SAINTS: CGN saints June 3 - June 9, 2002 -- part 1
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SAINTS: CGN saints June 3 - June 9, 2002
Monday, June 3:
Sts Charles Lwanga & Companions (Uganda, Martyrs of);
Clotilda; Kevin; Bl John XXlll
THE MARTYRS OF UGANDA. All b. in Africa; d. at Namugongo and elsewhere, cd
1964. The first of the twentytwo canonized victims of King Mwanga’s
persecution of his Christian subjects was Joseph Mkasa Balikundembe, who
was beheaded after having rebuked his royal master for his debauchery and
for the murder of the Anglican missionary bishop James Hannington in October
1885. Six months later there was a literal holocaust, burnt-offering, at
Namugongo, when there were burnt alive in a body thirty-two Chatolic and
Protestant men and boys. Many of them were young pages in Mwanga’s
household, from their head-man, Charles Lwanga, to thirteen-year old Kizito,
who went to his death ’laughing and chattering’. The description of the
passion of these young Africans, related by the head of the White Fathers’
mission in Uganda, reads like some narrative of a martyrdom in the first
Christian centuries. These and many other Baganda suffered for their
Christian faith, and in some cases for refusing to minister to Mwanga’s
perverted sexual habits.
J. P. Thoonen, Black Martyrs (1941); J. F. Faupel, African Holocaust (1962)
CLOTILDA. St. Clotilde (c. 474- 545) and her husband King Clovis (c.
466-511) founded the Merovingian dynasty, which ruled the Franks for over
200 years. They were married in 492 or 493, and she converted him to
Christianity in 496. When Clovis died, Clotilde retired to Tours. Her sons'
quarrels caused her great sorrow. She died at the tomb of St. Martin of
Tours and was buried in Sainte-Genevieve in Paris, a church that she and
Clovis founded. St. Clotilde at prayer was a popular theme in Medieval art.
KEVIN, abbot. B. in Leinster; d.at Glendalough, 618. Known in Ireland as
Coemgen as well as Kevin, accois cult is now confined to local calendars.
PETROC, abbot. Sixt century. Petroc was born in Wales, possibly the son of a
Welsh king. He became a monk and with some of his friends, went to Ireland
to study. They immigrated to Cornwall in England and settled at Lanwethinoc
(Padstow). After thirty years there, he made a pilgrimage to Rome and
Jerusalem, at which time he is also reputed to have reached the Indian ocean
where he lived for some time as a hermit on an island. He then returned to
Cornwall, built a chapel at Little Petherick near Padstow, established a
community of his followers, and then became a hermit at Bodmir Moor, where
he again attracted followers and was known for his miracles. He died between
Nanceventon and Lanwethinoc while visiting some of his disciples there.
OPTATUS, bishop. D.c. 387. Bishop of Milevis, Numidia, in Africa.A convert
from paganism, he is best known for his opposition to the heresy of Donatism
and his six treatises composed against them. One of them, Against Parmenian,
is still extant, and was mentioned by St. Jerome in his De Viris Illustribus
as having been composed in six books. The treatise stresses the need for
unity and is conciliatory in tone, but it criticizes Donatist teachings on
Baptism, and stresses that the Church cannot be limited to Africa but is
“catholic.” Optatus was much praised by such contemporaries as Augustine and
Fulgentius of Ruspe.
QUIRINO. D. unknown. A relatively unknown martyr put to death at Tivoli,
Italy, and mentioned in the Roman Martyrology under the same feast day as
the Quirinus of Pannonia
Wednesday, June 5:
Sts Boniface of Crediton, bishop; Dorotheus
BONIFACE OF CREDITON, missionary and martyr. B. probably at or near
Crediton, c. 675; d. in Friesland, 754 or 755. Also known as Wynfrith.
Thursday, June 6:
Sts Jarlath of Tuam; Philip the Deacon; Norbert, bishop
JARLATH OF TUAM, abbot-bishop. D. c.550. Jarlath is regarded as the founder
and principle patron of the Archdiocese of Tuam in Galway, Ireland. He
belonged to the Conmaicne family, perhaps the most important and powerful
family in Galway during that period. Jarlath was trained by a holy man and
ordained a priest along with his cousin. He then founded the monastery of
Cluain Fois, just outside Tuam, and presided over that monastery as
abbot-bishop. Later, Jarlath opened a school attached to the monastery, one
which soon became known as a great center of learning. St. Brendan of
Clonfert and St. Colman of Cloyne were among his pupils at the school. .
PHILIP THE DEACON. All that is known of Philip is what we are told in Acts
in the Bible. He is one of the seven chosen to assist the Apostles by
ministering to the needy members of the Church so the Apostles could be free
to preach the Gospels. He was the first to preach in Samaria, where he
converted Simon Magus and then a eunuch who was chief treasurer of the Queen
of Ethiopia on the road from Jerusalem to Gaza. Philip preached in the
coastal cities on the way to his home at Caesarea, and twenty-four years
later, St. Paul stayed at his home in Caesarea, where he still lived with
his four unmarried daughters. A Greek tradition has him become Bishop of
Tralles, Lydia. He was so successful in his preaching that he was sometimes
surnamed "the Evangelist," which has sometimes caused him to be confused
with Philip the Apostle.
NORBERT, bishop. St. Norbert was born at Xanten in the Rhineland, about the
year 1080. The early part of his life was devoted to the world and its
pleasures. He entered upon the ecclesiastical state in a worldly spirit.
The thunderstorm had boiled up suddenly as Norbert was out riding. Norbert,
who had always chosen the easy way, would never have deliberately gone on a
journey that promised danger, risk, or discomfort. He had moved easily from
the comforts of the noble family he was born into at about 1080 to the
pleasure-loving German court. He had no hesitations about joining in any
opportunity to enjoy himself, no matter what the source of that pleasure. To
ensure his success at court, he also had no qualms about accepting holy
orders as a canon and whatever financial benefices that came with that
position, although he did hesitate at becoming a priest and the implied
responsibilities that came with that vocation.
But now high winds pushed and pulled at his fashionable coif, rain slashed
at his fancy clothes, and dark roiling clouds pressed night down upon his
light thoughts. A sudden flash of lightning split the dark and his horse
bucked, throwing Norbert to the ground.
For almost an hour, the still form of the courtier lay unmoving. Even the
rain soaking his clothes and the howl of thunder did not bring him back to
consciousness and life. When he awoke his first words were, "Lord, what do
you want me to do?" -- the same words Saul spoke on the road to Damascus. In
response Norbert heard in his heart, "Turn from evil and do good. Seek peace
and pursue it."
He immediately returned to the place of his birth, Xanten, to devote himself
to prayer and penance. He now embraced the instruction for the priesthood he
had avoided and was ordained in 1115. His complete conversion and new ways
caused some to denounce the former courtier as a hypocrite. Norbert's
response was to give everything he owned to the poor and to go to the pope
for permission to preach.
With this commission in hand, he became an itinerant preacher, traveling
through Europe with his two companions. In an extreme response to his old
ways, he now chose the most difficult ways to travel -- walking barefoot in
the middle of winter through snow and ice. Unfortunately the two companions
who followed him died from the ill-effects of exposure. But Norbert was
gaining the respect of those sincere clerics who had despised him before.
The bishop of Laon wanted Norbert to help reform the canons in his see, but
the canons wanted nothing to do with Norbert's type of reform which they saw
as far too strict. The bishop, not wanting to lose this holy man, offered
Norbert land where he could start his own community. In a lonely valley
called Pr‚montr‚, began his community with thirteen canons. Despite the
strictness of his regulation, or perhaps because it, his reforms attracted
many disciples until eight abbeys and two convents were involved. Even the
canons who had originally rejected him asked to be part of the reform.
In Norbert's community we have the first evidence of lay affiliation with a
religious order. This came about when a count Theobald wanted to join
Norbert. Norbert realized that Theobald was not called to holy orders but to
marriage and worldly duties. But he did not entirely reject Theobald, giving
him a rule and devotions as well as a scapular to wear to identify him as
part of the community.
It was on the trip accompanying Theobald to his marriage, that Norbert was
spotted by Emperor Lothair and chosen as bishop of Magdebourg. Legend has it
the porter refused to let Norbert into his new residence, assuming he was a
beggar. When the crowd pointed out to the flustered porter that this was the
new bishop Norbert told the porter, "You were right the first time." Norbert
carried the love of reform that he had found in his own life to his new
diocese. As usual, this made him many enemies and he was almost
assassinated. Disgusted with the citizens desire to keep to their old ways,
he left the city, but was soon called back -- not because the citizens
missed him but because the emperor and the pope pressured them.
When two rival popes were elected after the death of Honorius II, Norbert
helped try to heal the Church by getting his admirer the emperor to support
the first elected, Innocent II. At the end of his life he was made an
archbishop but he died soon after on June 6, 1134 at the age of 53.rding to
tradition he was born at the Fort of the White Fountain in Leinster,
Ireland, of royal descent. He was baptized by St. Cronan and educated by St.
Petroc. He was ordained, and became a hermit at the Valley of the Two Lakes
in Glendalough. After seven years there, he was persuaded to give up his
solitary life. He went to Disert-Coemgen, where he founded a monastery for
the disciples he attracted, and later moved to Glendalough. He made a
pilgrimage to Rome, bringing back many relics for his permanent foundation
at Glendalough. He was a friend of St. Kieran of Clonmacnois, and was
entrusted with the raising of the son of King Colman of Ui Faelain, by the
king. Many extravagant miracles were attributed to Kevin, and he was reputed
to be 120 years old at his death.
JOHN XXlll. The Salesian calendar lists Bl John XXlll, but I do not have a
biographical sketch on. Other than I greatly admired him, in life, I can
only add that he is the John in the last Pontifs. I had no idea he had been
beatified.
Tuesday, June 4:
Sts Ascanius; Francis Caracciolo; Petroc; Optatus, bishop;
Quirino, martyr
ASCANIUS. No material at the moment.
FRANCIS CARACCIOLO. D. 1608; cd 1807. Founder of the Minor Clerks Regular
with St. John Augustine Adorno. He was born in 1563, a member of a noble
Neapolitan family. Though he had a rare skin disease, much like leprosy,
Francis became a priest, at which time his skin disease disappeared. In
1588, he co-founded the Minor Clerks Regular and spent the rest of his life
as the superior. He was canonized in 1807.
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