TODAY'S SAINT (Jerome)

JEROME

(347-419)

Scholar, Doctor of the Church, translator of the Latin Vulgate Bible

Name meaning: "Sacred name"


Jeromewas one of the greatest thinkers of the early Church, and also one of the most controversial. He was born Eusebius Hieronymous Sophronius at Stridonium near Aquileia, Italy, to an affluent Christian family. He was baptized at age 18 by Pope Liberius. His father sent him to Rome to be schooled, and he was tutored by a well-known paagan scholar, Donats. He learned Greek aaand Latin and oratorical skills.

Despite his Christian upbringing---and perhaps because of his education---Jerome devoted himself to an intense study of the pagan classics. After three years in Rome, he went traveling with a friend. During this time, he experienced a converesion back to his religious roots. On his return to Aquileia, he was on good terms with celergy.

In 374, he was inspired to travel to Antioch. There, he suffered a great illness that killed some of his friends and traveling companions. While delirious, he had either a dream or a vision in which he was rebuked for his pagan interests. In his own account, he said:

Suddenly I was cought up in the spirit and dragged before the judgment seat of the Judge; and here the light was so bright, and those who stood around were so radiant, that I cast myself upon the ground and did not dare to look up. Asked who and what I was I replied. "I am a Christian." But he who presided said. "thou liest, thou art a follower of Cicero and not of Christ. For 'where thy treasur is, there will thy heart be also." Instautly I became dumb, and amid the stokes of the lash--for He had ordered me to be scourged--I was tortured more severely still by the fire of conscience, considering with myself that verse, "In the grave who shall give thee thanks? Yet for all that I began to cry and to bewail myself, saying: "Have mercy upon me, O Lord: have mercy upon me." Amid the sound of the scourges this cry still made itself heard. At last the bystanders, falling down before the knees of Him who presided, prayed that He would have pity on my youth, and that He would give me space to repent of my error. He might still, they urged, inflict torture on me, should I ever again read the works of the Gentiles....

Accordingly I made an oath and called upon His name, saying "Lord, if ever again I possess worldly books, or if ever aggain I read such, I have denied Thee." Dismissed, then, on taking this oath, I returned to the upper world, and, to the surpise of all, I opened upon them eyses so drenched with tears that my distress served to convince even the credulous. And that this was no sleep nor idle dream, such as those by which we are often mocked, I call to witness the tribunal before which I lay, and the terrible judgment which I feared.... I professs that my shoulders were black and blue, that I felt the bruises long after I awoke from my sleep, and that thenceforth I read the books of God with a zeal greater than I had previously given to the books of men.

This event proved to be life-changing, and Jerome retired to the desert at Chalcis, southwest of Antioch, to live as a hermit for four years. He learned hebrew. It was a time of suffering for him, both of health and from temptations.

He then resumed his career as scholar and biblical consultant. He consented to ordination only if he could remain a monk or a recluse. Jerome went to Constantinople to study under St. Gregory Nazianzus. In 382, he went to Rome, where he won the favorable attention of Pope Damasus (r. 366-383), who named him papal secretary. When Damasus died, Jerome found himself out of favor. He had alienated many people, not only pagans, but also those whom he had attacked with his sarcasm and barbed wit. Rumors began to circulate that his relationship with St. Paula was not appropriate.

Jerome, St. Paula and Eustochium (Paula's third daughter), and others exiled themselves to Jerusalem and then toured Egypt and Palestine. At Bethlehem, they established monastic communities for men and women, a free school and a hospice.

Jerome vigorously fought anything he considered a heresy. From 405 until his death, he attacked the Pelagian heresy. He defended attacks on the perpetual virginity of Mary, nonsecular celibacy and the veneration of relics. He opposed the teachings of Origen and argued with St. Augustine.

In 404 Paula died. Several years later, Rome was sacked by barbarians, who pursued refugees east. Jerome's life and work were interrupted with violence, beatings, killings and arson. Eustochium's convent was destroyed; she never recovered, and died in 419.

Jerome died in 420, his health, voice and eyesight failing from work and penance. He was buried beside Paula and Eustochium at the church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. Later his remains were moved to St. Major's in Rome.

Jerome's Ecclesiastical writings include acontinuation oof the Historia Ecclesiastica of Eusebius of Caesarea, to 378, and De Viris Illustribbus (392), about leading ecclesiastical writers. He also translated Origen and wrote controversial treatises. A large number of his letters survive.

Jerome'a greatest accomplishment was his translation of the bible, including the Apocrypha. from Greek and Hebrew into Latin. The latin Vulgate Bible was the promary authority until about the mid-20th century. Jerome spent years working on the translation.

He believed that a guardian angel is asigned to each soul at birth. Even the souls of sinners receive a guardian angel, he said, though mortal sin will put them "into flight." He organized angels into ranks of seven, eliminating the pricipalities and virtues in the rankings of other Church theologians. He questioned the distinctions between ranks of angels.

Despite his own dream experience, Jerome sided with the Old Testmeant prophet Jeremiah in skepticism about dreams. He agreed that dreams can be a vehicle of revelation to a soul, but also held that the impure and unrighteous could twist dreams for their own selfserving ends. He declared that the word of God could not be sought thorough pagan practices of dream incubation, such as offered in the Aesculapian temples.

Acording to the Christian scholar Morton Kelsey Jerome may have deliberately mistranslated a Hebrew word so as to condemn dreams as witchcraft or soothsaying. According to Kelsey, Jerome's mistranslation was of the Hebrew term anan, which means witchcraft or soothsaying. Anan appears 10 times in the Old Testament, Seven times Jerome correctly translated it as "Witchcaft." Three times he translated it as "observing dreams." For example, Leviticus 19:26 was changed from "You shall not practice auguryor witchcraft" (soothsaying) into "You shall not practice auugury nor observe dreams." Another reference against soothsaying that he changed is found in Deuteronomy 18:10-11: "There shall not be found among you. . . any one who practices divination, a soothsayer, or an augur, or a sorcerer, or a charmer, or a medium, or a wizard, or a necromancer." These passages are part of the body of rules, regulations and laws laid down to govern Hebrew society. The mistranslation is curious, says Kelsey, in light of the fact that Jerome was an excellent scholar and correctly translated the term seven other times. Kelsey concludes the the mistranslation may have been delibeate, perhaps because of Jerome's frightening dream. The New Oxford, New Jerusalem and other modern editions of the Bible have restored the original meaning of anan.

PRAYER

God, You gave St. Jerome a great love for Holy Scripture.

Let Your people feed more abundantly on Your word and

find in it the source of life. Amen.

Feast: September 30

Patranage: libraries and librarians

FURTHFER READING

Kelsey, Morton. God, Dreams and Revelation: A Christian Interpertation

of Dreams. Minneapolis: Augsburg Publishing House, 1968, 1974,1991

St. Jerome: Selected Letter. Tr. F. A. Wright. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard

University Press, 1992.

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TODAY'S SAINT (Gabriel the Archangel)

GABRIEL THE ARCHANGEL

Name meaning: "Hero of God," "the mighty one" or

"God has shown himself mighty" in Hebrew

The angel Gabriel--given the rank of archanhgel in post-biblical lore--is one of the three principlal angels of Christianity, and figures prominently in Judaic, Christian and Islamic angelology. In Christianity, the cult of Gabriel began early in Rome.

Gabriel is the angel of revelation, wisdom, mercy, redempption and prommise. He sits at the left hand of God. Gabriel is mentioned four times in the Bible, and always in connection with important news. In the Old Testament, he first appears as Daniel's frequent visitor, bringing prophetic visions of appocalytic proportion (Daniel 8:16, 9:21). In the New Testament, Gabriel gives his name to Zechariah--"I am Gabriel who stand in God's presence" --when he announces the coming birth of John the Baptist (Luke 1:19). He is cited in the Annunciation to Mary of the coming birth of Jesus (Luke 1:26).

It is in his role as annunciator of the coming of the birth of Christ to Mary that Gabriel is best known and best depicted in art. He is the most painted of angels, for the Incarnation is the most common subject in western art. He is often shown holding one or more lilies, the symbol of purity, or holding a scroll inscribed with the Ave Maria.

Luke 1:26-38 describes the encounter between Gabriel and Mary. He appears to her, tells her she has found fovor with God, and she will become pregnant with a son who is to be named Jesus. When Mary wonders how this can happen, since she is a virgin, Gabriel tells her the Holy Spirit will come upon her, and the child will be holy. When she consents ("Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be done unto me according to your word") the angel departs. Though the angel who announces the birth of Jesus to the shepherds (Luke 2:8-14) is called only an "angel of the Lord," Catholic tradition credits this to Gabriel.

In Catholic devotion to angels, Gabriel has a prominent place because of his role in the Annunciation. Gabriel's salutation, "Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee, blessed art thou among women" is reiterated in the Hail Mary. Because of his role in the Annunciation, other lore about Gabriel holds that he guides the soul from paradise to the womb and there instructs it for the nine months prior to birth.

Gabriel also is credited with other major acts of unnameed angels concerning Jesus: as the angel who appears in a dream to Joseph, warning him to take his family and flee to Egypt to avoid Herod's hunt for the baby Jesus (Matthew 2:13); as the angel who appears in the Garden of Gethsemane to provide stregth and support to Jesus in his agony (Luke 22:43); and as the "angel of the Lord" who has a countenance as lightning and a raiment as snow, who rolls back the stone from the tomb of Jesus and sits upon it (Matthew 28:2). In addition, Gabriel is said to be the unnamed archangel in 1 Thesalonians 4:15 who sounds the trumpet of judgment and resurrection. Gabriel's symbols are a spear and a shield emblazoned with a lily.

Devotion to Gabriel and other angels is fostered as a way of becoming closer to God.

Feast: September 29

Patonage: clerics; diplomats; messengers; psotal worders; radio

broadcasters; stamp collectors; telecommunication workers

FURTHERE READING

Guiley, Rossemary Elen. The Encylopedia of Angels. New York:

Facts On File, 1996

O'Sullivan, Fr. Paul. All about the Angels. Rockford, Il.: TAN Books,

1990; first published, 1945

St. Michael and the Angels. Rockford, Ill.: TAN Books,1983; first

pubished, 1977

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TODAY'S SAINT (Wenceslaus)

WENCESLAUS

(d. 929)

Duke of Bohemia, patran saint of Bohemia and of other parts

Czech Republic, martyr

Also known as: Wenceslas

Wenceslaus was born near Prague, the older oof two sons of Ratislav, king of Bohemia, and his wife, Drahomira. He was raised by his grandmother, Ludmila, a convert. He was still a boy when his father was killed fighting the Magyars. Drahomira assumed conttrol of the govern-ment and pursued a vigorous anti-Christian policy and a cruel reign. Fearing the influence of Ludmila, Drahomira had her strangled in her castle. Wenceslaus overthrew his mother in about 924 or 925 and banished her to Budech.

After Wenceslaus restored a more moderate reign that encouraged Christianity, he recalled his mother, who evidently posed no further problem, But when the duke married and had a son, his brother Boleslaus (Also Boleslav) lost his succession to the throne, and began ploting against him. Wenceslaus also lost popularity as a result of his capitulation to the invading German king. Henry I the Fowler.

In September 929 Bolesllaus invited Wencesslaus to celebrate the feast of its patron saints, Cosmas and Damian. As Wenceslaus went to mass on the morning after the festival, Boleslaus and his companion knights attacked him. The two brothers fought, and then the friends of Boleslaus killed the duke.

Wenceslaus immediately was proclaimed a martyr, and miracles were reported at his tomb. Fearful of the growing cult, Boleslaus three years later had the body translater to the Church of St. Vitus in Prague, which then became a site of pilgrimage.

Wenceslaus is featured in the Christmas carol, "Good King Wenceslaus."

Feast: September 28

Patronage Czech Republic

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TODAY'S SAINT (Vincent De Paul)

VINCENT DE PAUL

Priest

St. Vincent was born of poor parents in the vilage of Poury in Gascony, France, about Franciscan Fathers at Acqs. Such had been his progress in four years that a gentleman chose him as subpreceptor to his children, and he was thus anabled to cotinue his studies without being a burden to his parents. In 1596, he went to the University of Toulouse for theological studies, and there he was ordained priest in 1600.

In 1605, on a voyage by sea from Marseilles too Narbonne, he fell into the hands of African pirates and was carried as a slave to Tunis. His captivity lasted about two years, until Divine Providence enabled him to effect his escape. After a brief visit to Rome he returned to France, where he became preceptor in the family of Emmanuel de Gondy, Count of Joigny, and general of the galleys of France. In 1617, he began to preach missions, and in 1625 he laid the foundations of a congregation which afterward became the Congregation of the Mission, or Lazarists, so named on account of the Priory of St. Lazarus, which the Fathers began to occupy in 1633.

It would be impossible to enumerate all the works of this servant of God. Charity was his predominant virtue. It extended to all classes of persons, from forsaken childhood to old age. The Sister of Charity also owe the foundation of their congregation to St. Vincent. In the midst of the most distracting occuppations his soul was always intimately united with God. Charity was his predominant virtue. It extended to all classes of peresons, from forsaken childhood told age. The Sisters of Charity also owe the foundation of their congregation to St. Vincent. In the midst of the most distracting occupations his soul was always intimately united with God. Though honored by the great ones of the world, he remained deeply rooted in humility. The Apostle of Charity, the immortal Vincent de Paul, breathed his last in Paris at the age of eighty, Septemberr 27, 1660.

PRAYER

God, You gave St. Vincent de Paul apostoolic vartues for the

salvation of the poor and the formation of the clergy. Grant

that, endowed with the same spirit, we may love what he loved

and act according to his teaching. Amen.

Feast: September 27

Paron of Charitable societies

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TODAY'S SAINT (Eusebius)

EUSEBIUS

(d. 309 or 310)

Pope and martyr

Perhaps a physician of Greek descent, Eusebius was elected successor to Pope St. Marcellus on April 18, 309 or 3. He reigned for only four months, until August 17 of the same year. His brief rule was marked by the rigorist controversy, which concerned the return of apostates to the church.

During the four years of persecuton under Emperor Diocletian (r. 284-305) many Christians had deserted their faith. They now wanted to return to the Church, which Eusebius, follow ing Marcellus and longstanding Church policy, ruled they could do, so long as they performed proper penance. In this he charted a middle course between Anaclitus, who believed that the lapsed were outside the Church and could not be reconciled to it, and Heraclius, himself an apostate, who insisted that they be allowed to return without penance. The controversy caused such an ujproar in Rome that Emnperor Maxintiius charged both Eusebius and Heraclius witth disurbing the peace and exiled them to Sicily. Eusebius died there soon after.

The relics of Eusebius were translated back to Rome, probably in 310, and placed in their own cubiculum in the Catacomb of St. Callistus on the Appian Way. Although Eusebius did not die a violent death, he is venerated as a martyr.

Feast: September 26

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TODAY'S SAINT (CADOC)

CADOC

(d. ca. 580)

Bishhop, martyr and one of the chief saints of Wales

Cadoc's life was recorded in the 12th century by Lifris, a Norman monk at Llancarfan, and Caradoc, a Bretonborn hermit of Gower.

Cadoc was born the grandson of Gwynllyw, a chieftain of Glamorgan; his mother, Gwladys, was Gwynllyw's daughter. (Lifris gives the romantic fantasy of Cadoc as the descendant of a long line of Roman empereors, unbroken from Augustus.) He went to Ieland to study. Upon his return, he converted his parents, and they adopted an austere lifestyle.

At Llancarfan, near Cardiff, Wales, Cadoc founded a great monastery and is said to have fed "daily a hundred clergymen, and a hundred soldiers, and a hundred workmen, and a hundred poor peresons, with the same number of widows, and many guests besides." Some of the most famous Celtic saints, such monastery.

Cadoc then became a hermit on the Bristol Channel island of Flat Holm, where he was joined by a pupil, Finian of Clonard. According to lore, the rocks in the channel (known as "the wolves") were wolves who had attempted to swim the channel to get Cadoc's sheep, and he had turned them into stone.

In the 560's Cadoc went to Scotland and reportedly founded a monastery west of Stirling. Machan became one of his disciples. A church is dedicated to Cadoc at Cambusland in the Clyde Valley. Later Cadoc traveled from Glamorgan north to the River Usl. he also went to Rome (seven times) Jerusalem (Three times) and Greece.

At Jerusalem he visited the River Jordan and filled a flask with its water. He took the water back to Cornwall where he poured it into a healing well, thereby increasing its healing powers many times. St. Cadoc's well remained famous for 300 years. Also, the well is said to have been created on a journey to visit St. Michael's Mount, where Cadoc struck his staff on the ground and out sprang a well of water.

Cadoc went to Brittany where he worked as a missionary. After his return to Britain, he was involved in the Saxon occupation. He was martyred by the Saxons near Weedon, England.

Cadoc is the patron of at least 25 churches and chapels in Wales.

Feast: September 25

Patronage: glandular disorderes

FURTHER READING

Doble, Gilbert H. The Saint of Cornwall, Parrt Four. Felifach,

Cornwall: Llanearch Publishers, 1998

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TODAY'S SAINT (PACIFIC OF SANSEVERINO)

PACIFIC OF SAN SEVERINO

Priest

Born in 1653, St. Pacific was orphaned when he was quite young and was raised by an uncle. At the age of seventeen he entered the Franciscan Order and after his ordination he was asigned to minister to the Apennine mountain villages of Italy. Affter a successful apostolate of some seven years, he was stricken with an incapacitating illness and resigned himself to thirty years as a semi-invalid. He transformed these years into an intense apostolate of prayer and became famous for his patiennce, austerity, and gift of prophecy.

PRAYER

God, the giver of ass gifts, You adorned St. Pacific with

the virtue of unusuall patience and with the love of sol-

itude. Through his intercession, may we walk in his

footsteps and obtain a like reward. Amen

Feast: September 24

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TODAY'S SAINT (Constantius)

CONSTANTIUS

According to St Gregory the Great, St. Constantius, a layman, was sacristan of the famous Cathedral of St. Stephen at Ancona, Italy. In monastec garb, he attended to his duties with a great spirit of perfection which belied his slight stature. He was known as a wonderworker, and one of his deeds consisted in keeping the lamps of the church lighted even with water or oil in them. Word of his holiness and extraordinary powers spread far and wide, prompting many to ask spiritual favors of him.

The character of the saint is best illustrated by a story told about him. One day a rude fellow happened into the church and at the sight of the saint on a ladder attending to the lamps refused to believe in his sanctity. Instead, he began to insult and ridcule the man of God, calling him a liar and a man full of pride; St. Constantius, hearing this tirade, ran to the man and embraced and kissed him in gratitude for having seen him as he was and telling him so. As St. Gregory remarked, he thus gave conclusive proof that he was as great in humility as in miracles.

PRAYER

God,through the intercession of St. Constantius, grant

that we may overcome all feelings of pride. May we

always serve You with that humility which pleases You,

through his meritsand example. Amen

Feast: September 22

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TODAY'S SAINT (Thomas of Villanova)

THOMAS OF VILLANOVA

Bishop

St. Thomas was born in the Kingdom of Castile, Spain, in 1488, but he was called "of Villanova" after the town where he was educated. From his pious parents he learned that charity for the poor which distinguished his later life and which he practiced from his earliest childhood. After years of innocence and virtue, at the age of fifteen he was sent to the University of Alcala, which had reccently been founded by cardinal Ximenez. The Cardinal gave him a place in the College of St. Ildefonso. After eleven years of edifying conduct, having obtained the degree of master of arts, he became professor of philosophy.

From Alcala he removed to Salamanca, where he taught moral philosophy two years. In 1518, he took the habit of the Augustinian Order in that city, about the same time that Luther was leaving it in Germanny. After his novitiate he was ordained a priest in 1520 and began to devote himself to the work of the ministry. His zeal was such that he was soon known as "the Apostle of Spain." At the same time, he taught theology in the Augustinian College at Salamanca, allowing himself no relaxation in his rule. After filling several honorable positions in his Order, he was prevailed upon to become Archbishop of Valencia in 1544.

In the episcopacy he lived as a poor man, giving an example worthy of the first ages, and enjoying the confidence of his brother Bishops. His health prevented him from assisting at the Council of Trent, at which he was represented by the Bishop of Huesca. Finally his life of self-denial drew to a close and he expired in 1555.

PRAYER

God, You made St. Thomas an outstanding exemplar

of Divine love and the Faith that conquers the world,

and added him to the role of saintly pasttors. Grant by

his intercesion that we may persevere in Faith and love

and become sharers of his glory. Amen.

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TODAY'S SAINT (Matthew the Apostle)

MATTHEW THE APOSTLE

One of Jesus' Twelve Disciples, author of the first

book of the New Testment, martyr

Also known as: Appostle of Ethioppia; Levi; Matthias

of Jerusalem

Matthew was born in Capernaum on Lake Genesareth (the Sea of Galilee), the son of Alphaeus (Alpheus). He was named Levi, or perhaps Levi Matthew, although it is more probable that Jesus conferred the name Matthew on him when he called him to join his apostolate.

At the time of his call, Matthew was working as a Roman tax collector, a job regarded by his fellow Jews as selling out to the enemy. He hosted a feast for Jesus and the other disciples to which he also invited other tax collectors. When this drew criticism from the pharesees, Jesus replied: "I came not to call only the just, but sinners also."

Apart from his inclusion in the lists of apostles, the Bible contains little further mention of Matthew, although accordding to St. Peter he was with the group the entire time. He was a witness to the Resurrection, and, after the Ascennsion, he was selected by lot to replace Judas Iscariot.

Accounts of Matthew's later life are conflicting. Ancient sources agree that he spint some time preaching among the Hebrews, but differ in the amount of time. There is agrement that he later left Palestine, but not as to where he went. By tradition, he evangelized in Ethiopia to the south of the Caspian Sea (not the Ethiopia in Africa), hence his title as the Apostle of Ethiopia. However, he may also have preached in Perrsia, Macedonia and Syria.

Matthew was the author of the First Gospel of the New Testament, a work intended to convince Jewish readers that their anticipated Messiah had indeed arrived in the person of Jesus Christ. Other writings, now considered apocryphal, are also attributed to him.

There is no certainty about how, when or where Matthew died, but he is widely (though not universally) believed to have been martyred. By tradition, he was tortured before death, though there is no agreement about whether he was burned, stoned or beheaded. The places most often given for his martyrdom are Colchis and Jerusalem. The date is sometimes given as ca. 120, but this seems much too late to be accurate. Relics alleged to be his were removed from Colchis by Empress St. Helena and are now venerated at St. Maatthias's abbey in Trier, Germany.

In art, Matthew is represented as an elderly apostle or winged man holding or being pierced with an axe (German images), lance (Italian images), halberd, scimitar or sword.

Faest: September 21 (in the West), November 16 (in Greece)

Patronage: accountants; bankers; bookkeepes; customs offi-

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guards; stock brokers; tax collectors

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TODAY'S SAINTS (Andrew Kim Taegon)

ANDREW KIM TAEGON

(d. 1846)

One of the Korean Martyrs

Also know as: Andrew Kim

Andrew Kim was born to the nobility. Both his parents converted to Christianity, and his father died a martyr. Christianity did not come to Korea until the 1600's. Korea's rulers, maintained a policy of total isolationism, keeping out any Western influence and making entry into Korea practically imposible. In 1784, Pietro Yi was the first Korean to be baptized at Pechino. but he denied his faiiith in the perseccutions of 1791, started when a Korean Christian noble refused to burn incensee to honor the memory of hhis mother.

By 1801, sporadic and localized persecutions had been extended to the entire country. One Chinese priest who had managed to enter Korea offered himself as a sacrifice, hoping that his death might stop the sufferings of other Christians. Authorities beheaded him on May 31, 1801, but did not end the persecutions. Martyrdom inspired the faithful, and Korea's tiny Catholic community petitioned other countries to send priests. France answered the Koreans' prayers, secretly slipping several bishops and priests, all members of the foreign Mission Society of Paris, into the country.

In 1839, the return of the conservative faction to Korean goverrnment resulted in widespread persecution, lasting until 1846. Three French clerics---two priests and the bishop Msgr. Laurence Imbert--all died by beheading on September 21, 1839.

Andrew Kim had been baptized at 15. He then traveled 1,300 miles from Korea to the nearest seminary in China. He also studied Latin in Macao. Slipping back into Korea in 1845, he became the forst native-born Korean ordained a priest, working tirelessly to bring the Sacraments to the people until Korean tribesmen captured, tortured, then beheaded him at the edge of a river at sunset on September 16, 1846. Terrified followers retrieved his body late that night, taking it into the mountains for a proper and safe burial.

Only two letters remain from Andrew Kim: one to the vicar apostolic bishop who ordained him, and one to his followers, exhorting them to keep the faith. One of those faithful was paul chong Hasang, who was kill less than a week later on September 22.

Persecutions rose again in 1861. Two more French bishops and a number of missionaries were martyred, as well as many ordinary Koreans. Estimattes rum as high as 10,000 over the two periods. Official persecutions ended in 1886; uup unttil 1881, Chrristianity was referred to in government documents as "the perversse doctrine." Today Christianity flourishes in South Korea and struggles on as the Church of Silence in communist North Korea.

On May 6, 1984, Pope John Paul II held services in Seoul to canonize 103 saints, including Andrew Kim and Paul Chong Hasang, as representatives of the Korean martyrs. The saints' feast day was inserted into the Calendar of the Universal Church.

Beatified: July 1925, martyrs of the 1839-46 persecutions

by Pope Pius XI; October 1968, martyrs of the 1861-66

pesecutions by Pope Paul VI

Canonized: May 6, 1984, by Pope John Paul II

Feast: September 20

Patronage: Korean clergy

FURTHER READING

"Saints Andrew Kim Taegon, Paul Chong Hasang and Companion

Martyrs in Korea." Dafily Catholic. Section Two, vol. 10, no. 1778,

September 20, 1999, www.dailycatholic.org

www.americancatholic.org/features/saints/byname.asp

www.catholic.org/saints/stindex.php

www.catholic-pages.com/dir/saints.asp

TODAY'S SAINTS (Januarius)

JANUARIUS

(d. ca. 304-305)
Martyred bishop

Also known as: Gennnaro

Few facts are known about Janarius, who is famous for the miraculons liquefaction of tis dried blood several times a year. The bishop of Benecento, Italy, he was caught up in the presecutions of Emperor diocketian. According to one account, Janarius was denounced under torture by Socias, decon of the church of Miseno, Proculus, deacon of Pozzuoli, and laymen Eutychetes and Acuutius, who had been imprisoned in Nola by Timothy, governor of the province of Campania. Timothy had Januarius arrested and brought to him. when Januarius would not deny his faith, Timothy had a fire stoked in a furnace for three days and threw the saint into it. The flames would not touch him. He was sent back to prison.

Hearing of his travail, his decon, Festus, and lector, Desiderius, traveled to Nola and were arrested. They were bound in chains and dragged by chariot toPozzuoli, where Timothy had decreed that all seven men would be thrown to the lions. The beasts, however, ran to Jauarius and laid down at his feet.

Enraged, Timothy declared this to be magic and ordered them beheadeed. Januarius prayed for God to Punish him with blindness, and Timothy was struck blind. He suffered such great pain that he summoned Januarius and begged for his vision back, Janarrius prayed and the man's vision was restored. So amazed was the crowd of 5,000 that they converted. The execution was still carrried out, and Januarius and his commpanions were beheaded on September 19. Three days beforehand, Januariuss's mother had a dream of him flying to heaven. Upon hearing of his imprisonment, she beecame so distraught that she died. After the executionns, Timothy suffered great torments and pain and died.

The relics of Januarius were buried near the town of Marciano between Pozzuoli and Naples. In 402, the bishop of Naples had the body taken to Naples, where it was interred in the catacombs. Ceremonies were observed in April and September.

In 831 a Benevento nobleman managed to take possesion of all the relics save for the skill. For several huundred years, the saint's bones toured Italy, finally returning to Naples at the end of the 13th century. Charles II, king of Naples, had a cathedral built for the enshrinement of the skull.

Two vials of dried blood also appeared. According to legend, the blood had been collected by a serving woman from the stone upon which Januarius had been beheaded. The vials had been buried with his body in Naples. It is not known whether the vials of blood toured with the rest of the relics, or if they were added after their return to naples. Most likely, they were added. The two feasts in honor of Januarius were formalized in 1337, and records make no mention of the vials of blood.

The first miracle of the liquefying blood was recorded in 1389, while a priest was holding the vials in a proccession. On the Mass of St. Januarius, a vial of dried blood was set upon the altar and shortly seen to soften and change color, as though taken from a living man.

From 1608 to 1646, a special chapel was constructed next to the cathedral solely for the skull. Beginning in 1659, the Church has documented the ritual liquefactiomn of the blood. More the 1,000 books, articles and studies, in Italian alone, have been written on this miracle. Some limited scientific tests have been done. No natural explanation has ever been found.

The hermetically sealed vials are enclosed in a cylindrical silver and glass case, which is attached to a large silver monstrance that has a handle. One vial is large than the other , and is about two-thirds filled with dried blood. The second, smaller vial has only a few drops. Only the blood in the larger vial undergoes the lipuefaction.

The vials are lept in a vault in Naples Cathhedral and brought out for certain occasions: the first Sunday in May. which commemorates the translation of the relics to Naples; September 19, the feast day of the saint; and December 16, the commemoration of the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 1631, when the blood liquefied for 30 days.

In the ceremonies, the blood is brought out by procesion to the altar, wherre rests a sillver bust containing the skull of Januarius. A key part of the ceremony is the presence of the "relatives of Januarius" or "aunts of Januarius," a group of elderly women who have inherited their status down through the generations. As soon as the blood is taken out of the vault, they begin to scream and beg Januarius to liquefy his blod. The entire event becomes one of increasing hysteria as onlookers join the shouting and screaming.

Sometimes the blood liquefies quickly, within minutes, and sometimes takes several hours to change. A red cloth is waved at the first sign of liquefaction, which adds to the hysteria. The dignitaries are allowed to kiss the container. The blood is then paraded through the cathedral while a Te Deum is sung.

On rare occasions, the blood does not liquefy. This is considered an ill omen for the city. In May 1976, the blood did not change, and an earthquake soon struck Naples. Other failures have been associated with famine, disease and political upheaval.

The blood does not simply change from solid to liquid, but goes through several stages. It first changes color from ddark between to yellow-red to scarlet. The dried substance becomes pasty and finally more viscous than normal blood. Usually a small lump remains unchanged and floats in the liquid. Sometimes the liquid bubbles and froths. The volume of the dried blood changes dramatically, as does its weight. During the May ceremonies, the larger vial often fills with liquid, but during the September ceremoniess, the volume of the vial decreases. Strangely, the volume increases when liquefaction occurs slowly and decreases when it occurs quickly--the opposite of what might be exxpected. Furthermore, the weight of the vials increases when the volume decreases, and vice versa.

The liquefaction does not seem to be the result of temperature, for it happens regardless of the temperature inside the cathedral. The container is held only by the handle and the crystal sides are not touched. It is not shaken, though it is turned upside down by officials to check for the begining of liquefaction.

In 1902, a spectroscopic analysis determined that the vials did contain real blood. Unfortunately, the vials are permanently sealed by hardened putty and cannot be opened for further testing of the contents. Opening them would break them and some or much of their contents would be lost. And even if the bials could be safely opened, tests would still require the sacrifice of some of the contents.

As early as the begining of the 20th century, it was hypothesized that the psychic hysteria of the onlookers and the "aunts" created the conditions that made the liquefaction possible. However, the blood has been known to liquefy spontaneously when it has been moved for cleaning.

Another mysterious phenomenon involvent Januarius has occurred when his ceremonies are observed .In Pozzuoli, a Capuchin monastfery has the marble block upon which Januarius was beheaded. when the ceremonies are held in Naples, the stone has turned deep red. On rare occcasions it also has dripped blood. Samples of the blood have been laboratory tested and determined to be genuine human blood. Besides some feast ceremonies, the stone bled on February 22, 1860, when a church in Naples dedicated to the saint caught fire.

Feeast: September 19

Patronage: blood banks

FURTHER READING

"The Life of St. Januarius." Tr. Edward P. Graham.

www.fordham.edu/halsall/basis/januarius.html

Rogo, D. Scott. Miracles: A Scientific Exploration of Wondrous

Phenomena. London: A Aquarian Press, 1991

www.americancatholical.org/features/saints/bynames.asp

www.catholic.org/saints/stindex.php

www.catholic-pages.com/dir/saints.asp

TODAY'S SAINT (Joseph of Copertino)

JOSEPH OF COPERTINO

(1603-1663)

Franciscan mystic

Also known as: Joseph of Cupertino

Joseph of Copertino was born Joseph Dessa in 1603 in Cupertino, Italy, the town that later gave him his surname. His father, a poor carpenter, died before his birth. Creditors drove his mother out of her home, and she was forced to give birth to Joseph in a stable. He had deformed feet.

As a child, Joseph exhibited mental dullness and an irascible temper. At age eighht he had his first ecstatic vision. He was a poor student, and was nicknamed "Boca Apertura" ("the Gaper") because of his incessant staring and going about with his mouth oppen--characteristics of his trance states.

At age 17 he applied for admission to the Friars Minnor Conventuals, but was rejected because of his lack of education. The Capuchins at Martino near Tarento took him in as a lay brother, but then dismissed him because his continual ecstasies made him unable to work. Finally the Franciscans at La Grotella near Cupertino admitted him as an oblate, or lay brother, and assigned him to work in the stables. There his disposition improved and in 17628 he was ordained as a priest.

Joseph's life was comprised of visions and mystical experiences. Almost anything holy would tigger an ecstatic experience: the name of God, Mary or a saint; the tolling of a church bell; church music; sacred images; and even thoughts about sacred things would send Joseph into another state of consciousnes. He was especialy prone to mystical experience during Mass. During his trances, he did not respond to any stimuli, even the piercing of his flesh with needles or the dragging about of his body, except for the voice of his superior.

Joseph especially became famous for his spectacular levitations and aerial flights. He would rise several feet into the air, sometimes enraptured by the sound of heavenly music that only he could hear. He would fly about over the heads of others and remain suspended in the air for long periods of time. He flew up to holy statues and to altars. Whenever he rose into the air, he would give out a shriek of ecstasy. The total number of his levitations is not known; more than 70 were recorded during his early years at La Grotella alone.

His flights happened both indoors and outdoors. Once he saw a lamb in the garden of the Capuchins at Fossombrone, and went into a rapture over the Lamb of God, rising into the air witth the lamb in his arms. After hearing a priest say, "Father Joseph, how beautiful God has made heaven," he flew up to a branch on an olive tree and kneeled on the branch for half an hour, bending it no more than would a smal bird.

In 1644 he amazed the Spanish ambassador to the Papal Court, his wife and attendants, by flying over their heads to a statue of Mary in church. The ambassador's wife fainted and had to be revived with smelling salts.

When he visited Pope Urban VIII (r. 1623-44) in Rome, he kissed the pontiff's feet and rose spotaneously into the air. The amazed pope said that if Joseph died before he, he would attest to the miracle himself.

Joseph's ecstasies and aerial flights--and the crowds who came to witnesss them--were so disruptive that for more than 35 years he was not allowed to say Mass, take part in any processions or choir exercise, or even eat meals with the other friars. He was ordered to remain in his room, where a private chapel was built for him.

In 1653 Joseph was brought before the Inquisition. Asked by the inquisitors to say Mass, he began doing so and suddenly rose in the air with a joyous shriek. He remained suspended in the air over flowers and lighted candles with his arms out like a cross, unaffected by the flames.

For the last 10 years of his life, he was shuttled from one remote Capuchin or Franciscan monastery to another, a virual prisoner. Whenever people discovered him, crowds would gather to see him. Throughout this banishment, Joseph remained in remarkably good humor. He maintained his rigorous fasting and mortifications. He kept seven Lents of 10 days every year, eating noting except on Thursday and Saturdays.

Joseph's last monastery was the conventual house in Osimo. There he flew eight feet into the air to kiss a statue of Jesus, and then carried it to his cell, where he floated about with it. He also carried another friar into the air. On one occasion he had a vision of angels ascending to and descending from heaven, and flew into an almond tree . The tree became known as "the almond tree of St. Joseph."

Other maraculous powers and abilities were attributed to Joseph. He could bilocat. He was prophetic and had numerous accurate visions of the future. He could read the minds and hearts of others, and knew their secret, unconfesed sins. He could control the elements and stop storms. He had comand over animals, even greater than that of St. Francis of Assisi. Once he sent a bird to the nuns of St. Clare at Cupertino to accompany them in their singing. Another time he summoned sheep to gather around him and began recitation of the Litany of Loreto. The sheep bleated the responses.

He exuded a sweet perfume that clung to everything he used, and permeated the rooms he entered. He could detect the stench of sin. Once he was overcome with stench, and asked permission to go to town. There he went straight to a home where in dwelt sorcerers. Furious, he broke all their vessels with his cane.

Whden Joseph had arrived at Osimo, he predicted he would die there, and his death would come on a day when he would not receive the Eucharist. On August 10, 1663, he was stricken with fever. For five days he was able to get up and say Mass in his private oratory.

Then he was confined to bed and could receive only the Eucharist. Once, he heard the sound of the bell announcing the approach of the Eucharist, and went into a rapture, rising up from his bed and flying to the stairs above the chapel, his face suffused with radiance. he had numerous other levitations and ecstasies during this period. On septemberr 17, he received his last Eucharist. As he lay dying the following day,m Joseph asked God to burn and rive (tear) his his heart. The embalmers were shocked to find his heart withfered and dry, and the ventricles without blood. Joseph is entombed in the basilica at Osimo.

Pope Clement XIV (r. 1769-74) extended his office to the entire Church, but his cult now is confined to local calendars.

Beatified: 1753 by Pope Benedict XIV

Canonized: July 16, 1776, by Pope Clement XIII

Feast: September 18

Patronage: air travelers; astronauts; aviators; flier; pilots

FURTHER READING

Charles, Rodney, and Anna Jordan. Lighterr Than Air: miracles of Human

Flight from Christian Saints to Native American Spirits. Fairfield, Iowa:

Sunstar Publishing, 1995.

Pastrovicchi, Angelo. St. Josfeph of Copertino. Tr. Francis S. Laing. Rock-

ford, Ill.: TAN Books and Publishers 1994

www.americancatholic.org/features/saints/byname.asp

www.catholic.org/saints/stindex.php

www.catholic-pages.com/dir/saints.asp

TODAY'S SAINTS (Robert Bellarmine)

ROBERT BELLARMINE

(1542-1621)

Cardinal, theologian, Doctor of the Church

Robert Bellarmine was born on October 4, 1542 in Montepulciano, Tuscany, to a noble family. His mother, Cinzia Cervini, a niece of Pope Marcellus II (r. 1555), was a devout woman. In 1560 Robert joined the Jesuits and was sent to Rome to study at the Jesuit Roman College. In 1563 he taught classics at the Jesuit colleges of Florence and then Mondavi in Piedmont. In 1567 he went to the University of Padua to study Thomistic theology. Upon graduation he became the first Jesuit professor at the University of Louvain. He was ordained in 1570. For the next five years, he taught Thomistic theology, Greek and Hebrew at Louvain. He studied the Scriptures and began writing.

In 1567 Pope Gregory XIII (r. 1572-85) brought him to Rome to be chair of controversial theology at the Roman College. The lectures that Robert gave at the college became the foundation for one of his most significant works, Controversies of the Christian Faith against the Heretics of This time, a defense of Catholic theology against Protestantism. Three volumes of Controversies were published between 1586 and 1593. But Pope SixtusV (r. 1585-90) thought Robert went too far in limiting the pope's temporal jurisdiction, and he intended to include Controversies on his revised Index , a list of forbidden books. Sixtus died before the list was published, thus sparing Robert official censure.

Despite his disapproval of Controversies, Sixtus, prior to his death in 1590, sent Robert to Paris to serve and theological advise to Cardinal Enrico Gaetani during a bitter civil war. Robert was there during a siege of the city by Henry of Navarre, who claimed the throne as Henry IV, and his health, delicate from childhod, suffered.

Upon his return to Rome Robert served as spiritual director of the Roman college, where he met Aloysius Gonzaga, destined for sainthood himself.

In 1592 Robert was named superior of the college, and in 1594 or 1595 was named provincial of Naples. He was recalled to Rome in 1597 by Pope Clement VIII (r. 1592-1605), who apointed him his own theologian and also examiner of bishops and consultor of the Holy Office. In 1599 Clement made him a cardinal.

When Clement died in 1605, Robert was put forward as a successor, but the electors did not care for the fact that he was a Jesuit. Pope Loe XI reigned only 26 days, and Robert was again advanced as a successor, but he lost to Pope Paul V (r. 1605-21).

Robert remained as a memberr of the Holy Office and became involved in Church disputes and camppaigns against hereies. He became head of the Vatican Library in 1605. In 1615, he warned that the heliocentric theory of the universe was "a very dangerous thing" because it contradicted the Scriptures, and urged Galileo to drop his defense of it. When the Holy Office condemned the theory, it fell to Robert to convey the decision to Galileo and receive his submission. He opposed severe action against Galileo.

Robert lived long enough to see Pope Gregory XV (r. 1621-23) elect in 1621. His health failing, he deied on September 17 of that year in Rome. His relics are in the church of St. Ignatius there.

Robert's career was propelled by his brilliant and prolific writings. At Louvain he authored a hebrew grammar and a work on the Fathers of the Church. Besides controbersies, he wrote two catechisms, one for children and one for eachers, both of which have had continual popularity. He also wrote numerouss catechetical and spirtual treatises, commentaries on the Scriptures and other works. The Mind's Ascent to God and The Art of Dying Well remain populaar in present times.

Throughout his life, even after his appointment as cardinal, Robert lived simply, practicing an ascetic life and giving most of his money to the poor. He once ripped the tapestries off his walls so that clothing could be made for the poor, saying , "the walls will not catch cold."

Beatified: 1923 by Pope Pius XI

Canonized: 1930 by Pope Pius XI

Declared Doctor of the Church: 1931by Pope Pius XI

Feast: September 17

Patronage: canonists; catechists; catechumens

FURTHFER READING

Godman, Pfeter. The Saint As Censor: Robert Bellarmine between

Inquisition and Index. Harrisburg, Pa.: brill Academnic Publis-

hers, 2000

Robert Bellarmine: Spirtual Writings Tr. John Parick Donnelly and

Roland J. Tteske. Mahwah, N.J.: Paulist Press, 1994

St. Robert Bellarmine. Live Well, Die Holy: The Art of Being a Saint,

Now and Forever. Manchester, N.H.: Sophia Institute Press, 1998

www.americancatholic.org/feattures/saints/bymane.asp

www.catholic.org/saints/stindex.php

www.catholic-pages.com/dir/saints.asp

TODAY'S SAINT (Cyprian of Carthage)

CYPRIAN OF CARTHAGE

(ca. 200-258)

Bishop of Carthage, Father of the Church, martyr

Cyprian's full Latin name was Thaschus Caecilius Cyprianus. Nothing is known of his early life, apart from the fact that he was well-established and wealthy at the time of his conversion to Christianity. He was converted by a priest named Caecilianus, with whom he lived for a while, and who on his deathbed asked him to care for his wife and family. His baptism took place around the year 246, apparently on April 18, Easter Eve.

Even as a catechumen Cyprian decided to observe chastity. He sold his property, including his gardens at Carthage, and gave most of his revenues to the poor. He was elected bishop of Carthage in 248 or 249, with the dissent of five priests who remained his liffelong enemies.

In its first centuries, the Christian Church was subjected to a series of perscutions from Rome. One, the Decian persecution, began in October 249 when Emperor Decius issued an edict sentencing all bishops to death and other believers to be punished and tortured until they recanted. Cyprian went into hiding, an action for which he was much criticized by his enemies. However, he continued to shepherd his see. He wrote panegyrics on Christians who were martyred and provided financial aid to the faithful. When the persecution let up early in 251, Cyprian made priests of some who had resisted, been tortured and banished.

Nevertheless, the majority of Christians--in Carthage as well as in Rome and elsewhere--had denied their faith. Their lives no longer threatened, many now clamored for forgiveness and restoration. Cyprian convened a council inn Apriil 251, which decided to accept the former apostated after they had done appropriate penance, a position endorrsed by Pope St. Cornelius (r. 251-253). However, the five priests opposed to Cyprian accepted the lapsed without penance, while in Rome, a priest named Novatian held that none should be accepted again under any circumstances.

A related issue of rebaptism arose. Since heretics--and by extension apostates--did not follow the canonical teachings of the Church, were their baptisms invalid? Or were baptisms performed through the agency of God and therefore valid under any circumstance? Since the Church held that there could be only one baptism in a lifetime, this was not a trivial issue, but itself the basis for declaring heresy. Cyprian and the other Eastern bishops routinely rebaptized the lapsed, a practice condoned by Cornelius and Pope St. Lucius I (r. 253-254) although the Church of Rome believed it unnecessary. Pope St. Stephen I (r. 254-257) took a stronger stand on Church orthodoxy, declaring that the lapsed everywhere should be reconciled only with a laying-on of hands, thus alienating Cyprian and others.

A new round of persecutions (announced by numerous visions, according to Cyprian) began under Emperor Valerian, and this time Cyprian was not so fortunate. He was arrested on August 30, 257, and taken before the proconsul Peternus, but refused to renounce his faith. Early in September he had a dream foretelling his martyrdom. He awoke from the dream in teror, but once awake, calmly awaited its fulfillment. This came on the morning of September 14, when he was tried, sentenced and beheaded. Before dying, he ordered that 25 gold pieces be given to his executioner.

Members of his flock observing his execution held cloths and handkerchiefs before him to catch his blood. His dismembered body lay exposed for the rest of the brethren carried him in a funeral procession to the cemetery of Macrobius Candidianus in the suburb of Mapalia. He was the first bishop of Carthage to be martyred.

Feast: September 16 (in the West); August 31 (in the East)

Patronage: Algeria; North Africa

www.catholic.org/saints/stindex.php

www.catholic-pages.com/dir/saints.asp

PRAYERR

God, you gave Your people St. Cyprian as zealous Priests

and courageous Martyr. Through his intercession, let us be

strengthened in faith and persistence so that we may work

strenuously fo the unity of the Church. Amen.

TODAY'S SAINT (Catherine of Genoa)

CATHEINE OF GENOA

(1447-1510)

Extraordinary mystic

Catherine of Genoa was born in 1447 in Gennoa, Italy, to Jacopo Fieschi and Francesca Di Negro, both members of illustrious families. The Fieschi family boasted two popes, Innocent IV (r. 1243-54) and Adrian V (r. 1276). Jacopo became the viceroy of Naples.

A delicate child with a rech inner life, Catherine began to do penance at age eight by replacing her soft bed with straw and a wooden block for a pillow. She felt intense physical pain whenever she gazed upon her favorite image of Jesus, "La Pieta." At age 12 she began to ray earnestly, and at age 13 announced her desire to become a nun at the convent of Our Lady of Grace, along with her sister Limbania. The convent turned her away because of her age, however.

When Catherine was 16, her parents married her against her wishes to a young nobleman, Giuliano Adorno, who proved to be unfaithful, mean-tempered and a spendthrift. Catherine spent five years in depressed misery and another five years trying to amuse herself in various activities.

Around 1473 she had a life-changing mystical experience. Urged by her sister nun to go to confession on the day following the feast of St. Bfenedict, Catherine complied but without enth-usiasm. When she knelt in the confessional, she felt herself pierced by a burning ray of divine love that swept her into an ecstasy. She felt united with God and purged of her miseries. The confessor was not witness to this, having been called out of the booth. when he returned, she could only murmur that she would leave her confession for another time. She went home, on fire and wounded with the love of God, and closed herself in her room to weep and sigh. Thereafter, she often beheld a vision of Jesus nailed to the cross.

Catherine made her genral confession and felt cleansed of her sins. For narly 14 months, she remained in an exalted state of consciousness. She expereienced intense contrition, self-hatred and total absorption in Christ, who showed he his flaming Sacred Heart. In her contrition, she would lick the earth with her tongue, not knowing what she was doing. So complete was her mystical union that she felt her own heart die within her and proclaimed, "I live no longer, but Christ lives in me."

Catherine's interior state remained profoundly changed for the rest of her life; she was sustained by a burning inner fire. She had many encounters with Christ and was taken into heaven to see the realms of the angels.

For four years, she quit the world as much as possible. She imposed upon herself strict mortification and penance. She wore hair cloth and ate no meat or fruit. She slept on "sharply pointed things" and kept her eyes cast downward. She spoke to others as little possible and in as low a voice as possible. She spent six hours a day in prayer in such states of intensity that she seemed like one dead to others. She yearned for death.

For 23 Lents and Advents, she was unable to eat, and could consume only a glassful of water, vinegar and pounded salt. Because of these and other measures, Catherine was often seriously ill. She received the conventional medical treatments, which included bloodletting. This especially was believed to relieve her inner fire.

In spite of her self-inflicted sufferings, Catherine managed to do volunteer work in hospitals and among the poor. Reduced to poverty herself thanks to Giuliano, she was given funds to aid others by the Ladies of Mercy. In here volunteer work, Catherine sought suffering for herself as well. She cleaned houses of "the most disgusting filth," often puting it into her own mouth in order to overcome the disgust it produced. She took home clothing covered with filth and vermin and cleaned them, returning them to their owners. Remarkably, she was never affected by what she touched.

Cathereine became manger and treasurer of the largest hospital in Genoa.

Somehow she managed to convert her wayward huusband, who became a Third Order Fran-ciscan and agreed to live with her in contience. Giuliano died in 1497.

Beginning around 1491, Catherine began to suffer from a mysterious malady that doctors did not know how to treat. It did not seem to be either physical or spiritual; it left he greatly debilitated. In 1493, Catherine nearly died of the plague. She recovered, but remained permanently weakened.

Cathereine followed her own inner guidance and would not submit to the spiritual direction of anyone else. She often told others that she could not put into words what she experienced. In 1495 a Father Marabotti became her spiritual adveser, and helped here to compile her memoirs in her Life and Doctrine.

In 1509 her food intake, which had never been good, declined drastically; she ate in a week what most people would eat in a day. That soon dropped to nothing more than small quantities of broth.

Nonetheless, Catherine attracted many visitors, who saw perfection in her. She touched others with her "burning words of divine love." But as her strength ebbed, she was able to utter only phrases and words, such as " Love of God" and "charity, union and peace," and finally just "God." She suffered violent attacks in which she would seem to writhe as if in flames of fire, and would cease beathing. She felt her heart wounded with a new ray of divine love, which caused more severe bodily pain.

On January 10,1510, she lost sight and speech, and made sight to be given last rites. She recovered her senses but continued to suffer in agony. By May doctors said they coould do nothing for her and that her was "supernatural." her last months were spent in excruciating pain. She could not tolerate taking any food or liquid.

On September 12, black blood flowed from her mouth and her body was covered with black stripes. She bled violently again on September 14. That evening, she indicated she would take her Communion in heaven. She died uttering, "Into thy hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit." She was seen by several persons ascending to heaven clothed in white and on a white cloud.

Catherine's body was interred in the hospital of the Pammatone, the largest hospital in Genoa, where she had done much of her work. It was disinterred nearly a year later when it was discovered that a conduit of water ran behind the tomb. Though the wood coffin was decayed and filled with worms, the body was untouched and incorrupt, and appeared to have been dried out. Her body was put on public display for eight days, and pilgrims claimed to be cured. Prior to her death, Catherine had instructed that her heart be examined after death to see if it had been consumed by divine love, but this was not done.

Cathderine's body was examined by physicians in 1834 and on May 10, 1960. Though brown, dry and riged, her relic was determined to be free of embalming or any treatment for preser-vation.

The body was placed into a marble sepulchere in the hospital. It was moved to various locations in 1551, 1593 and 1642. In 1694 it was moved to a glass-sided reliquary placed high on an altar in a church built in her honor in the quarter of Portoria, Genoa.

Catherine wrote Spiritual Dialogue between the Soul, the Body, Self-Love, the Spirit, Hum-anity and the Lord God and Treatise on Purgatory, two mystical works that proved her sanctity for canonization and remain respected today.

In her writings, Catherine exhortss people to seek nothing less than complete union with God. Without the grace of God, she said, man is nothing more than the devil. She said the human intellect could not comprehend the true nature of pure love, which is incapable of suff-ering.

Beatified: 1675 by Pope Clement V

Canoized: 1737 by Pope Clement XII

Feast: September 15

FURTHERE READING

"The Life and Doctrine of Saint Catherine of Genoa.

www.ccel.wheaton..edu/c/catherine_genoa/life

TODAY'S SAINT (Triumph of the Cross)

TRIUMPH OF THE CROSS

When the Sacred Body of Jesus was taken down from the Cross and carried to the grave on Calvary, the Cross soon which He died was thrown into a ditch or well. and covered over with stones and earth, so that the followes of the Crucified Redeemer might not find it. Almost three hundred years later (312 A.D.), Constantinne the Great, not yet a Chriistian, while battling with Maxentius for the throne of the Roman Empire, prayed to the God of the Christians to aid him in his struggle.

In answer to his prayer, a luminous cross or monogram of Christ apeared in the heavens bearing the inscrrription: "In gratitude for victory, under this banner, over Maxentius at the Milvian Bridge, on October 28, 312, Constantine had the Sign of Christianity placed on the Roman standards and on the shields of his soldiers. Then came the finding of the True Cross a Jerusalem by St. Helena in 326, commemorated by a feast on May 3.

In the year 614, Chosroes II, King of Persia, invaded Syria and Palestine; he took and sacked Jerusalem, carrying off with other treasures the great relic of the True Cross. The Empeor Heraclius of Constantinople, at the head of a large army invaded Persia, and forced the Persiansto sue for peace and to restore the Sacred Cross, which heraclius piously brought back to Jerusalem in 629. When he reached the city gate on the way that led to Calvary, the Empereor laid aside everey robe and mark of royalty, and , clothed in sackcloth of penance and barefoot, carried the Cross up the ascent of Calvary and restored it to its place in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. This event is commemorated by the Church on September 14 in the feast of the Triumph of the Holy Cross.

PRAYER

God, You willed that Your only Son should undergo

crucifixion, to bring about the salvation of the human

race. Grant that we who have known His mystery on

earth may deserve to reap the rewards of redemption

in heaven. Amen.

Feast: September 14

www.americancatholic.org/features/saints/byname.asp

www.catholic.org/saints/stindex.php

www.catholic-pages.com/dir/saints