Topic: The Christian Saint series Posted: 23-Apr-2012 at 00:42
esApril 22 - St. Vitalis of Gaza: "...Died c. 625. Vitalis was a monk of Gaza, of unknown origin, who in his
monk's dress, at the age of 60, arrived in the gay and dazzling city of
Alexandria, Egypt, like a ghost of the desert. In his lonely cell he had
read the story of the woman taken in adultery and had felt impelled to
travel to the city and work among the prostitutes. He obtained the name
and address of every harlot, hired himself our as a day laborer, and
every night took his wage to one of these unfortunate women.
It was a very strange and unconventional procedure. He would sup with
the woman, then, giving her the money, would say: "I pay thee this, that
thou mayest spend one night without sin." Afterwards he would pray with
her, often passing the night in reciting the Psalms, and, on leaving,
would extract a solemn promise that she would tell no one of the nature
of his visit.
It led to great scandal and he was gravely misunderstood, but the Church
refused to intervene and he continued his mission. Thus he visited in
turn every harlot in Alexandria, and many, moved by his purity and
sincerity as well as by his earnest appeal, abandoned their shameful
calling. Many, indeed, afterwards married and became good wives and
mothers.
But his story ends in tragedy. One day, when leaving a house of ill
fame, he was struck on the head by a man who misunderstood his motive.
Vitalis made his way back with difficulty to the wretched hovel where he
lived, and the crowd that followed, when they entered, found him dead
upon his knees. In his hand was a fragment of parchment bearing the
words: "Judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both
will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make
manifest the counsels of the heart."
Then all whom he had helped revealed the secret of his redemptive work,
and the whole city gathered to do him honor, the women following him to
his grave bearing lamps and candles (Benedictines, Encyclopedia, Gill).
..." http://www.saintpatrickdc.org/ss/0111.shtml#vita
I really like his story - he understood what the main message of Christ was - mercy to everyone, and made it his way of serving to pay attention and show patience and love to women that were forced by one or another of the realities of life to sell themselves, hence be hold on a low step of the social structure and be despised by everyone, undoubtedly even those who used them. This was a truly noble call, that can be a perfect example for every time and place, since there are always people left out of the society they live on, and who need care and emotional support.
Here a quote from him: "...Judge nothing before the time,
until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of
darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the heart...."
Thanks DQ. He seems one of those genuine caring individuals. I'm pleased that the Alexandrian Church also supported him. A lot of interesting saints are connected to Egypt.
April 23rd - St. George, according to the Orthodox calendar. Much had been said here about him, but I found a little bit more. "...St George is one of those saints about whom little is known
historically, yet he seems to be popular all over the world. After the
Virgin Mary and the Apostles, there are probably more churches dedicated
to Saint George than to almost any other saint.He’s the patron saint of Georgia, Germany and Greece, if we just
stick to countries whose names begin with the letter G. Then Canada,
England, Lithuania, Russia, Palestine and Portugal.Even though the population of Palestine is mainly Muslim today, Saint George was a Palestinian.
He is also the patron saint of several regions and cities, including
Moscow, which is why there are so many Russian ikons of Saint George.It is said that his cult was taken to England by crusaders returning
from Palestine, and he became the patron saint of England. The English
called on him for help in the battle of Agincourt, which was actually
fought on Saint Crispin’s Day, but Saint George got the starring role,
and in Shakespeare’s play Henry V the battlecry was “Cry God
for Harry, England and St. George!” Shakespeare himself was born and
died on Saint George’s Day, but he didn’t just make it up. After the
battle Saint George’s Day, 23 April, was as important as Christmas in
England....
Anyway, today is also the feast of St. Ibar, who seem to be a strictly Catholic saint: "...A pre-Patrician Irish saint, who laboured in the present County Wexford from 425 to 450, recognized the jurisdiction of St. Patrick, and was confirmed in his episcopacy. Thus, though a missionary before the arrival of the great national apostle, St. Ibar was a contemporary of St. Patrick, and is regarded as the patron of Begerin, in Wexford harbour. Although at first not disposed to yield to St. Patrick he afterwards submitted and became his disciple. Much obscurity attaches to his early training, but about the year 480 he settled at Begerin, where he built an oratory and cell. In the "Life of St. Abban" it is stated that St. Ibar's retreat was soon peopled with numerous disciples from all parts of Ireland, and the "Litany of Aengus" invokes the three thousand confessors who placed themselves under St. Ibar's direction. His nephew, St. Abban, as a boy of twelve came to Begerin in St. Ibar's old age and accompanied him to Rome.
His name is variously written Ibar, Iberius, and Ivor, and his death is
chronicled in the year 500 on 23 April, on which day his feast is observed. Although Begerin was formerly an island in the north of Wexford harbour, it has long since been one of the reclaimed Sloblands...." http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07613b.htm
April 24th- Martyr Sava Stratelates: "...Martyr Sava Stratelates "the General" of Rome
Saint Sabbas Stratelates came from a Gothic tribe. For
his bravery he attained the high rank of military commander or
"stratelates," and he served under the Roman emperor Aurelian (270-275).
From his youth, Sabbas was a Christian and he fervently followed the
commands of Christ. He helped the needy, and visited Christians in
prison. Because of his pure and virtuous life the saint received from
the Lord the gift of wonderworking, healing the sick and casting out
demons in the name of Christ.
When the emperor learned that St Sabbas was a Christian, he demanded
that he apostasize. The martyr threw down his military belt and declared
that he would not forsake his faith. They beat him, burned him with
torches, and threw him into a cauldron with tar, but the martyr remained
unharmed.
Looking on at his torments, seventy soldiers came to believe in Christ.
They were beheaded by the sword. St Sabbas was thrown in prison. At
midnight, while he was praying, Christ appeared to the martyr and shone
on him the light of His Glory. The Savior bade him not to fear, but to
stand firm. Encouraged, the Martyr Sabbas underwent new torture in the
morning, and was drowned in a river in 272...." http://oca.org/FSLivesAllSaints.asp?SID=4&M=4&D=24
"...St. Vincent was born in Pouy, Landes, Gascony, France, to a family of peasant farmers. He had four brothers and two sisters.[2]He studied humanities in Dax, France, with the Cordeliers and he graduated in theology at Toulouse. He was ordained in 1600, remaining in Toulouse until he went to Marseille for an inheritance. In 1605, on his way back from Marseille, he was taken captive by Turkishpirates, who brought him to Tunis and sold him into slavery.[3] After converting his owner to Christianity, Vincent de Paul escaped in 1607.After returning to France, de Paul went to Rome. There he continued
his studies until 1609, when he was sent back to France on a mission to Henry IV of France; he served as chaplain to Marguerite de Valois. For a while he was parish priest at Clichy, but from 1612 he began to serve the Gondi,
an illustrious family. He was confessor and spiritual director to
Madame de Gondi, and he began giving preaching missions to the peasants
on the estate with her aid.[3]
In 1622 de Paul was appointed chaplain to the galleys, and in this capacity he gave missions for the galley-slaves.[2]
Another Catholic saint, St. Zita, has a feast today, April 27th. Her life as told by Butler can be found here http://www.ewtn.com/library/mary/zita.htm "...Zita came from a poor, but deeply devotional family. The lack of social
standing is probably the reason Zita's last name has not been recorded
in history. To help support the family, she became a maid of a wealthy
family, Fatinelli, in the Tuscan city of Lucca, serving them loyally for
48 years.
From and early age, Zita expressed concern for the poor and helpless of
Lucca. As her reputation spread, the needy began to seek her out. This
did not sit well with the Fatinelli family, as time spent with the poor
was not time spent in her maid servant duties. As the story goes, the
Lord intervened as necessary. On one such event, Zita left her chore of
baking bread to tend to someone in need. Some of the other servants made
sure the Fatinelli family was aware of what happened. When they went to
investigate, they found angels in the Fatinelli kitchen, picking up
Zita's slack. From that point on, the Fatinelli family and even the
other servants were a little more understanding toward her mission. On
another event, Zita had given away the family's supply of beans to the
townsfolk during a severe famine. Upon suspecting this, the Fatinelli
family went to the cupboard to find it full - the beans hand been
miracuously replaced. Another recorded event was as dramatic, if not
more so. On Christmas Eve, Zita had given away a prized and treasured
family cloak to a shivering man at the doorway of St. Fredaino, the
local church. This was the straw that broke the camel's back. While the
elder Fatinelli was in the midst of a fit of fury, an elderly man came
to the door and returned the heirloom. When townsfolk heard of the
event, they decided that the man must have been an angel. From that
point on, the doorway of the St. Fredaino church in Lucca has been
called the "Angel Portal".
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Posted: 27-Apr-2012 at 06:06
Saint David or Dewi sant.
The patron of Wales...a great bit of information is known of him courtesy of the records of the church and the Annales Cambriae....and the writings of Rhygyfarch. But for some reason no one knows the actual date of his birth.
Famous for his pilgrimages and his efforts at seeing the presence of the church in Wales..Dumonia present Devon) and Brittany. A preacher and scholar he was rather strict in his monastic rule. His is a colorful history, rising eventually to the position of Arch Bishop and founder of the abbey, now the site of Saint David's cathedral in Pembrokeshire...which was an early competitor of Canterbury... that has laps with the Arthurian legends and the fights against Saxon invaders.
His philosophy was simple and yet elegantly succinct: 'Be joyful, and keep your faith and your creed. Do the little things that you have seen me do and heard about. I will walk the path that our fathers have trod before us.'
May 4th - in the Orthodox tradition, the feast of St. Pelagia of Tarsus:
"...Saint Pelagia of Tarsus in Cilicia (southeastern Asia Minor) lived in
the third century, during the reign of Diocletian (284-305), and was the
daughter of illustrious pagans. When she heard about Jesus Christ from
her Christian friends, she believed in Him and desired to preserve her
virginity, dedicating her whole life to the Lord.
Emperor Diocletian's heir (a boy he adopted), saw the maiden Pelagia,
was captivated by her beauty and wanted her to be his wife. The holy
virgin told the youth that she was betrothed to Christ the Immortal
Bridegroom, and had renounced earthly marriage.
Pelagia's reply greatly angered the young man, but he decided to leave
her in peace for awhile, hoping that she would change her mind. At the
same time, Pelagia convinced her mother to let her visit the nurse who
had raised her in childhood. She secretly hoped to find Bishop Linus of
Tarsus, who had fled to a mountain during a persecution against
Christians, and to be baptized by him. She had seen the face of Bishop
Linus in a dream, which made a profound impression upon her. The holy
bishop told her to be baptized. St Pelagia traveled in a chariot to
visit her nurse, dressed in rich clothes and accompanied by a whole
retinue of servants, as her mother wished.
Along the way St Pelagia, by the grace of God, met Bishop Linus. Pelagia
immediately recognized the bishop who had appeared to her in the dream.
She fell at his feet, requesting Baptism. At the bishop's prayer a
spring of water flowed from the ground.
Bishop Linus made the Sign of the Cross over St Pelagia, and during the
Mystery of Baptism, angels appeared and covered the chosen one of God
with a bright mantle. After giving the pious virgin Holy Communion,
Bishop Linus offered a prayer of thanksgiving to the Lord with her, and
then sent her to continue her journey. She then exchanged her expensive
clothing for a simple white garment, and distributed her possessions to
the poor. Returning to her servants, St Pelagia told them about Christ,
and many of them were converted and believed.
She tried to convert her own mother to Christ, but the obdurate woman
sent a message to Diocletian's son that Pelagia was a Christian and did
not wish to be his wife. The youth realized that Pelagia was lost to
him, and he fell upon his sword in his despair. Pelagia's mother feared
the emperor's wrath, so she tied her daughter up and led her to
Diocletian's court as a Christian who was also responsible for the death
of the heir to the throne. The emperor was captivated by the unusual
beauty of the virgin and tried to turn her from her faith in Christ,
promising her every earthly blessing if she would become his wife.
The holy virgin refused the emperor's offer with contempt and said, "You
are insane, Emperor, saying such things to me. I will not do your
bidding, and I loathe your vile marriage, since I have Christ, the King
of Heaven, as my Bridegroom. I do not desire your worldly crowns which
last only a short while. The Lord in His heavenly Kingdom has prepared
three imperishable crowns for me. The first is for faith, since I have
believed in the true God with all my heart; the second is for purity,
because I have dedicated my virginity to Him; the third is for
martyrdom, since I want to accept every suffering for Him and offer up
my soul because of my love for Him."
Diocletian sentenced Pelagia to be burned in a red-hot bronze bull. Not
permitting the executioners to touch her body, the holy martyr signed
herself with the Sign of the Cross, and went into the brazen bull and
her flesh melted like myrrh, filling the whole city with fragrance. St
Pelagia's bones remained unharmed and were removed by the pagans to a
place outside the city. Four lions then came out of the wilderness and
sat around the bones letting neither bird nor wild beast get at them.
The lions protected the relics of the saint until Bishop Linus came to
that place. He gathered them up and buried them with honor. Later, a
church was built over her holy relics.
The Service to the holy Virgin Martyr Pelagia of Tarsus says that she
was "deemed worthy of most strange and divine visions." She is also
commemorated on October 7.
During the reign of Emperor Constantine (306-337), when the persecutions
against Christians had stopped, a church was built at St Pelagia's
burial place...."http://oca.org/FSLivesAllSaints.asp?M=5&D=4 St. Pelagia with St. Nicephorus of Athens
"...Saint Irene was the daughter of a princelet called Licinius; named
Penelope by her parents, through a divine revelation she was brought to
faith in Christ and at Baptism was renamed Irene. In her zeal for piety
she broke in pieces all the idols of her father, who commanded that she
be trampled underfoot by horses. But while she remained unharmed, one of
the horses rose up and cast down her father, killing him. By her prayer
she raised him to life again, and he believed and was baptized.
Afterwards, in many journeyings, Saint Irene suffered torments and
punishments for her faith, but was preserved by the power of God, while
working dread miracles and converting many thousands of souls. At last
she came to Ephesus, where she fell asleep in peace, in the first half
of the fourth century. Two days after her death, her gravestone was
found lifted off, and her grave empty. At least two churches were
dedicated to Saint Irene in Constantinople, and she is also the
patroness of the Aegean island of Thera, which is commonly called
Santorin (or Santorini), a corruption of "Saint Irene."..." http://www.iconograms.org/sig.php?eid=41
2 hymns dedicated to her: "...
Troparion - Tone 4
Your lamb Irene calls out to You, O Jesus, in a loud voice:
"I love You, my Bridegroom, and in seeking You I endure suffering.
In baptism I was crucified so that I might reign in You,
and I died so that I might live with You.
Accept me as a pure sacrifice,
for I have offered myself in love."
Through her prayers save our souls, since You are merciful.
Kontakion - Tone 4
Podoben: "Today You have shown forth..."
Adorned with the beauty of virginity,
you became more beautiful in your struggle, virgin martyr Irene.
You were empurpled by the flow of your blood,
having destroyed the temptation of godlessness.
Therefore you received the prize of victory from the hand of your Creator...." http://oca.org/FSTropars.asp?SID=13&ID=101297
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Posted: 06-May-2012 at 15:52
If by way of origination in the ancient Catholic church...yes. If by way of the Orthodox and or Protestantism yes and no. That all depends on their respective schisms and seperations and the conventions preceding and subsequently followed in the determination of an individual's status in becoming or that which was required to become a saint. Much as their doctrinal dogma difference was developed.
If you mean in the sense catholic and or universal... then any who are referred to as a 'spiritually saved' person are a saint.
"Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence"
S. T. Friedman
Pilger's law: 'If it's been officially denied, then it's probably true'
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Posted: 06-May-2012 at 16:13
The Passion of St. Christopher (BHL 1764)Interesting because he was not martyred alone...rather... two prostitutes who were sent to tempt him.... upon seeing and speaking with him..... were caused to repent and then also were martyred before him. As he was forced to watch their torture he, it is indicated, was further strengthened by their courage.
Some saints that were saintified before the separation of the Orthodox and Catholic churches are shared by both, but some are local; like most Irish saints are strictly Catholic - they have no feasts in the Orthodox calendar. In the case I specified because the said saint/s was/were strictly Catholic.
May 6th - St. Sergius and Bacchus - military martyrs: "...Martyrs, d. in the Diocletianpersecution in Coele-Syria about 303. Their martyrdom is well authenticated by the earliest martyrologies and by the early veneration paid them, as well as by such historians as Theodoret. They were officers of troops on the frontier, Sergius being primicerius, and Bacchus secundarius. According to the legend, there were high in esteem of the Caesar Maximianus on account of their bravery, but this favour was turned into hate when they acknowledged their Christian faith.
When examined under torture they were beaten so severely with thongs
that Bacchus died under the blows. Sergius, though, had much more
suffering to endure; among other tortures, as the legend relates, he had
to run eighteen miles in shoes which were covered on the soles with
sharp-pointed nails that pierced through the foot. He was finally
beheaded. The burial-place of Sergius and Bacchus was pointed out in the city of Resaph; in honour of Sergius the Emperor Justinian also built churches in honour of Sergius at Constantinople and Acre; the one at Constantinople, now a mosque, is a great work of Byzantine art. In the East, Sergius and Bacchus were universally honoured. Since the seventh century they have a celebrated church in Rome. Christian art represents the two saints as soldiers in military garb with branches of palm in their hands. Their feast is observed on 7 October. The Church calendar gives the two saints Marcellus and Apuleius on the same day as Sergius and Bacchus. They are said to have been converted to Christianity by the miracles of St. Peter. According to the "Martyrologium Romanum" they suffered martyrdom soon after the deaths of Sts. Peter and Paul and were buried near Rome. Their existing Acts are not genuine and agree to a great extent with those of Sts. Nereus and Achilleus. The veneration of the two saints is very old. A mass is assigned to them in the "Sacramentarium" of Pope Gelasius...." http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/13728a.htm
The are also commemorated in the Armenian church: "...In the Armenian Church
traditions Sergius, or Sarkis, was venerated as a Christian general in
the Roman army. He was martyred with his son, Martyros, for witnessing
to their faith in Christ. The feast is preceded by a three-day fasting.
Sergius and Bacchus are a classic example of paired saints; scholar John Boswell considers them to be the most influential set of such an archetype, more so than even Saints Peter and Paul.[4][5]..."http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Bacchus
If by way of origination in the ancient Catholic church...yes. If by way of the Orthodox and or Protestantism yes and no. That all depends on their respective schisms and seperations and the conventions preceding and subsequently followed in the determination of an individual's status in becoming or that which was required to become a saint. Much as their doctrinal dogma difference was developed.
So a saints personal religious history means nothing to the person venerating him/her. For the same saint, to a Catholic she is a Catholic, to a Protestant she is a Protestant, to an Easternn-Orthodox she is an Eastern-Orthodox. Absurd. But nothing new. Groups appropriate individuals to themselves, without any real concern about the individual's personal history or beliefs. Saints Sergius and Bacchus have recently been appropriated as two homosexual saints.
I wouldn't doubt, now is so fashionable to see homosexuality in everything, with no evidence whatsoever, and with ignoring the historical and cultural realities of the times the said people lived in. In the same style of using modern standards glued to different times Marlow, Michelangelo, and others had been dubbed gay, on concocted fantasies. I would like people to start taking responsibility for their sexual preferences, instead of trying to excuse themselves with pasting the same to others. But this is another topic.
The big question about St. Sergius and Bacchus is if they really existed, not if they were gay.
She was born Ursula Giuliani at Mercatello, Italy, in 1660. When 18 months old, she spoke her first words to a shop keeper who was serving a false measure of oil, saying: "Do justice, God sees you." At the age of 3 she began to have divine communications, and showed great care to the poor, sharing her meals and clothes with them. She confessed herself that she would be quite irritable at people who didn't agree with her on her religious outlook, and would stamp her feet at the least provocation.
Ursula wanted to dedicate her life to Jesus, but her father wanted her to marry. She contracted a mysterious disease, and was only restored to health when he relented and gave his consent to her becoming a nun.
She joined the Poor Clares in Umbria, Italy, in 1677 and took the name Veronica. Reportedly, at her reception the bishop told the abbess: "I commend this new daughter to your special care, for she will one day be a great saint."
She worked in the kitchen, infirmary and sacristy, but despite a wish to be absolutely submissive to the will of her abbess and Saviour, she experienced many temptations to return to the outside world. In1678 she had a vision of the crucified Christ, and, in mystical union with him, ever after suffered acute physical pain in her heart.
In 1682 she became Mistress of the novices, and while she guided them with great prudence, she would never allow them to read mystical books.
In 1693 she had a vision of a chalice, symbolising the Divine Passion which was to be re-enacted within her. Only with great personal effort did she submit to it, and the following year the marks of the Crown of Thorns appeared on her head. On Good Friday 1697, the impression of Jesus' five wounds appeared on her hands, feet and side, and only on the order of the bishop would she submit to a medical examination. She prayed that God would make the stigmata invisible, so she would not have to be examined, but this miracle failed to occur.She also had a deformity on one of her fingers - a mark around her finger like a ring, with a pea sized pimple where a stone would be. Veronica claimed that this was a ring Christ had given her as a sign of their divine marriage.
She also went through times of lengthy fasting in response to divine visions. On one of these fasts she was spotted taking food from the kitchen. In response, her supporters claimed that the devil had taken on her form and it was he who had been seen, not the real Veronica.
In 1716, she was elected abbess. She died of a stroke caused by a brain hemorrhage on July 9, 1727.
After Veronica's death a figure of the Cross, the Crown of Thorns and a chalice were supposedly found impressed upon her heart. Her body is said to remain uncorrupted in a glass coffin, but the present body on display in the monastery of St.Veronica Giuliani in Città di Castello, Italy, is a wax image.
She was canonized by Pope Gregory XVI on May 26 1839.
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Posted: 06-May-2012 at 22:33
Originally posted by Don Quixote
I wouldn't doubt, now is so fashionable to see homosexuality in everything, with no evidence whatsoever, and with ignoring the historical and cultural realities of the times the said people lived in. In the same style of using modern standards glued to different times Marlow, Michelangelo, and others had been dubbed gay, on concocted fantasies. I would like people to start taking responsibility for their sexual preferences, instead of trying to excuse themselves with pasting the same to others. But this is another topic.
The big question about St. Sergius and Bacchus is if they really existed, not if they were gay.
Spoken like a warrior whose patroness was one as well....no wonder Artemis likes you. Even and or equally important is your realization that centuries later.... the revisionist of any ilk, especially the secularist version, will strike when they view the sheeple are at their intellectual weakest.
"Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence"
S. T. Friedman
Pilger's law: 'If it's been officially denied, then it's probably true'
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