saints: THIS Saint was born about the year 120. He was a Grecian, probably a native of Lesser Asia. His parents, who were Christians, placed him under the care of the 71

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great St. Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna. It was in so holy a school that he learned that sacred science which rendered him afterward a great ornament of the Church and the terror of her enemies. St. Polycarp cultivated his rising genius, and formed his mind to piety by precepts and example; and the zealous scholar was careful to reap all the advantages which were offered him by the happiness of such a master. Such was his veneration for his tutor’s sanctity that he observed every action and whatever be saw in that holy man, the better to copy his example and learn his spirit. He listened to his instructions with an insatiable ardor, and so deeply did he engrave them on his heart that the impressions remained most lively even to his old age. In order to confute the heresies of his age, this father made himself acquainted with the most absurd conceits of their philosophers, by which means he was qualified to trace up every error to its sources and set it in its full light. St. Polycarp sent St. Irenæus into Gaul, in company with some priest; he was himself ordained priest of the Church of Lyons by St. Pothinus. St. Pothinus having glorified God by his happy death, in the year 177, our Saint was chosen the second Bishop of Lyons. By his preaching, he in a short time converted almost that whole country to the Faith. He wrote several works against heresy, and at last, with many others, suffered martyrdom about the year 202, under the Emperor Severus, at Lyons.

Reflection.—Fathers and mothers, and heads of families, spiritual and temporal, should bear in mind that inferiors “will not be corrected by words” alone, but that example is likewise needful.

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Saints Peter and Paul

Image: Saint Peter and Saint Paul. Oil on canvas by El Greco. circa 16th-century. Hermitage Museum, Russia.

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he 29th of June is the feast day of Saints Peter and Paul. It is also known as the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul. See this list for Saint Peter’s patronage. He is invoked against foot problems, fever and longevity. Saint Paul is the patron saint of missions; theologians; and Gentile Christians.

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Saints Peter and Paul were Apostles of Jesus, Saint Peter being the leader of the twelve, whereas Saint Paul followed Christ after the Lord’s ascension. The two saints are the founders of the Church in Rome. Both were martyred in close location, Peter was first martyred by being crucified upside down and Saint Paul was beheaded. Some traditions have them martyred on the same day.

Saint Peter was crucified and buried on where Saint Peter’s Basilica is now located. Saint Paul was beheaded on the via Ostia and buried where the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls is.

They are both the patron saints of Rome.

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First Martyrs of the Church of Rome

Image: “Nero’s torches”, Henryk Siemiradski, 1876.

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he 30th of June is an optional memorial of the First Martyrs of the Church of Rome.

Between 64-68 AD, the Roman Emperor Nero persecuted Christians where a great number died. This was to be the first of a number of persecutions the early church will face. The first martyrs were called Protomartyrs of Rome, some being burnt as living torches in the Emperors gardens, some were crucified and some fed to wild animals. Before Saints Peter and Paul were martyred, many had already died. They were known as “Disciples of the Apostles… whom the Holy Roman Church sent to the Lord before the Apostle’s death.” Their witness for the faith, caused 75

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many converts to be won and the Church to grow and spread.

Their blood was the seed of the Church.

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Appendix

See Go to Mary for more information.

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