Saints of the Day & More

The fourth century AD , which had its important moment in the 380 with the edict of Emperor Theodosius who ordered that the Christian faith had to be adopted by all peoples of the empire , is full of great figures of saints, Athanasius , Hilary, Ambrose, Augustine , Chrysostom , Basil and Jerome. The latter was born in Stridonia (Dalmatia ) around the year 340, he studied in Rome where he was baptized. His spirit is encyclopedic , his literary work reveals the philosopher, the orator , the grammarian , the dialectical , able to think and write in Latin, Greek, Hebrew writer, rich , pure and robust at the same time. He was responsible for the Latin translation of the Old and New Testament, which became, with the title of Vulgate, the official Bible of Christianity. Jerome is a personality very strong : everywhere where you raise enthusiasm or controversy. In Rome lashes the vices and hypocrisies and calls for new forms of religious life , attracting them to some influential women patric...

Gondulphus of Metz is the one concerning whom our information is most reliable. His feast is celebrated on 6 September. As bishop, Gondulphus succeeded Angilram, him who caused Paul the Deacon to write the "Liber de episcopis Mettensibus", and who died probably in 791. At the death of Angilram there was a vacancy in the episcopal See of Metz, which was terminated by the accession of Gondulphus. The "Annales S. Vincentii Mettenses" give the date as 819. But, as it is known, on the other hand, that since the time of Bishop Chrodegang episcopal ordination took place on Sunday, the date of the consecration of Bishop Gondulphus must be set down as 28 (?) December, 816. The old episcopal catalogue of the church of Metz informs us that Gondulphus occupied the see of this church for six years, eight months, and seven days, and that he died on the 7th of the Ides of September, which would be the sixth of that month, in the year 823. He was buried in the monastery of Gorze, w...

Saint, knight, Lord Chancellor of England, author and martyr, born in London, 7 February, 1477-78; executed at Tower Hill, 6 July, 1535. He was the sole surviving son of Sir John More, barrister and later judge, by his first wife Agnes, daughter of Thomas Graunger. While still a child Thomas was sent to St. Anthony's School in Threadneedle Street, kept by Nicholas Holt, and when thirteen years old was placed in the household of Cardinal Morton, Archbishop of Canterbury, and Lord Chancellor. Here his merry character and brilliant intellect attracted the notice of the archbishop, who sent him to Oxford, where he entered at Canterbury Hall (subsequently absorbed by Christ Church) about 1492. His father made him an allowance barely sufficient to supply the necessaries of life and, in consequence, he had no opportunity to indulge in "vain or hurtful amusements" to the detriment of his studies. At Oxford he made friends with William Grocyn and Thomas Linacre, the latter becomin...

Vincent was born in Valencia (Spain) in 1350. At 17 he had already so successfully completed his studies in philosophy and theology that included teachers as faculty immediately. He entered the Dominican convent of Valencia and was ordained priest in 1375, a date in the history of the Church is remembered as the beginning of the Great Western Schism (1378-1417). The great confusion divided Christians into two obedience to Rome and Avignon. It was inevitable that even straight spirits, as Vincent Ferrer, of the pope were illegitimate. The good faith of Vincent Ferrer is tested with the fact that he has done everything possible to solve the great conflict and restore the unity of the Church. He traveled throughout Europe, warming to his great speaking to crowds of faithful, attracted also by a special phenomenon: the Dominican preacher, who only knew the Castilian, Latin and some Hebrew, "I understand all the faithful of the various nations where he went, each in their own language,...

The two brothers Michael and Constantine, as monks took the name of Cyril and Methodius, respectively, did their missionary work in the ninth century in central Europe, and rightly are called the "apostles of the Slavs". They have the merit of having adapted to the people who came to evangelize and missionaries who used methods, although they had all the pope's approval, opposition arose between the Greeks and Latins. They have the merit of having created a new alphabet called "Cyrillic" precisely by St. Cyril, offering the Slavic world, with translations of the Bible, the Missal and Ritual liturgical, linguistic and cultural unity. This great gift to the brothers Cyril and Methodius to the Slavs did was rewarded with love and devotion popular. But during his life, not everything was easy for the two holy missionaries, but had to fight hard against those who always oppose the great innovators. The two brothers were born in Thessaloniki. They were sons of an impe...

Saint Peter Kanijs born in Nijmegen, the Netherlands, in 1521, and may be defined as a hierrro placed between the anvil, ie white irritation raised his clear preaching in Protestant circles, and the malevolence that I tried envy among them fellow religion. Son of the mayor of Nijmegen, Pedro Kanijs, Latin Canicius, was able to attend excellent schools: canon law and civil law at Louvain in Cologne. In this city liked to spend free time in the monastery of the Carthusians. No one suspected that the young lawyer, whom the father had secured support in his profession, take a hair shirt under her dress. Reading the brief treatise on the Spiritual Exercises, had recently written to San Ignacio, determined the turning point of his life: the pious practice ended in Mainz under the direction of Father Faber, entered the Society of Jesus and was the eighth Jesuit in solemn vows. The young congregation was able to cultivate their favorite studies and their love of learning, to Him we owe the pub...