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LIBRARY 

UNIVERSITY  OB 
CALIFORNIA 

SAN  DIEGO 


MRS.    W.   C.   BAYLIES, 

5    Commonwealth   Ave., 
BOSTON',    MASS. 


SAINTS  AND 
FESTIVALS 

of  tbc 

CHRISTIAN  CHURCH 


BY 


H.  POMEROY  BREWSTER 

Author  of  "  The  Cross  in  Iconography,  Archaeology,  Architecture 
and  Christian  Art,"  "Christian  Symbols,"  etc. 


Ulluetratefc 


NEW    YORK 

FREDERICK    A.    STOKES    COMPANY 

PUBLISHERS 


Copyright,  1904, 
BY  FREDERICK  A.  STOKES  COMPANY. 

Copyright,  1902, 
BY  THE  UNION  AND  ADVERTISER  COMPANY. 

Published  in     October,     1904. 
Jll  rights  reserved. 


TO 

THE  CHERISHED  MEMORY 

OF 

M.  P.  B. 


PUBLISHER'S  NOTE 

A  considerable  part  of  the  matter  presented  in  the  following 
pages  was  printed  a  series  of  articles  in  the  Union  and  Advertiser 
of  Rochester,  N.  Y. 

The  absolute  truthfulness  of  these  articles  from  both  archaeolog- 
ical and  historic  standpoints  as  well  as  their  entire  freedom  from 
all  denominational  bias,  with  the  knowledge  of  profane  and  eccle- 
siastical history  and  canon  law  shown  in  them,  at  once  attracted 
a  wide  circle  of  readers  and  won  the  hearty  approval  of  the  clergy 
and  laity  of  both  the  Protestant  and  Roman  branches  of  the 
Christian  Church. 

On  their  completion,  at  the  request  of  many  eminent  divines, 
the  author  has  carefully  revised  the  entire  work,  adding  to  the 
original  MSS.  much  valuable  material,  and  he  has  thus  produced 
what  is  practically  a  Church  Year  Book  in  which  is  told  the  origin, 
history  and  present  status  of  each  of  the  chief  festivals  of  the  en- 
tire Christian  Church  as  well  as  of  a  number  of  local  feasts  and 
festivals  which  obtain  in  certain  parts  of  Europe.  While  it  is  be- 
yond the  scope  of  the  present  work  to  attempt  to  tell  the  story  of 
every  one  of  the  numerous  canonized  saints  whom  the  Church  has 
chosen  to  honour,  the  author  has  each  day  throughout  the  year 
selected  a  few  of  the  most  noted  among  them  and  made  brief 
sketches  of  the  lives  of  those  who  are  remembered  on  that  day. 
But  in  the  Alphabetical  Index  are  given  the  name  and  "  saint-day" 
of  a  far  more  comprehensive  list ;  while  in  the  general  index  will 
be  found  the  names  of  those  especially  mentioned. 

As  the  largest  number  of  the  feasts,  fasts,  and  festivals  of  the 
Church  occur  on  dates  dependant  upon  the  date  of  Easter,  these 
are  spoken  of  at  approximate  dates  to  be  found  in  the  general 
index;  while  others,  like  Christmas,  whose  dates  are  fixed  are 
treated  of  on  their  proper  days. 

In  conclusion  we  may  say  that  this  book  is  the  only  one  pub- 
lished— except  those  huge  tomes  extending  into  from  twelve  to 
twenty  volumes — wherein  may  be  found  such  complete  and  tersely 
told  hagiology. 


CONTENTS 

PAGE 

INTRODUCTORY .        .  VII 

SAINTS  AND  FESTIVALS  OF  THE  CHRISTIAN  CHURCH    .      i 
A  CHRONOLOGICAL  LIST  OF  THE  BISHOPS  AND  POPES 
OF  THE  CHRISTIAN  CHURCH  FROM  THE  DEATH 

OF  SAINT  PETER 502 

ALPHABETICAL    INDEX    OF   CANONIZED    SAINTS    AND 

OTHERS 507 

GENERAL  INDEX 536 


INTRODUCTORY. 


KALENDARS  — THEIR   ORIGIN— WHEN   FIRST  USED 
—  CLOG  ALMANACS. 

It  was  the  custom  in  ancient  Rome  for  an  official  to  post  in 
some  public  place  upon  the  first  day  of  each  month  a  notice  to  ap- 
prise the  people  what  religious  ceremonies  would  occur  during 
that  current  month.  Thus  the  first  day  of  every  month  came  to 
be  known  as  the  Kalendae,  from  the  Greek  word  "  kaleo  "  (I  call, 
or  I  proclaim)  and  so  in  turn  our  word  "  kalendar  "  or  "  calendar" 
(a  book  referring  to  days)  was  derived  therefrom  and  by  custom 
its  original  meaning  broadened. 

A  similar  custom  to  that  of  the  Romans  just  mentioned  also 
prevailed  in  Greece,  but  there  the  original  Kalendar  was  not  made 
public,  an  excerpt  only  of  such  portions  of  it  being  given  out  as 
the  priests  deemed  best,  and  usually  confined  to  notices  of  the 
feasts  and  festivals  in  prospect.  The  Kalendar  in  its  entirety, 
with  its  astronomical  calculations  and  astrological  deductions,  was 
preserved  as  a  part  of  the  esoteric  learning  of  the  priests,  and  to 
advise  them  when  proper  legal  proceedings  might  be  instituted. 

About  300  B.  C.  one  Encius  Flavius,  secretary  of  Claudius  (Ap- 
pius  Caecus  the  Blind),  a  consul  of  Rome  and  the  builder  of  the 
first  aqueduct  through  the  Pontine  marshes,  exhibited  these  "  fasti 
calendares,"  as  the  monthly  proclamations  came  to  be  termed, 
upon  marble  tablets,  which  he  placed  in  the  Forum  at  Rome. 

It  has  been  said,  but  upon  what,  or  how  good  authority  I  am 
unable  to  learn,  that  the  Greeks  of  Alexandria  during  the  time  (or 
very  soon  after)  of  Ptolemy,  the  famous  Egyptian  astronomer, 
mathematician  and  geographer  of  the  II,  century,  constructed 


viii  INTRODUCTORY 

written  almanacs.  In  a  similar  way,  and  far  from  being  proven,  it 
has  been  claimed  that  there  were  Christian  almanacs  made  in  the 
IV.  century.  Whether  these  assertions  are  true  or  not,  the  first 
written  almanacs  of  which  we  have  any  fairly  authentic  record 
date  nearly  a  thousand  years  after  those  claimed  for  the  Greeks  of 
Alexandria.  These  were  prepared  by  a  learned  Jew,  a  rabbi 
and  an  author,  whose  name  is  given  by  different  writers  as  Ben 
Solomon  Jarchi,  or  Raschi,  and  as  Solomon  Jarchus,  the  last 
being  the  one  by  which  he  is  most  widely  known.  He  was  born 
in  1104  and  died  in  1180,  his  almanac  being  dated  in  1150. 

Without  doubt  the  most  famous  of  these  older  almanacs  is  the 
manuscript  almanacs  preserved  in  the  Savilian  Library,  Oxford, 
England,  and  was  prepared  by  Petrus  de  Dacia  and  is  dated  "  A. 
D.  1300."  This  almanac  comments  on  the  influence  of  the 
planets  and  the  author  has  the  credit  of  formulating  the  "  Homo 
Signorum"  (the  Man  of  Signs)  so  commonly  seen  in  our  almanacs 
to-day. 

The  first  printed  almanac  was  published  in  Buda,  Hungary  in 
1475,  and  the  first  one  in  England  appeared  in  1497,  and  bore  the 
title  of  the  "  Sheapherds'  Kalendar." 

The  first  almanac  "  with  predictions  "  was  issued  by  Michael 
Nostrandum,  which,  strange  as  it  sounds,  was  the  man's  real 
name.  He  was  "a  doctor  of  Oxford, "a  member  of  the  Royal 
College  of  Physicians  and  a  voluminous  writer  ;  born  in  1 503  and 
died  in  1 566,  two  years  after  his  almanac  appeared.  By  his  con- 
temporaries he  was  variously  regarded.  Not  a  few  considered 
him  "  as  a  driveling  idiot,"  while  others  held  him  in  high  esteem. 
Some  of  the  stories  told  of  him  border  on  the  ridiculous  for  his 
predictions  were  not  confined  to  the  weather  but  ranged  over 
every  possible  subject,  and  being  rather  a  shrewd  guesser,  he 
gained  not  a  little  reputation,  especially  among  the  more  supersti- 
tious as  "  a  prophet." 

The  next  class  of  almanacs,  and  those  which  in  some  ways  are 
the  most  interesting,  since  they  give  us  an  insight  into  the  reli- 
gious feelings  of  the  people  by  "  signs,"  not  words,  are  the  famous 
"  Clog  Almanacs,"  of  which  my  readers  will  see  many  examples 
in  the  series  of  articles  which  will  follow,  for  these  "  Clogs  "  were 


INTRODUCTORY  ix 

the  household  Kalendar  on  which  the  common  people  relied,  to 
tell  them  when  the  feasts,  fasts  and  festivals  of  the  Church  would 
occur  and  who  the  especial  saint  of  the  day  was.  There  seems  to 
be  no  date  as  to  when,  where  or  how,  they  came  into  existence, 
but,  like  the  "  tally-stick,"  or  Robinson  Crusoe's  "  calendar,"  were 
the  outcome  of  necessity  by  people  who  could  neither  read  nor 
write,  yet  must  have  some  means  of  recording  their  daily  life, 
transactions  and,  above  all,  their  church  obligations,  until  at  last 
these  "  Clogs  "  were  devoted  wholly  to  the  latter  purpose.  This 
was  the  case  when  we  find  the  first  mention  of  them  in  Eng- 
land. 

In  a  folio  written  in  1636  by  Dr.  Robert  Plot,  an  antiquarian 
and  a  somewhat  voluminous  author,  there  is  a  long  account  of 
them.  Dr.  Plot  has  been  often  and  widely  quoted  on  many  sub- 
jects, and  was  a  man  of  whom  as  noted  a  writer  as  Mr.  Hargrave 
Jennings  said  :  "  He  was  both  a  very  painstaking  and  reliable 
writer."  For  this  reason  I  condense  the  long  description  of  these 
"  Clog  Almanacs  "  for  the  benefit  of  my  readers,  though  they 
have  been  published  many  times  in  more  elaborate  shape. 
Already  when  Dr.  Plot  wrote  (1636)  their  use  in  England  was 
widespread. 

These  Clog  Almanacs  consisted  of  a  series  of  sticks,  some- 
times three  or  more,  frequently  four  in  number,  formed  of  some 
kind  of  hard  wood,  upon  which  signs  or  symbols  could  be 
engraved.  They  were  from  two  and  a  half  to  three  inches  square 
and  eight  to  twelve  inches  long,  with  a  knob  or  handle  at  the  top 
of  each.  Each  stick  served,  according  to  their  number,  for  the 
record  of  three  or  four  calendar  months.  When  four  were  used 
the  fourth  side  was  used  for  miscellaneous  emblems.  The  angle 
or  corner  of  the  stick  was  notched  (see  illustrations)  each  marking 
one  day.  Each  seventh  day  was  made  prominent  by  a  patulous 
stroke  turned  upward.  Against  these  notches,  as  the  case  might 
be,  a  saint's  day  or  some  feast,  fast  or  festival  of  the  Church,  sym- 
bols were  engraved  to  denote  the  event.  These  symbols  were  in 
a  large  measure  arbitrary  creations  and  thus  the  Clogs  of  one 
locality  varied  from  those  of  another,  save  in  regard  to  the  fixed 
church  days,  as  one  saint  would  be  especially  regarded  in  one 


x  INTRODUCTORY 

locality,  where  in  another  some  different  saints'  emblem  would 
appear. 

Occasionally  these  "  Clog  sticks "  when  intended  for  some 
public  place  were  made  very  large  and  elaborately  carved ;  but  as 
a  rule  they  were  rather  crude  affairs  and  the 
engraving,  even  on  the  best  of  them,  was 
seldom  clear  cut  and  clean,  and  in  the  speci- 
mens I  shall  give  I  have  had  them  copied  as 
nearly  as  possible  exact,  with  all  their  im- 
perfections, just  as  they  appear  in  the  set  of 
Clogs  from  which  they  are  taken,  the  origi- 
nal now  being  in  Copenhagen,  Denmark. 
These  Clogs  were  first  introduced  into  England  from  Holland, 
but  in  these,  as  in  the  Danish  ones,  the  symbols  used  seldom 
correspond  with  those  used  in  Christian  art  and  iconography,  or 
even  when  they  attempt  this  are  little  more  than  the  rudest 
possible  copies.  To  give  an  idea  in  advance  of  the  character  of 
these  symbols  the  accompanying  symbol  of  the  New  Year  is  pre- 
sented. The  perpendicular  line  being  the  angle  or  corner  of  the 
"  Clog  stick  "  and  the  one  notch  marks  the  first  day,  while  the 
circle  is  supposed  to  represent  the  complete  New  Year. 

To  illustrate  the  crudeness  of  these  em- 
blems in  many  cases  I  copy  the  Clog  Alma- ' 
nac  emblem  of  St.  Matthias  the  Apostle, 
which  appears  February  24th  and  which  one 
would  hardly  guess  is  supposed  to  represent 
a  leg. 

These    "  Clogs  "    have  sometimes    been 
termed   "  Runic   Kalendars,"   from   certain 
"  supposed "  Runic   characters  found  upon 
some  of  the  earliest  specimens,  more  espe- 
cially those  used  during  the  reign  of  Queen  ; 
Elizabeth  in  England.     But  it  was  no  infre- 
quent case  that  the  owners  of  these  sticks 
interpolated  upon  them  designs  of  their  own' 
to  mark  some  date  or  event  which  they  wished  still  to  keep  secret, 
and  when  we  recall  the  fact  that  the  original  meaning  of  the  word 


INTRODUCTORY  xi 

"  Runic  "  is  "  secret,"  it  is  but  a  fair  venture  to  believe  that  they 
received  this  name  from  this  fact  and  not  from  the  implied  antiq- 
uity the  name  Runic  gives. 

The  following  illustration  shows  two  of  these  Clog  sticks,  and  if 
examined  closely  both  of  the  illustrations  of  the  symbol  of  New 
Year's  and  the  emblem  of  St.  Matthias  will  be  found. 

To  turn,  however,  from  these  quaint  and  curious  Kalendars,  of 
which  a  small  volume  would  hardly  serve  to  tell  their  story,  to  the 
subject  that  will  occupy  the  succeeding  articles  in  this  series,  the 
mediaeval  Church  made  a  marked  distinction  between  the  Feasts 
of  Obligation  and  Days  of  Devotion.  At  the  time  of  the  Reforma- 
tion, the  Reformed  church  discarded  most  or  all  of  the  latter,  but 
retained  in  the  church  a  great  number  of  the  former,  while  the 
Roman  Church  still  regard  them  as  sacred. 

As  the  articles  to  follow  this  are  to  be  of  a  purely  archaeological 
nature  and  not  theological,  there  will  be  no  difference  made  in 
considering  all  the  days  recognized  by  both  branches  of  the 
Christian  Church  and  none  intentionally  omitted. 

The  list  of  the  canonized  saints  who  are  recognized  by  the 
Roman  Church  and  whose  names  were  retained  by  the  Reformed 
church  and  thus  found  a  place  in  the  Kalendar  of  the  English 
church  is  a  very  long  one  ;  far  too  extended  to  be  given  in  its 
entirety,  much  less  for  comment  upon  each.  In  the  daily  Kalen- 
dar prepared  will  be  found  the  names  of  the  most  prominent  of 
these  saints,  and  mention  is  made  of  one  or  more,  with  a  brief 
sketch  of  the  life  and  the  especial  characteristics  for  which  they 
were  honoured  by  canonization.  In  so  doing  I  necessarily  refer  to 
the  popular  legends  of  these  saints  for  in  very  many  cases  these 
traditions  are  almost  the  only  records  left  beyond  a  few  bald,  dry 
statistics.  Nor  shall  I  attempt  to  prove  or  disavow  the  authentic- 
ity or  error  of  any  of  the  legends  which  will  be  recorded.  I  can 
only  repeat  them  as  I  find  them  ;  but  where  actual  facts  regarding 
the  lives  and  work  of  the  holy  men  is  given  it  will  be  taken  from 
undoubted  authorities  and  will  be  given  as  fully  as  my  space  will 
admit.  The  order  in  which  these  names  will  be  recorded  follows 
that  of  the  Kalendars  and  is  not  arbitrarily  chosen. 

It  is  a  very  curious  fact  and  one  seldom  noticed,  that  these 


XII 


INTRODUCTORY 


saints'  days  now  only  in  a 
limited  number  of  cases  ob- 
served by  the  Protestant 
church  were  all  retained  and 
observed  by  them  after  the 
Reformation  in  common 
with  their  Roman  brethren, 
and  appear  in  all  their 
Kalendars  down  to  the  time 
in  1752  when  the  change  in 
"  style  "  from  the  "  old  to 
the  new  style  "  took  place, 
as  everyone  may  see  by  ex- 
amining one  of  those  old 
quaint  "  Poor  Robin's  " 
Almanacs.  Even  t  h  e  n  a 
very  large  number  of  the 
names  of  these  holy  men  re- 
mained in  the  Anglican 
Kalendar,  and  thus  by  some, 
but  utterly  without  reason, 
termed  "  Anglican  saints," 
for  there  are  no  such  saints. 
It  is,  however,  ample  evi- 
dence of  the  reverence  in 
which  these  holy  men  were 
and  still  are  held  by  the 
Protestant  church  to  read 
the  list  of  saints  in  whose 
honour  so  many  thousand 
church  edifices  have  been 
built  and  named  in  Eng- 
land, Germany  and  our  own 
country  and  which  will  for 
ever  keep  their  "  s  a  i  n  t  s' 
days  "  sacred. 

In  the  Alphabetical  Index 


INTRODUCTORY  xiii 

appended  will  be  found  the  names  of  many  saints  not  named  in 
the  daily  Kalendar  which  includes  only  the  more  prominent  of 
these  personages. 

The  dates  given  are  those  which  the  Roman  Church  has  fixed 
for  their  festivals. 

On  only  a  few  especial  festivals  will  the  canonical  colour  for  the 
day  be  given  as  every  Church  Almanac  furnishes  this  information. 

THE  AUTHOR. 


ADVENT 

The  beginning  of  the  Christian  Year  has  for  ages  been  fixed  by 
every  branch  of  the  Christian  Church,  Greek,  Latin,  Coptic  and 
Reformed,  upon  Advent  Sunday.  This  day  always  occurs  upon 
the  nearest  Sunday  to  the  Feast  of  St.  Andrews,  which  is  Novem- 
ber 30th  in  every  year;  whether  this  Sunday  falls  upon  a  day 
before  or  after  St.  Andrew's  day,  and  the  four  weeks  thus  included 
are  termed  the  Advent  Season.  Thus  Advent  Sunday  becomes  a 
moveable  feast,  dependent  upon  the  day  when  Christmas  falls  and 
therefore  cannot  come  before  November  2/th  in  any  year  or  later 
than  upon  December  3rd.  Added  to  the  universal  usage,  the 
Latin  Church  by  ecclesiastical  decree,  at  a  very  early  period  also 
fixed  this  day  and  selected  the  term  "  Advent "  for  the  four 
weeks  which  immediately  precede  Christmas  as  a  collective  title  to 
indicate  the  approach  of  the  time  which  had  been  selected  as  the 
date  of  the  Birth  of  Our  Lord  and  Saviour,  Christ. 

"  The  Church  has  set  aside,"  says  an  old  writer,  "  the  Sundays 
of  Advent  and  the  week  days  which  follow  after  them  as  a  solemn 
time  of  preparation  for  the  great  Feast  of  the  Nativity ;  as  Lent  is 
before  the  Feast  of  the  Resurrection,  and  therefore  this  time  is 
called  by  some  '  Altera  Quadragesima.'  " 

It  is  claimed  that  this  holy  season  was  instituted  by  St.  Peter, 
and  therefore  z's  apostolic.  Be  this  as  it  may,  while  it  is  impossible 
— as  is  the  case  with  many  of  the  services  of  the  Church— to  fix  its 


xiv  INTRODUCTORY 

exact  date  of  adoption,  there  is  no  doubt  in  regard  to  the  extreme 
antiquity  of  the  custom  of  observing  these  days  in  the  most  solemn 
manner.  An  homily  written  by  Maximus  Tauriensis,  in  450,  upon 
the  observance  of  this  day  shows  that  it  was  regarded  even  then 
as  "  ancient,"  but  unfortunately  it  fails  to  tell  of  its  earlier  history. 

The  canonical  colour  for  the  First  Sunday  in  Advent  is  violet 
but  at  Vespers  or  Even- song  the  colour  changes  to  red. 

For  the  reason  above  given,  I  have  selected  the  date  November 
27th  whereon  to  begin  the  record  of  the  Saints  and  Festivals  of 
the  Christian  Church. 


SAINTS  AND   FESTIVALS 

OF  THE 

CHRISTIAN  CHURCH 


NOVEMBER  2;th 

Is  sacred  to  the  memory  of  one  of  those  holy  men  who  in  the 
early  centuries  of  the  Christian  Era  did  not  hesitate  to  lay  aside 
wealth  or  rank  that  they  might  serve  the  Great  Master  —  St.  Maxi- 
mus,  erstwhile  bishop  of  Reiz.  To  him  as  a  young  man  the  world 
presented  peculiar  attractions.  He  had  ample  wealth,  while  his 
unusual  manly  beauty,  his  genial  temperament  and  his  wit  made 
him  an  especial  favourite  both  among  men  and  women.  Thus  for 
years  after  reaching  manhood  he  lived  in  the  world  and  enjoyed 
its  pleasures.  But  even  during  these  years  he  felt  there  was  "  yet 
one  thing  lacking. "  His  heart  and  conscience  told  him  what  that 
was,  and  at  last  he  cast  everything  aside  that  he  might  attain  the 
prize  he  sought. 

Following  Christ's  teaching,  he  first  distributed  his  worldly 
goods  to  the  poor  and  then  sought  refuge  in  the  monastery  of 
Lerins.  It  seems  needless  to  say  his  life  here  was  in  conformity 
to  the  great  purpose  which  had  led  him  to  seek  it,  winning  for 
him  the  love  and  respect  of  his  brethren.  It  was  this  display 
of  earnest  purpose  which  induced  St.  Honoratus,  the  founder  of 
the  monastery  and  its  first  abbot,  to  select  Maximus  as  his  suc- 
cessor in  the  abbacy,  when  the  saint  was  made  archbishop  of 
Aries  in  426. 

The  chronicles  of  the  day  show  that  the  monastery,  already 
in  high  repute  for  its  sanctity  and  learning,  under  the  new 
abbot  "  seemed  to  gain  new  lustre,"  while  the  cheerfulness  of  the 


2         SAINTS   AND    FESTIVALS 

abbot  made  the  "  monks  scarcely  to  feel  the  severity  of  the  rules," 
and  drew  crowds  of  eager  devotees  to  it. 

True  worth  in  man  has  in  no  age  of  the  world  allowed  its  pos- 
sessor to  remain  hidden  and  thus  it  was  that  in  433,  when  the 
see  of  Reiz  became  vacant,  Maximus  was  sought  for  to  fill  the 
episcopate.  Much  as  he  loved  the  peaceful  retirement  of  his 
monastery,  duty  at  all  times  took  precedence  above  all  else,  and 
he  reluctantly  accepted  the  high  honour.  But  with  his  new  dig- 
nity he  still  remained  the  same  humble,  self-sacrificing,  gener- 
ous man  he  ever  had  been  and  in  him  his  people  found  not  alone 
a  pastor,  but  also  a  physician  and  a  teacher  whom  they  loved  and 
trusted.  His  ministrations  continued  during  twenty-seven  years 
until  his  death  in  460.  He  is  the  patron  saint  of  the  diocese  of 
Boulogne  in  Picardy,  and  the  common  people  universally  called 
him  "Masse." 


I  must  not  omit  mention  of  another  saint  whose  festival  is  held 
this  day,  St.  James,  surnamed  "  Intercisus,"  a  Persian,  though  I 
have  not  space  for  details  in  regard  to  this  distinguished  martyr 
of  the  time  when  Theodosius  the  Younger  apostatized  to  win 
favour  from  King  Isdegerdes.  In  many  respects  it  is  the  old  story 
of  refusal  by  St.  James  to  abjure  the  Christian  faith  ;  but  the  man- 
ner of  his  execution  was  brutal,  being  literally  cut  to  pieces. 
When  his  fingers  and  toes  had  been  chopped  off  he  calmly  said  : 
"  Now  the  boughs  are  gone,  cut  down  the  trunk.  "  But  instead 
of  this,  one  by  one,  his  feet,  hands,  arms  and  legs  were  cut  off  and 
at  last  his  head.  The  high  rank  borne  by  St.  James  as  a  noble  of 
the  first  class  added  to  his  reputation  for  probity  and  justice  made 
this  vindictive  exhibition  of  wrath  against  the  Christians  a  most 
impressive  object  lesson  for  the  moment,  but  it  has  served  also  to 
render  the  name  of  the  faithful  prince  an  immortal  one  in  the  Kal- 
endar  of  the  Church. 


NOVEMBER  28th. 

In  the  name  of  St.  Stephen,  "  The  Younger,"  of  St.  Auxentius 
Mount,  which  is  remembered  by  the  Church  to-day,  is  presented 


STEPHEN,   "THE   YOUNGER"    3 

one  of  the  most  renowned  martyrs  of  the  so-called  "Persecution  of 
the  Iconoclasts." 

Born  in  Constantinople,  of  a  family  of  immense  wealth,  he 
had  entered  the  monastery  of  St.  Auxentius  as  a  novitiate  when 
fifteen  years  of  age,  and  though  we  may  not  take  time  to  follow 
his  monastic  life  and  his  attainments,  the  latter  are  evident  from 
the  fact  that  at  the  age  of  thirty  he  was  chosen  abbot  of  the 
monastery, 

Leo  III.,  Emperor  of  the  East,  surnamed  "  The  Isaurian"  (718- 
741),  infamous  for  his  plunder  of  the  Christian  Churches,  had  also 
grievously  persecuted  the  Jews,  but  at  last  had  been  "bought 
off  "  and  "  possibly  as  a  part  of  the  bargain  "  was  prevailed  on 
"  to  oppose  the  respect  paid  by  the  faithful  to  holy  images." 

In  another  place  I  shall  remark  upon  these  images,  which  dated 
even  from  the  time  of  our  Saviour.  They  included  His,  as  well  as 
many  of  His  followers,  but  were  neither  adored  nor  worshipped  ; 
the  Christians  only  holding  them  in  reverence  as  the  representa- 
tions of  holy  men.  With  this  as  a  pretext,  Leo  instituted  a  cruel 
persecution  which  his  son,  Constantine  V.,  surnamed  Copronunus, 
carried  on  for  twenty  years  after  he  (in  741)  became  emperor, 
against  these  images.  He  died  in  775.  In  754  Constantine  caused 
a  council  composed  of  338  bishops  known  as  ''  Iconoclast  bishops  " 
from  their  coinciding  with  his  decree  suppressing  the  use  of  images 
and  to  compel  the  "  Catholics  "  (readers  should  recall  the  origin 
of  this  word )  to  conform  to  his  decree.  To  this  St.  Stephen 
refused  and  soldiers  were  sent  to  drag  him  from  his  cell.  At  the 
same  time  "  suborned  witnesses,"  his  legend  tells  us,  charged  him 
with  "criminal  converse  with  the  holy  widow  Anne."  He  was 
examined  and  condemned  to  be  beheaded,  but  this  decree  was 
changed  to  one  ordering  him  to  be  scourged  to  death  in  prison. 
Learning  later  that  St.  Stephen  still  lived  in  spite  of  his  scourging, 
the  emperor  cried  out:  "  Will  no  one  rid  me  of  this  pestilential 
monk  ?  "  It  was  then  that  certain  courtiers  went  to  the  prison 
and  dragged  him  forth  through  the  streets  with  his  feet  tied  by 
cords,  and  at  last  dashed  out  his  brains  with  stones  and  clubs. 
The  date  of  this  deed  is  placed  in  764,  and  took  place  under  what 
has  been  called  "  Persecution  of  the  Iconoclasts." 


4      SAINTS   AND   FESTIVALS 

NOVEMBER  29th. 

The  holy  man  whom  the  Church  honours  this  day  is  another  of 
those  early  martyrs  for  the  faith  ;  St.  Saturninus,  Bishop  of 
Toulon.  The  more  I  study  the  lives  of  these  early  Christians,  the 
more  I  feel  convinced  that  we  in  these  modern  days  do  not  half 
appreciate  the  true  heroism  of  these  men  who  went  forth  of  their 
own  volition,  under  the  guidance  of  their  superiors  to  fulfil 
Christ's  injunction  to  preach  the  Gospel  to  all  the  world. 

It  was  in  245  that  under  the  direction  of  the  Pope  Fabian,  Sat- 
urninus went  into  Gaul  to  preach  the  faith  to  the  idolatrous  people 
of  that  nation.  As  we  read  the  history  of  those  days,  we  know 
what  risks  they  ran  both  from  the  pagan  priests  and  the  neglect  of 
those  who  should  have  protected  them,  as  Roman  citizens. 

St.  Saturninus  fixed  his  see  at  Toulouse  in  250,  when  Decius  and 
Gratus  were  consuls,  but  they  evidently  gave  but  little  aid  toward 
protecting  the  holy  man  from  the  fury  of  the  priests  of  the  heathen 
gods.  Yet  for  seven  years  this  faithful  man  worked  on  until  the 
pagan  priests  one  day  were  able  to  secure  his  person  and  carried  him 
into  their  temple  and  strove  to  make  him  worship  at  their  shrines. 
Failing,  they  brought  into  the  temple  a  wild  bull,  to  which  Satur- 
ninus was  firmly  bound  by  cords.  Then  after  the  bull  was  mad- 
dened by  torture,  they  turned  it  loose  and  it  started  on  its  wild 
race,  dragging  the  holy  man  by  its  side  till,  mangled  and  with 
broken  bones,  at  last  the  cord  broke  and  left  the  limp,  lifeless  body 
without  the  gates  of  the  city. 


NOVEMBER 

This  day  is  the  feast  of  St.  Andrew,  as  the  Apostle  and  Martyr, 
and  both  of  these  festivals  are  rigidly  observed  in  all  branches  of 
the  Christian  Church.  He  was  a  brother  of  St.  Peter,  but  strangely, 
after  the  Ascension  his  name  is  not  mentioned  in  the  New  Testa- 
ment. His  legends  tell  of  his  travels  in  Scythia,  Cappadocia  and 
Bythinia,  and  Russian  folk-lore  of  his  labours  among  the  Musco- 
vites in  Sarmatia.  He  also  was  in  Greece  and  from  thence  came 
to  Patras,  "  a  city  of  Achaia."  It  was  here  that,  having  converted 


ST.   ANDREW 


Maximilla,  the  wife  of  JEgus  the  proconsul,  he 
was  condemned  to  be  scourged  and  crucified. 
The  form  of  the  St.  Andrew  cross  reaches  almost 
every  angle,  from  the  acute  to  the  right  angle.  It 
is  said  he  chose  this  form  of  the  cross  out  of  his 
humility,  saying  he  "  was  not  worthy  to  suffer 
death  as  his  Master  had  done." 

Fastened  to  the  cross  by  cords,  not  nailed  there, 
but  allowed  to  die  amid  the  torment  of  thirst  and 
starvation,  who  can  realise  his  unutterable  suf- 
fering ?  After  four  centuries  a  part  of  the  relics 
|Of  St.  Andrew  were  brought  to  Scotland  and  since 
(then  he  has  been  the  patron  saint  of  that  coun- 
try. He  is  also  the  patron  saint  of  the  "  Order  of 
the  Golden  Fleece  of  Burzmund,"  and  in  Russia 
of  the  "  Order  of  the  Cross  of  St.  Andrew." 
Connecting  St.  Andrew  with  the  Feast  of  the  Ad- 
vent, Wheatly  says  :  "  He  was  the  first  who 
found  the  Messiah  (John  I.,  38)  and  the  first 
who  brought  others  to  Him  (idem  I.,  42)  so 
the  Church  for  his  greater  honour  commem- 
orates him  as  the  first  in  her  anniversary 
course  of  holy  days  and  places  his  festival 
at  the  beginning  of  Advent,  as  the  most 
proper  to  bring  the  news  of  Our  Saviour's 
coming.  St.  Andrew  is  one  of  the  most  pop- 
ular saints  in  the  English  Kalendar.  An 
account  of  the  churches  in  England  says : 
"Every  county  except  Westmoreland  has 
several  churches  dedicated  to  St.  Andrew." 

He  has  been  represented  upon  a  cross  shaped  like  the  letter  Y, 
but  to  speak  of  this  opens  an  unending  discussion  I  may  not  enter 
on  here. 


S.  ANDREW. 

From 

Stained  Glass 

in  Winchester 

Cathedral. 


DECEMBER 


Like  the  preceding  months  of  October  and  November,  December 
takes  its  name  from  the  place  it  held  in  the  Kalendar  when  ten 
months  comprised  the  year.  By  the  ancient  Saxons,  December 
was  styled  Winter-monat,  or  Winter  month ;  a  term  which  after 
their  conversion  to  Christianity  was  changed  to  Hiligh-monat  or 
Holy  month,  from  the  anniversary  which  occurs  in  it  of  the  birth 
of  Christ.  Among  the  modern  Germans,  December  is  still  from 
this  circumstance  distinguished  as  the  Christ-monat. 


DECEMBER    ist. 

On  this  day  the  memory  of  St.  Eligius,  Bishop  of  Noyon  and  Con- 
fessor, is  commemorated.  A  man  who  by  his  virtue  and  holy  liv- 
ing rose  from  being  the  apprentice  of  a  goldsmith  to  the  high  dig- 
nity of  a  Bishop.  Being  a  youth  of  rare  genius  he  soon  not  only 
became  an  adept  in  his  chosen  craft  but  had  gained  a  wide  repu- 
tation for  the  beauty  and  ingenuity  of  his  designs.  What,  how- 
ever, was  far  better,  he  had  won  by  his  unostentatious  purity  and 
upright  life  the  confidence  and  affection  of  all  who  knew  him.  Hav- 
ing been  sent  to  France  on  some  business,  Bobo,  then  Treasurer  of 
Clotaire  II.,  King  of  Paris  (584-628),  heard  of  him  and  brought  him 
to  the  notice  of  the  king  who  gave  him  an  order  to  design  and 
make  him  a  chair  of  State,  to  be  decorated  with  gold  and  precious 
stones,  placing  at  his  disposal  the  needed  materials.  So  great  was 
the  satisfaction  of  the  king  at  the  manner  the  young  man  executed 
this  command  that  Eligius  was  retained  in  the  employ  of  the  court. 
His  former  master,  besides  being  a  goldsmith,  held  the  position 
of  "  Master  of  the  Mint "  at  Limoges,  and  thus  Eligius  had  also 
gained  a  knowledge  of  coinage,  of  which  the  French  made  use; 
for  coins  bearing  Eligius'  name  issued  during  the  reigns  of  Dago- 


ST.    ELIGIUS  7 

bert  and  Clovis  II.  as  appears  from  Le  Blanc's  "  History  of  Coins," 
arc  yet  extant.  But  his  chief  employment  seems  to  have  been 
the  designing  and  building  of  shrines  for  the  relics  of  saints  and 
the  tombs  of  St.  Martin  of  Tours  and  St.  Dionysius  (St.  Dennis) 
are  named  as  among  those  in  the  exceptionally  long  list  credited  to 
his  wonderful  skill  as  a  designer  and  artisan.  The  favour  of  the 
king  did  not  end  here  for  he  recognised  in  Eligius  the  higher  traits 
of  character  which  every  one  who  came  in  contact  with  him  did, 
also  his  great  virtues,  the  purity  of  his  life  and  his  unbounded 
charity.  Prosperous  as  he  was  his  wealth  was  not  lavished  upon 
himself.  The  king  often  therefore,  gave  Eligius  both  clothing  and 
money,  which  the  latter  in  turn  distributed  to  the  poor,  while  at  the 
same  time  he  daily  fed  many  of  these  from  his  own  table  even 
though  he  himself  was  fasting.  He  also  was  zealous  in  other 
good  works,  ransoming  captives,  providing  for  the  sick  and  burying 
the  dead  of  the  poor,  buying  and  freeing  the  slaves  —  especially 
the  Saxons — who  had  been  taken  prisoners,  and  setting  them  free. 
One  of  these  Saxons  (afterward  known  as  St.  Theau,  whose  festi- 
val occurs  on  January  7th)  Eligius  brought  up  in  his  own  house- 
hold. But  I  must  cease  details,  even  omitting  mention  of  the 
religious  houses  he  founded  and  endowed,  until  in  640  (some  put 
this  date  646)  Eligius  went  to  Rouen,  abandoning  the  honours  of 
court  life,  and  with  his  friend  St.  Owen  received  the  episcopal 
office.  Very  soon  after  this  our  saint  was  chosen  Bishop  of  Noyon, 
a  district  then  still  largely  under  pagan  influence.  With  his  usual 
zeal  he  threw  his  whole  soul  into  his  new  work,  and  his  success 
was  equalled  by  few  of  his  contemporaries,  until  on  December  ist, 
in  658  the  good  man  was  called  to  his  reward. 


DECEMBER  2d 

Is  the   passion   of   St.    Bibiana,    to  whom   a  church   in   Rome, 
behind  the  Trophies  of  Marius,  is  dedicated.     Her  legend  says : 

In  the  time  of  Julian  the  Apostate  there  dwelt  in  Rome  a  Chris- 
tian family  consisting  of  Flavian,  his  wife  Dalfrosa  and  his  two 
daughters,  Bibiana  and  Demetria.  All  these  died  for  their  faith. 
Flavian  was  exiled  and  died  of  starvation  ;  Dalfrosa  was  beheaded  ; 


8      SAINTS   AND    FESTIVALS 

the  sisters  imprisoned  (A.  D.  362)  and  scourged,  Demetria  dying 
at  once  under  the  torture.  Bibiana  glorified  God  by  longer  suffer- 
ing's. Apronius,  the  prefect  of  the  city,  astonished  by  her  beauty, 
conceived  a  guilty  passion  for  her  and  placed  her  under  the  care  of 
one  of  his  creatures  named  Rufina,  who  was  gradually  to  bend  her 
to  his  will.  But  Bibiana  repelled  his  proposals  with  horror  and  her 
firmness  excited  him  to  such  fury  that  he  commanded  her  to  be 
bound  to  a  column,  and  scourged  to  compliance. 

I  cannot,  however,  allow  myself  to  describe  the  brutal  manner  in 
which  the  command  was  executed  as  it  is  too  horrible  for  repeti- 
tion, beyond  saying  she  died,  but  retained  her  virtue. 

The  column  to  which  St.  Bibiana  was  bound  still  stands  in  the 
old  church  between  the  Santa  Croce  and  Porto  Maggiore  in 
Rome. 


DECEMBER  3d 

Is  the  anniversary  of  the  death  of  St.  Francis  Xavier,  Apostle  of 
India.  This  noted  Jesuit  was  born  April  7,  1 506,  and  was  educated 
at  the  University  of  Paris,  where  he  later  lectured  and  there 
shared  a  room  with  Peter  Faber,  a  Savoyard,  to  whom  he  became 
tenderly  attached.  In  1528,  Loyola  arrived  at  their  college  a 
middle-aged  man,  meanly  clad,  worn  with  austerities  and  burning 
with  zeal.  Loyola  made  friends  with  Faber,  but  Xavier  could 
not  endure  him  and  repulsed  his  approaches.  Loyola  discerning 
a  desirable  spirit  in  Xavier,  nevertheless  persevered.  One  day 
Xavier  had  been  lecturing  on  philosophy  and  having  met  with 
much  applause,  was  walking  about  in  a  high  state  of  elation  when 
Loyola  whispered  in  his  ear :  "  What  shall  it  profit  a  man  if  he 
gain  the  whole  world  and  lose  his  own  soul  ?  "  The  question 
startled  Xavier,  and  changed  the  current  of  his  feelings  towards 
Loyola.  He  associated  with  him  and  Faber  in  study  and  devotion. 
Three  other  students  joined  them  —  Lainez,  Bobadilla,  and 
Rodriguez—  and  on  the  i$th  of  August,  1534,  the  six  met  in  a 
subterranean  chapel  of  the  church  of  Montmartre  and  took  vows 
of  perpetual  celibacy,  poverty,  and  labour  for  the  conversion  of 


ST.  FRANCIS   XAVIER  9 

infidels.  Such  was  the  humble  beginning  of  the  Society  of  Jesuits. 
They  resolved  to  place  their  lives  at  the  service  of  the  pope,  and 
when  preaching  at  Rome  in  1 540,  Xavier  was  chosen  to  go  as  a 
missionary  to  India.  A  voyage  to  India  was  a  tedious  enterprise 
in  the  sixteenth  century.  He  sailed  from  Lisbon  on  the  7th  of 
April,  1541,  wintered  in  Africa  on  the  coast  of  Mozambique,  and 
his  ship  did  not  reach  Goa  until  the  6th  of  May,  1542.  He  found 
the  Portuguese  of  Goa  were  leading  worse  lives  than  the  heathen 
except  that  they  did  not  worship  idols,  and  their  conversion  was 
his  first  business.  He  learned  the  language  of  Malabar,  and  went 
preaching  among  the  pearl-fishers,  of  whom  it  is  said  he  converted 
10,000.  For  seven  years  he  faithfully  laboured  in  those  far  off 
lands.  At  Malacca,  then  a  great  centre  of  trade,  he  met  three 
Jesuits,  whom  Loyola  had  sent  to  his  aid,  and  with  them  made  a 
tour  through  the  Moluccas.  At  Malacca,  he  had  also  met  a  Jap- 
anese whose  account  of  his  strange  and  populous  country  decided 
Xavier  to  visit  it.  He  picked  up  as  much  of  the  language  as  he 
could,  and  in  August,  1549,  landed  in  Japan  and  for  about  two 
years  travelled  through  the  islands  making  a  host  of  converts.  His 
mission  was  continued  with  great  vigour  by  the  Jesuits  for  nearly 
a  century,  when  for  some  cause  or  other  the  government  took 
fright,  massacred  the  Christians  foreign  and  native,  and  sealed 
Japan  against  Europeans  until  our  own  day.  He  next  determined 
to  plant  his  faith  in  China,  but  the  Portuguese  merchants  pleaded 
with  him  not  to  make  the  attempt,  as  he  would  assuredly  be  the 
cause  of  their  utter  destruction.  Xavier  was  not  to  be  moved  by 
such  alarms  and  persuaded  a  Chinaman  to  run  him  ahsore  by 
night  near  Canton. 

It  was  here,  on  December  2,  1552,  the  holy  man  died  aged  only 
forty-seven  and  in  the  twelfth  year  of  his  Asiatic  ministry.  His 
body  was  carried  to  Goa,  and  his  shrine  is  to  Catholics  the  holiest 
place  in  the  Far  East.  In  1662  he  was  canonized,  and  by  a  papal 
brief  in  1747  was  pronounced  the  patron  saint  of  the  East  Indies. 
His  festival  is  observed  on  the  3d  of  December. 

The  pathetic  story  of  this  noble  man  is  one  of  continuous  labour  in 
the  cause  of  Christ  and  uncomplaining  self-sacrifice  on  his  own 
part. 


io     SAINTS   AND    FESTIVALS 

DECEMBER  4th 

Is  th«  festival  of  a  man  who  was  somewhat  noted  in  history,  St. 
Anno,  Archbishop  of  Cologne.  He  was  a  nobleman  and  an 
officer  in  the  army  when  his  uncle,  a  canon  of  Baneberg,  first  urged 
him  to  abandon  the  world  for  a  religious  life.  He  had  long  been 
a  favourite  of  Henry  III.,  "The  Black,"  Emperor  of  Germany 
1039-56,  who  made  him  provost  of  Goslar  in  Lower  Saxony ;  later 
naming  him  in  1056  Archbishop  of  Cologne.  From  the  time  he 
entered  upon  his  duties  at  Cologne  the  record  of  his  life  is  one  con- 
tinued story  of  acts  of  love  and  charity  to  the  poor  and  an  earnest 
but  well  digested  and  firmly  executed  plan  for  the  reformation  of 
the  monasteries  in  his  diocese,  which  he  found  to  be  in  a  sadly 
demoralized  state ;  lax  in  their  ecclesiastical  duties  as  well  as  in 
their  habits  of  life.  He  added  two  new  monasteries  of  the  Regu- 
lar Canons  at  Cologne  and  also  three  of  the  Benedictine  Order 
elsewhere.  After  the  death  of  Henry  III.  the  Empress  Agnes 
and  the  States  elected  him  Regent  and  Prime  Minister  during  the 
minority  of  Prince  Henry  (afterward  Henry  IV.)  and  he  assumed 
the  high  and  responsible  position  fulfilling  its  grave  duties  with 
such  conscientious  fidelity  that  he  won  for  himself  the  love  of  the 
noblest  and  best  but  the  utter  hatred  of  a  class  of  debauchees  who 
had  hoped  through  the  Prince  to  profit  by  the  death  of  Henry  III. 
At  last,  the  Prince —  now  nearing  majority  —  grew  restless  under 
Anno's  strict  rules  of  life  and  succeeded  in  securing  his  removal  as 
Regent.  But  the  extortions  and  injustice  of  these  debauchees 
whom  the  Prince  thus  placed  in  power  caused  so  great  an  outcry 
that  "  the  States  "  were  compelled  to  recall  Anno  in  1072,  again  to 
assume  the  administration  of  the  kingdom.  The  burden  of  his 
double  duties  soon  told  upon  his  physical  system  and  on  Decem- 
ber 4,  1075,  he  died,  honoured  and  loved  by  all  save  the  men  whom 
he  had  thwarted  in  their  purposes  of  public  plunder.  His  name 
therefore  stands  to-day  in  Roman  Martyrology  as  a  true  patriot 
and  a  faithful  prelate  of  the  Holy  Church. 


DECEMBER  5th. 

The  name  of  St.  Sebas,  one  of  the  most  renowned  patriarchs  of 
the  monks  of  Palestine,  is  the  first  that  is  mentioned  in  Roman 


ST.    SEBAS  ii 

Martyrology  on  this  day.  He  was  the  son  of  a  soldier  and  was 
born  in  439.  His  father,  being  ordered  to  Alexandria,  took  his  wife 
with  him  and  left  his  son  arid  the  care  of  his  estates  with  his  brother 
Hermias  whose  wife  treated  Sebas  so  harshly  that  the  boy  fled  to 
another  uncle  named  Gregory  for  protection.  Then  quarrels  arose 
between  the  two  uncles,  which  finally  led  Sebas  to  seek  a  home  in 
a  monastery  called  Flavinia.  A  reconciliation  of  the  uncles  was  at 
last  made  but  in  their  avarice  they  wished  to  retain  possession  of  the 
estate,  and  therefore  left  Sebas  in  the  monastery.  At  length  through 
fear  or  perhaps  prompted  by  conscience,  the  uncles  sought  to  induce 
Sebas  to  leave  his  retreat  and  to  marry  ;  but  the  young  man  had 
already  made  his  election  and  nothing  could  bring  him  to  change  his 
mind,  his  hope  and  desire  being  to  be  allowed  to  join  a  band  of  con- 
verts in  "  a  Laura  "  (retreat)  some  twelve  miles  from  Jerusalem 
under  the  direction  of  St.  Euthymius.  But  this  good  man  decided 
that  Sebas  was  too  young  for  such  a  life  and  sent  him  to  a  monas- 
tery under  the  care  of  one  Theoctistus,  the  house  being  a  kind  of 
"  noviceship  "  to  the  Laura.  Sebas  was  again  tempted  to  resign 
his  religious  life  ;  this  time  by  his  father  in  Alexandria,  but  his  pur- 
pose was  already  fixed  and  he  soon  found  a  place  of  retirement  far 
from  human  habitations,  and  for  years  lived  a  hermit  and  at  last 
built  for  himself  and  a  few  devoted  men  cells  in  an  almost  inacces- 
sible spot,  over  which  the  Patriarch  of  Jerusalem  made  him 
"  exaroh,"  or  superior-general,  and  which  grew  at  length  into  an 
extensive  monastery  with  several  hospitals  attached.  Here,  until 
at  the  extreme  old  age  of  ninety-four,  the  holy  man  devoted  his 
life  to  good  works  and  holy  living.  He  died  December  5,  532. 


DECEMBER  6th 

Is  the  festival  of  the  noted  St.  Nicholas,  Bishop  of  Myra.  His 
story  is  a  most  marvellous  one.  From  his  infancy  it  is  said  he  dis- 
played such  devotional  tendencies  that  his  legend  says :  "  He 
refused  to  suckle  on  Wednesdays  and  Fridays,  the  fast  days 
appointed  by  the  Church."  At  an  early  age  he  entered  the  mon- 
astery of  Sion,  later  becoming  its  abbot,  a  position  he  held  until  he 
was  made  Archbishop  of  Myra,  where  he  became  noted  for  his 


12      SAINTS  AND    FESTIVALS 


humility  and  charity.  Beyond  doubt 
St.  Nicholas  is  one  of  the  most  pop- 
ular saints  of  Christendom ;  he  is  in- 
voked as  the  protector  of  sailors,  and 
as  the  patron  saint  of  schoolboys. 
Mr.  Warton  says  that  the  custom  of 
going  ad  montem  at  Eton  originated 
in  an  imitation  of  some  of  the  ceremo- 
nies and  processions  usual  on  this 
day ;  but  there  was  no  similarity  in 
the  two  festivities.  The  procession 
ad  montem  was  held  about  June  25th. 
Many  legends  and  miracles  are  related 
of  this  saint,  the  following  being  among 
s-  A^CHO,LAf '  .  those  by  which  he  is  best  known. 

From  a  MS.  in  the  Bodleion 

Library.  He  early   succeeded    to   large    riches 

which  he  devoted  to  charity;  a  special  instance  of  which  was 
exhibited  in  the  case  of  a  nobleman  in  the  city  where  the  saint 
lived,  who  being  reduced  to  poverty  contemplated  abandoning  his 
three  daughters  to  a  sinful  course  as  the  only  means  of  keeping 
them  from  starvation ;  but  Nicholas,  hearing  of  this,  went  to  his 
house  secretly  three  nights  in  succession,  and,  by  throwing  in  at 
the  window  at  each  visit  a  purse  of  gold,  saved  them  from  infamy. 

From  this  incident  in  his  life  is 
derived  apparently  the  practise  for- 
merly, if  not  still,  customary  in  vari- 
ous parts  of  the  continent,  of  the  eld- 
er members  and  friends  of  a  family 
placing  on  the  eve  of  St.  Nicholas' 
Day,  little  presents  such  as  sweet- 
meats and  similar  gifts  in  the  shoes 
or  hose  of  their  younger  relatives, 
who  on  discovering  them  in  the 
morning  are  supposed  to  attribute 
them  to  the  munificence  of  St.  Nich- 
olas. In  convents  the  young  lady-boarders  used  on  the  same 
occasion  to  place  silk-stockings  at  the  door  of  the  apartment  of 


ST.    NICHOLAS  13 

the  abbess,  with  a  paper  recommending  themselves  to  ''  Great  St. 
Nicholas  of  her  chamber."  The  next  morning  they  were  sum- 
moned together  to  witness  the  results  of  the  liberality  of  the 
saint  who  had  bountifully  filled  the  stockings  with  sweetmeats. 
From  the  same  instance  of  munificence  recorded  of  St.  Nicho- 
las, he  is  often  represented  bearing  three  purses,  or  three 
gold  balls ;  the  latter  emblem  forming  the  well-known  pawn- 
brokers' sign,  which  with  a  fair  degree  of  probability  has  been 
traced  to  this  origin.  It  is  true  indeed  that  this  emblem  is  proxi- 
mately  derived  from  the  Lombard  merchants  who  settled  in  Eng- 
land at  an  early  period,  and  were  the  first  to  open  establishments 
for  the  lending  of  money.  The  three  golden  balls  were  also 
the  sign  of  the  Medici  family  of  Florence,  who,  by  a  successful 
career  of  merchandise  and  money-lending,  raised  themselves  to 
the  supreme  power  in  their  native  state.  But  the  same  origin  is 
traceable  in  both  cases  —  the  emblematic  device  of  the  charitable 
St.  Nicholas. 

Another  legend  is  told  in  two  different  ways.  One  is  that  dur- 
ing a  famine  a  certain  landlord  of  an  inn  was  in  the  habit  of  steal- 
ing children  and  cutting  up  their  bodies  which  he  pickled  as  pork, 
and  that  St.  Nicholas  made  the  horrid  discovery  of  this,  and  by  his 
making  the  sign  of  the  cross  over  the  tub  where  the  children 
lay  they  were  returned  to  life.  It  is  from  this  that  St.  Nicholas  is 
represented  almost  always  as  in  our  illustration  with  three  children 
in  a  tub.  The  other  version  of  the  legend  makes  the  victims 
young  men  who  were  travellers. 

St.  Nicholas  as  the  patron  of  sailors  sometimes  has  an  anchor 
or  ship  represented  in  his  pictures. 

Perhaps  nothing  proves  more  conclusively  how  popular  St. 
Nicholas  is  in  England  than  that  no  less  than  three  hundred  and 
seventy-five  churches  have  been  dedicated  to  him  in  England 
alone. 

To  tell  the  story  of  "  THE  FEAST  OF  ST.  NICHOLAS  " 
would  occupy  far  more  space  than  I  have  allotted  me  ;  but  it  has 
become  such  an  "household  tale"  that  mine  will  hardly  be 
missed. 


14    SAINTS   AND   FESTIVALS 


DECEMBER  7th. 

The  date  of  the  ordination  of  St.  Ambrose,  whose  festival  occurs 
on  April  4th,  is  observed  this  day  at  Milan.  On  the  above  date  a 
short  sketch  of  this  eminent  man  will  be  given,  though  in  part 
repeated  here : 

"  The  election  of  Ambrose  to  the  bishopric 
of  Milan  is  perhaps  unequalled  in  the  singu- 
larity of  all  its  circumstances.  He  was  care- 
fully educated  when  young  for  the  civil  service, 
becoming  an  advocate  and  practising  with  such 
success  that  at  the  age  of  thirty-one  he  was 
appointed  governor  of  Liguria.  In  this  capa- 
city he  had  resided  five  years  at  Milan,  and 
was  renowned  for  his  prudence  and  justice 
when  Auxentius,  the  Arian  bishop,  died  A.  D. 

374-" 

It  was  the  opportunity  thus  offered  which 
roused  the  Catholics  to  exert  all  their  power  to  secure  a  man  of 
orthodox  faith  as  a  successor  of  the  late  bishop.  So  intense  \.  ~s 
the  feeling  of  both  parties  that  a  riot  seemed  imminent  and 
Ambrose,  then  prefect  of  Milan,  deemed  it  his  duty  to  attend  the 
conclave  not  dreaming  of  the  result.  Therefore  he  hastened  to 
the  church  where  the  people  had  assembled  and  exhorted  them  to 
peace  and  submission  to  the  laws.  His  speech  was  no  sooner 
ended  than  a  child's  voice  was  heard  in  the  crowd,  "  Ambrose 
is  bishop  !  "  The  hint  was  taken  at  once  and  the  whole  assembly 
cried  out,  "  Ambrose  shall  be  the  man  !  "  The  contending  fac- 
tions agreed  and  thus  a  layman  whose  pursuits  seemed  to  ex- 
clude him  altogether  from  the  notice  of  either  party  was  chosen 
by  universal  consent. 

DECEMBER  8th. 

THE  CONCEPTION   OF  THE   BLESSED   VIRGIN. 

This  Feast  which  is  recognised  in  the  Kalendar  of  the  English 
church  as  well  as  in  that  of  the  Roman,  is  one  regarding  which  a 
long  controversy  prevailed. 


IMMACULATE   CONCEPTION    15 

It  is  well  known  that  the  doctrine  of  the  immaculate  conception 
of  the  Virgin,  of  her  conception  without  the  taint  of  original  sin, 
was  till  recently  a  theological  dogma  on  which  the  Church  of 
Rome  had  pronounced  no  positive  decision.  Though  accepted  by 
a  majority  of  doctors  and  strenuously  maintained  by  many  theo- 
logical writers,  it  was,  nevertheless,  denied  by  some,  more  espe- 
cially by  the  Dominicians,  and  was  pronounced  by  several  popes 
to  be  an  article  of  faith  which  was  neither  to  be  absolutely  enforced 
nor  condemned  —  a  point  in  short  on  which  the  members  of  the 
church  were  free  to  use  their  private  judgment. 

For  centuries  this  question  had  been  the  subject  of  many 
learned  and  earnest  discourses. 

The  Feast  was  instituted  by  St.  Anselm,  Archbishop  of  Canter- 
bury, about  the  year  1070,  to  commemorate  the  escape  of  the  fleet 
of  William  the  Conqueror  from  a  violent  storm.  Even  from  the 
first  the  Feast  seems  to  have  had  those 
who  opposed  its  recognition,  and  the  dis- 
cussion went  on  in  England  until  the 
Council  of  Oxford  in  1220,  when  it  was 
decided  to  leave  its  observance  optional. 
Indeed  it  is  only  within  our  own  day 
and  generation  that  through  the  action 
of  Pope  Pius  IX.  in  1854,  that  the  mooted 
point  was  settled  when  he  as  the  head  of  the  Roman  Church 
officially  recognised  it  as  a  feast  of  the  universal  church  and 
named  this  December  8th  as  the  day  for  its  observance. 

In  Christian  art  the  conception  of  the  Virgin  in  most  cases  shows 
the  Holy  Virgin  as  trampling  on  the  head  of  a  serpent  or  dragon. 
Le  Clerc  represents  the  Virgin  as  kneeling  in  prayer  and  a  bright 
star  appearing  to  her  entranced  vision.  In  the  Clog  almanacs  a 
plain,  unadorned  heart  is  the  simple  emblem  used  to  mark  the  day. 

Readers  must  not  confound  the  above  Clog  symbol  with  that 
of  the  Annunciation  of  the  Virgin,  on  March  25th,  for  they  are  very 
similar  and  easily  mistaken  the  one  for  the  other. 


In   Roman  Martyrology  we   read   that   to-day   at    Rome   the 
memory  of  the   Blessed   Eulychian,  or  Eulychianus,   Bishop   of 


16     SAINTS   AND    FESTIVALS 

Rome  and  Pope  (275-283),  is  kept  sacred:  one  "who  with  his 
own  hands  buried  in  diverse  places,  three  hundred  and  forty-two 
martyrs.  Under  the  Emperor  Numerian,  he  became  their  com- 
panion, being  crowned  with  martyrdom  and  buried  in  the  cemetery 
of  Callistus." 


This  day  is  also  the  festival  of  St.  Romaric  or  Romaricus,  abbot 
of  the  monastery  of  Luxeuil,  who  being  the  first  nobleman  at  the 
court  of  King  Theodobert,  renounced  the  world  and  by  his  saintly 
life  and  the  strict  observance  of  the  severe  monastic  discipline  has 
since  his  death  in  653,  been  held  up  as  a  model  and  example  to 
be  followed  by  all  members  of  monastic  orders. 


DECEMBER  9th. 

When  in  297  Emperor  Maximian  returned  victorious  from  the 
defeat  of  the  Persian  army  he  celebrated  "  the  quinquennial 
games  "  at  Samosata,  the  captial  of  Syria  Comagene,  on  the  banks 
of  the  Euphrates ;  commanding  all  the  inhabitants  to  assist  in 
the  solemn  supplication  of  the  gods.  The  entire  populace  seem- 
ingly responded  to  the  summons,  and  the  air  was  filled  with  the 
noise  of  trumpets  and  infected  with  the  odour  rising  from  the 
burning  victims  which  were  being  offered  in  honour  of  their  god. 
Two  men,  however,  of  noble  birth  and  of  wealth,  had  not  joined 
in  the  general  ovation.  These  were  Hipparchus  and  Philotheus, 
who  had  some  time  prior  to  this  embraced  the  Christian  faith  and 
were  then  in  the  house  of  Hipparchus  on  the  eastern  wall  engaged 
in  their  devotions.  With  them  were  five  younger  men  who  were 
seeking  instruction  from  their  elders.  This  was  on  the  third  day 
of  Maximian's  festival  and  the  emperor  had  been  enquiring  in 
regard  to  any  who  had  failed  to  obey  his  mandate.  Then  it  was 
that  the  names  of  these  two  nobles  came  up  and  messengers  were 
dispatched  to  bring  them  into  the  emperor's  presence.  Of  course 
the  five  young  men  were  found  with  their  friends  and  the  whole 
party  was  taken  into  the  audience  chamber ;  when  the  customary 
form  was  gone  through  with  and  condemnation  to  the  rack  and 
scourge  ensued,  and  after,  imprisonment  coupled  with  torture  to 


ST.    MELCHIADES  17 

induce  them  to  do  honour  to  the  gods.  But  each  remained  true  to 
the  faith  until  at  last  Maximian,  out  of  patience  at  their  firmness, 
ordered  them  to  be  crucified,  —  a  by  no  means  uncommon  mode 
of  inflicting  the  death  penalty  both  before  the  time  of  our  Lord's 
crucifixion  and  centuries  afterward,  — without  the  gates  of  the  city. 
These  are  the  Seven  Martyrs  of  Samosata,  whom  the  Church 
honours  this  day. 


DECEMBER  loth. 

St.  Melchiades,  who  succeeded  Eusebius  in  the  see  of  Rome  in 
311  and  filled  this  high  office  until  his  death  on  December  10, 
314,  is  remembered  this  day  for  the  persecution  he  suffered  dur- 
ing the  reign  of  Maxentin  until  the  tyrant  was  vanquished  by 
Constantine. 


This  day  is  also  the  festival  of  a  young  virgin  and  martyr,  St. 
Eulalia  of  Merida,  whose  triumphant  death  is  celebrated  by  the 
great  poet  Aurelius  Prudentius  Clemens.  This  maid  was  but 
twelve  years  of  age  when  Dioclesian  promulgated  his  fearful  de- 
cree which  caused  the  martyrdom  of  so  many  thousand  faithful 
Christians.  On  learning  of  the  edict  Eulalia  went  to  the  prefect 
of  Merida  —  then  the  capital  city  of  Lustiania  in  Spain,  now  the 
dilapidated  town  of  Estremadura  —  and  reproached  him  for  his 
cruelty  to  the  Christians.  Indignant  at  what  he  declared  an  insult 
from  "a  chit  of  a  girl,"  the  governor  at  once  seized  upon  her, 
placing  the  implements  of  torture  on  one  side  and  on  the  other  the 
offerings  for  the  idols,  bidding  her  choose  between  them.  She 
cast  the  offerings  on  the  floor  and  trampled  upon  them,  and  in 
Roman  Martyrology  for  this  day  we  read  :  "  Finally  she  was 
stretched  on  the  rack,  torn  with  iron  claws,  had  her  sides  burned 
with  lighted  torches,  and  when  fire  was  forced  down  her  throat 
she  expired." 

St.  Leocadia,  a  native  of  Toledo  and  a  friend  of  Eulalia,  when 
she  heard  of  her  death,  was  already  in  prison  under  order  of 
Dacian  who  had  condemned  Eulalia,  and  she  kneeled  and  prayed 
she  might  not  be  separated  in  death  from  her  loved  friend,  when 


i8     SAINTS   AND    FESTIVALS 

as  if  in  answer  to  her  prayer  she  almost  immediately  died.  The 
festival  of  St.  Leocadia  is  fixed  for  December  gth,  a  day  before 
that  of  St.  Eulalia. 


DECEMBER  nth. 

St.  Daniel,  "  the  Stylite,"  whose  festival  occurs  this  day,  is 
another  of  those  eccentric  holy  men  who  for  reasons  that  seem 
beyond  our  comprehension,  of  their  own  free  will  elected  to  pass 
their  days  in  the  narrow  limits  afforded  by  the 
top  of  a  pillar  or  column,  and  who  are  known 
as  "  pillar  saints,"  of  whom  I  shall  speak  more 
fully  in  another  place.  St.  Simon,  whose  festival 
occurs  on  September  3d,  was  one  of  these 
"  pillar  saints."  His  column  was  in  Antioch, 
and  it  was  from  seeing  him  that  Daniel  was 
inspired  to  lead  a  similar  life.  For  this  pur- 
pose he  chose  a  spot  in  the  desert  mountain 
bordering  on  the  Euxine  sea  about  seven  miles 
north  of  Constantinople.  Here  a  friend  built 
for  him  a  pillar,  or  rather  two  pillars  one  above 
the  other,  and  on  the  top  one  surrounded  by  a  balustrade  was 
a  vessel  like  a  half  barrel  in  which  he  dwelt.  In  463  the  lord 
of  the  manor  built  for  Daniel  a  new  (and  funny  as  it  sounds) 
"  more  commodious  pillar."  But  exposure  had  its  natural  result 
and  his  limbs  were  covered  with  ulcers.  Still,  he  would  not  leave 
his  chosen  home  and  when  he  was  ordained  as  a  priest  Gennadius, 
Bishop  of  Constantinople,  who  performed  the  ceremony,  the 
ordaining  priest,  read  a  portion  of  the  service  at  the  foot  of  the 
column,  and  then  climbed  to  the  top  to  complete  it,  perhaps 
the  most  unique  ceremony  of  its  kind  in  the  annals  of  the  Church. 
A  barbarian  prince  whom  Daniel  had  converted  built  for  the 
saint  a  third  pillar  in  part  sheltered  from  storms,  and  Emperor  Leo 
caused  a  roof  to  be  placed  over  his  usual  standing  place —  for  the 
saint  slept  standing  —  from  which  he  ministered  to  his  disciples. 
An  endless  list  of  miracles  and  prophecies  that  were  fulfilled  are 
credited  to  St.  Daniel,  who  thus  lived  to  the  ripe  age  of  four 


ST.   FINIAN  19 

score  years,  foretelling  his  own  death,  which  occurred  on  his  pillar 
December  1 1 ,  494. 


DECEMBER  I2th 

Is  sacred  to  one  of  the  most  noted  as  well  as  most  learned  men 
of  his  age,  St.  Finian  or  Finan,  Bishop  of  Cluin-Irard  (called 
Clonard);  of  whom  and  of  whose  celebrated  monastic  school  I 
shall  speak  especially  in  connection  with  St.  Columba,  who 
was  one  of  his  pupils,  and  also  the  incident  of  the  stolen  Psal- 
ter and  its  denoument,  which  made  St.  Columba  the  first  Chris- 
tian missionary  to  the-Picts  and  whose  monastery  at  lona  was 
the  beginning  of  the  Christian  Church  in  what  is  now  Scotland. 

Next  to  that  of  St.  Patrick  among  the  primitive  teachers  in  those 
splendid  monastic  schools  which  made  Ireland  famous  during  the 
V.,  VI.  and  VII.  centuries,  stands  the  name  of  St.  Finan.  In 
his  youth  he  had  been  taught  by  the  disciples  of  St.  Patrick  but 
like  the  true  student,  his  thirst  for  knowledge  led  him  at  an  early 
age  to  seek  for  this  in  the  famous  schools  in  Wales  which  had 
been  founded  by  SS.  David  and  Gildas.  After  a  long  residence  in 
Wales  St.  Finan  returned  to  Ireland  in  520,  and  among  other 
monastic  schools  which  he  founded  was  that  of  Clonard  in  Meath, 
from  which  came  many  of  the  most  famous  saints,  scholars  and 
doctors  of  Ireland.  In  the  long  list  of  these  we  read  the  names  of 
Klaran,  "the  Younger"  Columkille,  the  two  Brendans,  Columba, 
and  others  equally  noted  for  their  piety  and  learning.  Indeed  it  is 
not  too  much  to  claim  that  Clonard  was  in  its  day  the  most  famous 
seminary  of  sacred  learning  in  Ireland,  through  the  wonderful 
inspiration  of  its  leading  spirit.  In  this  school  Mr.  Skene,  in  his 
"  Celtic  Scotland,"  says  "  there  were  no  fewer  than  three  thousand 
monks."  In  speaking  thus,  my  readers  should  remember  the  full 
signification  of  this  word  "  monk  "  in  those  earlier  days,  embrac- 
ing as  it  did  not  only  those  in  holy  orders,  but  the  students  them- 
selves. I  have  no  space  to  deal  in  detail  with  the  influence  exerted 
by  this  wonderful  man ;  but  a  single  quotation  from  Dr.  Skene's 
"  Monastic  Church  in  Ireland  "  shows  the  estimate  placed  upon 
St.  Finian  by  this  clear-headed  discerning  Scotch  writer.  He 


20       SAINTS   AND    FESTIVALS 


says :  "  These  expressions  all  point  to  an  effete,  decaying  church, 
restored  through  the  medium  of  Finian  and  his  monastic  school  at 
Clonard  and  to  a  great  revival  and  spread  of  Christianity  through  a 
new  and  living  organisation,  based  upon  the  monastic  institution." 

Interesting  as  the  subject  is,  I  cannot  enlarge  upon  it  beyond 
saying  that  it  was  by  and  through  the  efforts  of  Finian  these 
monastic  schools  came  to  be  hardly  second  to  those  of  Rome. 
Finian  died  on  December  12,  552. 

The  St.  Columba  whose  festival  is  also  held  this  day  must  not 
be  confounded  with  St.  Columba  the  "  Apostle  of  the  Picts,"  yet 
both  were  pupils  of  St.  Finian. 


DECEMBER  13th. 

The  story  of  St.  Lucy  or  Lucia,  whose  name  appears  in  both  the 
Roman  and  English  Church  Kalendars,  is,  even  as  told  in  an  "  Eng- 
lish Church  Year  Book,"  like  some  fairy  tale  ; 
but  there  is  much  in  her  sad  life  which  alas  !  is 
only  too  true.  She  was  born  in  Sicily,  very 
wealthy,  and  endowed  with  almost  angelic 
beauty,  a  fatal  gift  which  had  inspired  both  the 
passion  and  love  of  a  noble  (by  birth  but  not 
as  will  be  seen,  character)  pagan  who  against 
her  wishes  was  betrothed  to  her.  It  was  in 
vain  that  she  pleaded  with  her  mother  Eutycia, 
to  prevent  this  betrothal  —  even  when  assured 
that  Lucia  had  taken  on  herself  vows  of  chastity 
—  until  the  mother  was  stricken  with  what 
seemed  a  mortal  malady.  Persuaded  at  last 
by  the  pleading  of  her  daughter,  Eutycia 
visited  Cantania  to  pay  her  vows  at  the  shrine 
of  St.  Agatha.  As  the  mother  and  daughter 
kneeled  at  the  shrine,  Lucia  had  a  vision  in 
which  St.  Agatha  assured  her  that  her  mother 
was  healed  of  her  infirmity  and  that  she  (Lucia)  should  obtain 
the  favour  of  Heaven  for  Syracuse,  the  city  where  she  then  lived. 
When  Eutycia  found  herself  restored  she  at  last  yielded  to  the 


s.  LUCY. 

From  a  Painting  in 
the  Spanish 
Gallery  at 
Louvre. 


ST.    LUCY  21 

importunities  of  Lucia  to  annul  her  betrothal.  This  did  not  suit 
the  young  pagan,  who  swore  "  her  beautiful  eyes  haunted  him 
day  and  night."  With  an  heroic  resolution  to  end  the  trying  affair 
Lucia  deliberately  "  cut  her  eyes  out  of  their  sockets  and  sent 
them  to  him ;  begging  that  henceforth  she  might  be  left  in 
peace."  But  to  quote  still  from  the  legend  :  "  God  rewarded 
her  for  her  sacrifice  by  restoring  her  eyes,  an  hundredfold  more 
beautiful  than  ever  before."  After  this  she  gave  her  entire  dowry 
to  be  distributed  to  the  poor  of  Syracuse.  This  last  act  so 
enraged  her  lover  that  he  went  to  Pascasius,  who  under  the  edict 
of  Dioclesian,  ordered  her  to  sacrifice  to  the  gods.  She  refused. 
Then  came  the  most  brutal  of  the  means  (not  uncommon  then  used) 
to  secure  her  consent  to  sacrifice.  She  was  taken  to  a  brothel, 
there  to  be  defiled.  A  fact  that  is  literally  true.  But  she 
had  such  strength  given  her  that  even  the  brutes  employed  at  last 
desisted  and  she  was  carried  to  prison.  Once 
more  the  Governor  ordered  her  to  do  sacrifice  to 
the  gods  or  be  condemned  to  death.  Again  she 
refused ;  but  when  the  soldiers  attempted  to  re- 
move her  by  force  for  execution  she  stood  as  if 
rooted  to  the  ground,  and  they  could  not  move  her. 
Even  when  ropes  and  pulleys  were  applied  they 
proved  powerless.  A  fire  was  kindled  on  the 
stone  floor  around  her,  but  that  too,  did  her  no 
harm  ;  at  last  one  of  the  servants  of  the  Governor, 
thinking  to  pleasure  him,  stabbed  her  in  the  neck  ' 
with  a  dagger.  Thus  in  most  Clog  Almanacs  a  dagger  marks 
St.  Lucy's  day.  An  English  Clog  has  a  gridiron  for  the  emblem 
of  St.  Lucy,  but  this  would  seem  far  more  fitting  for  St.  Laurence. 
In  Christian  art  St.  Lucy  is  usually  represented  as  in  our  first 
illustration,  holding  a  plate  in  one  hand  on  which  are  her  eyes 
and  a  palm  branch  in  the  other.  Sometimes  a  pilgrim's  shell  is 
substituted  for  the  plate.  Again  in  allusion  to  her  name,  Lucia, 
she  sometimes  holds  a  lamp  and  more  rarely  still  is  standing  by 
a  flaming  cauldron. 


22      SAINTS  AND    FESTIVALS 


DECEMBER 

The  study  of  the  lives  of  the  saints  of  the  early  Church  con- 
stantly brings  us  in  contact  with  the  history  of  the  various  parts  of 
Europe  where  the  man  under  consideration  lived,  and  to  under- 
stand the  man  and  his  life  we  must  know  of  his  surroundings.  It 
is  for  this  reason  that  the  scraps  of  history  which  I  shall  record 
will  be  introduced.  It  is  thus  to-day,  when  speaking  of  St.  Ni- 
casius  and  his  band  of  Christians  at  Rheims,  in  the  beginning  of 
the  V.  century,  then  a  part  of  Gaul  and  in  which  city  a  flourishing 
church  had  existed  for  a  long  time,  as  St.  Nicasius  was  its  ninth 
bishop,  we  know  in  Germany  not  a  few  of  the  Vandals  were 
Arian  Christians  while  the  Goths  were  yet  pagans.  But  both  the 
Goths  and  Vandals  were  at  enmity  at  all  times  with  Gaul  and  it  is 
a  mooted  point  therefore  with  historians  whether  the  "  barbarians  " 
who  are  said  to  have  besieged  and  plundered  Rheims  in  407  were 
Goths  or  Arian  Vandals.  As  we  have  ample  evidence  of  the  deadly 
hatred  existing  in  the  hearts  of  the  Arians  toward  Orthodox  Chris- 
tians, practically  it  mattered  little  to  the  faithful  in  Rheims  which 
they  were  who  attacked  them.  Those  old  worthies  of  the  Church 
were  sturdy  men  of  valour  and  as  such  at  all  times  of  danger  they 
became  leaders  not  only  of  their  disciples  but  of  others.  Thus 
it  was  Nicasius  appears  in  the  forefront  of  the  battle  of  the 
denizens  of  Rheims  for  their  homes.  From  the  first  the  Bishop  saw 
defeat  was  almost  certain  ;  but  this  was  no  reason  why  they  should 
not  do  their  duty,  and  everywhere  on  that  eventful  day  he  was 
seen  going  from  door  to  door  and  from  one  armed  band  to  another 
regardless  of  the  personal  danger  for  his  own  life  that  he  might 
save  others.  But  the  barbarians  were  too  strong  and  well  trained 
for  the  peaceful  citizens  long  to  resist.  Still  when  they  entered 
the  city  they  met  the  doughty  Bishop  fighting  them  at  every  step 
with  his  Deacon  and  Lector  at  his  side  and  thus  it  happened  the 
holy  man  was  one  of  the  first  who  fell  beneath  their  sword.  Not 
very  far  away  from  this  scene  of  battle,  his  sister  Eutropia 
watched  and  waited  the  outcome  for  she  knew  only  too  well 
that  the  defeat  of  the  citizens  and  capture  of  herself  by  their 
enemies  meant  the  despoiling  of  her  honour  though  she  had  done 


N  ICENE   CREED  23 

nobly  her  share  and  welcomed  death  rather  than  to  yield  to  what 
was  worse.  These  are  the  saints  the  Church  still  keeps  in  memory 
by  the  services  held  this  day  in  their  honour. 


DECEMBER  isth 

Is  the  festival  of  St.  Eusebius,  Bishop  of  Vercelli  (now  in  Pied- 
mont) and  whose  name  is  especially  remembered  from  the  fact  that 
Pope  Liberius  deputised  him  with  Lucifer  of  Cagliari  to  ask  the 
Emperor  Constantine  to  assemble  the  council  which  met  at  Milan 
in  355,  at  which  time  Constantine  laid  the  Nicene  creed  on  the 
table  insisting  that  all  present  sign  that  rule  of  faith  to  govern 
them,  before  they  took  up  the  case  of  St.  Athanasius  —  the  cham- 
pion of  the  Orthodox  Church  —  which  was  then  to  be  considered. 
The  Arians  were  in  the  majority  of  those  present  but  violent  as 
they  ever  seemed  to  be,  either  dared  not  or  would  not  submit 
to  the  demand  of  the  Emperor.  Thus,  when  Dionysius  of  Milan 
rose  to  affix  his  signature  to  the  paper,  Valeus,  Bishop  of  Mursia  — 
one  of  the  most  violent  of  the  Arians — "darted  forward  and 
snatched  the  obnoxious  document  from  his  (Dionysius)  hands, 
tearing  it  into  fragments  which  he  cast  on  the  floor  and  then 
broke  the  pen  into  pieces."  An  adjournment  to  the  palace  of  the 
emperor  followed  and  the  hasty  condemnation  of  St.  Athanasius. 
To  this  verdict  St.  Eusebius  objected  and  refused  to  sign  as  did 
Dionysius  and  Lucifer  of  Cagliari,  believing  St.  Athanasius  inno- 
cent. Whereon  the  Emperor  in  rage  cried  out :  "  Obey  me,  or 
you  shall  be  banished."  On  a  second  refusal  soldiers  entered 
and  tore  the  holy  prelates  from  the  altar,  conveying  Dionysius  into 
Cappadocia  where  he  died  ;  Lucifer  to  Syria,  and  Eusebius  to 
Scythopolis  in  Palestine  to  be  dealt  with  by  the  Arian  Bishop 
Patrophilis.  Pope  Liberius,  powerless  to  help  them,  still  wrote 
encouraging  letters.  The  story  of  Eusebius'  sufferings  is  too 
long  to  repeat  but  on  the  death  of  Constantine  in  361,  Julian 
gave  permission  for  the  banished  Bishops  to  return  to  their  sees. 
The  Bishop  seems  to  have  travelled  extensively  in  the  East  and 
through  Illyricum,  preaching  and  confirming  many  who  had  gone 
astray  from  the  true  faith,  before  his  death  in  371. 


24       SAINTS    AND    FESTIVALS 

The  Roman  Missal  and  Breviary  place  his  office  for  December 
1 5th.  This,  however,  is  supposed  to  be  the  date  when  his  relics 
were  translated  to  Vercelli,  as  his  death  is  believed  to  have  occurred 
on  August  ist. 


DECEMBER  1 5th. 

On  this  day  the  first  of  a  series  of  nine  anthems  in  the  Latin 
service  of  the  English  pre-Reformation  Church  used  to  be  sung  in 
honour  of  Christ's  Advent,  taking  their  place  in  the  ritual,  and  the 
anthems  were  continued  to  Christmas  Eve. 

This  day  is  the  festival  of  St.  Alice,  or  as  she  is  often  called, 
Adelaide,  whose  eventful  life  might  well  serve  for  an  historical 
story  of  the  early  part  of  the  X.  century  as  it  covers  a  period  full 
of  stirring  events  in  continental  history  and  life  in  several  promi- 
nent courts  of  Europe.  I  have  not  the  space  to  tell  this  story  as  it 
should  be  told  ;  for  abridged  as  it  must  be  it  loses  much  in  historic 
interest. 

The  second  Burgundy,  often  called  Aries  in  early  days,  was 
erected  by  Charles  II.  (The  Bold)  in  877.  In  931  Rudolph  or 
Ralph  II.  was  king  of  Burgundy  when  his  wife  bore  him  a  daugh- 
ter whom  they  christened  Alice  ;  though  she  is  often  spoken  of  as 
Adelaide.  Her  father  died  in  937  when  she  was  but  six  years  of 
age  and  when  sixteen  she  married  Lothaire,  king  of  Italy,  and  her 
daughter  Emma  married  Lothaire,  king  of  France.  Lothaire,  king 
of  Italy  and  husband  of  Alice,  died  in  949,  at  which  time  the 
trials  of  the  young  widow  began.  Berengarius  III.,  the  Margrave 
of  Jurea,  who  by  conquests  had  already  possessed  himself  of 
Lombardy,  and  who  was  an  openly  declared  enemy  of  Lothaire, 
succeeded  the  late  king  and  almost  immediately  upon  some  pre- 
text imprisoned  Alice  the  late  queen.  After  some  years  Queen 
Alice  managed  to  escape  from  her  prison  and  fled  toward 
Germany,  being  met,  however,  before  her  arrival  by  Prince 
Otho  (afterward  Otho  I.)  who  at  the  solicitation  of  Pope  Agapetus 
II.  had  raised  an  army  of  50,000  men  and  was  marching  to  secure 
her  release.  Continuing  his  march  he  conquered  Paris  and  finally 
made  a  treaty  with  Berengarius,  which  was  soon  broken  by  the 


ST.    OLMYPIAS  25 

latter  and  a  second  expedition  was  sent  out  which  captured  the 
faithless  king  of  Italy,  and  he  was  sent  a  prisoner  to  Germany 
where  he  died.  In  963  Otho  was  crowned  Emperor  of  Germany 
at  Rome,  and  was  married  to  Alice  immediately  after  his 
coronation.  Otho  (the  Great)  died  in  973  and  his  son  Otho  II. 
became  emperor,  and  while  under  the  guidance  of  his  mother, 
Queen  Alice,  all  went  well,  but  under  evil  advisors  her  son  at 
length  banished  her  from  court.  After  nine  years,  when  Otho  II. 
died,  Alice  was  recalled  and  made  regent.  Such  was  the  tortuous, 
trying  life  of  this  good  woman  of  whose  inner  life  I  have  not 
spoken  as  it  seems  so  separate  and  apart  from  her  outer  and 
public  life.  Except  by  following  her  day  by  day,  this  hidden  life 
can  hardly  be  told.  Neither  the  pomp  and  flattery  of  courts 
where  every  kind  was  beset  before  her  nor  the  trials  adversity 
brought,  ever  changed  her  from  being  the  meek  and  humble 
Christian  she  truly  was.  Whether  wielding  the  sceptre  of 
state,  governing  the  destinies  of  her  kingdom,  or  as  the  imprisoned 
captive  of  a  tyrant,  the  same  spirit  of  Christ  dominated  her  every 
act.  As  one  writer  says  of  her :  "  Her  own  household  appeared 
as  regular  as  the  most  edifying  monastery."  To  do  good  both  by 
precept  and  example,  was  her  one  aim  in  life.  Her  last  journey 
on  which  she  was  engaged  was  as  a  peacemaker  between 
rebellious  subjects  of  her  nephew  Ralph  in  Burgundy  and  their 
ruler.  Thus  it  was  that  while  on  the  road  she  died  at  Salces,  in 
Alsace,  on  December  16,  999. 


DECEMBER 

Is  the  festival  of  another  widow,  St.  Olmypias,  whom  one  vener- 
able writer  calls  "  the  glory  of  the  widows  in  the  eastern  church." 
Born  of  an  illustrious  family,  possessed  of  immense  wealth  and  of 
unusual  personal  beauty,  she  was  early  sought  for  in  marriage  and 
in  368  was  wedded  to  Nebridius,  treasurer  of  Emperor  Theodosius 
the  Great.  But  a  brief  twenty  days  elapsed  after  her  marriage 
when  death  claimed  her  husband.  When  the  customary  term  of 
mourning  was  ended  suitors  innumerable  asked  her  hand  in 
marriage,  among  them  men  of  the  most  ancient  and  noble  of  the 


26       SAINTS    AND    FESTIVALS 

patrician  families,  officials  of  high  rank  and  gallants  from  the 
court,  but  to  one  and  all  she  gave  the  same  reply,  that  during  her 
life  she  should  remain  unmarried.  Even  when  the  emperor 
interceded  in  behalf  of  one  of  his  nobles  she  still  held  to  her  set 
purpose.  Beset  thus  on  every  side  she  placed  her  great  fortune  in 
the  hands  of  the  prefect  of  Constantinople  as  her  trustee,  until  she 
should  reach  the  age  of  30.  This  gave  the  prefect  peculiar 
authority  over  her,  and  to  aid  one  of  Olmypias'  rejected  suitors 
who  thought  thus  to  coerce  the  widow  into  compliance,  she  was 
interdicted  from  either  going  to  church  or  seeing  her  bishop  and 
spiritual  adviser.  Complaining  to  Theodosius,  she  desired  her 
fortune  to  be  divided  between  the  poor  and  the  church ;  but  the 
emperor  instead  directed  in  391  the  prefect  to  restore  the  control 
of  her  fortune  to  the  widow  herself  who  thenceforth  under  the 
wise  counsel  of  St.  Chrysostom  began  a  systematic  division  of 
her  revenues  to  both  the  church  and  charity  until  the  worthy 
bishop  was  so  ruthlessly  banished  in  404.  Like  other  of  St. 
Chrysostom's  friends,  she  suffered  in  the  persecutions  which 
followed  and  owing  to  sickness  was  obliged  to  leave  the  city  but 
in  405  she  was  brought  back,  heavily  fined  for  refusal  to  "  com- 
municate with  Arsocius,"  her  goods  sold  and  the  community  of 
nuns  she  headed  scattered.  But  ever  true  to  her  faith  no  suffering 
or  physical  ailment  —  though  she  had  been  for  years  an  invalid  — 
could  induce  her  to  waver  in  her  constant  conscientious  purposes. 
Thus  after  many  years  of  trials  and  sickness  this  noble  specimen 
of  the  women  of  the  early  church  died  about  410,  the  exact  year 
being,  like  many  dates  in  the  early  centuries,  uncertain.  The 
Greeks  honour  St.  Olmypias  on  July  25th,  but  in  Roman  Martyr- 
ology  the  date  is  fixed  for  December  i7th. 


DECEMBER  i8th 

Is  sacred  to  St.  Winebald,  the  son  of  an  Anglo-Saxon  king,  and  a 
family  highly  honoured  in  Roman  Martyrology  as  both  the  father, 
St.  Richard,  and  our  saints'  brother,  St.  Willibald,  and  their  sister, 
St.  Walburga,  appear  in  its  Kalendar. 

The  story  has  its  more  especial  interest  from  the  evidence  it 


SS.   WINEBALD,   NEMESION     27 

bears  of  the  deep  and  conscientious  purpose  of  those  Anglo-Saxon 
Christians  of  whom  at  best  we  know  very  little  and  must  therefore 
judge  them  rather  from  their  scantily  recorded  lives  than  by  the 
more  elaborate  records  of  Churchman  of  later  days. 

St.  Richard,  having  determined  upon  a  pilgrimage,  also  resolved 
to  take  his  two  sons  with  him.  Embarking  at  Hamble-Haven, 
they  passed  through  Normandy ;  but  on  arriving  at  Lucca  the 
King  sickened  and  died  in  722.  After  the  burial  of  their  father 
the  sons  completed  their  pilgrimage  to  Rome.  Later,  Willibald 
extended  his  pilgrimage  to  Palestine  but  Winebald  returned  to 
England.  In  738  Winebald  and  a  younger  brother  accompanied 
their  cousin  St.  Boniface  once  more  to  Rome  and  from  there 
Winebald,  still  clinging  to  his  patron  St.  Boniface,  came  to  Thurin- 
gia,  where  the  holy  man  ordained  him  as  a  priest  and  committed 
to  his  care  seven  of  the  churches  which  he  (Boniface)  had  founded, 
among  them  being  that  at  Erfust.  In  781  St.  Willibald,  then  Bishop 
of  Aychstadt  in  Franconia,  wished  to  establish  one  of  those  double 
monasteries  which  were  at  that  time  regarded  with  so  much  favour 
by  the  church,  and  invited  Winebald  and  their  sister,  Walburga,  to 
take  charge  of  it  as  Abbot  and  Abbess.  The  neighbourhood  was 
intensely  idolatrous,  and  frequent  attempts  were  made  upon  the 
life  of  Winebald  but  he  was  preserved  through  each,  until  at  last 
his  faithful  labours  bore  fruit  among  the  very  men  who  had 
endeavoured  to  harm  him.  In  this  effort  a  grievous  malady  which 
for  years  afflicted  him  was  never  allowed  to  interfere  with  the  task 
he  had  set  himself  and  so  he  is  often  held  up  by  his  biographers 
as  an  example  of  perseverance  under  trials,  thus  —  to  quote  from  a 
chronicler  —  "  having  been  tried  and  purified  *  *  *  as  pure  gold  in 
the  furnace,  he  went  to  God,  on  December  18,  760." 


DECEMBER 

St.  Nemesion,  whom  the  Church  honours  this  day,  was  an 
Egyptian  who  spent  his  life  labouring  among  thieves  and  the  low- 
est classes  in  striving  to  bring  them  back  to  a  right  course  of  living. 
His  life  work  and  character  were  well  enough  known  to  have 
exempted  him  from  the  accusation  of  being  a  thief  but  under  the 


28   SAINTS    AND    FESTIVALS 

persecution  of  Decius,  for  lack  of  a  better  reason,  this  was  charged 
against  him.  He  quickly  and  easily  disproved  the  false  accusation  ; 
but  once  their  victim  was  in  their  hands  these  idolaters  never  let 
loose  their  deathly  grip.  Thus  it  was  that  when  cleared  of  the 
false  charge  he  was  questioned  as  to  his  faith  and  true  as  Christ's 
followers  were  in  those  days,  Nemesion  failed  not  to  testify  against 
himself  when  he  proclaimed  he  was  a  Christian,  and  was  at  once 
sent  to  the  "  Augustal "  Prefect  of  Egypt  to  be  dealt  with.  Two 
questions  only  were  put  to  the  Egyptian  Evangelist :  "  Are  you 
a  Christian  ?  "  and  "  Will  you  repent  from  your  error  and  do  sac- 
rifice to  the  gods  ?  "  Well  knowing  what  awaited  his  reply,  Neme- 
sion without  hesitation  responded,  acknowledging  his  faith  and  in 
burning  words  then  gave  his  reasons  why  death  was  preferable  to 
denying  his  Lord  and  Christ.  Thus  our  saint  with  four  Roman 
soldiers  and  a  civilian  who,  like  Nemesion,  held  firm  to  their  con- 
victions, were  all  led  forth  on  the  igth  of  December  to  an  execu- 
tion —  more  merciful  than  was  often  the  case  —  for  they  were 
beheaded. 


DECEMBER  2oth 

Is  the  feast  of  St.  Philogonius,  Bishop  of  Antioch,  and  whose  name 
is  especially  remembered  from  the  fact  that  he  with  the  saintly 
Bishop  Alexander  and  others  first  began  the  combat  now  so 
famous,  against  Arius  and  in  support  of  true  Catholicism.  He  was 
educated  for  a  lawyer  and  had  won  for  himself  fame  as  an  eloquent 
speaker,  but  even  more  for  his  keen,  clear  logic,  his  wonderful 
knowledge  of  the  canon  law  and  above  all  for  the  purity  of  his  life. 
In  318  Arius  had  broached  his  heresies  at  Alexandria  and  had 
been  condemned  by  Alexander  for  them.  It  was  just  then  the  see 
of  Antioch  was  made  vacant  and  the  need  felt  for  a  strong  man  to 
fill  it.  The  high-toned,  true  characteristics  of  Philogonius  were 
well  known  and  fully  justified  the  church  in  his  case  dispensing 
with  the  canons  and  placing  him  as  it  did,  in  the  bishopric.  The 
condemnation  and  sentence  of  Arius  by  Alexander  were  conveyed 
to  Philogonius  in  a  synodical  letter  and  the  latter's  defence  of  the 
Catholic  faith  before  the  Council  of  Nice,  has  most  justly  made  his 


ST.   THOMAS  29 

name  famous,  even  without  the  added  lustre  gained  by  his  earnest, 
effective  labours  during  the  storms  raised  against  the  Church  by 
Maximian  II.  and  afterward  by  Licinius,  which  made  our  saint 
deserving  of  the  noble  title  of  confessor.  He  died  in  322,  but  it 
was  not  until  386  his  festival  was  first  celebrated  and  was  the 
occasion  seized  upon  by  St.  Chrysostom  to  pronounce  a  panegyric 
on  the  wonderful  character  of  the  noted  bishop,  though  he  left  to 
Bishop  Flavias  the  honour  of  speaking  in  detail  of  his  great  and 
arduous  work  for  the  Catholic  Church,  an  effort  on  the  part  of  St. 
John  Chrysostom  which  even  in  these  modern  days  is  regarded  as 
one  of  the  most  wonderful  displays  of  eloquence  of  the  many  that 
have  made  the  name  of  Chrysostom  famous.  Yet  no  one  who 
reads  the  life  of  St.  Philogonius  can  for  an  instant  doubt  how  fully 
deserving  he  was  of  the  eulogy. 

This  day  is  the  Vigil  of  St.  Thomas  the  Apostle,  and  in  both 
the  English  and  Roman  churches  is  marked  by  especial  and 
appropriate  offices. 


DECEMBER  2ist. 
ST.  THOMAS'  DAY. 

The  festival  of  St.  Thomas  was  instituted  in  the  twelfth  cen- 
tury and  as  an  old  author  alleges  was  assigned  an  early  place  in 
the  ecclesiastical  calendar  from  this  apostle  having  been  vouch- 
safed the  most  indisputable  evidence  of  the  resurrection. 

St.  Thomas,  surnamed  Didymus,  or  The  Twin,  appears  to  have 
been  a  Jew  and  probably  a  Galilean ;  he  is  said  to  have  travelled 
and  promulgated  Christianity  among  the  Parthians,  Medes  and 
Persians,  to  have  been  the  apostle  of  the  Indies,  and  to  have  been 
martyred  at  Meliapore  on  the  coast  of  Caromandel  at  the  instiga- 
tion of  the  Brahmins.  After  being  stoned  and  struck  with  darts 
he  was  finally  transfixed  with  a  lance.  A  Christian  church  exists  to 
this  day  on  the  coast  of  Malabar  which  traditionally  traces  its  ori- 
gin to  the  preaching  of  St.  Thomas,  and  names  itself  after  him. 
Wheatly  suggests  that  the  church  recommends  St.  Thomas  to  our 
meditation  at  this  season  as  a  fit  preparative  to  our  Lord's  Nativity, 


30     SAINTS   AND   FESTIVALS 


for  although  he  first  openly  doubted  the  truth  of  our  Lord's 
Resurrection  all  doubts  fled  when  he  saw  his  Divine  Master. 

St.  Thomas  as  the  pa- 
tron of  architects  and 
builders  has  for  his  sym- 
bol a  builder's  or  carpen- 
ter's square  and  in 
Danish  clogs  his  day  is 
marked  by  one,  but  upon 
the  English  clogs  it  has, 
as  shown  in  the  second 
illustration,  a  purely 
Runic  sign.  The  square 
was  assigned  to  St. 
Thomas  about  the  IX. 
century  from  a  quaint 
legend,  but  too  long  for 
repetition  here  except 
very  much  abridged. 
When  the  Apostle  was  in 
Cassarea,  the  Lord  ap- 
peared to  him  and  said  : 
"  Gondoforus,  king  of 
the  Indies,  wishes  a 
palace  built  for  himself 
which  shall  exceed  in 
splendour  that  of  the 
emperor  at  Rome.  Be- 
hold, now  I  will  send  thee 
to  build  it."  Gondoforus 
received  the  Apostle 
graciously,  gave  into  his 
S.  THOMAS.  hands  immense  treasures 

From  Mural  Painting  in  S.  Alban's  Abbey.        of    gold    and    silver  with 

which  to  build  the  palace ;  then  started  on  a  journey  to  a  far 
country  and  was  absent  two  years.  After  the  king's  departure 
Thomas,  instead  of  building  the  palace,  distributed  to  the  last 


ST.   THOMAS  31 

farthing  all  of  the  treasures  given  him  among  the  poor,  sick  and 
needy.  Upon  the  king's  return  and  when  he  found  his  coveted 
palace  unbuilt  and  learned  what  had  been  done  with  his  immense 
treasure  he  was  full  of  wrath  and  ordered  the  Apostle  imprisoned 
and  commanded  he  should  be  put  to  an  horrible  death.  Meanwhile 
the  king's  brother  died,  and  Gon- 
doforus  resolved  to  erect  for  him  a 
magnificent  tomb.  But  on  the  fourth 
day  after  his  brother's  death,  while 
the  king  sat  beside  the  catafalco,  his 
brother  rose  and  sat  upright  in  his 
sarcophagus  and  said .  '  The  man 
whom  thou  tortured  is  a  servant  of 
God.  I  have  been  in  Paradise  and 
the  angels  showed  me  a  wondrous 
palace,  built  of  silver,  gold  and  pre- 
cious stones  and  they  said :  '  This  is 
the  palace  the  architect  Thomas  hath  built  for  thy  brother  Gon- 
doforus.'  "  When  the  king  heard  these  words  he  ran  to  the  prison 
and  liberated  the  Apostle  who  said  :  "  Knowest  thou  not  that  they 
who  wouldst  possess  heavenly  things  care  little  for  the  gauds  of 
this  world  ?  There  are  in  heaven  such  places  without  number  which 
are  prepared  for  those  who  purchase  the  possession  of  them 
through  faith  and  charity.  Thy  riches, 
O  king,  may  prepare  for  thee  such  a 
palace  but  they  cannot  follow  thee.  " 
A  representation  of  this  legend  is  painted 
on  one  of  the  windows  of  the  Cathedral 
at  Bourges ;  an  appropriate  offering  from 
the  company  of  builders  of  that  ancient 
city.  For  while  the  most  devout  regard 
the  legend  as  a  purely  religious  fiction 
or  an  allegory,  like  some  of  the  parables  of  our  Saviour,  as  in- 
vented for  the  instruction  of  the  people,  the  moral  lesson  it  teaches 
has  and  will  give  it  a  place  always  in  the  story  of  St.  Thomas. 

After  the  dispersion  of  the  Apostles,  St.  Thomas  is  said  to  have 
preached  the  gospel  to  the  Medes,  Persians,  Barbarians,  Ethiopians 


32    SAINTS   AND   FESTIVALS 

and  the  Indians:  and  it  was  among  the  latter  that  he  suffered  mar- 
tyrdom at  Miliapore.  Legends  in  great  number  are  told  of  St. 
Thomas,  among  them  the  curious  in  such  matters  should  read 
the  story  told  by  Sir  John  Mandeville  of  St.  Thomas'  arm, 
"  which  yet  " —  i.  e.,  in  Sir  John's  day —  gives  judgment  between 
litigants  by  casting  aside  the  scroll  of  the  unworthy  one,  when 
presented  "  at  his  fair  tomb  in  the  city  of  Calvary." 

St.  Thomas'  Day  falls  on  the  winter  solstice,  the  shortest  day  in 
the  year,  as  expressed  in  the  following  couplet : 
"  St.  Thomas  gray.  St.  Thomas  gray, 
The  longest  night  and  the  shortest  day." 


DECEMBER  22d. 

This  day  has  been  selected  by  the  Roman  Church  to  commem- 
orate two  missionaries  of  the  IX.  century.  These  two  men  are 
sometimes  spoken  of  as  "  brothers,"  but  this  probably  came  from 
the  fact  that  they  were  brethren  of  the  Order  of  St.  Basil.  One 
of  these,  Cyril,  was  a  philosopher  while  Methodius  was  an  artist 
of  rare  skill  as  were  many  monks  of  the  early  ages,  men  who  pro- 
duced those  wonderful  illuminated  missals  which  are  unsur- 
passed even  by  the  best  artists  of  modern  days.  Originally  Cyril 
had  been  named  Constantine,  but  by  a  very  common  custom  that 
obtains  even  now,  had  changed  his  name  at  the  time  of  his  con- 
secration. He  was  born  of  a  Roman  "  senatorial  family,"  and 
received  every  possible  advantage  which  the  age  afforded  ;  while  his 
bright,  analytic  mind  nature  endowed  him  with  and  an  ardent  love 
for  study  enabled  him  to  make  the  most  of  his  resources,  so  that 
he  early  won  the  rare  sobriquet  of  "  The  Philosopher."  But  his 
piety  and  virtue  were  his  most  shining  characteristics,  and  thus 
after  his  ordination  to  the  priesthood  his  zeal  in  the  service  of  the 
Church  brought  him  into  notice.  His  first  public  recognition 
came  in  his  defence  of  St.  Ignatius,  when  in  846  that  worthy  was 
advanced  to  patriarchal  dignity  and  was  attacked  by  Photius  as 
related  by  Anastasius  "  the  bibliothecarian." 

It  was  about  this  time  when  the  Chazari,  a  tribe  descended  from 
the  ancient  Turci,  one  of  the  most  numerous  of  the  powerful 


ST.    CYRIL  33 

nation  of  the  Huns  in  European  Scythia,  had  possessed  themselves 
of  a  territory  on  the  banks  of  the  Danube  near  Germany,  with 
Moravia  on  the  west,  and  a  tribe  of  Bulgarians,  "  the  Scrobati," 
in  the  mountains  on  the  south,  and  sent  an  embassy  to  Michael 
III.  —  the  Drunkard  —  Emperor  of  the  East  (died  867),  and  joined 
his  pious  mother  in  asking  that  some  priest  be  sent  to  instruct 
them  in  the  Christian  Faith.  The  dowager  empress  at  once  con- 
sulted Ignatius  the  patriarch  and  Cyril  was  selected  for  the  pur- 
pose and  started  on  his  mission  in  848.  The  selection  of  Cyril  is 
only  an  illustration  of  the  care  and  foresight  of  those  Fathers  of 
the  Church  in  all  things.  The  language  of  the  Chazari  was  not 
the  Sclavonian  then  so  common  among  many  of  the  tribal  nations, 
therefore  was  one  to  be  learned  by  the  missionary.  As  a  student 
Cyril  had  learned  Greek,  Latin  and  the  Sclavonic  languages  and 
thus  had  a  solid  foundation  upon  which  to  build  in  his  study  of  this 
new  language ;  his  first  work  was  its  acquisition  which  he  accom- 
plished in  a  very  short  time.  Then  and  not  until  then,  did  he 
attempt  to  teach  ;  thus  avoiding  many  mistakes  that  under  similar 
circumstances  had  retarded  if  not  wholly  ruined  the  efforts  of 
worthy  but  less  critically  educated  men.  Once  feeling  himself 
fully  equipped  for  this  work  he  began  it,  and  his  success  was 
equalled  by  the  care  he  had  taken  in  his  preparation.  I  have  been 
thus  prolix  only  to  illustrate  a  fact  which  will  often  be  seen  in  the 
lives  of  others  of  the  missionaries  sent  out  in  those  dark  ages.  For 
it  was  through  them  that  the  Latin  Church,  by  their  arduous  labours 
and  missionary  work,  was  laying  those  broad  foundations  upon 
which  they  later  built  such  a  solid  structure.  When  Cyril  had 
completed  his  work  among  the  Chazari,  and  arranged  for  their 
spiritual  welfare  in  the  future,  he  returned  to  Constantinople.  But 
he  was  quickly  sent  upon  his  second  mission  and  it  was  then 
"  his  brother  Methodius  "  became  his  associate  in  endeavouring  to 
bring  the  Bulgari  under  Christian  influence.  These  Bulgari  were 
also  a  Scythian  nation  though  not  of  the  Huns  but  of  the  Sclavi, 
and  their  language  entirely  different  from  either  the  Turci  or  Huns. 
They  were  located  in  ancient  Myria  and  Dacia  on  both  sides  of 
the  Danube, —  now  part  of  Wallachia,  Moldavia,  and  of  modern 
Hungary.  The  earliest  seeds  for  the  conversion  of  these  barba- 


34     SAINTS   AND    FESTIVALS 

rians  had  been  sown  in  the  beginning  of  the  reign  of  Basil  II. 
(The  Macedonian),  Emperor  of  the  East  from  867  to  886 — by 
Grecian  captives,  but  was  in  Cyril's  day  nearly  dead.  The  two 
monks  worked  each  in  his  own  way,  but  in  perfect  harmony. 
Cyril  from  the  pulpit,  but  Methodius  by  what  we  now  would  call 
object  lessons,  through  the  wonderful  power  he  possessed  with 
his  pencil  and  brush  supplementing  and  illustrating  Cyril's  burning 
words.  A  single  instance  of  their  effective  work  must  suffice  to 
show  their  success.  Bogoris  (or  Boigoris),  then  king  of  Bulgaria, 
a  man  devoted  to  the  pleasures  of  the  chase  and  a  bonhomme 
(easy-going  fellow)  as  a  Frenchman  terms  him,  desired  Metho- 
dius to  paint  for  him  a  picture  to  adorn  the  wall  of  his  ban- 
quet-hall. Instead  of  selecting  a  hunting  scene,  or  some  other 
that  would  please  the  King  but  which  would  carry  no  lesson  with 
it,  the  monk  chose  for  his  illustration  "  The  Last  Judgment," 
with  kings,  princes  and  peasants  all  standing  in  a  heterogeneous 
mass  without  distinction  of  rank  or  person  before  the  Great  Judge. 
When  completed  it  was  shown  the  King  who  demanded  an 
explanation  of  the  meaning  of  the  picture.  This  Cyril  gave  in 
such  a  realistic  manner  that  the  monarch  and  his  courtiers  stood 
awe  stricken  and  terrified.  But  the  result  was  attained,  for  in  865 
(authorities  differ  as  to  this  date,  some  placing  it  in  86 1)  he  was 
baptised  when  he  took  the  name  of  Michael,  and  in  867  he  sent 
ambassadors  to  Pope  Nicholas  I.  with  presents  and  a  request  for 
instructions  as  to  his  future  conduct. 

But  I  must  refrain  from  any  further  comment  on  these  interest- 
ing men  beyond  saying  that  in  Muscovite  Kalendars  both  Cyril  and 
Methodius  are  termed  "  Moravian  Bishops,"  and  in  Roman  Mar- 
tyrology  the  same  title  is  given  them.  In  the  Polish  Breviary  it 
is  stated  Cyril  died  a  monk  and  that  only  Methodius  was  conse- 
crated as  an  Archbishop  sometime  after  his  "  brother's  "  death,  by 
Adrian  II. 

Stredowski  in  his  "  Sacra  Moravia?  Historia,"  styles  SS.  Cyril 
and  Methodius  "  Apostles  of  Moravia,  Upper  Bohemia,  etc.,  etc., 
and  almost  all  of  the  Sclavonian  nations." 

The  Greeks  and  Muscovites  honour  St.  Cyril  on  Feburary  I4th, 
and  St.  Methodius  on  the  nth  of  May.  The  dates  of  their  death 
are  uncertain  beyond  being  between  the  years  880  and  894. 


THE   EVE   OF   THE   NATIVITY  35 

Roman  Martyrology  honours  these  saints  on  March  pth.  This 
22d  of  December,  however,  is  that  named  by  Dr.  Butler  in  his 
"  Lives  of  the  Saints." 


DECEMBER  23d. 

The  story  of  St.  Servulus,  whose  festival  recurs  this  day,  reminds 
one  in  its  main  features  of  the  parable  of  Dives  and  Lazarus. 
From  his  infancy  Servulus  had  been  a  paralytic  and  a  beggar.  As 
a  baby  his  mother  had  carried  him  to  the  porch  of  the  historic 
church  of  St.  Clement's  in  Rome,  and  there  laid  him  down  to  wait 
for  the  alms  which  passers  might  drop  to  him.  During  his  whole 
life  he  never  could  sit  upright  but  lay  prone  at  the  feet  of  those 
who  stopped  to  look  at  him  and  thus  soon  became  well  known  to 
all  about  the  church.  St.  Gregory  especially  became  deeply  inter- 
ested in  this  beggar  when  by  accident  he  discovered  him  sharing 
the  alms  he  had  received  with  his  fellow  beggars  who  had  been 
less  fortunate  than  himself  reserving  only  a  bare  moiety  for  his 
own  needs.  As  he  lay  by  the  church  door  he  heard  and  learned 
to  join  in  the  anthems  sung  within  and  when  he  was  dying  his 
legend  tells  :  "  He  suddenly  cried  out '  Silence!  Do  you  not  hear 
the  sweet  melody  and  praises  resounding  from  heaven  ?  '  "  St. 
Gregory  made  this  beggar  cripple  the  subject  of  one  of  his  most 
noted  efforts  (Homily  15),  drawing  from  his  life  and  his  efforts  to 
aid  his  fellowmen  even  amid  his  own  afflictions  —  a  lesson  which 
the  prosperous  world  may  well  take  to  heart,  though  St.  Gregory's 
eulogy  was  spoken  in  590,  when  Servulus  died. 


DECEMBER  24th. 

This  is  the  Vigil  of  the  Nativity  of  Our  Blessed  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  and  is  a  day  of  fasting  and  abstination  in  both  the  English 
and  Roman  churches. 

The  eves  or  vigils  of  the  different  ecclesiastical  festivals  of  the 
Christian  year  are,  according  to  the  strict  letter  of  canonical  rule, 
times  of  fasting  and  penance,  but  as  in  the  case  of  All  Saints'  Eve 
and  of  Christmas  Eve,  common  custom  has  ignored  and  inconti- 
ently  transformed  them  into  seasons  of  mirth  and  jollity.  Per- 


36     SAINTS   AND    FESTIVALS 

haps  nothing  better  can  be  found  to  describe  this  than  Sir  Walter 
Scott's  "  Marmion,"  and  I  would  advise  my  gentle  readers  to  take 
from  their  shelves  that  glorious  poem  and  read  from  where  it 
begins : 

"  On  Christmas  Eve  the  bells  were  rung ; 
On  Christmas  Eve  the  mass  was  sung  ; 
That  only  night,  iti  all  the  year, 
Saw  the  stoled  priest  the  chalice  rear, 
The  damsel  donned  her  kirtle  sheen  ; 
The  hall  was  dressed  with  holly  green ; 
Forth  to  the  wood  did  merry-men  go, 
To  gather  in  the  mistletoe.'' 

By  far  the  largest  number  of  the  Christmas  customs  still  extant  in 
England  and  which  in  a  limited  way  obtain  among  ourselves  are  but 
the  survivals  of  old  pagan  rites  and  ceremonies.  These,  it  is  need- 
less here  to  repeat,  were  extensively  retained  after  the  conversion  of 
Britain  to  Christianity,  partly  because  the  Christian  teachers  found 
it  impossible  to  wean  their  converts  from  their  cherished  supersti- 
tions and  observances,  and  partly  because  they  themselves,  as  a 
matter  of  expediency,  ingrafted  the  rites  of  the  Christian  religion  on 
the  old  heathen  ceremonies,  believing  that  thereby  the  cause  of 
the  cross  would  be  rendered  more  acceptable  to  the  generality  of 
the  populace  and  thus  be  more  effectually  promoted.  By  such 
an  amalgamation,  no  festival  of  the  Christian  year  was  more 
thoroughly  characterized  than  Christmas,  the  festivities  of  which 
were  originally  derived  from  the  Roman  Saturnalia,  had  afterwards 
been  intermingled  with  the  ceremonies  observed  by  the  British 
Druids  at  the  period  of  the  winter  solstice,  and  at  a  subsequent 
period  became  incorporated  with  the  grim  mythology  of  the  ancient 
Saxons.  Two  popular  observances  belonging  to  Christmas  are 
more  especially  derived  from  the  worship  of  our  pagan  ancestors  — 
the  hanging  up  of  the  mistletoe  and  the  burning  of  the  yule  log. 

But  I  must  not  enter  upon  any  description  of  these  festivities 
here.  Yet  I  am  tempted  to  quote  from  the  genial  pen  of  Herrick 
in  regard  to  the  yule  log  : 

"  Come  bring  a  noise, 
My  merry,  merry  boys, 
The  Christmas  log  to  the  firing ; 


THE    NATIVITY  37 

While  my  good  dame  she 
Bids  ye  all  be  free, 

And  drink  to  your  heart's  desiring. 

With  the  last  year's  brand 
Light  the  new  block,  and, 

For  good  success  in  his  spending, 
On  your  psalteries  play 
That  sweet  luck  may 

Come  while  the  log  is  a-teending.  * 

Drink  now  the  strong  beer, 
Cut  the  white  loaf  here, 

The  while  the  meat  is  a-shredding  ; 
For  the  rare  mince-pie, 
And  the  plums  stand  by, 

To  fill  the  paste  that's  a-kneading." 

The  allusion  in  the  second  verse  to  the  "  last  year's  brand  " 
refers  to  the  old  custom  of  laying  aside  the  charred  remains  of  the 
yule  log  of  one  year  and  with  it  to  kindle  the  new  log.  The  same 
custom  prevailed  regarding  the  yule  candle  from  whose  remnant 
the  candle  which  held  the  central  place  on  the  table  at  the  Christ- 
mas Eve  supper  was  lighted.  While  in  Germany  where,  by  the 
way,  the  Christmas  tree  first  was  raised,  the  candles  of  the  tree  are 
lighted  from  the  last  year's  yule  candle. 

At  Vespers  and  Evensong  the  canonical  colour  is  on  this  day 
changed  to  white. 

DECEMBER  2$th. 
The  canonical  colour  for  Christmas  Day  is  white. 

THE  NATIVITY   OF   CHRIST. 

The  birth  of  Jesus  Christ,  the  deliverer  of  the  human  race  and 
the  mysterious  link  connecting  the  transcendent  and  incomprehen- 
sible attributes  of  Deity  with  human  sympathies,  is  and  should  be 
regarded  as  the  most  glorious  event  which  finds  a  place  in  the 
Ecclesiastical  or  Civil  Kalendars,  and  as  such  should  be  observed 
with  appropriate  and  solemn  religious  services. 

The  question  of  whether  this  25th  day  of  December  is  really  the 

*  Burning. 


38      SAINTS    AND    FESTIVALS 

anniversary  of  the  birth  of  Christ  was  for  a  long  time  a  mooted 
one,  and  the  evidence  of  its  truth  is  at  best  traditional. 

In  the  earliest  periods  of  which  we  have  any  record  we  find  this 
feast  was  observed  at  various  periods,  the  ist  and  6th  of  January 
being  the  dates  on  which  a  portion  of  the  Christians  celebrated  it ; 
others  doing  so  on  March  29th,  the  time  of  the  "  Jewish  Passover," 
while  yet  others  selected  September  29th,  that  being  "  The  Feast 
of  the  Tabernacles."  There  were  those  also  who  observed  it  on 
April  2oth,  and  yet  another  class  who  thought  it  occurred  on  May 
2oth,  while  SS.  Epiphanius  and  Cassian  state  that  in  Egypt  Christ 
was  believed  to  have  been  born  on  January  6th.  For  a  long  time 
the  Greeks  celebrated  our  Lord's  birth  on  the  Feast  of  Epiphany. 
In  a  sermon  preached  by  St.  Chrysostom  at  Antioch  on  Decem- 
ber 25,  in  386,  he  says  :  "  It  is  not  ten  years  since  this  day  (Christ- 
mas, December  25th)  was  clearly  known  to  us;  but  it  has  been 
familiar  from  the  beginning  to  those  who  dwell  in  the  West.  The 
Romans  have  from  the  earliest  days  celebrated  it  (Christmas  on 
December  25th)  and  thus  from  ancient  tradition  transmitted 
the  knowledge  to  us." 

The  "  Kirchenlexikon  "  (an  accepted  and  undoubted  authority) 
says  that  "  the  special  feast  in  honour  of  the  Saviour's  birth  was 
introduced  in  the  year  354  under  Pope  Liberius,  and  soon  after 
in  Constantinople  in  378,  but  previous  to  this  the  feast  was 
celebrated  upon  Epiphany." 

In  passing  I  note  Chambers  names  Pope  Julius  as  having  intro- 
duced the  feast  in  the  church  ritual,  but  if  354,  the  year  named  by 
the  Kirchenlexikon  is  co'rrect,  Julius  could  not  have  promulgated 
the  office  for  he  died  in  352,  and  Liberius  was  chosen  as  his 
successor. 

Be  this  as  it  may  —  for  I  have  no  space  to  argue  such  a  point  — - 
it  is  but  reasonable  to  believe  that  the  Holy  Father  did  not  select 
this  day  at  a  random  guess,  though  the  reasons  or  traditions  on 
which  he  founded  his  determination  are  not  (as  far  as  I  can  learn 
after  careful  search)  upon  record;  but  that  he  followed  what 
seemed  to  be  the  best  authoritative  traditions  in  fixing  the  "  Festo- 
rum  omnium  metropolis,"  as  it  is  styled  by  Chrysostom. 

One  curious  fact  or  coincidence  yet  confronts  us,  that  this  date 


THE   NATIVITY  39 

exactly  corresponds  both  in  its  inception  and  the  length  of  the 
festival  with  the  great  festival  of  pagan  Rome,  the  Saturnalia. 

Though  Christian  nations  have  thus  from  an  early  period  in  the 
history  of  the  church  celebrated  Christmas  about  the  period  of  the 
winter  solstice  or  the  shortest  day,  it  is  well  known  that  many  and 
indeed  the  greater  number  of  the  popular  festive  observances  by 
which  it  is  characterized,  are  referable  to  a  much  more  ancient  ori- 
gin. Amid  all  the  pagan  nations  of  antiquity  there  seems  to  have 
been  a  universal  tendency  to  worship  the  sun  as  the  giver  of  life 
and  light  and  the  one  visible  manifestation  of  the  Deity.  Various 
as  were  the  names  bestowed  by  different  peoples  on  this  object  of 
their  worship,  the  sun  was  still  the  same  divinity.  Thus  at  Rome 
he  appears  to  have  been  worshipped  under  one  of  the  characters  at- 
tributed to  Saturn,  the  father  of  the  gods ;  among  the  Scandinavian 
nations  he  was  known  under  the  name  of  Odin  or  Woden,  the 
father  of  Thor,  who  seems  afterwards  to  have  shared  with  his 
parent  the  adoration  bestowed  on  the  latter  as  the  divinity  of 
which  the  sun  was  the  visible  manifestation ;  whilst  with  the  an- 
cient Persians  the  appellation  for  the  god  of  light  was  Mithras, 
apparently  the  same  as  the  Irish  Mithr,  and  with  the  Phoenicians 
or  Carthaginians  it  was  Baal  or  Bel,  an  epithet  familiar  to  all 
students  of  the  Bible. 

In  the  early  ages  of  Christianity  its  ministers  frequently  experi- 
enced the  utmost  difficulty  in  inducing  the  converts  to  refrain  from 
indulging  in  the  popular  amusements  which  were  so  largely  partic- 
ipated in  by  their  pagan  countrymen.  Among  others  the  revelry 
and  license  which  characterized  the  Saturnalia  called  for  special 
animadversion.  But  at  last,  convinced  partly  of  the  inefficacy  of 
such  denunciations,  and  partly  influenced  by  the  idea  that  the 
spread  of  Christianity  might  thereby  be  advanced,  the  Church  en- 
deavoured to  amalgamate  as  it  were  the  old  and  new  religions, 
and  sought  by  transferring  some  of  the  heathen  ceremonies  to  the 
solemnities  of  the  Christian  festivals  to  make  them  subservient 
to  the  cause  of  religion  and  piety. 

Thus  it  has  been  suggested,  and  not  without  some  reason,  that 
in  the  selection  of  this  day  for  Christmas,  instead  of  the  time- 
honoured  Epiphany,  the  Holy  Father  may  have  been  influenced. 


SAINTS   AND    FESTIVALS 


The  name  given  by  the  ancient  Goths  and  Saxons  to  the  festival 
of  the  winter  solstice  was  Jul  or  Yule,  the  latter  term  forming  to 
the  present  day  the  designation  in  the  Scottish  dialect  of  Christ- 
mas, and  preserved  also  in  the  name  of  the  yule  log.  Perhaps 
the  etymology  of  no  term  has  excited  any  greater  discussion  among 
antiquaries.  The  most  probable  derivation  of  the  word  is  from 
the  Gothic  gigul  or  hiul,  the  origin  of  the  modern  word  wheel,  and 
bearing  the  same  signification.  According  to  this  very  probable 
explanation  the  yule  festival  received  its  name  from  its  being  the 
turning  point  of  the  year  or  the  period  at  which  the  fiery  orb  of 
day  made  a  revolution  in  its  annual  circuit  and  entered  his  north- 
ern journey.  A  confirmation  of  this  view  is  afforded  by  the  cir- 
cumstance that  in  the  old  Clog  almanacs  a  wheel  is  the  device 
employed  for  marking  the  season  of  yule-tide. 

Of  the  interesting  subject  of  Christmas 
carols  I  am  obliged  to  limit  myself  to  a  brief 
line  or  two.  The  term  is  believed  to  be 
derived  from  the  Latin  cantare  (to  sing)  and 
rola  !  an  interjection  expressive  of  joy.  The 
practice  appears  to  be  as  ancient  as  the 
celebration  of  Christmas  itself,  and  we  are 
informed  that  in  the  early  ages  of  the  Church 
the  bishops  were  accustomed  to  sing  carols 
on  Christmas  Day  among  their  parishioners 
and  clergy,  which  in  time  developed  into 
the  joyous  hymns  of  our  present  Christmas 
carol. 


DECEMBER  26th. 
This  is  a  day  of  abstination.    The  canonical  colour  is  red. 

ST.  STEPHEN'S  DAY. 

No  more  appropriate  day  could  have  been  selected  for  the 
Feast  of  St.  Stephen,  the  great  Proto-Martyr  of  the  Church  than 
this,  the  first  day  following  Christmas  in  the  Christian  Kalendar. 
Beyond  the  somewhat  terse  accounts  we  have  of  this  Holy 


ST.   STEPHEN 


Deacon  given  in  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles  (vi.,  5)  and  of  his  arrest, 
defence  and  martyrdom  in  same  chapter  (8-15)  and  in  vii.,  and 
viii.,  2,  where  "  devout  men  carried  Stephen  to  his  burial  and 
made  great  lamentations  over  him,"  tradition  has  added  little  to 
the  history  of  the  man.  He  was  chosen  deacon  during  the  first 
ministry  of  Peter.  Later,  he  was  falsely  accused  of  speaking 
blasphemously  of  the  Temple  and  Jewish  law  and  for  this,  tried, 
condemned  to  death  and  stoned  outside  the  gate  of  Jerusalem 
that  now  bears  his  honoured  name  ;  and  buried  by  "  devout  men." 
Where  he  was  laid  there  is  no  record  to  show  and  for  four 
hundred  years  it  was  a  mystery  what  became 
of  his  body.  Then  his  legend  tells  "  that  a 
certain  priest  of  Cariagmala,  in  Palestine, 
named  Lucian,  had  a  vision  in  which  St. 
Gamaliel  appeared  to  him."  Readers  will  find 
this  vision  told  in  detail  elsewhere  and  how  the 
relics  of  St.  Stephen  were  placed  side  by  side 
those  of  St.  Laurence.  St.  Stephen  is  repre- 
sented in  art  as  a  young,  handsome,  beardless 
man  in  the  full  dress  of  a  deacon.  The  dal- 
matica  is  square  and  straight  at  the  bottom, 
with  heavy  gold  tassels  hanging  from  his 
shoulders.  It  is  always  crimson  in  colour 
and  richly  embroidered.  The  palm  branch  is 
often  given  him  and  stones  in  one  hand  are  s.  STEPHEN. 
at  all  times  his  attributes  while  a  book  is  held  in  the  other.  He  is 
supposed  to  have  suffered  his  martyrdom  in  the  year  of  our 
Lord  31,  but  some  authorities  place  the  date  in  33. 


DECEMBER  27th. 

In. the  Reformed  or  English  church  this  day  is  held  as  especially 
sacred  as  St.  John  the  Evangelist's  Day. 

A  special  reverence  and  interest  is  attached  to  St.  John  —  "  the 
disciple  whom  Jesus  loved."  Through  a  misapprehension  of  the 
Saviour's  words,  a  belief  we  are  informed  came  to  be  entertained 
among  the  other  apostles  that  this  disciple  should  never  die,  and 


42     SAINTS   AND    FESTIVALS 


the  thought  was  doubtless  fostered  by  the  circumstance  that  John 
outlived  all  his  brethren  and  coadjutors  in  the  Christian  ministry 
and  he  was  indeed  the  only  apostle  who  died  a  natural  death.  It  is 
stated  he  expired  peacefully  at  Ephesus,  at  the  advanced  age  of 
94,  in  the  reign  of  the  Emperor  Trajan,  and  the  year  of  our  Lord 
ico,  thus  as  Brady  observes  "  marking  the  first  century  of  the 
Christian  era  and  the  apostolic  age  which  terminate  together." 
,  ,r_TT— r-g— 1->  u  Though  John  thus  escaped 

actual  martyrdom  he  was 
nevertheless  called  upon  to 
endure  great  persecution  in 
the  cause  of  his  Friend  and 
Master.  Various  fathers  of 
the  church,  among  others 
Tertullian  and  St.  Jerom, 
relate  that  in  the  reign  of 
Domitian  the  evangelist,  hav- 
ing been  accused  of  attempt- 
ing to  subvert  the  religion  of 
the  Roman  empire,  was 
transported  from  Asia  to 
Rome  and  there  in  presence 
of  the  emperor  and  senate, 
before  the  gate  called  Porta 
Latina  or  the  Latin  Gate,  he 
was  cast  into  a  caldron  of 
boiling  oil  in  which  he  not 
only  remained  for  a  long 
S.  JOHN  EVANGELIST.  t  i  m  e  uninjured,  but  ulti- 

mately emerged  therefrom  with  renovated  health  and  vigour.  In 
commemoration  of  this  event  the  Roman  Catholic  Church  retains 
in  its  calendar,  on  the  6th  of  May  a  festival  entitled  "  St.  John 
before  the  Latin  Gate."  In  my  article  of  April  3oth  this  festival 
will  be  especially  mentioned. 

St.  John  was  a  younger  brother  of  St.  James  the  Great,  with 
whom  he  was  brought  up  in  the  trade  of  fishing.  Before  his  coming 
to  Christ  he  seems  for  some  time  to  have  been  disciple  to  John  the 


ST.   JOHN   EVANGELIST      43 

Baptist,  being  probably  that  other  disciple  that  was  with  Andrew 
when  they  left  the  Baptist  to  follow  our  Saviour,  so  particularly 
does  he  relate  all  circumstances  of  that  transaction  though 
modestly  (as  in  other  parts  of  his  gospel)  concealing  his  own 
name.  He  was  at  the  same  time  with  his  brother  called  by  our 
Lord  both  to  the  discipleship  and  apostolate.  He  was  by  far  the 
youngest  of  all  the  apostles.  He  was  banished  to  the  Isle  of 
Patmos  where  he  wrote  his  Revelations,  and  at  the  death  of 
Domitian  he  returned  to  Ephesus  where  he  ended  his  days  about 
the  year  99.  His  gospel  was  written  many  years  after  the  other 
three  and  seems  designed  to  fill  up  what  they  had  omitted  relative 
to  our  Lord's  Godhead.  The  last  chapter  appears  to  have  been 
subsequently  added  by  him  in  order  to  controvert  an  opinion  then 
current  in  the  church,  "  that  that  disciple  should  not  die,"  but 
should  tarry  on  the  earth  until  the  second  coming  of  his  Lord. 
He  outlived  all  the  apostles,  and  as  before  spoken  of  was  probably 
the  only  one  who  did  not  attain  to  the  crown  of  martyrdom  in 
deed  as  well  as  in  will. 

His  gospel  was  without  doubt  written  by  him  after  his  return 
to  Ephesus,  and  at  the  earnest  entreaty  and  solicitation  of  the 
Asian  churches  ;  he  first,  however,  caused  them  to  proclaim  a  gen- 
eral fast  to  seek  the  blessing  of  Heaven  on  so  great  and  solemn 
an  undertaking  which  being  done  he  set  about  his  task.  Two 
causes  especially  contributed  to  the  writing  of  it :  the  one,  that 
he  might  controvert  the  early  heresies  of  those  times  especially  of 
Ebion,  Cerinthus,  and  the  rest  of  that  set  who  began  openly  to 
deny  Christ's  divinity  and  this  was  why  the  Evangelist  is  so 
express  and  copious  on  that  subject.  The  other  was  that  he 
might  supply  those  passages  of  the  evangelical  history  which  the 
rest  of  the  sacred  writers  had  omitted.  Collecting  therefore  the 
other  three  evangelists,  he  first  ratified  the  truth  of  them  with  his 
approbation  and  consent ;  and  then  added  his  own  gospel  to  the 
rest,  principally  insisting  upon  the  acts  of  Christ  from  the  first 
commencing  of  His  ministry  to  the  death  of  John  the  Baptist, 
wherein  the  others  are  most  defective,  giving  scarce  any  account 
of  the  first  year  of  our  Saviour's  ministry.  He  particulary  records 
(as  Gregory  Nazianzin  observes)  our  Saviour's  discourses,  but 


44 


SAINTS    AND    FESTIVALS 


takes  little  notice  of  His  miracles  probably  because  they  are  so 
fully  related  by  the  other  evangelists. 

As  an  Apostle  he  is  represented  with  a  chalice 
from  which  a  serpent  is  issuing  (as  in  illustration) 
alluding  to  the  legend  which  tells  how  St.  John, 
previous  to  being  taken  without  the  Porta  Latina 
had  been  offered  a  cup  of  poison  from  which  the 
Devil  being  thus  expelled,  he  drank  and  remained 
unhurt.  As  an  Evangelist  he  is  represented  as 
in  first  illustration  writing  in  a  book. 

Over  two  hundred  churches  are  dedicated  to  St. 
John  in  England  alone. 

The  canonical  colour  for  this  day  is  white. 


s.  JOHN 

EVANGELIST. 

DECEMBER  28th. 
INNOCENTS'  DAY. 

This  festival,  which  is  variously  styled  Innocents'  Day,  The 
Holy  Innocents'  Day,  and  Childermas  Day  or  Childremas,  has 
been  observed  from  an  early  period  in  the  history  of  the  church 
as  a  commemoration  of  the  barbarous  massacre  of  children  in 
Bethlehem  ordered  by  King  Herod,  with  the  view  of  destroying 
among  them  the  infant  Saviour,  as  recorded  in  the  Gospel  of  St. 
Matthew.  It  is  one  of  those  anniversaries  which  was  retained  in 
the  ritual  by  the  English  church  at  the  Reformation. 

In  reference  to  the  three  consecutive  commemorations,  on  the 
26th,  27th  and  28th  of  December,  Wheatly  informs  us  that  in  these 
are  comprehended  three  descriptions  of  martyrdom  all  of  which 
have  their  peculiar  efficacy  though  differing  in  degree.  In  the 
death  of  St.  Stephen,  an  example  is  furnished  of  the  highest  class 
of  martyrdom,  that  is  to  say,  both  in  will  and  deed.  St.  John  the 
Evangelist  who  gave  practical  evidence  of  his  readiness  to  suffer 
death  for  the  cause  of  Christ,  though  through  miraculous  inter- 
position he  was  saved  from  actually  doing  so,  is  an  instance  of  the 


INNOCENTS'    DAY  45 

second  description  of  martyrdom  —  in  will,  though  not  in  deed. 
And  the  slaughter  of  the  Innocents  affords  an  instance  of 
martyrdom  in  deed  and  not  in  will,  these 
unfortunate  children  having  lost  their  lives 
though  involuntarily  on  account  of  the 
Saviour,  and  it  being  therefore  considered 
"  that  God  supplied  the  defects  of  their  will 
by  His  own  acceptance  of  the  sacrifice." 

Childermas  was  ever  in  the  old  days  re- 
garded with  superstitious  dread.  Even  the 
unprincipled  Louis  XL  held  it  in  such  fear 
that  he  would  do  no  work  on  that  day ;  and 
when  it  was  discovered  that  the  day  set  for 
the  coronation  of  Edward  IV.  of  England 
was  Childermas  Day,  the  ceremony  was  at 
once  postponed  until  the  following  day. 

The  canonical  colour  for  Innocents'  Day 
is  violet. 


DECEMBER  2Qth. 

The  canonical  colour  changes  this  day  again  to  white. 

St.  Thomas  a  Becket's  name  takes  precedence  in  the  list  of 
saints  who  are  honoured  by  a  portion  of  the  English  and  the  entire 
Roman  Church  on  this  day.  The  career  and  fate  of  this  cele- 
brated ecclesiastic  was  one  of  the  most  remarkable  episodes  to  be 
found  in  the  history  of  England  during  the  XII.  century.  The 
story  has  been  so  often  told  and  widely  read  that  it  is  a  work  of 
superogation  seemingly  to  repeat  it.  How  the  merchant's  son 
from  a  minor  clerkship  in  the  office  of  the  Sheriff-of-London 
attracted  the  attention  of  Theobald,  Archbishop  of  Canterbury, 
by  whom  he  was  sent  to  study  civil  and  ecclesiastical  law  in  Italy 
and  France ;  of  his  rapid  and  merited  advancement,  due  to  his 
wonderful  acumen,  until  he  attracted  the  notice  of  Henry  II.,  then 
King  of  England,  who  became  so  much  attached  to  him  personally 


46    SAINTS   AND    FESTIVALS 

and  held  his  abilities  in  such  high  esteem  that  in  1158,  he  created 
him  Chancellor  of  the  Realm.  Indeed  the  story  of  his  varied 
attainments  reads  like  some  old  romance,  of  a  consummate  court- 
ier who  in  addition  to  his  accomplishments  as  a  clear-headed, 
sagacious  statesman,  showed  military  talents  and  power  of  no  ordi- 
nary character,  as  proved  when  he  accompanied  his  royal  master 
into  France  and  at  the  head  of  a  company  of  gallant  Knights  took 
active  part  in  several  sieges,  and  covered  himself  with  glory  and 
in  a  single  combat  "  unhorsed  "  a  French  Knight  of  high  renown 
for  his  bravery  and  feats  of  arms,  winning  if  possible,  a  higher 
place  in  the  estimation  of  the  King.  Then,  in  1162,  came  the 
change,  when  it  was  proposed  to  make  Becket  Archbishop  of 
Canterbury,  a  preferment  he  sedulously  strove  to  avoid,  until  his 
scruples  were  overborne  by  the  Cardinal  of  Pisa  and  Legate  from 
the  Holy  See  at  Rome,  who  cast  into  the  scales  both  his  advice 
and  the  weight  of  his  authority. 

From  the  hour  of  his  consecration  the  gay  and  worldly  chancel- 
lor who  had  joined  his  sovereign  in  all  his  amusements  and  had 
indulged  himself  in  every  obtainable  luxury  and  splendour,  was 
transformed  into  the  austere  and  ascetic  monk.  The  silken  robes 
gave  place  to  the  "  hair-shirt  "  (now  shown  in  a  reliquary,  in  the 
English  college  at  Doway)  and  his  sumptuous  table  which  hereto- 
fore had  rivalled  any  in  the  land  was  reduced  to  the  simplest  neces- 
sities of  life,  and  his  magnificent  retinue  forever  abandoned. 

I  must  not  enter  on  the  vexed  points  which  disrupted  the 
affection  that  had  in  the  old  days  bound  the  King  and  Prelate,  nor 
the  cause  of  his  exile,  nor  of  the  hollow  truce  by  which  Becket  was 
again  restored  to  his  see.  These,  with  the  events  which  led  up  at 
last  to  Becket's  brutal  murder,  are  all  historic,  and  may  be  read  in 
a  score  of  places. 

From  the  time  of  his  death,  Becket's  shrine  was  one  of  the  most 
popular  places  for  pilgrims  in  all  England. 

The  spoliation  of  Becket's  shrine  and  the  burning  of  his  bones 
by  the  Cromwell  party  was  one  of  those  episodes  of  the  English 
Civil  War  which  even  the  most  ardent  admirer  of  the  "  Great 
Commoner  "  have  never  been  able  to  condone,  and  it  is  this —  no 
doubt —  that  leads  the  so-called  "  High  Church  Party  "  in  the  Eng- 


ST.    MAXIMUS  47 

lish  church  to  join  with  their  Roman  Catholic  brethren  in  com- 
memorating his  memory  and  martyrdom  on  December  29,  1170. 


DECEMBER 

St.  Maximus,  one  of  the  saints  the  Church  selects  for  honour  on 
this  day  was  one  of  those  men  Providence  seems  to  bring  to  the 
front  at  critical  times  when  peculiar  traits  of  character  are  needed 
to  meet  the  emergency.  He  was  born  at  Constantinople  in  580 
and  educated  as  befitted  his  high  rank,  coming  as  he  did  from  one 
of  the  most  ancient  and  noble  families  of  the  city.  By  nature  he 
was  retiring  and  modest  but  his  rare  abilities  had  by  the  time  he 
had  reached  the  prime  of  early  manhood  attracted  the  attention  of 
Heraclius  (Emperor  of  the  East  612-641),  who  appointed  him  his 
First  Secretary  of  State.  The  heresy  of  Monothelism  had  already 
made  marked  progress  to  the  disgust  of  Maximus  who  found  him- 
self lacking  the  power  to  check  it,  fostered  as  it  was  by  the 
Emperor.  It  was  in  608  that  Mahomet  or  Mohammed,  had  begun 
to  put  forth  his  pretended  revelations,  though  it  was  not  until  some 
time  later  that  he,  with  the  aid  of  a  Jew  and  a  Nestorian  monk, 
compiled  the  "  Alcoran  "  or  "  Koran  "  as  it  is  commonly  called. 
But  it  was  through  the  indolence  and  lethargy  of  Heraclius  that 
the  sect  of  Mahomet  was  able  to  establish  itself  among  the  Sara- 
cens and  lay  the  foundation  of  their  formidable  empire.  I  must 
not  follow  the  interesting  bit  of  history  to  the  death  of  Heraclius  in 
641  and  the  complications  that  followed,  during  which  Monothe- 
lism had  made  such  dangerous  progress  that  they  caused  his  retire- 
ment. From  his  retreat  in  the  monastery  of  Chrysopolis,  Maxi- 
mus had  regretfully  watched  all  this,  but  was  helpless,  until  in  645 
the  patrician  Gregory,  Governor  of  Africa,  summoned  him  to  hold 
a  conference  at  Carthage,  with  Pyrrus,  the  Patriarch  of  Constanti- 
nople and  who  favoured  the  heresy.  It  was  then  that  Maximus 
came  to  the  front  as  a  Defender  of  the  Faith,  and  while  I  cannot 
enter  upon  this  remarkable  encounter  it  is  enough  to  say  his 
work  in  the  good  cause  would  have  kept  his  name  alive  even  if  he 
had  not  suffered  the  torture  unjustly  inflicted  upon  him  of  being 


48     SAINTS   AND    FESTIVALS 

whipped,  "  having  his  tongue  torn  from  his  mouth  and  his  right 
hand  cut  off  "  by  order  of  a  synod  of  the  Monothelites.  In  spite 
of  his  fourscore  years  the  venerable  saint  lived  on  fully  six  months 
after  this  inhuman  treatment,  dying  on  this  day  in  662.  The 
Greeks,  however,  celebrate  two  feasts  in  honour  of  St.  Maximus ; 
one  on  January  2ist  and  the  other  on  August  I3th. 


DECEMBER  3151. 

On  this  day  St.  Sylvester  —  or  Silvester  as  it  is  sometimes  writ- 
ten —  is  honoured.  His  name  is  one  of  those  that  were  retained  in 
the  Kalendar  of  the  Reformed  Church  and  still  holds  a  place  in 
that  of  the  Church  of  England.  He  was  a  native  of  Rome  and 
had  been  carefully  instructed  in  the  Christian  faith  by  his  mother, 
Justina.  He  was  installed  as  the  head  of  the  Church  upon  the 
death  of  Pope  Melchiades  in  314.  During  his  incumbency  of  the 
pontificate  two  important  events  occurred ;  the  great  Synod  of 
Aries,  and  the  (Ecumenical  Council  of  Nice  in  325.  Owing  to  age 
and  infirmities  the  venerable  prelate  did  not  appear  at  either  of 
these  famous  meetings  but  was  represented  by  his  legates  ;  when  at 
the  latter  they  did  their  part  against  Arianism.  It  was  Sylvester 
who  baptised  Constantine  the  Great  and  the  legend  of  this  event 
adds  that  the  Emperor,  who  had  been  afflicted  with  leprosy,  was 
instantly  cured.  St.  Sylvester  is  credited  with  the  conversion  of 
St.  Helen  and  Constantine  the  Great  through  having  restored  to 
life  a  dead  ox  which  the  Magicians  had  killed  but  were  unable  to 
resuscitate.  He  died  December  31,  335,  and  was  buried  in  the 
cemetery  of  Priscilla.  Pope  Gregory  IX.  in  1227,  fixed  his  festival 
for  this  day.  The  Greeks  celebrate  it  on  January  i6th. 


JANUARY 


Came  old  January,  wrapped  well 

In  many  weeds  to  keep  the  cold  away ; 
Yet  did  he  quake  and  quiver  like  to  quell, 
And  blowe  his  nayles  to  warm  them  if  he  may  ; 
For  they  were  numbed  with  holding  all  the  day 
An  hatchet  keene,  with  which  he  felled  wood, 
And  from  the  trees  did  lop  the  needlesse  spray. 

—  Spenser. 

Numa  Pompilius,  the  second  king  of  Rome,  who  died  in  672  B. 
C.,  is  credited  with  promulgating  what  we  now  term  "  The  Roman 
Calendar,"  which  divided  the  year  into  twelve  months  instead  of 
ten  which  had  previously  constituted  the  year,  and  to  have  decreed 
that  the  year  should  begin  on  the  first  day  of  January  or  Januaries, 
the  name  he  gave  the  month  in  honour  of  the  god  Janus,  the  deity 
supposed  to  preside  over  doors  (Latin  Janua  —  a  door).  The 
ancient  Jewish  New  Year  —  the  2$th  of  March — however,  con- 
tinued to  be  held  by  law  in  most  Christian  countries  as  the  initial 
day  of  the  year  until  1752  when  January  ist  became  the  legal  New 
Year  in  England,  and  the  "  New  Style,"  as  it  is  popularly  termed, 
came  into  vogue.  In  France  this  change  had  been  made  in  1 564  ; 
in  Holland,  Protestant  Germany  and  Russia  in  1700;  while 
Sweden  fell  into  line  in  1753. 

The  ancient  Saxons  called  January  the  "  Wolf-monat  "  (Wolf- 
month),  later  changing  it  to  "  Aefter-Yule."  In  many  parts  of 
Germany  even  now  the  month  is  termed  "  Jesu-monat."  I  have  a 
German  Kalendar  for  1902  lying  before  me  which  thus  designates 
January. 


50     SAINTS   AND    FESTIVALS 


JANUARY  ist 

Is  the  festival  of  "  Circumicisio  Domini,"  the  circumcision  of 
Jesus  Christ,  on  the  Octave  of  Christmas.  The  Clog  Almanac 
symbol  for  the  day  is  as  in  the  illustration,  a  circle,  which  was  also 
the  symbol  universally  adopted  in  early  days,  as  is  seen  by  the 
paintings  on  the  walls  of  the  Roman  Catacombs.  Almost  as 
common  as  the  first  is  the  hatchet  which  appears  frequently  as  a 
symbol  for  New  Years  and  no  doubt  it  was  this  that  suggested 
the  lines  I  quote  above  from  Spenser.  In  modern  art  a  dove  hold- 
ing a  ring  in  its  beak  is  often  used  as  the 
symbol  of  Christ's  circumcision. 

This  day  is  the  festival  of  St.  Odilo  or 
Olon,  the  sixth  abbot  of  Cluni,  and  the  origi- 
nal founder  of  All  Souls'  Day.  He  was  a 
man  of  strong  convictions  and  fearless  to 
live  up  to  them.  No  better  evidence  per- 
haps can  be  given  than  his  act  in  1006  dur- 
ing the  severe  famine  when  he  melted  down 
the  rich,  sacred  vessels  and  ornaments  of  his  church  and  sold  the 
gold  crown  of  St.  Henry,  which  had  been  presented  the  abbey, 
that  he  might  by  the  means  thus  obtained  relieve  the  necessities 
of  his  suffering  people.  The  sanctity  in  which  such  utensils  are 
and  should  be  held  by  every  Christian,  would  from  the  stand- 
point of  to-day  perhaps  justify 
their  sacrifice  for  such  an  object. 
But  in  those  early  days  the 
superstitious  reverence  in  which 
they  were  held  required  a  man 
of  rare  courage  and  firm  con- 
victions of  his  duty,  to  take  upon 
himself  so  great  a  responsibility. 
Odilo  was  not  only  a  brilliant 
pulpit  orator  but  no  mean  poet, 
as  some  of  his  poems,  still  ex- 
tant, show.  He  died  on  January  i,  1049. 


ST.   ADALARD  51 

JANUARY  2d. 

St.  Adalard,  whom  the  Church  honours  among  others  on  this 
day  was  of  a  most  illustrious  birth  ;  his  father  being  the  brother  of 
King  Pepin,  and  therefore  Adalard  was  cousin-german  to  the 
Emperor  Charlemagne,  with  whom  he  was  a  great  favourite  and 
his  preferment  to  high  honours  only  a  question  of  arriving  at  a 
suitable  age.  But  from  his  earliest  youth  Adalard  had  determined 
to  lead  a  monastic  life  and  at  the  age  of  twenty  in  773,  of  his  own 
volition,  when  to  most  youths  the  splendour  and  gaiety  of  court  life 
would  have  been  so  attractive,  he  abandoned  them  and  took  the 
habit  and  vows  of  a  monastic  life  at  Corbie  in  Picardy.  For  a 
time  later  he  lived  in  close  retreat  at  Mount  Cassino  but  returned 
to  Corbie  to  become  its  abbot.  Charlemagne,  however,  had  not 
lost  sight  of  his  kinsman  for  in  796  we  find  him  among  the  "King's 
Councillors  "  and  the  chief  minister,  and  instructor  to  the  young 
Prince  Pepin  at  Milan  where  he  (Pepin)  died  in  810.  Later,  Char- 
lemagne sent  him  to  appear  before  Leo  III.  to  discuss  an  important 
clause  in  the  creed  "  concerning  the  procession  of  the  Holy  Ghost 
from  the  Father  and  the  Son."  Charlemagne  died  January  28,  814, 
Lewis  le  Debonnaire  succeeding  to  the  throne.  Adalard  in  some 
way  had  incurred  the  displeasure  of  this  king  and  he  was  banished 
to  a  monastery  on  the  little  island  of  Heri  on  the  coast  of  Aquitain. 
Here  he  spent  his  days  in  prayer  and  study  until  in  823  he  was 
allowed  to  resume  his  Abbacy  at  Corbie,  where  he  was  received 
with  unfeigned  love  and  gratitude  and  where,  in  addition  to  his 
labours  among  the  people  and  deeds  of  charity,  he  built  several 
hospitals  —  then  greatly  needed  —  and  founded  the  great  monastery 
of  "  New  Corbie,"  or  Corwey,  as  it  is  sometimes  called,  an  imperial 
abbey.  He  also  wrote  several  books.  He  died  on  January  2,  847. 


JANUARY  3d. 

STE.    GENEVIEVE. 

Sainte  Genevieve,  who  has  occupied  from  the  time  of  her  death 
to  the  present  day,  the  distinguished  position  of  Patroness  Saint  of 
the  City  of  Paris,  lived  in  the  fifth  century  when  Christianity  under 
adverse  circumstances  was  contending  with  paganism  for  domina- 


52    SAINTS    AND    FESTIVALS 

tion  over  the  minds  of  rude  and  warlike  races  of  men.  Credible 
facts  of  this  early  period  are  few,  obscure,  and  not  easily  separated 
from  the  fictions  with  which  they  have  been  combined. 

Sainte  Genevieve,  or  Genoveffa,  as  it  is  sometimes  written,  was 
born  in  the  year  422  at  Nanterre,  a  village  about  four  miles  from 
Paris.  At  the  early  age  of  seven  years  she  was  consecrated  to 
the  service  of  religion  by  St.  Germanus,  Bishop  of  Auxerre,  who 
happened  to  pass  through  the  village  and  was  struck  with  her 
devotional  manners.  At  the  age  of  fifteen  years  she  received  the 
veil  from  the  hands  of  the  Archbishop  of  Paris,  in  which  city  she 
afterwards  resided.  By  strict  observance 
of  the  services  of  the  Church,  and  by  the 
practice  of  those  austerities  which  were  then 
regarded  as  the  surest  means  of  obtaining 
the  blessedness  of  a  future  state,  she  acquired 
a  reputation  for  sanctity  which  gave  her 
considerable  influence  over  the  rulers  and 
leaders  of  the  people.  When  the  Franks 
under  Clovis  had  subdued  the  city  of  Paris, 
her  solicitations  are  said  to  have  moved  the 
conqueror  to  acts  of  clemency  and  gener- 
osity. The  miracles  ascribed  to  Ste.  Gen- 
evieve must  be  passed  over  though  they 
were  numerous  and  very  remarkable.  The 
date  of  her  death  has  been  fixed  on  as  Jan- 
uary 3,  512,  five  months  after  the  decease 
of  King  Clovis.  She  was  buried  near  him  in 
the  Church  of  St.  Peter  and  St.  Paul,  since  named  the  Church  of 
Ste.  Genevieve.  The  present  handsome  structure  was  completed 
in  1764.  During  the  revolutionary  period  it  was  withdrawn  from 
the  services  of  religion  and  named  the  Pantheon,  but  has  since 
been  restored  to  ecclesiastical  uses  and  to  its  former  name  of 
Sainte  Genevieve.  Details  of  her  life  are  given  in  Bollandus's 
"  Acta  Sanctorum,"  and  in  Butler's  "  Lives  of  the  Saints." 
The  Clog  symbol  given  above  is  from  an  English  stick. 


EVE   OF   EPIPHANY  53 

JANUARY  4th 

Is  the  Octave  of  the  Holy  Innocents.  The  canonical  colour  for  this 
day  is  white. 

St.  Titus,  a  disciple  of  St.  Paul,  is  to-day  honoured  by  the  Roman 
Church  the  day  being  named  in  Martyrology  as  his  "  birthday. " 
This  disciple  was  an  especial  favourite  of  the  Apostle  Paul,  by 
whom  he  was  converted.  He  is  many  times  referred  to  in  St. 
Paul's  Epistles  and  styled  his  brother  and  co-partner  in  his  labours. 
That  the  Apostle  trusted  him  to  a  high  degree  is  evident  from 
many  sources.  He  accompanied  the  Apostle  in  51  to  the  council 
held  in  Jerusalem  to  consider  the  Mosaic  rites.  In  56  Paul  sent 
Titus  from  Ephesus  to  Corinth,  to  remedy  the  scandals  and  allay 
the  dissensions  then  disturbing  the  church  there. 

It  was  while  on  his  return  from  Rome,  after  his  first  imprison- 
ment that  Paul  stopped  at  Crete  and  ordained  Titus  as  Bishop  of 
that  island.  The  confidence  reposed  in  Titus  by  the  great  Apostle 
seems  to  have  been  unbounded.  Even  in  65  when  Titus  was  an 
old  man  Paul  sent  him  to  Dalmatia  to  preach.  From  here  Titus 
returned  to  Crete  and  died  in  the  ninety-fourth  year  of  his  age  at 
Cardia,  a  metropolis  built  by  the  Saracens  and  which  to-day  is 
under  the  control  of  suffragan  Bishops  of  the  Greek  Church, 


JANUARY   5th 

Eve  of  the  Epiphany  of  Our  Lord  ;  or  Twelfth  Night. 

St.  Simeon  Stylites,  the  saint  honoured  by  the  Church  this  day  is 
so  named  from  being  the  founder  of  an  order  of  monks  or  rather 
solitary  devotees,  called  pillar-saints.  Of  all  the  forms  of  voluntary 
self-torture  practised  by  the  early  Christians  this  was  one  of  the 
most  extraordinary.  Simeon  was  originally  a  shepherd  in  Cilicia  ; 
about  the  year  408  when  only  thirteen  years  of  age  he  entered  a 
monastery,  later  taking  Holy  Orders.  From  that  time  his  asceti- 
cisms and  the  austerities  of  his  life  became  notable  for  their  sever- 
ity and  especially  for  his  almost  total  abstinence  from  food  or  drink 
during  Lent.  Owing  to  a  vision  Simeon  had  in  or  about  the  year 
425,  he  determined  to  make  his  residence  on  the  top  of  a  pillar 
which  was  at  first  nine  feet  high,  but  was  successfully  raised  to  the 


54       SAINTS    AND    FESTIVALS 

somewhat  incredible  height  of  sixty  feet  (forty  cubits).  The  diam- 
eter of  the  top  of  the  pillar  was  only  three  feet  but  it  was  surrounded 
by  a  railing  which  secured  the  saint  from  falling  off  and  afforded 
him  some  relief  by  leaning  against  it.  His  clothing  consisted 
of  the  skins  of  beasts  and  he  wore  an  iron  collar  round  his  neck. 
He  exhorted  the  assembled  people  twice  each  day 
and  spent  the  rest  of  his  time  in  assuming  various 
postures  of  devotion.  Sometimes  he  prayed  kneel- 
ing, sometimes  in  an  erect  attitude  with  his  arms 
stretched  out  in  the  form  of  a  cross  but  his  most 
frequent  exercise  was  that  of  bending  his  meagre 
body  so  as  to  make  his  head  nearly  touch  his  feet. 
A  spectator  once  observed  him  make  more  than 
1,240  such  reverential  bendings  without  resting. 
^J  In  this  manner  he  lived  on  his  pillar  more  than 
I  thirty  years  and  there  he  died  in  the  year  459.  His 
I  remains  were  removed  to  Antioch  with  great  solem- 
I  nity.  His  predictions  and  the  miracles  ascribed  to 
I  him  are  mentioned  at  large  in  Theodoretus. 
^^  The  pillar-saints  were  never  numerous  and  the 
propagation  of  the  order  was  almost  exclusively  in 
the  warm  climates  of  the  East.  Among  the  names  recorded  is 
that  of  another  Simeon,  styled  the  younger,  who  is  said  to  have 
dwelt  sixty  years  on  his  pillar. 

Twelfth-Day  Eve  is  a  rustic  festival  in  England.  Persons  who 
are  engaged  in  rural  employments  or  have  heretofore  been,  are 
accustomed  to  celebrate  it ;  and  the  purpose  appears  to  be  to  secure 
a  blessing  for  the  fruits  of  the  earth. 


JANUARY  6th. 

THE   EPIPHANY   OF   OUR   LORD. 

This  day  called  Twelfth-Day  as  being  that  number  after 
Christmas  is  a  festival  of  the  Church  in  commemoration  of  the 
Manifestation  of  Christ  to  the  Gentiles ;  more  expressly  to  the 
three  Magi  or  Wise  Men  of  the  East  who  came  led  by  a  star 


THE    EPIPHANY 


55 


THE  ADORATION  OF  THE  MAGI. 
From  an  Ancient  Embroidery. 


to   worship  Him,  immediately  after  his   birth   (Matt,   ii.,    1-12). 

The  Epiphany  appears  to  have  been  first  observed  as  a  separate 

feast  in  the  year  8 13.     Pope  Julius  I.  is  reputed  to  have  taught 

the  Church  to  distinguish  between  the  Feasts  of  the  Nativity  and 

Epiphany,  about  the 

middle  of  the   fourth 

century.     The  primitive 

Christians  celebrated  the 

Feast  of  the  Nativity  for 

twelve  days  observing 

the   first   and   last  with 

great     solemnity ;     and 

both  were  denominated 

Epiphany,   the  first  the 

Greater  Epiphany,  from 

our  Lord  having  on  that 

day  become  Incarnate,  or 

made  His  appearance  in 

"  the  flesh  "  ;  the  latter, 

the  Lesser  Epiphany,  from  the   three-fold   manifestation   of  His 

Godhead — the  first,  by  the  appearance  of  the  blazing  star  which 

conducted  Melchior,  Jasper  and  Balthuzar,  the  three  Magi  or  Wise 

Men    (often    styled    the  three    Kings   of   Cologne),   out  of  the 

East,  to  worship  the  Messiah,  and  to  offer  Him  presents  of  "  Gold, 
Frankincense  and  Myrrh  "  —  Melchoir 
the  Gold  in  testimony  of  his  royalty  as 
the  promised  King  of  the  Jews  ;  Jasper 
the  Frankincense  in  token  of  his  Divin- 
ity ;  and  Balthuzar  the  Myrrh,  in  allusion 
to  the  sorrows  which,  in  the  humiliating 
condition  of  a  man,  our  Redeemer  vouch- 
safed to  take  upon  him.  Again  the 
second  of  this  three-fold  manifestation 

was  the  descent  of  the  Holy  Ghost  in  the  form  of  a  dove,  at  the 

Baptism ;  and  the  third,  of  the  first  miracle  of  our  Lord  turning 

water  into  wine   at  the  marriage  in  Cana.     While  all  of  these 

three  manifestations  of  the  Divine  nature  happened  on  the  same 
day,  they  did  not  occur  in  the  same  year. 


56       SAINTS    AND    FESTIVALS 

To  render  due  honour  to  the  memory  of  the  ancient  Magi  who 
are  supposed  to  have  been  kings,  the  monarch  of  Italy,  either 
personally  or  through  his  chamberlain,  offers  annually  at  the  altar 
on  this  day  Gold,  Frankincense  and  Myrrh  ;  and  the  kings  of 
Spain,  where  the  Feast  of  Epiphany  is  likewise  called  the  "  Feast 
of  Kings,"  were  accustomed  to  make  the 
like  offerings. 

The  primitive  Christians  celebrated  the 
Feast  of  the  Nativity  during  a  period  of 
twelve  days  culminating  on  Epiphany.  The 
dove  on  an  olive  branch  with  a  star  was 
often  used  in  early  days  as  a  symbol  of 
Epiphany. 

On  this  day  in  1904,  Pope  Pius  X.  issued 
a  decree  for  the  beatification  of  Joan  of  Arc, 
"the  Maid  of  Orleans."  In  passing  it 
should,  however,  be  remembered  that  the 
beatification  of  any  one  by  the  Roman 
Church  is  but  the  first  step  toward  canoniza- 
tion and  by  no  means  implies  that  the  latter  honour  will  follow. 
Even  when  this  does  occur  it  is  granted,  in  most  cases,  only  after 
a  lapse  of  some  years. 

Nor  is  this  first  step  of  the  beatification  taken  except  after  long 
and  careful  consideration  by  the  prelates  of  the  Church  who 
have  the  works  in  charge.  By  a  long  established  ecclesiastical 
rite  of  the  Church,  there  are  no  less  than  thirteen  or  fourteen 
ceremonies  which  must  be  observed  in  every  minute  detail. 

But  before  the  final  "  Bull  of  Canonization  "  is  issued  there  yet 
remain  certain  imperative  conditions  which 
must  be    fulfilled,    such   as   miracles   per- 
formed by  the  (prospective)  saint  in  person, 
or  by  his  or  her  relics  after  death,  each  of  EPIPHANY. 

which  must  be  proven  beyond  a  possible  doubt ;  the  exercise  "  in 
a  heroic  degree "  of  all  theological  and  cardinal  virtues,  like 
"  Faith,  Hope,  Charity,  Prudence,  Justice  and  Temperance  "  ;  as 
well  as  the  fulfilment  of  many  other  conditions  too  numerous 
to  be  recorded  in  my  brief  mention.  Then,  only,  is  the  Bull  issued. 


ST.    DISTAFF'S   DAY 


57 


When  a  decree  of  beatification  has  been  given,  the  person 
thus  "beatified  "  is  entitled  to  the  appellation  of  "Venerable,"  so 
frequently  found  in  these  pages. 

Thus  it  happens  that  many  who  attain  to  the  first  degree  of 
beatification  fail  to  reach  the  supreme  honour  of  sainthood. 

There  are  many  of  these  persons  who  have  been  thus  "  beati- 
fied "  whose  names  are  yet  held  in  abeyance  by  the  Prelates  of  the 
Roman  Church  during  late  years.  I  have  before  me  the  names 
of  a  number  of  these  but  refrain  from  quoting  them. 


JANUARY  7th. 

In  the  old  days  in  England  this  day  while  not  a  church  festival 
was  widely  observed  as  St.  Distaff's  Day  or  "  Rock  Day,"  when 
the  women  were  supposed  to  resume  their  work.  The  word  rock 
from  the  German  "  rocken,"  was  applied  to  the  spinning  appara- 
tus, and  the  gathering  of  the  women  was  called  a  rocking. 

"  On  Fasten's  Eve  we  had   a   rocking. " 

Therefore  on  not  a  few  old  Clog  sticks  a 
rude  distaff  with  the  wool  upon  it  marks 
the  day. 

On  this  day  St.  Lucian  of  Antioch  is 
named  both  in  the  Roman  and  English 
Kalenders.  He  was  born  at  Samosata  in 
Syria  and  was  one  of  the  most  learned 
men  of  his  day.  He  revised  the  Old  Testa- 
ment translations  and  by  comparing  the 
different  editions  of  the  Septuagint  and- 
correcting  the  Hebrew  text,  as  he  was  a 
thorough  master  of  that  language,  produced  an  edition  of  the 
Scriptures  which  ranked  very  high  and  was  especially  esteemed 
by  St.  Jerom.  For  a  time  he  seems  to  have  been  separated  from 
the  Catholic  communion  but  later  returned  to  it.  He  was  impris- 
oned under  the  Dioclesian  edicts  and  after  being  almost  starved, 
he  was  offered  as  an  insult  dainty  meats  and  food  which  had 


58     SAINTS   AND    FESTIVALS 

previously  been  used  in  sacrifice  to  idols.  After  this  he  suffered 
on  the  rack,  later  dying  in  prison  from  famine  or,  according  to  St. 
Chrysostom,  "  by  the  sword,"  in  312. 


JANUARY  8th. 

Another  St. Lucian  known  as  "of  Beauvais," in  contradistinction 
from  St.  Lucian  of  Antioch,  is  honoured  this  day  in  both  the 
Reformed  and  Roman  churches. 

There  is  a  great  deal  of  obscurity  about  this  saint's  history ;  but 
he  is  believed  to  have  been  the  companion  of  St.  Denis  in  his 
mission  in  Gaul  and  although  only  a  priest  his  name  is  among  the 
first  mentioned  in  the  Kalendar  of  the  English  church,  and  from 
their  martyrology  we  learn  that  he  suffered  martyrdom  at 
Beauvais  in  290  and  by  this  gained  the  surname  "  of  Beauvais." 


This  day  is  also  the  festival  of  St.  Gudula,  the  patroness  saint  of 
Brussels.  She  was  of  noble  birth,  her  mother  having  been  niece  to 
the  eldest  of  the  Pepin  who  was  Maire  of  the  Palace  to  Dagobert 
I.  Her  father  was  Count  Witger.  She  was  educated  at  Nivelle, 
under  the  care  of  her  cousin  St.  Gertrude,  after  whose  death  in 
664,  she  returned  to  her  father's  castle  and  dedicated  her  life  to 
the  service  of  religion.  She  spent  her  future  years  in  prayer  and 
abstinence.  Her  revenues  were  expended  on  the  poor.  She  was 
most  devout  and  constant  in  attending  upon  church  service,  it 
being  her  custom  to  attend  midnight  Mass  at  the  Church  of  St. 
Morgell  some  two  miles  distant  from  her  father's  mansion,  going 
and  returning  with  no  other  escort  than  a  female  servant,  while 
she  herself  carried  a  lighted  lantern,  to. enable  them  to  find  their 
path.  "  Her  devoutness,"  her  legend  tells  us,  "  had  so  enraged 
the  Devil,  who  was  envious  of  her  for  the  influence  her  piety  gave 
her  among  the  people,  that  he  constantly  endeavoured  to  entrap 
her."  The  pathway  to  the  church  was  somewhat  dangerous,  and 
Satan  frequently  would  by  some  means  extinguish  the  taper  in  her 
lantern,  in  hopes  she  would  be  misled  ;  but  by  her  prayers  the 
taper  was  always  on  the  instant  relighted,  and  she  and  her  maid 


ST.    GUDULA 


59 


went  safely  on  their  way.     Thus  it  is  that  both  in  art  and  in  the 
clog  almanac  her  symbol  is  a  lantern. 

She  died  January  8th,  712  and  was  buried  at  Ham,  near 
Villevord.  Her  relics  were  transferred  to  Brus- 
sels in  978  and  deposited  in  the  church  at  St. 
Gery,  but  in  1047  were  removed  to  the  collegiate 
church  of  Michael,  since  named  after  her  the 
Cathedral  of  St.  Gudula.  This  ancient  Gothic 
structure  commenced  in  1010  still  continues  to  be 
one  of  the  architectural  ornaments  of  the  city  of 
Brussels.  Her  life  was  written  by  Hubert  of 
Brabant  not  long  after  the  removal  of  her  relics 
to  the  Church  of  St.  Michael. 


JANUARY  pth. 

St.  Fillan  or,  as  he  is  named  in  ancient  Scottish  records,  Felan 
or  Foelan,  is  famous  among  the  Scottish  saints  from  his  piety  and 
good  works.  He  spent  a  considerable  part  of  his  holy  life  at  a 
monastery  which  he  built  in  Pittenweem  of  which  some  remains 
of  the  later  buildings  yet  exist  in  a  habitable  condition.  It  is  stated 
that  while  engaged  here  in  transcribing  the  Scriptures  his  left 
hand  sent  forth  sufficient  light  to  enable  him  at  night  to  continue 
his  work  without  a  lamp.  For  the  sake  of  seclusion  he  finally 
retired  to  a  wild  and  lonely  vale  still  called  from  him  Strathfillan 
in  Perthshire,  where  he  died  and  where  his  name  is  still  attached 
to  the  ruins  of  a  chapel,  to  a  pool,  and  a  bed  of  rock. 

Mr.  Skene,  in  his  Celtic  Scotland,  gives  a  number  of  interesting 
details  of  this  saint  saying  that  Fillan  was  called  "  an  lobar  "  (the 
leper),  that  according  to  the  Irish  Calendars  he  was  of  the  "  Rath 
Evenn  in  Albarr  "  (or  the  Fort  of  Earn  in  Scotland),  and  that  the 
parish  of  St.  Fillans  at  the  east  end  of  Loch  Earn  derived  its  name 
from  him.  And  again  in  speaking  of  Scotch  monasteries  refers  to 
that  of  Fillan  in  Strathfillan,  where  in  ancient  days  there  was  a 
holy  pool  called  St.  Fillan's  pool  in  which  insane  people  were  dipped 
and  healed.  Of  the  crocier  of  St.  Fillan,  called  the  "  Quigrich," 


60      SAINTS  AND    FESTIVALS 

and  which  it  is  said  is  now  preserved  somewhere  in  Canada  —  I  am 
not  able  to  learn  where  —  which  "  is  of  silver  gilt  elegantly  carved 
and  with  a  jewel  in  front,"  Mr.  Skene  gives  some  interesting  details 
but  too  long  for  quotation  here,  showing  not  alone  the  authenticity 
of  the  relic  but  how  the  hereditary  privilege  of  bearing  it  was  pre- 
served from  the  days  of  King  Robert  Bruce,  and  quoting  from  a 
letter  of  King  James  in  1487  in  regard  to  "  ane  relik  of  Saint 
Fulane  called  the  quigrith  *  *  *  *  since  the  tyme  of  Kyng  Robert 
the  Bruys,  and  before." 

Hector  Boece,  the  never 
over-veracious  historian,  re- 
lates a  miracle  connected 
with  St.  Fill  an  .  King 
Robert  Bruce  when  going  to 
the  battle  of  Bannockburn, 
had  directed  the  silver  case 

QUIGRICH  OF  ST.  FILLAN.  which  contained  the  arm  of 
From  Wilson's  "  Pre-Historic   the  saint  to  be  brought  along 
as   a  talisman.     The  chap- 
Iain  of  the  king  fearing  to  trust  the  fortunes  of  war 
had   removed   the   arm   and   brought  the  case  only, 
which  was  upon  the  altar  before  which   the  king  was 
praying  to  God  and  St.  Fillan  for  succor.     When,  at 
the  king's  command,  the  case   was   opened   by  the 
chaplain,  "  lo  !  there  lay  the  arm  of  the  saint  in  its 
customary  resting  place." 
The   number   of    miracles  credited  to   St.   Fillan   would   fill   a 
good  sized  volume,  therefore  I  must  not  try  to  repeat  any  of  them. 
His  death  is  supposed  to  have  taken  place  about  690. 


This  is  also  the  festival  of  SS.  Julian  martyr,  and  Basilissa  his 
virgin  wife  who  ended  her  days  in  peace.  Their  story  cannot  be 
better  told  than  to  quote  verbatim  from  Roman  Martyrology  in  its 
terse  completeness.  "  But  Julian  after  the  death  by  fire  of  a  multi- 
tude of  priests  and  ministers  of  the  Church  of  Christ,  who,  driven 
by  the  atrocity  of  the  persecution,  had  fled  to  them,  was  by  the 
command  of  the  President  Marcian  tormented  in  many  ways  and 


ST.    WI  LLIAM  61 

executed.  With  him  suffered  Antony,  a  priest,  and  Anastasius, 
raised  from  the  dead  and  made  a  partaker  of  the  grace  of  Christ 
by  Julian  !  also  Celsus,  a  boy,  and  his  mother  Marciannilla,  seven 
brothers  and  many  others."  This  Anastasius  and  Marciannilla 
had  been  converted  by  Julian,  hence  the  expression  "  raised  from 
the  dead."  Their  martyrdom  was  in  the  year  313  and  took  place 
at  Antinopolis  in  Egypt. 


JANUARY  loth. 

St.  William,  Archbishop  of  Bourges,  was  one  of  the  noted  charac- 
ters in  monastic  life  during  the  closing  years  of  the  twelfth  century 
and  the  first  decade  of  the  thirteenth.  He  was  educated  by  Peter 
the  Hermit,  archdeacon  of  Soissons,  who  was  his  uncle.  He  took 
the  habit  at  the  Abbey  of  Pontigny  ultimately  becoming  its  prior. 
On  the  death  of  Henry  de  Sully,  the  Archbishop  of  Bourges,  the 
clergy  requested  his  brother,  Eudo,  Bishop  of  Paris,  to  assist  them 
in  selecting  some  abbot  of  the  Cistercian  order  for  his  successor. 
The  method  adopted  by  the  reverend  prelate  was  at  least  unusual. 
Bishop  Eudo  first  wrote  three  names  upon  separate  slips  of  paper, 
laying  them  upon  the  altar.  After  the  prayers  were  over,  closing 
his  eyes,  he  turned  and  drew  the  first  slip  his  finger  touched  and 
found  it  to  contain  the  name  of  William,  and  by  a  majority  of  the 
votes  of  the  clergy  he  was  chosen  to  fill  the  high  office  on  Novem- 
ber 23,  1 200. 

It  was  far  from  William's  desire  to  leave  Pontigny  and  the  mon- 
asteries affiliated  with  it,  but  yielded  to  what  he  deemed  his  duty. 
The  sanctity  of  this  man's  life  is  told  in  the  following  quotation 
from  Dr.  Butler : 

"  St.  William  was  deemed  a  model  of  monastic  perfection.  The 
universal  mortification  of  his  senses  and  passions  laid  in  him  the 
foundation  of  an  admirable  purity  of  heart  and  an  extraordinary 
gift  of  prayer,  in  which  he  received  great  heavenly  lights  and  tasted 
of  the  sweets  which  God  has  reserved  for  those  to  whom  he  is  pleased 
to  communicate  himself.  The  sweetness  and  cheerfulness  of  his 
countenance  testified  the  uninterrupted  joy  and  peace  that  over- 
flowed his  soul  and  made  virtue  appear  with  the  most  engaging 


62      SAINTS   AND    FESTIVALS 

charms  in  the  midst  of  austerities.  *  *  *  He  always  wore  a  hair 
shirt  under  his  religious  habit,  and  never  added  or  diminished 
anything  in  his  clothes  either  winter  or  summer." 


JANUARY  nth 

Is  the  Octave  of  the  Epiphany  of  Our  Lord.     The  canonical  colour 
for  this  day  is  white. 

This  day  is  kept  in  memory  of  St.  Hyginus,  who  as  head  of  the 
Church  was  placed  in  the  chair  of  St.  Peter  after  the  martyrdom 
of  St.  Telesphorus  in  139.  He  filled  the  high  office  hardly  four 
years,  dying  in  142.  In  Roman  Martyrology  he  is  styled  as 
"  Martyr,"  but  there  is  no  evidence  of  his  having  suffered  an 
untimely  or  cruel  death.  Dr.  Butler  concurs  in  this,  suggesting 
that  the  persecutions  of  Christians  in  those  perilous  days  was  of 
itself  martyrdom. 

To-day  also  is  held  the  feast  of  St.  Theodosius  who  died  in  529 
at  the  age  of  104.  He  was  a  native  of  Cappadocia  but  when  a 
young  man  removed  to  Jerusalem,  in  the  vicinity  of  which  city  he 
resided  during  the  remainder  of  his  life.  He  is  said  to  have  lived 
for  about  thirty  years  as  a  hermit  in  a  cave  but  having  been  joined 
by  other  saintly  persons  he  finally  established  a  monastic  com- 
munity not  far  from  Bethlehem.  He  was  enabled  to  erect  a  suit- 
able building  to  which  by  degrees  he  added  churches,  infirmaries, 
and  houses  for  the  reception  of  strangers.  The  monks  of  Pales- 
tine at  that  period  were  called  Coenobites  ;  and  Sallustius,  Bishop 
of  Jerusalem,  having  appointed  Theodosius  superintendent  of 
the  monasteries,  he  received  the  name  of  Coenobiarch.  He  was 
banished  by  the  Emperor  Anastasius  about  the  year  513,  in  conse- 
quence of  his  opposition  to  the  Eutychian  heresy  but  was  recalled 
by  the  Emperor  Justinus  II.,  surnamed  the  Ancient,  Emperor  of 
the  East  (450-527). 

The  first  lesson  which  he  taught  his  monks  was  that  the  con- 
tinual remembrance  of  death  is  the  foundation  of  religious  perfec- 
tion ;  to  imprint  this  more  deeply  on  their  minds,  he  caused  a  great 
grave  or  pit  to  be  dug  which  might  serve  for  the  common  burial- 


PLOUGH    MONDAY  63 

place  of  the  whole  community,  that  by  the  presence  of  this  memo- 
rial of  death  and  by  continually  meditating  on  that  object,  they 
might  more  perfectly  learn  to  die  daily. 
Theodosius  died  January  nth,  529. 


JANUARY  1 2th. 

In  old  days  in  England  the  first  Monday  after  Twelfth  Day 
was  called  "  Plough  Monday,"  as  like  St.  Distaff  Day  it  marked 
the  resumption  by  the  ploughmen  and  other  farm  hands  of  their 
usual  labours,  and  in  the  days  when  the  Roman  Church  was 
dominant  prior  to  the  Reformation,  the  Ploughmen  on  the 
Plough  Monday  always  burned  candles  at  the  shrines  or  before 
the  images  of  their  own  especial  saint.  The  Reformation  put  out 
the  lights  but  not  the  frolics  that  followed  on  Plough  Monday 
Night,  which  were  maintained  in  some  parts  of  England  even  into 
the  earlier  years  of  the  eighteenth  century. 

This  day  is  the  festival  of  St.  Benedict  (or  Bennet)  Biscop,  one  of 
the  most  remarkable  men  of  his  day.  A  man  who  was  a  thinker, 
he  was  far  in  advance  of  his  day  ;  for  he  was  one  who  believed  in 
educating  the  common  classes  and  knowing  as  he  did  how  impos- 
sible under  existing  circumstances  it  was  to  educate  the  masses  to 
read,  sought  to  teach  them  —  to  use  his  admirable  phrase  —  through 
"  their  visual  organs,"  and  for  this  purpose  brought  to  his  church 
from  Rome  the  first  paintings  and  bits  of  sculpture  he  could 
gather  to  be  held  up  before  them  that  they  might  carry  away  some 
memory  of  the  scenes  these  pictures  taught  of  the  life  of  Our 
Lord,  and  His  Holy  Followers.  I  wish  I  had  space  to  devote  to 
some  of  his  reasons  when  "  brought  to  book  "  for  his  innovation  of 
all  previous  customs.  They  are  often  epigrammatic  but  most  con- 
vincing. "  They  have  eyes  to  see,"  (he  says)  "  but  not  minds  to 
understand  God's  written  teachings."  So  he  told  the  story  of  (for 
example)  the  Crucifixion,  and  then  by  exhibiting  the  painting  left 
on  the  minds  of  those  simple  folk  an  impression  no  eloquence  of 
his  could  have  done,  by  pointing  to  the  picture.  The  same  was 
true  of  music.  It  was  Bennet  Biscop  who  first  put  it  to  practical 
use  in  the  service  of  the  Church  in  England.  He  was  a  Northum- 


64    SAINTS   AND   FESTIVALS 

brian  monk  but  a  man  of  action ;  not  a  sentimentalist  to  spend  his 
hours  in  dreaming.  Thus  he  built  the  two  celebrated  monasteries 
at  Weremerith  (now  Wearmouth)  and  at  Girwy  (now  Jarrow),  six 
miles  distant  from  Weremouth  at  a  point  on  the  Tyne.  The  first 
was  called  St.  Peter's  and  the  latter  St.  Paul's.  From  these  two 
monasteries  his  monks  went  forth,  literally  scouring  the  country 
and  teaching  the  people. 

Lambarde,  who  seems  to  have  been  no  admirer  of  ornamental 
architecture  or  the  fine  arts,  thus  speaks  of  St.  Benedict  Biscop : 
"  This  man  laboured  to  Rome  five  several  tymes,  for  what  other 
things  I  find  not  save  only  to  procure  pope-holye  privileges,  and 
curious  ornaments  for  his  monasteries  Jarrow  and  Weremouth  ; 
for  first  he  gotte  for  theise  houses,  wherein  he  nourished  600 
monks,  great  liberties ;  then  brought  he  them  home  from  Rome 
painters,  glasiers,  free-masons  and  singers  to  th'  end  that  his 
buildings  might  so  shyne  with  workmanshipe  and  his  churches  so 
sounde  with  melodye,  that  simple  souls  ravished  therewithe  should 
fantasie  of  theim  nothinge  but  heavenly  holynes.  In  this  jolitie 
continued  theise  houses,  and  others  by  theire  example  embraced 
the  like,  till  Hinguar  and  Hubba,  the  Danish  pyrates,  A.  D.  870, 
were  raised  by  God  to  abate  their  pride,  who  not  only  fyred  and 
spoyled  them,  but  also  almost  all  the  religious  houses  on  the 
northeast  coast  of  the  island." 

In  early  life  Biscop  was  one  of  the  higher  officers  at  the  court  of 
Oswi,  king  of  Northumbria,  and  possessed  of  much  wealth  but  at 
the  age  of  twenty- five  he  visited  Rome  and  retired  from  thence  to 
the  monastery  of  Levins  where  he  took  the  monastic  habit.  When 
at  last  he  returned  to  Northumbria,  Egfrid,  son  of  Oswi,  sat  on  the 
throne  and  like  his  father  was  a  true  Christian,  therefore  lent  his 
old  friend  much  aid  when  he  set  about  building  his  new  monastery. 
But  I  may  not  take  further  space  for  this  interesting  man  who 
passed  from  his  labours  on  January  1 2th  in  690. 


JANUARY   1 3th 

Is  the  festival  of  St.  Veronica  of  Milan.    Originally,  Veronica  was 
only  a  poor  girl  employed  in  the  fields  near  Milan,  but  her  parents 


ST.   VERONICA  65 

though  poor  were  good  and  pious  people  and  the  maid  had  from 
infancy  been  taught  to  love  and  reverence  sacred  things.  Thus  it 
was  that  in  her  early  maidenhood  her  heart  was  inspired  to  become 
a  "  religieuse,"  and  she  was  permitted  to  enter  the  nunnery  of  St. 
Martha  of  the  Order  of  St.  Austin  in  Milan  where  after  three  years 
of  preparation  she  took  the  habit  of  St.  Martha.  Her  exemplary 
life  was  such  that  in  due  time  she  became  the  Superioress  of  the 
nunnery  and  was  looked  upon  as  the  model  of  evangelical  perfec- 
tion. Indeed  so  highly  was  she  esteemed  that  after  her  death, 
which  took  place  in  1497,  Pope  Leo  X.  by  a  bull  issued  in  1517 
permitted  her  to  be  honoured  in  her  monastery  in  the  same  manner 
as  if  she  had  been  beatified  after  the  usual  form. 

This  name  of  Veronica  brings  to  mind  a  very  curious  legend. 
It  is  stated  that  the  Saviour  at  his  passion  had  his  face  wiped  with 
a  handkerchief  by  a  devout  female  attendant  and  that  the  cloth  be- 
came miraculously  impressed  with  the  image  of  his  countenance. 
It  became  Vera  Iconica,  or  a  true  portrait  of  those  blessed  fea- 
tures. The  handkerchief,  being  sent  to  Abgarus,  king  of  Odessa, 
passed  through  a  series  of  adventures  but  ultimately  settled  at 
Rome  where  it  has  been  kept  for  many  centuries  in  St.  Peter's 
Church,  under  the  highest  veneration.  There  seems  even  to  be  a 
votive  mass,  "  de  Sancta  Veronica  seu  vultu  Domini."  the  idea  be- 
ing thus  personified  after  a  manner  peculiar  to  the  ancient  church. 
From  the  term  Vera  Iconica  has  come  the  name  Veronica. 

This  portrait,  it  is  stated  in  an  article  in  the  London  Art  Journal 
for  1 86 1,  has  been  traced  back  to  the  days  of  the  early  Catacombs 
in  Rome  where  it  is  supposed  for  a  time  to  have  been  hidden. 
Festullian  who  wrote  in  A.  D.  160,  mentions  portraits  of  Christ  on 
sacramental  vessels  used  by  the  early  Christians. 


This  is  also  the  feast  of  St.  Kentigern,  around  whom  so  much 
mystery  has  ever  clustered. 

He  appears  to  have  flourished  throughout  the  sixth  century  and 
to  have  died  in  601.  Through  his  mother  named  Thenew,  he  was 
connected  with  the  royal  family  of  the  Cumbrian  Britons  —  a  rude 
state  stretching  along  the  west  side  of  the  island  between  Wales 
and  Argyle.  After  being  educated  by  Serf  at  Culross,  he  returned 


66    SAINTS    AND    FESTIVALS 

among  his  own  people  and  planted  a  small  religious  establishment 
on  the  banks  of  a  little  stream  which  falls  into  the  Clyde  where 
now  the  city  of  Glasgow  stands.  Upon  a  tree  beside  the  clearing 
in  the  forest  he  hung  his  bell  to  summon  the  savage  neighbours  to 
worship ;  and  the  tree  with  the  bell  still  figures  in  the  arms  of 
Glasgow.  Thus  was  the  commencement  made  of  what  in  time 
became  a  seat  of  population  in  connection  with  an  episcopal  see  ; 
and  by  and  by,  an  industrious  town ;  ultimately  what  we  now  see, 
a  magnificent  city  with  half  a  million  of  inhabitants.  Kentigern, 
though  his  amiable  character  procured  him  the  name  of  Mungo  or 
the  Beloved,  had  great  troubles  from  the  then  king  of  the  Strath- 
clyde  Britons ;  and  at  one  time  he  had  to  seek  refuge  in  Wales 
where  he  employed  himself  to  some  purpose  as  he  there  founded 
under  the  care  of  a  follower,  St.  Asaph,  the  religious  establishment 
of  that  name,  now  the  seat  of  an  English  bishopric. 

St.  Kentigern  died  at  a  very  advanced  age  and  was  buried  on 
the  spot  where  the  cathedral  bearing  his  name  now  stands  in 
Glasgow. 


JANUARY   I4th. 

St.  Hilary,  whom  both  the  Anglican  and  Roman  churches  honour 
to-day  was  born  at  Poictiers  in  Gaul  and  was  brought  up  in  pagan- 
ism, but  became  a  convert  to  Christianity,  and  in  the  year  354  was 
elected  Bishop  of  Poictiers.  The  first  general  council,  held  at 
Nice  (Nicaea)  in  Bithynia  in  325,  under  the  Emperor  Constan- 
tine,  had  condemned  the  doctrine  of  Arius  but  had  not  suppressed 
it,  and  Hilarius  about  thirty  years  afterwards,  when  he  had  made 
himself  acquainted  with  the  arguments,  became  an  opponent  of 
the  Arians  who  were  then  numerous  and  were  patronized  by  the 
Emperor  Constantius.  The  council  of  Aries  held  in  353  had  con- 
demned Athanasius  and  others  who  were  opponents  of  the  Arian 
doctrine,  and  Hilarius  in  the  council  of  Beziers  held  in  356  defended 
Athanasius  in  opposition  to  Saturninus,  Bishop  of  Aries.  He 
was  in  consequence  deposed  from  his  bishopric  by  the  Arians, 
and  banished  by  Constantius  to  Phrygia.  During  his  banishment 


FIRST   HERMIT  67 

of  four  years  he  was  a  prolific  writer  and  his  works  are  still  extant 
and  highly  esteemed. 

After  the  death  of  Constantius  in  361  Hilary 
was  restored  to  his  bishopric,  where  he  died  in 
368. 

The  symbol  for  St.  Hilary  given  here  is  from 
an  English  Clog  stick  ;  but  the  Danish  sticks 
present  nothing  to  mark  the  day  for  this  saint. 

I  notice  that  in  both  English  church  books 
and  American  church  almanacs  the  feast  of  St. 
Hilary  is  set  for  January  I3th,  but  both  Cham- 
bers' and  Roman  Martyrology  place  the  date  on 
the  1 4th. 


JANUARY 

Is  the  festival  of  St.  Paul,  said  to  be  the  first  hermit  of  whom 
there  is  mention  in  church  menologies.  The  account  given  by 
Dr.  Butler  from  which  this  abridged  note  is  made  was  compiled 
from  the  biography  written  by  St.  Jerom  in  365. 

Paul  was  a  native  of  the  Lower  Thebias  in  Egypt.  When  the 
bloody  persecutions  of  Decius  began  in  250,  Paul  for  a  time  kept 
himself  concealed  in  the  house  of  his  brother-in-law,  but  con- 
vinced of  his  relative  being  about  to  denounce  him  in  order  that 
he  might  succeed  to  his  estates,  he  fled  to  the  deserts,  where  he 
found  shelter  in  some  caverns  that  in  the  days  of  Queen  Cleopatra 
had  been  used  by  money  coiners.  Here,  with  a  spring  of  water 
to  drink  from  and  palm  trees  which  furnished  him  both  food  and 
raiment,  for  he  clothed  himself  with  garments  made  from  the 
palm  leaf,  he  remained  in  security.  Paul's  legend  tells  that  he 
was  twenty-two  years  old  when  he  fled  to  the  desert  and  that 
for  twenty-one  years  he  lived  on  the  fruit  he  gathered  from  his 
palm  tree.  After  that,  however,  "  till  his  death,  he  was  like  Elias 
of  old,  miraculously  fed  with  bread  brought  to  him  daily  by  a 
raven." 

Dr.   Butler   in  his  account  of   this  hermit  says  that  when  St. 


68     SAINTS    AND    FESTIVALS 

Anthony  was  ninety  years  old  he  made  a  pilgrimage  into  the 
desert  in  search  of  this  noted  hermit  and  after  two  days  found 
him.  Then  he  says :  "  While  they  were  discoursing  together  a 
raven  flew  towards  them  and  dropped  a  loaf  of  bread  before  them. 
Upon  which  St.  Paul  said :  '  Our  good  God  has  sent  us  a  dinner. 
In  this  manner  have  I  received  half  a  loaf  every  day  these  sixty 
years  past.  Now  you  have  come  to  visit  me,  Christ  has  doubled 
His  provision  for  His  servants.'  "  Dr.  Butler  adds  several  other 
remarkable  incidents,  among  them  how  Paul  foretold  his  own 
death  and  of  his  burial  by  St.  Anthony  and  of  the  trouble  he  was 
in  as  to  how  he  should  dig  the  grave  for  the  hermit.  "  While  he 
stood  thus  perplexed,  two  lions  came  up  quietly  and  as  it  were, 
mourning  and  tearing  up  the  ground,  made  a  hole  large  enough  to 
receive  the  body."  St.  Paul  died  in  342  in  the  ii3th  year  of  his 
age  and  the  ninetieth  of  his  solitary  life,  and  is  credited  in  all 
places,  with  being  the  first  Christian  hermit  or  recluse. 


JANUARY  1 6th. 

This  day  is  kept  in  memory  of  St.  Marcellus,  Pope.  He  had 
been  a  priest  under  Pope  Mercellinus,  after  whose  death  the  see 
had  remained  vacant  for  three  and  a  half  years,  when,  in  308  he 
was  elected  to  fill  the  high  office  ;  though  "  as  God  willed  it  for 
only  one  year  and  twenty  days,"  as  he  died  on  January  16,  310. 
Roman  Martyrology  says  he  "  by  command  of  the  tyrant  Maxen- 
tius  was  first  beaten  with  clubs,  then  sent  to  take  care  of  criminals 
with  a  guard  to  watch  him."  His  trials,  however,  were  of  short 
duration.  His  body  is  said  to  lie  in  the  church  which  bears  his 
name  in  Rome. 


One  of  the  favourite  methods  of  St.  Francis  of  Assisi  —  of  whom 
we  shall  make  mention  on  October  4th,  and  also  of  the  foundation 
of  the  celebrated  Order  of  the  Franciscans,  —  for  the  advance- 
ment of  Christianity  was  by  means  of  missionary  labour.  It  was 
thus  that  he  sent  forth  the  "  Five  Friar  Minors  "  whose  festival  is 
celebrated  in  the  Roman  Church  to-day,  to  preach  to  the 


FIVE    FRIAR    MINORS          69 

Mahometans  of  the  West  while  he  in  person  went  to  those  of  the 
East.  •  These  five  preached  first  to  the  Moors  in  Seville,  suffering 
many  persecutions.  Thence  they  crossed  into  Morocco  but  were 
quickly  banished  and  compelled  to  return  to  Seville.  The  renewal 
of  their  preaching  at  once  roused  the  anger  of  the  infidels  who 
sought  to  drive  them  out  even  as  they  had  been  expelled  from 
Morocco.  For  persevering  in  their  holy  labours,  they  were 
arrested  and  brought  before  an  infidel  judge. 

The  antagonism  and  bitter  feeling  between  the  infidel  Moors  and 
Christians  were  intense.  Already  the  impending  fate  which  drove 
the  Moors  in  1238  to  found  the  Kingdom  of  Granada  and  which 
was  to  be  their  last  refuge  must  have  been  foreseen.  Henry  I.  was 
then  king,  but  civil  wars  were  constantly  breaking  out.  Suppressed 
in  one  quarter  the  Friars  arose  in  another;  until  in  1238,  Ferdi- 
nand III.  (The  Holy)  ascended  the  throne.  But  while  this  inter- 
esting chapter  in  Spanish  history  was  being  enacted  our  Five  Friar 
Minors  were  in  the  hands  of  an  infidel  judge,  beyond  the  protec- 
tion of  Henry.  These  five,  Berardus,  Peter,  Acursius,  Adjustus, 
and  Otto,  as  they  are  named  in  Latin  Martyrology,  were  brave,  fear- 
less men  as  Francis  must  have  known  them  to  be  when  he  selected 
them  for  this  arduous  task.  Yet,  seemingly,  they  had  hardly 
judged  the  intense  hatred  of  these  infidels  or  they  would  not  have 
ventured  again  into  this  dangerous  region.  Be  that  as  it  may,  for 
there  are  no  records  to  show  the  motives  that  induced  them  to  do 
as  they  did,  this  judge  ceused  them  to  be  scourged,  and  added 
to  his  cruelty  by  ordering  "  boiling  oil  and  vinegar  to  be  poured 
into  their  wounds  and  then' that  their  bodies  should  be  rolled  over 
potsherds."  Then  their  legend  continues,  "  the  king  caused  them 
to  be  brought  before  him  and  with  his  own  hands  with  his  cimeter 
he  clove  their  heads  asunder  to  the  middle  of  their  foreheads." 

It  was  not  until  1481  that  these  martyrs  were  canonized  by  Pope 
Sixtus  IV.,  though  at  some  earlier  date  (unrecorded),  their  relics 
were  ransomed  and  placed  in  the  monastery  of  the  Holy  Cross  in 
Coimbra. 

This  festival  was  fixed  for  January  i6th  by  Pope  Sixtus  the  day 
he  issued  his  bull  of  canonization. 


70      SAINTS    AND    FESTIVALS 

JANUARY  i;th 

Is  the  festival  of  St.  Antony,  or  Anthony  as  the  name  is  sometimes 
written,  or  again  Antonius.  He  was  born  at  Coma  in  Upper 
Egypt,  in  251.  His  parents  were  Christians  and  by  them  he  was 
most  carefully  trained.  When  about  twenty  years  of  age,  by  his 
parents'  death  he  found  himself  possessed  of  a  very  considerable 
estate  and  the  care  of  a  sister.  Taking  Christ's  words  to  a  rich 
young  man  home  to  himself,  he  interpreted  them  literally.  Having 
first  placed  his  sister  "  in  a  house  of  virgins  "  (which  in  passing  it 
is  interesting  to  note  is  the^/fr^/  mention  made  in  Church  history 
of  a  nunnery)  he  sold  his  lands  and  all  his  personal  effects  and 
saved  what  was  needful  to  secure  his  sister  from  want  or  bring  a 
burden  upon  any  one  —  he  distributed  his  wealth  among  the  poor 
and  henceforth  led  the  life  of  a  hermit,  and  thereby  is  held  in 
reverence  as  "  The  Patriarch  of  Monks  " ;  as  he  seems  to  have 
been  the  one  who  introduced  this  mode  of  solitary  life  into  Egypt. 

The  temptations  of  St.  Antony  as  related  in  his  legends  were 
almost  endless.  Satan  we  are  informed  first  tried  by  bemuddling 
his  thoughts  to  divert  him  from  the  design  of  becoming  a  monk. 
Then  he  appeared  to  him  in  the  forms  successively,  of  a  handsome 
woman  and  a  black  boy  but  without  in  the  least  disturbing  him. 
Angry  at  the  defeat,  Satan  and  a  multitude  of  attendant  fiends  fell 
upon  him  during  the  night  and  he  was  found  in  his  cell  in  the 
morning  lying  to  all  appearances  dead.  On  another  occasion  these 
devils  expressed  their  rage  by  making  such  a  dreadful  noise  that 
the  walls  of  his  cell  shook.  They  transformed  themselves  into 
shapes  of  all  sorts  of  beasts,  lions,  bear's,  leopards,  bulls,  serpents, 
asps,  scorpions  and  wolves ;  but  he  overcame  them  all  by  his 
prayers  and  holy  life. 

I  must  not,  however,  attempt  to  speak  of  these  in  detail  for  they 
fill  a  volume.  During  the  persecution  under  Maximinus  about  the 
year  310  some  of  the  solitaries  were  seized  in  the  wilderness  and 
suffered  martyrdom  at  Alexandria  whither  Antonius  accompained 
them,  but  he  was  not  subjected  to  punishment.  After  his  return 
he  retired  farther  into  the  desert  but  went  on  one  occasion  to 
Alexander  in  order  to  preach  against  the  Arians. 

The  two  monastic  orders  of  St.  Anthony  originated  long  after 


ST.   PETER'S   CHAIR          71 

the  time  of  the  saint  —  one  in  Dauphine,  in  the  eleventh  century  ; 
and  the  other,  a  military  order  in  Hainault  in  the  fourteenth  century. 
In  Dauphine  the  people  were  cured  of  the  erysipelas  by  the  aid,  as 
they  thought,  of  St.  Anthony  ;  and  the  disease  from  this  fact  was 
afterward  called  St.  Anthony's  Fire. 

It  is  scarcely  necessary  to  remark  that  St.  Anthony  is  one  of  the 
most  notable  of  all  the  saints  in  the  Romish  Kalendar.  One  can- 
not travel  anywhere  in  Europe  at  the  present  day  and  particularly 
in  Italy,  without  finding  in  churches,  monasteries  and  familiar  con- 
versation of  the  people,  abundant  memorials  of  this  early  Egyptian 
anchorite.  Even  in  Scotland,  at  Leith,  a  street  reveals  by  its  name 
where  a  monastery  of  St.  Anthony  once  stood  ;  while,  on  the  hill 
of  Arthur's  Seat  overhanging  Edinburgh,  we  still  see  a  fragment 
of  a  small  church  that  had  been  dedicated  to  him,  and  a  fountain 
called  St.  Anton's  Well. 

St.  Anthony  reached  an  extreme  old  age,  dying  when  one  hun- 
dred and  five  years  old  in  356,  in  semi-solitude  attended  only  by 
two  of  his  disciples,  Macarius  and  Amathas,  who  had  for  fifteen 
years  remained  by  him  to  watch  over  his  needs  in  his  old  age. 

The  Saturday  before  the  second  Sunday  after  Epiphany  is  one 
of  the  "  Movable  Feasts  "  of  the  Roman  Church,  the  "  Feast  of 
the  Holy  Name  of  Jesus." 


JANUARY    i8th. 
ST.  PETER'S  CHAIR. 

This  day  at  St.  Peter's  Church  in  Rome  is  held  a  festival  with 
offices  and  services  of  an  especial  character  entitled  as  above.  Of 
this  feast  Dr.  Butler  tells  us  that  it  is  well  evidenced  to  be  of 
great  antiquity,  being  adverted  to  in  a  martyrology  copied  in  the 
time  of  St,  Willibrod  in  720.  "  Christians,"  he  says,  "justly 
celebrate  the  founding  of  this  mother  church,  the  centre  of 
Catholic  communion,  in  thanksgiving  to  God  for  his  mercies  on  his 
church  and  to  implore  his  future  blessing."  The  celebration  takes 
place  in  St.  Peter's  Church  under  circumstances  of  the  greatest 
solemnity  and  splendour. 


72       SAINTS    AND    FESTIVALS 


This  fungioni  (function)  is  not  only  one  of  unusual  magnificence 
for  even  this  grand  old  church,  which  beyond  a  doubt  has  been 
the  scene  of  a  greater  number  of  the  most  splendid  ecclesiastical 
displays  than  any  other  one  building  now  standing  in  the  whole 
world,  but  the  function  itself  is  also  one  of  great  solemnity  as 
befits  the  occasion. 

This  chair  of  the  first  pope  of  the  church  is  said  to  be  still  pre- 
served in  the  Church  of  St.  Peter's  at  Rome. 


This  day  is  also  the  festival  of  St.  Prisca,  a  virgin  martyr  under 
the  Emperor  Claudius,  of  whom  little  is  really  known.  According 
to  her  legend  she  was  a  Roman  virgin  of  illustrious 
birth,  who,  at  the  age  of  thirteen  was  exposed 
in  the  amphitheatre  because  she  had  confessed  she 
was  a  Christian.  A  fierce  lion  was  let  loose  upon 
her  but  her  youth  and  innocence  disarmed  the  fury 
of  the  savage  beast  which,  instead  of  tearing  her 
to  pieces,  humbly  licked  her  feet,  to  the  great  con- 
solation of  Christians  and  the  confusion  of  the 
idolaters.  Being  led  back  to  prison  she  was  there 
beheaded.  Sometimes  she  is  represented  with 
a  lion,  sometimes  with  an  eagle,  because  it  is 
related  that  an  eagle  watched  by  her  body  till 
it  was  laid  in  the  grave,  for  thus,  says  the  story, 
was  virgin-innocence  honoured  by  kingly  bird  as 
well  as  by  kingly  beast.  A  church  bearing  St. 
Prisca's  name  was  built  by  Pope  Eutychianus  in 
280  in  Rome  and  is  still  standing.  According  to 
an  old  tradition  this  church  stands  on  the  site  of  the  house  of 
Aquila  and  Priscilla  where  St.  Peter  lodged  when  at  Rome  and 
who  are  the  same  mentioned  by  St.  Paul  as  tent-makers,  while 
here  is  also  shown  the  font  from  which,  according  to  the  same 
tradition,  St.  Peter  baptised  the  first  Roman  converts  to  Chris- 
tianity. 

St.  Prisca's  is  one  of  the  names  that  were  retained  in  the 
Kalendar  of  the  Reformed  Church  after  its  division  from  the 
Church  of  Rome,  and  the  day  of  her  festival  coincides  with  that  of 


S.  PRISCA. 

From  glass  in 
Winchester 
Cathedral. 


ST.WULSTAN  73 

the  Romans.    The  Clog  symbol  for  this  saint  is  the  palm  branch 
of  martyrdom. 

Another  of  the  names  this  day  honoured  is  St.  Deicolus  or  St. 
Deel,  an  Irish  priest  who  spent  his  best  days  in 
France  and  whose  memory  is  preserved  in 
Franche-comte  where  his  name  Deel  is  still 
frequently  given  in  baptism.  He  appears  to 
have  been  one  of  a  group  of  missionaries  who 
in  an  early  but  unfortunately  unknown  period 
went  to  Egypt  to  propagate  the  faith  and  be- 
came martyrs. 


JANUARY  1 9th 
Is  given  to  St.  Wulstan  who  was  the  last  saint  of  the  Anglo- 
Saxon  church  and  is  the  connecting  link  between  the  old  English 
church  and  hierarchy  and  the  Norman.  He  was  a  monk  indeed 
and  an  ascetic ;  still  his  vocation  lay  not  in  the  school  or  cloister 
but  among  the  people  of  the  market-place  and  the  village,  and 
he  rather  dwelt  on  the  great  broad  truths  of  the  gospel  than 
followed  them  to  their  dogmatic  results.  Though  a  thane's  son, 
a  series  of  unexpected  circumstances  brought  him  into  the  relig- 
ious profession  and  he  became  prior  of  a  monastery  at  Worcester. 
Born  at  Long  Itchington  in  Warwickshire,  he  was  educated  at 
the  monasteries  of  Eversham  and  Peterborough,  the  latter  one  of 
the  richest  houses  and  the  most  famous  schools  in  England. 

Wulstan  was  one  of  those  blunt  outspoken  men  so  easy  of 
access  and  frank  in  his  conservatism  that  it  made  him  the  idol  of 
the  common  people  though  he  had  little  respect  for  titles  and 
rebuked  the  high  in  state  as  he  did  his  own  parishioners.  In  1062 
two  Roman  cardinals  came  to  Worcester  with  Aldred,  the  late 
bishop,  but  who  was  then  Archbishop  of  York.  They  spent  the 
whole  of  Lent  at  the  cathedral  monastery  where  Wulstan  was 
prior,  and  they  were  so  impressed  with  his  austere  and  hard  work- 
ing way  of  life,  that  partly  by  their  recommendation,  as  well  as 
the  popular  voice  at  Worcester,  Wulstan  was  elected  to  the  vacant 
bishopric. 


74    SAINTS    AND    FESTIVALS 


It  was  this  prelate  who  stuck  his  staff  into  the  tomb  of  the 
Confessor  which  none  could  remove  until  they  acknowledged 
Wulstan's  sanctity.  Anti-slavery  men  of  the  old  days  should  have 
especial  reverence  for  Wulstan,  for  he  was  a  brave  antagonist 
against  the  slave  trade,  which  in  his  day  did  such  a  thriving  busi- 
ness out  from  Bristol  with  the  merchants  of  Ireland.  He  died  on 
the  i  pth  of  January,  1095,  in  the  eighty-seventh  year  of  his  age  and 
the  thirty-third  of  his  episcopate.  Contrary  to  the  usual  custom, 
the  body  was  laid  out,  arranged  in  the  episcopal  vestments  and 
crosier,  before  the  high  altar,  that  the  people  of  Worcester  might 
look  once  more  on  their  good  bishop.  His  stone  coffin  is,  to  this 
day,  shown  in  the  presbytery  of  the  cathedral,  the  crypt  and  early 
Norman  portions  of  which  were  the  work  of  Wulstan. 

In  this  cathedral  there  is  both  a  statue  of  St.  Wulstan  and  the 
monument  of  King  John.  This  last  is  only  remarkable  from  the 
fact  that  it  is  the  oldest  royal  monument  now  standing  in  England. 


JANUARY  2oth. 

St.  Fabian,  Bishop  of  Rome,  whom  the 
Church  honours  on  this  day,  is  yet  another  in 
that  notable  list  whose  names  were  retained 
in  the  Kalendar  of  the  Reformed  Church 
when  the  division  came,  and  who  still  holds 
its  place  in  the  Kalendar  of  the  English  as 
it  also  does  in  the  Roman  Church.  His 
election  to  succeed  Pope  Anterus  in  236  as 
told  by  Eusebius  is  at  least  somewhat  re- 
markable. He  was  a  stranger  to  most  of 
those  who  had  assembled  to  take  a  part  in 
the  election,  when  a  dove  entered  the  room 
through  an  open  window.  Circling  the 
apartment  it  hovered  over  the  audience  for 
a  moment  and  then  alighted  on  the  head  of 
Fabian,  who  until  then  had  not  been  consid- 
ered as  a  contestant  for  the  honoured 
position,  as  he  was  but  a  layman.  This  omen  was  regarded  by  all 
as  a  miraculous  sign  and  he  was  at  once  chosen.  He  filled  the 


S.  FABIAN. 

From  Bodleian  MS. 

Liturg.  383. 


ST.AGNES'EVE  75 

pontifical  chair  during  a  period  of  sixteen  years,  his  most  notable 
act  being  the  sending  of  Dionysius  and  other  preachers  into  Gaul 
as  missionaries,  and  the  condemnation  of  Privatus,  who  had 
broached  a  new  heresy  in  Africa.  Under  the  persecution  of 
Decius,  Fabian  suffered  martyrdom  by  being  beheaded.  He  is 
therefore  represented  as  kneeling  at  the  block  wearing  the  triple 
crown.  Often  he  carries  a  book  and  sword,  or  palm  branch,  but 
usually  as  in  our  illustration  wears  the  triple  crown  and  bears  a 
cross. 


This  day  too  is  sacred  to  St.  Sebastian,  a  noble  Roman  soldier 
and  the  Commander  of  the  First  Cotfort.  His  story  is  a  most 
interesting  one  but  unfortunately  too  long  for  repetition  here  and 
must  be  summed  up  in  the  brief  words  of  the  Roman  Martyrology  : 
"  For  professing  Christianity  he  was  tried  in  the  middle  of  the 
camp,  shot  with  arrows,  and  lastly  struck  with  clubs  until  he 
expired."  This  noble  man  is  also  honoured  in  the  Kalendar  of  the 
English  church.  His  martyrdom  took  place  in  288. 


ST.  AGNES'  EVE. 

In  the  olden  days  in  England  when  superstitious  rites  were 
common,  there  was  no  festival  more  strictly  observed  by  a  certain 
class  than  St.  Agnes'  Eve ;  and  if  reports  are  true,  even  now 
these  customs  are  not  obsolete,  by  which  a  maid  through  divina- 
tion learned  who  her  future  spouse  would  be.  Few  of  us  who 
ever  read  Keats'  poem  "  The  Eve  of  St.  Agnes,"  will  forget  it : 

"  They  told  her  how,  upon  St.  Agnes'  Eve, 
Young  virgins  might  have  visions  of  delight, 
And  soft  adorings  from  their  loves  receive 
Upon  the  honey'd  middle  of  the  night, 
If  ceremonies  due  they  did  aright ; 
As,  supperless  to  bed  they  must  retire, 
And  couch  supine  their  beauties  lily  white ; 
Nor  look  behind,  nor  sideways,  but  require 
Of  heaven  with  upward  eyes  for  all  that  they  desire." 


;6     SAINTS   AND    FESTIVALS 


JANUARY  2ist. 

ST.  AGNES. 

The  legend  of  St.  Agnes  is  not  only  the  oldest,  but  it  is  the 
most  authentic  of  all  the  stories  told  of  the  early  saints  and  mar- 
tyrs of  the  Christian  Church.  She  was  one  of  the  four  "  Great  Vir- 
gins "  of  the  Latin  Church,  and  her  story  has  been  sung  by  poets 
in  every  age  and  tongue,  told  from  the  pulpits  in  every  land,  in 
homilies  from  the  lips  of  venerable  and  venerated  men,  until  it 
seems  almost  like  a  household  word.  Even  as  early  as  during  the 
IV.  century  when  St.  Jerom  wrote  of  her  he  speaks  of  others  who 
had  already  told  her  story.  "  So  ancient,"  says  Mrs.  Jameson, 
"  is  the  worship  paid  to  St.  Agnes,  that  next  to  the  Evangelists 
and  Apostles  there  is  no  saint  whose  effigy  is  older." 

To  abridge  the  legend  of  St.  Agnes  is 
to  rob  it  of  its  chief  beauties  but  my  readers 
may  find  it  in  Mrs.  Jameson's  "  Legendary 
and  Sacred  Art  "  very  fully  told  though  even 
there  somewhat  cut.  S.  Baring-Gould  in 
his  "  Virgin  Saints  and  Martyrs,"  also  tells 
the  famous  story  more  fully. 

Agnes  was  a  maid  of  but  thirteen  years 
yet  already  a  devoted  disciple  of  Christ, 
when  her  transcendent  beauty  of  person  and 
the  great  wealth  she  was  dowered  with 
attracted  the  son  of  the  prefect  of  Rome 
and  he  fell  violently  in  love.  But  Agnes 
repulsed  his  costly  gifts  and  told  him  she 
was  the  "  Bride  of  Christ."  Whereupon  the 
young  man  fell  sick  as  he  confessed  "for 
love,"  and  the  father  tried  his  persuasive 
powers  and  bribes  upon  the  maiden  without  effect,  then  threats, 
later  imprisonment  and  torments,  such  as  the  decrees  of  Dioclesian 
permitted  against  Christians. 

"  As  neither  temptation  nor  the  fear  of  death  could  prevail 
with  Agnes,  Sempronius  thought  of  other  means  to  vanquish  her 
resistance ;  he  ordered  her  to  be  carried  by  force  to  a  place  of 


S.  AGNES. 
From  painted  glass. 


ST.    VINCENT  77 

infamy  and  exposed  to  the  most  degrading  outrages.  The  soldiers 
who  dragged  her  thither  stripped  her  of  her  garments  and  when 
she  saw  herself  thus  exposed  she  bent  down  her  head  in  meek 
shame  and  prayed  ;  immediately  her  hair  which  was  already  long 
and  abundant  became  like  a  veil  covering  her  whole  person  from 
head  to  foot ;  and  those  who  looked  upon  her  were  seized  with 
awe  and  fear  as  of  something  sacred  and  dared  not  lift  their  eyes." 
So  they  shut  her  within  a  chamber,  and  there  as  she  prayed  an 
angel  bearing  a  white  robe  appeared  and  clothed  her.  At  the  last 
the  prefect  ordered  her  to  be  burned,  and  when  she  had  been 
thrown  on  the  pile  of  fagots  they  were  at  once  extinguished 
around  her  but  their  heat  caused  the  two  soldiers  who  guarded  her 
to  fall  dead. 

In  his  anger  the  prefect  ordered  her  to  be  stabbed  to  death  and 
a  soldier  thus  put  an  end  to  her  trials  by  mounting  the  pile  of 
fagots  and  thrusting  her  through  with  a  sword.  St.  Agnes  is 
usually  represented  in  art  with  a  lamb  at  her  feet,  possibly  from 
the  significance  of  her  name  and  her  spotless  purity.  She  often 
bears  a  palm  branch  and  at  times  a  sword  is  piercing  her  throat. 
Her  martyrdom  occurred  in  304.  Two  churches  are  dedicated  to 
her  in  Rome. 


JANUARY  22d. 

The  legend  of  St.  Vincent  whose  festival  occurs  this  day  has,  to 
use  Mrs.  Jameson's  quaint  expression,  been  so  "  extravagantly 
embroidered  "  that  one  finds  difficulty  in  selecting  truth  from  fic- 
tion. He  was  born  in  Saragossa  in  Aragon,  a  city  Prudentius 
says  in  his  famous  hymn  which  had  produced  more  saints  and  mar- 
tyrs than  any  city  in  Spain.  Dr.  Butler  says  it  was  "  most  proba- 
bly at  Osca  (now  Huesca),  in  Grenada,"  where  he  was  educated. 
The  interim  until  we  find  Vincent  in  the  clutches  of  the  pro- 
consul, Dacian,  infamous  even  in  Spanish  annals  of  cruelty,  is  so 
vague  I  omit  it.  He  then  was  not  more  than  twenty  years  of  age, 
but  an  ordained  deacon.  When  brought  before  Dacian  he  defied 
the  tortures  threatened  him.  What  follows  is  but  the  repetition 
of  the  story  so  often  told  of  torments  such  as  one  would  think 


••    ^  •" 


78       SAINTS    AND    FESTIVALS 

only  a  devil  could  invent.  His  body  was  lacerated  by  iron  hooks, 
later  half  broiled  over  a  spiked  gridiron  from  which  the  Clog 
Almanacs  take  the  symbol  that  marks  St.  Vincent  Day.  When 
these  torments  were  ended,  he  was  turned  "  torn,  bleeding  and 
half  consumed  by  fire,"  into  a  cell  "  strewn  with  potsherds  for  him 
to  lie  upon."  But  even  then  his  jailor  saw  his  dungeon  filled  with 
heavenly  light  and  heard  the  angel  attending  him  singing  songs  of 
triumph.  Then  Dacian  changed  his  tactics,  perfidious  as  he  ever 
was,  gave  him  a  bed  of  down  and  allowed  his  friends  to  minister 
to  his  comfort  hoping  so  to  restore  him  that  he  might  be  subjected 
to  further  torments,  but  the  martyr  had  already 
endured  all  his  human  body  could  and  he  died 
,  almost  immediately.  So  furious  was  Dacian 
^.•1  f  '*\,  at  this  that  he  ordered  the  body  to  be  thrown 
out  for  the  wild  beasts  to  devour ; '  but  the 
ravens  drove  the  wolves  away.  Then  the 
pro-consul  ordered  the  body  of  the  saint  to  be 
'  sewn  in  an  oxhide,  as  was  done  to  parricides, 
and  cast  into  the  sea,  but  when  the  minions 
who  performed  the  task  returned  to  the  shore, 
the  body  of  the  saint  lay  on  the  beach  where 
it  was  left  until  the  waves  covered  it  with 
sand.  This  resting  place  was  miraculously  revealed  many  years 
later  and  the  relics  received  Christian  burial  at  Valencia.  Not, 
however,  to  rest  in  peace,  for  the  Moors  carried  his  relics  away. 
I  may  not  take  space  to  follow  their  wanderings  until  these  sacred 
relics  found  rest  in  Lisbon.  Spanish  legends  make  St.  Vincent 
and  St.  Laurence  brothers  but  there  seems  no  just  grounds  to 
believe  this  is  true. 

St.  Vincent  is  also  one  of  those  whose  names  were  retained  by 
the  Reformed  Church  and  still  holds  a  place  in  the  Kalcndar  of 
the  Church  of  England. 


JANUARY  23d. 

St.  Raymund,  who  is  remembered  this  day,  is  another  Spanish 
saint  of  the  order  of  St.  Dominic,  who  by  his  wonderful  exertions 


ST.   TIMOTHY  79 

restored  many  of  his  countrymen  who  had  been  led  astray  by  the 
Moors,  to  Christianity.  He  toward  the  end  of  his  life  accompanied 
King  James  of  Aragon  to  the  island  of  Majorca,  where  he  con- 
verted many  pagans.  It  was  now  that  the  immoral  life  of  the 
king  so  affected  him  he  wished  to  return  to  Spain,  but  the  king 
forbid  him  and  ordered  severe  penalties  for  any  who  aided  him  in 
his  efforts  to  do  so.  Therefore  he  walked  boldly  to  the  waters, 
spread  his  cloak  upon  them,  tied  one  corner  of  it  to  a  staff  for  a 
sail  and  having  made  the  sign  of  the  cross,  stepped  upon  the  cloak 
without  fear  whilst  his  timorous  companion  stood  trembling  and 
wondering  on  the  shore.  On  this  new  kind  of  vessel  the  saint  was 
wafted  with  such  rapidity  that  in  six  hours  he  reached  the  harbour 
of  Barcelona,  sixty  leagues  distant  from  Majorca.  Those  who 
saw  him  arrive  in  this  manner  met  him  with  acclamations.  But  he, 
gathering  up  his  cloak  which  was  perfectly  dry,  put  it  on,  strode 
through  the  crowd  and  entered  his  monastery. 

The  above  is  condensed  from  the  bull  of  his  canonization  pub- 
lished by  Clement  VIII.  in  1601.  His  office  was  fixed  by  Clement 
X.  for  January  23d.  He  died  in  1275. 


JANUARY  24th 

Is  sacred  to  St.  Timothy,  a  disciple  of  St.  Paul.  When  in  51  Paul 
was  preaching  in  Iconium  and  Lystra,  he  heard  such  accounts  of 
Timothy  that  he  took  the  young  man  for  his  companion  and  he 
accompanied  him  into  Philippi  and  elsewhere  —  and  in  64  Paul 
made  him  Bishop  of  Ephesus  with  a  general  supervision  over  the 
churches  in  Asia. 

From  an  account  ascribed  to  Polycrates,  Bishop  of  Ephesus, 
who  died  in  196,  it  is  said  that :  "  Under  the  Emperor  Nerva,  in 
the  year  97  *  *  *  Timothy  was  slain  with  stones  and  clubs 
by  the  heathen  while  he  was  endeavouring  to  oppose  their  idola- 
trous ceremonies  on  one  of  their  festivals  called  '  Catagogia,' 
kept  on  the  22d  of  January  when  the  idolaters  called  in  troops 
carrying  in  one  hand  an  idol  and  in  the  other  a  club." 

From  another  source   it  is  said  that  the   relics  of  St.  Timothy 


8o    SAINTS   AND    FESTIVALS 

were  translated  in  the  year  356  from  their  resting  place  in  Ephesus 
to  Constantinople. 


JANUARY  25th. 

The  festival  of  the  Apostle  Paul  celebrated  to-day  is  not  com- 
memorated by  either  the  Roman  or  Protestant  branches  of  the 
Christian  Church,  as  is  customary  at  the  date  of  the  birth,  death 
or  martyrdom  of  the  saints  honoured  in  their  Kalendar ;  but  upon 
what  the  Apostle  regarded  as  the  most  momentous  day  of  his  life, 
his  conversion.  In  like  manner  the  Holy  Fathers,  in  their  grati- 
tude for  so  miraculous  and  important  an  instance  of  the  Divine 
power  as  well  as  in  recognition  of  the  influence  this  wonderful 
event  had  in  the  establishment  of  the  Christian  Church,  instituted 
the  Feast  of  St.  Paul.  There  was  also  another  and  potent  reason 
that  moved  them  to  this  act,  that  in  St.  Paul  the  world  has  "  a  per- 
fect model  of  true  conversion ''  to  which  the  celebration  of  this 
feast  will  always  bring  to  their  attention. 

Just  when  the  feast  first  originated  or  by  whom  it  was  first  cele- 
brated is  not  perfectly  clear.  Dr.  Butler  says  :  "  We  find  mention 
of  it  in  the  Kalendar  and  Missals  of  the  VIII.  and  IX.  centuries, 
and  also  that  Pope  Innocent  III.  (1198-1216)  commanded  it  to  be 
observed  with  solemnity."  Mention  is  made  of  it  as  being  "a 
solemn  festivalin  the  records  of  the  Council  of  Oxford  held  in  1222 
during  the  reign  of  Henry  III.,  but  so  far  as  the  English  church 
chronicles  show,  it  had  no  official  recognition  until  the  Diocesan 
Synod  held  at  Exeter  in  1827  when  this  feast  (with  several  others) 
was  prescribed  and  duly  ordered  to  be  observed.  It  had,  however, 
prior  to  this  been  long  observed  by  all  the  churches  of  the  West. 

It  would  be  a  work  of  supererogation  to  recount  here  the  life 
and  work  of  St.  Paul,  while  the  story  of  his  martyrdom  will  be  told 
on  June  29. 

The  legend  that  St.  Paul  visited  England  has  been  a  hotly  con- 
tested question  among  English  divines  of  many  faiths  ;  but  that  he 
has  ever  been  regarded  by  Londoners  with  an  especial  reverence 
needs  no  better  evidence  than  that  they  have  dedicated  to  him 
their  grandest  cathedral  and  that  the  Sword  of  St.  Paul  holds  its 


KING   JAMES    BIBLE 


place  in  the  dexter  quarter  of  the  City  Arms,  just  as  the  Red 
Cross  refers  to  St.  George,  the  patron  saint  of  England.  The  Clog 
symbol  given  here  is  taken  from  an  English  stick  but  I  have  to 
confess  my  inability  to  make  out  its  import. 

As  it  is  with  the  Saint  Day  of  most  of  the 
noted  saints  in  the  Kalendar  endless  supersti- 
tions clustered  about  St.  Paul's  Day.  One 
must  suffice,  a  translation  of  a  French  belief, 
though  written  in  old  Monkish  Latin : 


'  If  St.  Paul's  day  be  fair  and  clear, 
It  does  betide  a  happy  year; 
But  if  it  chance  to  snow  or  rain, 
Then  will  be  dear  all  kind  of  grain ; 
If  clouds  or  mists  do  dark  the  skie, 
Great  store  of  birds  and  beasts  shall  die 
And  if  the  winds  do  flie  aloft, 
Then  war  shall  vexe  the  kingdoms  oft." 


u 


In  passing  it  may  not  be  out  of  place  to  say  that  in  1604,  on  this 
day  the  Hampton  Court  Conference  put  forth  what  is  now  called 
the  "King  James  Bible  "  as  an  "Authorized  version  of  the  Bible," 
just  then  translated  into  English. 


JANUARY  26th. 

St.  Polycarp,  who  is  remembered  this  day,  was  one  of  the 
earliest  "  Fathers  of  the  Church  "  and  was  a  disciple  of  St.  John 
the  Evangelist.  He  became  Bishop  of  Smyrna  before  the 
persecution  of  Christians  which  took  place  in  the  reign  of  Marcus 
Aurelius  when  Statius  Quadratus  was  pro-consul  of  Asia.  Having 
incurred  the  enmity  of  the  infidels,  Polycarp  was  condemned  to  be 
burned  at  the  stake.  When  the  fire  was  lighted  his  legend  tells, 
"  the  flames  formed  themselves  into  an  arch  over  his  head 
encircling  his  body  but  leaving  him  unharmed.  When  it  was 
seen  that  Polycarp  was  thus  miraculously  preserved  from  burning 
a  spearman  was  ordered  to  pierce  him  through  his  heart  which 
he  did,  and  such  a  quantity  of  blood  issued  from  his  body  that  it 


82      SAINTS   AND    FESTIVALS 

quenched  the  fire."  But  their  end  had  been  obtained  for  the 
story  continues :  "  At  2  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  which  these 
infidels  call  the  eighth  hour  St.  Polycarp  received  his  crown." 
They  also  after  his  death  burned  his  body  to  ashes.  There  are 
two  dates  given  as  to  when  this  took  place,  Tillemont  placing  it  in 
1 66  and  Basnage  in  169.  He  was  according  to  the  best  authori- 
ties 1 20  years  old  when  he  suffered  and  according  to  his  own 
writing  had  "  served  Christ  for  eighty-six  years." 


St.  Conon  another  saint  honoured  this  day  was  a  Scotchman 
and  for  some  time  Bishop  of  Man.  His  name  will  long  be 
remembered  in  the  Highlands  if  for  no  other  reason  than  the 
celebrated  and  still  frequently  quoted  Highland  proverb  :  "  Claw 
for  claw,  as  Conon  said  to  Satan  ;  and  the  devil  take  the  shortest 
claw." 


JANUARY  27th 

Is  the  festival  of  St.  John  Chrysostom  or  Chrysostomus  as  some 
writers  make  it ;  a  man  whose  wise  words  and  writings  are  per- 
haps more  often  quoted  than  those  of  any  of  the  early  fathers, 
by  Christians  of  every  shade  of  faith  —  unless  it  be  the  words  of 
St.  Jerom. 

St.  John  Chrysostomus  is  also  one  of  the  most  celebrated 
fathers  of  the  Eastern,  or  Greek  church.  He  was  born  about  the 
year  347  at  Antioch.  His  father  was  commander  of  the  imperial 
army  in  Syria.  He  was  educated  for  the  bar  but  became  a  con- 
vert to  Christianity  and  as  the  solitary  manner  of  living  then 
being  held  in  great  esteem  and  very  prevalent  in  Syria,  he  re- 
tired to  a  mountain  not  far  from  Antioch  where  he  lived  some 
years  in  solitude  practising  the  usual  austerities.  He  returned  to 
the  city  in  381  and  was  ordained  by  Meletius,  Bishop  of  Antioch, 
to  the  office  of  deacon  and  to  that  of  presbyter  in  386.  He  became 
one  of  the  most  popular  preachers  of  the  age ;  his  reputation 
extending  throughout  the  Christian  world  ;  and  in  398  on  the 
death  of  Nectarius  he  was  elected  Bishop  of  Constantinople.  He 
was  zealous  and  resolute  in  the  reform  of  clerical  abuses  and  two 


ST.    CYRIL  83 

years  after  his  consecration,  on  his  visitation  in  Asia  Miner,  he 
deposed  no  less  than  thirteen  bishops  of  Lydia  and  Phrygia.  His 
denunciations  of  the  licentious  manners  of  the  court  drew  upon 
him  the  resentment  of  the  Empress  Eudoxia  who  encouraged 
Theophilus,  Patriarch  of  Alexandria,  to  summon  a  synod  at 
Chalcedon  at  which  a  number  of  accusations  were  brought 
against  Chrysostom.  He  was  condemned,  deposed  and  banished 
to  Cucusus,  a  place  in  the  mountain  range  of  Taurus  whence 
after  the  death  of  the  empress  it  was  determined  to  remove  him  to 
a  desert  place  on  the  Euxine.  He  travelled  on  foot  and  caught  a 
fever  which  occasioned  his  death  at  Camana  in  Pontus,  September 
14,  407,  at  the  age  of  60,  but  his  festival  is  kept  on  the  day  of  his 
burial  by  the  Latin  Church,  the  Greeks  honouring  him  on  Novem- 
ber 1 3th. 

The  works  of  Chrysostom  are  very  numerous  consisting  of  700 
homilies  and  242  epistles  as  well  as  commentaries,  orations  and 
treatises  on  points  of  doctrine.  His  life  has  been  written  by 
Socrates,  Sozomen,  Theodoret  and  other  early  writers  and  by 
Neander  in  more  recent  times. 

The  name  Chrysostomus  or  golden-mouthed,  on  account  of  his 
eloquence,  was  not  given  to  him  until  some  years  after  his  death. 
Socrates  and  the  other  early  writers  simply  call  him  John,  or  John 
of  Constantinople. 


JANUARY  28th. 

St.  Cyril,  or  Cyrillus  whom  the  Church  honours  this  day  was  the 
nephew  of  Theophilus  who  caused  St.  Chrysostom  to  be  banished. 
Upon  the  death  of  Theophilus  St.  Cyril  was  elected  to  succeed 
him  as  Patriarch  of  Constantinople.  In  a  later  article  I  will  have 
occasion  to  refer  to  Kingsley's  celebrated  novel,  —  "  Hypatia," 
where  the  author  refers  to  the  life  of  St.  Cyril.  The  story  of  the 
murder  of  Hypatia,  the  daughter  of  the  mathematician  Theon  of 
Alexandria,  has  been  related  by  Socrates,  Nicephorus,  and  other 
ecclesiastical  historians.  Hypatia  was  a  lady  of  such  extraordinary 
ability  and  learning  as  to  have  been  chosen  to  preside  over  the 
school  of  platonic  philosophy  in  Alexandria,  and  her  lectures  were 


84     SAINTS   AND   FESTIVALS 

attended  by  a  crowd  of  students  from  Greece  and  Asia  Minor. 
She  was  also  greatly  esteemed  and  treated  with  much  respect  by 
Orestes,  the  governor  of  Alexandria,  who  was  a  decided  opponent 
of  the  patriarch.  Hence  the  malice  of  Cyril  who  is  related  to  have 
excited  a  mob  of  fanatical  monks  to  assault  her  in  the  street  who 
dragged  her  into  a  church,  and  there  murdered  her,  actually  tearing 
her  body  to  pieces. 

Of  St.  Cyril's  controversy  with  Nestorius  —  a  monk  and  priest 
of  Antioch,  who  was  made  Bishop  of  Constantinople  in  428  —  as 
to  whether  Mary  was  entitled  to  be  termed  "  the  Mother  of  God," 
curious  and  interesting  as  it  is  I  have  not  space  to  enter  save  to 
speak  of  the  strange  result  when  Pope  Celestine  deposed  Nestorius 
and  Cyril  was  called  on  to  execute  judgment  and  summoned  a 
council  of  sixty  at  Ephesus  and  John,  Patriarch  of  Antioch,  sum- 
moned a  counter-council  of  forty  at  Antioch  who  in  turn  excom- 
municated Cyril ;  whereupon  the  Emperor  Theodosius  committed 
both  the  patriarch  and  bishop  to  prison  where  Cyril  remained  until 
through  the  efforts  of  Pope  Celestine  he  was  in  431  liberated  and 
returned  to  his  see,  which  he  filled  until  his  death  in  444. 


JANUARY 

Is  the  festival  of  the  noted  St.  Francis  of  Sales.  We  not  infre- 
quently hear  expressions  of  surprise  at  the  seeming  ease  with  which 
the  Roman  Church  regained  the  influence  it  had  lost  in  Europe 
through  the  Reformation.  When,  however,  we  read  the  story  of 
such  a  remarkable  man  as  St.  Francis  the  mystery  is  at  once  dis- 
pelled. The  son  of  pious  parents  Francis,  Count  of  Sales,  had 
every  possible  educational  advantage  as  a  child  at  Rocheville  and 
Annecy,  later  in  Paris  and  afterward  in  Padua  where  he  went  in 
1554  to  study  law  under  the  celebrated  preceptor  Guy  Pancerola. 
While  he  was  a  "  past  master  "  in  all  the  polite  accomplishments 
of  his  day,  could  ride,  dance  and  hold  his  own  even  against  experts 
in  the  use  of  the  foils,  these  had  not  hindered  him  in  the  study  of 
the  Greek  and  Hebrew  of  which  he  was  a  perfect  master  and  at 
Padua  he  won  his  degree  of  doctor  of  law  with  the  greatest  possi- 
ble eclat.  The  story  of  his  life  has  been  too  often  told  to  need 


ST.    GILDAS   THE   WISE        85 

repetition  of  how  he  cast  fame  and  fortune  behind  him  for  the  love 
of  Christ,  and  was  named  to  the  provostship  of  a  church  in  Geneva 
where  his  sermons  were  of  a  character  to  excite  even  the  admira- 
tion of  modern  clerics  of  every  class.  But  what  chiefly  won  for 
him  the  affection  of  every  one  who  came  under  his  influence  was 
his  personal  purity  and  humility.  So  potent  was  this  that  it  is  said 
that  through  his  efforts  no  less  than  70,000  Genevese  Calvinists 
were  brought  back  into  the  communion  of  the  Roman  Church. 
Afterward,  in  1 594  Francis  with  a  cousin  undertook  a  mission  to 
Chablais  on  the  shores  of  Lake  Geneva  where  the  Catholic  religion 
was  already  extinct,  but  within  four  years  he  had  gained  such  a 
power  over  the  hearts  of  the  people  that  the  Protestant  form  of 
worship  was  interdicted  by  the  State.  His  writings  breathe  only 
of  divine  love  and  there  are  extant  520  of  these  epistles  while  his 
"  Introduction  to  a  Devout  Life  "  is  a  model  work  which  cannot 
be  too  highly  praised  and  is  recognized  by  many  devout  clerics  of 
other  than  the  Roman  faith.  Pope  Paul  V.  erected  the  Congrega- 
tion of  the  Visitation  (the  Order  founded  by  Francis  of  Sales)  into 
a  religious  order.  He  died  at  Avignon  in  1622.  He  was  canonized 
in  1665  by  Alexander  VII.  and  his  feast  fixed  for  January  29th. 


This  day  is  also  the  festival  of  St.  Gildas. 

According  to  his  legend  he  was  the  son  of  Can,  King  of  the 
Britons,  of  Alclyde  (Dumbarton)  one  of  twenty-four  brothers  who 
with  their  father  were  always  at  war  with  King  Arthur.  But  Gil- 
das  having  shown  a  disposition  for  learning  was  sent  to  the  school 
of  the  Welsh  saint  Iltutus.  He  afterwards  went  to  study  in  Gaul 
whence  he  returned  to  Britain  and  set  up  a  school  of  his  own  in 
South  Wales.  Subsequently  at  the  invitation  of  St.  Bridget  he 
visited  Ireland  where  he  remained  a  long  time  and  founded  several 
monasteries.  He  returned  to  England  bringing  with  him  a  won- 
derful bell  which  he  was  carrying  to  the  pope ;  and  after  having 
been  reconciled  with  King  Arthur  who  had  killed  his  eldest 
brother  in  battle,  he  proceeded  on  his  journey  to  Rome. 

After  his  return  from  Rome  he  was  for  a  time  a  hermit  in  the 
fastnesses  of  Wales  but  later  settled  in  Glastonbury  where  he 
died  about  570  it  is  said,  though  this  date  is  very  uncertain. 


86     SAINTS   AND   FESTIVALS 

There  were  two  St.  Gildas,  both  of  whom  are  named  on  this 
day.  Roman  Martyrology  gives  to  one  the  title  of  Gildas  Badon- 
icus  or  the  Historian,  because  of  the  tracts  attributed  to  him.  It 
says  that  he  was  born  in  the  year  when  King  Arthur  defeated  the 
Saxons  in  the  battle  of  Mount  Badon  in  Somersetshire  ;  the  other 
they  call  Gildas  the  Albanian  or  Scot,  supposing  that  he  was  the 
one  who  was  born  at  Alclyde.  The  first  has  also  been  called  Gil- 
das the  Wise.  The  Gildas  spoken  of  above  is  known  as  the  author 
or  supposed  author,  of  a  book  entitled  "  De  Excidio  Britanniae," 
consisting  of  a  short  and  barren  historical  sketch  of  the  struggle 
between  the  Britons  and  the  Picts  and  Saxons. 


JANUARY  30th. 

St.  Bathildas  or  Baldechilde  and  metamorphosed  in  French  into 
Bauteur,  whose  name  is  to-day  honoured  by  the  Church,  presents 
yet  another  of  those  romantic  stories  which  we  constantly  meet 
in  conning  the  lives  of  the  saints.  An  English  girl  by  birth  she 
was  taken  to  France  and  sold  as  a  slave  to  one  Erchinoald,  the 
"  Mayor  of  the  palace  of  Clovis  II."  when  he  was  a  boy.  As  she 
matured  into  womanhood,  her  beauty  and  worth  attracted  the 
King's  attention  and  in  649  he  married  her.  It  is  a  "  far  cry  " 
from  being  a  slave,  to  the  throne  of  France  and  not  without  many 
striking  incidents  if  I  had  time  to  tell  them. 

Bathildas  was  the  mother  of  three  Kings  of  France,  Clotaire  III., 
Childeric  II.,  and  Thierry  I.,  all  reigning  in  the  above  successive 
order.  The  death  of  Clovis  II.  in  655  when  Clotaire  was  but  five 
years  old  made  her  Regent  of  the  kingdom  and  her  power  was 
used  with  such  rare  judgment ;  and  the  encouragement  she  gave 
to  the  prelates  of  the  Church  so  great  and  her  own  charities  so 
numerous  though  so  unostentatiously  bestowed,  that  her  name 
became  a  synonym  throughout  her  territory  for  all  that  was  noble 
and  good.  In  665  she  resigned  her  Regency  but  in  those  ten  years 
of  power  she  had  left  many  lasting  evidences  of  her  devotion  to 
the  Church  and  Christianity.  Then  she  retired  to  the  Royal  Nun- 
nery of  Chelles  founded  by  St.  Clotildes  and  of  which  I  shall  soon 
speak,  and  here  she  died  in  680  on  January  3oth  leaving  a  name 


KING   CHARLES  87 

which  even  after  these  long  centuries  is  held  in  loving  reverence 
in  France. 

In  the  English  church  this  day  is  kept  sacred  to  the  memory  of 
King  Charles  The  Martyr.  The  only  name  thus  honoured  of 
post-Reformation  date  in  the  English  church. 


FEBRUARY 


•  Then  came  old  February,  sitting 


In  an  old  wagon,  for  he  could  not  ride, 
Drawn  of  two  fishes  for  the  season  fitting, 
Which  through  the  flood  before  did  softly  slide 
And  swim  away ;  yet  had  he  by  his  side 
His  plough  and  harness  fit  to  till  the  ground. 

—  Spenser. 

When  Numa  Pompilius  revised  the  Roman  Kalendar  which 
increased  the  number  of  months  into  which  the  year  was  divided 
from  ten  to  twelve,  he  named  those  he  then  added  Januarius  and 
Februare.  The  last  signifies  "  to  expiate  or  to  purify."  Numa 
also  gave  this  month  twenty-nine  days  except  in  "  leap-years  " 
when  it  was  to  have  twenty-eight.  But  when  Augustus  to  honour 
his  own  month  increased  the  days  of  August  to  thirty-one  he  took 
the  day  from  Februare  leaving  that  month  in  ordinary  years  but 
twenty-eight  days. 

Among  the  Saxons  this  month  was  known  as  "  Sproutkale,"  and 
later,  as  the  "  Sol-monat, ''  while  in  early  days  in  England  it  was 
called  "  February  fill-dyke  "  as  the  melting  snows  filled  and  over- 
flowed the  dykes  and  rivers. 

Brady,  the  noted  antiquarian,  says  :  "  The  common  emblemati- 
cal representation  of  February  is  a  man  in  a  sky-coloured  dress 
bearing  in  his  hand  the  astronomical  sign  Pices."  This,  doubt- 
less, Spenser  had  in  mind  when  he  wrote  the  lines  quoted  above. 


FEBRUARY  ist. 

St.  Ignatius,  the  Bishop  of  Antioch  and  Martyr,  whose  name 
heads  the  list  of  saints  the  Church  honours  on  this  day,  occupies 
a  most  important  place  in  the  history  of  Christianity  from  his  hav- 
ing been  a  disciple  and  the  immediate  successor  of  the  Apostles. 


ST.    BRIDGET  89 

For  forty  years  he  filled  the  important  position  of  Bishop  of 
Antioch  ;  and  Christians  of  every  sect  and  creed  unite  in  testify- 
ing to  his  virtue  and  pious  zeal  and  his  life  presents  a  perfect 
model  of  all  that  goes  to  make  up  a  true  Christian. 

In  the  ninth  year  of  Trajan's  reign  (107)  the  emperor  set  out 
for  the  East  on  an  expedition  against  the  Parthians  and  made  a 
triumphal  entry  into  Antioch  on  January  7th,  and  his  first  order 
thereafter  was  for  a  sacrifice  to  the  gods.  Already  many  Chris- 
tians had  suffered  by  his  orders  in  and  near  Antioch.  It  was 
therefore  only  what  was  to  be  expected  that  the  refusal  of  any  for 
this  especial  sacrifice  should  suffer.  Ignatius'  refusal  and  con- 
demnation to  be  sent  to  Rome  to  be  devoured  by  wild  beasts  in 
the  ampitheatre  is  a  long  but  not  uncommon  story ;  save  that  his 
journey  was  a  continued  series  of  ovations  by  the  Christians  in 
every  city  through  which  the  noble  man  and  his  guard  of  Roman 
soldiers  passed  and  that  not  a  few  of  these  loyal  Christians  later 
paid  severe  penalties  for  their  enthusiam.  The  journey  was  a 
long  and  tedious  one,  not  a  small  part  of  it  being  made  on  foot 
which  of  itself,  for  a  man  of  his  age,  was  a  severe  trial  but  borne 
with  true  Christian  fortitude  and  without  complaint. 

It  was  therefore  not  until  December  2oth  of  the  same  year  (107) 
the  party  arrived  in  Rome  and  their  victim  was  at  once  on  reach- 
ing the  city  given  to  the  lions  in  the  Ampitheatre  to  be  devoured. 
After  that,  devout  brethren  gathered  up  his  bones  and  St.  Chrysos- 
tom  is  authority  for  saying  that  the  casket  in  which  they  were 
placed  was  "  carried  in  triumph  through  all  the  cities  from  Rome 
to  Antioch."  The  Greeks  keep  the  feast  of  St.  Ignatius  on  De- 
cember 2oth  but  the  Latin  Church  have  always  held  it  upon  this 
first  day  of  February. 


This  day  is  also  the  festival  of  St.  Bridget  who  next  to  St. 
Patrick  is  the  one  saint  above  all  others  dear  to  the  Irish  heart. 
She  was  the  daughter  of  a  prince  in  Ulster  and  was  born  at 
Fochard.  She  received  the  veil  from  the  hands  of  St.  Mel,  a 
nephew  of  St.  Patrick,  and  has  ever  been  reverenced  as  the 
"  Mother  of  Nunneries "  in  Ireland.  She  built  her  first  cell 
under  a  large  oak  which  had  perhaps  been  the  site  of  pagan 


90      SAINTS    AND    FESTIVALS 

worship  in  earlier  times  and  from  whence  it  was  named  Kil-dara 
or  the  cell  of  the  oak.  Round  this  first  Irish  nunnery  eventually 
arose  the  city  of  Kildare.  The  date  at  which  St.  Bridget  founded 
her  cell  is  said  to  have  been  about  the  year  585.  An  almost  end- 
less number  of  miracles  are  credited  to  her.  She  died  in  523  and 
was  buried  at  Downpatrick,  in  the  church  in  which  it  is  said  lie 
the  bodies  of  SS.  Patrick  and  Columba. 

St.  Bridget  —  or  as  in  these  countries  she  is  called  St.  Bride  —  is 
almost  if  not  equally  reverenced  in  both  England  and  Scotland. 
In  London  adjoining  St.  Bride's  Churchyard,  Fleet  street,  is  an 
ancient  well  dedicated  to  the  saint  and  commonly  called  Bride's 
well.  A  palace  erected  near  by  took  the  name  of  Bridewell. 
This  being  given  by  Edward  VI.  to  the  city  of  London  as  a 
workhouse  for  the  poor  and  a  house  of  correction,  the  name 
became  associated  in  the  popular  mind  with  houses  having  the 
same  purpose  in  view.  Hence  it  has  arisen  that  the  pure  and 
innocent  Bridget  —  the  first  of  Irish  nuns  —  is  now  inextricably 
connected  in  ordinary  English  parlance  with  a  class  of  beings  of 
the  most  opposite  description. 


FEBRUARY  2d. 

THE     PURIFICATION     OF    THE    VIRGIN,     COMMONLY    CALLED 
CANDLEMAS  DAY. 

From  a  very  early,  indeed  wholly  unknown,  date  in  the  Chris- 
tian history  the  2d  of  February  has  been  held  as  the  festival  of 
the  Purification  of  the  Virgin,  and  it  is  still  a  holiday  of  the 
Church  of  England,  as  well  as  a  holy  feast  of  the  Latin  Church. 
From  the  coincidence  of  the  time  being  the  same  as  that  of  the 
Februation  or  purification  of  the  people  in  pagan  Rome  some 
consider  this  was  a  Christian  festival  engrafted  upon  a  heathen 
one  in  order  to  take  advantage  of  the  established  habits  of  the 
people ;  but  the  idea  is  at  least  open  to  a  good  deal  of  doubt. 
The  popular  name  Candlemas  is  derived  from  the  ceremony  which 
the  Church  of  Rome  dictates  to  be  observed  on  this  day  ;  namely, 
a  blessing  of  candles  by  the  clergy  and  a  distribution  of  them 


amongst  the  people  by  whom  they  are  afterwards  carried  lighted 
in  solemn  procession.  In  the  Protestant  churches  this  ceremony 
did  not  obtain  after  the  Reformation  but  especial  services  have 
always  been  held  in  honour  of  the  occasion  and  are  part  of  the 
regular  ritual  of  the  English  church.  Down  to  the  end  of  the 
XVIII.  century  in  many  of  the  churches  in  England  candles  were 
burned  on  this  day. 

At  Rome  the  Pope  every  year  officiates  at  this  festival  in  the 
beautiful  chapel  of  the  Quirinal. 
When  he  has  blessed  the  candles 
he  distributes  them  with  his  own 
hand  amongst  those  in  the  church 
each  of  whom  going  singly  up  to 
him,  kneels  to  receive  it.  The  car- 
dinals go  first ;  then  follow  the 
bishops,  canons,  priors,  abbots, 
priests,  etc.,  down  to  the  sacris- 
tans and  meanest  officers  of  the 
church.  This  candle-bearing  has  a 
deeper  significance  than  appears  at 
first  as  it  is  intended  to  refer  to 
what  Simeon  said  when  he  took 
the  infant  Jesus  in  his  arms,  and 
declared  that  He  was  "  The  light 
to  lighten  the  Gentiles." 

In  passing  I  must  allude  to  a 
strange  custom  which  prevailed  in 
England  in  early  days  and  which 
came  from  the  custom  of  carrying  candles  at  the  Purification  of 
the  Virgin  ceremonials,  which  led  every  woman  after  child-birth 
to  carry  candles  with  her,  occasionally  lighting  them  until  her  own 
day  for  "  churching." 

What  in  the  old  days  superstition  demanded  fashion,  now  the 
greater  power,  commands  that  the  holly  used  for  decorations  both 
in  church  and  house  should  be  taken  down  on  Candlemas  Eve 
or  misfortune  will  come  on  parish  or  people.  In  taking  down 
holly  in  some  parts  of  England  it  is  thought  unlucky  to  prick  the 


THE  PURIFICATION. 

Painting-  on  Wall,  S.  Stephen's 

Chapel,  Westminster. 


92    SAINTS   AND    FESTIVALS 

finger  if  the  blood  comes,  but  if  a  leaf  sticks  to  dress  or  coat  it  is  a 
good  omen.  In  old  days  a  branch  of  holly  picked  on  Christmas 
Eve  was  regarded  as  efficacious  as  the  rowan  or  mountain  ash 
in  protecting  from  witches  and  warlocks  or  evil  spells.  A  twig  of 
holly  brought  from  church  might  be  kept,  like  the  Easter  palm,  for 
the  same  purpose. 


FEBRUARY  sd. 

St.  Wereburg  whose  festival  is  kept  this  day,  was  one  of  the 
earliest  and  most  celebrated  of  the  Anglo-Saxon  saints  contempo- 
rary with  the  beginning  of  Christianity  in  Mercia,  and  she  had 
a  prominent  part  in  establishing  the  first  nunneries  known  in 
England.  Her  father  Wulfhere  was  king  of  Mercia,  and  while 
nominally  a  Christian  was,  it  is  said,  kept  from  paganism  only 
through  the  influence  of  his  queen  and  her  children  and  at  one 
time  even  did  apostatise  from  the  Christian  faith  but  was  brought 
back  by  St.  Chad. 

Here  as  is  so  often  the  case  love  and  romance  enters  the  life  of 
our  saint  when  a  pagan  prince  named  Werbode  sued  for  the 
hand  of  Wereburg,  and  being  refused,  we  are  told  "  he  died  raving 
mad."  It  was  after  this  love  passage  that  Wereburg  with  no  little 
trouble  secured  permission  from  the  king  her  father  to  enter 
the  monastery  of  Ely  —  of  whose  foundation  I  shall  remark  on 
later  —  then  governed  by  a  cousin,  Ethelreda.  As  a  nun  of 
Ely  she  soon  became  very  famous  for  her  piety  and  her  miracles. 
Thus  when  Etheldrod,  a  brother  of  Wulfhere,  succeeded  to  the 
throne  in  675  Wereburg  was  called  from  Ely  and  commissioned  to 
found  nunneries  in  Mercia  ;  of  which  those  at  Trentham,  Hanbury 
(now  Tutbury)  in  Staffordshire  and  Wedon  in  Northamptonshire 
were  the  most  noted  and  of  which  she  was  at  one  and  the  same 
time  the  superior.  St.  Wereburg  died  at  Trentham  on  February 

3-  699- 

This  brief  sketch  only  in  part  tells  the  story  of  this  saint.  For 
years  after  her  death  her  relics  caused  the  fire  kindled  by  the 
Danes  to  burn  the  city  to  be  extinguished.  It  is  for  this  she  was 
made  the  patroness  of  Chester. 


ST.    BLASIUS 


93 


St.  Blasius  or  Blase  is  another  saint  who  is  honoured  to-day,  by 
both  the  Roman  and  Reformed  Churches  and  who  has  a  place  in 
the  English  church  Kalendar.  He  was  Bishop  of  Sebaste  in 
Armenia  and  was  crowned  with  martyrdom 
in  the  persecution  of  Licinius  in  316.  From 
the  fact  that  among  the  many  cruel  tor- 
ments the  good  man  was  subjected  to  his 
body  was  torn  by  iron  combs  such  as  the 
wool-combers  used  in  old  days  in  England, 
he  became  their  patron  saint.  In  Bradford,. 
Norwich,  and  many  English  towns  wherel 
woolen  manufacture  is  the  leading  factor  St. 
Blase's  Day  is  even  now  celebrated  with 
great  pomp,  when  poems  are  read  and  pro- 
cessions, in  which  the  Lord  Mayor  and 
city  officials  take  part.  In  early  days  per- 
sons representing  the  king  and  queen,  the 
royal  family  and  their  guards  and  atten- 
dants, followed.  Jason,  with  his  golden 

fleece  and  proper  attendants,  next  appeared. 
Then  came  Bishop  Blase  in  full  canonicals, 
followed  by  shepherds  and  shepherdesses, 
wool-combers,  dyers  and  other  appropriate  fig- 
ures, some  wearing  wool  wigs. 

Many  legends  tell  of  Blase  in  hiding  from 
the  minions  of  Licinius  and  of  wild  animals 
that  "  waited  "  upon  him.  For  this  in  Callot's 
images  and  Le  Clerc's  Almanac,  he  is  sur- 
rounded by  wild  beasts,  and  the  words  from 
Job  v.,  23. 


S.  BLASIUS. 

Glass  in  Oxford 

Cathedral. 


FEBRUARY  4th. 

St.  Jane,  or  Joan,  Queen  of  France,  who  is  this  day  honoured  by 
the  Church  is  another  of  those  sad  romances  in  real  life  that  con- 
stantly come  up  in  studying  the  lives  of  the  holy  men  and  women. 


94     SAINTS   AND   FESTIVALS 

She  was  the  daughter  of  Louis  XI.  and  Charlotte  of  Savoy,  born 
in  1464.  Her  poor,  deformed  body  made  her  an  object  of  disgust 
to  her  father  who  was  only  too  glad  to  be  rid  of  her  by  marrying 
her  to  Louis,  Duke  of  Orleans,  her  cousin-german,  in  1476.  It  was 
one  of  those  alliances  so  often  seen  among  royal  kinsfolk.  Louis 
abhorred  his  wife  yet  historical  students  will  not  forget  how  Joan 
repaid  his  brutal  treatment  by  obtaining  for  him  his  life  from 
Charles  VIII.  which  he  had  forfeited  by  rebellion  ;  and  so  we  may 
say  in  the  end,  securing  for  him  the  crown  of  France.  This  of 
itself  should  have  bound  her  husband  to  her  even  without  the 
quiet  Christian  patience  with  which  she  had  borne  his  tyranny  and 
abuse.  But  when  he  as  Louis  XII.  attained  this  coveted  bauble, 
in  1498,  and  having  in  view  a  marriage  with  Anne  of  Brittany  (the 
late  king's  widow),  he  made  a  claim  of  having  been  "  forced  into 
his  marriage  with  Joan  by  Louis  XL"  and  for  that  he  sought  a 
divorce  which  in  due  course  Pope  Alexander  V.  granted.  To  this 
decree  Joan  submitted  without  a  murmur,  only  too  happy  to  be 
able  at  last  to  follow  the  bent  of  her  wishes.  Thus  she  retired  to 
Brouges,  where  wearing  always  "  sackcloth "  she  consecrated 
herself  and  her  great  revenues  to  charity.  Of  this  noble  work 
Dr.  Butler  says  :  "  By  the  assistance  of  her  confessarius,  a  virtuous 
Franciscan  friar  called  Gabriel  Maria,  she  instituted  in  1500  the 
Order  of  the  Nuns  of  the  Annunciation  of  the  Blessed  Virgin.  It 
was  approved  by  Julius  II.,  Leo  X.,  Paul  V.,  and  Gregory  XV." 
The  costume  of  these  nuns  is  peculiar.  They  wear  black  veils,  a 
white  cloak,  a  red  scapular,  a  brown  habit  with  a  red  cross,  and  a 
cord  for  a  girdle.  Their  superior  they  call  Ancelle  (servant).  In 
humility  St.  Joan  took  this  habit  and  the  vows  of  the  order  in  1 504 
but  wore  it  less  than  a  year  as  she  died  on  February  4,  1505. 
The  Huguenots  "  for  wanton  bigotry  and  hate "  burned  her 
remains  in  1562.  She  was  canonized  by  Clement  XII.  in  1738. 


FEBRUARY  sth. 

This  day  is  devoted  among  others  to  a  most  interesting  char- 
cter,  St.    Agatha,   virgin,   martyr  and  patroness  of   Malta  and 


ST.   AGATHA 


95 


Cantania  as  well  as  regarded  a  protectress  against  dangers  from 
fire. 

In  her  history  we  can  read  between  the  lines  how  it  was  that 
the  Emperor  Decius  who  had  put  to  death  his  predecessor,  Philip, 
on  the  pretext  that  he  was  a  Christian,  first  organized  his  persecu- 
tions against  all  Christians  as  a  cloak  to  cover  his  own  ambitions 
and  to  attain  which  he  had  sacrificed  Philip.  He  then  made 
Quintianius  "  king  of  Sicily "  where  Agatha  dwelt  in  Catania. 
Her  resplendent  beauty  had  excited  Quintianius'  lusts  and  he 
resolved  to  attain  his  purpose  at  all  hazards.  He  knew  his  dan- 
ger for  she  was  the  daughter  of  a  rich  and  illustrious  house  who 
unfortunately  under  the  decrees  of  Decius  had  placed  themselves 
in  peril,  even  had  not  Agatha's  beauty  excited 
Quintianius  to  do  the  evil  he  intended  her, 
who  taught  as  she  had  been  from  infancy  in 
the  Christian  faith  rejected  every  offer  and  gift 
of  the  base  "  king,"  who  then  resorted  to  the 
not  uncommon  tactics  of  men  in  power  by 
employing  a  vile  woman  to  further  his  inter- 
ests. But  even  she  at  the  end  of  many  days 
told  Quintianius  how  useless  were  her  efforts. 
It  was  then  that  Agatha's  torment  began.  In 
his  wrath  the  wretched  Quintianius  ordered  her 
breasts  to  be  cut  off  "  but  in  the  night  St. 
Peter  and  an  angel  appeared  and  healed  them 
with  celestial  ointment."  Then  he  ordered 
she  should  be  burned  but  scarcely  had  the  fires 
been  lighted  when  an  earthquake  shook  the 
city  and  in  their  terror  the  citizens  begged  her 
release  and  she  was  sent  back  to  her  prison 
where  she  died  from  her  burns.  She  was  em- 
balmed and  buried  in  Catania.  Near  the  city  is  a  volcanic  moun- 
tain named  Mongibello  which  in  254  burst  into  action  and  her 
legend  tells  how  her  veil  taken  from  her  tomb  stayed  the  river  of 
fire  and  lava,  and  again  how  in  1551, by  her  miraculous  intervention 
she  saved  Malta  from  invasion  by  the  Turks.  She  suffered  mar- 
tyrdom in  253  and  is  one  of  the  early  saints  who  was  retained  in 


S.  AGATHA. 

Glass  in 
Winchester 
Cathedral. 


96     SAINTS   AND   FESTIVALS 

the  Kalendar  by  the  reformers  and  still  has  her  place  in  the  Eng- 
lish church  Kalendar  on  the  same  day  with  that  assigned  her  by 
the  Latin  Church.  Her  name  appears  in  the  Kalendar  of  Carthage 
as  early  as  530. 


FEBRUARY  6th. 

Of  the  early  history  of  St.  Vedast  whose  festival  occurs  to-day, 
nothing  reliable  seems  to  be  known.  His  legend  tells  of  his  early 
departure  from  his  home  in  the  west  of  France,  of  his  life  even  as 
a  boy,  being  spent  in  solitude  and  holy  devotion  in  the  diocese  of 
Toul  where  he  was  at  last  discovered  by  the  bishop,  who  charmed 
by  his  virtues,  ordained  him  to  the  priesthood.  When  Clovis  I., 
king  of  France  (481-511,  and  the  son  of  Childeric,  king  of  the 
Franks)  was  returning  in  490  from  his  victory  over  the  Alemanni 
and  was  going  to  Rheims  to  receive  baptism  he  desired  some  one 
to  instruct  him  and  Vedast  was  selected.  En  route  the  legend 
continues  Vedast  performed  a  miracle  by  restoring  a  blind  man  to 
sight,  a  fact  which  not  only  confirmed  Clovis  in  the  faith,  but  won 
many  of  his  courtiers  to  embrace  Christianity.  In  499  he  was 
consecrated  Bishop  of  Arras  and  it  is  said  that  as  he  entered  the 
city  he  restored  sight  to  another  blind  man  and  cured  one  who 
was  lame  and  was  thus  greatly  aided  in  his  holy  labours  among  the 
infidels.  In  510  the  great  diocese  of  Cambray  which  extended 
beyond  Brussels  was  committed  to  his  care  and  he  jointly 
governed  both  of  these  sees  for  many  years.  For  nearly  forty 
years  without  a  rest  this  goodly  man  had  thus  devoted  himself  to 
the  work  of  his  Master  when  on  February  6,  539,  his  labours  came 
to  a  peaceful  end  and  he  was  laid  at  rest  in  the  cathedral  church 
at  Arras  which  had  grown  up  under  his  tireless  efforts. 


FEBRUARY  7th. 

In  the  Roman  Church,  on  the  Saturday  before  Septuagesima 

Sunday,  "  the  Canticle  of  the  Lord  —  Alleluia  —  ceases  to  be  said." 

St.  Romuald,  whose  name  appears  in  the  Kalendar  of  the  Roman 


SEPTUAGESIMA   SUNDAY      97 

Church  this  day  presents  yet  a  fresh  example  of  the  means  God  in 
His  Providence  uses  to  lead  men  to  Him.  Brought  up  as  he  was 
in  luxury  he  was  daily  growing  more  enamoured  of  the  joys  and 
pleasures  of  worldly  life.  When  about  twenty  his  father,  a  proud, 
haughty  man,  in  order  to  settle  a  dispute  regarding  some  estate 
had  recourse  to  a  then  common  custom  of  a  duel  with  a  relative. 
In  spite  of  protests  Romuald  was  compelled  to  be  present  and 
saw  his  father  kill  his  opponent.  The  horror  of  the  scene  greatly 
affected  him  and  in  expiation  of  his  share  in  the  affair  the  young 
man  in  penance  resolved  to  seclude  himself  for  a  time  in  the 
Benedictine  monastery  of  Classis.  Before  his  self-imposed 
penance  was  ended  the  discourse  of  the  pious  lay-brother  who 
waited  upon  him  had  so  impressed  his  mind  that  he  sought 
admission  as  a  penitent  to  the  religious  habit.  This  resolution 
was  easier  taken  than  carried  out  so  bitterly  was  he  opposed  by 
his  father,  but  in  the  end  he  not  only  prevailed  but  by  his  example 
led  his  father  himself  later  to  enter  the  monastery  of  St.  Sevenes 
as  a  penitent  of  St.  Benedict's  Order. 

But  I  must  not  take  space  to  follow  St.  Romuald,  until  he 
became  Abbot  of  Classis  and  later  founded  the  Order  of  Camai- 
doll,  and  a  power  with  the  Emperor  Otho  III.,  as  well  as  with  his 
successor,  St.  Henry  II, 

It  is  the  story  of  a  long,  worthy  and  interesting  life  of  service 
in  the  work  of  a  true  Christian  Knight.  His  Order  is  now 
divided  into  five,  but  in  each  the  memory  of  this  remarkable  man 
lives.  He  died  June  19,  1027,  on  which  day  I  will  again  speak  of 
him,  but  his  feast  was  appointed  by  Clement  VIII.  for  the  7th  of 
February. 


FEBRUARY  8th. 

SEPTUAGESIMA  SUNDAY. 

The  three  Sundays  preceding  Lent  are  respectively  termed 
Septuagesima,  Sexagesima  and  Quinquagesima.  Many  reasons 
have  been  assigned  for  these  names ;  but  to  my  mind  the  simplest 
and  most  reasonable  is  that  of  Bishop  Sparrow  in  his  "  Rationale 
on  the  Common  Prayer,"  who  says ;  "  But  on  my  apprehension, 


98      SAINTS   AND   FESTIVALS 

the  best  is  a  consequentia  numerandi,  because  the  First  Sunday  in 
Lent  is  called  Quadragesima,  counting  about  forty  days  from 
Easter  ;  therefore  the  Sunday  before  that,  being  still  farther  from 
Easter,  it  is  called  Quinquagesima,  five  being  the  next  number 
above  four  and  so  the  Sunday  before  that  is  Sexagesima  and  the 
next  Septuagesima." 

These  days  are  the  first  which  appear  in  the  Church  Kalendar 
of  the  so-called  "  Movable  Feasts,  or  Festivals  "  from  the  fact  the 
date  of  each  is  dependent  upon  the  date  fixed  for  Easter. 

Whatever  may  be  the  antiquity  of  the  institution  of  Septuages- 
ima and  the  two  Sundays  that  follow,  there  apparently  is  no  men- 
tion of  them  in  the  records  of  the  Roman  Church  as  to  where  they 
originated  or  from  whence  they  were  incorporated  into  the  ritual 
of  the  Reformed  Church  —  nor  is  there  mention  of  them  until 
about  the  close  of  the  V.  or  in  the  early  years  of  the  VI.  century. 
Gelasius  and  Gregory  notice  these  days  in  their  Sacramentaries 
and  the  latter  assigned  specific  offices  for 
each  of  these  days  ;  just  as  the  Reform- 
ers did  in  framing  their  ritual ;  with  a 
design  that  both  the  clergy  and  laity 
should  prepare  for  Lent. 


St.  John  of  Matha,  the  Founder  of 
the  Order  of  Trinitarians,  whose  festival 
is  celebrated  by  the  Church  this  day,  pre- 
sents a  very  interesting  story.  He  was 
born  at  Faucon  on  the  borders  of  Pro- 
vence, of  a  noble  family,  educated  first 
at  Aix  in  all  the  customary  accomplish- 
ments of  young  noblemen  of  his  day,  such  as  riding,  fencing, 
dancing,  etc.,  as  well  as  grammar  and  other  things  which  now  we 
would  regard  as  but  the  rudiments  of  an  education  ;  though  then 
were  considered  all  that  any  gentleman  need  to  learn.  But  fond 
as  John  was  of  the  sports  of  his  companions  he  was  both  ambi- 
tious for  greater  knowledge  and  had  already  shown  by  his  conduct 
while  at  Aix  that  love  of  his  fellowmen  that  later  was  so  marked 
a  feature  of  his  character.  Toward  the  close  of  the  XII.  century 


ST.   JOHN   OF    MAT  HA          99 

Paris  became  a  favourite  centre  for  religious  students  and  while 
yet  a  young  man  John  went  there  to  study,  passed  through  the 
various  classes  with  great  credit,  graduated  with  the  degree  of 
Doctor  of  Divinity  and  was  ordained  a  priest.  As  historical 
students  are  aware  Mahometan  slavery  was  then  at  its  height 
and  not  a  few  good  men  gave  up  their  time  and  in  many  cases 
sacrificed  their  lives  to  secure  the  redemption  of  Christian  captives 
and  to  this  John  resolved  to  devote  himself.  With  the  consent 
of  Innocent  III.  then  in  the  Pontifical  chair  a  new  Order  was 
instituted  for  the  purpose  and  approved  by  the  Pope  in  1198  and 
took  the  name  of  the  Holy  Trinity,  which  was  confirmed  by  a 
second  bull  in  1209.  St.  John  was  the  first  minister  general  of 
the  Order.  Their  habit  was  a  white  robe  with  a  red  and  blue 
cross  on  the  breast.  While  I  cannot  follow  the  labours  of  these 
noble  brethren  the  fact  that  in  their  first  expedition  to  Morocco  in 
1201  they  succeeded  in  rescuing  186  Christian  slaves  from  bond- 
age evidences  their  practical  and  earnest  work.  In  passing  let  me 
remark  that  the  Order  of  Mercy  instituted  by  St.  Peter  Nolaseo  in 
1235,  that  had  a  similar  purpose  in  view,  was  an  outgrowth  of  the 
Order  of  the  Holy  Trinity.  The  life  of  St.  John  was  given  to  his 
chosen  work  and  has  been  eulogized  many  times  for  his  self- 
sacrificing  labour.  He  died  December  21,  1213,  aged  sixty-one 
years ;  his  festival  was  fixed,  however,  for  this  day.  There  have 
been  many  chapters  of  the  Order  instituted  since,  a  noted  one 
being  that  of  the  "  Barefooted  Trinitarians,"  created  by  "  John 
Baptist  of  the  Conception  "  in  Spain  in  1 594. 


FEBRUARY  9th. 

St.  Apollonia,  the  ancient  Virgin  and  Martyr  whom  the  Church 
remembers  to-day,  presents  one  or  two  features  in  her  story  quite 
out  of  the  ordinary  run  in  the  lives  we  have  been  considering. 
Her  parents  had  in  spite  of  their  prayers  to  heathen  gods  long  been 
childless  when  three  Christian  Pilgrims  appeared  in  Alexandria 
and  preached  of  Jesus  and  his  Virgin  mother ;  and  of  the  power  of 
her  intercession.  The  wife  was  led  by  these  Pilgrims  to  make 


ioo     SAINTS   AND    FESTIVALS 

intercession  with  the  Virgin  and  in  answer  to  her  prayers  Apol- 
lonia  was  born.  The  legend  continues,  the  child  grew  up  under 
Christian  teaching  and  "  sought  St.  Leontine  to  baptise  her.  As 
he  did  so  an  Angel  appeared  with  a  garment  of  dazzling  whiteness 
which  was  thrown  over  her  and  a  voice  said  :  This  is  Apollonia 
the  servant  of  God  !  Go  now  to  Alexandria  and  announce  the 
faith  of  Christ."  This  she  did  with  great  success. 

In  the  last  year  of  the  reign  of  Philip  when  Apollonia  had 
grown  old  and  weak,  riots  against  Christians  became  very  preva- 
lent and  many  victims  fell.  In  their  fury  they  seized  upon  the 
venerable  saint  bound  her  to  a  pillar  and  pulled  out  her  teeth  with 
pincers  —  Dr.  Butler  says  they  were  broken  out  with  blows  upon 
her  jaws  —  and  because  she  would  not  pay  her  vows  to  their  idols 
they  built  a  huge  fire  threatening  to  burn  her.  She  begged  a 
moment  of  respite,  then  to  show  that  her  sacrifice  was  voluntary 
she  slipped  from  their  grasp  and  leaped  into  the  burning  pile, 
which  quickly  consumed  her.  This  took  place  on  February  9, 
249,  but  a  civil  war  among  the  pagans  broke  out  just  after  and 
for  a  time  put  an  end  to  the  persecution  of  the  faithful,  only  to  be 
renewed  under  the  decree  of  Decius  in  250.  The  attributes  of  St. 
Apollonia  are  a  pair  of  pincers  or  sometimes  a  gold  tooth  on  a 
chain.  She  was  in  old  days  regarded  as  a  protection  against 
toothache  and  all  other  troubles  with  the  teeth. 


FEBRUARY  loth. 

St.  Scholastica  whose  festival  is  held  this  day,  as  the  sister  of 
the  celebrated  St.  Benedict  is  widely  respected  by  the  Roman 
Church  .though  less  of  her  life  is  known  than  of  many  others  who 
have  been  canonized  by  the  church.  She  founded  and  governed 
a  nunnery  at  Plombariola  about  five  miles  south  of  the  monastery 
of  St.  Benedict.  Her  legend  tells  of  the  last  visit  St.  Benedict 
paid  to  his  sister  that  when  he  rose  to  depart  she  begged  of  him 
to  stay  a  little  longer  and  on  his  declining  owing  to  other  engage- 
ments she  bent  her  head  in  prayer  and  on  the  instant  a  violent 
storm  arose  that  kept  him  a  prisoner  and  the  evening  was  spent 


ST.   THEODORA  101 

in  pious  discourses  and  on  the  following  morning  he  departed. 
Three  days  later  she  died  and  St.  Benedict  who  at  the  moment 
was  alone  "  in  silent  contemplation  as  he  raised  his  eyes  to  heaven 
saw  the  soul  of  his  sister  rising  thither,  in  the  form  of  a  dove." 
From  this  St.  Scholastica  has  been  represented  in  art  with  a  dove, 
either  pressed  to  her  heart  or  lying  at  her  feet,  while  in  her  hand 
she  holds  a  lily  emblematical  of  her  spotless  purity  of  character. 
Her  death  occurred  in  543. 


FEBRUARY  nth. 

On  this  day  the  Greeks  honour  as  a  saint  the  Empress  Theodora 
whom  the  Roman  Church  do  not  so  recognise  though  their  writers 
never  fail  to  speak  of  her  in  terms  of  high  praise  as  well  they  may. 
Theodora  was  the  wife  of  Theophilus,  Emperor  of  the  East,  who 
died  in  842.  Her  influence  over  this  brutish  man  was  almost 
unbounded  — strange  as  it  sounds  when  we  recall  his  life  —  and  to 
her  alone  belongs  the  credit  of  "  softening," —  though  no  human 
power  could  wholly  control  the  cruel  temper  of  this  fiendish  man, — 
and  even  at  times  protecting  from  harm  the  defenders  of  the  Holy 
Images  whom  he  so  relentlessly  persecuted.  By  the  death  of 
Theophilus,  Theodora  became  Regent  of  the  Empire  during  the 
minority  of  Michael  II.  who  succeeded  his  father.  And  it  was  she 
who  put  an  end  to  the  persecutions  that  Leo  the  Isaurian  had  in- 
stituted 1 20  years  before  and  enabled  the  Patriarch  Methodius 
to  restore  on  the  first  Sunday  in  Lent  in  844,  the  Holy  Images  to 
the  great  church  in  Constantinople,  an  event  which  the  Greeks 
celebrate  with  great  pomp  and  ceremony  calling  it  "  The  Feast  of 
Orthodoxy."  She  held  her  sway  as  Regent  during  twelve  years 
(842-854)  and  then  through  the  machinations  of  her  unnatural  son 
and  his  infamous  uncle  she  was  banished.  She  spent  the  remain- 
der of  her  life  in  a  monastery,  dying  in  867. 

In  passing,  it  may  not  be  out  of  place  to  mention  this  is  the 
anniversary  of  the  death  of  Caedmon  about  680,  the  most  ancient 
of  the  English  poets  whose  name  is  known  ;  his  home  was  near 
the  monastery  of  Streaneshalch  (later  known  as  Whitby)  made 
famous  by  St.  Hilda  and  with  whom  the  poet  was  a  great  favour- 


102    SAINTS   AND    FESTIVALS 

ite  and  not 'infrequent  guest  within  the  monastery.    This  poet 
wrote  a  poem  in  praise  of  St.  Hilda. 

FEBRUARY  I2th. 

St.  Benedict  of  Anian  (as  he  is  called,  to  distinguish  him  from 
others  of  the  same  name)  whom  the  Church  honours  in  its  Kalen- 
dar  to-day  was  the  son  of  Aigul,  Count  or  Governor  of  Languedoc, 
who  spent  his  youth  at  the  court  of  King  Pepin  (Pepin-le-Vrel) 
where  he  served  as  "  cup-bearer,"  and  later  as  an  officer  in  the 
army  of  Charlemagne  and  evidently  as  the  world  terms  it,  was 
"  a  Favourite  of  Fortune,"  for  he  had  both  wealth  family  and  court 
favour  at  his  command.  An  incident,  however,  in  an  hour  changed 
the  entire  course  of  his  life.  He  seems  to  have  been  an  amateur 
athlete  and  a  proficient  in  manly  sports  and  when  his  brother  was 
in  danger  of  drowning  he  did  not  hesitate  to  endeavour  to  save  him, 
but  to  cut  a  long  story  short  it  nearly  cost  our  saint  his  life  before 
he  succeeded.  What  it  did  do  was  to  bring  him  to  realise  how 
valueless  earthly  treasures  and  honours  are  comparedkwith  a  higher 
and  nobler  life.  This  was  in  774,  at  which  time  he  sought  out  an 
holy  man  to  advise  and  direct  him.  Under  his  guidance  he  spent 
two  years  at  the  monastery  of  St.  Seine  five  leagues  from  Dijon, 
after  that  becoming  a  hermit  on  the  banks  of  the  Anian  where 
later  he  with  some  monks  who  had  joined  him  in  his  hermitage 
founded  a  Benedictine  monastery,  of  which  he  was  the  abbot. 
His  first  prominent  public  effort  was  at  the  council  at  Frankfurt 
where  he  combated  the  heresy  of  Felix,  Bishop  of  Urgel,  "That 
Christ  was  not  the  natural  but  only  the  adoptive  Son  of  the  Eter- 
nal Father."  Later  he  wrote  four  treatises  on  this  subject.  But 
his  one  great  aim  in  life  was  the  reformation  of  monastic  life,  then 
at  a  low  state,  and  in  817  he  presided  at  Aix-la-Chapelle  over  the 
council  that  had  been  assembled  for  this  purpose  where  the  stat- 
utes he  formulated  were  added  to  the  rules  of  the  great  St.  Bene- 
dict who  founded  the  order.  He  was  seventy-one  years  of  age 
when  he  died  in  Inde,  in  821  on  February  nth.  His  festival  is  kept 
at  Anian  on  this  day,  but  elsewhere  he  is  remembered  on  the  I2th, 
the  day  he  was  laid  at  rest  in  the  monastery  of  St.  Cornelius. 


ST.    VALENTINE  103 

FEBRUARY  I3th 

Is  the  festival  of  St.  Gregory  II.,  Pope.  He  was  born  at  Rome  to 
an  affluent  fortune,  educated  in  the  Palace  of  the  Popes  and  or- 
dained as  sub-deacon  by  Pope  Sergius  I.  Under  Popes  John  VI., 
VII.,  Sisinnius  and  Constantine,  he  was  Treasurer  of  the  Church, 
Keeper  of  the  library  and  also  held  many  other  important  offices. 
Gregory  was  chosen  as  successor  to  Pope  Constantine  on  May  19, 
715.  The  most  important  events  of  his  pontificate  were  his  de- 
posing of  John  IV.  the  monothelite,  the  false  patriarch  of  Con- 
stantinople, the  sending  of  missionaries  into  Germany  and  the 
consecration  of  the  celebrated  St.  Boniface  as  Bishop  of  Mentz. 
Gregory  held  his  high  office  nearly  sixteen  years  dying  on 
February  10,  731,  but  his  festival  is  kept  on  the  day  he  was 
buried  in  the  Vatican. 


This  is  also  St.  Valentine's  Eve,  a  festival  which  in  early  days 
in  England  was  celebrated  by  giving  and  receiving  gifts  usually 
anonymously  presented  and  bearing  labels  such  as  "  St.  Valentine's 
Love  "  or  "  Good  morrow,  Valentine." 


FEBRUARY    I4th. 
ST.  VALENTINE'S  DAY. 

The  endless  number  of  times  the  story  of  St.  Valentine  has 
been  told  leaves  little  that  need  be  said.  Briefly  St.  Valentine  was 
a  priest  of  Rome  who  during  the  persecution  of  Christians  under 
Claudius  II.,  aided  by  St.  Marius  did  noble  work  in  assisting  the 
martyrs.  It  was  for  this  he  was  apprehended  and  sent  to  the 
prefect  of  Rome.  While  in  the  custody  of  one  Asterius  the  saint 
performed  a  miracle  by  restoring  the  sight  of  his  daughter  and 
as  a  result  all  of  the  family  became  converts  to  Christianity,  later 
proving  the  truth  of  their  faith  by  suffering  martyrdom.  After  a 
year  of  imprisonment  Valentine  was  brought  before  the  prefect, 
who  tried  in  vain  to  induce  him  to  renounce  his  faith.  Whereupon 
he  was  condemned  to  be  beaten  with  clubs  then  to  be  stoned  and 
lastly  to  be  beheaded  outside  the  gate  now  called  Porta  del  Popolo 


104    SAINTS   AND    FESTIVALS 

but  which  for  a  time  bore  the  name  Porta  Valentini.  This  was 
about  the  year  270,  and  the  greater  part  of  his  relics  are  preserved 
in  the  Church  of  St.  Praxedes  at  Rome.  His  name  was  early 
enrolled  among  other  martyrs  and  was  retained  in  the  Kalendar 
of  the  Reformers  when  the  Christian  church  became  divided. 

Just  why  St.  Valentine  was  chosen  the  patron  of  Love  seems  a 
little  obscure.  Wheatly  says  :  "  He  was  a  man  of  admirable  parts 
and  so  famous  for  his  love  and  charity  that 
the  custom  of  choosing  valentines  upon  his 
festival  which  is  still  practised,  took  rise 
from  thence."  While  Dr.  Butler,  in  his 
"  Lives  of  the  Saints,"  says  :  "  To  abolish 
the  heathens'  lewd  custom  of  boys  drawing 
the  names  of  girls  in  honour  of  their  god- 
dess Februata  Juno  on  the  I4th  of  this 
month  several  zealous  pastors  substituted  the  names  of  saints 
on  the  billets  that  were  drawn,"  and  thus  in  the  mutation  of  time 
the  custom  has  grown  which  now  takes  the  form  of  "  valentines." 
Many  learned  treatises  have  been  written  on  the  subject  but  beyond 
the  adoption  of  the  date  of  St.  Valentine's  martyrdom  the  holy 
man  had  literally  nothing  to  do  with  the  matter  of  sending  love 
messages  on  this  day. 


FEBRUARY 

The  Christian  faith  had  been  preached  in  Sweden  by  St.  Aus- 
carius  as  early  as  830 ;  but  as  was  true  elsewhere  throughout 
Europe,  as  soon  as  the  missionaries  died,  or  departed,  Paganism  at 
once  revived,  the  Christians  lapsed  from  their  faith  and  it  became 
as  we  know  was  the  case  in  England  after  St.  Ninian  died,  a  myth. 
It  was  so  in  Sweden  when  Olaus  (Olaf  Scobcong)  asked  of  his 
friend  Eldred,  the  Saxon  King  of  England,  to  send  some  person 
who  would  revive  Christianity  in  Sweden.  Eldred  selected  for 
this  purpose,  Sigefride,  who  is  mentioned  as  "  an  eminent  priest  of 
York.'"  Yet  prior  to  this  Sigefride's  name  seems  to  be  unrecorded 
in  the  ecclesiastical  history  in  England  and  we  find  him  arriving 


ST.   ONESIMUS  105 

at  Wexlow  in  Gothland  on  June  2ist,  in  950,  to  take  up  his  new 
duties.  He  first  we  are  told  "  set  up  a  cross  and  then  built  a 
church  of  wood,  celebrated  the  Divine  mysteries  and  preached  to 
the  people."  His  success  was  very  great.  In  a  brief  period  the 
twelve  leaders  of  the  twelve  tribes  into  which  the  people  of  South 
Gothland  were  divided  became  converts  and  it  is  said  that  the 
fountain  where  Sigefride  baptised  the  catechumens  retained  for 
several  centuries  a  monument  bearing  the  names  of  the  twelve 
leaders  who  had  become  Christians.  Later  on  Sigefride  widened 
his  sphere  to  embrace  West  Gothland  and  finally  extended  it  to 
the  Midland  and  Northern  provinces.  Thus  he  became  literally 
"  The  Apostle  of  Sweden,"  the  honoured  name  by  which  he  was 
everywhere  known.  He  died  in  1002,  and  his  tomb  at  Wexlow 
became  famous  for  the  miracles  wrought  there  by  his  relics.  He 
was  canonized  by  Pope  Adrian  IV.  (who  was  also  an  Englishman), 
in  1158. 


FEBRUARY  i6th. 

St.  Onesimus,  the  disciple  of  St.  Paul  whom  the  Church  remem- 
bers this  day  ranks  among  the  earliest  of  those  who  sealed  their 
faith  with  their  blood.  The  great  Apostle  made  him  with  Tychi- 
cus  the  bearer  of  his  Epistle  to  the  Colossians  (Col.  IV.)  and 
ordained  him  Bishop  of  Ephesus,  after  Timothy.  The  Greeks 
claim  he  suffered  martyrdom  in  95,  under  Domitian  (Consul  of 
Rome  who  died  in  96),  while  Latin  Martyrology  says  :  "  Being 
led  to  Rome,  a  prisoner,  he  was  stoned  to  death.  He  was  first 
buried  at  Rome  and  later  his  relics  were  translated  to  Ephesus." 


This  is  also  the  festival  of  Gregory  X.  who  was  elected  to  the 
pontificate  September  I,  1271.  Prior  to  this  he  had  borne  the 
name  of  Theobald  but  took  the  title  of  Gregory  X.  when  installed 
as  Pope.  He  was  born  at  Placentia,  Tuscany,  and  had  become 
Archbishop  of  Leige.  He  attended  the  second  Council  of  Lyons 
in  May,  1274,  when  the  Greek  ambassadors  were  admitted  into  the 
unity  of  the  Church.  He  was  a  fervent  and  earnest  advocate  of 
the  crusades  for  the  recovery  of  the  Holy  Land.  He  died  at 


106    SAINTS    AND    FESTIVALS 

Arezzo  on  January  loth,  1276.     His  name  was  inserted  in  Roman 
Martyrology  by  Benedict  XIV.  on  February  i6th. 


FEBRUARY  i;th. 

St.  Flavian  who  was  a  priest  of  distinguished  merit  and  treas- 
urer of  the  Church  of  Constantinople  until  447,  when  he  suc- 
ceeded Proclus  as  archbishop  is  named  among  the  saints  for 
honour  this  day.  At  this  time  simony  (buying  and  selling  ecclesi- 
astical preferment)  had  become  a  crying  evil  in  Constantinople 
and  Flavian  had  at  once  when  he  assumed  the  episcopate  resolved 
to  crush  it,  if  it  was  in  his  power.  For  this  he  roused  the  enmity 
of  the  eunuch  Chrysaphius  the  chamberlain  of  Theodosius  the 
Younger  who  profited  largely  by  the  practice  and  when  it  was 
hinted  to  Flavian  he  should  send  the  Emperor  a  present  upon  his 
promotion,  he  sent  him —  in  accord  with  the  custom  of  the  church 
at  that  time  —  some  "  blessed  bread."  When  the  chamberlain 
objected  and  intimated  that  something  more  valuable  should  be 
forthcoming  from  the  revenues  of  the  church  the  holy  bishop  told 
him  plainly  they  were  destined  for  other  purposes.  The  story  is 
one  of  a  long  and  bitter  battle  that  culminated  at  the  council  called 
at  Ephesus  where  Chrysaphius  by,  as  we  in  these  modern  days 
would  say,  "  packing  the  council,"  gained  a  point  against  Flavian 
and  his  adherents,  who  at  once  appealed  to  the  pope-legates  then 
present ;  an  act  that  cost  the  bishop  his  life  for  it  had  so  incensed 
certain  of  the  chamberlain's  party  that  at  Epipus  he  was  set  upon 
and  so  beaten,  kicked  and  bruised  that  in  a  few  days  he  died. 
The  general  council  of  Chalcedon  in  451  taking  cognizance  of  the 
affair  declared  Flavian  a  saint  and  a  martyr. 


At  Florence  on  this  day  is  celebrated  the  festival  of  "  The 
Blessed  Alexius  Falconeri, "  one  of  the  seven  who  founded  the 
Order  of  the  Servants  of  the  Blessed  Virgin  Mary,  and  of  whom 
we  read  in  Roman  Martyrology  :  "  In  the  one  hundred  and  tenth 
year  of  his  life  being  comforted  by  the  presence  of  Jesus  Christ 
and  the  angels,  terminated  his  blessed  career." 


S  T  .    S  I  M  O  N  107 

FEBRUARY  :8th. 

Aside  from  the  fact  that  St.  Simeon  or  Simon  (for  the  names  are 
synonymous)  was  a  kinsman  of  Jesus,  he  was  a  very  prominent 
character  in  the  story  of  the  Christian  church  after  the  Ascension  ; 
while  there  is  little  doubt  that  he  was  one  of  those  who  received 
the  Holy  Ghost  on  the  day  of  Pentecost.  When  in  62  St.  James, 
Bishop  of  Jerusalem,  was  put  to  death  twenty-nine  years  after 
Christ's  crucifixion,  St.  Simon  was  chosen  bishop  as  his  suc- 
cessor. In  66  the  year  in  which  SS.  Peter  and  Paul  suffered  mar- 
tyrdom the  civil  war  broke  out  in  Judea  and  we  find  the  Christians 
seeking  shelter  in  Pella,  a  small  city  beyond  Jordan,  with  St.  Simeon 
as  their  head  and  chief,  as  he  was  after  they  returned  to  Jerusa- 
lem. It  was  then  the  two  first  heresies  entered  the  church  known 
as  the  Nazareans  and  Ebonites.  They  recognized  Christ  as  a 
great  prophet  but  denied  his  divine  paternity  with  many  other 
added  errors.  While  Simeon  lived  he  was  by  the  strength  of  his 
character  and  the  unbounded  influence  he  held  able  to  hold  these 
heretics  in  check,  but  Eusebius  tells  us :  "  He  was  no  sooner  dead 
than  a  deluge  of  execrable  heresies  broke  out  of  hell  upon  the 
church."  When  we  remember  Simeon's  great  age  this  alone 
speaks  in  strong  terms  of  the  power  he  must  have  wielded. 

During  the  persecutions  of  Vespasian  and  Domitian,  St. 
Simeon  escaped  capture  but  when  Trajan  found  him  he  subjected 
him  to  terrible  tortures  borne  with  such  patience  that  even  his 
persecutors  could  not  restrain  their  admiration ;  in  particular  we 
have  that  given  by  Atticus.  St.  Simeon  was  120  years  old  when 
in  107  he  died,  having  governed  the  church  of  Jerusalem  for  forty- 
three  years. 


FEBRUARY 

This  day  is  the  festival  of  St.  Barbatus  or  Barbas,  Bishop  of 
Benevento,  who  was  born  near  the  close  of  the  pontificate  of 
Gregory  the  Great.  He  took  holy  orders  when  quite  a  young 
man  and  was  at  once  assigned  as  curate  of  St.  Basil's  at  Morcona, 
a  town  near  Benevento.  It  was  a  peculiarly  trying  position  for  the 


io8     SAINTS   AND    FESTIVALS 

people  of  his  parish  were  not  only  noted  for  their  irregularities  but 
determined  that  no  priest  should  dictate  to  or  restrain  them  and 
it  is  not  at  all  wonderful  that  young  and  inexperienced  as  he  was 
they  soon  drove  him  from  among  them  to  return  to  his  home  in 
Benevento.  The  history  of  this  old  town  is  a  peculiarly  interest- 
ing one  as  Christianity  had  first  been  preached  there  by  St.  Potin 
who  had  been  sent  out  as  a  missionary  by  St.  Peter,  but  by  305 
they  like  so  many  in  the  early  days  of  Christianity  after  accepting 
the  faith  lapsed  into  idolatry  and  martyred  St.  Januarius,  then 
bishop  of  the  see.  In  545  the  Goths  laid  the  city  in  ruins.  When 
the  Lombards  at  last  obtained  possession  of  the  country  in  598 
they  rebuilt  the  city  and  King  Autharis  gave  it  as  a  Duchy  to 
Zolion,  a  general  of  the  invaders  with  the  title  of  Duke.  These 
Lombards  were  mostly  Arians  but  many  were  still  idolaters  and 
even  the  Christians  retained  many  idolatrous  superstitions,  among 
these  a  holy  veneration  for  a  golden  viper,  before  whom  they 
prostrated  themselves.  They  also  paid  superstitious  honour  to  a 
certain  tree  on  which  they  hung  the  skin  of  some  wild  animal  and 
worshipped  it. 

When  these  ceremonies  were  over  there  followed  public 
games  in  which  this  skin  served  as  a  mark  at  which  "  the  bowmen 
shot  arrows,  over  their  shoulders."  Such  was  the  class  of  people 
Barbatus  found  when  he  returned  to  Benevento  and  took  up  his 
work  among  them,  naturally  finding  it  no  easy  task.  They 
laughed  at  his  expostulations  at  their  irreligious  superstitions. 
However,  he  did  not  desist  from  his  efforts  even  though  they 
seemed  to  bring  no  results.  But  at  last  he  aroused  their  attention 
when  he  prophesied  the  distress  to  the  city  which  was  to  come 
from  the  army  of  Emperor  Constans,  who  shortly  after  as  Barba- 
tus had  foretold  landed  in  Italy  and  laid  siege  to  Benevento. 
Then  it  was  they  gave  heed  to  his  words  and  began  to  renounce 
their  idolatrous  practices  and  at  length  allowed  Barbatus  to  cut 
down  the  sacred  tree  while  they  melted  the  golden  viper  into  an 
ingot  from  which  a  chalice  was  made  for  the  altar  of  the  church. 
Ildebrand,  Bishop  of  Benevento,  had  died  during  the  siege  and 
Barbatus  was  elected  Bishop  in  653.  When  the  terrors  of  the 
siege  were  at  their  height  and  escape  seemed  to  be  impossible 


ST.SADOTH  109 

Barbatus  had  once  more  prophesied  that  relief  would  be  sent.  In 
due  time  it  came  as  foretold,  and  now  the  Bishop's  influence  was 
as  great  as  formerly  it  had  been  of  no  account.  Thus  it  was  in  the 
end  the  last  remnant  of  superstition  was  rooted  out  in  Benevento. 
In  680  he  participated  in  the  general  council  at  Rome  and  the 
next  year  at  the  council  held  at  Constantinople  against  the 
monothelites.  But  soon  after  his  return  his  own  summons  came, 
for  on  February  2gth  in  682  when  he  was  seventy  years  of  age  he 
died.  His  festival  is  fixed  for  this  igth  day  of  the  same  month. 


FEBRUARY  2Oth. 

On  this  day  is  commemorated  one  of  the  most  terrible  scenes 
of  which  we  read  in  the  early  history  of  the  Christian  church,  in 
which  St.  Sadoth,  Bishop  of  Selec,  or  Selucia,  and  Ctesiphon  (then 
the  two  capital  cities  of  Persia)  took  so  prominent  a  part  and  in 
which  St.  Simeon,  the  former  bishop,  had,  in  the  persecution 
begun  in  341  by  Sapor  II.  attained  the  crown  of  martyrdom. 
Hardly  had  Sadoth  been  chosen  as  the  successor  of  Simeon  when 
the  edict  was  published  which  made  it  a  capital  crime  with  death 
as  its  penalty  for  any  one  to  confess  Christ.  There  was  nothing 
uncertain  about  this  edict,  for  all  who  heard  it  knew  what  their 
fate  would  be  if  they  disobeyed  and  none  knew  this  better  than 
Sadoth  himself. 

Sadoth  as  he  is  named  by  both  the  Greeks  and  Latins,  was 
called  in  the  Persian,  Schiadurte,  which  signifies  "  friend  of  the 
king,"  Schia —  king,  and  durt  —  friend.  He  was  a  man  of  unspot- 
ted purity  of  character,  ardent  zeal  and  the  courage  of  his  belief. 
He  feared  naught  but  to  sin.  Yet  while  brave  and  fearless  for 
himself  he  felt  that  for  a  time  "  prudence  was  the  better  part  of 
valour,"  at  least  for  his  faithful  followers,  and  therefore  for  a  little 
he  with  some  of  his  clergy  lay  hid  from  the  vengeance  of  Sapor 
while  still  he  watched  over  his  flock.  It  was  while  in  his  retreat 
Sadoth  had  a  vision  and  saw  St.  Simeon  at  the  top  of  a  ladder 
who  called  to  him  saying:  "Mount  up  Sadoth  ;  fear  not!  I 
mounted  yesterday  ;  it  is  your  turn  to-day."  By  this  he  knew  he 


no     SAINTS    AND    FESTIVALS 

was  not  to  escape  the  wrath  of  Sapor.  And  it  proved  so  for  that 
year  Sapor  came  to  Selucia,  Sadoth  with  several  of  his  priests 
with  the  monks  and  nuns  from  his  church  were  apprehended  and 
cast  into  dungeons.  For  five  months  they  were  thus  confined  but 
twice  in  this  interval  were  they  brought  forth,  tempted,  threat- 
ened, scourged  and  tortured  on  the  rack  until  their  breaking 
bones  could  be  heard  to  crack.  On  the  final  day  chained  two  by 
two  together  these  martyrs  were  led  forth  for  execution  to  which 
they  went  singing  psalms  and  canticles  of  joy  which  ceased  not 
until  the  last  one  of  this  glorious  company  had  been  crowned. 
Sadoth,  however,  was  separated  from  the  noble  band  and  sent  into 
a  neighbouring  province  where  he  was  beheaded  in  the  year  342. 


FEBRUARY  2ist. 

The  Blessed  Pepin  whose  festival  is  observed  this  day,  held  the 
high  and  responsible  office  of  "  mayor  of  the  palace,"  under  Kings 
Clotaire  II.,  Dagobert  and  Sigebert  of  France,  and  his  story  forms 
an  interesting  chapter  in  French  history  which  I  may  only  repeat 
in  a  very  brief  way.  He  was  a  son  of  Carloman  one  of  the  most 
powerful  noblemen  of  Austrasia  and  the  ancestor  of  Pepin  (the 
Short)  King  of  France  in  whom  began  the  Carlovingian  race. 

Pepin  of  Landen  was  Lord  of  Brabant  and  his  biographers 
say  "  a  lover  of  peace,  the  constant  defender  of  truth  and  justice, 
the  friend  to  all  servants  of  God,  the  terror  of  the  wicked,  the 
support  of  the  weak  and  the  father  of  his  country."  He  was  also 
governor  of  Austrasia,  when  Theodebert  II.  its  king,  was  defeated 
by  Theodoric  II.,  king  of  Burgundy,  in  611.  When  in  613  Theo- 
doric  died  Clotaire  II.,  king  of  Soissons,  reunited  Burgundy, 
Neustia  and  Austrasia  he  thus  became  sole  monarch  of  France.  It 
was  to  Pepin  that  King  Clotaire  owed  the  pacification  of  Austrasia 
without  a  bloody  struggle  and  he  was  rewarded  when  Clotaire 
in  622  named  Dagobert  I.  king  of  Austrasia  and  Neustia  by  mak- 
ing Pepin  mayor  of  Dagobert 's  palace,  and  when  by  the  death  of 
his  father  in  628  Dagobert  became  king  of  all  France  save  some 
minor  provinces  settled  on  his  younger  brother  he  continued  the 
favours  shown  to  Pepin,  though  the  latter  when  the  king  lapsed  as 


S.  PETER'S  CHAIR,  ANTIOCH    in 

he  did  from  the  straight  and  narrow  paths  of  religion  and  moral- 
ity, did  not  hesitate  to  condemn  in  very  plain  language  these 
shortcomings.  It  was  a  long  and  arduous  battle  between  the 
king  and  his  minister  before  Dagobert  yielded.  When  we  remem- 
ber the  autocratic  power  of  kings  in  those  days  it  shows  what 
sterling  character  was  required  by  Pepin  to  thus  assail  his  royal 
master  because  of  his  wrongdoings.  But  Pepin  was  a  brave  man 
who  dared  to  do  right  because  it  was  his  duty  and  Dagobert 
evidently  appreciated  this  for  he  made  him  tutor  of  his  son, 
Sigebert,  who  later  under  Pepin's  careful  training  became  one  of 
the  best  of  the  early  kings  of  France.  Such  briefly  is  the  story  of 
Pepin  of  Landen.  Renowned  for  his  probity,  piety  and  Christian 
charity,  he  died  February  21,  640.  His  name  appears  in  Belgic 
martyrologies,  though  no  other  act  of  public  veneration  is  com- 
mitted than  the  enshrining  of  his  relics  which  are  still  annually 
carried  in  procession  at  Nivelles,  and  his  name  is  found  in  the 
Litany  published  by  the  authority  of  the  Archbishop  of  Mechlin. 


FEBRUARY  22d. 

My  readers  will  recall  that  on  January  I3th  I  spoke  of  the  festi- 
val, held  at  Rome  on  that  day,  called  "  The  Chair  of  St.  Peter." 

Before  St.  Peter  went  to  Rome  he  had  formed  the  see  of  An- 
tioch.  Dr.  Butler  places  this  date  three  years  after  the  Ascension 
of  our  Lord. 

In  the  early  ages  of  the  Church  it  was  customary  especially  in 
the  East  but  also  frequently  observed  in  the  West,  for  every 
Christian  to  keep  sacred  the  anniversary  of  their  baptism  when 
they  renewed  for  themselves  the  vows  others  had  in  their  infancy 
taken  for  them.  In  like  manner  priests  and  all  ecclesiasts  kept 
the  anniversary  of  their  consecration  and  thus  it  seemed  fitting 
that  the  founding  of  the  see  of  Antioch  should  be  observed  and 
for  reasons  analogous  to  those  given  for  the  observance  at  Rome 
of  the  festival  of  "  The  Chair  of  St.  Peter,"  that  of  "  St.  Peter's 
Chair  at  Antioch  "  obtains.  But  this  long  antedated  the  festival 
at  Rome.  Indeed  the  festival  of  St.  Peter's  Chair,  "  Natale 


ii2      SAINTS  AND    FESTIVALS 

Petri  de  Cathedra,"  is  marked  in  the  most  ancient  Kalendar 
extant,  made  in  the  time  of  Liberius  about  the  year  354.  It  also 
occurs  in  the  sacramentary  of  St.  Gregory  and  as  appears  from 
the  records  of  the  Council  of  Tours,  was  kept  in  France  in  the 
VI.  century  ;  but  curiously  it  is  omitted  in  the  ancient  Kalendars 
of  Carthage. 

Therefore  this  day  is  most  appropriately  set  aside  by  the  Roman 
Church  to  be  observed  at  Antioch,  where  the  disciples  were 
first  called  "  Christians  "  for  this  second  festival  of  the  Chair  of 
St.  Peter. 


This  day  is  also  the  festival  of  St.  Margaret  of  Cortona,  "  The 
Penitent."  In  the  story  of  St.  Margaret  we  have  another  of  those 
romances  of  the  saints  we  constantly  meet  in  the  chronicles  of  the 
early  Christian  church.  She  was  a  Tuscan  by  birth,  a  girl  of  that 
rich  type  of  southern  beauty  we  all  know  so  well  and  of  that  hot 
impatient  temperament  from  which  just  as  they  are  guided  in 
childhood  are  evolved  noble  men  and  women  or  the  reverse. 
Unfortunately  Margaret's  mother  died  while  the  child  was  but 
little  beyond  infancy  and  the  treatment  she  had  from  her  step- 
mother and  the  unkindness  of  her  father  combined  to  drive  her  in 
youth  to  seek  pleasures  outside  of  her  home.  The  lax  morals 
that  obtained  in  every  city  of  Italy  at  the  close  of  the  XIII. 
century  need  no  comment  and  it  is  easy  to  understand  how  a 
girl  endowed  with  such  rare  beauty  of  person  and  vivacious 
spirits  with  a  home  such  as  Margaret  had,  should  be  led  astray. 
For  years  her  evil  life  was  continued.  Lovers  came  and  went ; 
but  as  the  story  of  many  an  abandoned  woman  even  in  our  own 
day  proves  she  could  and  did  love  one  man.  And  it  was  through 
his  death  that  at  last  her  salvation  came.  It  was  one  of  those 
tragedies  so  common  in  that  day.  A  faithful  dog  the  constant 
companion  of  his  master  led  her  to  the  scene  where  his  life  had 
been  taken.  On  the  instant  her  own  sins,  the  terror  of  Divine 
justice  and  the  treachery  of  the  world  came  to  her,  and  her  first 
act  of  repentance  was  to  seek  out  her  father  to  confess  to  him. 
But  her  stern  stepmother  stood  at  the  door  and  by  her  influence 


BLESSED    PETER    DAMI  AN     113 

Margaret  was  again  driven  forth  into  the  world  by  her  father. 
She  wandered  into  a  vineyard  half  tempted  to  return  to  her  old 
life  of  sin,  when  the  impulse  to  implore  Divine  aid  came  upon  her, 
and  in  the  solitude  she  knelt  —  while  still  praying  she  seemed  to 
hear  a  voice  that  told  her  what  to  do,  and  she  obeyed.  Rising, 
she  went  first  to  the  parish  church  in  Alvino.  With  a  rope 
around  her  neck  —  as  was  then  the  prescribed  formula  —  she 
publicly  confessed  her  sins  and  then  barefooted  as  a  penitent 
sought  out  the  monastery  of  Carlona  under  the  Order  of  St. 
Francis  and  begged  admission.  For  twenty-three  years  she  gave 
herself  to  penance  and  her  exemplary  life  and  deeds  of  love  and 
charity  won  for  her  at  last  peace  and  the  reverence  of  all  who  knew 
her.  She  died  February  22,  1297. 

Dr.  Butler  informs  us  that  Pope  Leo  X.  granted  an  office  in  her 
honour  to  the  city  of  Cartona.  She  was  canonized  by  Benedict 
XIII.  in  1728. 


FEBRUARY  23d. 

I  can  but  briefly  speak  of  a  man,  the  Blessed  Peter  Damian, 
Cardinal,  whose  festival  occurs  this  day,  though  from  his  fidelity, 
charity  and  learning  he  deserves  a  more  extended  notice.  Born  at 
Ravenna  in  988,  his  childhood  and  youth  were  spent  in  abject 
poverty  yet  by  his  true  force  of  character  rising  above  them  all, 
until  we  find  him  employed  by  four  successive  popes  —  Gregory 
VI.,  Clement  II.,  Leo  IX.,  and  Victor  II.,  and  then  by  Stephen 
IX.  in  1057  was  made  Cardinal  Bishop  of  Ostia.  When  in  1058 
Stephen  IX.  died,  he  was  succeeded  by  Nicholas  I.,  who 
recognized  the  rare  ability  of  Peter  Damian  as  his  predecessors 
had,  and  used  him  in  several  delicate  missions  where  firm  purpose 
and  rare  judgment  were  required.  Already  Peter  was  feeling  the 
weight  of  years  and  the  arduous  work  he  had  been  called  upon  to 
perform  and  desired  to  retire  from  his  more  active  life  but  it  was 
not  until  1062  when  Alexander  I.  filled  the  pontifical  chair  that  his 
wishes  were  gratified,  and  in  the  retirement  of  his  monastery  he 
was  allowed  once  more  to  assume  the  habit  and  duties  of  a  simple 


n4SAINTSAND    FESTIVALS 


monk  and  give  himself  to  the  composition  of  several  treatises  that 
are  still  held  in  high  esteem  by  the  ecclesiasts  of  the  Roman 
Church.  But  even  in  his  retirement  the  wise  counsels  and  services 
of  this  highly  gifted  man  were  constantly  sought.  We  find  him 
sent  as  a  legate  of  the  pope  to  France  in  1063  and  again,  in  1069, 
as  presiding  at  the  synod  held  in  Frankfurt  to  determine  upon  the 
divorce  Henry  IV.  of  Germany  desired  from  his  wife  Bertha. 
But  in  every  place  he  proved  himself  something  more  than  simply 
a  keen,  shrewd  diplomat  —  in  being  an  honest,  upright  Christian 
man.  He  died  February  22,  1072,  aged  eighty-three  years,  but  his 
festival  is  named  for  the  23d  of  the  month  the  day  when  he  was 
honoured  as  patron  of  the  city  of  Faenza  where  he  died. 


FEBRUARY  24th 

Is  sacred  in  all  Christian  churches  to  the 
memory  of  St.  Matthias,  and  the  Apostle 
St.  Clement  of  Alexandria  is  the  author- 
ity for  saying  he  was  the  one  who  was 
chosen  by  lot  from  the  seventy-two  who  had 
been  assembled  and  from  which  number  a 
successor  to  the  traitor  Judas  was  to  be 
selected.  There  were  two  only  who  from 
the  first  seemed  worthy  of  the  great  honour. 
One  was  Joseph,  called  Barsabas,  who  be- 
cause of  his  probity  and  piety  had  been  sur- 
named  "  The  Just "  ;  and  the  other  Matthias. 
Tradition  tells  how  after  devout  prayer  for 
Divine  guidance  the  "  Lot  "  was  cast  and 
it  fell  upon  Matthias.  After  the  Ascension 
there  is  no  perfectly  authentic  account  of  St. 
Matthias'  life.  It  is  only  from  the  traditions 
of  the  Greeks  as  recounted  in  their  menol- 
ogies  that  the  legend  is  preserved  ;  that 
after  preaching  the  faith  in  and  about  Cap- 
padocia  and  later  on  the  coast  of  the  Caspian  sea  he  received 
the  crown  of  martyrdom  in  Calchis  which  in  these  menologies 


S.  MATTHIAS. 

Reredos, 

Bampton  Church, 
Oxon. 


ASH-WEDNESDAY-- LENT     115 

is  called  Ethiopia,  where  he  was  stoned  and  afterward  beheaded. 
Another  legend  places  his  death  in  Judea  where  it  is  said  he 
suffered  martyrdom  at  the  hands  of  the  Jews,  being  either  thrust 
through  by  a  lance,  or  killed  by  an  axe.  In  Italian  art  St. 
Matthias  has  as  his  attribute  a  lance,  while 
in  Germany  this  is  an  axe.  But  for  some 
reason  this  Apostle  very  seldom  is  repre- 
sented in  art,  and  quite  as  rarely  appears 
in  the  series  showing  the  Apostles.  For 
some  occult  reason  the  Clog  Almanacs  have 
assigned  what  may  be  designed  to  repre- 
sent a  leg  as  his  attribute  but  no  one  yet 
has  been  able  to  understand  why  this  was 
selected. 


FEBRUARY  25th. 

ASH-WEDNESDAY. 

The  first  day  of  the  season  of  Lent  is  called  Ash-Wednesday 
and  its  date  is  dependent  upon  that  of  Easter.  It  is  a  day  of 
strict  fasting  and  the  same  is  true  of  each  of  the  remaining  days 
of  the  week  under  the  canons  of  both  the  Roman  and  Reformed 
Churches.  The  canonical  colour  for  these  days  is  violet. 

LENT. 

The  word  Lent  is  derived  from  the  Saxon  word  "  Lengten-tide  " 
and  from  an  early  day  applied  to  the  customary  spring  fast  which 
was  kept  by  Christians  during  the  forty  days  preceding  Easter. 
This  fast  originally  began  on  the  first  Sunday  in  Lent  but  since 
Sunday  is  not  properly  a  Fast  Day  and  by  omitting  Sunday  there 
remain  but  thirty-six  days,  Pope  Gregory  directed  that  this  fast 
should  commence  four  days  earlier,  viz.,  on  what  is  denominated 
"  Ash- Wednesday." 

This  name  arose  from  a  notable  custom  intended  to  remind  the 
faithful  that  they  were  all  but  "  dust  and  ashes."  Therefore  on 
the  first  day  of  the  penitential  season  the  priests  took  ashes  and 


ii6     SAINTS    AND    FESTIVALS 

after  sprinkling  them  with  Holy-water,  as  the  worshipper  came 
forward  arrayed  in  sackcloth  the  priest  took  some  of  the  ashes  on 
his  finger,  made  with  them  the  sign  of  the  cross  upon  the  peni- 
tent's forehead,  saying  :  "  Memento,  homo,  quta  tints  es,  et  in 
pulverem  reverteris  "  (Remember,  man,  that  you  are  of  ashes,  and 
unto  dust  will  return).  The  ashes  used  were  usually  made  from 
the  consecrated  palms  which  had  been  used  on  Palm  Sunday  of 
the  previous  year.  With  the  Reformation  in  the  Protestant  church 
this  custom  was  declared  "  a  vain  show  "  but  the  day  itself  was 
kept  with  great  solemnity  and  strangely,  the  name  "  Ash- Wednes- 
day "  was  retained.  In  the  early  days  this  first  day  of  Lent  had 
two  names,  the  first  "  Caput  Jejunii"  (Head  of  the  Fast),  the 
other  "  Dies  Cinerum  "  (Ash-Wednesday). 

The  Christian  Lent  took  its  rise  beyond  a  doubt  from  the 
"  Preparation  for  the  Expiation,"  by  the  Jews,  who  began  their 
solemn  humiliation  forty  days  before  the  Expiation.  Thus  the 
primitive  Christians  in  the  earliest  days  of  Christianity  set  their 
great  Fast  at  a  date  forty  days  before  that  of  Easter,  in  com- 
memoration of  the  miraculous  abstinence  of  our  Saviour  when 
under  temptation. 

Even  during  the  controversy  about  the  date  on  which  to  cele- 
brate Easter,  which  arose  between  the  Eastern  and  Western 
churches,  there  was  no  dispute  on  this  point  of  fasting  for  forty 
days  prior  to  the  Easter  festival,  the  whole  Church  being  in  har- 
mony recognising  it  as  of  Apostolic  institution. 


FEBRUARY  26th. 

This  day  is  held  sacred  to  the  memory  of  St.  Alexander,  Patriarch 
of  Alexandria.  It  was  during  his  episcopate  that  the  celebrated 
Arius  came  to  the  front  and  whose  heresy  was  to  be  such  a  sore 
trial  to  the  Orthodox  church.  As  I  must  often  allude  to  this  Arian 
heresy  I  will  briefly  speak  of  the  man.  He  had  been  excommuni- 
cated in  300  from  the  Church  by  St.  Peter,  a  predecessor  of  St. 
Alexander.  The  successor  of  St.  Peter,  St.  Achillas,  had  been 


ALEXANDER  — ARIUS        117 

induced  to  restore  him  also  making  him  curate  of  the  Church  of 
Baucales,  one  of  the  quarters  of  Alexandria.  Dr.  Butler  says  Arius 
"  was  well  versed  in  profane  literature,  was  a  subtle  dialectician, 
had  an  extensive  show  of  virtue  and  an  insinuating  behaviour,  but 
was  a  monster  of  pride,  vainglory,  ambition,  envy  and  jealousy." 
These  traits  of  character  naturally  made  him  peculiarly  angry  when 
Alexander  was  chosen  as  successor  of  St.  Achillas  for  he  knew 
Alexander  bitterly  opposed  the  heresy  he  was  then  publicly  teach- 
ing (that  Christ  was  not  God) ;  that  he  had  no  other  soul  than  his 
created  divinity.  In  short  that  he  was  simply  a  man  like  all  other 
men.  The  heresy  soon  spread,  drawing  to  the  support  of  Arius 
two  bishops,  seven  priests,  twelve  deacons  and  others^  They 
called  themselves  Arians,  and  the  Orthodox  Christians  Colluthians, 
as  one  Colluthus  a  curate  of  Alexandria,  was  the  most  prominent 
in  his  violent  denunciations  of  the  heresy  while  Alexander  himself 
prompted  by  his  gentle,  peaceful  character  was  inclined  to  be  more 
lenient.  But  Colluthus  was  persistent  and  in  320  at  a  Council  held 
in  Alexandria  Arius  and  his  followers  were  excommunicated. 
Still  this  by  no  means  ended  the  spread  of  the  Arian  doctrine.  I 
may  not,  however,  follow  its  history  further  except  to  speak  of  the 
celebrated  Council  called  at  Nice  in  June,  325,  when  this  heresy  was 
considered  and  their  declaration  that  the  Son  was  consubstantial 
to  the  Father  embodying  it  in  what  is  known  as  the  Nicene  deed. 
In  this  Council  Alexander  naturally  took  a  prominent  part  and 
was  present  at  the  magnificent  entertainment  given  the  Prelates 
by  Constantine  August  25,  325,  After  this  Alexander  returned  to 
Alexandria  but  the  strain  upon  him  had  been  too  much  for  on  the 
29th  of  February,  326,  he  died. 


FEBRUARY  2;th. 

In  the  story  of  St.  Leander,  Bishop  of  Seville,  who  is  this  day 
remembered  by  the  Church  we  are  again  confronted  with  the 
Arian  heresy.  I  have  several  times  stated  that  the  Goths  were  all 
largely  tainted  with  Arianism.  The  Kingdom  of  Seville  at  the 
time  when  Leander  was  promoted  to  the  see  was  possessed  by  the 


n8     SAINTS   AND    FESTIVALS 

Visigoths  or  Western-Goths,  while  the  Ostrogoths  or  Eastern- 
Goths  had  passed  the  Alps  and  founded  their  kingdom  first  at 
Languedoc  in  Italy.  But  I  must  not  be  tempted  into  this  inter- 
esting bit  of  history,  beyond  saying  that  at  the  time  of  Leander's 
advent  these  Visigoths  had  reigned  in  Spain  fully  one  hundred 
years  and  it  was  through  Leander's  efforts,  the  larger  part  of  the 
people  were  reclaimed  from  their  heresy  in  spite  of  the  opposition 
he  met  with  from  King  Leovigild  then  ruling. 

Leander  had  converted  Hermenegild  the  eldest  son  of  Leovigild, 
and  heir  to  the  throne.  Nothing  can  illustrate  the  fierce  animosity 
of  the  Arians  than  the  fact  that  a  year  after  Hermenegild's  conver- 
sion his  father  caused  him  to  be  put  to  death  "  because  he  refused 
to  receive  the  communion  from  the  hands  of  an  Arian  bishop." 
But  later  Leovigild  felt  such  remorse  for  his  act  that  he  sent  for 
Leander  and  committed  to  his  care  his  second  son,  Recared,  who 
was  converted  to  the  Catholic  faith  and  by  his  aid  the  Visigoths 
were  as  above  stated  in  turn  converted. 

It  is  too  long  a  story  to  repeat  here  of  the  labours  of  this  holy 
prelate  both  in  Seville  and  in  Suevi,  another  Spanish  province. 
But  his  entire  life  was  given  up  to  combating  the  then  widened 
heresies  of  the  Arian  clergy.  One  point  must  not  be  forgotten 
which  was  prominent  in  this  good  man's  life,  his  faith  in  the  effi- 
cacy of  prayer  which  he  constantly  taught,  preached  and  exem- 
plified. He  died  on  February  27,  596,  and  the  cathedral  he 
founded  in  Seville  is  one  of  the  most  magnificent  in  all  Spain. 


FEBRUARY  28th. 

The  Roman  Church  this  day  honours  an  unnamed  and  unnum- 
bered host  of  men  who  are  truly  called  in  its  martyrology  "  mar- 
tyrs, who  died  in  the  great  pestilence  in  Alexandria." 

It  is  not  those  noble  men  and  women  who  willingly  gave  up 
their  lives  in  defence  of  and  to  testify  to  their  faith  who  are  alone 
entitled  to  the  name  of  martyr,  for  we  find  them  in  every  age,  of 
every  race  and  shade  of  religious  belief.  Men  and  women  who  like 
those  commemorated  to-day  gave  their  lives  for  the  love  of  their 


ALEXANDRIAN    MARTYRS    119 

fellow  men.  The  world's  history  hardly  furnishes  a  parallel  to 
the  violent  pestilence  which  swept  over  the  greater  portion  of  the 
Roman  empire  during  the  twelve  years  from  249  to  263.  It  is 
said  that  in  one  day  in  Rome  in  262,  5,000  persons  died  from  it. 
It  was  during  this  period  that  sedition  and  civil  war  filled  the  city 
with  crime,  murder  and  tumults,  which  rendered  it  unsafe  for  any 
one  to  venture  upon  the  streets.  While  this  state  of  affairs  was 
yet  at  its  height  pestilence  came  upon  the  great  city  and  its  streets 
were  filled  with  unburied  dead  and  to  the  noisome  exhalations 
from  these  was  added  the  infectious  vapours  which  rose  from  the 
Nile  which  came  to  increase  the  dreadful  contagion,  and  not  a 
house  escaped  furnishing  its  quota.  It  was  then  when  the  pagans, 
infidels  and  heathen  fled  leaving  their  own  friends,  brethren  and 
families  to  perish,  the  Christians,  who  during  the  persecutions  of 
Decius,  Gallus  and  Valerian  had  been  compelled  to  secure  safety 
in  hiding,  came  forth  like  angels  of  mercy  and  took  up  the  almost 
superhuman  task  of  endeavouring  to  bring  some  succor  and  relief 
to  their  stricken  fellow  citizens.  Regardless  of  the  peril  their  own 
lives  were  in  they  went  from  house  to  house,  nursing  the  sick, 
comforting  the  dying  and  burying  the  dead.  Nor  did  they  confine 
their  attention  to  those  of  their  own  faith.  It  was  enough  that  one 
was  sick  to  command  at  once  such  help  as  these  heroic  followers 
of  Christ  could  render.  "  Thus,"  says  St.  Dionysius,  speaking  of 
these  men,  "  the  best  of  our  brethren  have  departed  this  life ; 
some  of  the  most  valuable,  both  of  priests,  deacons  and  laics ;  and 
it  is  thought  that  this  kind  of  death  is  nothing  different  from  mar- 
tyrdom.'.' Who  can  deny  the  saintly  prelate's  assertion,  and  if 
it  is  proper  to  honour  the  memories  of  other  martyrs  these  of  a 
surety  should  not  be  forgotten.  Thus  it  is  that  to-day  the 
Roman  Church  honours  this  nameless  "  noble  army  of  martyrs." 


MARCH 


Sturdy  March,  with  brows  full  sternly  bent, 
And  armed  strongly,  rode  upon  a  ram, 
The  same  which  over  Hellespontus  swam, 

Yet  in  his  hand  a  spade  he  also  bent 
And  in  a  bag  all  sorts  of  weeds,  y  same 

Which  on  the  earth  he  strewed  as  he  went, 

And  filled  her  womb  with  fruitful  hope  of  nourishment. 

—  Spenser 

As  already  said,  March  was  for  many  years  the  first  month  in 
the  calendar  year  and  was  dedicated  by  the  Romans  to  Mars, 
called  Martius,  from  which  our  name  was  derived.  The  Saxons 
termed  it  "  Lenet-monat"  (length-month)  as  referring  to  the  length- 
ening of  the  days  at  this  season.  By  some  it  has  been  claimed 
that  the  word  "Lent"  is  derived  from  the  Saxon  name  for  this 
month. 


MARCH  ist. 

St.  David,  the  patron  saint  of  Wales,  is  the  most  prominent  of 
those  honoured  by  the  Church  this  day.  His  name  appears  in  the 
Kalendar  of  the  Reformed  church,  and  has  been  retained  by  the 
English  church.  He  is  reputed  to  have  been  the  son  of  Xantus, 
a  prince  of  Ceretica  (now  Cardiganshire)  of  the  ancient  regal  line 
of  Cunedda  Wledig.  His  mythical  Welsh  history  as  told  in  the 
"  Cotton  MSS."  makes  him  a  lineal  descendant  of  the  Virgin  Mary 
from  whom  he  was  of  the  eighteenth  generation.  His  legends 
all  ascribe  to  him  the  power  to  work  miracles  from  the  hour  of 
his  birth  and  some  even  give  him  the  preternatural  faculty  while 
yet  unborn.  An  angel,  it  is  told  us,  attended  him  at  all  times 
to  minister  to  his  needs.  He  was  early  ordained  into  the  priest- 
hood and  almost  immediately  thereafter  retired  to  the  Isle  of  Wight 


ST.   D AVI D 


121 


where  for  a  time  he  led  the  life  of  an  anchorite  but  in  the  mean- 
time preparing  himself  for  his  ministry.  Returning  from  the  Isle 
of  Wight  David  first  built  a  chapel  at  Glastonbury  but  later 
founded  many  monasteries  and  a  hermitage 
and  chapel  at  Lanthony.  When  the  Pelagian 
heresy  sprang  up  a  second  time  in  Britain 
the  bishops  held  a  Brevi  in  what  is  now 
Cardiganshire,  where  David  took  a  most 
prominent  part  and  for  this  he  was  made 
Bishop  of  Caerleon  but  he  soon  transferred 
the  see  to  Menervia  (now  St.  David's)  then 
a  populous  city  where  he  died  in  544. 

An  eminent  English  writer  says  of  St. 
David:  "There  is  no  doubt  of  the  inesti- 
mable services  rendered  by  St.  David  to  the 
British  church  in  those  early  days  which 
entitle  him  to  a  most  distinguished  place 
in  its  annals."  He  is  remembered  in  the  "  Triads"  with  Teilo  and 
Caturg,  as  one  of  the  "  three  canonized  saints  of  Britain,"  while 
Giraldus  terms  him  "  a  mirror  and  pattern  to  all,  instructing  both 
by  word  and  example ;  excellent  in  his  preaching  but  still  more  so 
in  his  works."  If  the  legends  of  St.  David  have  been  somewhat 
"  extravagantly  embroidered"  one  can  hardly 
wonder  since  prior  to  the  Reformation  in  the 
old  church  at  Sarum  in  England  the  following 
collect  was  annually  read  in  the  service  on 
March  ist :  "  Oh,  God,  who  by  thy  angel  didst 
foretell  Thy  blessed  Confessor,  St.  David,  thirty 
years  before  he  was  born,  grant  unto  us,  we 
beseech  Thee,  that  celebrating  his  memory,  we 
may,  by  his  intercession,  attain  to  joys  ever- 
lasting." 

St.    David  was  canonized  by  Pope  Calixtus 
II.  about  five  hundred  years   after  his  death. 
Though  no  mention  is  anywhere  made  of  St. 
David  being  at  all  musical  his  attribute  on  Clog  sticks  is  always 
an  ancient  harp  doubtless  selected  because  of  his  name.    The  two 
given  above  were  copied  from  English  sticks  of  different  dates. 


122      SAINTS   AND   FESTIVALS 


MARCH  2d. 

St,  Ceadda,  or  Chad  as  the  name  is  Anglicised,  is  honoured 
to-day  by  both  the  Reformed  and  Roman  Churches.  He  was  a 
brother  of  St.  Cedd,  Bishop  of  London,  and  of  the  two  holy  priests 
Celin  and  Cymbal.  When  St.  Wilfrid  went  to  France  to  be  con- 
firmed Bishop  of  Northumbria  (or  York)  he  remained  so  long  that 
King  Oswi  in  666  named  Chad  as  Bishop  and  he  was  so  confirmed 
by  Wini,  Bishop  of  Winchester  and  two  British  prelates.  But 
when  Theodorus,  Archbishop  of  Canterbury,  came  to  judge  the 
matter  he  decided  Chad's  ordination  irregular  and  the  holy  man  at 
once  withdrew,  later  becoming  the  Bishop 
of  the  Mercians  and  fixing  his  see  at  Litch- 
field. 

St.  Chad  is  regarded  as  the  missionary 
who  introduced  Christianity  among  the  East 
Saxons.  He  was  educated  at  the  monastery 
of  Lindesfarne  or  Holy  Island,  of  which  he 
became  the  bishop.  When  old  age  com- 
pelled him  to  retire  he  settled  with  seven  or 
eight  monks,  near  Litchfield,  where  he  died 
in  673  from  the  pestilence  then  afflicting  the 
land.  When  the  old  church  where  St.  Chad 
was  buried  fell  in  1788,  among  the  few  relics  of  old  days  saved 
was  the  ancient  wood  figure  of  St.  Chad  that  is  now  kept  in  the 
new  church  at  Shrewsbury. 

After  his  canonization  St.  Chad  became  the  patron  saint  of 
medicinal  springs. 

The  emblem  given  above  which  marks  St.  Chad's  Day  upon  the 
Danish  Clogs  is  supposed  to  represent  a  fruitful  branch. 


MARCH  3d 

Is  the  festival  of  St.  Cunegunda  who  was  the  daughter  of  Sigfrid, 
Count  of  Luxembourg.  She  was  when  quite  young  betrothed  to 
Henry,  Duke  of  Bavaria,  whom  she  subsequently  married.  Prior 


ST.    CUNEGUNDA  123 

to  her  marriage  she  had  with  the  consent  of  Henry  made  a  vow 
of  virginity,  which  was  always  faithfully  kept.  On  the  death  of 
Otho  III.,  Emperor  of  Germany  in  1002  Henry  was  chosen  King 
of  Rome  and  was  crowned  at  Mentz  on  June  6th  of  that  year ; 
while  Cunegunda  was  crowned  at  Paderborn  on  August  10, 
1 002  (St.  Laurence  Day),  on  which  occasion  she  enriched  the 
churches  of  the  city  by  many  lavish  gifts.  Henry  of  Bavaria  was 
a  soldier  but  above  that  — in  his  esteem  —  he  was  a  Christian  and 
his  devotion  to  the  Church  brought  on  a  revolt  among  certain 
powerful  nobles  who  objected  to  the  lavish  gifts  of  both  Henry 
and  his  Empress  for  religious  uses.  This  rebellion  was  quickly 
quelled.  In  this  love  of  the  Church  the  two  were  most  cordially 
united.  Together  they  founded  and  endowed  the  cathedral  and 
convent  at  Bamberg  in  Franconia  where  —  I  note  in  passing  — 
Henry  was  buried  in  1024. 

They  also  founded  many  other  religious  edifices  both  in  Ger- 
many and  Italy.  One  was  the  work  of  Cunegunda  herself  that 
at  Cafungen  (now  Kaffungen)  which  she  gave  to  the  nuns  of  the 
Order  of  St.  Benedict.  A  base  and  wicked  slander  regarding 
Cunegunda  was  at  one  time  circulated  that  despite  her  vows  of 
virginity  she  had  been  unfaithful  to  her  husband.  Henry  could 
not  and  did  not  for  a  moment  believe  these  accusations.  Yet  she 
to  vindicate  her  honour  begged  to  be  put  to  "  trial  by  ordeal." 
Much  as  Henry  objected  he  at  last  gave  his  consent  and  in  public 
she  "walked  over  burning  ploughshares  unharmed,"  a  very  com- 
mon ordeal  in  those  days.  From  that  hour  Henry's  devotion  and 
the  reverence  he  felt  for  his  wife,  true  as  both  had  been  before 
became  unbounded.  On  the  anniversary  of  the  death  of  her  hus- 
band (August  10,  1024)  she,  in  1025,  put  aside  her  imperial  robes 
and  had  her  beautiful  hair,  once  her  pride,  cut  off  and  she  donned 
the  habit  and  veil  of  the  Order  of  St.  Benedict  at  Kaffungen, 
which  she  had  completed  during  the  year.  From  that  time  until 
her  death  March  3,  1040,  her  life  was  devoted  to  her  duties  as  a 
nun.  She  steadfastly  refused  every  indulgence  working  with  her 
hands  like  her  fellow  sisters.  Her  body  was  laid  beside  that  of  her 
loved  husband  at  Bamberg.  She  was  canonized  by  Pope  Innocent 
III.  in  1200. 


124    SAINTS   AND    FESTIVALS 

MARCH  4th. 

This  day  is  sacred  to  a  most  interesting  character,  Casimir, 
Prince  of  Poland,  the  second  son  of  Casimir  III.,  king  of  Poland 
and  Elizabeth  of  Austria,  a  daughter  of  Albert  II.  of  Austria. 
Casimir's  eldest  brother,  Uladislas,  became  king  of  Bohemia  in 
1471  and  king  of  Hungary  in  1490,  while  a  younger  brother,  John 
Albert,  succeeded  his  father  as  king  of  Poland  in  1492.  It  was  by 
no  means  want  of  opportunity  that  Casimir  did  not  also  sit  upon  an 
earthly  throne.  The  Palatines  and  other  nobles  of  Hungary  were 
dissatisfied  with  Matthias  Corvin,  their  king,  and  begged  of  the 
King  of  Poland  to  place  his  son  Casimir  on  the  throne.  He  was 
then  only  fifteen  years  of  age  and  had  almost  from  his  infancy 
been  religiously  inclined  and  had  no  taste  for  the  offer  but  would 
no  doubt  have  been  obliged  to  accept  had  not  the  differences 
between  the  king  and  people  been  adjusted  by  Pope  Sixtus  IV. 
who  acted  as  mediator.  Later  he  refused  the  crown  of  Hungary 
bestowed  on  his  brother  long  years  afterward.  Instead  of  seeking 
these  worldly  honours,  his  entire  life  was  given  up  to  deeds  of 
kindness  and  acts  of  love  in  unostentatious  privacy  until  his  name 
was  the  synonym  for  goodness  though  when  he  died  in  1482  he 
was  but  twenty-three  years  of  age.  He  died  at  Vilna  and  was 
there  buried,  but  a  portrait  of  him  now  hangs  in  the  chapel  of  St. 
Germains  des  Prez  in  Paris,  which,  by  the  way,  was  built  by 
John  Casimir,  king  of  Poland,  the  last  of  the  family  of  Waza 
who  renounced  his  crown  and  died  abbot  of  St.  Germain. 


MARCH  5th. 

While  both  profane  and  ecclesiastical  history  accords  most 
justly  to  St.  Patrick  (of  whom  I  shall  speak  on  March  i7th)  the 
honour  of  having  founded  the  Christian  faith  in  Ireland,  it  is  also 
true  that  for  nearly  a  century  before  the  advent  of  this  noted  saint 
there  were  Christians  scattered  through  the  island  and  one  of 
these,  St.  Kiaran,  or  Kenerin  (called  by  the  Britons  Piran),  the 
Church  honours  on  this  day,  and  whom  the  Irish  style  "  the  first- 
born "  of  their  saints.  According  to  some  he  was  a  native  of 


ST.    KIARAN  125 

Ossory,  while  others  claim  Cork  as  his  birthplace.  Usher  places 
his  birth  about  the  year  352.  His  legend  tells  that  having 
received  some  imperfect  information  in  regard  to  the  Christian 
faith  he,  when  thirty  years  of  age  in  or  about  382,  made  a  journey 
to  Rome  to  assure  himself  of  its  truth.  After  a  long  sojourn  "  in 
the  Holy  City,"  where  by  Irish  writers  he  is  said  to  have  been 
ordained  as  a  bishop  he  returned  to  Ireland  "  accompanied  by 
four  holy  clerks,"  whose  names  as  given  by  these  writers  were 
"  Lugacius,  Columban,  Lugad  and  Cassan."  Dr.  Butler,  how- 
ever, says :  "  What  John  of  Tinmouth  affirms  seems  far  more 
probable,  that  he  was  one  of  the  Twelve  Apostles  whom  St. 
Patrick  consecrated  bishops  in  Ireland  to  aid  him  in  planting  the 
gospel  in  the  island."  Whichever  statement  is  true  he  had 
evidently  begun  his  missionary  labours  before  the  advent  of  the 
great  man  to  whom  Ireland  owes  her  early  and  effectual  teach- 
ings. He  built  himself  a  cell  near  the  water  at  Fuaran  where  a 
town  afterwards  was  built  called  Saigar,  now  from  this  saint 
named  Sier-keran.  Here  he  converted  to  the  faith  not  only  his 
own  family  but  after  giving  to  his  mother  "  the  religious  veil " 
appointed  her  to  a  cell  or  monastery  near  his  own  "  called  by  the 
Irish  Ceall  Lidain  "  ;  her  name  having  been  Liadan.  In  his  old 
age  he  passed  over  into  Cornwall  where  he  led  an  eremitical  life 
near  to  the  Severn  Sea  not  far  from  Padstow  where  he  died.  A 
tower  was  later  built  there  which  was  called  in  his  honour  Piran's 
in  the  Sands. 


This  day  is  also  the  festival  of  St.  John  Joseph  of  the  Cross,  one 
of  the  later  of  the  canonized  saints  of  the  Church,  the  bull  for  his 
canonization  having  been  promulgated  on  Trinity  Sunday,  May  26, 
1839.  He  was  born  in  1654  on  the  island  of  Ischia,  belonging 
to  the  Kingdom  of  Naples  and  assumed  the  name  of  John  Joseph 
of  the  Cross  in  1671,  at  the  time  of  his  taking  his  habit.  He 
was  then  but  seventeen  years  old  yet  we  soon  see  him  as  "  Master 
of  Novices  "  and  by  1690  promoted  to  the  office  of  "  Definitor." 
In  1702  he  rendered  his  Order  a  signal  service  with  the  Pontifi- 
cate by  which  the  Alcantarines  in  Italy  were  established  in  the 
form  of  a  province  and  the  arduous  duties  of  its  government 


126      SAINTS   AND    FESTIVALS 

forced  upon  our  saint.  Finally  in  1722  the  convent  of  St.  Lucy 
in  Naples  was  made  over  to  the  Alcantarines  to  which  John 
Joseph  retired  spending  the  remainder  of  his  life  in  good  works 
and  where  he  died  March  5,  1734. 


MARCH  6th. 

To-day  is  the  festival  of  St.  Colette,  a  carpenter's  daughter  of 
Corbie  in  Picardy  whose  parents  were  ardent  admirers  of  the  good 
St.  Nicholas  and  in  his  honour  christened  their  child  Colette*  which 
is  the  diminutive  of  the  saint's  name.  After  the  death  of  her 
parents  she  took  the  vows  and  habit  of  the  Third  Order  of  St. 
Francis  called  the  Penitents,  and  three  years  later  that  of  the 
Mitigated  Clares,  called  Urbanists.  From  her  earliest  entrance 
upon  her  holy  life  her  austerities  were  marked  and  severe  and  she 
early  resolved  to  make  an  effort  to  re-establish  the  primitive  spirit 
and  practices  of  the  Order.  After  visiting  several  convents  she 
made  a  journey  to  Nice  in  which  city  Benedict  XIII.,  then  hap- 
pened to  be.  Apparently  unaided  save  by  her  own  strong  pur- 
pose to  revive  the  rule  and  spirit  of  St.  Francis,  she  received  from 
the  Pope  her  nomination  as  "  Superioress  in  General  of  the  whole 
Order  of  St.  Clare  with  power  to  establish  such  regulations  as  she 
thought  to  be  conducive  to  God's  honour."  She  foretold  the 
date  of  her  death  which  occurred  at  Ghent  oo  March  6,  1447. 
She  was  never  canonized  nor  is  her  name  mentioned  in  Roman 
Martyrology,  but  Clement  VIII.,  Paul  V.,  Gregory  XIII.,  and 
Urban  VIII.  all  approved  an  office  in  her  honour  by  the  whole 
Franciscan  Order  as  the  "Blessed  Colette  ! " 


MARCH  7th 

Is  the  festival  of  St.  Thomas  of  Aquino,  a  doctor  of  the  Church, 
a  man  who  is  most  highly  honoured,  who  died  March  7,  1274,  at 
the  famous  Cistercian  Abbey  of  Fossa  Nuova  in  Terracina.  The 
translation  of  his  relics  to  France  at  every  point  presented  most 
wonderful  scenes  proving  the  veneration  in  which  he  was  held. 


ST.    PERPETUA 


127 


At  Toulouse  an  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  people  gathered  to 
receive  the  sacred  relics,  and  the  procession  into  the  city  was 
headed  by  Louis,  Duke  of  Anjou  —  brother  of  Charles  V.,  and  also 
by  the  Archbishop  of  the  see.  St.  Thomas  was  canonized  by 
Pope  John  XXII.  in  1323  while  Pope  Pius  V.  in  1567,  commanded 
his  festival  to  be  kept  equal  with  those  of  the  "  Four  Doctors  of 
the  Western  Church." 


This  day  is  also  the  festival  of  St.  Perpetua,  a  martyr  at 
Carthage  under  the  persecution  of  Emperor  Severus  in  303  when 
she,  with  her  companions,  won  their  crown  of  glory  by  their  blood 
shed  for  the  faith. 

St.  Perpetua  is  one  of  the  saints  whose  names  was  retained  by 
the  Fathers  of  the  Reformed  church  and  which  still  has  a  place 
in  the  Kalendar  of  the  Church  of  England. 

The  martyrdom  of  Perpetua  and  her  companions  was  a  pecu- 
liarly brutal  affair  even  for  those  brutal  times,  and  her  fortitude 
during  her  trials  was  beyond  praise  and  won  for 
her  commendation  and  reverence.  She  was  thrown 
into  the  amphitheatre  and  tossed  by  a  wild  cow 
but  when  this  had  not  entirely  extinguished  life  she 
was  put  to  death  in  the  "  spoliarium  "  (the  place 
where  the  wounded  were  dispatched  by  young 
gladiators)  by  the  sword.  But  before  her  death 
she  had  a  wondrous  vision  of  a  ladder  reaching 
to  Heaven  though  each  rung  was  beset  by  spikes 
and  a  dragon  lying  at  the  bottom  upon  whose  head 
she  was  obliged  to  tread  before  mounting  the  first 
step.  This  vision  is  represented  in  Callot's  images 
and  has  been  adopted  by  Clog  Almanacs,  though  in  art  she  is 
usually  shown  with  a  wild  cow  standing  before  her. 


MARCH  8th. 

St.  John,  surnamed  "  of  God,"  is  one  of  the  saints  honoured  by 
the  Church  on  this  day.  He  was  born  in  Portugal  in  1495  °f 
parents  of  the  humblest  class,  and  his  early  days  were  spent  as  a 


128    SAINTS   AND    FESTIVALS 

shepherd  of  the  Count  of  Oropeusa  in  Castile;  but  in  1522  he 
became  a  soldier,  serving  in  the  wars  between  Spain  and  France, 
then  in  the  Hungarian  war  and  lastly,  when  Charles  V.  was  King 
of  Spain,  against  the  Turks.  Thus  for  fourteen  years  he  lived  in 
camps  and  subjected  to  the  temptations  besetting  a  soldier.  In 
1536  when  his  troop  was  disbanded  he  once  more  took  up  his  life 
as  a  shepherd,  in  the  service  of  a  rich  lady  near  Seville.  Humble 
as  his  parents  were  they  had  in  his  youth  instilled  into  his  mind 
the  right  principles  and  even  amid  the  debauchery  of  camp  life  the 
licentiousness  of  his  companions  had  at  first  disgusted  him ;  but, 
alas,  he  was  only  human,  and  like  many  another,  by  slow  degrees 
fell  but  never  to  the  depths  of  degradation  which  some  of  his  com- 
panions did.  Now  in  the  quiet  of  his  pastoral  occupations  he 
began  to  reflect  upon  his  conduct  and  how  he  could  by  penance 
and  service  regain  what  he  felt  he  had  lost.  At  last  he  resolved  to 
leave  his  present  occupation  and  pass  over  into  Africa  there  to 
strive  to  succour  and  comfort  the  captive  slaves  —  of  whom  just 
then  there  were  so  many.  At  Gibraltar  he  met  a  Portuguese  gen- 
tleman who  was  banished  to  Barbary  and  John  went  with  him  into 
exile  serving  him  for  two  years  without  compensation,  then  return- 
ing to  Granada  in  Spain  in  1538.  It  was  here  he  first  heard  John 
D'Avila,  "  The  Apostle  of  Andalusia,"  preach  and  he  set  about  the 
fulfilment  of  his  purpose  of  striving  to  redeem  the  sins  of  his  past 
life.  From  trading  and  other  sources  he  seems  to  have  accumu- 
lated a  little  money.  With  this  in  1540  he  hired  and  furnished  a 
house  in  Granada,  into  which  he  brought  such  of  the  sick  poor  as 
he  found,  tending  them  with  his  own  hands  and  providing  for 
them  as  best  he  could.  This  effort  came  to  the  knowledge  of  the 
Archbishop  and  to  curtail  a  long  and  interesting  story  of  not  only 
noble  efforts  in  behalf  of  the  sick  but  of  reclaiming  from  vice  many 
a  fallen  one,  of  surmounting  endless  difficulties  and  not  a  little 
opposition,  until  at  last  he  evolved,  through  the  aid  of  the  Bishop 
of  Tuy,  President  of  the  Royal  Court  of  Judicature  of  Granada,  the 
Order  of  Charity.  John  had  no  thought  of  founding  a  Religious 
Order  and  it  was  not  until  six  years  after  his  death  it  really  took 
form  and  the  religious  vows  were  not  introduced  until  1570;  but 
practically  it  had  been  founded  and  he  is  the  recognised 


ST.   JOHN    OF    GOD  129 

"  Founder."  The  name  "  John  of  God  "  was  bestowed  upon  him 
by  the  good  Bishop  of  Tuy. 

I  wish  I  might  tell  something  more  of  his  work,  of  how  the  King 
and  princes  at  last  came  to  vie  with  each  other  to  aid  him  when  he 
came  to  Valladolid,  and  the  honours  bestowed  upon  him.  It  is 
only  one  of  the  many  stories  that  show  how  none  of  us  are  so 
poor  or  helpless  that  if  we  but  will  we  may  do  good. 

John  of  God  died  on  his  knees  before  the  altar  on  March  8, 
1550.  He  was  beatified  by  Urban  VIII.  in  1630  and  canonized  by 
Alexander  VIII.  in  1690. 


MARCH  9th 

Is  the  festival  of  St.  Gregory  of  Nyssa,  Bishop  and  Confessor,  a 
younger  brother  of  St.  Basil  the  Great  and  the  author  of  many 
learned  works  still  extant  and  which  were  republished  in  three 
huge  folios  between  1615  and  1638.  As  a  rhetorician  and  orator 
he  had  few  in  his  generation  who  were  his  equal.  In  youth  he 
had  been  highly  educated  and  became  a  married  man  but  later 
resigned  worldly  honours  and  was  ordained  lector.  In  372  he 
was  chosen  Bishop  of  Nyssa,  a  city  in  Cappadocia,  near  the  Lesser 
Armenia.  His  eloquence  made  him  a  terror  to  the  Arians,  who  at 
length  prevailed  on  Demosthenes,  the  Vicar  or  deputy  governor  of 
the  province,  to  banish  him,  but  after  the  death  of  Valens  in  378 
the  Emperor  Gratian  restored  him  to  his  see.  Aside  from  his 
learned  writings  Gregory  of  Nyssa,  as  he  is  usually  termed,  was 
most  noted  for  his  determined  opposition  to  the  Arian  heresy. 
He  died  on  January  10,  400,  the  date  on  which  the  Greeks  have 
always  honoured  him  but  the  Latin  Church  has  for  ages  kept  his 
festival  on  this  9th  of  March. 


MARCH  loth. 

The  Church  this  day  holds  in  sacred  memory  the  martyrdom 
of  perhaps  as  remarkable  a  body  of  men  as  ever  testified  to  their 
faith  with  their  blood.  They  were  Roman  soldiers,  brave  and 


130     SAINTS   AND    FESTIVALS 

fearless  who  knowing  their  duty,  never  failed  to  do  it  for  they 
belonged  to  "  The  Thundering  Legion"  so  famous  under  Marcus 
Aurelius,  that  Twelfth  Legion,  the  flower  of  the  army  who  were  in 
320  quartered  in  Armenia  with  Lysias  as  duke  or  general  of  the 
army  while  Agricola  was  governor  of  the  province.  The  latter,  by 
orders  of  the  Emperor  Licinius,  promulgated  his  command  that  all 
should  sacrifice  to  the  Roman  gods.  It  was  then  these  "  Forty 
Martyrs  of  Sebaste,"  as  they  are  called  in  Roman  Martyrology, 
rose  to  the  higher  duty  they  owed  to  their  faith  holding  it  above 
any  they  were  bound  by,  as  Roman  soldiers.  Thus  it  was  they 
appeared  before  Agricola  telling  him  they  were  Christians  and  as 
such  could  not  obey  the  order,  at  the  same  time  pointing  to  their 
record  as  true,  faithful  soldiers  of  the  empire.  Agricola  tried  to 
reason  with  them  but  without  avail.  Then  they  were  rent  with 
iron  hooks,  scourged  and  cast  into  prison.  After  some  days  Lysias 
who  happened  to  be  in  Coesarea  at  the  time  returned,  but  no 
promises  of  wealth  or  aught  else  could  make  them  waver.  It  was 
then  Agricola  conceived  a  horrid  punishment  for  them.  It  was 
intensely  cold  and  close  to  the  town  was  a  pond  which  was  then 
frozen  over  and  it  was  ordered  they  should  be  stripped  naked  and 
compelled  to  stand  on  the  ice.  Yet  of  them  all  only  one  of  their 
number  faltered,  and,  strangely,  as  he  came  forward  to  recant  he 
fell  dead.  When  morning  broke  both  those  who  had  died  during 
the  night  from  exposure  and  the  living  were  alike  cast  upon  a  fire 
and  burned.  These  are  the  heroes  whom  the  Church  honours 
this  day. 


MARCH  nth. 

Among  others  that  are  named  this  day  in  the  Roman  Kalendar 
is  St.  ^Engus,  Abbot  of  the  monastery  of  Cluain-Edneach  in 
Ireland,  and  a  bishop.  Dr.  Butler  says  :  "  It  was  then  usual  in 
Ireland  for  the  abbots  of  the  chief  monasteries  to  be  made  bishops. 
^Engus  was  distinguished  by  the  surname  of  Kele-De  (Worshipper 
of  God)  or  what  came  to  be  known  as  the  Culdees  ;  of  whom  we 
read  so  much  in  early  Scotch  history.  There  has  been  a  world  of 


ST.   GREGORY   THE   GREAT     131 

historical  and  polemic  controversy  over  the  origin  of  this  word 
Culdee.  The  Cele-De  of  Armagh  Ireland)  and  the  Colidee  of 
York,  canons  of  the  cathedral,  seemingly  were  identical.  In 
Scotland  the  name  first  took  the  form  of  Keledio,  almost  the 
same  as  that  bestowed  upon  St.  ^Engus,  who  for  a  time  lived  an 
eremitical  life,  and  this  gives  a  slight  reason  for  Burton's  (the 
Scotch  historian)  opinion  that  the  word  Culdee  may  have  come 
from  the  Celtic  word  Kill  (a  cell).  But  Dr.  Reeves,  the  celebrated 
Celtic  etymologist,  glosses  the  word  Cele-De  as  "  Spouse  of  God," 
which  apparently  settles  the  question  of  name.  Important,  how- 
ever, as  the  Culdees  appear  in  the  ecclesiastical  history  of  Scot- 
land, it  would  seem  as  though  they  were  not  under  an  episcopal 
hierarchy  like  the  secular  side  of  the  church.  That  they  married 
is  patent.  The  gracious  Duncan,  who  married  the  daughter  of 
Malcolm  II.,  was  the  son  of  Cronan  or  Crinan,  Abbot  of  the 
Culdees  of  Dunkeld.  Yet  these  Culdees  were  monks  and 
evidently  under  canonical  rule  by  the  Roman  Church  just  as  our 
St.  yEngus  was  whose  title  led  me  into  this  digression.  St.  ^Engus 
is  especially  noted  for  having  written  several  books  on  .the  Irish 
Saints  of  the  church  and  for  compiling  "  a  longer  and  shorter  Irish 
martyrology."  He  died  at  Desert  y£ngus,  a  famous  Irish  monas- 
tery named  for  him,  about  the  year  824. 


MARCH  1 2th 

Is  esteemed  by  the  Roman  Church  as  a  festival  of  more  than 
usual  importance,  as  it  is  that  of  Gregory  I.,  "  The  Great,"  who 
sat  in  the  pontifical  chair  from  590  to  604. 

There  have  been  popes  of  every  shade  of  human  character  but 
Gregory  the  Great  is  one  distinguished  by  his  modesty,  disinter- 
estedness and  sincere  religious  zeal,  tempered  by  a  toleration 
which  could  only  spring  from  pure  benevolence.  The  son  of  a 
Roman  Senator,  with  high  mental  gifts  and  all  the  accomplish- 
ments of  his  age,  he  was  drawn  early  into  prominent  position  but 
always  against  his  will.  He  would  fain  have  continued  to  be  an 
obscure  monk  or  a  missionary  but  his  qualities  were  such  that  at 


132     SAINTS   AND    FESTIVALS 

length  even  the  popedom  was  thrust  upon  him  (on  the  death  of 
Pelagius  II.  in  590).  On  this  occasion  he  wrote  to  the  sister  of 
the  emperor :  "  Appearing  to  be  outwardly  exalted  I  am  really 
fallen.  My  endeavours  were  to  banish  corporeal  objects  from  my 
mind  that  I  might  spiritually  behold  heavenly  joys.  ...  I  am 
come  into  the  depths  of  the  sea,  and  the  tempest  hath  drowned 
me." 

In  exercising  the  functions  of  his  high  station  Gregory,  while  he 
exhibited  great  firmness,  it  was  always  tempered  by  mildness  and 
forbearance  and  he  remembered  that  from  his  position  he  was 
"  the  father  of  the  sick  and  needy."  With  him  to  relieve  the  poor 
was  the  first  of  Christian  graces.  He  devoted  a  large  proportion 
of  his  revenue  and  a  vast  amount  of  personal  care  to  this  object. 
He  in  a  manner  took  the  entire  charge  of  the  poor  upon  his  own 
hands.  He  removed  their  necessities  with  so  much  sweetness 
and  affability  as  to  spare  them  the  confession  of  receiving  alms  ; 
the  old  men  he  out  of  deference,  called  his  fathers.  He  often 
entertained  several  of  them  at  his  own  table.  He  kept  by  him  an 
exact  catalogue  of  the  poor  called  by  the  ancients  "  matriculae  " 
and  he  liberally  provided  for  the  necessities  of  each. 

It  was  this  Gregory  of  whom  (before  he  attained  his  great 
dignity)  the  well-known"  story  is  told  of  seeing  certain  slaves  in 
the  market  asked  who  they  were  and  from  what  country  they 
came  ;  and  on  being  told  they  were  "  Angli,"  he  was  so  impressed 
by  their  beauty  of  person  that  he  cried  out  "  Verily  Angeli." 
His  one  great  hope  and  ambition  from  that  time  was  to  become  a 
missionary  to  the  heathen  of  Britain  and  he  once  actually  started 
on  his  journey  thither  when  on  the  third  day  he  was  recalled  to 
Rome  by  the  Apostolic  Father.  Missionaries,  however,  thanks  to 
Gregory's  influence  were  shortly  thereafter  sent  to  Britain. 

Gregory  during  his  pontificate  was  a  prolific  writer.  Among 
his  productions  there  are  extant  forty  homilies  upon  the  Gospels ; 
twenty-two  on  Ezekiel ;  not  to  speak  of  others  which  fill  four 
large  folio  volumes  and  are  highly  prized  by  Roman  ecclesiastics. 
He  was  one  of  the  "  Four  Great  Doctors  of  the  Latin  Church  " 
and  next  to  St.  Jerom  the  most  popular,  and  therefore  he  is  so 
often  presented  in  art  singly.  In  these  pictures  he  bears  the  tiara 


ST.   NICEPHORUS  133 

of  the  Pope  and  the  crosier  with  the  double  cross  and  the  dove  his 
special  attribute.  A  legend  tells  that  John  the  Deacon  who  was 
St.  Gregory's  secretary  declared  that  as  the  saint  sat  writing,  the 
Holy  Spirit,  in  the  form  of  a  Dove,  sat  upon  his  shoulder.  The 
legends  told  of  St.  Gregory  are  numerous  and  touching  in  their 
pathos.  Especially  so  is  the  one  often  referred  to  as  "  The 
Supper  of  St.  Gregory,"  which  has  been  made  the  subject  of 
several  noted  works  of  art. 

Personally,  St.  Gregory  is  said  to  have  been  tall,  corpulent  and 
of  a  swarthy  complexion  with  jet  black  hair  but  having  a  thin 
beard.  He  presented  his  portrait  with  others  of  the  family  to  the 
monastery  of  St.  Andrew  which  he  founded,  and  which  now  is 
the  Church  of  San  Gregorio  in  Rome  of  which  Mrs.  Jameson 
wrote  of  that  view  from  the  "  Garden  of  Sta  Slivia  "  so  many  of 
us  remember : 

"  To  stand  here  on  the  summit  of  the  flight  of  steps  which 
leads  to  the  portal,  and  look  across  to  the  ruined  palace  of  the 
Caesars,  makes  the  mind  giddy  with  the  rush  of  thoughts.  There 
before  us,  the  Palatine  Hill  —  pagan  Rome  in  the  dust ;  here 
the  little  cell  a  few  feet  square  where  slept  in  sackcloth  the  man 
who  gave  the  last  blow  to  the  power  of  the  Caesars,  and  first  set 
his  foot  as  sovereign  on  the  cradle  and  capital  of  their  greatness." 

A  volume  would  hardly  suffice  to  recount  all  that  one  would 
wish  to  write  of  this  remarkable  man  and  therefore  I  must  let  this 
meagre  and  unsatisfactory  account  pass  as  it  is  written. 


MARCH  1 3th. 

St.  Nicephorus,  Patriarch  of  Constantinople,  is  one  of  those 
whom  the  Latin  Church  honoured  this  day  and  who  first  came  into 
notice  after  Constantine  and  Irene  ascended  the  throne  and  gave 
to  Christians  protection  from  the  persecution  they  had  suffered 
under  Constantine  Copronymus.  Nicephorus  had  early  attracted 
the  attention  of  the  emperor  and  was  elevated  to  the  dignity  of 
secretary.  He  distinguished  himself  by  his  zeal  against  the  Icono- 
clasts and  was  made  secretary  to  the  second  Council  of  Nice.  Tn 


134     SAINTS  AND    FESTIVALS 

806  he  was  chosen  Patriarch  of  Constantinople  and  was  noted  for 
his  unwearied  effort  to  restore  the  old-time  manners  and  teaching 
of  the  early  Fathers,  especially  in  regard  to  the  reverence  of 
images,  claiming  that  the  Iconoclasts  were  inconsistent  when  they 
venerated  the  figure  of  the  cross  and  the  book  of  the  four  Gospels 
but  condemned  like  honour  paid  to  the  images  of  Christ ;  using 
the  same  argument  which  had  so  often  been  put  forward,  that : 
"  For  these  eight  hundred  years,  since  the  time  of  Christ,  there 
had  been  pictures  of  Him  and  He  had  been  honoured  in  them." 
In  813  Leo  the  Armenian,  former  Governor  of  Natolia,  became 
emperor  and  being  an  Iconoclast  encouraged  his  soldiers  to  mal- 
treat an  image  of  Christ  on  a  cross  on  the  brazen  gate  of  the  city 
and  ordered  it  removed.  The  protests  against  this  act  and  subse- 
quent trial  of  St.  Nicephorus  by  a  court  of  Iconoclast  bishops 
resulted  in  his  condemnation  to  exile  and  deposition  from  office. 
He  died  in  exile  on  June  2d,  828.  His  body  was  by  order  of 
Empress  Theodora,  brought  back  with  great  pomp  and  ceremony 
on  March  I3th,  846.  This  day  was  therefore  selected  on  which 
to  commemorate  his  memory. 


MARCH  I4th. 

St.  Maud  or  Mathildis,  queen  of  Germany,  is  to-day  most  espe- 
cially honoured  in  that  country.  In  older  days  the  names  Maud, 
Mathildis,  Matilda  and  Mathilda  were  in  England  and  on  the  Con- 
tinent used  synonymously.  The  wife  of  Henry  I.  of  England  was 
styled  Maud  or  Matilda  as  the  writer  happened  to  choose.  In 
speaking  of  St.  Henry  so  much  of  the  story  of  the  life  of  St.  Maud 
has  been  told,  how  from  their  cradles  they  had  been  playmates  and 
lovers,  that  little  now  need  be  added  save  a  few  words  of  eulogy 
of  which  not  many  women  of  her  rank  are  more  deserving.  Her 
entire  life  outside  of  the  beautiful  domestic  circle  had  but  one  great 
purpose  in  view,  to  visit,  comfort  and  teach  the  poor,  the  sick  and 
the  ignorant.  When  at  the  moment  of  her  husband's  death  she 
was  at  the  altar  in  prayer  for  him,  she  saw  by  the  eyes  of  those 
about  her  that  he  had  already  gone  to  his  reward,  she  rose  hum- 


LONGINUS  135 

bly  bowing  to  the  Divine  will.  Then  in  token  of  her  resolution 
she  cut  from  her  garments  the  jewels  she  wore  and  gave  them  to 
the  priest  to  be  disposed  of  for  the  poor.  From  that  hour  her 
remaining  life  was  a  succession  of  noble  deeds  of  charity  and  in 
the  use  of  her  wealth  to  build  and  endow  churches,  hospitals  and 
monasteries.  Of  the  latter  it  is  told  that  in  the  one  at  Poldeu  in 
the  Duchy  of  Brunswick  she  maintained  3,000  monks.  Indeed 
the  charities  were  only  limited  by  a  lack  of  knowledge  as  to  where 
they  were  most  needed.  She  not  only  gave  of  her  wealth  but 
her  personal  service  was  at  all  times  added  to  enhance  the  value 
by  her  example  of  perfect  self-sacrifice. 

She  died  March  14,  968  and  her  relics  still  rest  at  Quedlinbourg. 


MARCH  1 5th, 

In  certain  old  English  and  German  Kalendars  there  appears  a 
name  not  to  be  found  in  either  Latin  or  Greek  Martyrology,  named 
in  the  Old  English  Longinus  and  who  according  to  mediaeval 
legends  was  the  centurion  who  under  orders  of  Pontius  Pilate 
pierced  our  Saviour's  side  with  a  spear.  This  strange  legend  also 
says:  "This  man  was  blind  "  —  but  fails  to  enlighten  us  how  a 
blind  man  could  have  been  a  centurion,  or  why  he  was  chosen  for 
such  a  purpose ;  but  adds  that  as  the  "  blood  and  water  "  flowed 
from  Christ's  wounds,  "  some  drops  fell  upon  the  eyes  of  this 
soldier  and  his  sight  was  miraculously  restored,"  and  still  further 
attributing  to  him  the  words  recorded  by  SS.  Matthew  and  Mark, 
as  made  by  a  centurion  at  the  death  of  our  Lord  :  "  Truly  this 
man  was  the  Son  of  God."  Then  follows  an  account  of  how  he, 
Longinus,  at  once  affiliated  with  the  Apostles  and  became  "  an 
active  soldier  of  the  faith."  Soon  we  are  told  Longinus  was 
arrested  and  brought  before  Octavius,  the  prefect,  when  he  at  once 
confessed  himself  a  Roman  soldier  and  a  convert  to  Christianity. 
They  then  the  legend  continues  discussed  Paganism  vs.  Christian- 
ity; only  resulting  in  Longinus  being  ordered  into  the  hands  of  the 
tormentors.  These  torments  were  borne  uncomplainingly  until  at 
last  a  curious  compromise  was  made  to  which  Octavius  con- 


136    SAINTS   AND    FESTIVALS 

sented  that  Longinus  might  work  his  will  upon  the  pagan  idols 
and  if  he  successfully  overcame  them,  then  the  pagans  should 
desert  their  gods  and  become  Christians. 

In  due  season  Longinus  "  broke  all  their  idols  in  pieces  and 
trampled  over  them,"  but  as  the  Devils  were  fleeing  from  them  the 
old  soldier  stopped  them  and  demanded  of  them  their  secret. 
Then  they  too  confessed  the  power  of  God,  and  that  they  sought 
refuge  in  the  idols  as  a  place  secure  from  having  the  name  of 
Christ  invoked  upon  them  or  the  "  sign  of  the  Cross  "  made  upon 
them.  All  this  did  not  save  poor  Longinus  from  death  for  Octa- 
vius  feared  the  Roman  power.  Yet  the  story  tells  in  the  end  that 
even  Octavius  later  became  a  convert.  "These  things,"  the 
legend  closes,  "  were  acted  in  the  city  of  Cassarea  of  Cappadocia 
on  the  ides  of  March,  under  Octavius  the  Prefect." 


St.  Abraham,  whose  festival  the  Church  keeps  this  day,  is 
another  example  of  the  fascination  the  life  of  a  Hermit  and  Recluse 
had  for  so  many  in  the  early  centuries  of  the  Church.  Abraham 
came  from  a  wealthy  Mesopotamian  family.  Of  his  own  free  will 
he  married  a  woman  whom  he  greatly  admired.  But  the  hour  the 
wedding  feast  ended,  he  announced  to  his  bride  his  resolution  to 
lead  an  eremitical  life  and  at  once  retired  to  a  cell  near  Edessa 
where  his  friends  found  him  after  searching  during  seventeen 
days.  He  was  not  a  priest  but  he  told  them  he  desired  to  spend 
his  life  in  solitude  and  in  secret  adoration  of  God.  No  pleas  of 
any  kind  availed  and  his  friends  were  obliged  to  leave  him  in  his 
cell  where  he  remained  for  fifty  years  except  once  when  the  Bishop 
persuaded  him  to  act  as  a  missionary  to  a  country  town  near 
Edessa  which  was  given  over  to  paganism.  In  this  work  our 
recluse  was  eminently  successful  but  as  soon  as  it  was  completed 
he  returned  to  his  cell.  Through  his  friends  he  distributed  in 
charity  the  revenues  of  the  vast  estates  his  parents  had  left  him. 
A  brother  of  Abraham  who  died  shortly  after  the  return  of  the 
recluse  had  left  to  his  care  his  only  daughter.  For  her  Abraham 
built  a  cell  near  his  own  and  placed  her  there  teaching  her  his 
doctrines  of  retirement  and  devotion.  The  girl  soon  wearied  of 
this  life  and  the  legend  tells  that  under  the  seductions  of  a  wily, 


ST.   JULIAN    OF    CILICIA     137 

wicked  monk  she  fell  and  went  to  the  city  where  she  led  a  life  of 
infamy,  until  at  last  to  reclaim  her  if  possible  Abraham  once 
more  for  awhile  abandoned  his  cell  and  sought  her  out.  With 
not  a  little  difficulty  he  at  length  gained  her  consent  to  return 
with  him  where  during  the  fifteen  years  of  her  remaining  life  she 
spent  her  time  in  penance  and  prayer.  Abraham  died  five  years 
before  his  niece,  in  or  about  360.  His  name  appears  in  all  the 
early  Latin,  Greek  and  Coptic  Kalendars ;  while  that  of  St.  Mary 
his  niece  is  found  only  in  those  of  the  Greeks. 


MARCH  i6th 

Is  the  festival  of  St.  Julian  of  Cilicia.  Born  of  a  senatorian  family 
in  Anazarbus,  he  became  a  minister  of  the  gospel,  but  under  the 
persecutions  of  Dioclesian  he,  like  so  many  thousand  others,  was 
made  to  suffer  and  prove  his  faith.  While  none  escaped  from  the 
brutal  torments  of  those  edicts,  Julian  was  called  on  to  undergo  a 
series  of  torments  which  it  would  seem  only  fiends  could  invent. 
He  chanced  to  fall  under  the  orders  of  a  judge,  who  knowing  his 
character,  by  a  system  of  refined  cruelty  had  him  daily  for  a  whole 
year  dragged  through  the  streets  of  the  cities  of  Cilicia  as  a  base 
malefactor,  to  be  scoffed  and  jeered  at  by  the  populace.  When 
threats  of  torture  were  added  to  this  disgrace,  and  lavish  promises 
were  made  of  wealth  and  civic  honour  if  he  would  yield  and  wor- 
ship the  idols,  had  all  proved  vain  and  unavailing,  to  quote  from 
his  legend  :  "  The  bloody  executioners  had  torn  his  flesh,  furrowed 
his  sides,  laid  bare  his  bones  and  his  bowels  exposed  to  view, 
scourges,  fire  and  the  sword  were  used  to  torment  him."  When 
at  last  the  fiends  saw  his  life  was  waning  and  human  nature  could 
endure  no  more,  this  judge,  as  if  to  surpass  all  former  cruelties, 
caused  this  martyr  to  be  sewed  up  in  a  sack  containing  "  scor- 
pions, serpents  and  vipers,"  after  which  he  was  cast  into  the  sea 
at  JEgea.  But  the  sea  gave  up  this  horrid  sack  and  some  of  the 
faithful  recovered  the  sacred  relics,  which  at  last  were  conveyed 
to  Antioch. 


138     SAINTS  AND    FESTIVALS 

MARCH  1 7th 

Is  the  festival  of  the  most  noted  saint  of  Ireland,  St.  Patrick. 
Probably  no  man  ever  lived  over  whom  so  many  battles  have  been 
fought  as  to  where  his  birthplace  was.  From  a  carefully  trans- 
lated edition  of  the  Confessions  of  St.  Patrick,  annexed  to  Miss 
Cusack's  "  Life  of  St.  Patrick,"  and  generally  accepted  by  ecclesi- 
astics as  authority,  it  seems  certain  that  "  Patricius"  was  born  of 
Christian  parents  at  Bannavem  of  Tabernia,  a  Roman  provincial 
village  in  Britain.  St.  Patrick  also  proves  he  was  of  gentle  birth, 
for  in  his  Confessions  he  says  his  father  was  a  "  decurio,"  that  is 
one  of  the  council  or  magistracy  of  a  Roman  town.  As  near  as 
we  can  learn  he  was  born  about  the  year  372  and  until  he  was 
sixteen  lived  the  simple  life  of  a  farmer's  son.  Then  an  event  not 
uncommon  in  those  days  happened  to  him  for  he  was  captured  by 
pirates  and  sold  into  Irish  slavery  where  for  some  years  he  was 
employed  as  a  swineherd  on  the  Sleamish  mountains  in  County 
Antrim.  He  once  escaped  but  was  recaptured.  His  second 
attempt  was  successful  and  he  reached  his  native  land.  He  had 
during  his  captivity  learned  the  Irish  language  and  after  his  escape 
a  vision  warned  him  to  return  to  Ireland  as  a  missionary  but 
before  doing  so  some  of  his  biographers  state  he  travelled  into 
Gaul  and  Italy  and  received  from  Pope  Celestine  in  432  his  Apos- 
tolic benediction.  In  his  Confessions  Patrick  does  not  tell  how  or 
where  he  was  consecrated  as  bishop  but  that  he  exercised  the 
powers  and  functions  of  that  office  is  clear  while  his  authority  to 
do  so  was  never  doubted.  Yet  his  Confessions  evidently  written 
toward  the  close  of  his  life  seem  to  infer  he  had  been  serving  as  a 
missionary  many  years  before  he  was  consecrated.  These  Con- 
fessions Dr.  Skene,  the  eminent  Scotch  historiographer,  takes 
pains  to  assert  are  in  all  respects  authentic  and  reliable  but  adds 
that  at  a  later  period  "  this  simple  narrative  became  incrusted  with 
a  mass  of  traditional,  legendary  and  fictitious  matter." 

Of  St.  Patrick's  life  work  in  "  lerne  "  (Ireland),  space  cannot  be 
given  to  speak,  in  detail ;  though  we  know  his  principal  enemies 
were  the  Druid  priests  who  then  held  sway.  There  were  also 
magicians,  the  "  Magi,"  or  "  Druadh  "  who  acted  as  physicians  and 


ST.    PATRICK  139 

as  such  their  influence  was  unbounded.     From  a  metrical  life  of 
St.  Patrick  attributed  to  "  Fiacc  of  Sleibhte,"  we  learn  : 

"  He  preached  three-score  years 
The  Cross  of  Christ  to  the  Tuatha  of  Feni ; 
In  the  Tuatha  of  Erin  there  was  darkness, 
The  Tuatha  adored  the  Side." 

From  the  Book  of  Armagh  we  learn  the  Side,  or  Sidhe,  were 
"gods  of  the  earth,  phantoms,"  mysterious  beings  who  were  sup- 
posed to  dwell  alike  in  heaven  or  on  earth,  in  the  sea,  the  sky,  the 
rivers,  mountains  and  valleys,  at  will.  Spirits  to  be  dreaded  and 
conciliated,  who  were  to  be  worshipped  and  invoked  both  by 
themselves  and  through  the  natural  objects  in  which  they  dwelt. 
This  was  the  secret  cause  of  the  fear  that  the  people  felt  and 
their  reverence  for  the  sanctity  of  the  Druid  oak  and  stone  circles 
we  so  constantly  read  of  in  early  English,  Scotch  and  Irish  history. 
But  I  must  not  venture  into  this  interesting  story  of  Druidisrn. 
Still  we  may  well  believe  nothing  but  the  power  of  God,  delegated 
to  St.  Patrick,  could  have  overcome  the  dangers  and  difficulties 
these  Druid  priests  interposed  in  the  holy  man's  path.  Of  the 
endless  number  of  miracles  ascribed  to  St.  Patrick  only  a  volume 
would  suffice  to  tell  them.  That  of  his  driving  the  snakes  out  of 
Ireland  is  too  patent  for  repetition.  Another  that  is  duly  vouched 
for  in  his  "  Legendary  Life,"  is  not  as  well  known  when  he  made 
a  fire  out  of  ice  and  snowballs  : 

"  Saint  Patrick,  as  in  legends  told, 
The  morning  being  very  cold, 
In  order  to  assuage  the  weather, 
Collected  bits  of  ice  together ; 
Then  gently  breathed  upon  the  pyre, 
When  every  fragment  blazed  on  fire." 

Of  the  well  known  legend  in  regard  to  the  shamrock  having 
been  used  by  St.  Patrick  to  illustrate  the  Unity  of  the  Trinity,  there 
is  little  doubt ;  still  less  as  to  its  fitness  as  an  emblem  but  it  is 
certainly  a  curious  coincidence  if  nothing  more  that  the  trefoil  in 
Arabic  is  called  "  shamrakh  "  and  was  held  sacred  in  Iran  as  em- 
blematical of  the  Persian  Triads. 

I  may  not  enter  on  the  mooted  question  of  the  date  of  St. 
Patrick's  death  which  has  been  placed  in  two  different  years,  464 


140     SAINTS    AND    FESTIVALS 

and  493.  Mr.  Skene  devotes  a  great  number  of  pages  to  show 
that  this  discrepancy  comes  through  an  error  in  regard  to  the 
length  of  his  Irish  captivity.  Dr.  Butler  and  most  authorities 
place  it  in  464.  Phillips'  Biographical  Dictionary  revised  by 
Weitenkamp,  places  it  in  466. 

As  the  birthplace  of  St.  Patrick  has  been  disputed  so  has  that  of 
his  burial.  But  the  general  evidence  indicates  that  he  was 
buried  at  Downpatrick  and  that  the  remains  of  St.  Columba  and 
St.  Bridget  were  laid  beside  him  according  to  the  old  monkish 
Leonine  distich  : 

"  In  Burgo  Dunp,  tumulo  tumulantur  in  uno, 
Brigida,  Patricius,  atque  Columba  pius." 

Which  may  be  thus  rendered  : 

"  On  the  hill  of  Down,  buried  in  one  tomb, 
Were  Bridget  and  Patricius,  with  Columba  the  pious." 


MARCH  1 8th. 

St.  Cyril,  Archbishop  of  Jerusalem,  is  the  most  noted  of  the 
saints  honoured  by  the  Roman  Church  this  day  both  for  his 
sanctity  and  his  wonderful  writings  but  even  more  so  for  his 
gallant  struggle  against  the  heresies  and  schisms  which  had  crept 
into  the  Christian  Church,  the  chief  among  them  being  Arianism. 
But  I  must  leave  unsaid  what  is  due  to  the  learning  and  holy  life 
of  St.  Cyril  who  died  in  386  and  is  honoured  by  both  the  Greek 
and  Latin  Churches  on  this  day. 


St.  Edward,  King  of  England,  who  has  a  place  both  in  that 
of  the  Roman  Martyrology  and  the  Church  of  England  has  his 
festival  this  day.  The  old  story  of  his  assassination  at  Corfe 
Castle  is  far  too  trite  to  repeat  again  in  full  for  it  has  been  told  in 
every  English  history.  The  unfortunate  king  was  by  order  of  his 
mother-in-law,  buried  in  unhallowed  ground  at  Wareham  but  at 
once,  most  wonderful  sights  began  to  appear  about  his  tomb  and 


ST.   JOSEPH  141 

marvellous  miracles  were  performed.  "  Then  lights  shone  from 
above ;  there  the  lame  walked ;  there  the  dumb  resumed  his 
faculty  of  speech  ;  there  every  malady  gave  wey  to  health,"  are  the 
words  of  that  quaint  old  Saxon  chronicler,  William  of  Malmesbury. 
From  this  resting  place  Edward's  relics  were  translated  three 
years  after  his  death,  in  978,  to  the  monastery  of  Shaftesbury. 


MARCH 

Is  the  festival  of  St.  Joseph,  the  husband  of  the  Virgin  Mary. 
As  far  back  as  the  traditions  of  the  Christian  Church  extend 
we  find  the  name  of  Joseph  honoured  as  a  saint.  The  one  simple 
fact  of  his  having  been  chosen  as  the  guardian  of  the  Virgin  and 
her  Divine  Son  is  alone  enough  to  justify  the  esteem  in  which  the 
Fathers  of  the  Early  Church  held  him.  It  was  not  until  the  bulls 
of  Pope  Gregory  XV.  in  1621,  and  Urban  VIII.  1642,  that  this 
festival  became  obligatory.  The  Syrians  and  other  Eastern 
churches  held  this  festival  on  July  29th  but  the  Western  church 
observed  it  on  this  igth  day  of  March. 

Outside  of  what  is  told  in  Holy  Writ  there  is  little  of  an  authen- 
tic character  known  of  Joseph.  The  legend  of  the  Virgin  and  her 
marriage  with  Joseph  given  in  the  "  Protevangelion  "  lies  before 
me  as  I  write,  but  it  is  too  elaborate  for  transcribing  here.  When 
the  priest  Zacharius  was  directed  "  by  an  angel "  to  assemble 
together  "  all  the  widowers  among  the  people  "  from  whom  was 
to  be  selected  the  spouse  of  Mary,  each  was  commanded  to  bring 
his  "  rod,"  or  staff,  and  Joseph  came  with  the  rest.  When  he 
appeared  before  the  priest  and  presented  his  rod  "  lo !  a  dove 
issued  out  of  it  —  a  dove  dazzling  white  as  snow,  and  after  settling 
on  his  (Joseph's)  head,  flew  away  to  heaven." 

The  time  of  Joseph's  death  is  a  mooted  point.  Some,  on  what 
ground  I  am  unable  to  say,  put  the  date  at  the  time  Jesus  Christ 
was  eighteen  years  old.  A  crutched  staff  is  the  usual  attribute  of 
Joseph  but  I  find  none  upon  any  of  the  Clog  sticks  I  have  seen. 
In  art  Joseph  carries  a  wallet  and  a  pilgrim's  staff.  His  dress  is  a 
gray  tunic  and  a  saffron  mantle. 


H2    SAINTS   AND    FESTIVAL'S 

MARCH  2oth. 

Few  of  my  readers  who  have  visited  Melrose  Abbey,  Scotland, 
will  have  had  told  them  the  legend  of  "  Muilros,"  the  old  Melrose 
and  its  famous  Saint  Cuthbert,  whom  the  Church  honours  to-day. 
He  was  a  Northumbrian  shepherd  lad  born  near  the  old  monastery 
to  whom  as  he  watched  his  flock  at  night,  "  angels  came  and 
talked  with  him,"  a  legend  full  of  material  fora  poet's  idyl  though 
the  truth  is  hardly  less  beautiful.  For  the  shepherd  lad  came  at 
last  to  enter  the  Monastery  of  Muilros  as  a  novice  where  St.  Aidan 
had  been  prior.  None  ever  claimed  for  Cuthbert  wondrous  learn- 
ing, but  he  had  in  him  that  which  was  better,  "  the  beauty  of  holi- 
ness." When  the  time  came  he  went  forth  from  the  old  monastery 
as  one  inspired,  wandering  far  away  into  mountainous  regions 
deemed  almost  inaccessible  and  by  his  magnetism  of  voice  and 
manner  won  the  hearts  and  love  of  those  wild,  untamed  people 
and  though  he  became  the  Prior  of  Muilros  and  Bishop  of  Lindis- 
farne  it  is  as  a  preacher  and  a  missionary  that  his  name,  even  now 
after  more  than  twelve  centuries  are  gone,  is  held  in  loving  rever- 
ence in  the  "  country-side  "  where  he  laboured  and  on  the  island  of 
Fame,  where  he  died  in  687.  The  story  of  his  relics  is  a  long  and 
most  strange  one  until  at  last  they  were  recovered  from  the  Danes 
in  the  XI.  century  still  as  fresh  and  uncorrupted  as  at  the  hour  of 
death. 

By  turning  to  September  4th  of  this  volume  the  reader  will  find 
another  and  more  extended  notice  of  this  saint. 


MARCH  2ist. 

The  Roman  Church  this  day  honours  a  saint  who  is  also  one 
whose  name  was  retained  by  the  Reformed  church,  St.  Benedict 
or  Bennett  as  he  is  at  times  called,  Patriarch  of  the  Western  Monks, 
and  founder  of  the  celebrated  Benedictine  Order.  As  the  father 
of  Western  monarchism  and  the  great  and  durable  influence  he 
exerted  both  in  England  and  upon  Northern  Continental  Europe, 
it  seems  almost  idle  to  try  to  sum  up  his  history  in  the  few  lines  I 


ST.   BENEDICT 


am  compelled  to  do.  He  was  born  at  Norcia  in  Umbria,  A.  D. 
480.  He  began  his  studies  at  Rome  but  being  disgusted  with  the 
world  resolved  to  leave  it  and  went  into  retirement  in  the  mountains 
of  Subiaco  when  he  was  scarcely 
fourteen  years  old.  There  meet- 
ing with  a  monk  of  some  neigh- 
bouring community  he  received 
from  him  the  religious  habit  and 
became  remarkable  for  austerity 
and  piety.  It  was  on  Mount 
Cassino  that  he  founded  his  first 
monastery  and  bound  the  monks 
by  those  rules  which  afterward 
became  so  popular.  It  is  re- 
lated that  he  would  often  roll 
himself  in  a  heap  of  briars  as  a 
means  of  self-mortification.  St. 
Gregory  tells  us  that  the  Goths 
set  fire  to  his  cell  which  burned 
around  him  without  doing  him 
the  least  hurt  and  that  they  then 
threw  him  into  a  hot  oven 
closely  stopping  it  up  but  upon 
coming  the  next  day  they  found 
him  safe  neither  his  flesh  being  ST.  BENEDICT. 

scorched  nor  his  clothes  singed. 

The  early  Anglo-Saxon  monks  led  a  very  loose  life,  to  apply  no 
more  severe  term.  It  was  St.  Dunstan  who  restored  the  strict  rule 
of  St.  Benedict  and  his  Order. 


MARCH  22d. 

Mid-Lent  Sunday  or  the  fourth  Sunday  in  Lent,  is  in  England 
universally  called 

"  MOTHERING   SUNDAY." 

This  title  came  from  one  of  the  oldest  and  most  rigidly  observed 
of  the  earlier  customs  in  England  but  long  since  obsolete  though 


H4    SAINTS   AND    FESTIVALS 

the  name  still  clings  to  the  day.  On  this  day  it  was  the  custom  for 
children,  no  matter  what  their  age  might  be  to  pay  a  formal  visit 
to  their  parents,  but  most  especially  the  mother ;  at  which  time 
they  carried  with  them  a  present  of  cakes  called  "  Simnel  Cakes," 
and  the  visit  was  termed  :  "  Going  A-Mothering."  Upon  the 
occasion  the  mother  bestowed  upon  her  child  her  blessing.  The 
genial  Herrick,  in  a  canzonet  addressed  to  Dianeme,  says  : 

"  I'll  to  thee  a  simnel  bring, 
'Gainst  thou  go  a-mothering ; 
So  that,  when  she  blesses  thee, 
Half  that  blessing  thou'lt  give  me." 

But  the  use  of  "  Simnel  Cake,"  was  not  confined  to  this  gift 
brought  to  the  mother  of  the  family.  It  was  almost  a  universal 
custom  to  make  these  cakes  during  Lent,  at  Easter  and  Christmas. 
They  were  a  very  rich  sort  of  "  plum-cake,  with  plenty  of  candied 
lemon-peel  and  other  good  things  "  entering  into  their  composition. 
After  they  were  made  they  were  tied  up  in  a  cloth,  boiled  for  several 
hours  then  brushed  over  with  a  coating  of  egg  and  sugar  and  baked 
so  that  when  ready  the  outer  crust  was  almost  as  hard  as  wood. 
They  were  sold  at  every  "  Bake-Shop."  It  was  also  an  old  French 
custom  to  make  these  cakes  with  a  figure  of  Christ  or  the  Virgin 
Mary. 

The  name  Simnel  is  supposed  to  be  derived  from  the  Latin 
"  simila,"  fine  flour  of  the  choicest  quality. 

This  day  is  observed  at  Carthage  in  honour  of  St.  Deogratias. 
In  439  Genseric,  the  Arian  King  of  the  Vandals,  captured  Car- 
thage inflicting  many  cruelties  upon  the  Christians,  and  banished 
their  Bishop  Quodvultdeus  and  a  large  number  of  others,  and  it 
was  not  until  454,  that  another  orthodox  prelate  was  allowed  in 
Carthage.  That  year  St.  Deogratias  was  made  Archbishop.  In  the 
meantime  Genseric  had  plundered  Rome  and  carried  off  from 
many  places  innumerable  captives  into  Africa,  where  the  Moors 
and  Vandals  shared  them.  As  soon  as  Deogratias  was  installed 
he  not  only  sold  everything  of  his  own  but  all  the  gold  and  silver 
vessels  of  the  church  and  began  the  redemption  of  these  captives. 
He  also  personally  laboured  in  this  humane  service  until  457,  liter- 


ST.    I  REN  jE  US  145 

ally  worn  out  by  his  arduous  work,  he  died,  on  March  22d.  It 
is  for  this  the  Church  honours  him  to-day ;  though  the  old  Car- 
thage Kalendars  name  his  festival  for  Jannary  5th. 


MARCH  23d. 

The  Church  this  day  remembers  St.  Alphonsus  Turibius,  a 
Spaniard  by  birth  from  the  Kingdom  of  Leon.  After  passing 
through  the  varied  gradations  necessary  for  preparing  him  for  the 
important  position  Turibius  was  named  as  Archbishop  of  Lima 
and  sent  to  Peru  to  care  for  the  infant  Church,  then  struggling 
for  existence  in  that  far  off  country.  His  story  is  almost  the  same 
as  that  of  all  those  early  labourers  in  the  missionary  fields  of  both 
North  and  South  America.  Travelling  on  foot  through  trackless 
wildernesses,  suffering  for  food,  shelter  and  raiment,  yet  always 
without  complaint  or  a  regret  for  the  wealth  and  splendour  of  his 
early  life  until  after  twenty-five  years  of  arduous  work,  worn  out 
in  the  service  of  Christ  he  died  at  Santa,  a  town  distant  an  hun- 
dred and  ten  leagues  from  Lima,  on  March  23d,  1606,  at  the  age 
of  sixty-eight  years.  He  was  beatified  by  Innocent  XI.  in  1659 
and  canonized  in  1726  by  Benedict  XIII.,  while  Benedict  XIV. 
makes  especial  mention  of  many  miracles  wrought  through  his 
intercession. 


MARCH  24th 

Commemorates  the  martyrdom  of  St.  Irenasus,  Bishop  of  Sirmium, 
the  capital  of  a  part  of  Pannonia.  It  is  now  a  village  twenty-two 
leagues  from  Buda  in  Hungary.  The  far  reaching  power  of  Dio- 
clesian  can  hardly  be  better  illustrated  than  it  is  by  the  case  of  Ire- 
nasus. We  are  apt  to  think  of  these  persecutions  as  confined  to 
Rome  and  Palestine  but  there  was  no  quarter  of  the  Roman  em- 
pire that  escaped.  It  was  so  with  our  saint,  far  away  in  a  quiet 
hamlet  teaching  Christ's  loved  lessons  and  doing  good  to  all  as 
his  hands  found  the  opportunity.  His  is  but  a  repetition  of  the  oft 
told  tale.  A  refusal  to  worship  idols,  a  farce  of  a  trial,  condemna- 


146     SAINTS    AND    FESTIVALS 

tion  to  death.     Then  he  was  beheaded  and  his  body  thrown  into 
the  river. 


MARCH  25th. 

THE  ANNUNCIATION. 

This  day  is  held  in  like  reverence  by  the  Latin,  Greek  and  Re- 
formed Churches  everywhere,  as  the  day  when  the  Angel  brought 
the  happy  tidings  to  the  Blessed  Virgin  Mary  of  the  Incarnation  of 
the  Son  of  God  as  told  in  the  Gospel  of  St.  Luke  I.,  28. 

The  antiquity  of  this  festival  is  un- 
questioned for  among  the  sermons  of 
St.  Augustine  or  Austin  (who  died 
August  28,  430)  often  called  "  The 
Greatest  of  the  Fathers,"  are  two  upon 
this  festival  and  in  one  of  these  he 
says  :  "  According  to  ancient  tradition 
this  mystery  was  completed  on  the 
25th  of  March."  At  least  we  know 
that  from  the  V.  century  this  has  been  the  date  upon  which  the 
solemn  festival  has  been  celebrated  for  Pope  Gelasius  I.,  in  492, 
mentions  the  fact.  The  tenth  council  of  Toledo,  in  656,  calls  the 
solemnity  "  The  Festival  of  the  Mother  of  God."  Indeed  at  all 
times  and  in  all  ages  the  day  and  the  festival  have  been  devoutly 
reverenced  by  all  branches  of  the  Christian  Church. 

The  illustration  here  given  is  the  one  found  upon  English  sticks 
to  mark  the  day  and  is  not  intended  as  the  attribute  of  the  Virgin. 
In  representations  of  the  Annunciation  the  Virgin  Mary  is  shown 
kneeling  or  seated  at  a  table  reading.  The  lily  (her  emblem)  is 
usually  placed  between  her  and  the  Angel  Gabriel  who  holds  in 
one  hand  a  sceptre  surmounted  by  a  fleur-de-lis  on  a  lily  stalk ; 
generally  a  scroll  is  proceeding  from  his  mouth  with  the  words 
"  Ave  Maria  gratia  plena  "  and  sometimes  the  Holy  Spirit  is  repre- 
sented as  a  dove  descending  towards  the  Virgin. 

In  England  this  day  is  usually  called  "  Lady  Day  "  and  in  France 
"  Notre  Dame  de  Mars." 


ST.    LUDGER  147 

MARCH  26th 

Is  the  festival  of  St.  Ludger,  Bishop  of  Munster,  and  the  Apostle 
of  Saxony.  The  early  life  of  Ludger  may  be  briefly  told.  Born  in 
Friesland  in  743  he  was  the  son  of  a  nobleman  of  the  first  rank. 
At  his  own  request  when  young,  he  became  the  pupil  of  Gregory 
who  succeeded  St.  Boniface  in  the  see  of  Utrecht  and  from  him  he 
received  the  cleric  tonsure.  Readers,  however,  should  remember 
that  this  was  a  common  custom  among  students  at  monastic 
schools  in  those  early  days,  and  by  no  means  meant  that  they  were 
either  under  holy  vows  or  in  holy  orders.  As  an  ardent  student 
and  desirous  of  widening  his  education,  Ludger,  after  leaving  the 
school  of  Gregory,  went  to  the  famous  school  at  York,  England, 
then  under  that  celebrated  teacher,  Alcuin.  Here  he  spent  four 
and  a  half  years  in  the  then  customary  study  of  ecclesiastical  litera- 
ture and  the  ancient  languages.  Shortly  after  776  he  returned  to 
Utrecht  and  was  ordained  to  the  priesthood  when  Alberic,  succes- 
sor of  Gregory,  sent  him  to  his  native  Friesland  to  missionate 
among  the  pagans  of  that  country ;  but  the  ravages  of  the  pagan 
Saxons  at  length  drove  him  out.  When  however,  in  787  Charle- 
magne overcame  the  Saxons,  conquered  Friesland  and  the  coast  of 
the  Germanic  ocean  as  far  as  Denmark,  our  saint  saw  the  way  open 
for  his  return  to  his  missionary  work  and  it  was  through  his  efforts 
that  the  Saxons  in  Friesland  and  in  the  province  of  Sudergou  (now 
called  Westphalia)  were  converted  to  the  Christian  faith.  Thus  he 
was  able  to  found  the  celebrated  monastery  of  Werden  in  La 
Mark,  twenty-nine  miles  from  Cologne.  From  this  he  gained  the 
title  of  the  "  Apostle  of  Saxony."  Ludger  would  gladly  have 
rested  at  his  monastery  but  in  802  Hildebald,  Archbishop  of 
Cologne,  drew  him  from  his  retirement  and  ordained  him  Bishop 
of  Mimigardeford,  a  city  whose  name  was  later  changed  to  Mun- 
ster. Five  cantons  of  Friesland  were  also  joined  to  his  diocese. 
His  strict  rules  drew  down  upon  him  the  enmity  of  the  more 
lax  of  his  clergy,  who  brought  accusations  against  him  before  the 
Emperor  Charlemagne.  But  he  easily  proved  his  faithfulness  to 
the  church  and  his  office.  Ludger  was  favoured  by  a  singularly 
clear  gift  of  prophecy.  At  a  time  when  such  an  event  was  the 


148      SAINTS   AND   FESTIVALS 

last  thing  to  be  dreamed  of,  he  foretold  the  invasion  of  the  Nor- 
mans from  Denmark  and  Norway  and  of  the  ravages  they  would 
make  in  the  French  empire.  So,  too,  he  foretold  his  own  death  on 
March  26,  809. 


MARCH  27th. 

In  the  story  of  the  life  of  the  Hermit  St.  John  of  Egypt  whom 
the  Church  honours  this  day  we  have  a  picture  of  one  of  the 
earliest  of  the  many  holy  men  who  adopted  an  eremitical  life  ;  at 
the  same  time  presenting  some  curious  features.  John  was  born 
about  305,  of  a  parentage  from  the  lower  class,  and  was  a  carpen- 
ter by  trade  until  he  was  twenty-five  years  of  age.  Then  im- 
pelled by  a  desire  for  a  better — i.  e.,  a  holier  life  —  he  placed 
himself  under  the  guidance  of  a  venerable  anchoret  who,  to  teach 
him  implicit  obedience,  imposed  on  him  the  "  seemingly  ridiculous 
task  of  watering  a  dead  dry  stick  as  if  it  had  been  a  living  plant." 
This  Rufinus  in  his  second  book  of  the  lives  of  the  fathers,  tells  us 
John  did  with  fidelity  and  unquestioning.  He  lived  thus  with  his 
mentor  for  twelve  years  learning  the  lessons  of  humility  and  sub- 
mission to  God.  After  the  old  anchoret  died  John  spent  three  or 
four  years  in  neighbouring  monasteries  but  his  love  for  the  life  of 
a  hermit  had  so  won  his  heart  that  when  he  was  about  forty  years 
of  age  he  selected  a  rock  near  Lycopolis  and  erected  for  himself 
a  cell.  This  he  walled  in  save  for  one  small  window  through 
which  he  received  his  necessary  supplies.  On  certain  days  he  al- 
lowed persons  to  converse  with  him  provided  they  were  men,  as 
he  never  spoke  to  or  looked  on  a  woman  ;  the  rest  of  his  time 
was  spent  in  prayer  and  devotion. 

Like  St.  Ludger  he  had  the  gift  of  prophecy,  though  he  exercised 
it  sparingly.  One  prophecy  stands  on  record.  Theodosius  the 
Elder  was  attacked  by  the  tyrant  Maximus ;  emboldened  by  his 
success  in  383  against  Gratian,  in  387  dethroning  Valentinian. 
When  Theodosius  consulted  John  he  prophesied  his  success,  and 
upon  this  the  Emperor  marched  into  the  West,  crossed  the  Alps 
and  took  the  tyrant  in  Aquelia,  the  soldiers  cutting  off  Maximus' 


ST.    GONTRAN  149 

head.  He  also  foretold  many  other  events  regarding  the  Empire 
all  of  which  were  fulfilled.  Many  miraculous  powers  were  attrib- 
uted to  him  such  as  reading  the  unspoken  thoughts  of  those  who 
came  to  him  as  was  the  case  recorded  by  Dr.  Butler,  when,  a  short 
time  prior  to  his  death,  the  Bishop  of  Helenopolis  came  to  him. 

John  of  Egypt  died  near  the  close  of  394.  "  Probably,"  says 
Dr.  Butler,  "  on  the  xyth  of  October,  on  which  day  the  Copths  or 
Egyptian  Christians  keep  his  festival,  but  Roman  and  other  Latin 
Martyrologies  mark  it  on  March  27th." 


MARCH  28th 

Is  sacred  in  the  Roman  Church  to  St.  Sixtus  III.,  Pope,  who  was 
raised  to  the  pontifical  chair  in  432  and  died  on  this  day  in  440. 


It  is  also  the  festival  of  St.  Gontran,  king  of  Orleans  and  a  grand- 
son of  Clovis  I.  He  was  especially  notable  for  having  in  those 
days  when  "might  was  right "  governed  his  kingdom  rather  on 
the  principles  laid  down  in  the  Gospels  than  by  the  universal 
tyranny  of  his  day,  a  man  whose  life  and  conduct  kept  even  pace 
with  his  profession  as  a  Christian.  He  was  very  strict  in  punish- 
ing offenders  against  the  laws  but  to  those  who  only  offended 
against  himself  he  was  lenient  and  forgiving.  During  his  last 
years  he  was  almost  a  recluse  amid  the  courtly  pageant  that 
surrounded  him,  spending  all  the  time  he  could  take  from  the 
cares  of  state  in  prayer  and  penance.  A  just  and  upright  king 
living  in  such  an  age  deserves  mention.  He  died  on  March  28, 
593  when  68  years  of  age  after  a  reign  extending  a  little  over 
thirty-one  years,  and  marked  as  one  of  the  bright  spots  in  early 
French  history. 

To  show  the  bitter  antagonism  of  the  Huguenots  to  Romanism 
in  the  XVI.  century  it  is  recorded  they  dug  up  the  relics  of  St. 
Gontran  after  a  peaceful  rest  of  nearly  a  thousand  years  and 
scattered  their  dust  to  the  winds  to  satisfy  their  fury. 


150     SAINTS   AND    FESTIVALS 

MARCH  29th. 
PASSION  SUNDAY. 

This  Sunday  which  immediately  precedes  Palm  Sunday  is  the 
beginning  of  the  most  solemn  part  of  the  Lenten  season,  it  being 
that  which  is  devoted  to  the  commemoration  of  the  terrible 
sufferings  which  our  Saviour  was  called  upon  to  undergo  before 
that  memorable  day  upon  Calvary  ;  the  Day  of  Days,  never  to  be 
forgotten  by  Christians.  It,  therefore,  has  been  most  appropriately 
called  Passion  Sunday  as  the  week  is  also  termed  Passion  Week 
though  in  some  of  the  early  menologies  it  was  identified  (incor- 
rectly) with  Holy  Week.  Among  early  Christians  on  this  day 
when  in  every  orthodox  church  images  of  not  only  our  Lord 
Christ  were  set  up,  but  also  those  of  the  apostles  and  other  saintly 
personages  when  these  images  were  all  invariably  draped  with 
violet  —  a  custom  still  observed  in  the  Roman  Church  —  reference 
being  thereby  made  to  the  words  of  the  Gospel  —  for  this  day  in 
the  Liturgy  of  the  Roman  Church  —  of  John  vill.,  59  :  "  Then 
took  they  up  stones  to  cast  at  Him ;  but  Jesus  hid  himself,  and 
went  out  of  the  temple,  going  through  the  midst  of  them  and  so 
passed  by."  It  is  impossible  to  trace  the  origin  of  this  custom 
though  we  know  it  is  very  ancient. 

In  connection  with  the  celebration  of  Passion  Sunday  and  Pas- 
sion Week  it  may  not  be  uninteresting  to  speak  of  a  few  of  the 
emblems  used  by  the  early  Christians  to  designate  the  Passion  of 
Our  Lord. 

These  are  very  numerous.  In  my  own  limited  collection  I  have 
fully  fifty  combinations.  As  an  illustration  ;  in  the  celebration  of 
the  "  Mass  of  St.  Gregory  "  in  olden  days  it  was  customary  to  dis- 
play upon  the  altar  of  the  church  "  The  Cross,  the  Three  Nails, 
the  Spear,  the  Sponge,  the  Pillar  and  Cords,  the  two  Scourges,  the 
three  Dice,  the  Thirty  Pieces  of  Silver,  the  Hammer  and  Pincers, 
the  Ladder,  the  Sword,  the  Lantern  and  the  three  boxes  of  Spice 
for  embalming."  (From  "  Die  Attribute  der  Hallingen,"  Hanover, 
1843).  While  the  crosses  used  varied  in  form  it  is  a  fact  worthy 
of  notice  that  on  them  there  was  found  no  direct  allusion  to  the 
Crucifixion  or  among  them  anything  akin  to  what  we  now  call 


EMBLEMS    OF    PASSION      151 


"  a  Crucifix."  There  have  been  many  explanations  of  this  marked 
omission,  the  most  satisfactory  being  that  the  presenting  of  our 
Saviour  as  crucified  would  have  given  the  pagans  an  opportunity 
to  taunt  the  Christians.  Whatever  may  have  been  the  reason,  it 
is  authoritatively  stated  that  prior  to  the  VI.  century  no  example 
of  the  crucifix  had  been  discovered  save  in  one 
single  instance  and  that  even  in  the  VIII.  cen- 
tury these  examples  are  rare,  but  in  the  Middle 
Ages  they  became  frequent. 

The  first  of  the  emblems  of  Christ's  Passion 
are  the  two  swords,  that  of  the  Apostle  and  of 
St.  Peter,  in  form  usually  as  in  the  illustration. 
In  many  early  paintings  the  Ear  of  Malchus  is  also  shown. 

These  shields  are  copied   from  the  "  Poppyheads  "   in  Cumnor 
Church,    Berk's,  England,    XIV.    century   edifice,    showing  the 

Hammer,  Nails  and 
Pincers  in  the  first, 
the  Five  Wounds 
in  the  second,  the  Lad- 
der, Spear  and  Reed 
with  a  Sponge  in  the  third,  and  the  Purse,  Cock  and  seamless  gar- 
ment in  the  fourth. 

"  The  Agony  "  is  usually  illustrated 
by  a  chalice  from  which  a  cross  is 
seen  to  rise.  This  cross  is  always  the 
Latin  Cross,  the  recognized  "  Cross 
of  Suffering,"  though  some  artists 
use  the  cup  with  a  contraction  of  the  I.  H.  C, 
in  place  of  the  cross  as  the  emblem  of  "  The 
Agony." 

The  Betrayal  of  Jesus  Christ  is  represented 
by  eight  emblems,  always,  however,  used  in 
combination,  viz.,  the  Sword,  the  Club,  the 
Torch,  the  Lantern,  the  Ear,  the  Cords,  the 
Thirty  Pieces  of  Silver  and  the  Head  of  Judas. 
Only  five  of  these  are  usually  combined  or  to 
i  suit  artistic  taste,  frequently  but  two  as  in 


t 


152      SAINTS   AND    FESTIVALS 

illustration,  of  the  Head  of  Judas  and  the  Thirty  Pieces  of  Silver 
arranged  around  it. 

The  emblems  of  Our  Lord's  Condemnation  in  the  Common  Hall 
are  divided  into  seven  numbers  to  separately  tell  of  His  great  suf- 


fering. They  consist  of  the  Ewer  and  Basin  used  by  Pilate,  the 
Rope  and  the  Pillar  to  which  Christ  was  bound,  the  Scourge,  the 
Scarlet  or  Purple  Robe,  the  Crown  of  Thorns  and  the  Reed. 
Separate  combinations  rule  in  the  use  of  these  as  shown  in  the  two 
illustrations  given  below  which  my  readers  can  easily  interpret  for 
themselves.  Yet  quite  often  these  emblems  are  used  singly 


though  it  is  seldom  in  art  that  we  find  the  same  implement  repre- 
sented twice  in  the  same  form,  as  in  the  case  of  the  scourge  in 
illustration,  the  two  being  taken  from  different  pictures.  It  should 
also  be  remembered  that  the  chances  are  but  slender  that  any  of 


PATRON    SAINTS 


153 


these  are  accurate  illustrations  of  the  implements  used  at  the  time 
our  Lord  suffered  but  that  in  each  case  the  form  is  doubtless  the 
artist's  own  conception  derived  perhaps 
from  some  description  he  may  have  seen 
of  the  article. 


PATRON   SAINTS   OF   COUNTRIES, 
CITIES,   ETC. 

I  have  several  times  been  asked  to  give 
a  list  of  the  Patron  Saints  of  Countries, 
Cities,  Trades,  etc.  I  do  it  now  as  briefly  as  possible  and  by  no 
means  complete  as  the  list  is  almost  endless.  First,  as  to  countries, 
England  had  St.  George  ;  Scotland,  St.  Andrew ;  Ireland,  St. 
Patrick ;  Wales,  St.  David  ;  France,  St.  Dennis  and  (in  a  less 
degree)  St.  Michael ;  Spain,  St.  James  (Jago) ;  Portugal,  St. 
Sebastian  ;  Italy,  St.  Anthony ;  Sardinia,  St.  Mary ;  Switzerland, 
St.  Gall  and  the  Virgin  Mary ;  Germany,  St.  Martin,  St.  Boniface 
and  St.  George  Cataphractus ;  Hungary,  St.  Mary  of  Aquisgrana 
and  St.  Lewis ;  Bohemia,  St.  Winceslaus ;  Austria,  St.  Colman 
and  St.  Leopold ;  Flanders,  St.  Peter ;  Holland,  St.  Mary ;  Den- 
mark, St.  Anscharius  and  St.  Canute  ;  Sweden,  St.  Anscharius, 
St.  Eric  and  St.  John ;  Norway,  St.  Olaus  and  St.  Anscharius ; 
Poland,  St.  Stanislaus  and  St.  Hederiga ;  Prussia,  St.  Andrew 
and  St.  Albert ;  Russia,  St.  Nicholas,  St.  Mary  and  St.  Andrew. 
Then  as  to  cities,  Edinburgh  had  St.  Giles,  Aberdeen  St.  Nicholas, 
and  Glasgow  St.  Mungo  ;  Oxford  had  St.  Frideswide  ;  Paris,  St. 
Genevieve  ;  Rome,  St.  Peter  and  St.  Paul  ;  Venice,  St.  Mark  ; 
Naples,  St.  Januarius  and  St.  Thomas  Aquinas;  Lisbon,  St. 
Vincent ;  Brussels,  St.  Mary  and  St.  Gudula ;  Vienna,  St. 
Stephen ;  Cologne,  the  three  kings,  with  St.  Ursula  and  the 
eleven  thousand  virgins.  To  give  an  entire  list  of  these  would 
include  almost  every  town  in  Continental  Europe. 

St.  Agatha  presides  over  nurses.  St.  Catherine  and  St.  Gregory 
are  the  patrons  of  literati  and  studious  persons  ;  St.  Catherine  also 
presides  over  the  arts.  St.  Christopher  and  St.  Nicholas  preside 
over  mariners.  St.  Cecilia  is  the  patroness  of  musicians.  St.  Cos- 


154    SAINTS   AND    FESTIVALS 

mas  and  St.  Damian  are  the  patrons  of  physicians  and  surgeons, 
also  of  philosophers.  St.  Dismas  and  St.  Nicholas  preside  over 
thieves;  St.  Eustace  and  St.  Hubert  over  hunters;  St.  Felicitas 
over  young  children.  St.  Julian  is  the  patron  of  pilgrims.  St. 
Leonard  and  St.  Barbara  protect  captives.  St;  Luke  is  the  patron 
of  painters.  St.  Martin  and  St.  Urban  preside  over  tipsy  people, 
to  save  them  from  falling  into  the  kennel.  Fools  have  a  tutelar 
saint  in  St.  Mathurin,  archers  in  St.  Sebastian,  divines  in  St. 
Thomas,  and  lovers  in  St.  Valentine.  St.  Thomas  a  Becket  presides 
over  blind  men,  eunuchs  and  sinners.  St.  Winifred  over  virgins, 
and  St.  Yves  over  lawyers  and  civilians.  St.  Aethelbert  and  St. 
Aelian  were  invoked  against  thieves. 

Of  trades  and  various  occupations  in  life,  St.  Joseph  naturally 
presided  over  carpenters,  St.  Peter  over  fishmongers,  and  St.  Cris- 
pin over  shoemakers.  St.  Arnold  was  the  patron  of  millers,  St. 
Clement  of  tanners,  St.  Eloy  of  smiths,  St.  Goodman  of  tailors,  St. 
Florian  of  mercers,  St.  John  Port-Latin  of  booksellers,  St.  Louis  of 
periwig-makers,  St.  Seveurs  of  fullers,  St.  Wilfried  of  bakers,  St. 
William  of  hatters,  and  St.  Windeline  of  shepherds.  The  name  of 
St.  Cloud  obviously  made  him  the  patron  saint  of  nailsmiths ;  St. 
Sebastian  became  that  of  pinmakers,  from  his  having  been  stuck 
over  with  arrows;  and  St.  Anthony  necessarily  was  adopted  by 
swineherds,  in  consequence  of  the  legend  about  his  pigs.  It  is  not 
easy,  however,  to  see  how  St.  Nicholas  came  to  be  the  presiding 
genius  of  parish  clerks,  or  how  the  innocent  and  useful  fraternity 
of  potters  obtained  so  alarming  a  saint  as  "  St.  Gore  with  a  pot 
in  his  hand  and  the  devil  on  his  shoulder." 

In  the  old  superstitious  days  there  was  another  class  of  saints 
termed  medicating  saints,  whose  power  to  heal  disease  was  re- 
garded as  unquestioned,  provided,  always,  the  saint  "  was  will- 
ing." This  list  is  so  long  I  can  name  but  a  few  : 

St.  Apolin,  for  aching  or  decayed  teeth  ;  St.  Otilia,  for  sore  eyes 
and  other  ophthalmic  troubles  ;  St.  Rooke,  for  safety  from  plague 
and  infectious  diseases ;  St.  Vitus,  for  nervous  troubles ;  St. 
Erasums  heals  colic  and  kindred  trouble ;  St.  Blase,  quinsy  ;  St. 
Leonard  is  the  patron  of  prisoners,  with  power  to  free  them ;  St. 
Perne  cured  quartan  ague  ;  St.  Mark,  from  sudden  and  unexpected 


PALM    SUNDAY  155 

death ;  St.  Anne,  as  she  so  wished,  could  give  wealth  to  all ;  St. 
Susan  protected  all  children  from  reproach  and  infamy ;  St. 
Romanus  drove  away  sprites  and  milled  devils  ;  St.  Wolfgang 
healed  the  good  and  kept  sheep  and  oxen  fat ;  St.  Anthony  did  the 
same  for  hogs ;  St.  Gertrude  rid  the  house  of  mice  and  rats  ;  St. 
Nicholas  was  the  patron  of  sailors  ;  St.  Agatha  preserved  the  house 
from  fire.  Nor  does  this  list  name  even  a  tithe  of  this  class  of 
saints. 

All  saints  are  in  a  certain  sense  "  Patron  Saints,"  either  as  pro- 
tectors of  some  particular  nation,  province  or  city,  or  of  some 
avocation,  trade  or  condition  of  life,  or  possibly  of  some  individ- 
ual selected  by  him  for  some  peculiar  reason.  But  there  is  a  vast 
difference  to  be  drawn  between  merely  local  saints  and  those  of  a 
nation  universally  accepted  and  revered.  Again,  not  a  few  of  these 
patron  saints  had  neither  Scriptural  nor  Apostolic  sanction  but 
were  invested  as  such  by  a  popular  and  universal  faith  which 
became  paramount  to  other  authority. 

Many  of  these  saints  like  St.  George  of  England  were  patrons  of 
both  the  Greeks  and  of  chivalry  from  the  Euphrates  to  the  Pillars 
of  Hercules.  So,  too,  even  the  great  patron  saints  had  many 
minor  powers  tacked  on  to  them,  as  for  example  St.  Gregory  was 
supposed  to  make  children  learn  their  lessons  when  invoked,  and 
St.  Christopher  to  keep  servants  in  order.  Thus  the  list  is  almost 
endless,  and  I  must  desist  from  recounting  them. 


The  Sunday  which  immediately  precedes  Easter  is 

PALM    SUNDAY. 

The  canonical  colour  for  this  day  and  each  day  during  the  week 
is  violet. 

This  is  one  of  the  most  sacred  days  of  the  entire  Kalendar  of 
the  Christian  Church.  Nor  is  this  feeling  confined  to  the  Roman 
Church,  but  it  finds  expression  in  the  Greek  and  the  Reformed 
Protestant  churches  of  England  and  America,  and  even  in  modern 
days  among  many  of  the  so-called  dissenting  churches  of  the 


156     SAINTS   AND    FESTIVALS 

Protestant  faith,  since  it  commemorates  that  one  day  of  brief 
popular  enthusiasm  enjoyed  by  our  Lord,  as  recorded  in  the 
Gospels  of  Matthew  (xxi.),  Mark  (XI.),  and  Luke  (xix.),  but 
more  especially  in  John  (xn.,  13)  when  the  people  "  took  branches 
of  palm  trees  and  went  forth  to  meet  Him  and  cried  Hosanna  ! 
Blessed  is  the  King  of  Israel  that  cometh  in  the  name  of  the 
Lord." 


HISTORICAL. 

The  "Procession  of  Palms"  was  customary  in  Jerusalem  as 
early  as  386  —  when  the  first  mention  is  made  of  it,  in  the  life  of 
Euthymius  who  died  in  472  —  and  thence  it  passed  to  other 
churches  of  the  East,  soon  afterward  to  those  of  the  West  as 
attested  to  by  Isidore  of  Seville,  who  died  in  636. 

The  custom  of  "  Blessing  of  the  Palms,"  hardly  antedates  the 
VIII.  century ;  but  its  exact  date  is  far  too  uncertain  for  me  to 
attempt  to  fix  it  except  in  the  above  indefinite  manner  —  the  VIII. 
century  —  when  it  was  everywhere  observed. 

The  custom  of  reading  one  or  more  accounts  of  the  Passion  of 
our  Saviour,  as  part  of  the  regular  service  of  the  day,  as  told  by 
the  Evangelists,  dates  from  the  IV.  century  and  beyond  doubt  its 
observance  is  coeval  with  that  of  the  celebration  of  Palm  Sunday, 
as  it  is  first  mentioned  as  occurring  in  Jerusalem.  That  portion 
preferring  to  the  capture  of  Jesus  by  the  soldiers  in  Gethsemane 
was  read  on  the  night  before  "Good  Friday."  Can  any  one 
imagine  a  more  solemn  ceremony  than  such  an  one  as  this  in  the 
silent  gloaming  of  the  oncoming  night,  at  the  very  spot  where  the 
act  transpired,  and  told  of  the  holy  zeal  of  those  who  partici- 
pated in  it.  Later  on  during  the  same  night  in  the  Church  of  the 
Holy  Cross  the  story  of  the  trial  of  Christ  before  Pilate  was  read  ; 
but  those  graphic  accounts  of  that  last  wondrous  scene  on  Cal- 
vary were  reserved  to  be  read  in  solemn  silence  on  Good  Friday 
at  the  morning  service,  while  at  the  evening  service  the  account  of 
Christ's  burial  was  given.  In  a  sermon  of  St.  Augustine  (born 
354,  died  439),  he  says  that  he  found  it  customary  in  Africa  to 


HOLY   WEEK  157 

read  on  one  day  in  Holy  Week  the  account  of  our  Lord's 
betrayal,  trial  and  crucifixion  as  given  by  St.  Matthew  and  that 
his  (St.  Augustine's)  ordinance  to  have  the  reading  from  the  four 
Gospels  occasioned  considerable  displeasure  among  the  people. 
Since  the  VIII.  century  the  Roman  Church  has  observed  the  fol- 
lowing order  in  regard  to  reading,  beginning  on  Palm  Sunday,  the 
account  as  given  by  Matthew  is  read  ;  on  Tuesday,  that  of  Mark  ; 
on  Wednesday,  Luke,  and  on  Good  Friday  John's  version  of  the 
wondrous  story. 

Prior  to  the  Reformation,  Palm  Sunday  was  observed  in  Eng- 
land by  the  most  elaborate  services.  The  flowers  and  branches 
designed  for  use  by  the  clergy  were  placed  upon  the  high  altar, 
those  for  the  laity  upon  the  south  step  of  the  altar.  The  priest 
arrayed  in  a  red  cope  then  consecrated  them  by  a  prayer  that 
began  with  these  words  :  "  I  conjure  thee,  these  creatures  of 
flowers  and  branches,  in  the  name  of  God,  the  Father,"  etc. 
Later  in  the  same  prayer  the  blessing  of  God  is  invoked  :  "  that 
the  truth  may  sanctify  these  creatures  of  flowers,  branches  and 
slips  of  palms,  or  boughs  of  trees  which  we  offer."  After  the 
flowers,  etc.,  had  been  fumed  with  "  frankincense  "  and  sprinkled 
with  holy  water  they  were  distributed  and  the  procession  headed 
by  two  priests  bearing  the  crucifix  marched  through  the  streets 
and  on  their  return  to  the  church  "  a  solemn  Mass  was  said,  com- 
munion given  to  the  clergy,  and  the  branches  and  flowers  laid 
upon  the  high  altar,  as  an  offering."  Of  the  many  other  customs 
that  obtained  in  some  places  like  the  "  Procession  of  the  Ass,"  in 
which  our  Saviour's  entry  into  Jerusalem  was  depicted  in  a  real- 
istic and  reverent  manner,  I  cannot  enter  into  any  detailed 
descriptions ;  but  they  are  to  be  read  in  many  books  on  "  Early 
English  Customs." 


HOLY   WEEK. 

This  ever  memorable  week  in  the  Christian  Church,  has  been 
the  theme  upon  which  many  eminent  writers,  both  among  the 
"  Ancient  Fathers  of  the  Church  "  and  antiquarians  of  every  age 


158     SAINTS  AND    FESTIVALS 

who  have  spoken  of  it  under  a  variety  of  names  such  as  "  The 
Great  Week,"  "  The  Week  of  the  Holy  Passion,"  "  The  Week  of 
Forgiveness,"  as  well  as  "  The  Holy  Week."  Irensus,  the  Greek 
Bishop  of  Lyons,  and  a  most  celebrated  writer  on  ecclesiastical 
matters,  who  was  born  in  140  and  died  in  202,  was  one  of  these. 
While  Eusebius,  Bishop  of  Caesarea,  and  a  celebrated  historian 
who  was  born  in  270  and  died  338,  from  his  writings  shows  he 
regarded  the  observance  of  this  week  as  one  that  dated  from 
Apostolic  days. 

In  the  Eastern  church  in  primitive  times  each  day  of  Holy 
Week  was  one  of  "  strict,  rigid  fasting."  In  the  "Apostolic  Con- 
stitution " —  a  very  ancient  Christian  work  —  it  was  prescribed 
that  only  "  bread,  salt,  vegetables  and  water  "  should  be  eaten 
during  the  entire  period  of  Holy  Week.  St.  Epiphanius  also 
declares  that  during  those  six  days  the  faithful  should  observe 
the  "  Xerophagie  "  that  is,  to  use  "  bread,  salt  and  water,"  and 
these  to  be  taken  only  at  evening:  while  St.  Dionysius,  Archbishop 
of  Alexandria  (died  November  17,  265),  states  that  it  was  usual 
in  his  time  to  abstain  wholly  from  food  of  any  kind  during  the 
last  two  days  of  Holy  Week,  viz  :  Good  Friday  and  Holy  Satur- 
day. But  this  strict  fast  was  not  observed  as  universally  in  the 
Western  church. 

In  the  Roman  Church  each  day  of  this  week  has  its  especial 
office,  as  is  true  of  the  Church  of  England  and  the  Protestant 
Episcopal  Church  of  America. 

Those  of  my  readers  who  are  interested  in  regard  to  these 
ceremonies  of  the  Roman  Church  will  find  them  fully  and  cor- 
rectly described  in  "  The  Ceremonies  of  Holy  Week  in  Rome," 
by  Rt.  Rev.  Montague  Baggs,  published  1854. 


MAUNDV    THURSDAY. 

In  the  earlier  days  of  the  Church  the  Thursday  preceding  Good 
Friday  was  always  marked  by  especial  acts  of  humility  by  Chris- 
tians, in  imitation  of  Christ's  lesson,  taught  by  the  washing  of  the 
feet  of  His  disciples  on  the  eve  of  His  passion.  These  acts  of 


MAUNDAY   THURSDAY 


159 


humility  most  naturally  took  the  form  of  charity  done  by  "  one's 
own  hand  "  not  relegated  to  others  : 

"  And  here  the  monks  their  Maundies  make  with  sundry  solemn 

rites, 

And  signs  of  great  humility,  and  wondrous  pleasant  sights  ; 
******* 

As  he  himself  —  a  servant  made,  to  serve  us  every  way, 

Then  straight  the  loaves  do  walk,  and  pots  in  every   place  they 

skink,* 
Wherewith  the  holy  fathers,  oft  to  pleasant  damsels  drink." 

wrote  Neogeorgus,  in  his   "  Popish  Kingdom,"   as  translated  by 
Googe. 

Again  in  an  old  history  we  read  of  Cardinal  Wolsey,  who  at 
Peterborough  Abbey,  in  1 580  :  "  made  his  Maundy,  in  Our  Lady's 
chapel,"  etc.,  after  which  follows  a  description  of  his  washing  the 
feet  of  fifty-nine  men  and  what  his  doles  consisted  of.  By  a  natu- 
ral sequence  thus  the  word  Maund  and  Maundy  came  to  signify 
the  articles  given  as  well  as  the  day  and  thus  from  its  Maunds 
came  to  be  commonly  termed  "  Maundy  Thursday."  It  also  had 
in  England  still  another  title,  "  Shere  Thursday"  derived  from  the 
custom  observed  by  the  monks  of  shearing  "  their  hair  on  this 
day."  But  throughout 
Catholic  Europe,  the 
day  has  ever  been 
known  as  "  Holy 
Thursday."  Even  as 
late  as  1843  Maundy 
money  was  coined  for 
English  royalty's  use 
on  this  day  as  shown 
in  the  accompanying 
illustration.  But  I 
may  not  take  further  space  for  an  almost  endless  variety  of  customs 
connected  with  this  day,  both  in  England  and  upon  the  Continent, 
especially  at  Rome  where  "  The  Blessing  of  the  Oils,"  "  The 
Silencing  of  the  Bells  of  Sistine  Chapel,"  "  The  Feet  Washing  at 


*draw. 


160    SAINTS   AND   FESTIVALS 

St.  Peter's,"  "  The  Pope  Serving  at  Supper,"  "  The  Grand  Peni- 
tentiary," and  other  solemn  ceremonies  are  observed. 


GOOD    FRIDAY. 


A  day  which  beyond  question  has  been  observed  by  Christians 
of  every  shade  of  faith  and  doctrine  since  the  Apostolic  days  ; 
nothing  need  or  can  be  said  here  to  testify  to  the-  holy  sanctity  in 
which  the  day  has  always  been  held. 


GOOD    FRIDAY   IN   ROME. 

At  Rome  the  services  in  the  churches  on  Good  Friday  are  of 
the  same  solemn  character  as  on  the  preceding  day.  At  the 
Sistine  Chapel,  the  yellow  colour  of  the  candles  and  torches, 
coupled  with  the  nakedness  of  the  Pope's  throne  and  of  the 
other  seats,  denote  the  desolation  of  the  church.  The  cardinals 
do  not  wear  their  rings  and  their  dress  is  of  purple  which  is  their 
mourning  colour ;  in  like  manner  nor  do  the  bishops  wear  rings, 
and  their  stockings  are  black.  The  mace,  as  well  as  the  soldier's 
arms  are  reversed.  The  Pope  is  habited  in  a  red  cope  while 
he  neither  wears  his  ring  nor  gives  his  blessing.  A  sermon  is 
preached  by  a  conventual  friar.  Among  other  ceremonies  the 
crucifix  is  partially  unveiled  and  kissed  by  the  Pope,  whose  shoes 
are  taken  off  on  approaching  to  do  this  homage.  A  procession 
takes  place  (across  a  vestibule)  to  the  Paolina  Chapel  where  Mass 
is  celebrated  by  the  Great  Penitentiary.  In  the  afternoon  the  last 
Miserere  is  chanted  in  the  Sistine  Chapel.  After  the  Miserere 
the  Pope,  cardinals  and  other  clergy,  proceed  through  a  covered 
passage  to  St.  Peter's  in  order  to  venerate  the  relics  of  the  True 
Cross,  the  Lance,  and  the  Volto  Santo,  which  are  shown  by  the 
canons  from  the  balcony  above  the  statue  of  St.  Veronica. 

Taking  up  the  story  of  the  emblems  of  the  Passion  where  they 
ended  we  begin  with  that  for  Good  Friday  the  Holy  Cross ;  or 
according  to  the  period  the  Crucifix.  Whether  the  T  (tau)  cross 


HOLY   SATURDAY 


161 


is  used  on  this  day,  or  the  Latin,  it  is  imperative  that  it  must  be 
either  red  or  green. 

In  art  like  all  the  emblems  of  the  Pas- 
sion, artistic  taste  and  the  nature  of  the 
picture  have  much  to  do  with  the  fact  of 
whether  some  single  emblem  or  a  com- 
bination of  those  especially  connected 
with  the  crucifixion  of  our  Saviour  are 
used.  These  combinations  are  varied. 
In  the  first  of  the  illustrations  given 
here,  we  have  the  Cross,  the  Spear,  the 
Sponge  — on  the  Reed—  the  Hammer, 
the  Nails,  the  Pincers  and  the  Inscription  I  N  R  I  :  "  Jesus 
Nasareus  Rex  Judaecorum,"  and  is  more  elaborate  than  is  usually 
to  be  found.  It  dates  from  the  (so-called) 

/\  ^L^^  S\  I  Renaissance  of  art ;  but  I  am  unable  to 
'^  "^  ^^  '  fix  its  exact  year.  Many  others  of  a  far 
earlier  date  are  found  ;  one  from  the  cata- 
combs near  Rome  of  the  Crown  of  Thorns 
and  Three  Nails  ;  and 
one  with  the  seamless 
garment  hanging  on  \_ 
the  cross,  with  the  •". 
Dice  in  the  angles  and 
in  the  foot  of  the  cross.  But  more  ancient  than  any  of  these  is 
that  of  the  Pelican,  shedding  its  blood  for  its  young. 


HOLY    SATURDAY. 

The  "  Silencing  of  the  Bells  "  on  Holy  Thursday  is  followed  on 
this  day  by  a  renewal  of  their  use. 

On  the  reading  of  a  particular  passage  in  the  service  of  the 
Sistine  Chapel,  which  takes  place  about  half-past  eleven  o'clock, 
the  bells  of  St.  Peter's  are  rung,  the  guns  of  St.  Angelo  are  fired, 
and  all  the  bells  in  the  city  immediately  break  forth  as  if  rejoicing 
in  their  renewed  liberty  of  ringing.  This  day  at  St.  Peter's,  the 


i62     SAINTS    AND    FESTIVALS 

only  ceremony  that  need  be  noticed  is  the  blessing  of  the  fire  and 
the  paschal  candle.  For  this  purpose,  new  fire  (as  it  is  called),  is 
employed.  At  the  beginning  of  Mass  a  light,  from  which  the 
candles  and  the  charcoal  for  the  incense  is  enkindled,  is  struck 
from  a  flint  in  the  sacristy,  where  the  chief  sacristan  privately 
blesses  the  water,  the  fire,  and  the  five  grains  of  incense  which  are 
to  be  fixed  in  the  paschal  candle.  Formerly,  all  the  fires  in  Rome 
were  alighted  anew  from  this  holy  fire  but  this  is  now  naturally 
impossible  and  is  no  longer  even  thought  of.  After  the  service 
the  cardinal  vicar  proceeds  to  the  baptistry  of  St.  Peter's  where 
having  blessed  and  exorcised  the  water  for  baptism  and  dipped 
into  it  the  paschal  candle,  he  concludes  by  sprinkling  some  of  the 
water  on  the  people.  Catechumens  are  afterwards  baptised  and 
deacons  and  priests  are  ordained  and  the  tonsure  is  given. 


EASTER. 

The  Christian  Church  has  from  its  earliest  days  celebrated 
three  great  festivals :  Christmas,  Whitsuntide  and  this  queen  of 
festivals  —  Easter.  In  primitive  times  upon  the  morning  of  this 
joyous  day  when  Christians  met  they  saluted  each  other  by 
exclaiming  "  Christ  is  risen  ! "  to  which  the  friend  would  reply, 
"  Christ  is  risen,  indeed  ! "  Often  adding  "  And  hath  appeared 
unto  Simon."  This  beautiful  custom  was  once  common  among 
all  Christians  but  is  now  almost  obsolete  save  that  in  the  East  it 
is  still  retained  by  members  of  the  Greek  church. 

There  is  an  opinion  even  now  widely  held  by  many  Christians 
of  divers  creeds,  that  the  Holy  Apostles  ordained  the  anniversa- 
ries of  the  Passion,  Resurrection  and  Ascension  of  our  Lord,  and 
the  descent  of  the  Holy  Ghost  on  the  day  of  Pentecost,  and 
therefore  it  may  not  be  improbable  that  they  also  ordained  the 
celebration  of  Easter.  On  one  point  all  churchmen  agree  that 
the  observance  of  the  day  of  the  "  taking  away  of  the  Bride- 
groom "  was  kept  from  the  earliest  times  with  extraordinary 
humiliation  and  sanctity,  with  the  strictest  fasting  and  fervent 
prayer.  It  therefore  was  but  natural  that  the  fulfilment  of  their 


EASTER  163 

ardent  hope,  that  culminated  in  Christ's  wonderful  resurrection 
from  the  dead,  when  hope  became  certainty,  would  be  observed 
with  reverent  but  joyous  ceremonies.  What  form  those  glad 
ceremonies  took  on  none  now  knows ;  we  can  only  imagine  them. 
In  later  times  we  know  how  elaborate  they  became. 

With  that  tendency  to  realism  which  is  so  marked  in  the 
Miracle  plays  of  the  early  drama,  which  illustrated  scriptural  leg- 
ends and  the  suffering  of  the  martyrs  —  the  forerunner  of  the 
modern  drama  —  we  can  easily  understand  why  in  not  a  few  of 
the  oldest  churches  in  England  and  on  the  Continent  they  erected 
in  the  church  edifice  what  was  then  called  a  "  Holy  Sepulchre," 
or  tomb,  near  the  altar  and  which  at  Easter-tide  was  the  centre 
of  attraction  in  the  Easter  ceremonies.  These  were  of  wood  or 
stone  —  not  a  few  of  the  later  being  even  now  preserved  — 
supposed  to  represent  the  tomb  where  Joseph  of  Arimathea 
laid  our  Lord.  Some  like  that  at  Heckington  in  Lincolnshire 
in  England  (still  preserved)  are  very  elaborate.  This  one  just 
named  has  carved  figures  of  the  Roman  soldiers  either  on  guard, 
watching,  or  "  the  relief  "  sleeping  around  the  tomb.  More  com- 
monly, however,  these  "  Easter  sepulchres  "  were  only  "  sepul- 
chral recesses"  in  the  wall  by  the  side  of  the  chancel  near  the 
altar ;  but  not  a  few  of  these  were  real  tombs.  Before  these 
tombs  from  Good  Friday  till  the  dawn  of  Easter  when  the 
choir  broke  forth  in  that  glad  anthem  "  Christ  is  Risen"  a 
watch  was  kept  and  the  "  sepulchral  or  paschal  light "  was 
burned  and  the  guard  maintained  with  military  exactitude.  Prior 
to  the  Reformation  this  custom  was  invariable  in  all  churches  and 
even  after  that  the  custom  was  still  kept  up  in  not  a  few 
"  Reformed  "  churches,  but  like  many  another  old-time  ceremony, 
it  passed  into  desuetude  even  among  those  who  had  remained 
faithful  to  the  elder  church. 

With  the  advent  of  Easter  Day  the  church  services  began, 
varied  in  some  respects  according  to  locality  —  I  refer  to  the 
Reformed  church,  for  those  of  the  elder  church  were  invariable, 
and  continued  until  vespers. 

In  the  East  the  name  first  given  to  this  festival  was  "the 
paschal  feast,"  because  it  was  kept  at  the  same  time  as  the 


1 64   SAINTS   AND    FESTIVALS 

Pascha,  or  Jewish  Passover.  In  the  sixth  Ancyran  Canon  it  is 
called  the  "  Great  Day."  Just  how  the  festival  derived  its  name 
Easter  is  a  mooted  point  not  likely  to  be  settled  in  our  day. 
Some  suppose  it  was  derived  from  the  name  of  the  Saxon  goddess 
Eostre  whose  feast  was  celebrated  in  the  spring  about  the  same 
time  when  the  Christian  festival  was  observed  and  that  while  the 
character  of  the  ceremonies  was  wholly  changed,  the  name  was 
retained  from  prudential  reasons.  Others  believe  the  name  was 
derived  from  the  word  "Oster"  which  means  "rising."  The 
question  is  one  which  has  been  so  often  and  strenuously  discussed 
that  no  possible  good  can  come  from  entering  upon  it  here. 

The  feast  of  Easter  is  one  of  those  known  in  ecclesiastical  par- 
lance as  one  of  the  "movable  feasts."  While  there  never  has 
been  any  question  as  to  the  perfect  propriety  of  its  celebration 
and  but  slight  difference  as  to  the  character  of  its  observance,  as 
early  as  the  II.  century  of  the  Christian  era  very  great  diversity 
of  opinion  rose  as  to  the  proper  time  when  its  celebration  should 
take  place. 

In  the  churches  of  Asia  Minor  there  were  many  "Judaizing 
Christians  "  who  kept  the  paschal  feast  on  the  same  day  when 
the  Jews  kept  their  Passover,  that  being  on  the  I4th  of  Nisan,  the 
Jewish  month  corresponding  with  our  March  and  April.  The 
churches  of  the  West  knowing  that  the  resurrection  of  our  Lord 
took  place  on  Sunday,  and  in  order  to  more  effectually  distinguish 
their  paschal  feast  from  the  Jewish  Passover,  observed  it  on  the 
Sunday  following  the  i4th  of  Nisan.  Polycarp,  the  venerable 
Bishop  of  Smyrna,  who  had  celebrated  the  feast  with  St.  John  on 
the  I4th  of  Nisan  pleaded  that  this  proved  that  day  to  be  the  cor- 
rect one,  while  Anicetus,  Bishop  of  Rome,  adduced  the  practice 
of  SS.  Peter  and  Paul  of  observing  it  on  the  Sunday  after  the 
I4th  of  Nisan.  This  was  about  A.  D.  158. 

The  controversy  was  a  long  and  heated  one  since  neither 
party  would  grant  any  concessions  to  the  other.  Early  in  the 
IV.  century  the  matter  had  assumed  such  importance  that  the 
Emperor  Constantine  felt  it  his  duty  to  have  the  controversy  set- 
tled so  as  to  insure  uniformity  of  practice  in  the  future  by  both 
branches  of  the  church.  After  a  long  and  tedious  consideration 


EASTER    EM  BLEMS 


165 


of  the  whole  subject  the  great  (Ecumenical  Council  of  Nice  (A. 
D.  325)  decided  the  question  and  laid  down  the  rules  to  govern 
the  fixing  of  Easter  by  directing  "that  the  2ist  day  of  March 
should  be  accounted  the  vernal  equinox.  That  the  full  moon 
happening  upon  or  next  after  the  2ist  of  March  shall  be  taken 
for  the  full  moon  of  Nisan." 

"  That  the  Lord's  Day  next  following  first  full  moon  shall  be 
Easter  Day." 

"  But  if  the  full  moon  happens  on  Sunday  Easter  Day  shall  be 
the  Sunday  after." 

This  is  the  rule  now  observed.  But  it  was  long  after  the 
canon  of  the  Council  of  Nice  was  decreed  before  it  was  en- 
tirely effective,  for  the  history  of  the  Irish  Church  and  conse- 
quently of  the  Church  in  Scotland  that  as  late  as  the  VI.  century 
they  were  still  in  opposition  to  the  canon,  a  fact  which  proves 
how  deep  and  strong  the  feelings  of  churchmen  had  been. 

There  have  been  a  number  of  symbols  for 
the  resurrection  of  our  Lord  such  as  the 
Lion,  Phoenix  and  Peacock,  but  the  one 
above  all  others  universally  recognised  is 
that  which  is  known  in  Christian  art  and 
iconography  as  "  The  Resurrection  Cross,"  a 
cross  that  differs  from  all  others  of  the  large 
number  as  the  illustrations  here  show  it. 
It  is  this  cross  that  Christ  holds  when  rep- 
resented in  Christian  art  as  a  symbol  both 
when  rising  from  the  tomb  and  in  His  glori- 
ous ascension  into  Heaven.  It  is  no  longer 
the  tree  of  suffering  but  it  has  become  a 
staff,  and  those  sharp  pointed  ends  to  its 
arms  —  that  told  of  suffering  —  now  terminate  in  balls,  or  circles 
like  those  in  that  form  of  the  cross  known  as  "  The  Cross 
Pomme."  It  is  the  form  of  cross  almost  invariably  borne  by  the 
Agnus  Dei,  and  the  only  one  recognized  in  art  as  correct,  and 
we  find  it  even  on  the  Clog  Almanac  as  shown  in  the  illustration 
herewith.  It  is  in  fact  the  Cross  Triumphant  and  therefore,  the 
proper  symbol  of  Easter.  It  may  be  either  white,  silver  (repre- 


1 66     SAINTS   AND    FESTIVALS 

seating  white),  gold,  or  bright  yellow,  since  white  is  the  emblem 
of  purity,  innocence,  faith,  joy,  life  and  light.  While  yellow 
(pure)  and  gold  signify  God's  goodness 
and  also  faith.  A  dull  or  dingy  yellow 
being  on  the  contrary  symbolical  of  faith- 
lessness, deceit  and  evil.  It  is  for  this 
reason  Judas  is  almost  always  repre- 
sented in  art  clad  in  dirty  yellow. 

For  the  same  reasons  the  canonical 
colours  for  the  altar  upon  Easter  Day  are 
white,  gold  or  yellow.  Indeed  the  sym- 
bolism of  colours  for  all  holy  days  as 
recognised  by  the  Church  offers  a  beauti- 
ful lesson  for  those  who  can  read  it. 

As  might  be  naturally  expected  Easter  Day  at  Rome  is  an 
event  once  seen  will  never  be  forgotten.  It  is  a  full  half  cen- 
tury since  such  was  my  privilege ;  but  the  magnificent  solemnity 
of  that  Easter  at  St.  Peter's  lingers  in  my  memory  more  vividly 
than  any  of  the  many,  perhaps  more  gorgeous  pageants,  it  has 
fallen  to  my  lot  to  witness.  Of  course  the  magnificent  old  basilica 
was  in  holiday  attire.  The  altars  decked  in  fresh  rich  embroideries 
wonderful  to  behold  ;  the  lights  around  the  tomb  and  figures  of  St. 
Peter  after  their  temporary  extinction  were  once  more  ablaze  in  full 
glory,  and  the  music  beyond  compare  —  ravishing;  while  the  Pope 
who  had  been  brought  in,  in  state,  officiated  at  high  mass  at  the 
altar ;  but  all  these  externals  were  forgotten  in  the  solemn  gran- 
deur of  the  service.  Even  the  Pope  seated  in  his  Sedia  Gesta- 
toria,  with  his  vestments  blazing  in  gold  and  his  triple  crown  — 
typical  of  spiritual  power,  temporal  power  and  the  union  of  the 
two  —  and  the  wonderful  flabelli  (huge  fans  composed  of  ostrich 
feathers,  in  which  are  set  the  eye-like  parts  of  peacock  feathers  to 
signify  the  eyes  or  vigilance  of  the  church)  —  all  fade  for  the 
moment  from  sight  and  mind  amid  the  sanctity  of  the  ceremonies. 
We  entered  the  sacred  place  amid  the  boom  of  cannons  from  the 
castle  of  St.  Angelo  to  witness  a  pageant,  but  left  it  in  reverent 
silence  after  the  impressive  services. 

An   interesting  story  might  well  be  added  here  if  space  were 


EASTER   CUSTOMS  167 

allowed  regarding  Easter  customs  in  olden  days  in  every  country 
in  Europe  from  those  sweet-voiced  singers  which  wake  the  trav- 
eller in  the  Tyrol  on  Easter  morning  to  the  games  on  some  Eng- 
lish village  green.  But  it  would  fill  a  volume.  Everywhere  one 
feature  is  in  evidence,  the  "  pace,"  or  "  pascho,"  eggs,  typical  of 
both  the  mysterious  birth  and  resurrection  of  our  Lord.  In  no 
two  countries  exactly  the  same  yet  in  their  gorgeous  colouring  all 
are  alike ;  a  unique  feature  in  Tyrol  being  the  addition  of  original 
mottoes  written  upon  the  shell,  each  being  of  an  individual  char- 
acter to  fit  the  relations  between  donor  and  recipient.  Especial 
dishes  supposed  to  be  peculiarly  fitting  for  the  day  are  also  found 
in  many  countries,  as  in  England  tansy  cakes,  and  puddings  mark 
the  Easter  feast. 

With  Easter  Monday  in  earlier  days  in  England  there  began  a 
variety  of  rather  rough  games  in  which  all  partook,  one  being 
what  was  called  "lifting"  of  the  men  by  the  women,  a  compli- 
ment that  was  repaid  by  the  men  who  on  Tuesday  "  lifted"  the 
women.  The  process  being  for  two  —  men  or  women  —  to  make 
what  children  call  "  a  chair  "  by  crossing  hands,  into  which  the 
victim  was  lifted  by  others  and  carried  to  the  village  green,  when 
he,  or  she,  had  "  to  pay  the  carriage  "  as  they  termed  it,  a  forfeit 
which  those  gathered  there  decided. 

Since  Easter  is  a  movable  feast  and  therefore  no  fixed  date  can 
be  assigned  it  and  the  holy  days  that  precede  it,  I  have  chosen 
to  interpolate  their  stories  at  this  point  near  the  close  of  the  month 
of  March.  I  therefore  resume  the  Kalendar  of  the  Saints  which 
the  Christian  Church  has  chosen  to  honour  on 


MARCH   29th. 

Among  the  names  mentioned  this  day  is  one  St.  Mark,  a  Greek 
whose  name  while  it  appears  in  all  the  Greek  menologies,  I  do 
not  find  in  either  Roman  Martyrology  or  in  the  Kalendar  of  the 
Reformed  church.  Yet  his  authenticated  story  reveals  so  truly 
the  character  of  Julian  (the  Apostate)  that  I  select  it  from  others 
for  this  day. 


i68    SAINTS   AND    FESTIVALS 

When  Constantius  put  to  death  his  uncle,  Julius  Constantius, 
the  brother  of  Constantine  "  The  Great  "  together  with  his  eldest 
son,  the  two  younger  ones,  Gallus  and  Julian,  narrowly  escaped 
the  same  fate.  It  was  then  that  Mark,  who  had  known  these 
lads,  with  his  instinctive  dread  of  cruelty  and  bloodshed  had 
succored  and  concealed  them  till  their  danger  was  over. 

Ad  interim,  at  the  request  of  Constantius,  and  doubtless  in  full 
accord  with  his  own  feelings,  Mark  had  razed  a  magnificent  temple 
of  the  heathen  ;  one  held  in  especial  reverence  by  the  idolaters 
and  on  its  site  erected  a  Christian  church. 

When  at  length  Julian  became  the  Emperor  the  story  needs  no 
repetition  here  of  how  he  decreed  that  the  temples  which  the 
Christians  had  destroyed  should  be  rebuilt  at  their  expense. 
Thus  authorised  the  heathen  once  more  set  out  for  revenge  upon 
the  Christians.  How  vindictive,  historical  readers  know  too  well 
to  repeat  here  that  sad  story.  For  the  time  Mark  with  prudence 
hid  himself.  But  when  he  found  that  his  brethern  "  in  Christ  " 
were  being  made  to  suffer  for  his  own  acts  he  promptly  came  to 
the  front,  throwing  off  all  efforts  to  conceal  his  individual  respon- 
sibility to  shield  himself  thus  at  the  cost  of  others. 

One  shudders  at  the  torments  these  fiends  inflicted  upon  him 
without  thought  or  compassion  and  I  hesitate  to  record  even  a 
few  of  these  indignities.  How  they  stripped  him  naked  and  cast 
him  into  the  public  jakes  (cesspool),  from  which  they  drew  him 
only  to  add  to  his  torment  the  scourge  and  later,  after  smearing 
him  with  honey,  to  confine  him  in  an  open  iron  cage  to  be  at  the 
mercy  of  flies  and  wasps  on  a  hot,  midsummer  day  when  helpless 
—  because  of  his  shackled  hands  —  to  defend  himself  in  any  way 
from  these  pests.  The  Arch-fiend  could  hardly  have  invented  a 
greater  torment.  And  all  this  that,  under  an  edict  of  Julian  they 
might  exact  from  him  something  that  he  could  not  do  even  had 
he  wished  ;  to  rebuild  the  pagan  temple  which  under  orders,  he 
had  destroyed  ;  or  that  he  would  be  bound  to  make  his  fellow 
Christians  do  so.  Yet  this  Julian  whom  he  had  succored  and 
saved  from  death,  refused  to  interfere  or  in  any  way  alleviate  his 
suffering.  Throughout  it  all  Mark  had  borne  himself  so  meekly 
and  without  even  a  plea  for  leniency  that  at  last  the  brutes  them- 


S  T.  J  O  H  N   C  L  I  M  A  C  U  S        169 

selves  were  struck  with  admiration  and  relented  even  while  he 
was  still  preaching  to  them  the  words  of  Christ.  By  common 
consent  at  last  Mark  was  liberated  on  a  pledge  of  a  nominal  pay- 
ment for  his  act.  To  even  this,  he  protested  that  it  was  "  im- 
piety ; "  but  some  of  the  faithful  of  "  Arethusa "  came  to  his 
rescue  and  the  remainder  of  his  life  was  spent  in  still  teaching  the 
religion  that  had  enabled  him  to  bear  such  trials  and  he  died  in 
peace  in  this  same  city  about  the  middle  of  the  IV.  century. 


Beyond  doubt,  the  "  Semi-Arian  "  doctrines  he  held  had  rend- 
ered him  somewhat  obnoxious  to  the  Orthodox  and  Catholic 
Churchmen.  But  the  encomiums  paid  to  his  memory  by  SS. 
Gregory  Nazianzin,  Theodore  and  Sozomen,  when  at  the  last  he 
came  into  the  Orthodox  communion  are  ample  evidence  of  the 
purity  of  purpose  of  this  noted  Greek  to  entitle  him  to  a  high 
place  in  the  esteem  of  all  Christians. 


MARCH 

St.  John  Climacus,  whom  the  Church  honours  this  day  was 
born  in  Palestine  about  525.  He  received  his  surname  from  a 
most  remarkable  book  entitled  "  The  Climax  "  or  the  "  The  Ladder 
of  Perfection  "  which  it  is  said  is  still  extant  but  where  I  am 
unable  to  learn.  At  a  very  early  age  he  was  given  the  surname 
of  "  Scholastic "  for  his  remarkable  attainments.  While  he 
renounced  the  world  and  became  a  novice  at  the  age  of  sixteen, 
his  education  was  at  a  hermitage,  an  "  afranage  "  to  some  of  the 
many  monasteries  that  had  already  been  built  on  the  summit 
of  Mt.  Sinai,  under  the  care  of  an  ancient  anchorite  named  Mar- 
tyrius,  where  he  remained  for  nineteen  years  until  the  death  of 
his  tutor  in  560.  Like  so  many  of  the  holy  men  of  the  early 
Church  the  attractions  of  an  eremitical  life  were  too  great  for  him, 
and  after  the  death  of  his  loved  mentor  he  built  for  himself  a  cell 
in  the  plain  of  Thole  at  the  foot  of  Mt.  Sinai  and  five  miles  from 
the  church  which  had  been  erected  by  order  of  Emperor  Justinian 


1 70      SAINTS   AND   FESTIVALS 

in  honour  of  the  Blessed  Virgin.  Here  he  spent  his  days  in 
prayer  and  the  s'tudy  of  the  Scriptures  as  expounded  by  the 
Fathers,  and  became  one  of  the  most  learned  of  the  Doctors  of 
the  Church.  Here  he  remained  until  the  year  600  when  he  was 
chosen  as  Abbot  of  the  Monks  of  Mt.  Sinai.  His  legend  tells 
how  like  a  second  Elias,  during  a  period  of  great  drouth  he  by 
earnest  prayer  secured  for  the  famine  stricken  districts  an  abun- 
dant rain,  and  thus  saved  the  country  from  certain  starvation. 
He  built  a  hospital  for  the  use  of  pilgrims,  and  St.  Gregory  the 
Great,  then  upon  the  Pontifical  throne  aided  him  with  gifts  of 
money  and  furniture.  It  was  here  that  he  wrote  the  celebrated 
book  above  mentioned.  The  burden  of  his  office  at  the  end  of 
four  years  caused  him  to  resign  his  dignity  and  retire  once  more 
to  his  hermitage  where  he  died  the  next  year  (March  30,  605)  at 
the  ripe  age  of  four-score  years. 


MARCH 

Isdegerdes,  the  son  of  Sapor  III.,  put  an  end  to  the  cruel 
persecution  Sapor  II.  had  instituted  against  the  Christians  of 
Persia.  For  twelve  years  the  Church  enjoyed  immunity  until 
in  420,  a  Christian  bishop  named  Abdas  with  "  indiscreet "  zeal 
caused  the  destruction  of  the  Pyraeum  (temple  of  fire)  of  the 
great  divinity  of  Persia.  Thus  Isdegerdes'  anger  was  roused  and 
he  threatened  to  destroy  all  the  Christian  churches  in  Persia,  un- 
less the  temple  were  rebuilt,  a  thing  which  was  not  done  and  Isde- 
gerdes literally  carried  out  his  threat,  also  putting  Abdas  to  death. 
Isdegerdes  died  the  next  year  but  the  general  persecution  he 
began  against  all  Christians  was  kept  up  by  his  son  Varanes  and 
continued  for  forty  years  as  the  penalty  of  Abdas'  work. 

It  was  then  that  St.  Benjamin,  a  deacon  whose  name  appears  on 
this  day,  arose  in  defence  of  his  fellow  Christians.  It  is  only  the 
old,  old  story,  so  often  told  of  these  noble  champions  of  Christ's 
faith.  So  I  need  hardly  repeat  the  cruel  details.  How  he  could 
have  "  saved  himself  "  by  renouncing  his  belief.  But  the  heroic 
question  which  he  put  to  the  king,  when  brought  before  him,  is 


ST.    BENJ  AM  IN  171 

one  not  to  be  forgotten  :  "  What  opinion  he  would  have  of  any 
of  his  subjects  who  renounced  his  allegiance  to  him  and  joined  in 
a  war  against  him  ?  " 

I  cannot  recount  the  refinement  of  cruelty  with  which  this 
martyr  was  treated  from  "  reeds  run  under  his  finger-nails,"  and 
onward  through  tortures  it  seems  impossible  to  credit  —  yet  their 
record  is  undoubted  —  until  a  "  knotty  stake  driven  through  his 
bowels"  released  the  poor  sufferer  on  March  3151,  424. 


APRIL 


According  to  the  Kalendar  of  ancient  Alban,  the  year  con- 
sisted of  ten  months,  and  in  this  April  was  the  first  with  thirty-six 
days  in  it.  In  the  Kalendar  of  Romulus,  it  had  but  thirty  and 
was  regarded  as  "  Venus'  month  "  and  its  first  day  set  aside  as  a 
festal  day.  It  has,  therefore,  been  supposed  that  the  name  was 
given  it  from  "  Aphrilis  "  which  they  derived  from  the  Greek 
name  of  the  goddess  "  Aphrodite." 


APRIL  ist. 

If  modesty  was  a  virtue  to  entitle  any  one  to  become  a 
canonized  saint  then  St.  Hugh  erst-while  Bishop  of  Grenoble 
and  whom  the  Church  remembers  to-day  was  one  who  should 
not  be  forgotten.  He  was  the  son  of  a  loyal,  brave  soldier,  born 
in  the  territory  of  Valence  in  1053.  With  every  advantage  of 
family  and  social  station  to  make  a  worldly  life  attractive,  he,  to 
quote  from  his  legend,  "  from  the  cradle  appeared  to  be  a  child 
of  benediction."  He  went  through  his  course  of  studies  with  a 
degree  of  applause  from  which  he  shrunk.  As  it  was  through 
all  his  life  he  dreaded  personal  notice  even  though  he  must 
have  been  aware  of  his  remarkable  attainments  in  many  branches 
of  learning.  He  had  early  accepted  a  canonry  in  the  Cathedral  of 
Valence  in  order  that  he  might  devote  his  life  to  the  service  of 
religion  and  his  fellow  men,  and  wholly  without  either  the  wish  or 
hope  of  ecclesiastical  preferment.  But  in  the  church  as  it  is  in 
the  world  at  large,  great  merit  cannot  hide  itself  even  if  it 
tries  and  is  also  sure  to  be  acknowleged.  Thus  it  was  when 
Hugh,  Bishop  of  Die  and  afterward  Archbishop  of  Lyons  came 


ST.    FRANCIS   OF    PAULA    173 

to  Valence  he  would  not  be  content  until  the  young  man  became 
a  member  of  his  own  household. 

We  cannot  follow  in  detail  all  the  story  of  Hugh's  life  until  the 
Synod  of  1080  at  Avignon  when  he  was  named  Bishop  of 
Grenoble,  nor  yet  the  state  in  which  he  found  his  new  diocese  so 
sunk  in  sin ;  or  how  church  lands  had  been  usurped  by 
laymen,  and  the  herculean  task  he  was  confronted  with,  or  how 
bravely  he  performed  all  these  duties.  He  prayed  Innocent  II. 
for  leave  to  resign  so  arduous  a  task  but  could  not  obtain 
consent  and  so  patiently  fulfilled  his  duty  until  called  to  his 
reward  April  ist,  1132.  So  holy  had  been  his  life  that  he  was 
canonized  in  1134  by  Innocent  II. 


APRIL  2d. 

In  St.  Francis  of  Paula  who  is  commemorated  this  day  we 
have  an  interesting  example  of  the  truth  that  pure  goodness 
belongs  to  no  rank  or  station  in  life  but  is  largely  the  result  of 
environment  and  often  the  outgrowth  of  early  training  in  the 
home  circle.  Francis  was  born  in  1416  at  Paula,  a  small  city 
near  the  Tyrrhenian  sea,  in  Calabria  midway  between  Naples  and 
Reggio.  His  parents,  poor  peasants  but  God  fearing  and  loving 
people,  whose  sole  wish  in  life  was  to  so  bring  up  their  child  that 
he  should  also  be  like  them  and  also  have  what  they  had  not 
received,  an  education.  For  this  last  purpose,  when  he  was 
thirteen  years  of  age  they  placed  him  in  the  Franciscan  monas- 
tery at  St.  Mark's,  the  episcopal  town  of  their  province.  Two 
years  later  he  returned  not  to  his  own  home  but  to  a  cell  built  for 
him  in  the  neighbourhood.  Here,  young  as  he  was,  he  spent  five 
years  in  solitary  prayer  and  reflection  ;  at  which  time  he  was 
joined  by  two  companions.  Thus  was  the  foundation  laid  for 
the  Order  of  the  Minims  which  seventeen  years  later  was  to 
take  form.  Meantime  they  had  received  many  accessions  from 
devout  young  men  and  in  1454  by  the  consent  of  the  Archbishop 
of  Cosenza  a  church  and  monastery  was  built  for  these  de- 


174      SAINTS   AND    FESTIVALS 

voted  self-sacrificing  men  and  a  "  community  "  was  formed,  the 
chief  tenets  were  "  penance,  charity  and  humility."  They  also 
observed  "  a  perpetual  Lent "  and  always  abstained  not  only 
from  all  flesh  food  but  also  from  all  "  white  meats  "  (food  made 
from  milk  such  as  cheese,  butter,  etc.)  as  well  as  from  eggs, 
which  the  ancient  canons  of  the  Church  forbid  being  used  in 
Lent.  But  charity  was  the  true  motto  of  the  Minims,  and  as 
far  as  possible  to  do  this  charity  in  secret.  Personally  Francis 
even  from  boyhood  had  sedulously  sought  seclusion  from  the 
world  and  his  "  humility  ''  was  his  most  marked  characteristic  for 
he  assumed  nothing  for  himself.  The  Order  which  he  had  thus 
founded  from  an  insignificant  following  of  two  was  first  approved 
by  the  Archbishop  of  Cosenza  in  1471.  Pope  Sixtus  IV.  con- 
firmed it  by  a  bull  on  May  23d,  1474,  making  Francis  "  Superior- 
General."  It  was  at  that  time  composed  chiefly  of  laymen  with 
but  one  priest,  Balthasas  de  Spino  afterward  Confessor  to  Pope 
Innocent  VIII.,  but  in  1476  new  houses  for  the  Order  began  to 
be  established  which  gradually  increased  in  number  until  in 
1480  Ferdinand,  King  of  Naples,  offended  at  some  wholesome 
reprimand  Francis  had  given  him  and  his  sons,  caused  his  arrest 
"  for  having  built  monasteries  without  royal  consent."  Through 
the  influence  of  a  younger  son  of  the  King,  Prince  Frederick  of 
Tarentum,  the  order  for  arrest  was  rescinded. 

Francis'  gift  of  prophecy  was  remarkable.  In  1447-8  and  9 
he  foretold  the  taking  of  Constantinople  by  the  Turks,  an  event 
that  took  place  May  29th,  1453.  He  also  foretold  the  fall  of 
Otranto  —  the  key  of  the  Kingdom  of  Naples, —  which  was 
taken  by  the  infidels  three  months  later  on  August  3ist,  1480, 
while  he  promised  success  to  the  Christians  later,  which  was  ful- 
filled the  next  year  when  the  Turks  were  driven  out  of  Italy. 
But  I  must  not  prolong  the  list  of  his  prophecies. 

On  Palm  Sunday  1508  he  was  taken  ill  with  a  fever  and  died 
April  2d,  of  that  year,  at  the  extreme  age  of  ninety-one.  He 
was  canonized  by  Leo  X.  in  1519.  In  1562,  the  Hugenots  sacked 
the  church  of  Plessis-les-Tours,  where  his  remains  had  been 
buried,  and  after  many  indignities  offered  to  the  body  burned  it 
in  a  fire  made  from  a  large  wooden  crucifix.  Not  the  only  work 


ST.   AEBBA  175 

of  the  kind  which  was  done  by  the  more  fanatical  of  this  noted 
body  of  men  as  will  be  recorded  in  these  pages. 


Another  saint  whose  anniversary  falls  on  this  day  was  a 
noted  Scotch  Abbess,  Aebba  or  Ebba  who  was  the  daughter  of 
King  Aedilfrid,  and  sister  of  Kings  Oswald  and  Oserin.  Her 
monastery  was  a  double  one,  with  distinct  communities  for  men 
and  women  —  as  Skene  in  his  "  Celtic  Scotland  "  describes  it  — 
and  was  founded  by  Aiden  the  first  Columban  bishop  in  Scotland. 
In  passing  let  me  say  Columba  was  an  Irish  priest  and  at  great 
self-sacrifice  became  the  first  Christian  missionary  to  the  Picts  in 
Scotland  and  thus  founded  the  Christian  Church  in  the  northern 
part  of  Britain. 

St.  Ebba's  monastery  Bede  (the  Saxon  historian)  located  at 
"  Urbs  Coludi,"  the  Saxon  equivalent  for  Coldingaham  now 
called  Coldingham  and  was  built  on  a  rock  overhanging  the  sea  a 
short  way  south  from  St.  Abb's  Head  —  which,  by  the  way,  was 
named  for  St.  Aebba.  The  monastery  was  destroyed  by  the 
Danes  in  870,  but  when  Edgar,  the  son  of  the  Saxon  Queen 
Margaret  came  to  the  throne  in  1093,  he  by  aid  of  the  English 
refounded  the  monastery  at  Coldingham. 

Aebba  from  all  reports  was  a  woman  of  great  beauty  and 
when  the  Danes  assaulted  the  monastery  and  it  was  certain  that 
they  must  become  prisoners  of  the  vile  and  lustful  invaders  who 
respected  no  woman  the  Abbess  assembled  the  nuns  in  the  chap- 
ter house  and  telling  them  the  fate  which  awaited  them  if  these 
brutal  Danes  ever  secured  their  persons  unimpaired,  the  Abbess 
deliberately  mutilated  her  own  face  by  cutting  off  her  nose  and 
lips.  The  nuns  all  followed  her  example  and  when  at  last  the 
invaders  were  in  possession  of  the  monastery  and  after  they  had 
plundered  it  they  sought  out  the  nuns  to  gratify  their  baser  pas- 
sions but  the  horrible  spectacle  of  those  mutilated  faces  so 
angered  and  disgusted  them  that  they  penned  the  helpless 
women  within  their  cells  and  set  the  house  on  fire,  the  nuns  all 
being  literally  burned  alive  but  saved  true  to  their  vows.  It  is 
one  of  those  horrible  pictures  of  early  Scotch  warfare  like  that 


1 76     SAINTS   AND    FESTIVALS 

Mariannus  describes  when  Thorkil  Fosti  burned  Duncans  Gen- 
eral Moddan  in  his  "  Rath."* 


APRIL  3d. 

St.  Richard,  Bishop  of  Chichester,  England,  of  whom  we  are 
about  to  speak  and  whose  anniversary  occurs  this  day  must  not  be 
confounded  with  other  saints  of  the  same  name  since  there  are 
no  less  than  four  whose  names  will  appear  in  these  Kalendars. 

St.  Richard  died  April  3d,  A.  D.  1253. 
He  was  born  at  Wich  now  called  Droitwich 
near  to  Worcester.  He  was  a  student  at 
Oxford  and  later  at  Paris  and  Bologna.  After 
his  return  to  England  he  was  Chancellor  of 
the  University  of  Oxford  and  created  Bishop 
of  Chichester  in  1245  though  bitterly  op- 
posed by  King  Henry  III.  who  was  so  in- 
censed at  his  election  that  he  confiscated  the 
entire  revenues  of  the  see,  leaving  the  bishop 
so  utterly  helpless  that  he  was  dependent 
even  for  the  necessities  of  life  upon  the 
benevolence  of  others.  He,  however,  main- 
tained his  position  and  went  about  his  diocese 
from  town  to  village  discharging  his  episco- 
pal duties  with  conscientious  fidelity.  After 
two  years  of  these  privations  King  Henry 
under  threats  of  excommunication  from 
Pope  Innocent  III.  was  compelled  to  restore  the  revenues  of  the 
see.  He  was  not  only  a  man  of  great  piety  and  fervent  zeal,  but 
possessed  a  remarkable  degree  of  executive  ability  by  which  his 
diocese  profited  largely. 

His  election  as  bishop  was  marked  by  an  extraordinary  event. 
During  the  celebration  of  the  Holy  Eucharist  either  from  faint- 
ness  or  fatigue  St.  Richard  fell  while  holding  in  his  hand  the 
chalice  filled  with  consecrated  wine ;  but  miraculously  the  sacred 


*  Fortress 


ST.  AMBROSE  177 

wine  was  preserved  and  not  a  drop  spilled.  For  this  in  Christian 
art,  St.  Richard  holds  a  chalice  as  his  emblem  but  in  the  Clog 
Almanacs  he  has  a  plough-share  to  distinguish  his  day.  Possibly 
a  quaint  conceit  to  typify  his  labours  in  the  field  of  Christ. 


APRIL  4th. 

St.  Ambrose,  Bishop  of  Milan,  Confessor  and  Doctor,  died  on 
April  4th,  A.  D.  397.  In  the  entire  Kalendar  of  the  Saints  of  the 
Christan  Church  there  are  few  names  more  deserving  of  especial 
note,  than  that  of  St.  Ambrose.  This  ex- 
traordinary man  so  statesmanlike,  practical 
and  benevolent,  even  if  somewhat  despotic, 
was  one  in  whose  person  this  priestly 
character  assumed  an  importance  and  dignity 
which  till  then  had  been  seldom  met  with. 
He  was  the  son  of  a  prefect  of  Gaul  and 
was  born  at  Treves  December  7th,  340. 
Paulinus  relates  that  while  yet  in  his  cradle 
a  swarm  of  bees  settled  upon  his  lips  with- 
out injuring  him  — just  as  a  similar  story  is 
told  of  Plato  and  also  of  Archilocus  —  a  pro- 
phecy of  his  future  eloquence.  It  is  from 
this  circumstance  St.  Ambrose  is  always  rep- 
resented in  Christian  art  with  a  bee-hive 
near  him. 

Young  Ambrose  was  educated  at  Rome  and  at  an  early  age 
was  appointed  prefect  of  Aemilea  and  Liguria  (Piedmont  and 
Genoa)  and  in  this  capacity  had  resided  for  five  years  in  Milan, 
when  in  A.  D.  374  Auxentius,  Bishop  of  Milan,  died.  Just  at  this 
time  the  Church  was  badly  disturbed  by  the  contending  factions  of 
the  Arian  and  Orthodox  beliefs  and  naturally  the  election  of  a  new 
bishop  was  an  important  event,  since  it  meant  victory  to  the 
faction  that  elected  its  bishop,  A  tumult,  almost  akin  to  a  riot 
was  in  progress  when  Ambrose,  as  prefect  appeared  on  the  scene 
at  the  church  where  the  people  were  assembled.  By  his  per- 


1 78    SAINTS   AND    FESTIVALS 

suasive  eloquence  the  excited  multitude  was  soon  hushed  into 
silence  when  he  exhorted  them  to  peace  and  submission  to  the 
laws.  But  he  had  hardly  ceased  speaking  before  the  cry  was 
raised  :  "  Ambrose  shall  be  our  bishop."  The  cry  was  echoed 
by  all  in  spite  of  his  protests  and  attempted  flight.  He  pleaded 
that  although  he  was  a  professed  Christian,  he  had  never  been 
baptized.  The  people  would  accept  no  excuse  and  eight  days 
later,  having  received  the  rite  of  baptism  he  was  duly  consecrated 
Bishop  of  Milan.  He  at  once  distributed  his  worldly  goods 
among  the  poor  to  render  himself  worthy  of  the  new  and  higher 
dignity  of  his  office.  The  grandeur  and  magnificence  with  which 
he  invested  the  sacred  services  of  the  church  would  alone  have 
made  his  name  memorable.  He  was  a  great  lover  of  music  and 
it  was  he  who  introduced  the  antiphonal  method  of  chanting  the 
service,  since  called  the  Ambrosian  chant. 

His  was  no  undecided  character.  What  he  believed  he  taught 
in  the  clearest  and  plainest  words.  His  views  upon  "  Celibacy  " 
for  both  sexes  were  very  strong  and  he  advocated  them  in  such 
eloquent  terms  that  it  is  said  that  the  mothers  of  Milan  used  to 
shut  up  their  daughters  "  lest  they  should  be  seduced  by  the  per- 
suasive eloquence  of  the  enthusiastic  bishop,  into  taking  on  them- 
selves vows  of  chastity." 

Another  point  which  in  the  days  of  Ambrose  was  but  the 
assertion  of  the  might  of  Christianity  over  heathenism  and 
tyranny ;  but  which  has  since  caused  infinite  trouble  and  even 
bloodshed  was  the  setting  of  ecclesiastical  over  sovereign  or 
civil  power.  How  he  acted  up  to  his  convictions,  is  shown 
by  his  treatment  of  the  Emperor  Maximus  and  even  more  so 
in  his  famous  conflict  with  the  Emperor  Theodosius  so  fully 
told  in  history  that  the  details  need  not  be  repeated  beyond 
calling  attention  to  the  fact  that  in  hot-headed  anger  over  the 
death  of  Bothius,  an  imperial  officer  in  Thessalonia  who  had 
been  killed  in  a  seditious  riot,  Theodosius  caused  seven 
thousand  men,  women  and  children,  the  most  of  whom  were 
wholly  innocent,  to  be  slain.  For  this  cruel  act  and  the  staining 
his  hands  with  innocent  blood  the  bishop  wrote  the  emperor 
that  famous  letter,  which  by  its  plain  unvarnished  truths  fearlessly 


LEGENDS   OF   AMBROSE     179 

spoken  —  but  then  an  unheard  of  act  —  first  struck  terror  into 
the  hearts  of  churchmen  then  won  for  Ambrose  undisguised 
admiration.  Nor  did  the  noble  bishop  stop  there,  but  he 
interdicted  the  emperor  from  even  entering  the  church  edifice, 
in  fact  excommunicated  him.  The  emperor  pleaded  the 
example  of  David :  "  Then,"  said  the  bishop,  "  imitate  him 
in  his  repentance  as  well  as  his  sin."  How  Theodosius 
threatened  and  Ambrose  stood  firm,  is  historic  and  when  at 
last  Ruffinius  informed  him :  "  The  emperor  is  coming,"  and 
the  brave  cleric  replied :  "  I  will  not  hinder  him  ;  yet  if  he  will 
play  the  king  I  will  offer  him  my  throat ; "  is  authentic  as  is 
the  final  denouement  at  once  dramatic  and  remarkable  when  the 
powerful  emperor,  clad  in  sack-cloth  bowed  before  the  stern 
representative  of  the  church  saying :  "  I  come  to  offer  myself 
and  submit  to  what  you  prescribe." 

What  a  picture  this !  To  quote  Mrs.  Jameson's  words : 
"  Grovelling  on  the  earth,  with  dust  and  ashes  on  his  head  lay 
the  master  of  the  world  before  the  altar  of  Christ  because  of  inno- 
cent blood  hastily  and  wrongfully  shed." 

The  following  illustration  from  "  Callot's  Images "  shows 
St.  Ambrose  as  he  usually  is  represented  in  art  with  the  "  bee- 
hive" and  the  kneeling  figure  is  Emperor  Theodosius,  making 
his  submission  to  the  bishop.  A  "  triple  scourge  "  in  the  hands 
of  St.  Ambrose  is  sometimes  added  to  these  pictures  referring  to 
the  punishment  of  Theodosius. 

The  poetical  legends  and  apologues  related  regarding  St. 
Ambrose  are  almost  endless,  but  all  testify  to  his  wonderful 
character  and  worth  and  not  a  few  to  his  marvelous  gift  of  pro- 
phecy. 

Ambrose  pleaded  with  the  Prefect  Macedonius  for  a  condemned 
wretch  but  was  refused,  when  he  said  :  "  Thou,  even  thou,  shalt 
fly  to  the  church  for  refuge  and  shalt  not  enter."  This  prophecy 
was  literally  fulfilled. 

Again  on  a  visit  to  a  Tuscan  nobleman  Ambrose  inquired  as  to 
the  state  of  his  host,  who  replied  :  "  I  have  never  known  adversity, 
every  day  hath  seen  me  increasing  in  fortune,  honour  and  posses- 
sions. I  have  a  numerous  family  of  sons  and  daughters  who 


i8o     SAINTS   AND   FESTIVALS 

have  never  caused  me  a  pang  of  sorrow.  *  *  *  I  have  never 
suffered  with  sickness  or  pain,"  and  more  to  the  same  purport. 

"  Arise  !  "  cried  Am- 
brose :  "  Fly  from  this 
roof  ere  it  fall  on  us,  for 
tne  Lord  is  not  here," 
and  the  prelate  hastily 
rising  from  the  table  fled  ; 
scarcely  had  he  left  the 
house  and  escaped  in 
safety  when  an  earth- 
quake swallowed  the 
castle  and  all  who  were 
within  it. 

It  is  told  that  Honorat, 
Bishop    of    Vercelli,   at- 
tended Ambrose  upon  his 
S.  AMBROSE.  death-bed,     and     having 

gone  to  sleep  an  angel  wakened  him  saying  :  "  Arise  !  for  he  de- 
parts in  this  hour,"  and  Honorat  had  barely  time  to  administer 
the  sacrament  when  Ambrose  expired. 

After  St.  Ambrose  was  canonized  he  became  the  patron  saint  of 
Milan.  The  Basilica  of  Tant  Ambrogio  Maggiore  founded  by 
the  bishops  in  387  in  honour  of  St.  Ambrose  is  one  of  the  oldest 
and  most  interesting  churches  in  Christendom. 

St.  Ambrose  was  one  of  what  are  known  as  the  "  Four  Latin 
Fathers  of  the  Church,"  the  others  being  SS.  Jerom,  Augustin 
and  Gregory. 


THE  EASTER  OCTAVE. 

The  first  Sunday  after  Easter  concluded  the  paschal  feast  and 
was  long  observed,  with  but  little  less  ceremony  than  Easter 
itself.  On  this  day  the  neophytes,  or  newly  baptised  persons  laid 
aside  their  white  garments  and  committed  them  to  the  repository 
of  the  church. 


CROSSES  181 

From  the  fact  this  day  completed  the  "  Octave,"  it  received  the 
name  "  Octave  of  Easter  "  ;  but  on  account  of  the  ceremony  just 
alluded  to,  it  was  also  known  as  the  "  Sunday  of  Albes ''  (gar- 
ments of  white)  and  is  mentioned  by  St.  Augustine  as  such,  in 
one  of  his  sermons  on  the  observance  of  the  day. 


SAINTS   AND   SAINT   DAYS. 

In  an  edition  of  Roman  Martyrology  the  original  of  which  was 
first  published  under  Gregory  XIII.,  the  Most  Reverend  Arch- 
bishop of  Baltimore  in  1869  writes  in  the  introduction  :  "If  the 
world  has  its  '  Legions  of  Honour '  why  should  not  also,  the 
Church  of  the  Living  God  ?  " 

The  question  is  not  only  pertinent  but  it  can  have  only  one 
answer.  The  holy  men  and  women  who  in  the  early  days  of  the 
Christian  Church,  whether  they  shed  their  blood  as  martyrs  for 
their  faith  in  Christ,  or  devoted  their  lives  to  deeds  of  love  and 
charity,  sacrificing  those  things  men  held  most  dear  in  life, 
home,  friends,  ambition  and  personal  comfort  for  the  good  of 
their  fellow  men,  are  as  truly  heroes  and  heroines  as  those  who 
have  won  fame  and  immortal  names  in  history  by  valiant  deeds  on 
fields  of  battle,  or  by  their  sacrifice  for  their  love  of  country,  and 
it  was  beyond  doubt  this  feeling  which  led  the  Fathers  of  the 
early  Churches  to  bestow  this  recognition  of  their  worth  on  their 
memories ;  just  as  we  set  aside  a  day  in  memory  of  men  like 
Washington  and  Lincoln  and  which  make  us  as  the  anniversaries 
of  each  come  round,  recall  their  virtues  and  the  sacrifices  they 
made  and  learn  a  personal  lesson  from  their  lives.  This  is  the 
true  spirit  of  what  we  term  saint's  days. 


Only  a  very  few  of  the  holy  men  who  have  filled  the  pontificate 
and  were  later  canonized  have  any  especial  symbols  or  emblems 
in  most  cases  the  usual  "  Triple  Cross  "  being  used.  For  this 
reason  it  is  well  to  understand  the  significance  of  crosses 
having  more  than  one  transverse  bar  or  arm  and  which  are 


182      SAINTS  AND    FESTIVALS 


known  as   "Ecclesiastical  crosses."     The  cross  when  worn  by  a 

prelate  or  it  is  given  him  as  an  emblem,  is  as  an  insignia  of  rank, 
(pectoral)  or  when  carried  before  him  (pro- 
cessional) as  indicative  of  jurisdiction.  The 
greater  the  number  of  these  bars  or  arms, 
the  higher  the  rank  and  wider  the  jurisdic- 
tion of  the  person  to  whom  it  is  assigned. 
The  triple  cross  in  the  illustration  is  that  of 
the  Pope  and  corresponds  with  the  mitre. 
The  first  bar  signifies 
jttrisdictio  temporalis  ; 
the  second  jurisdictio 
in  ecclestam  militant  em  ; 
third  jurisdictio  in 
ecclesiam  patientem. 
This  cross  is  of  Greek 
origin  and  aside  from 
this  indication  of  rank 

and  power  has  no  especial  significance. 

The  cross  with  two  transverse  bars  as  in  the  illustration,  is 

assigned  to  archbishops  and  bishops. 


APRIL   sth. 

The  names  of  two  Irish  saints  find  a  place  in  the  Kalendar  for 
this  day,  SS.  Tigernach  and  Becan.  But  unfortunately  for  our 
chronicles  in  but  a  limited  number  of  cases  is  there  much  reliable 
information  to  be  had  regarding  Irish  saints,  owing  to  the  mass  of 
mythical  romance  which  the  early  Irish  writers  mixed  with  their 
facts.  Therefore  in  each  of  the  two  I  mention  I  must  eliminate 
pages  of  the  matter  before  me. 

St.  Tigernach  was  the  son  of  Corbre,  "  a  famous  general,  and 
his  mother  Dearfraych  was  the  daughter  of  an  Irish  King  named 
Eochod  ;  *  *  *  *  he  was  baptised  by  Coulathe  Bishop  of  Kildare, 
and  St.  Brigide  was  his  God-mother.  As  we  know  the  kidnapping 
of  youths  and  maidens  in  both  Britain  and  Ireland  for  the  pur- 


ST.   SIXTUS 


183 


pose  of  selling  them  into  slavery  was  a  common  custom,  St. 
Patrick  being  such  a  victim.  According  to  his  legend  Tigernach 
thus  fell  into  the  hands  of  pirates  and  was  taken  to  Britain  where 
he  was  sold  to  a  British  King."  Here  follows  a  story  too  myth- 
ical to  be  worthy  of  being  accepted  as  fact,  except  that  the 
youth  became  such  a  favourite  with  the  King  that  he  was  placed  at 
school  in  the  monastery  of  Rosnat ;  for  in  the  VI.  century  the 
monastery  was  the  only  school  in  Britain,  or,  for  that  matter  any- 
where. And  thus  we  again  have  presented  to  us  the  debt  due  to 
the  early  Christian  Church  in  their  effort  to  educate  the  peoples. 
The  story  of  his  manumission  —  if  I  may  use  the  word  —  is  also 
somewhat  mythical  for  he  seems  to  have  been  a  somewhat  "  mau- 
vat's  sujet,"  for  we  are  told  :  "  he  was  after  his  return  to  Ireland 
compelled  to  receive  episcopal  consecration  "  and  later,  that  "  he 
refused  to  administer  the  see  of  Clogher  which  had  been  con- 
ferred upon  him  "  in  506.  Yet  he  must  have  had  "  the  root  of 
this  matter  in  him,"  for  he  soon  built  the  Abbey  of  Cluanois  in 
the  County  Monaghan  "  where  he  taught  a  great  multitude  to 
serve  God  in  primitive  purity  and  simplicity."  In  his  old  age  he 
became  blind,  but  still  continued  to  minister  to  his  people  until 
his  death  in  550. 


St.  Becan  the  other  saint  named  this 
day  was  also  of  royal  blood  being  of 
the  regal  family  of  Munster,  and  his 
name  appears  as  one  of  "  The  Twelve 
Apostles  of  Ireland." 


APRIL  6th. 

St.  Sixtus  (or  Xistus)  Pope  and 
Martyr  is  remembered  on  April  6th. 
He  was  one  of  the  primitive  fathers 
of  the  Church  chosen  in  1 19  and  dying 
in  128.  He,  like  all  of  the  Popes,  has  for  his  symbol  the  triple 
cross. 


184     SAINTS    AND    FESTIVALS 

This  is  also  the  anniversary  of  another  of  the  Fathers,  St. 
Celestine  I.,  Pope,  who  died  in  432.  A  native  of  Rome  and  a 
man  who  held  a  high  place  in  the  esteem  not  alone  of  his  fellow 
clergy,  but  of  all  who  knew  him.  On  the  death  of  Pope  Boniface 
in  422  Celestine  was  the  unanimous  choice  of  the  people  as  his 
successor.  It  was  this  Pope  who  sent  St.  Palladius  to  the  Scots 
of  North  Britain  and  St.  Patrick  to  Ireland.  He  was  especially 
active  in  suppressing  the  Pelagian  heresy  in  Britain.  He  died 
August  i,  432,  but  his  festival  has  been  fixed  for  this  day.  The 
Clog  symbol  above  is  from  the  English  sticks,  the  Danish  have 
none  for  this  day. 


APRIL  7th 

Is  the  saint-day  of  St.  Albert,  Recluse  Bishop  of  Vercelli  and 
Patriarch  of  Jerusalem.  He  was  a  man  of  deep  piety  but  his 
devotions  from  early  life  were  devoid 
of  ostentation  and  while  he  attended 
public  worship  his  secret  and  private 
devotions  were  far  more  frequent  and 
it  was  this  that  led  him  to  become  a 
recluse  in  the  monastery  of  Cropin 
where  bread  was  seldom  tasted,  herbs 
being  their  chief  diet  and  a  fire  was 
unknown  or  "  any  food  dressed  by  a 
fire,"  says  Butler  in  his  "  Lives  of  the 
Saints."  Later  he  founded  the 
"  Order  of  Carmelites."  He  was 
murdered  at  Acre  when  on  his  way  to 
Rome,  and  is  given  "the  palm  branch,"  as  a  symbol. 


It  is  also  the  day  set  aside  for  St.  Francis  Xavier,  Apostle  of 
India.  This  noted  Jesuit  was  born  April  yth,  1506,  at  the  base  of 
the  Pyrenees  on  the  Spanish  side  and  curiously,  not  far  from  which 
the  man  who  was  to  mould  his  life,  Ignatius  Loyola,  was  then  liv- 
ing. Xavier  was  educated  at  the  University  of  Paris  where  he 


ST.    FRANCIS   XAVIER        185 

later  lectured.  When  Loyola  came  first  to  Paris  Xavier  rejected 
his  advances  but  when  one  day,  exultant  over  a  remarkably  suc- 
cessful lecture,  Loyola  let  drop  the  words  :  "  What  shall  it  profit  a 
man  if  he  gain  the  whole  world  and  lose  his  own  soul  ?  "  he  was 
startled  by  the  thought  and  he  sought  out  the  man  he  had 
repulsed.  We  all  know  the  result  and  how  from  an  humble 
quartette  of  earnest  young  men  the  Society  of  Jesuits  originated  in 
1 540  and  his  selection  as  a  missionary  to  India  and  the  wonderful 
results.  Also  how  he  then  journeyed  on  to  India  intending  to 
push  on  to  China  and  how  at  last,  by  treachery  he  was  cast  on  the 
barren  island  of  Samian  in  sight  of  the  mainland  of  China,  and 
there  died.  The  pathetic  story  of  noble  work  and  self-sacrifice 
have  been  too  often  told  to  need  repetition.  It  is  one  continued 
story  of  heroism  in  the  cause  of  Christ  and  an  almost  endless  list 
of  miracles  are  credited  to  him.  He  was  canonized  in  1662  and 
in  1747,  by  a  Papal  brief,  was  made  the  patron  saint  of  East 
Indies  His  death  occurred  December  3d,  1553. 


APRIL   8th. 

Of  the  several  names  mentioned  in  the  Roman  Church  Kalen- 
dar  for  honour  this  day  that  of  the  Blessed  Albert,  Patriarch  of 
Jerusalem,  presents  an  interesting  story.  He  was  an  Italian  by 
birth  from  the  diocese  of  Parma  and  of  a  noble  family.  Highly 
educated  he  was  a  proficient  in  canon  and  civil  laws ;  he  received 
the  habit  of  "  a  canon  regular  "  in  the  Carmelite  monastery  of 
Mortuva;  later  was  made  Bishop  of  Bobio  and  afterward  of  Ver- 
celli,  over  which  latter  see  he  presided  for  twenty  years.  His 
knowledge  and  integrity  were  recognised  when  he  was  chosen  to 
arbitrate  the  differences  between  Clement  III.  and  Emperor 
Frederick  I.,  surnamed  Barbarossa,  Emperor  of  Germany ;  and 
when  Henry  VI.,  successor  of  Frederick,  created  him,  "  a  Prince 
of  the  Empire."  In  1204  Monochus  the  eleventh  Latin  Patriarch 
of  Jerusalem  died  and  Innocent  III.  selected  Albert  as  his  succes- 
sor. But  as  Jerusalem  was  in  the  hands  of  the  Saracens  when  in 
1206  Albert  arrived  at  Aeon,  he  made  this  city  the  seat  of  his  see. 


1 86    SAINTS   AND   FESTIVALS 

As  legislator  of  the  Carmelites  (or  White  Friars)  he  compiled  the 
rules  of  the  Order. 

There  is  a  curious  fact  connected  with  the  Carmelite  Order 
not  generally  known  by  the  laymen  of  the  Church,  and  I  repeat  it 
for  their  benefit  since  clerics  must  of  course  be  familiar  with 
it. 

It  is  said  that  from  the  time  of  Elias  the  Prophet  his  successors 
had  uninterruptedly  as  hermits  occupied  Mount  Carmel  where  the 
Carmelites  had  their  house.  That  these  hermits  having  embraced 
Christianity,  continued  their  succession  to  the  XII.  century  when 
the  Order  began  to  extend  its  work  into  wider  fields.  This  suc- 
cession was  long  a  contested  point  and  neither  Popes  Innocent  X. 
or  XII.  were  willing  to  decide;  while  the  latter,  by  a  brief  dated 
November  29th,  1698,  "enjoined  silence,  on  the  subject."  Yet  this 
is  the  legend  as  it  is  found  in  ancient  ecclesiastical  history. 

In  1214  Albert  was  summoned  into  the  West  by  Pope  Innocent 
III.  to  attend  a  "  Council  of  Lateran  "  which  was  to  meet  in  1215. 
But  he  was  assassinated  on  September  i4th,  1214  while  assisting 
at  the  "  Feast  of  the  Exaltation  of  the  Cross."  He  has,  however, 
always  been  honoured  in  Roman  Martyrology  on  April  8th. 


APRIL  9th. 

St.  Mary  of  Egypt  whose  festival  occurs  on  this  day,  is  one  of 
the  most  curious  in  legendary  history  told  as  it  doubtless  was  in 
its  inception  "  with  a  purpose,"  its  lesson  has  lost  nothing  by 
age. 

The  legend  is  a  very  old  one  but  when  vouched  for  by  St. 
Jerom  who,  aside  from  his  reliability  as  a  cleric,  has  ever  ranked 
as  one  of  the  most  faithful  chroniclers  of  his  day  —  its  truth  is 
unquestioned.  The  story  it  is  said  even  ante-dates  the  legend  of 
Mary  Magdalene.  I  must  tell  it,  condensed  and  in  my  own 
words  rather  than  in  the  elaborate  detail  in  which  I  read  it. 

The  story  of  "  Mary  Egyptica,"  appeared  in  written  form  first 
in  the  VI.  century  as  an  ancient  tradition  of  a  "  female  "  hermit  in 
Palestine.  St.  Jerom  repeating  it  said  her  wickedness  "  exceeded 


ST.    MARY   OF    EGYPT         187 

that  of  Mary  Magdalene."  She  was  an  Alexandrian  noted  for 
her  beauty,  for  the  luxury  of  her  life,  and  the  wiles  by  which  she 
led  her  victims  on  to  their  destruction.  "  Kismet !  "  no  doubt  the 
Egyptians  said  ;  but  as  we  read  her  legend  we  can  clearly  see  the 
hand  of  Providence  in  the  act  which  led  to  her  changed  mode  of  life. 

One  day  in  365  she  was  walking  by  the  sea  when  she  saw  a 
vessel  laden  with  pilgrims  about  to  depart  for  Jerusalem  to  attend 
the  "  Feast  of  the  Exaltation  of  the  Cross." 

For  seventeen  years  this  woman  had  lived  a  life  of  shame ;  yet 
in  this  moment  an  irresistible  impulse  came  upon  her  to  join  the 
pilgrims  not  for  a  holy  purpose  but  rather  for  adventure.  She 
had  no  money ;  but  to  quote  the  quaint  phrase  of  her  historian : 
"  She  sold  herself  to  the  sailors "  and  thus  reached  Jerusalem 
with  the  pilgrims.  How  she  spent  the  interval  before  the  day  of 
the  festival  is  not  told.  On  that  day  she  joined  the  throng 
around  the  entrance  of  the  Basilica;  yet  at  the  moment  when 
she  was  about  to  enter  some  invisible  power  restrained  her.  As 
often  as  she  tried  to  cross  the  threshold  an  unseen  hand  seemed 
to  draw  her  back.  What  it  was  she  knew  not,  but  suddenly, 
without  premonition  she  felt  the  full  sense  of  her  sinful  life  come 
over  her.  Her  utter  unworthiness  even  to  look  upon  that  sacred 
emblem.  She  fell  upon  her  knees  there  on  the  pavement,  which 
was  soon  wet  with  her  repentant  tears  and  for  the  first  time  in 
her  life  she  prayed.  While  yet  praying  she  seemed  to  hear  a 
voice  that  said :  "  If  thoti  goest  beyond  Jordan  to  dwell  there 
thou  shall  find  rest  and  comfort." 

That  night  at  the  city  gate  she  bought  three  loaves  of  bread 
and  walked  on  until  she  came  to  the  river  where  the  church  of 
St.  John  the  Baptist  stood.  There  she  paid  her  devotions  and  in 
the  morning  passed  over  the  river  and  for  forty-seven  years  lived 
a  hermit  in  the  wilderness.  As  her  garments  worn  out  by  age 
and  use  dropped  from  her,  her  hair  became  a  cloak.  It  was  thus 
clad  that  Zosimus,  a  holy  man,  at  last  found  her.  To  him  she 
confessed  and  from  his  hands  received  the  holy  sacrament ;  but 
then  begged  him  to  leave  her  and  not  return  until  a  year  had 
passed. 

At  the  appointed  time  on  Maunday  Thursday  Zosimus  came 


1 88    SAINTS   AND    FESTIVALS 

forth  to  meet  her  but  only  found  her  dead  body ;  while  in  the 
sand  beside  her  were  written  the  words :  "  Oh,  Father  Zosimus, 
bury  the  body  of  the  poor  sinner,  Mary  of  Egypt.  Give  earth  to 
earth  and  dust  to  dust  for  Christ's  sake." 

A  legend  tells  that  as  Zosimus  digged  the  grave  his  strength 
failed  him  for  he  was  an  old  man ;  but  then  a  lion  came  and 
helped  him  digging  with  his  paws. 

Dr.  Alban  Butler  in  his  life  of  St.  Mary  of  Egypt  puts  the  date 
of  her  conversion  in  383  and  her  death  in  421.  Others  place 
these  as  given  above,  365  and  433. 


APRIL  loth. 

One  of  the  most  interesting  events  connected  with  the  loth  of 
April  is  the  fact  that  on  this  day  in  787  King  Pepin  of  France 
introduced  an  organ  into  the  Church  of  St.  Corneill  at  Compiegne, 
thus  in  a  measure  fixing  the  advent  of  this  instrument  into 
church  service. 


The  story  of  St.  Bademus  whom  the  Church  names  this  day  for 
honour  is  interesting,  if  only  for  the  curious  means  adopted  to 
secure  his  "  taking  off  "  while  it  in  no  degree  takes  from  him  the 
claim  of  being  a  Martyr  to  the  Faith  as  he  is  termed  in  Roman 
Martyrology. 

He  was  a  nobleman  of  Persia,  living  at  Bethlapeta  who  out  of 
his  great  estates  dedicated  the  larger  portion  to  found  a  monas- 
tery near  his  home,  and  of  which  he  became  Abbot.  While 
Sapor  the  all  powerful  was  relentless  in  persecuting  the  Chris- 
tians, he  hesitated  before  he  allowed  his  pursuivants  to  apprehend 
Bademus  and  the  seven  of  his  monks.  Yet  hating  him  as  he  did, 
Sapor  felt  he  must  be  prudent  with  the  man,  however  merciless 
he  was  to  other  Christians ;  for  Dioclesian  in  his  persecutions  of 
the  Christians  hardly  equalled  those  of  Sapor.  It  was  for  this 
Bademus  and  his  monks  were  cast  into  prison  rather  than  that 
more  terrible  penalties  were  inflicted.  Still  it  was  a  sore  puzzle 
to  Sapor  how  to  dispose  of  him. 


ST.  BAD  EM  US  189 

About  the  same  time  Bademus  was  confined,  a  Christian 
Lord  of  the  Persian  Court  was  arrested,  named  Nersan,  a  Prince 
of  Aria  and  imprisoned  because  he  refused  to  worship  the  sun. 
He  was  for  a  time  resolute  but  his  faith  at  the  crucial  moment 
failed  him  and  he  promised  to  conform.  To  test  him,  the  king 
through  his  intermediaries  made  proposals  to  Nersan  who  was 
confined  in  a  prison  that  was  part  of  the  royal  palace.  Bademus 
with  his  chains  stricken  off  was  brought  to  Lapeta  and  introduced 
into  the  chamber  where  Nersan  was  confined  with  the  intention 
that,  during  their  interview,  Nersan  should  slay  his  fellow 
Christian  and  for  this  purpose  had  been  provided  with  a  sword. 

Again  at  the  crucial  moment  Nersan 's  nerve  failed  him ;  but 
the  Abbot  had  already  seen  through  the  plot  and  as  Nersan 
hesitated,  he  said :  "  Unhappy  Nersan,  to  what  a  pitch  of 
impiety  hath  thy  apostacy  carried  thee.  With  joy  I  run  to  my 
death ;  but  would  have  wished  another  executioner." 

Angered  at  the  taunt  implied,  in  a  half-hearted  manner 
Nersan  strove  to  carry  out  the  command  of  Sapor ;  but  his 
strokes  were  so  unsteady  that  the  martyr  was  covered  with  an 
infinite  number  of  wounds  before  the  fatal  blow  was  struck. 

The  monks  at  that  time  were  called  by  Syrians  and  Persians 
"  mourners  "  and  these  mourners,  the  legend  tells  us,  after  the 
body  of  Bademus  had  been  "  reproachfully  treated  by  the  infidels 
and  cast  out  of  the  city  "  secured  and  buried  it  on  April  loth  in 
376. 


APRIL   nth 

Is  the  anniversary  of  Pope  Leo  I.  called  "  The  Great."  He 
was  the  forty-seventh  in  line  of  succession  who  held  the  sacred 
office.  As  one  reads  the  story  of  his  life  it  is  easy  to  see  how 
justly  he  was  entitled  to  the  appellation  "  The  Great,"  not  alone 
because  of  the  manner  in  which  he  exercised  his  ecclesiastical 
powers,  but  in  every  way.  The  many  affairs  of  the  churches  in 
the  East  during  the  period  of  his  pontificate  demanded  in  the 
highest  degree  rare  executive  ability  and  endless  vigilance,  but 
in  no  case  was  he  found  wanting.  So  too,  in  matters  pertaining 


190    SAINTS   AND   FESTIVALS 

more  especially  to  public  affairs  he  ever  stood  ready  not  only 
to  advise  with  clear,  well  considered  judgment,  but  to  act.  The 
most  notable  event  in  this  respect  is  on  that  memorable  occasion 
when  Attila  the  Hun  enriched  by  the  plunder  of  many  nations 
and  cities,  marched  against  Rome  just  then  helpless  and  panic 
stricken,  and  the  people  as  with  one  voice  called  on  this  great 
man  to  come  to  their  aid.  How  well  he  fulfilled  the  difficult  and 
dangerous  task  of  meeting  and  placating  the  haughty  tyrant  is 
history  and  cannot  be  repeated  here  ;  but  it  saved  Rome  in  her 
direst  hour  of  peril.  As  a  scholar  and  a  pulpit  orator  he  was 
indeed  "  great."  His  sermons  on  the  obligations  of  the  rich  not  to 
hoard  their  wealth  or  lavish  it  on  selfish  superfluities  are  wonder- 
ful examples  of  pulpit  oratory  and  clear  logical  deductions. 
Modern  theologians  often  now  preach  on  the  "  Love  of  God  " 
as  if  it  was  some  new  discovery ;  but  that  was  the  keynote  of  this 
venerable  man's  teaching  adding  as  well  humility  and  to  walk 
according  to  the  spirit  of  Christ  in  charity  to  all. 

As  a  pulpit  orator  his  diction  was  pure  and  elegant,  his  style 
terse  and  clear,  while  his  logic  was  at  all  times  unassailable. 


Another  saint  whose  anniversary  comes  on  this  day  is  St.  Guth- 
lac  (or  Guthlake)  one  of  the  most  interesting  of  the  old  Saxon 
anchorites  and  his  story  in  his  early  years,  was  similar  to  that  of 
many  young  men  of  his  times  ;  and  a  now  nearly  forgotten  legend 
tells  us  that  "  at  the  time  of  his  birth  a  hand  of  ruddy  splendour 
was  seen  extending  from  the  clouds  to  a  cross  which  stood  at  his 
mother's  door." 

Like  all  youths  of  his  day  he  was  devoted  to  warlike  enterprises 
Not  what  we  now  regard  as  such,  but  which  then  were  not 
esteemed  at  all  illegitimate.  He  was  wild  and  reckless  as  well  as 
fearless.  Thus  at  the  age  of  sixteen  he  became  the  head  and 
commander  of  a  body  of  reivers  and  robbers ;  although  he 
seems  to  have  been  something  of  the  "  Robin  Hood  "  order  in  the 
division  of  the  spoils  he  captured  and  never  leaving  his  victims 
utterly  helpless  "  frequently  giving  back  to  those  he  had  robbed 
one-third  of  the  plunder  he  had  captured."  Later  on  he  became 
a  soldier  under  Ethelred,  King  of  Mercia,  with  some  distinction. 


POPE   JULIUS   I.  191 

In  his  24th  year  he  seems  to  have  had  a  change  of  heart,  for  he 
laid  aside  his  warlike  purposes  and  entered  the  monastery  of 
Repanden  where  he  studied  for  two  years.  Then  he  determined 
to  lead  a  hermit's  life  selecting  for  his  retreat  Croyland  Isle  in  the 
fen  country.  Here  he  built  a  small  oratory  and  passed  fifteen 
years  in  prayer  and  solitude.  At  this  time  Ethelbald,  afterward 
King  of  Mercia,  who  was  then  an  exile,  often  came  to  Guthlac 
for  counsel  while  he  was  hiding  in  the  marshes.  When  Ethelbald 
came  into  power  he  had  not  forgotten  the  saintly  man  in  his  dreary 
cell  amid  the  fens ;  therefore  after  St.  Guthlac  died  the  king 
caused  the  marshes  to  be  drained  and  on  the  site  of  the  hermit's 
cell  erected  a  monastery  in  his  honour.  This  Croyland  monas- 
tery must  have  been  an  immense  establishment  since  its  ruins 
cover  twenty  acres. 

Croyland   Isle  has  through  drainage  now  wholly  disappeared 
and  rich  farms  now  fill  the  place  once  so  desolate. 


APRIL    1 2th 

Marks  the  anniversary  of  Pope  Julius  I.  who  died  in  352,  the  most 
noted  event  of  whose  life  was  the  fixing  on  December  2 5th  as  the 
correct  date  of  the  birth  of  our  Lord.  A  date  which  until  then 
had  been  celebrated  by  the  churches  at  various  dates.  But  Julius, 
St.  Chrysostom  informs  us,  after  a  strict  examination  of  the 
traditions  regarding  the  event  set  it  on  the  day  we  now  observe. 


St.  Zeno  whose  festival  occurs  on  April  I2th  is  styled  by  St. 
Gregory  the  Great,  as  a  martyr,  but  by  most  of  the  chronicles  of 
the  Church  is  honoured  only  by  the  title  of  Confessor.  He  was  by 
education  a  Latin  but  of  the  African  race  and  made  bishop  in  362 
during  the  reign  of  Julian  "  The  Apostate."  St.  Ambrose  writes 
of  him  with  great  admiration,  especially  mentioning  his  Easter 
services  and  the  ordination  of  virgins  "  consecrated  to  God,"  who 
unlike  the  nuns  "  lived  in  their  own  houses." 

Love-feasts  at  Agapis  established  on  the  festivals  of  martyrs 
and  celebrated  in  their  cemeteries  were  then  in  vogue,  but  had 


192      SAINTS   AND   FESTIVALS 

degenerated   into  occasions  of  intemperance  and  frivolity,  if  not 
worse.     These  St.  Zeno  severely  condemned. 

He  is  chiefly  known  for  his  boundless  charity  and  willing  pov- 
erty in  his  personal  life  as  well  as  his  sufferings  and  the  persecu- 
tion he  endured  for  the  faith. 


SYMBOLS. 

St.  Augustine  called  these  representations  "  libri  idtotarum  " 
(books  of  the  simple),  and  beyond  doubt  his  definition  in  those 
early  days  was  literally  correct,  for  outside  the  clergy  and  a  few 
savants,  none  could  read  or  write.  Indeed  not  a  few  of  the 
nobles  affected  to  despise  learning  of  any  kind  and  still  later  rele- 
gated to  their  henchmen  and  subordinates  the  arduous  duties  and 
the  task  of  acquiring  a  knowledge  of  reading,  rather  than  devote 
their  time  to  learning  to  do  so  and  thereby  be  compelled  to  forego 
their  daily  pleasures.  With  the  common  people  the  serfs  and 
laborers,  even  had  they  wished,  teachers  were  lacking  or  refused 
to  enlighten  them.  Thus  these  crude  representations  found  upon 
Clog  Almanacs  came  into  vogue.  Early  in  the  Christian  era 
symbols,  emblems  and  monograms,  began  to  be  used  to  signify 
certain  rites  of  the  church  and  to  indicate  the  persons  of  the 
Holy  Trinity  and  also  some  of  the  apostles.  Later  many  others 
were  added  as  attributes  for  the  more  prominent  personages  of 
the  church,  and  many  of  these  may  yet  be  seen  in  the  catacombs 
about  Rome  and  the  excavations  at  Pompeii  and  elsewhere. 
These  symbols  or  signs  were  used  only  for  the  purpose  of  expres- 
sing a  fact  or  sentiment,  or  as  an  attribute  of  some  character- 
istic personality,  or  some  especial  event  in  the  life  of  the  holy  man 
or  woman  to  whom  they  were  given. 

In  early  Christian  art  as  seen  in  the  catacomb  frescoes  they 
seem  to  aim  only  at  a  realistic  representation  and  the  crudest 
attempt  satisfied  them.  With  the  growth  of  art  this  was  all 
changed.  The  ideal  gradually  replacing  the  real,  or  it  was  ideal- 
ised to  a  point  of  beauty. 


ST.    HERMENEGILD          193 

APRIL   1 3th. 

In  Roman  Martyrology  the  first  name  which  appears  on  this  day 
is  Hermenegild.  He  was  desended  from  a  noted  family,  his 
father  being  Liuvigild,  king  of  the  Visigoths  in  Spain  and  pro- 
fessed the  Arian  doctrine,  therefore  educated  his  son  in  that  faith 
but  by  his  marriage  with  Ingondes,  a  daughter  of  Seigbert  king  of 
Austrasia  in  France  who  was  a 
zealous  Catholic,  Hermenegild  be- 
came convinced  of  the  errors  of 
Arianism  and  renounced  its  teach- 
ings. For  this  Liuvigild  cut  him 
off  from  his  inheritance  of  the 
throne.  But  Hermenegild  had  in- 
herited what  his  father  could  not 
deprive  him  of  —  his  sturdy  Goth 
independence  —  and  as  a  sovereign 
prince  he  stood  firmly  for  his  rights. 
The  story  of  the  conflict  between 
father  and  son  is  a  quaint  bit  of 
history  in  ancient  warfare.  At  last  Hermenegild  allied  himself 
with  some  Roman  generals  who  bound  themselves  to  protect  him 
and  received  his  wife  Ingondes  and  her  infant  son  as  hostages  but 
corrupted  by  Liuvigild's  gold  they  betrayed  their  trust.  Thus  it  was 
Hermenegild  was  besieged  in  Seville  where  for  a  year  he  success- 
fully resisted  but  then  fled  to  Cordova  with  300  faithful  followers. 
His  place  of  refuge  was  taken  by  Liuvigild  and  Hermenegild 
sought  protection  in  a  church  where  Recared  his  younger  brother 
sent  by  King  Liuvigild  found  him.  Then  by  sacred  promises  if 
he  would  submit  and  ask  forgiveness  all  would  be  well.  Her- 
menegild returned  and  the  king  received  him  kindly,  embraced 
him,  but  treacherously  ordered  while  his  promise  had  hardly  fal- 
len from  his  lips  and  the  father's  kiss  was  yet  warm  on  the  son's 
cheek,  that  Hermenegild  should  be  "stripped  of  his  royal  robes; 
be  loaded  with  chains  and  confined  in  a  dungeon  in  the  tower  of 
Seville."  For  two  years  the  king  alternately  used  threats  and 
promises  to  lead  this  faithful  man  to  renounce  the  orthodox  faith, 


i94      SAINTS   AND    FESTIVALS 

but  in  vain.  On  Easter  Eve  (which  that  year  was  the  I3th  of 
April)  an  Arian  bishop  came  to  the  prisoner  from  the  king  with 
an  offer  of  pardon  if  he  would  take  communion  from  the  hand  of 
any  Arian  prelate.  The  offer  was  sternly  refused  and  the  bishop 

so    reported   to   the    king   and 
orders  were  given  the  soldiers  ; 
*        who    entered    the    prison    and 
^^F         without   further  words  and  by 
^^^L^^  a  blow  from  an  axe,  ended  his 
^^^^ff  1'fe-      Thus    while     sometimes 
/       ^^r      this  saint  has  for  his  attribute  a 
/  cross,  grasped  by  a  hand,  as  in 

f  the   first  illustration,    he   often 

f  has  an  axe  as  an  emblem 

j  This  briefly  told   is  the  story 

of  the  heroic  courage  that  won 
from  St.  Gregory  of  Tours  such 
enthusiastic  admiration  of  this 
martyr. 


APRIL   I4th. 

On  this  day  at  Avignon  there  are  offices  celebrated  in  honour 
of  their  patron  saint.  The  following  from  Butler's  "  Lives  of  the 
Saints  "  tells  the  story  of  St.  Benezet  or  Little  Bennet : 

"  He  kept  his  mother's  sheep  in  the  country  *  *  *  when  moved 
by  charity  to  save  the  lives  of  many  poor  persons  who  were  fre- 
quently drowned  in  passing  the  Rhone,  and  inspired  by  God  he 
undertook  to  build  a  bridge  over  that  rapid  river  at  Avignon.'' 

A  gigantic  enterprise  for  a  poor  boy  !  yet,  like  many  another  en- 
thusiast and  philanthropist  he  accomplished  his  work ;  beginning 
it  in  1 1 77  but  completed  after  his  death  in  1184.  "Many  were 
the  miracles  which  were  wrought "  during  those  years  from  the 
first  laying  of  its  foundation  until  its  completion  in  1188  four 
years  after  his  death,  while  his  tomb  is  appropriately  placed  in  a 
little  chapel  built  on  the  bridge  itself. 


ST.    PETER   GONZALES      195 

But  the  most  remarkable  part  of  the  story  that  is  well  vouched 
for  is  that  after  nearly  five  hundred  years  in  1670  when  repairs  to 
the  bridge  made  the  opening  of  St.  Benezet's  tomb  necessary  and 
the  body  was  found  "  without  the  least  sign  of  corruption  *  *  * 
and  the  colour  of  the  eyes  lively  and  sprightly  though  through  the 
dampness  of  the  situation  the  iron  bars  about  the  tomb  were 
much  damaged." 


APRIL 

Of  the  many  saints  of  world-wide  renown  among  certain 
classes  none  perhaps,  is  more  devoutly  reverenced  by  sailors  of 
the  Roman  faith  especially  those  of  Spain,  than  St.  Peter  Gon- 
zales  whose  festival  day  occurs  on  the  i$th  of  April.  Albeit 
he  was  a  youth  of  such  singular  purity  of  character  that  he  won 
the  favour  of  his  uncle  the  Bishop  of  Astorga  who  procured  for 
him  a  canoncy ;  he  had  all  the  pride  and  haughtiness  of  the  Span- 
ish nobility  of  his  day.  But  his  pride  in  the  very  bloom  of 
young  manhood  was  humbled  when  through  an  accident  or  mis- 
step of  his  prancing  horse  the  young  dean  found  himself  wallow- 
ing in  a  filthy  gutter.  Still  this  mishap  bore  wondrous  fruit,  for 
from  being  proud,  vain  and  haughty  he  became  a  model  of 
humility  and  in  his  zeal  to  teach  the  truths  of  Christ  he  devoted 
himself  to  the  peasants  of  Galacia  and  along  the  coast  where  his 
labours  among  the  mariners  won  for  him  that  frank  generous  love 
for  which  sailors  the  world  over  have  ever  been  noted,  when  they 
encounter  a  brave  honest  self-sacrificing,  unselfish  man.  His 
labours  at  this  time  and  later  made  him  the  "  Patron  Saint  of 
Mariners." 

Many  miracles  have  been  attributed  to  him.  While  yet  at 
court  in  his  younger  days  his  upright  virtuous  life  had  made 
him  noted.  It  may  have  been  in  jest  or  banter  that  some  of  the 
nobles  told  a  famous  courtezan  that  if  she  ever  heard  Gonzales 
preach  she  would  reform  her  life.  To  this  she  replied :  "  If  I 
could  but  once  speak  to  him  alone  he  could  not  resist  my  charms, 
any  more  than  some  others." 


196     SAINTS    AND    FESTIVALS 


To  cut  the  story  short  she  secured  such  an  interview  beginning 
by  a  mock  confession  ;  but  when  Gonzales  discovered  the  trend  of 
her  efforts  he  left  her  and  went  to  an  adjoining  room  where  he 
wrapped  himself  in  a  cloak  and  cast  himself  on  the  blazing  coals 
on  the  hearth  calling  on  her  to  look.  But  the  flames  had  refused 
to  scorch  even  the  hem  of  his  cloak.  Amazed,  confounded  and 
convinced,  she  from  that  hour  became  a  penitent,  converted 
woman. 

Even  more  remarkable  legends  are  told  of  this  faithful  man. 
An  ancient  galleon  is  the  attribute  usually 
given  to  St.  Peter  Gonzales,  but  none 
appears  on  any  Clog  stick  I  have  ever 
seen. 

In  Roman  Martyrology  for  April  i  $th 
we  read  of  SS.  Basilissa  and  Anastasia 
that  these  two  "  noble  women  were  dis- 
'ciples  of  the  apostles  and  as  they  per- 
severed courageously  in  the  confession 
'of  their  faith  under  the  Emperor  Nero 
they  had  their  hands  and  feet  cut  off  and  thus  obtained  the  crown 
of  martyrdom."  This  is  undoubtedly  correct ;  but  another  author- 
ity says  of  St.  Anastasia:  "She  was  condemned  to  the  flames." 

In  "  Legendary  and  Sacred  Art,"  Mrs. 
Jameson  says : 

"  Notwithstanding  her  beautiful  Greek 
name  and  her  fame  as  one  of  the  great 
saints  of  the  Greek  calendar  St.  Anas- 
tasia is  represented  as  a  noble  Roman 
lady  who  perished  during  the  persecu- 
tion of  Dioclesian.  She  was  persecuted 
by  her  husband  and  family  for  openly 
professing  the  Christian  faith,  but  being 
sustained  by  the  eloquent  exhortations 
of  St.  Chrysogonus  she  passed  triumph- 
antly, receiving  in  due  time  the  crown  of 
martyrdom  by  being  condemned  to  the  flames.  Chrysogonus  also 
was  put  to  death  by  the  sword  and  his  body  thrown  into  the  sea. 


ST.    DRUG  N  197 

"  According  to  the  best  authorities,  these  two  saints  did  not 
suffer  in  Rome,  but  in  Illyria ;  yet  in  Rome  we  are  assured  that 
Anastasia  after  her  martyrdom  was  buried  by  her  friend  Apollina 
in  the  garden  of  her  house  under  the  Palatine  hill  and  close  to  the 
Circus  Maximus." 

The  stake  fagots  and  palm  branch  (as  in  illustration)  appear  on 
some  Clogs  as  the  attribute  of  this  martyred  woman. 


APRIL  i6th. 

St.  Druon  or  Drugo,  whose  festival  the  Church  observes  to-day 
has  an  especial  place  in  the  Kalendar  as  the  "  Patron  of  Shep- 
herds." This  is  rather  the  more  singular  from  the  fact  that  our 
saint  was  of  a  noble  family  in  Flanders.  From  his  childhood  he 
had  evinced  a  desire  to  lead  a  religious  life.  His  father  died 
before  he  was  born  and  his  mother  passed  to  the  unknown 
"  beyond  "  almost  at  the  hour  of  his  birth.  Thus  his  youth  lacked 
the  help  he  needed,  though  in  some  manner  replaced  by  the  teach- 
ings and  advice  of  the  priests  who  directed  his  education.  It  was 
not,  therefore,  a  great  surprise  that  at  the  age  of  twenty  he 
bestowed  all  his  money  and  goods  upon  the  poor  of  his  neighbour- 
hood, renounced  all  claim  to  his  family  estates  to  other  heirs  that 
he  might  pursue  a  life  of  poverty  and  penance  which  accorded 
with  his  views.  Thus  it  was  that  clad  only  in  poor  garments  worn 
over  the '' hair  shirt  "  which  he  had  donned,  he  went  forth  into 
the  world.  His  legend  does  not  show  clearly  what  his  purpose 
was  so  we  can  only  follow  his  "  trail  "  and  each  reader  must  judge 
for  himself.  After  visiting  several  "  Holy  Shrines  "  he  engaged 
in  the  service  of  a  devout  lady  named  Elizabeth  de  la  Haire  at 
Sebourg,  two  leagues  from  Valenciennes,  as  a  shepherd  where  he 
spent  six  years.  But  his  modesty,  piety  and  charity  had  bruited 
his  name  abroad  as  well  as  drawn  to  him  the  attention  of  his 
mistress.  Thus  from  various  sources  he  received  many  presents  all 
of  which  in  turn  went  to  the  poor  and  needy  ;  for  his  disguise  had 
been  penetrated  and  added  much  to  the  veneration  in  which  he 
was  held  by  the  peasantry  ;  who  were  not  slow  to  show  their  feel- 


198   SAINTS   AND    FESTIVALS 

ings.  It  was  to  avoid  applause  like  this  that  he  at  last  fled  once 
more  and  became  a  recluse  in  a  narrow  cell  near  the  church  at 
Sebourg;  where  until  he  was  eighty-four  years  of  age  he  led  his 
saintly  life,  teaching  and  expounding  the  scriptures  to  those  who 
came  to  him  and  in  deeds  of  love  to  such  as  he  was  able  to  aid. 
Then  on  April  i6th,  1186  he  went  to  his  reward,  and  his  relics 
were  laid  at  rest  in  the  Church  of  St.  Martin  at  Sebourg  where 
his  shrine  is  yet  shown. 


APRIL  i ;th 

Is  sacred  to  the  memory  of  one  of  the  early  rulers  of  the  Church, 
St.  Anicetus,  who  succeeded  St.  Pius  "  in  the  latter  part  of  the 
reign  of  Antonius  Pius  the  Roman  Emperor,"  as  Dr.  Butler  tells 
us.  Dates  however  conflict  —  as  Antonius  Pius  died  in  161  and 
this  prelate  ruled  from  165  to  173.  These  early  dates  oftentimes 
contradict  each  other.  But  I  accept  without  a  question  Dr. 
Butler's  dates.  While  in  Roman  Martyrology  Pope  Pius  is  styled 
a  martyr  he  did  not  in  fact  shed  his  blood  for  the  faith.  Dr. 
Butler  in  commentating  on  the  life  of  Pius,  says  :  ''The  thirty-six 
first  bishops  of  Rome  down  to  Liberius  and  this  one  excepted,  all 
the  Popes  to  Symmachus  the  fifty-second  in  498,  are  honoured 
among  and  out  of  two  hundred  and  forty-eight  Popes,  from 
St.  Peter  to  Clement  XIII.,  seventy-eight  are  named  in  Roman 
Martyrology." 

Beyond  the  record  of  a  faithful  care  of  his  flock  the  life  of  Pius 
presents  few  striking  features  beyond  the  trials  every  true  Chris- 
tian was  compelled  to  undergo. 


APRIL  i8th. 

In  the  story  of  St.  Apollonius,  "  The  Apologist "  as  he  is 
surnamed,  we  have  two  somewhat  curious  features  brought  out. 
The  first  that  "  look  for  the  woman  "  far  ante-dates  in  fact,  its  use 
in  modern  literature. 


ST.  APOLLONIUS  199 

Marcus  Aurelius  as  a  pagan  persecuted  the  Christians  seemingly 
rather  as  a  matter  of  principle  than  from  pure  vindictiveness  a 
point  which  strange  as  it  sounds  might  I  fancy  be  fully  main- 
tained—  from  his  pagan  teachings.  But  when  in  180  his  son 
Commodus  succeeded  him  in  the  Empire,  a  new  element  entered  for 
he  had  made  Marcia  —  an  admirer  of  the  faith  —  Empress,  and 
woman's  influence  stayed  the  tide  of  persecution  even  though  the 
edict  was  in  no  wise  changed.  During  this  "  calm  "  the  number 
of  the  faithful  was  largely  increased.  Among  these  was  Apollonius, 
a  Roman  senator ;  a  man  well  versed  in  law,  philosophy  and  the 
knowledge  of  the  Holy  Scriptures.  It  is  here  the  second  curious 
feature  of  the  times  and  the  Roman  laws  comes  in.  Ignorant 
of  his  fate  ;  impelled  by  some  wish  for  revenge  against  his  master  ; 
a  slave  named  Severus  denounced  Apollonius  as  a  Christian,  and 
he  was  haled  before  Perennis  prefect  of  the  Prsetorium.  By  what 
seems  a  strange  contradiction  Marcus  Aurelius  had  issued  an  edict 
whereby  without  revoking  or  repealing  the  former  laws  against 
convicted  Christians  the  accuser  should  be  put  to  death,  and 
therefore  under  the  terms  of  this  law  Severus  was^EXy/  condemned 
"  to  have  his  legs  broken  and  then  after  put  to  death."  The  slave 
having  been  duly  executed  by  the  same  judges  who  had  con- 
demned him  ordered  Apollonius  to  renounce  his  newly  professed 
religion  as  he  valued  his  life  and  fortune. 

Upon  the  refusal  of  the  senator  to  do  this  to  secure  safety, 
the  judge  no  doubt  gladly  availed  himself  of  the  law  —  and  sent 
Apollonius  before  the  Roman  Senate  to  plead  his  own  case. 
Then  it  was  he  made  his  celebrated  speech  in  the  vindication  of 
the  Christian  religion,  which  won  for  him  the  surname  of  "  The 
Apologist."  No  record  or  (so  far  as  I  can  learn)  only  an  excerpt 
from  this  celebrated  plea  has  been  preserved.  "  St.  Jerom  " 
we  are  told  by  Dr.  Butler,  "  who  had  perused  it,  did  not 
know  whether  more  to  admire  the  eloquence  or  the  profound 
learning  both  sacred  and  profane  of  this  illustrious  man." 

It  was  ineffectual,  for  upon  Apollonius'  refusal  to  comply  with 
the  decree  of  the  Senate  to  renounce  his  faith,  he  was  condemned 
and  beheaded  in  the  year  186.  The  sixth  year  of  the  reign  of 
Commodus. 


200      SAINTS  AND    FESTIVALS 


APRIL  1 9th. 

On  this  day  occurs  the  anniversary  of  St.  Anicetus  who  suc- 
ceeded St.  Pius  I.  as  Pope  who  held  the  sacred  office  from  165  to 
173  the  year  of  his  death. 

The  day  also  is  set  aside  for  St.  Step- 
hen, Abbot  of  Citeaux.  He  was  an  Eng- 
lish gentleman  of  wealth  named  Stephen 
Harding,  who  became  a  monk  and  noted 
in  the  Church  for  his  ascetic  life  as  well 
as  for  his  learning  having  in  1109  with 
some  of  his  fellow  monks  of  Citeaux 
mac^e  from  Hebrew  manuscripts,  a  "  very 
correct  copy  of  the  Bible  in  Latin."  In 

1133  he  laid  down  his  office  of  abbot  on 
account  of  his  age.     He  died  March  28th, 

1 1 34  but  his   Order,  "the  Benedictine," 
keep   his   festival  on    April   I5th,  while 
in  Roman   Martyrology  he   is  honoured 
on  the  iyth  day  of  that  month  the   day 
he  was  supposed  to  have  been  canonized. 

On  this  day  the  Church  honours  Leo 
IX.  the  1 55th  Pope.  He  held  his  high 
office  from  1048  to  1054  the  year  of  his 
death. 

Again  to-day  comes  the  anniversary  of 
another  noted  Englishman,  St.  Elphege 
or  Alphege  as  it  is  sometimes  called  who 
has  a  most  interesting  story  connecting 
him  with  the  early  incursions  of  the  Danes 
in  England  and  as  Archbishop  of  Canter- 
bury. His  saint-day  still  holds  a  place 
in  the  Kalendar  of  the  Church  of  Eng- 
land. 

He  was  an  Englishman  from  a  noble 
ST.  ELPHEGE.  an(j  verv  wealthy  famliy.  Fearing  the 

snares  of  riches,  at  an  early  age  he  renounced  the  world  and  be- 


ST.    ELPHEGE  201 

came  an  enthusiastic  Benedictine  not  in  garb  alone  but  in  all  that 
their  holy  vows  implied.  Austere  and  ascetic  as  the  life  of  a  monk 
of  this  Order  was,  Elphege  felt  it  was  not  severe  enough  to  satisfy 
his  conscience  therefore  he  denied  himself  in  every  way  especially 
by  his  long  and  frequent  fasts,  until  his  body  became  so  attenuated 
that  when  he  held  up  his  hand  —  as  an  old  ballad  says  : 

"  It  was  so  wan  and  transparent  of  hue 
You  might  have  seen  the  moon  shine  through." 

In  984  St.  Dunstan  appointed  Elphege  Bishop  of  Westchester 
and  he  left  the  cloisters.  For  twenty-two  years  he  governed  that 
see  until  in  1006  on  the  death  of  Alfred,  he  was  translated  to 
Canterbury. 

If  my  readers  will  turn  to  their  English  history  and  read  of  the 
massacre  of  the  Danes  by  the  Anglo-Saxons  on  St.  Brice's  day 
(November  I3th,  1002)  a  massacre  which  only  finds  a  parallel  in 
the  Sicilian  Vespers,  the  atrocities  of  St.  Bartholomew's  Day,  or 
in  the  barbarism  of  the  French  Revolution  they  will  easily  under- 
stand why  the  fierce  Danes  vowed  revenge,  though  at  that  time 
they  had  to  wait  before  they  could  accomplish  their  purpose  it  had 
not  lessened  their  hatred.  In  ion  the  Danes  came  again  to 
Canterbury ;  but  history  has  not  recounted  their  deeds  of  pitiless 
fury  and  Elphege's  unavailing  efforts  to  "  pity  the  women  and 
spare  the  children." 

On  the  day  before  Easter  in  1012  the  Archbishop  received 
notice  that  unless  his  ransom  of  3,000  pieces  of  silver  was 
paid  within  eight  days,  his  life  would  be  the  forfeit.  At  last 
on  Easter  Sunday  he  was  brought  from  the  prison  where  for 
seven  months  he  had  suffered  untold  torments  and  stood  before 
the  commanders  of  the  Danish  ships  then  lying  at  Greenwich. 
It  was  after  a  banquet  when  these  brutal  men  were  all  drunken 
with  wine  and  their  cry  came  :  "  Money  !  Money  for  your  ran- 
som, bishop." 

With  a  calm  voice  he  replied  :  "  Silver  and  gold  have  I  none  ; 
what  is  mine  I  freely  offer,  the  knowledge  of  the  true  God." 

Amid  scornful  laughter  and  angry  shouts  some  one  struck  him 


202    SAINTS   AND    FESTIVALS 

with  the  flat  side  of  a  battle-axe  and  knocked  him  down  and  at 
once  the  mob  began  to  stone  him.  Bruised  and  suffering  from 
mortal  wounds  yet  not  dead,  he  lay  in  agony  when  some  one 
more  merciful  than  his  fellows  raised  his  battle-axe  and  with  a 
single  blow  put  the  holy  man  beyond  earthly  pain. 

A  parish  church  at  Greenwich  marks  the  place  of  his  martyr- 
dom and  first  burial.  Ten  years  later  when  his  remains  were 
transferred  to  the  Cathedral  at  Canterbury,  William  of  Malms- 
bury  (the  historian)  informs  us  they  were  found  wholly  incorrupt ; 
a  story  an  English  church  "  year-book  "  incorporates  in  its  text. 

St.  Elphege  is  usually  represented  in  art  with  his  chasuble  full 
of  stones  and  sometimes  holding  in  his  hand  a  battle-axe.  The 
admirable  picture  I  give  above  is  from  an  engraving  of  a  sculp- 
tured figure  of  this  saint  in  Wells  Cathedral,  England. 


SYMBOLS  OF   THE  EVANGELISTS. 

'Round  the  throne,  'midst  Angels'  natures 
Stand  four  holy  Living  Creatures, 
Whose  diversity  of  features 
Maketh  good  the  Seer's  plan  : 

This  an  Eagle's  visage  knoweth, 
That  a  Lion's  image  showeth  ; 
Scripture  on  the  rest  bestoweth 
The  twin  forms  of  Ox  and  Man. 


Symbols  quadriform  uniting, 
They  of  Christ  are  thus  inditing ; 
Quadriform  His  acts,  which  writing 
They  produce  before  our  eyes ; 

Man  —  Whose  birth  man's  law  obeyeth  ; 
Ox  —  Whom  victim's  passion  slayeth  ; 
Lion  —  Whom  on  death  he  preyeth, 
Eagle  —  soaring  to  the  skies. 


-Translated  from  "  Jucundare   Plebs  Fidelis,"  by  Rev.  J.   M. 
Neal. 


EVANGELISTS'    SYMBOLS    203 


Before   any   especial   symbol  had   been   given  to  each  of  the 

Evangelists  one  was  in  use  for  all,  a  Greek  cross  (often  of  an 

ornamental  pattern  as  shown 

in  illustration)  with  the  four 

gospels  in   the  angles  of  it. 

The  weird-winged   symbols 

came   much  later  and  were 

beyond   a  doubt  suggested 

by  the  four  beasts  named  in 

the  Apocalypse. 

Another  quaint  symbol  of 

this   character  (see   illustra- 
tion) is  often   found  in   the 

catacombs,  being  the  Agnus 

Dei  standing  on   a    mount, 

and  the  four  rivers  of  the  Paradise  —  the  Gihon,  the  Tigris,  the 

Euphrates  and  the  Pison  —  representing  the  Four  Evangelists  and 

their  gospels.     The  Gihon  being  St.  Matthew,  the  Tigris  St.  Mark 

the  Euphrates  St.  Luke  and  the  Pison  St.  John. 

Just  when  the  mysterious.'winged, 
creatures  were  first  used  is  uncer- 
tain but  probably  in  the  early  part 
of  the  V.  century.  St.  Jerom 
(326-420)  mentions  them  and  gives 
at  some  length  the  reasons  why 
each  symbol  was  assigned  the  par- 
ticular Evangelist.  Thus  St.  Mark 
received  the  lion  :  "  Because  he 
set  forth  the  royal  dignity  of  Christ 
and  His  power  as  displayed  in 
His  Resurrection  and  Victory  over 
Death."  It  was  from  St.  Mark's 
account  of  the  resurrection  that 
the  lion  was  at  times  used  as  a 
symbol  of  Christ. 
The  infinite  variety  of  shapes  into  which  these  winged  lions  have 

been  twisted  has  been  limited  only  by  the  inventive  genius  of 


204     SAINTS   AND    FESTIVALS 


artists,  from  the  early  days  in  Greece  and  Rome  until  our  own 
day. 

After  the  introduction  of  these  winged  creatures  as  symbols  of 
the  four  Evangelists  they  generally  took  the  place  of  the  books 

when  used  to  embrace  all  of  them,  and 

as  shown  in  the  illustration  and  placed 

in  the  arms  of  the 

cross  instead  of  in 

the    angle,    but 

when     so    done  a 

monogram    of 

Christ  or  His  figure 

was  set  in  the  cen- 
ter of  the  cross. 
The  same  style  of  cross  is  also  at  times  used  as  an  emblem  of 
the  four  great  events  in  the  life  of  our  Lord.  The  following  form 
will  explain  the  significance  in  each  case  however  used  : 


Symbol : 
Event : 
Evangelist : 


j  Winged  Man. 
\  Winged  Lion. 

Incarnation. 
Resurrection. 

St.  Matthew. 
St.  Mark. 


Winged  Ox. 
Eagle. 

Passion. 
Ascension. 

St.  Luke. 
St.  John. 


APRIL  2oth. 

St.  James  of  Sclavonia  is  one  of  the  saints  which  the  Roman 
Church  remembers  this  day.  A  Dalmatian  by  birth  but  as  he 
spent  the  most  of  his  life  on  the  opposite  coast  of  the  Adriatic 
Sea,  in  Italy,  his  name  has  come  down  to  us  as  "of  Sclavonia." 
He  was  a  lay-brother  of  the  Observantine  Franciscan  Friars  at 
Bitecto  nine  miles  from  Bari.  While  but  an  humble  member  of 
his  Order  his  reputation  and  the  reason  for  his  canonization  rests 
upon  his  wonderful  "  prophetic  spirit "  through  the  efficacy 
of  fervent  prayer,  by  which  he  made  some  remarkable  pro- 


ST.   A  NS  ELM  205 

phecies.     By   nature   he   was   extremely   emotional   finding  vent 
in  tears. 

In  his  humble  state  he  was  employed  like  others  of  the  Order 
in  menial  duties  but  often  while  so  engaged  he  fell  into  a 
state  of  ecstacy.  Once,  when  acting  as  a  cook  for  his  brethren  in 
the  midst  of  his  duty  he  stood  "  ravished  in  spirit  "  and  his  tears 
which  he  could  not  restrain  fell  into  the  dish  of  beans  which  he 
happened  at  the  moment  to  be  preparing  for  the  brethren.  It 
so  happened  that  on  this  day  the  Duke  of  Adria,  on  whose  estates 
the  monastary  of  Conversano  stood  was  a  guest.  Unnoticed  by 
the  holy  man  the  Duke  had  watched  him  in  his  moment  of  ecstacy 
—  while  he  mechanically  proceeded  with  his  work  —  and  had  seen 
the  tears  fall  into  the  dish  he  was  preparing  but  he  made  no 
remark.  When  the  hour  for  the  meal  came  and  St.  James  as  was 
his  place  asked  the  honoured  guest  what  he  would  eat,  the  Duke 
replied  as  he  chose  the  beans  :  "  Blessed  are  they  whose  meals 
are  seasoned  by  such  tears."  St.  James  died  April  2yth,  1485  but 
his  festival  was  fixed  by  Pope  Benedict  XIV.  for  the  2oth  of  this 
month. 


APRIL   2ist. 

Few  English  prelates  have  ever  exercised  as  great  an  influence 
on  the  politics,  literature  and  learning  of  his  own  age  as  Anselm, 
Archbishop  of  Canterbury,  in  whose  honour  services  will  be  held 
on  this  day  in  the  most  beautiful  of  all  England's  many  noble 
cathedrals. 

Though  not  an  Englishman  by  birth  he  became  one  in  fact 
after  his  translation  to  the  see  of  Canterbury.  He  was  born  in 
1033  at  Aoust  in  Piedmont,  and  from  early  years  displayed  a 
predeliction  for  study  and  monastic  life.  But  his  father  sternly 
opposed  this  course  and  young  Anselm  secretly  left  home.  After 
three  years  of  wandering  in  Burgundy  and  France  he  reached  Bee 
in  Normandy  and  there  studied  under  Lanfranc,  later,  in  1060 
becoming  a  monk  in  the  abbey  of  Bee.  Six  years  later  he  was 
made  prior  of  the  abbey  and  in  1078  was  advanced  to  the  office  of 


206     SAINTS   AND   FESTIVALS 

abbot.  It  was  at  this  time  he  wrote  many  of  those  works  which 
spread  his  fame  throughout  western  Europe.  In  1092  at  the 
invitation  of  Hugh,  Earl  of  Chester,  Anselm  visited  England  to 
establish  monks  from  Bee  in  the  new  monastery  the  earl  had 
lately  founded. 

For  four  years  King  William  Rufus  had  kept  the  see  of  Canter- 
bury vacant  that  he  might  enjoy  its  revenues.  However,  in  1093 
William  was  induced  to  name  Anselm  as  archbishop  and  he  was 
consecrated  on  December  4th  of  that  year.  Within  a  fortnight 
the  king  and  Anselm  were  at  odds  from  the  greed  of  William  and 
the  refusal  of  Anselm  to  allow  the  revenues  of  the  church  to  be 
plundered.  But  far  more  important  was  the  quarrel  between  the 
king  and  the  prelate  on  the  question  of  the  temporal  power  of  the 
Church.  This  controversy  continued  after  Henry  I.  came  to 
the  throne  but  it  is  too  long  for  record  here  beyond  noting  the 
prominent  role  which  Anselm  played  throughout,  until  by  mutual 
concessions  the  vexed  question  was  for  the  time  closed  only,  as 
all  historical  students  know,  later  to  become  so  important. 

Anselm  was  a  man  of  remarkable  firmness  of  purpose,  purity  of 
life  and  of  great  intellectual  powers.  It  was  to  him  England 
owed  the  introduction  of  metaphysical  reasoning  into  theology 
and  thus  a  new  school  for  the  latter  science. 


APRIL   22d. 

This  day  is  the  joint  festival  of  two  Popes  of  the  early  Roman 
Church  although  their  deaths  occurred  an  hundred  and  twenty 
years  apart.  The  first  of  these  was  St.  Soter  who  succeeded  St. 
Anicetus  in  173.  The  mention  of  his  name  brings  once  more 
prominently  to  mind  how  early  "  heresies  "  began  to  creep  into 
the  Christian  Church.  For  the  chief  events  we  find  regarding 
the  Bishop  —  as  they  then  were  termed  —  was  his  opposition  to 
the  "  heresy  of  Montanus."  A  remarkable  letter  addressed  by  this 
prelate  to  the  church  at  Corinth  drew  from  St.  Dionysius,  a  letter 
of  thanks  and  the  words  "  that  the  letter  should  be  read  for  their 


ST.   GEORGE  207 

edification  every  Sunday  at  their  assemblies  to  celebrate  the 
Divine  mysteries." 

This  bishop  died  in  1 76  —  or  7  (dates  conflict)  —  on  April 
22d.  He  is  termed  "  a  martyr  "  in  the  Roman  Martyrology  but 
like  others  of  the  earlier  bishops  his  martyrdom  was  rather  from 
the  persecutions  of  the  Church  than  of  a  death  by  violence. 

The  second  of  these  bishops  whose  festival  occurs  this  day  was 
St.  Caius,  who  succeeded  St.  Eutychian  in  the  Apostolic  see  in  283. 
He  like  others  of  the  earlier  rulers  of  the  Church  did  not  escape 
from  the  penalties  of  their  day  but  held  faithful  to  his  belief  and 
governed  the  Church  for  over  twelve  years.  He  died  April  2ist, 
296,  but  his  festival  is  fixed  by  Roman  Martyrology  for  April  22d, 
the  day  of  his  burial. 


APRIL  23d. 

This  day  is  dedicated  to  one  of  the  most  noted  and  at  the 
same  time  most  mysterious  saints  in  the  entire  Kalendar  —  St. 
George  of  Cappadocia.  "  He  is  honoured  in  the  Catholic 
Church  as  one  of  the  most  illustrious  martyrs  of  Christ " 
writes  Butler  in  his  "  Lives  of  the  Saints."  Yet  if  we  accept  the 
account  given  by  Gibbon  (the  historian),  we  learn  that  "  this 
martial  hero  owes  his  position  in  the  Christian  Kalendar  to  no 
merit  of  his  own."  A  remark  which  can  hardly  be  true  even 
though  some  of  the  legends  regarding  him  are  somewhat  mythi- 
cal for  his  fame  depends  on  no  one  country.  The  Greek  and 
Latin  Churches  alike  honour  him  and  Saxon  Martyrology  set 
aside  one  day  as  especially  dedicated  to  him  and  after  "  the 
Conquest "  he  is  thus  honoured  in  England,  while  long  before 
that  Knights  in  France,  Burgundy,  Hainault,  Brabant,  Flanders 
and  Germany  were  ever  ready  to  "  hold  the  lists  "  in  honour  of 
this  saint  and  the  Greeks  entitled  him  "  The  Great  Martyr."  He 
is  the  tutelar  saint  of  Genoa,  and  in  1222  the  great  national 
council  held  at  Oxford  during  the  reign  of  Henry  III.  (surnamed 
Winchester),  ordained  his  feast  to  be  kept  as  a  holiday,  and  in 


208     SAINTS    AND    FESTIVALS 


1344  the  Order  of  the  Knights  of  St.  George,  or  "  The  Blue 
Garter  "  was  instituted  in  honour  of  this  saint. 

There  has  long  been  a  controversy  over  St.  George.  Calvin 
and  the  Centurcators  call  him  an  "imaginary  saint,"  Alban 
Butler  warning  his  readers  not  to  "  confound  him  with  George, 
the  Arian,  usurper  of  the  see  of  Alexandria,"  etc. 

Indeed  a  cloud  of  mystery  hangs  about  his  whole  life  save  on 
one  or  two  points.  That  he  was  from  young  manhood  a 
military  man  engaged  in  warfare  with  the  pagans  at  whose  hand 
he  at  last  met  his  death,  all  seemingly  agree.  Beyond  that  with- 
out taking  too  much  space  to  give  the  varied  versions  of  the 
several  stories  as  reported,  I  cannot  here  speak. 

Endless  legends  are  told 
of  him,  such  as  the  appari- 
tion   of    St. George    to 
Richard  I.  in  his  expedition 
against  the  Saracens  and  the 
effect   of  the  vision   on  the 
king's  army  when  told  them  ; 
while  there  are  few  I  imagine 
who    have    not    heard    the 
legend  of  St.  George  and  the 
Dragon  and  have  seen  pic- 
tures of  the  gallant  knight. 
The  one  given  here  is  a  rare 
and  curious  one  taken  from 
an  old    MS.  in  the  Bodleian 
Library,  England. 
Even  this  legend  is  condemned  as  a  myth,  and  as  Butler  writes 
like  "  the  stories  of  the  combat  of  St.  George  with  the  magician 
Athanasius,  and  other  trumpery  came  from  the  mint  of  the  Arians." 
An  old  English  ballad  runs  : 

"  Some  say  there  was  no  George, 
Some,  that  there  no  Dragon  was, 
Pray  God,  there  was  at  least  a  maid." 

The  scene  of  the  legend  is  sometimes  laid  in  Telene  a  city  of 
Libya,  and  others  at  Berytus  (Bayreuth)  Syria.  The  inhabitants 


ST.  GEORGE. 


LEGENDS    OF   ST.    GEORGE     209 

of  the  city  were  in  terror  owing  to  a  terrible  dragon  that  lived  in 
the  adjacent  marshes.  To  prevent  the  monster  from  entering  the 
city  two  children  were  daily  chosen  by  lot  and  sent  out  for 
the  dragon  to  feed  upon.  At  last  the  lot  fell  on  Cleodolinda  the 
king's  daughter,  and  whom  he  greatly  loved.  In  his  grief  he 
offered  anything,  nay  all  he  possessed,  to  save  her  from  this 
horrible  fate.  But  the  people  insisted  and  the  king  submitted 
only  asking  for  a  respite  of  eight  days.  At  the  end  of  the  time 
decked  in  her  royal  robes  the  princess  went  out  toward  the  place 
where  the  dragon  came  for  his  daily  meal.  Just  then  St.  George 
on  his  way  to  join  his  legion,  appeared.  Learning  the  cause  of 
her  tears,  the  knight  said  to  her :  "  Fear  not,  for  I  will  deliver 
you."  She  replied  :  "  Noble  youth,  tarry  not  lest  thou  perish  with 
me  but  fly  at  once,  I  beseech  thee. " 

"  Think  not  that  I  will  fly,"  said  the  knight.  "  God  forbid  !  I 
will  lift  my  hand  against  this  loathsome  thing  and  through  the 
power  of  Jesus  Christ  deliver  you." 

Making  the  sign  of  the  cross,  St.  George  began  the  terrible 
struggle  and  at  length  pinned  the  dragon  to  the  earth  and  bound 
him  with  the  girdle  of  the  princess  and  the  subdued  monster  was 
led  by  them  like  a  dog.  As  they  approached  the  city  the  people 
were  filled  with  terror  but  St.  George  cried  :  "  Fear  not !  Only 
believe  in  the  God  through  whose  might  I  have  conquered  the 
adversary  and  be  baptized,  and  I  will  destroy  him  before  your 
eyes."  That  day  twenty  thousand  people  were  baptized.  After 
that  St.  George  slew  the  dragon  and  cut  off  his  head  before  the 
eyes  of  all  the  people. 

After  this  he  proceeded  on  his  journey  into  Palestine,  where 
the  edict  of  Dioclesian  against  the  Christians  had  just  been 
posted  at  the  temple  and  in  the  market  places.  Men  read  it  with 
terror  but  St.  George  indignantly  tore  it  down  and  .trampled 
it  under  foot.  He  was  of  course  arrested  and  taken  before 
Dacian,  the.  proconsul,  and  condemned  to  eight  days  of  cruel 
torture.  Bound  to  a  cross,  scratched  by  sharp  iron  nails,  scorched 
and  burned  by  torches  and  salt  rubbed  into  his  wounds.  Then  a 
cup  of  poisonous  wine  was  given  him.  Making  the  sign  of  the 
cross  and  recommending  himself  to  heaven  he  drank  off  the 


210    SAINTS   AND    FESTIVALS 


contents  of  the  chalice  without  injury.  He  was  bound  to  a  wheel 
with  sharp  knives  but  the  wheel  was  broken  by  two  angels 
that  came  to  his  aid.  He  was  cast  into  boiling  oil  and  when  they 
thought  him  subdued  they  brought  him  to  the  temple  and 
bade  him  offer  sacrifice,  but  he  prayed 
to  God  ;  and  the  temple  and  the  priests 
were  destroyed  by  thunder  and  lightn- 
ing. Then  Dacian  in  rage,  ordered 
St.  George  beheaded,  and  the  gallant 
Christian  knight  willingly  bent  his  neck 
to  the  stroke  of  the  executioner. 

Such  in  brief  are  a  few  only  of  the 
many  legends  told  of  this  most  noted 
saint.  In  some  Clog  Almanacs  St. 
George  has  a  shield  with  his  cross 
upon  it ;  others,  like  our  illustration, 
have  a  spearhead.  In  Christian  art 
he  is  always  represented  in  armour 
bearing  a  spear  and  shield. 


APRIL  24th. 

This  is  the  festival  day  of  St.  Fidelis  of  Sigmarengen  in 
Germany;  one  of  the  martyrs  of  the  XVII.  century.  Thus,  from 
an  historic  standpoint  even  to  come  nearer  home  than  when 
we  talk  of  those  brave  Fathers  of  the  early  Church.  He  was 
christened  Mark  in  honour  of  the  Evangelist,  who  is  everywhere 
commemorated  to-morrow.  His  name  was  "  Mark  Rey,"  his 
birth  in  1 577,  and  his  education  at  Fribourg,  Switzerland. 

In  1610  after  a  then  common  custom  of  having  acted  for  six 
years  as  a  travelling  tutor  for  three  young  men  during  their 
journeys  through  Europe,  he  resolved  to  become  'a  Capuchin 
Friar.  This  Order  was  a  reformed  section  (if  I  may  use  the 
term)  of  the  Franciscan  or  Gray  Friars,  which  was  organized  in 
1528  by  Matthew  de  Basei  and  later  approved  by  Clement  VIII., 
and  of  which  in  its  place  will  be  spoken  of.  While  from  youth 


ST.    FIDELIS  211 

he  had  been  devout  yet  from  his  taking  the  habit  of  the  Capuchin 
Friars  in  1612  he  became  notably  more  humble  and  austere. 
It  was  at  this  time  that  he  was  given  the  religious  name  by  which 
he  was  henceforth  known  of  "  Fidelis "  or  "  the  Faithful." 
Almost  immediately  after  ordination  he  was  sent  to  the  convent 
of  Weltkirchen,  a  district  over  which  the  Calvinists  had  gained 
almost  the  entire  control  of  the  people ;  but  his  earnest  preach- 
ing won  back  from  among  these  disciples  of  Calvin  quite  a  num- 
ber of  converts.  Even  then  his  zeal  had  roused  the  anger  of 
these  Reformers  and  his  life  was  threatened.  It  was  at  this  time 
in  1622  "  The  Congregation  de  Propaganda  "  decided  to  send 
"  Father  Fidelis "  as  a  missionary  among  the  Girsons  and  he 
penetrated  the  territory  as  far  as  Pretigvat  where  he  made  many 
converts  to  the  Orthodox  faith.  This  added  to  other  things,  had 
induced  the  Calvinists  of  the  province  to  rebel  against  the 
Emperor  and  to  bear  with  them  no  longer.  This  revolt  involves 
too  many  pages  of  history  for  me  to  enter  on  here,  or  of  the 
demands  of  the  Calvinists  for  the  privilege  of  freely  expressing 
their  own  religious  beliefs  irrespective  of  the  rule  of  the  Church 
of  Rome  or  of  the  Emperor.  On  April  24th  in  1622  Fidelis  had 
preached  at  Gruch.  Then  he  had  confessed  to  his  brethren  and 
written  several  letters  in  which  he  "  foretold  his  death."  From 
Gruch  he  went  to  preach  at  Sevis  where  he  spoke  with  unusual 
eloquence ;  but  on  his  way  returning  to  the  city,  a  party  of 
Calvinists  met  him  "  one  of  their  ministers  at  its  head,  "  who 
reviled  him  and  a  musket  was  discharged  at  him  as  they  entreated 
him  to  leave  the  district.  His  refusal  drew  forth  a  blow  from 
"  a  backsword  "  which  felled  him  and  he  lay  "  weltering  in  his 
blood." 

He  was  buried  the  next  day  by  the  Catholics  of  Gruch, 
He  was  "  beatified  "by  Pope  Benedict  XIII.  in  1729  and  canon- 
ised by  Pope  Benedict  XIV.  in  1746. 

Roman  Martyrology  states  that  the  "  minister  "  who  had  led 
this  attack  on  Fidelis  was  "  converted  and  made  a  public  abjura- 
tion of  his  heresy." 


212     SAINTS   AND    FESTIVALS 

APRIL  25th 

Is  St.  Mark's  day.  The  Evangelist  was  a  Jew  and  while  it  is 
not  mentioned  in  the  gospels  tradition  points  to  him  as  having 
been  the  man  bearing  a  pitcher  of  water  —  Mark  xiv.,  13-15  — 
and  in  whose  room  the  "  last  supper  "  was  prepared.  His  con- 
version apparently  took  place  after  the  Ascension  and  when  he 
became  the  companion  and  assistant  of  SS.  Paul  and  Barnabas. 
He  was  converted  by  St.  Peter  and  became  his  favourite  disciple 
attending  him  to  Aquileia  and  thence  to  Rome  where  tradition 
says  he  wrote  his  gospel.  Later,  during  twelve  years  or  more  he 
preached  in  Egypt,  Libya  and  Thebias.  Thence  he  was  sent  to 
Alexandria  then  the  second  city  only  to  Rome  in  all  the  known 
world.  There  he  founded  the  Church  of  Alexandria,  one  of  the 
most  celebrated  churches  of  the  early  Christians.  But  the  anger 
of  the  heathen  was  stirred  up  by  his  miracles  and  teachings  and 
they  reviled  him  as  a  magician.  Here  it  was  that  at  Easter, 
when  the  unconverted  were  holding  their  feast  in  honour  of 
their  god  Serapis,  that  he  denounced  their  idolatry.  This  so  in- 
censed the  Egyptians  that  they  seized  him,  bound  him  with  cords, 
dragged  him  through  the  highways  and  over  stony,  rocky  places 

until  he  became  insensible  and  died. 
A  storm  such  as  never  before  had 
been  known,  of  hail  and  lightning 
followed  and  dispersed  the  murdering 
.  crowd. 

The  Christians  of  Alexandria  re- 
[verentially  gathered  his  remains  and 
'  placed  them  in  a  sepulchre  which  for 
'centuries  they  visited  and  his  tomb 
was  a  shrine  where  the  faithful  wor- 
shiped. In  A.  D.  815  certain  Venetian 
merchants  who  were  then  trading  in 
Alexandria  secured  (not  a  few  writers  say  "  stole  ")  the  relics  of 
St.  Mark  and  conveyed  them  to  Venice  where  the  stately  church 
many  of  my  readers  will  remember  was  built  over  them.  Since 
then  St.  Mark  has  been  the  titular  saint  of  the  city. 


ST.    MARK 


213 


In  Christian  art   the  winged   lion  is  given  to  St.  Mark  as  has 
been  stated  but  as  St.  Jerom  also  has  a  lion   as  an  emblem,  it 
should  be  remembered  that 
this  latter  is  in  nearly  every 
instance  "  unwinged,"  while 
in  but  exceptional  cases  does 
the  lion  of  St.  Mark  appear 
without  the  wings. 

There  are  two  Clog  Al- 
manac symbols  for  St.  Mark, 
the  first  and  more  simple  is 
given  above  ;  the  other  as  in 
the  illustration  here.  In 
some  cases  the  lines  inter- 
secting the  square  are  of 
irregular  shape  but  follow 
the  general  form  as  above. 

In  portraitures  St.  Mark  usually  wears  the  habit  of  a  bishop  as 
he  was  the  first  bishop  of  Alexandria. 

This  day  is  observed  in 
both 


the  Roman  and 
Protestant  Church  as  a 
fast  and  the  canonical 
colours  for  it  are  red,  the 
colour  for  all  "  feasts  of 
the  martyrs." 

The  colour  in  general 
signifies  divine  love, 
power  and  royal  dignity 
as  well  as  blood,  war  and 
suffering. 

In  the  Bod  leia  n  Li- 
brary there  is  a  rare  and 
curious  MS.  "  Canon  Lit 
99 "  with  the  annexed 
illustration  of  St.  Mark, 

that   may  interest   some   of   my  artist   readers   and   therefore  is 

copied.     It  is  only  one  among  thousands  extant. 


2i4      SAINTS   AND    FESTIVALS 

APRIL   26th. 

Again  by  the  coincidence  of  time  constantly  recurring  in 
human  life  ;  the  festivals  of  two  of  the  earlier  bishops  of  the 
Christian  Church  occur. 

The  first  is  that  of  St.  Cletus,  the  successor  of  St.  Linus  and 
the  third  bishop  among  those  holy  men  of  old.  Beyond  the  fact 
that  -he  governed  the  Church  from  A.  D.  76  to  89,  little  is 
recorded  beyond  the  fact  of  his  devotion  to  the  faith.  He  is  like 
most  of  these  early  prelates  designated  in  Martyrology  as  a 
martyr.  But  there  is  nothing  to  show  that  he  really  testified  to 
his  faith  by  his  blood.  To  be  a  Christian  in  those  days,  was  in 
fact  to  be  a  martyr. 


The  second  of  these  holy  men  is  St.  Marcellinus  who  was 
chosen  as  the  head  of  the  Church  in  296,  and  near  the  time  when 
Dioclesian  set  himself  up  for  a  deity.  Marcellinus  governed  the 
Church  for  eight  years ;  and  although  he  is  styled  a  martyr  in 
Roman  Martyrology,  the  Liberian  Calendar  gives  his  name  in  the 
list  of  the  early  Popes,  who  did  not  shed  his  blood  for  the  faith. 
He  was  eighty  years  of  age  when  in  304  he  died.  But  all  readers 
will  remember  that  this  year  was  the  one  during  which  the  brutal 
edicts  of  Dioclesian  caused  the  death  of  more  Christians  in  Jeru- 
salem than  fell  within  the  whole  length  of  time  while  they  were 
strictly  enforced.  Thus  his  name  no  doubt  came  to  be  embraced 
in  this  terrible  list  of  these  faithful  Christians. 


APRIL  2;th. 

DIOCLESIAN   MARTYRS. 

A  bit  of  Roman  history  to  refresh  our  memory  is  not  out  of 
place  here.  After  Emperor  Numerian  (son  of  Carus)  was  slain 
by  conspirators  in  284  Dioclesian  —  a  native  of  Dalmatia  and  a 
soldier  of  fortune  —  was  proclaimed  emperor  by  the  army  then 
in  Chalcedon.  Dioclesian  soon  found  himself  unequal  to  govern 


NICOMEDIAN    MARTYRS     215 

the  vast  Roman  empire  therefore  he  selected  Maximian  Herculeus 
as  his  aid  honouring  him  with  the  title  of  Augustus.  This 
Maximian  was  a  man  of  a  cruel  and  savage  temper  but  con- 
sidered one  of  the  best  commanders  of  his  day.  There  was  a 
second  and  probably  very  potent  reason  for  this  selection  in 
the  fact  that  the  Pretorian  guard  had  for  three  hundred  years 
indulged  themselves  in  the  playful  amusement  of  at  will  murder- 
ing their  emperors  and  as  a  buffer  possibly  Dioclesian  thought 
Maximian  Herculeus  might  stand  between  him  and  the  guards  in 
case  the  latter  should  again  feel  inclined  to  gratify  themselves  in 
their  peculiar  style  of  amusement.  Still  later  these  two  emperors 
again  selected  two  inferior  emperors  to  aid  them,  naming  each 
"  a  Cassar."  Dioclesian  selected  Maximian  Galerius  (a  Dacian 
peasant  by  birth  and  a  man  of  brutal  ferocity)  for  the  East  and 
Herculeus  chose  Constantine  surnamed  Chlorus,  for  the  West. 

We  must  omit  the  long  story  of  the  earlier  persecutions  of 
Christians  until  the  issuing  of  that  famed  edict  which  St.  George 
is  credited  with  having  pulled  down  at  Nicomedia  where  Dio- 
clesian then  had  his  residence  and  how  prompted  by  Galerius  he 
had  despoiled  the  churches  of  the  Christians,  burned  their  Script- 
ures and  slaughtered  the  people.  But  the  insatiable  brutality 
of  Galerius  demanded  more  victims  and  he  so  plotted  that  on  two 
occasions  the  palace  of  Dioclesian  was  set  on  fire  and  the  crime 
fastened  upon  the  Christians.  Then  began  those  fearful  scenes 
which  have  made  this  emperor's  name  the  synomym  for  cruelty. 
Every  Roman  history  tells  the  story  of  how  Dioclesian  beginning 
with  his  wife,  Prisca,  and  his  daughter  Valerin,  (both  of  whom 
were  Christians)  compelled  all  persons  to  sacrifice  to  idols,  under 
the  penalty  of  torture  and  death. 

It  began  in  the  palace  extending  to  the  clergy,  the  judges,  and 
so  downward  to  the  common  people.  All  who  refused  suffer- 
ing tortures  till  then  unheard  of.  Altars  were  erected  in  the  very 
courts  of  justice  and  idols  placed  in  every  market  place.  There- 
fore in  Roman  Martyrology  the  27th  of  April  is  set  aside  to  com- 
memorate these  martyrs  of  Nicomedia  of  whom  St.  Anthimus,  the 
then  faithful  bishop  of  the  city,  was  the  first  mentioned  in  our 
Kalendar  as  the  chief  martyr. 


216      SAINTS   AND   FESTIVALS 

APRIL  28th. 

This  day  is  sacred  to  the  memory  of  two  other  victims  of 
Dioclesian,  SS.  Didymus  and  Theodora.  A  wonderful  story  if 
space  could  be  given  to  tell  it  in  its  entirety ;  of  the  Divine  aid 
given  a  maiden  in  her  hour  of  trial  when  unsupported  by  friends 
or  family,  she  stood  alone  before  Eustratius  Proculus  the  Impe- 
rial Prefect  of  Alexandria.  Dr.  Butler  gives  in  part  the  details  of 
this  celebrated  trial  of  Theodora  with  the  questions  put  by  the 
prefect  and  her  prompt,  daring  answers.  Charged  with  being  a 
Christian  she  had  at  once  acknowledged  her  "  crime  "  (?)  against 
the  well-known  ordinance  of  the  emperors.  Struck  by  her  won- 
drous beauty  of  person  but  even  more  by  her  noble,  firm  reliance 
upon  Divine  power,  this  heartless  man  recognized  such  traits  of 
true  virtue  and  character  that  he  bore  with  her  an  unusually  long 
controversy  until  his  patience  at  last  wearied  and  possibly  in  the 
hopes  of  saving  her  from  the  inevitable  penalty  which  must  ensue 
should  she  persist  in  defying  the  laws,  ordered :  "  Give  her  two 
great  buffets  to  cure  her  of  her  folly  and  teach  her  to  sacrifice." 
Her  reply  came  quickly :  "  You  are  master  of  my  body,  the  law 
has  left  that  at  your  disposal ;  but  my  soul  you  cannot  touch  ;  that 
is  in  the  power  of  God  alone  !  "  When  at  last  neither  arguments, 
threats  of  torture  nor  entreaties  had  availed,  and  Proculus  had  said 
he  would  execute  the  edict,  adding :  "  /  myself  would  be  guilty 
of  disobeying  the  emperors  were  I  to  dally  any  longer."  Even 
then  the  prefect  in  his  reluctancy  to  carry  out  his  decision  granted 
her  a  respite  of  three  days  in  which  to  reflect  and  —  if  she  would 
recant  —  "  Look  on  these  three  days  as  already  expired ; "  she 
replied':  "You  will  find  me  the  same  then  as  now.  *  *  *  My 
only  request  is  that  in  the  meantime  I  may  be  secured  from 
insults  on  my  chastity."  For  she  knew  too  well  the  common  cus- 
tom of  the  imperial  guards. 

To  his  credit,  if  hereto  an  act  can  be  regarded  in  that  light, 
Proculus  did  so  protect  her  from  the  troop  of  debauchees  who  at 
such  times  by  bribes  given  the  soldiers  were  wont  to  gratify  their 
vile  passions. 

On  the  fatal  day  an  unusual  event  occurred  when  a  young  man, 


SS.   DIDYMUS-THEODORA     217 

a  zealous  Christian  named  Didymus,  by  the  liberal  use  of  money 
gained  access  to  her  place  of  confinement.  He  was  disguised  as  a 
soldier  and  after  much  entreaty  he  at  last  persuaded  her  to 
change  their  garments.  Thus  disguised  she  escaped  her  prison. 
When  the  guards  discovered  how  they  had  been  cheated  of 
their  prisoner,  Didymus  of  course  was  at  once  haled  before  the 
prefect  and  in  reply  to  the  queries  of  why  he  had  done  this  thing 
and  where  Theodora  was  he  said :  "  I  am  a  Christian  and 
God  inspired  me  to  rescue  his  hand-maid "  and  then  declared 
he  knew  nothing  more  of  her  than  that :  —  "  She  is  a  servant  of 
God  and  He  has  preserved  her  spotless.  God  hath  done  to  her 
according  to  her  faith  in  Him." 

Didymus  was  sentenced  to  be  beheaded  and  his  body  burned. 
When  he  heard  his  fate  declared  he  cried  aloud  :  "  Blessed  be 
God,  the  Father  of  Our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  who  hath  not  despised 
my  offering  but  hath  preserved  spotless  His  hand-maid  Theo- 
dora, for  God  hath  thus  crowned  me  doubly." 

But  this  was  not  to  be.  St.  Ambrose  in  his  "  De  Virgin  " 
describes  the  wonderful  and  pathetic  scene  ;  how  Theodora  when 
she  heard  of  the  sentence  of  Didymus  at  once  hastened  to  dis- 
close herself  and  ran  to  the  place  of  execution  to  die  in  his  place, 
urging  that  she  indeed  owed  her  temporary  preservation  to  him  : 
"  You  were  bail  for  my  modesty,"  she  cried  :  "  not  for  my  life.  If 
my  virginity  yet  be  in  danger,  your  bond  still  holds  good  ;  but 
if  my  life  be  required,  it  is  a  debt  that  /  alone  can  discharge." 

Again  there  was  a  halt  in  the  tragedy  while  a  new  examination 
was  had.  But  their  condemnation  was  a  foregone  conclusion 
and  although  full  of  striking  incidents  I  must  refrain  from  repeat- 
ing them.  The  two  were  executed  on  April  28th,  A.  D.  304. 


APRIL  29th 

Is  the  day  set  apart  for  the  honour  of  St.  Robert,  Abbot  of 
Molesme,  the  founder  of  the  Order  of  the  Cistercians.  At  the 
early  age  of  fifteen  he  became  a  Benedictine  monk.  Later  he 
connected  himself  with  a  company  of  monks  in  the  desert  of 


218      SAINTS  AND    FESTIVALS 

Colan  but  they  subsequently  moved  into  the  forest  of  Molesme 
where  they  lived  in  cells  built  from  tree  boughs  and  where  St. 
Robert  was  their  superior.  Not  to  follow  in  detail  his  life  we 
find  him  with  other  ardent,  zealous  followers  retired  to  the  unin- 
habited forests  of  Citeaux  or  Cistercium,  by  the  side  of  a 
little  river  where  they  could  live  as  they  felt  more  truly  in  accord 
with  the  rigor  of  St.  Bennet.  They  arrived  there  on  that  saint's 
day  March  2ist,  1098.  From  that  epoch  the  origin  of  the  Cister- 
cian Order  dates.  They  followed  the  strictest  rules  laid  down  by 
St.  Bennet  abstaining  entirely  from  the  use  of  meat  at  all  times. 
The  habit  worn  was  of  a  tawny  colour  at  first  but  under  St. 
Alberic  the  successor  of  St.  Robert,  this  was  changed  to  white 
and  the  Order  for  the  first  time  took  the  Virgin  Mary  as  its 
especial  protectress.  It  was  also  under  St.  Alberic  that  the  Cis- 
tercian nuns  were  instituted.  Within  fifty  years  this  Order  had 
increased  to  500  abbeys  and  soon  after  A.  D.  1200  the -records 
show  they  numbered  about  1,800  separate  houses.  Under  Pope 
Sixtus  IV.  in  1475  the  more  strict  rules  of  abstinence  from  flesh 
were  relaxed.  But  it  was  in  1664  under  the  celebrated  La  Trappe 
that  the  austere  reformation  of  the  Order  took  place.  The  story 
of  this  Order  is  an  interesting  one  and  it  numbers  among  its 
devout  followers  many  noted  names  not  only  in  church  history 
but  in  public  life.  Ancient  chronicles  place  the  date  of  St. 
Robert's  birth  in  1018  and  his  death  in  mo. 


APRIL  30th. 

On  this  day  the  Church  honours  St.  Catharine  of  Siena  a 
woman  of  most  remarkable  strength  of  character  as  well  as 
ardent  charity  and  self-sacrifice.  When  in  1375  the  people  of 
Florence,  Perugia,  a  great  part  of  Tuscany  and  even  the  ecclesias- 
tical state,  entered  into  a  league  against  the  Holy  See  and  were 
excommunicated,  Catharine  was  selected  as  the  mediator.  Her 
keen  wisdom  and  rare  judgment  not  only  brought  about  a  recon- 
ciliation but  more,  since  she  not  only  saw  but  dared  to  show 
where  some  of  the  moving  causes  lay  and  secured  their  correc- 


ST.   CATHARINE  219 

tion.  Her  life  is  full  of  stirring  incident  and  without  verging  a 
hair's  breadth  from  strict  truth,  it  became  almost  a  romance  in 
some  of  the  situations  in  which  we  find  her  as  a  nurse  at  the  bed- 
side of  those  afflicted  by  the  most  loathsome  diseases,  then  as  the 
adviser  of  nobles  and  later  the  intermediary  between  thousands 
and  the  high  authority  of  the  Church.  Worn  out,  not  rusted  out 
after  an  easy  life,  this  wonderful  woman  died  when  but  thirty- 
three  years  of  age.  She  was  canonized  by  Pope  Pius  II.  in  1461. 
She  died  April  apth,  1380,  but  Urban  VIII.  transferred  the  festival 
to  the  3Oth  of  the  month, 


MAY 


"  Then  came  fair  May,  the  gayest  mayd  on  ground, 
Deckt  all  with  dainties  of  her  season's  pryde." 

—  Spenser, 

May  was  the  second  month  of  the  old  Alban  Kalendar,  the  third 
in  that  of  Romulus,  and  the  fifth  in  that  instituted  by  Numa 
Pompilius.  The  Saxons  called  it  "  Tri-Milchi  "  since  their  cows 
then  gave  milk  thrice  daily.  At  one  time  the  name  was  supposed 
to  be  in  honour  of  Maia  the  mother  by  Jupiter  of  the  god  Hermes 
or  Mercury.  But  the  best  accepted  authorities  represent  it  as  be- 
ing assigned  in  honour  of  the  Majores  or  Maiores ;  the  Senate 
under  the  old  Roman  constitutions,  just 
y^  as  "  Junius  "  or  June  was  a  compliment  to 
1^^  \/s  the  Juniores,  or  minor  branch  of  the 

.    j          Roman    legislature.     Ancient    proverbs 
innumerable  are  extant  about  May. 

The  illustration  here  given  is  the  one 
we  find  on  Clog  Sticks  for  the  ist  of 
May  and  is  supposed  to  represent  a 
growing  leaf  or  shrub. 


MAY  ist. 

This  day  holds  an  especial  place  in 
both  the  Anglican  and  Roman  Kalendars, 
as  the  festival  of  SS.  Philip  and  James  Minor  (or  the  Less), 
Apostles. 

Of  St.  Philip  we  have  little  authentic  imformation  beyond  that 


SS.    PHILIP   AND   JAMES       221 

he  was  a  married  man  and  had  several  daughters  and  that  he 

preached  in   Phrygia  after  Christ's  Ascension.     Nor  can  we  be 

perfectly  sure  that  he  suffered  as  a  martyr.     His  legend  tells  how 

when   at   Heiropolis  in     Phrygia  while    preaching,   he   saw   the 

heathen  worship  a  dragon  or  the  god    Mars  under    that  form. 

Then  the  Apostle  commanded  the 

dragon  in  the   name  of  the  cross, 

which  he  held  in  his  hand  to  dis- 
appear. When  it  is  said  it  glided 

beneath   the   altar,    emitting  such 

a  hideous  stench,  that  many  people 

died    therefrom    among    them  the 

King's   son  ;    but   the  Apostle  by 

divine  power  restored  him  to  life. 

Whereupon  the   priests   of   the 

dragon    crucified   him    and   while 

still  bound  on  the  cross  stoned  him. 

Thus  the   attribute  of  St.  Philip  is 

usually  a  T  (tau)  cross,  the  usual 

form  used  in  early  days.  Sometimes  he  is  given  a  Latin  cross 
and  more  rarely  a  double  or  "  Bishop's  " 
cross.  At  times  loaves  of  bread  are 
placed  in  his  hands  in  reference  to  St. 
John  vi.,  5-7.  St.  Philip's  four  daughters 
were  prophetesses.  See  Acts  xxi.,  9. 
One  of  them,  St.  Miriamne  appears  in 
Greek  calendars. 


St.  James  Minor  or  the  Less  who  is 
honoured  to-day  is  also  called  "  the  Just  " 
as  well  as  "  the  Brother  of  the  Lord." 
He  was  the  first  Bishop  of  Jerusalem. 
The  terms  Minor,  or  the  Less  may  have 
been  given  him  either  because  of  his 
stature,  or  on  account  of  his  being 
younger  then  St.  James  the  Great.  Early 
traditions  tell  of  his  wonderful  likeness 


222    SAINTS   AND    FESTIVALS 


to  Jesus,  and  that  this  was  the  secret  reason  why  Judas  kissed 
Christ  in  order  to  point  him  out  beyond  doubt  to  the  soldiers. 

The  fervour  of  his  teaching  so  angered  the  Scribes  and  Pharisees 
especially  Ananus,  the  high   priest,  that   they  flung   the  Apostle 

from  the  parapet  of  the 
Temple  and  then  killed 
him  with  a  fuller's  club 
of  a  peculiar  shape.  He 
was  then  in  his  ninety- 
sixth  year  of  age.  In 
the  illustration  taken 
from  the  reredos  of  the 
church  at  Bampton,  Eng- 
land, the  two  saints  are 
shown  one  with  fuller's 
club  and  the  other  with 
the  T  (tau)  cross. 


MAY  2d. 

This  day  is  the  festival 
of  St.  Athanasius,  Pa- 
triarch of  Alexandria  and 
a  Doctor  of  the  Church. 

St.  Gregory  Nazianzen 
begins  his  panegyric  upon 
this  saint :  "  When  I 
praise  Athanasius,  Vir- 

ST.  JAMES  MINOR.  ST.  PHILIP.  fug    itself    js    my     theme 

*  *  *.  His  life  and  conduct  were  the  rule  of  the  Bishops  and  his 
doctrine  the  rule  of  the  orthodox  faith."  In  these  two  brief 
sentences  is  summed  up  the  character  of  this  noted  man  though 
a  ponderous  folio  now  before  me  is  filled  with  details  that  con- 
firm the  truth  of  the  venerable  prelate's  assertion.  But  I  shall 
hardly  even  sketch  the  outline  of  his  life  in  the  brief  mention  of 
some  facts  connected  with  it. 


ST.   ATHANASIUS  223 

He  was  a  native  Alexandrian,  born  of  Christian  parents  in  296. 
In  youth  noted  alike  for  his  virtues  and  "  the  pregnancy  of  his 
wit."  While  an  "all  round"  scholar  —  to  use  a  modern  phrase 
—  of  rare  attainments,  he  made  especial  study  of  the  Holy  Scrip- 
tures ;  from  which  he  was  wont  to  quote  with  such  ease  and  apt- 
ness that  his  hearers  almost  believed  he  had  committed  the  sacred 
book  to  memory.  This  at  least  is  true ;  that  he  had  studied  it  in 
every  way  from  its  historical  point  of  view  to  those  unique  para- 
bles of  our  Saviour,  which  were  intended  each  to  teach  its  own 
lesson.  And  next  to  this,  he  had  made  ecclesiastical  and  the 
canon  laws  of  the  Church  an  especial  study  to  which  he  added  a 
rare  knowledge  of  civil  law,  so  unusual  among  clerics  that  Sul- 
picius  Severus  called  him  "  a  lawyer." 

It  was  this  rare  combination  that  made  Athanasius  the  power 
he  was  in  his  day  in  the  Church  and  among  his  fellow  citizens  in 
Alexandria ;  feared  by  the  pagans  ;  while  his  own  loveable  traits, 
his  charity  and  wisdom  made  him  to  be  venerated  and  trusted 
and  loved  by  his  fellow  Christians.  Such  a  man  was  not  likely  to 
be  unnoticed  by  the  "  Fathers  of  the  Church  "  ;  especially  by  one 
like  St.  Alexander  —  then  Patriarch  of  Alexandria,  who  upon  his 
death-bed  recommended  Athanasius  to  the  clergy  as  one  worthy 
to  succeed  him.  It  was  therefore  but  the  natural  sequence  when 
in  326  the  bishops  of  all  Egypt  assembled  in  council,  elected  him 
as  Patriarch. 

To  write  the  story  of  Athanasius  from  this  point  on  would  be 
to  write  the  history  of  the  Church  in  Alexandria  with  all  its  con- 
troversies ;  internal  and  external,  including  the  effort  by  Arians,  to 
eject  him  from  his  position,  frustrated  by  Pope  Julius  in  341,  and 
at  other  times.  It  was  a  long  and  bitter  struggle,  therefore  must 
be  omitted  since  it  covered  a  period  of  forty-six  years,  or  the 
entire  Patriarchal  life  of  Athanasius.  To  quote  once  more  from 
St.  Gregory  Nazianzen  :  "  After  innumerable  conflicts  and  as 
many  victories,  this  glorious  saint  having  governed  the  Church  of 
Alexandria  for  forty-six  years  was  called  to  a  life  exempt  from 
labour  and  suffering  on  May  2d  in  the  year  373. 

As  a  writer  Athanasius  had  few  in  his  day  who  were  his  peers 
for  the  elegance  of  his  style  and  beauty  of  diction. 


224    SAINTS   AND    FESTIVALS 

The  Greeks  honour  St.  Athanasius  on  this  day  as  it  is  the  anni- 
versary when  his  relics  were  translated  to  the  church  of  St. 
Sophia  in  Constantinople  from  Alexandria,  and  also  on  January 
1 8th  when  they  commemorate  the  name  of  St.  Cyril ;  though  Cyril 
died  in  June. 


MAY  3d. 

THE   INVENTION   OF  THE  CROSS 

Is  celebrated  on  the  3d  of  May,  but  the  name  of  the  festival  is 
misleading  since  it  was  in  fact  the  discovery  or  finding  of  the 
cross  on  which  our  Saviour  suffered  that  is  honoured. 

The  Clog  Almanac  symbol  has  the  Invention  of 
the  Cross  —  as  the  ancient  T  (tau)  cross.  In  an 
English  Clog  which  I  have  seen  this  is  shown  as  a 
Latin  cross. 

The  history  of  the  cross  as  an  instrument  for  the 
punishment  of  criminals  is  one  of  the  most  curious 
in  the  whole  range  of  archaeological  study.  No 
one,  not  even  the  most  erudite,  pretends  to  know 
when  the  cross  was  "  invented."  Long  before  the 
Christian  era  it  was  in  common  use  throughout 
the  then  known  world  ;  while  legends  and  tradi- 
tions trace  the  tree  upon  which  Christ  was  crucified 
back  to  slips  or  seeds  (for  there  are  two  versions 
of  the  legend)  taken  from  the  "  tree  of  life  "  in  the  garden  of 
Eden.  All  of  this  must  be  omitted  here  and  only  that  part  of  the 
story  told  which  relates  to  the  finding  of  the  true  cross  by  the 
Empress  Helena,  when  in  A.  D.  326  she  made  a  journey  to 
Palestine  and  which  is  strictly  historical. 

St.  Helena,  according  to  the  best  authorities,  was  born  in  Eng- 
land but  just  where  is  in  doubt.  She  married  Constantine 
Chlorus  ("  The  Pale  ")  and  was  the  mother  of  Constantine  the 
Great.  When  the  latter  embraced  Christianity  she  is  reported  as 
saying  :  "It  would  have  been  better  had  he  been  born  a  Jew." 


INVENTION   OF   THE   CROSS     225 


THE  INVENTION  OR  DISCOVERY  OF  THE  CROSS  BY  ST.  HELENA. 

Engraved  from  a  print  in  a  Dutch  "  Legendary  History  of  the  Cross,"  first  published  in 

1423.    Facsimile  reprint  1876. 


226     SAINTS   AND   FESTIVALS 

Later  she  too  became  a  convert  to  the  Christian  faith.  In  its 
proper  place  in  the  Kalendar  on  August  i8th,  a  more  detailed 
account  of  this  noted  woman  will  be  given. 

As  the  legends  regarding  the  cross  run,  after  the  crucifixion  the 
cross  on  which  Christ  had  hung,  with  the  two  crosses  of  the 
thieves  were  thrown  into  the  town  ditch,  or  according  to  some 
into  an  old  vault  near  by  and  soon  covered  with  the  refuse  and 
ruin  of  the  city. 

In  her  extreme  old  age  the  Empress  Helena  made  a  pilgrimage 
to  Jerusalem  to  recover  the  cross  and  threatened  all  the  Jewish 
inhabitants  with  torture  and  death  if  they  did  not  produce  the 
holy  cross  from  the  place  where  their  ancestors  had  concealed  it. 
At  last  an  old  Jew  named  Judas  who  had  been  put  into  prison 
and  was  nearly  famished,  consented  to  reveal  the  secret.  He 
accordingly  petitioned  Helena.  Whereupon  the  earth  trembled 
and  from  the  fissures  in  the  ground  a  delicious  aromatic  odour 
issued  and  on  the  soil  being  removed  the  three  crosses  were  dis- 
covered, and  near  them  the  superscription  but  it  was  not  known  to 
which  of  them  it  belonged.  "  Macarius,  Bishop  of  Jerusalem,  in 
company  with  the  empress  repaired  to  the  house  of  a  noble  lady 
who  was  afflicted  with  an  incurable  disease  but  who  was  immedi- 
ately restored  to  health  by  touching  the  true  cross  ;  while  the  body 
of  a  young  man  who  was  being  carried  to  his  burial  was  brought 
to  life  when  it  was  laid  on  the  holy  wood."  *  *  * 

At  the  sight  of  these  miracles  Judas,  the  Jew,  became  a  Chris- 
tian and  was  baptised  by  the  name  of  Quiricus  to  the  great  indig- 
nation of  the  devil  for  he  said  :  "  By  the  first  Judas  I  gained 
much  profit,  but  by  this  one's  conversion  I  shall  lose  many  souls." 

This  greatly  abbreviated  is  the  legend  as  it  is  told. 

The  temple  of  Venus  which  profaned  the  sacred  spot  where 
this  is  reputed  to  have  occurred  was  destroyed  by  order  of 
Empress  Helena  A.  D.  326.  Some  writers  on  apparently  strong 
authority  say  that  it  was  beneath  this  temple  of  Venus  that  three 
crosses  were  found.  But  whichever  story  is  true  the  fact  is  indu- 
bitable that  it  was  through  St.  Helena's  efforts  the  true  cross  of 
Christ  was  found.  The  date  326  given  is  by  some  placed  in  328. 

At  the  same  time  St.  Helena  also  secured  the  four  nails  with 


ROGATION    DAYS  227 

which  our  Saviour  had  been  fastened  to  the  horrid  wood.  Of 
these  four  nails,  two  were  placed  in  the  imperial  crown  of  Con- 
stantine,  one  was  at  a  later  period  brought  to  France  by  Charle- 
magne and  tradition  tells  of  the  fourth  as  being  cast  into  the 
Adriatic  to  calm  that  stormy  sea.  But  to  attempt  to  follow  the 
history  of  these  nails  as  well  as  that  of  the  ultimate  disposition 
of  the  wood  of  the  cross  opens  a  too  widely  mooted  question. 

Constantine  erected  a  basilica  on  the  site  of  the  temple  of 
Venus  in  335  and  St.  Helena  herself  erected  in  327  the  "  Church 
of  the  Nativity  "  at  Bethlehem,  said  to  be  the  oldest  edifice  in  the 
world. 


MAY  4th. 

ROGATION   DAYS. 

The  dates  of  what  are  termed  Rogation  Days  depend  entirely 
upon  the  date  of  Easter  and  the  fifth  Sunday  after  Easter  is 
"  Rogation  Sunday  "  so  called,  and  the  Monday,  Tuesday  and 
Wednesday  following  are  Rogation  Days.  These  three  days 
immediately  preceding  Holy  Thursday,  or  Ascension  Day  are 
observed  in  both  the  Roman  and  Protestant  branches  of  the 
church  as  days  of  abstination.  They  originated  it  is  said  when 
St.  Mammertus,  Bishop  of  Vienna,  about  the  year  452  ordained 
that  these  three  days  should  be  observed  as  a  public  fast  with 
solemn  processions  and  supplications  to  God  on  account  of  some 
great  public  or  national  calamity.  They  were  continued  and  in 
time  were  by  ecclesiastical  enactment  incorporated  into  a  law  of 
the  Latin  Church  when  it  was  decreed  that  they  should  be 
observed  annually  "  with  processions  and  supplications  to  secure 
God's  blessing  on  the  product  of  the  earth  and  the  temporal 
interests  of  men." 

At  the  time  of  the  Reformation  the  English  church  directed 
that  the  public  processions  should  be  discontinued,  but  at  the 
same  time  ordained  that  each  of  these  three  Rogation  Days  should 
be  observed  as  days  of  private  fasting.  The  Roman  Church  still 
observes  the  days  as  of  old. 


228    SAINTS   AND    FESTIVALS 

At  a  very  early  day  in  England  these  Rogation  Days  took  on 
also  a  secular  type  and  were  known  as  "  Gange  Days,"  from  a 
peculiar  custom  of  "  perambulating  the  boundaries  of  each  par- 
ish "  during  these  three  days  before  Holy  Thursday.  This  name 
was  given  them  from  the  Saxon  word  "  gangen  "  to  go.  These 
perambulations  were  performed  with  great  pomp  and  ceremony, 
the  procession  being  composed  of  the  priests  and  prelates  of  the 
church  and  a  select  number  of  the  "  substantial  men  of  the  par- 
ish "  carrying  with  them  "  lights,  handbells  and  banners,"  which 
by  the  law  the  borough  was  bound  to  furnish.  During  its  prog- 
ress the  procession  made  frequent  stops  sometimes  for  a  feast, 
at  others  to  listen  to  an  admonitory  sermon  from  some  of  the 
church  dignitaries.  During  the  reign  of  Queen  Elizabeth  the 
laws  regarding  these  perambulations  were  modified  and  it  was  or- 
dered that  only  "  the  curate  of  the  parish  with  certain  substantial 
men  "  should  make  the  tour  of  the  boundaries  and  then  "  return 
to  the  church  for  prayers  by  the  curate."  I  have  before  me  an 
account  of  these  perambulations  written  in  1864,  in  which  the 
writer  says  that  in  his  own  boyhood  he  well  remembers  such  a 
perambulation  in  his  parish  ;  that  it  was  headed  by  the  vicar  and 
occupied  "  two  days  of  merry  ramble  by  us  juveniles  who  followed 
the  vicar  and  his  substantial  men."  The  writer  then  recounts  a 
score  or  more  of  funny  incidents  and  the  tricks  that  were  played 
on  the  processional  party. 

In  many  parts  of  England  these  Rogation  Days  were  set  aside 
for  some  special  local  service,  as  in  Dorsetshire  down  to  1830, 
Rogation  Monday  was  a  special  festival  called  the  Bezant  and 
was  a  sort  of  thanksgiving  for  the  water  supply  of  the  town  of 
Shaftsbury. 

The  canonical  colour  for  each  of  the  Rogation  Days  is  violet. 
Its  general  significance  is  passion,  suffering  and  sorrow  ;  but  it 
also  signifies  humility,  deep  love  and  truth,  and  in  these  it  is  used 
on  the  church  altar  on  these  days. 


This  day  in  May  is  also  the  festival  of  St.  Monica,  the  mother  of 
St.  Augustine,  and  she  is  held  in  especial  veneration  as  the 
patroness  of  the  Augustine  nuns.  She  is  very  often  met  with  in 


ST.    HI  LA  RY  229 

Christian  art,  one  famous  picture  being  in  Florence.  Here  she 
wears  a  black  robe  with  a  coif  of  white.  This  coif  is  often 
replaced  by  a  veil  sometimes  white  and  at  others  grey. 


MAY   5th. 

St.  Hilary,  Archbisop  of  Aries  whose  festival  occurs  on  this  day 
must  not  be  confounded  with  St.  Hilary  (A.  D.  368)  who  is 
especially  honoured  by  the  Anglican  church. 


Michael  Ghisleri  afterwards  Pope  Pius  V.,  also  is  honoured  on 
this  day.  He  was  from  a  noble  Bologenese  family,  born  January 
27th,  1504  and  elevated  to  the  pontificate  January  7th,  1606.  He 
died  May  ist,  1572  ;  was  "beatified  "  by  Clement  X.  in  1672  and 
canonized  by  Clement  XI.  in  1712. 

He  was  a  man  of  strong  marked  character.  He  saw  and 
knew  the  evils  of  intemperance  and  may  be  cited  as  one  of  the 
earliest  of  those  who  have  striven  to  counteract  these  evils  ;  as  he 
published  severe  regulations  regarding  the  "  excesses  in  taverns  " 
(the  saloon  of  old  Rome)  and  curiously,  as  we  study  his  story,  we 
see  how  history  repeats  itself ;  or  rather  that  men  have  not 
changed.  Yet  this  Holy  Father  did  much  toward  checking  the 
evil  he  battled  against.  At  the  same  time,  to  further  good  mor- 
als, Pius  V.  banished  from  Rome  or  confined  in  safe  quarters  all 
lewd  women.  Indeed  he  was  a  reformer  of  a  fearless  type  with 
but  one  purpose  at  heart,  to  serve  his  Great  Master.  His  story 
would  be  interesting  to  follow  but  in  these  brief  sketches  I  am 
not  able  to  elaborate. 


MAY  6th 

Is  the  festival  of  St.  John  the  Evangelist,  "  ante  Portam  Lati- 
nam."  This  festival  is  named  from  a  very  early  legend  told  by 
Tertullian  and  verified  by  St.  Jerom  and  Eusebius  of  the  persecu- 
tion of  St.  John  by  order  of  Domitian  "the  last  of  the  twelve 
Caesars."  A  tyrant  who  deluged  Rome  in  the  blood  of  martyrs 
yet  a  creature  —  we  cannot  ennoble  him  by  calling  him  a  man  — 


23o     SAINTS    AND    FESTIVALS 


of  such  cruel  instinct  that  it  is  told  of  him  that  in  his  closet  he 

amused  (?)  himself  by  catching  flies  and  impaling  them  alive  with 

needles.     One  so  lost  to  all  sense  of  morals  that  he  hesitated  not 

to  debauch   his  own   niece   to 
gratify  his  sexual  lusts. 

The  legend  which  must  be 
condensed  into  a  few  brief 
words  is  that  when  St.  John 
was  brought  to  Rome  he  was 
taken  without  the  gate  called 
"  Latina  "  and  there  cast  into 
a  caldron  of  boiling  oil.  But 
to  quote  from  "  Butler's  Lives 
of  the  Saints  "  :  "  This  seething 
oil  was  changed  in  his  regard 
into  a  refreshing  bath,  and  the 

saint  came  out  more  fresh  and  lively  than  when  he  entered  the 

caldron." 

Like  all  the  heathen  of  his  day  Domitian  believed  in  the  art  of 

magic   and   set    St.    John's    deliverance 

down  to  that,  and  contented  himself  by 

banishing  the  Evangelist  to  the  Isle  of 

Patmos.     On  December  27th,  St.  John's 

Day,  we  shall  further  speak  of  him.  This 

especial  deliverance  of   St.  John  is  cele- 
brated on  this  day.     In  the  Clog  Almanac 

there  are  two  symbols  given  for  the  day. 

One  a  bleeding   heart   such  as  is  often 

given  to  martyrs.     The  other,  referring 

to  St.  John's  suffering  outside  the  Latin 

gate,  a  caldron  with  the  flames  beneath 

it. 


MAY  7th. 

St.  Benedict  II.,  Pope  and  Confessor  is  recognised  this  day. 
His  pontificate  was  very  brief  lasting  less  than  eleven  months. 
He  died  in  686. 


ASCENSION    DAY  231 

St.  John  of  Beverley  whose  festival  occurs  also  on  this  day  was 
from  a  noble  Anglo-Saxon  family  and  was  born  at  Harpham,  a 
favourite  place  of  residence  for  the  Northumbrian  kings.  The 
fact  that  he  received  a  scriptural  name  instead  of  one  of  the 
usual  Anglo-Saxon  kind  evidences  that  his  family  were  Christians. 
His  early  education  was  under  the  Abbess  Hilda  of  Whitby 
who  was  a  great-granddaughter  of  King  Edwin.  Later  he 
completed  his  studies  at  Canterbury.  Bede  (the  Anglo-Saxon 
historian)  gives  a  very  full  account  of  his  long  and  peaceful  life. 
Indeed  from  Bede's  account  his  one  desire  was  to  escape  notori- 
ety and  to  live  in  seclusion,  especially  during  the  season  of  Lent. 
For  this  purpose  he  built  for  himself  a  cell  in  the  forest  of  Deiri 
beyond  the  Tyne  and  far  from  the  haunts  of  men,  on  a  little 
stream  where  the  beavers  made  their  home  and  called  in  Anglo- 
Saxon  Beofer  —  leag  or  the  lea  of  beavers  —  which  was  softened 
in  modern  days  into  Beverley. 

It  was  here  one  of  the  remarkable  miracles  credited  to  this 
saint  was  performed,  when  by  his  prayers  he  gained  for  a  poor 
dumb  boy  whom  he  had  taken  into  the  forest  with  him,  the  power 
of  speech.  A  monastery  was  built  here  at  Beverley  of  which 
John  became  the  abbot.  Later  he  was  translated  to  the  arch- 
bishopric of  York.  He  died  May  7th,  721. 


MAY  8th. 

ASCENSION   DAY. 

Holy  Thursday  or  Ascension  Day  is  a  movable  feast  and 
fixed  to  occur  forty  days  after  Easter  Sunday.  It  is  one  of  the 
earliest  festivals  known  to  have  been  kept  by  the  Christian 
Church.  Its  first  celebration  was  —  as  tradition  tells  us  —  held  in 
the  year  68. 

The  sacred  story  is  too  well  known  by  all  Christians  to  need 
repetition  or  to  give  any  reason  why  the  glorious  ascension  of 
our  Saviour  into  heaven  "  leading  captivity  captive  "  and  "  opening 
the  kingdom  of  heaven  to  all  believers,"  should  be  thus  held  in 
reverence.  Nor  need  I  explain  why  white,  the  most  joyous  of  all 


232     SAINTS   AND    FESTIVALS 

the  canonical  colours  is  selected  as  the  appropriate  one  for  use 
upon  the  altars  of  the  church  this  marvelous  day. 

In  the  use  of  the  Rosary  by  devout  members  of  the  Roman 
Church  an  account  of  which  and  its  festival,  October  ist  will  be 
duly  given,  this  day  is  marked  as  the  seventh  in  series  of  the 
mythical  "  Sorrows  and  Joys  of  the  Virgin."  Her  legend  saying 
that  she  too  was  present  on  this  great  day,  and  prayed :  "  My 
Son,  remember  me  when  Thou  comest  into  Thy  kingdom. 
Leave  me  not  long  after  Thee,  my  Son." 

ANCIENT   ENGLISH   CUSTOMS  ON   ASCENSION   DAY. 

Throughout  England  many  quaint  customs  most  of  which 
have  passed  into  desuetude  marked  Ascension  Day.  I  must 
limit  myself  to  brief  mention  of  one  only,  which  it  was  my  privi- 
lege to  witness  in  1854  when  I  happened  to  be  at  Chatsworth  that 
"  show  house "  of  the  north  of  England  when  I  heard  of  the 
festival  that  was  to  take  place  and  drove  from  Matlock  to 
Tissington,  "the  village  of  holy  wells,"  to  witness  the  unique 
ceremony  of  the  "  Well  Dressing,"  on  Holy  Thursday.  We 
entered  the  village  about  10  o'clock  in  the  morning  but  already 
the  village  had  donned  its  gala  attire  and  its  one  broad  street  was 
crowded  by  a  motley  collection  of  people,  men,  women  and  chil- 
dren and  (pity  them)  babies  in  arms,  who  had  come  from  miles 
around  to  take  part  in  the  "  feast  "  as  they  regarded  it.  Booths 
of  all  kinds  occupied  every  available  space  as  usual  at  English 
fairs  from  gingerbread  toys  to  "  Brighton  Tipper  "  ale. 

Following  the  good  advice  of  our  landlady  at  Matlock  we  went 
directly  to  the  church,  but  alas,  too  late  to  get  inside  for  it  was 
already  full ;  thus  we  lost  the  sermon  but  perhaps  were  more 
than  repaid  by  the  amusing  scenes  outside  the  church  until  the 
vicar  had  finished  and  came  forth  to  take  his  place  at  the  head  of 
the  procession  to  the  "  wells." 

This  last  word  is  in  a  way  a  misnomer  for  with  but  one  excep- 
tion they  were  fountains  fed  from  the  springs  on  the  hills  above 
the  town,  one  only  being  an  old-time  well  with  its  pump. 

These  cascades   have   like  that   of  the   "  Hall   Well "   at   the 


WELL   DRESSING 


233 


Fitzherbert  mansion  (shown  in  illustration)  stone  arches  or  fronts 
with  the  fountain  basin  below.  On  this  day,  however,  they  were 
all  hidden  from  view  behind  screens  of  fresh  flowers  fastened  on 
wooden  frames.  I  recall  one  where  a  text  of  Scripture  had  been 
traced  in  yellow  field  ranunculus  on  a  dark  background  with  very 
pretty  effect.  With  the  lavish  profusion  of  gorgeous  flowers  used 
at  each  of  the  five 
wells  it  is  difficult  for 
my  memory  at  this 
distant  date  to  recall 
much  beyond  the 
general  beauty  of 
them  all. 

The  ceremony  at 
each  of  the  wells  is 
the  same.  Very  sim- 
ple but  most  pleasing, 
while  the  picture  made 
by  the  peasantry  in 
their  holiday  attire  as 
they  stood  grouped 
around  the  clergyman 
and  the  white-robed 
choir-boys  was  one 
not  soon  to  be  for- 
gotten. First  came  an 
invocation  for  God  to 
bless  and  keep  pure, 
the  waters  of  the  well. 
Then  the  first  of  the 
three  Psalms  appointed  for  the  day  was  read,  the  choir-boys 
chanting  the  responses,  after  that  one  of  Bishop  Heber's  beautiful 
hymns  then  another  Psalm,  followed  by  the  "  Gloria,"  and  the 
last  Psalm  and  a  prayer  completed  the  service.  From  the  last 
well  the  clergyman  and  choir-boys  returned  to  the  church. 

Not  so   with  the  people   for  their  holiday  was  but  just  then 
begun   and  from  that  time  until  the  "  wee  sma  hours  "  games  of 


234      SAINTS   AND   FESTIVALS 

all  kinds  were  kept  up  on  the  village  green,  with  dancing  round 
a  May  pole  while  the  booths,  side  shows  and  gypsy  fortune  tellers 
did  business  to  full  houses.  Full  in  more  than  one  sense  since 
the  taverns  and  ale  booths  had  not  been  forgotten. 

The  origin  of  this  custom  of  "  Well  Dressing "  is  of  very 
ancient  date  some  asserting  it  was  once  a  pagan  festival.  In  its 
present  form  it  seems  to  date  from  1615.  In  that  year  a  severe 
drought  occurred  throughout  Derbyshire  when  most  of  the  wells 
were  dried  up  and  the  smaller  streams  were  all  dry  though  the 
wells  at  Tissington  were  never  empty.  The  people  from  the 
countrysides  for  ten  miles  round  coming  there  to  get  water  to 
supply  their  cattle  and  stock  at  home.  Then  it  was  that  this 
thanksgiving  service  was  appointed,  for  Ascension  Day. 


THE    APPARITION    OF    ST.    MICHAEL. 

The  Archangel  St.  Michael  whom  the  Church  honours  on  May 
8th  is  the  acknowledged  "  Prince  of  the  faithful  angels."  His 
name  even  in  Hebrew  signifies  "  Who  is  like  God,"  has  a  grand 
sound.  It  was  he  whom  God  commissioned  to  expel  from 
Heaven  Lucifer  and  his  associate  rebellious  angels  when  they  re- 
volted. To  quote :  "  His  office  now  is  believed  to  be  two-fold  ; 
that  of  patron  saint  of  the  church  on  earth,  and  the  Lord 
of  the  souls  of  the  dead." 

The  legends  of  St.  Michael  are  numerous  and  elaborate.  They 
begin  far  back  in  the  mystic  days  of  the  Old  Testament  and  tell 
of  his  appearance  to  Hagar  (Genesis  xxi.,  17)  while  another 
describes  him  as  the  angel  who  forbadeAbraham  to  sacrifice  Isaac 
(Genesis  xxii.,  1 1)  and  still  another  when  he  contested  with  Satan 
for  the  body  of  Moses  (Jude  5).  While  in  many  Bible  stories  it 
is  said  he  represented  his  great  Master,  God.  These  legends  also 
tell  of  his  announcement  to  the  Virgin  of  the  time  when  her 
death  would  occur.  Of  his  appearance  to  St.  Gregory  both 
before  and  when  the  plague  at  Rome  was  stayed.  These  and 
many  of  the  other  apparitions  of  St.  Michael  are  the  reasons  for 
and  the  title  given  this  festival. 


ST.    GREGORY    NAZIANZEN     235 

MAY   9th. 

St.  Gregory  Nazianzen  whose  festival  occurs  this  day  holds  a 
somewhat  unique  place  in  the  Kalendar  of  the  Saints,  since  not 
only  was  his  father  St.  Gregory,  Bishop  of  Nazianzeno  ;  his  mother 
St.  Nonna ;  his  two  sisters  St.  Gorgonia  and  St.  Cesarca ;  but 
he  also  was  honoured  by  the  Church  by  canonization. 

St.  Gregory  from  his  profound  learning,  is  surnamed  "  The 
Theologian  "  and  was  one  of  the  "  Doctors  of  the  Church."  In 
his  early  years  he  had  careful  training  in  "  grammar-learning  "  in 
the  schools  in  Cappadocia  and  thereafter  sent  to  Palestine 
"  where  the  study  of  eloquence  flourished "  and  subsequently 
studying  in  Alexandria  and  Athens.  He  was  not  baptised  until 
he  was  nearly  thirty  years  of  age  but  from  that  time  became  an 
ardent  earnest  religious  student.  He  was  his  father's  coadjutor 
and  in  362  succeeded  him  in  his  bishopric.  Later  in  life  he  lived 
on  a  small  estate  and  it  was  here  we  find  him  in  a  new  role  which 
gives  him  still  another  claim  for  being  honoured.  For  it  was 
here  he  wrote  those  hymns  and  lyrics  which  place  his  name 
among  the  very  earliest  of  the  Christian  poets.  These  poetic 
effusions  are  like  his  other  writings  of  more  than  usual  merit  and 
express  his  naturally  intense  imaginative  nature.  His  death  took 
place  May  Qth,  but  whether  in  389  or  390  some  doubt  exists. 

As  a  writer  and  chronicler  he  has  ever  been  regarded  as  one 
of  the  most  reliable  of  those  who  left  on  record  the  history  of  the 
Church  during  his  day,  as  well  as  for  the  beauty  of  his  diction. 


MAY  loth. 

I  think  I  am  not  far  astray  when  I  say  that  outside  of  the 
clerics  of  the  Roman  Church  certain  antiquarians,  archaeologists 
and  a  limited  class  of  ardent  delving  students  only  a  few  general 
readers  are  aware  how  far  in  advance  in  all  educational  matters 
many  of  the  Irish  clergy  were  —  from  the  V.  to  the  VIII.  cen- 
turies—  of  the  best  educated  men  in  or  out  of  the  church  in 
ancient  Britain ;  or  what  grand  schools  of  learning  —  for  their 
day  and  generations  those  old  Irish  monastic  schools  were. 


236     SAINTS  AND   FESTIVALS 

Indeed  those  of  Germany,  Italy  and  Greece  were  by  no  means  so 
far  in  advance  of  them  as  we  would  at  first  suppose.  One  of  the 
most  noted  of  these  educational  centers  was  the  Monastery 
Cluain-Aidhnech  at.  the  foot  of  the  Bladma  hills  from  which 
rise  the  two  rivers  Barrow  and  Nore  in  Queen's  county.  It  was 
here  St.  Cornwall  whose  festival  is  celebrated  this  day,  an  Ulster 
born  man,  was  trained  under  that  celebrated  teacher,  St.  Finian, 
becoming  by  550  one  of  the  most  accomplished  men  of  his  age 
there  to  found  the  great  abbey  of  Benchor  or  Bangor,  county 
Down  which  in  its  turn  became  another  remarkable  school  of 
learning,  and  made  St.  Comgall's  name  famous.  He  later  founded 
another  monastery  called  Cell-Comgail  now  called  Saynkille  and 
attached  to  the  archbishopic  of  Dublin.  Comgall  died  May  loth, 
601. 


MAY  iith. 

The  Sunday  intervening  between  Ascension  Day  and  Whit- 
sunday is  termed 

SUNDAY   IN   THE  OCTAVE   OF  ASCENSION. 

Roman  Martyrology  records  that  on  this  day  is  celebrated  : 
"  At  Rome  on  the  Salarian  road  the  birthday  of  the  blessed 
Anthimus,  a  priest  who  after  having  distinguished  himself  by  his 
virtues  and  preaching,  was  cast  into  the  Tiber  during  the  persecu- 
tions of  Diocletian.  He  was  rescued  by  an  angel  and  restored  to 
his  oratory;  "  but  later  was  decapitated. 


This  day  is  also  marked  as  the  festival  of  St.  Mammertus,  Arch- 
bishop of  Vienne,  whose  memory  is  highly  venerated  by  the 
Church  both  for  his  sanctity  and  learning  and  for  having  instituted 
the  three  days  Latines  immediately  before  the  Ascension  of  our 
Lord  ;  and  for  the  many  miracles  he  performed  such  as  the  stay- 
ing of  the  great  fire  by  his  prayers  and  which  had  baffled  the 
efforts  of  men  and  seemed  destined  to  destroy  his  city,  when 
the  archbishop  took  his  place  at  the  altar  and  ceased  not  his 


ST.    FRANCIS    DI    GIROLAMO  237 

supplications  until  his  prayers  were  answered.  His  faith  in  the 
efficacy  of  fasting  and  prayer,  never  for  an  instant  failed  him  and 
this  it  was  which  led  him  to  institute  the  Rogation  Days.  The 
mass  and  lessons  appointed  for  these  days  in  Gaul,  are  still  pre- 
served in  the  ancient  Gallican  liturgy.  He  was  an  author  also  of 
a  number  of  noted  theological  works.  One  "  On  Nature  and  the 
Soul,"  alone  would  keep  his  memory  green. 


St.  Francis  di  Girolamo  who  is  also  remembered  on  this  day 
was  the  famous  Jesuit  pulpit  orator  of  Naples ;  a  volume  would 
hardly  suffice  to  record  the  wonderful  effect  of  his  eloquence. 
"  His  voice "  says  Butler  "  was  loud  and  sonorous,  *  *  * 
and  the  style  of  his  preaching  simple  and  impressive.  *  *  * 
His  descriptions  forcible  and  graphic  and  his  pathetic  appeals 
were  sure  to  draw  tears  while  his  energy  astounded  and  terrified," 
yet  there  must  have  been  much  of  the  magnetism  of  the  popular 
orator  in  his  manner  for  whenever  he  spoke  whether  in  the  streets 
of  Naples  —  a  constant  habit  of  his  —  or  in  the  church  great 
crowds  followed  him  and  not  a  few  of  the  sudden  conversions 
made  by  him  of  hardened  sinners  sound  like  the  records  of  some 
modern  "  Revivalist  "  preachers. 

He  was  an  earnest  untiring  faithful  worker  to  the  very  last. 
Born  in  1642,  at  a  very  early  age  he  became  a  prefect  in  the 
"  College  of  Nobles  of  the  Society  of  Jesus  "  and  soon  after  his 
novitiate  was  completed  took  high  rank  in  the  society.  It  was  as 
a  preacher  and  evangelist  that  he  excelled.  He  died  May  nth, 
1716.  Was  beatified  by  Pius  VII.  on  the  feast  of  St.  Joseph  in 
1806,  and  canonized  by  Gregory  XVI.,  on  Trinity  Sunday  1839. 


MAY  1 2th. 

On  this  day  the  "  boy  martyr  "  St.  Pancras  is  honoured  by  the 
Church  and  one  of  the  most  famous  churches  in  London  was 
erected  in  his  honour.  Mrs.  Jameson  in  her"  Sacred  and  Legendary 
Art  "  sums  the  brief  story  of  this  youth  so  well  that  I  quote  it 
verbatim. 


238      SAINTS   AND    FESTIVALS 

"  In  the  persecution  under  Diocletian  this  young  saint  who  was 
only  fourteen  years  of  age  offered  himself  voluntarily  as  a  martyr, 
defending  boldly  before  the  emperor  the  cause  of  the  Christians. 
He  was  therefore  beheaded  by  the  sword 
and  his  body  was  honourably  buried  by 
Christian  women.  His  church  near  the 
gate  of  St.  Pancrazio  has  existed  since 
the  year  500.  St.  Pancras  was  in  the 
middle  ages  regarded  as  the  protector 
against  false  oaths  and  the  avenger  of 
perjury.  It  was  believed  that  those  who 
swore  falsely  by  St.  Pancras  were  im- 
mediately and  visibly  punished,  hence  his 
popularity." 

The  Danish  Clog  Almanac  marks  the 
day  as  in  illustration  by  a  sword. 


A  somewhat  peculiar  trio  are  also 
honoured  this  day.  St.  Flavia  Domitilla, 
and  SS.  Nereus  and  Achilleus  (brothers) 
who  were  eunuchs  or  chamberlains  to 
Flavius  Clemens  her  uncle  and  herself. 
These  latter  were  members  of  the  imperial  family,  but  because  of 
their  faith  as  Christians  they  were  banished  to  Pontia,  by  Emperor 
Domitian.  But  prior  to  this  the  uncle  had  suffered  martyrdom. 
The  faithful  eunuchs  accompanied  St.  Flavia  Domitilla  in  her  exile. 
Her  legend  says  she  with  Nereus  and  Achilleus  returned  to 
Terracina  where  under  Trajan  she  was  burned  at  the  stake  for 
refusing  to  sacrifice  to  idols.  The  legend  of  her  eunuchs  says 
they  were  beheaded  by  order  of  Domitian  because  they  had  per- 
suaded Flavia  not  to  marry  Aurelian  the  son  of  the  consul  to 
whom  she  was  betrothed  because  he  was  an  idolator.  Both 
legends  may  easily  be  true  and  not  conflict. 

Some  of  my  readers  will  recall  a  most  interesting  little  church, 
SS.  Nereo  and  Achilleo  near  the  baths  of  Caracalla.  Tradition 
says  that  when  St.  Peter  was  going  to  execution  he  dropped  here 
one  of  the  bandages  of  his  wounds.  The  watchful  Christians 


ST.    JOHN    THE    SILENT     239 

marked  the  spot  and  an  "  oratory  "  was  built  which  bore  the  name 
of  Fasciola  and  later  it  became  a  small  church,  and  in  524  the 
relics  of  the  two  brothers  were  transferred  thither  from  Terracina 
by  John  I.  and  in  795  the  building  was  restored  by  Leo  III.  and 
enlarged.  Again  in  the  sixteenth  century  Cardinal  Baronius  who 
took  his  title  from  hence,  rebuilt  the  church  as  we  now  know  it. 


MAY  1 3th. 

In  A.  D.  399  the  Pantheon,  a  temple  dedicated  to  the  Roman 
gods  was  closed  by  order  of  Emperor  Honorius.  By  permis- 
sion of  Emperor  Phocos,  Pope  Boniface  IV.  rebuilt  the  Pantheon 
as  a  Christian  church  and  in  so  doing  preserved  many  of  the 
architectural  features  of  the  old  temple.  Its  dedication  as  a 
Christian  church  in  608  to  the  honour  of  the  Virgin  is  especially 
observed  this  day  in  Rome.  The  story  of  the  Pantheon  is  a  very 
interesting  one  and  is  told  in  all  the  guide  books  to  Rome. 


MAY  I4th 

Is  the  festival  of  St.  John  "  The  Silent,"  a  surname  given  him  for 
his  almost  utter  silence  at  all  times  and  under  every  provocation 
to  speech.  Yet  of  him  it  was  truthfully  said,  that  while  he  was 
earnest  and  fervent  in  prayer,  he  was  never  slothful  in  business,  his 
duties  were  each  and  all  so  carefully  and  faithfully  fulfilled.  One 
of  those  rare  characters  who  have  but  little  to  say  but  who  are 
always  prompt  to  act ;  because  they  have  thought  rather  than 
spoken  much.  When  he  did  speak  it  was  simply  and  to  the 
point,  and  with  a  degree  of  wisdom  that  seemed  inspired. 
Naturally  a  man  of  this  character  was  one  to  be  brought  forward 
even  if,  as  was  the  case  with  our  saint,  he  was  reluctant.  There- 
fore in  482  when  he  was  but  twenty-eight  years  of  age  he,  we 
may  say,  was  driven  from  his  retreat  by  the  Archbishop  of 
Sebaste  to  become  Bishop  of  Coloman  in  Armenia.  But  the 
position  was  no  bed  of  down  for  many  reasons.  The  principal 


24o     SAINTS   AND    FESTIVALS 

one  being  that  John's  brother-in-law  who  was  then  governor  of 
Armenia,  was  so  offensive  to  the  Church  that  he  was  compelled 
to  appeal  to  the  Emperor  Zeno  for  help.  Yet  for  nine  years  he 
fulfilled  faithfully  his  duties.  Then  he  was  permitted  to  retire  to 
a  "  Laura  "  (an  hermitage  attached  to  or  adjacent  to  some  mon- 
astery. A  sort  of  outlying  house  under  the  supervision  of  some 
holy  man  ;  and  usually  devoted  to  novices  before  their  admission 
to  the  monasteries  proper)  —  where  for  three  years  he  lived  in 
retirement.  Then  when  promotion  was  again  forced  upon  him 
he  refused  and  from  that  time  spent  forty  years  in  eremitical  life 
save  when  instructing  those  who  sought  him,  until  he  passed  to 
the  blessed  company  above  soon  after  558. 


MAY  1 5th. 

To  anyone  who  takes  an  interest  in  hagiology  there  are  two 
books  to  which  they  can  turn  with  perfect  confidence  that  every 
statement  is  founded  on  fact.  One  of  these  is  the  "  Acta  Sanc- 
torum "  and  Alban  Butler's  "  Lives  of  the  Saints,"  is  the  other. 
Few  laymen,  I  fancy,  ever  waded  through  the  sixty  ponderous 
folios  of  the  former,  but  many  have  and  will  read  the  latter 
and  not  a  few  of  the  facts  given  in  this  series  of  articles  are 
gleaned  from  this  invaluable  book ;  therefore  it  is  eminently 
proper  that  his  name  be  mentioned  on  this  anniversary  of  his 
death,  which  occurred  in  1773. 

This  ardent  student  devoted  thirty  years  of  his  life  to  this  work 
and  even  the  cynic  Gibbon  is  compelled  to  say  of  it :  "  It  is  a  work 
of  merit ;  the  sense  and  the  learning  belong  to  the  author  —  his 
prejudices  are  those  of  his  profession."  Yet  no  candid  reader  can 
fail  to  see  how  careful  he  has  been  to  verify  his  every  word. 


In  the  Kalendar  for  this  day  are  the  names  of  SS.  Peter,  An- 
drew and  their  companions.  Theirs  is  only  the  oft  repeated  story 
of  the  persecution  of  Christians  in  those  early  days  yet  in  it  is  the 
material  for  a  romance. 

In  the  persecutions  of  Decius  near  Lampsacus,  a  city  of  Lesser 
Asia  near  the  Hellespont,  a  young  man  called  Peter  remarkable  for 


ST.  JOHN  NEPOMUCEN      241 

his  beauty  of  person  and  endowments  of  mind  was  captured  and 
by  order  of  Optimus  broken  on  a  wheel.  The  proconsul  was  just 
setting  out  for  Troas,  a  city  in  Phrygia  when  three  other  young 
men  named  Andrew,  Paul  and  Nicomachus  were  brought  before 
him  and  on  confession  that  they  also  were  Christians,  were  or- 
dered to  sacrifice  to  the  goddess  Venus.  On  their  refusal  they 
too  were  condemned  to  the  rack.  One  of  these,  Nicomachus 
when  put  to  torture  recanted,  and  offered  to  sacrifice  to  the  gods. 
But  the  legend  tells  us  no  sooner  had  he  done  so  "  than  the  Devil 
seized  him  and  beat  his  head  on  the  ground  until  he  expired. " 
Among  those  who  witnessed  this  was  a  young  virgin  named 
Denysa  who  called  out  to  Optimus :  "  Unfortunate  wretch ! 
Wouldst  thou  bring  upon  thyself  eternal  torments  for  the  sake  of 
a  moment's  ease  ?  "  Confessing  that  she  also  was  a  Christian  the 
proconsul  gave  orders  —  a  thing  then  by  no  means  uncommon  — 
for  her  punishment,  in  a  manner  that  death  would  have  been  a 
boon  instead  of  it  for  she  was  given  to  two  young  men  to  be  "  de- 
prived "  of  her  virtue.  But  such  strength  was  given  her  that  she 
was  able  to  resist  them  until  about  midnight  when  "  an  angel  glit- 
tering with  light  "  appeared  to  rescue  her  and  the  young  men  over- 
come with  fear  fell  before  the  apparition  and  besought  mercy. 
The  next  morning  the  mob  stirred  by  the  priests  of  Diana  were 
still  calling  for  Andrew  and  Paul  but  when  Optimus  ordered 
them  to  be  brought  forth  Denysa  came  with  them  crying :  "  That 
I  may  live  with  you  eternally  in  heaven  I  will  die  with  you  now  on 
earth."  But  she  was  taken  from  them  and  later  the  two  martyrs 
Andrew  and  Paul  were  beheaded  in  some  obscure  place.  The 
legend  is  silent  as  to  the  fate  of  the  damsel  Denysa, 


MAY  i6th. 

The  legend  of  St.  John  of  Nepomucen  or  Nepomuc,  canon  of 
the  Metropolitan  Church  and  martyr,  whose  memory  is  honoured 
on  this  day  is  somewhat  out  of  the  customary  order,  since  it  is  an 
evidence  of  the  sanctity  in  which  "  the  Confession  "  has  at  all 
times  been  held  by  the  Roman  Church.  He  was  born  in  1330,  in 


242      SAINTS  AND   FESTIVALS 

Nepomuc  near  Prague  and  educated  at  the  University  of  that  city 
which  had  been  founded  in  1356  by  Charles  IV.,  Emperor  of  Ger- 
many and  King  of  Bohemia,  and  here  St.  John  distinguished  him- 
self in  philosophy,  divinity  and  canon  law  and  was  also  devoted  to 
music.  When  he  was  preferred  to  his  Canonry  his  attendance 
in  the  choir  did  not  hinder  his  zeal  for  the 
cause  of  souls.  A  bit  of  history  is  needed 
here  to  understand  what  is  to  follow.  The 
Emperor  Charles  IV.  was  renowned  for  his 
wisdom  and  piety,  neither  of  which  his  son 
Wenceslas  inherited,  instead  he  won  for 
himself  the  infamous  surname  of  "  the 
Slothful"  and  "  the  Drunkard."  Wenceslas 
had  through  the  influence  and  largess  of  his 
father  been  in  1376  —  when  he  was  but 
sixteen  years  old — chosen  by  the  electors 
as  King  of  Rome.  Later  he  had  married  the  good  and  beautiful 
Princess  Joan  of  Bavaria,  daughter  of  Albert  of  Bavaria,  Earl  of 
Hainault  and  Holland.  John  of  Nepomuc  became  her  confessor. 
Wenceslas  curious  to  know  the  secrets  of  his  wife  and  utterly 
unmindful  of  the  seal  of  confidence  under  which  they  had  been 
confided  to  her  confessor  ordered  him  to  disclose  them.  In  his 
anger  at  being  refused  the  tyrant  directed  he  should  be  imprisoned 
in  a  dungeon  and  then  tortured  until  he  obeyed.  The  inhuman 
sufferings  which  John  endured  could  not  be  believed  if  they  were 
not  proven  by  evidence  that  is  beyond  doubt.  At  last  by  the 
intercession  of  the  Empress  Joan  when  John  was  "  half  dead," 
he  was  released  and  by  her  majesty's  own  hands  nursed  back  to 
life.  But  it  was  only  for  a  time  that  the  saint  was  left  in  peace 
for  when  Wenceslas  again  demanded  of  him  to  reveal  the  secrets 
of  the  confessional  and  again  refused,  the  emperor  in  his  anger 
ordered  him  bound  and  thrown  into  the  river  Muldaw  from  the 
bridge  that  joins  the  "  Great  and  Little  Prague."  This  occurred 
on  the  "  Vigil  of  the  Ascension  "  on  May  l6th,  1383.  The  legend 
tells  of  five  bright  stars  which  appeared  in  the  sky  at  that  moment 
where  an  instant  before  all  had  been  utter  darkness.  In  Christian 
art,  therefore,  five  stars  appear  as  the  attribute  of  St.  John  of 


ST.    BRENDAN  243 

Nepomuc  ;  but  the  Clog  symbol  is  a  "  pandean  pipe  ; "  doubtless 
referring  to  his  love  of  music. 


Of  St.  Brendan  whose  name  appears  in  the  Kalendar  of  this 
day  the  first  mention  we  have  is  as  a  child  under  the  tuition  of 
St.  Itha  or  Ita,  a  protege  of  St.  Ere.  This  noted  woman  who 
will  be  duly  mentioned  later  is  also  named  as  the  "  foster-mother  " 
of  SS.  Pulcherius  and  Cumine,  seemingly  was  what  we  in  later 
days  would  term  the  keeper  of  the  "  Dames  School ; "  though 
when  Brendan  was  committed  to  her  care  he  was  only  a  year  old 
and  remained  under  her  care  until  he  was  five  years  of  age. 
How  precocious  he  was  may  be  judged  from  the  question  he  once 
asked  :  "  What  were  the  works  in  her  opinion,  most  pleasing  to 
God  ?  " 

"  Faith  out  of  a  pure  heart,  sincerity  of  life  and  tender  charity," 
was  her  reply. 

"  And  what,"  he  then  asked  "  are  most  displeasing  to  God  ?  " 

"  A  spiteful  tongue,  a  love  of  what  smacks  of  evil  and  avarice," 
was  her  answer. 

On  leaving  Itha  Brendan  for  a  time  was  under  the  care  of  Ere, 
Bishop  of  Slane,  and  afterward  at  the  celebrated  monastic  school 
of  Finan  of  Clonard  while  he  finally  founded  the  monastery  of 
Clonfert. 

It  was  natural  in  those  early  days  of  the  Church  that  North 
Britain  and  the  islands  which  lay  between  it  and  Ireland  should 
attract  missionaries  to  their  shores.  When  on  June  9th  I  speak  of 
St.  Columba  I  shall  enter  more  fully  on  this  subject  in  connection 
with  the  life  of  Columba.  But  among  the  earliest  to  give  prac- 
tical aid  to  such  missionaries  was  Brendan  of  Clonfert. 

It  is  at  this  point  one  of  the  strangest  legends  told  of  any  of 
the  canonized  saints  comes  in  since  it  reads  like  a  fairy  story  or 
some  of  the  voyages  of  Sinbad  when  St.  Brendan  sailed  away 
from  Ireland  to  find  the  paradise  of  Adam  and  Eve.  As  it  fills 
one  hundred  and  fifty  pages  I  can  hardly  tell  the  story  of  how  he 
and  his  companions  after  forty  days  and  forty  nights  ^of  sailing 
first  came  to  the  fair  "  Island  of  Sheep,"  where  the  sheep  were 
as  big  as  oxen  and  where  it  was  never  cold  and  the  pastures  ever 


444   SAINTS   AND   FESTIVALS 

green,  how  from  there  they  went  on  to  the  "  Paradise  of  Birds  " 
and  later  to  an  island  inhabited  by  devils  until  after  seven  years 
they  found  the  looked  for  island  and  then  they  returned  to 
Ireland.  The  legend  is  full  of  fabulous  stories  of  conversation 
with  birds,  of  their  landing  on  the  back  of  a  great  fish  that  they 
mistook  for  land  and  how  when  they  built  a  fire  on  it  the  crea- 
ture moved  away  and  they  fled  to  their  ship  in  fright  where  St. 
Brendan  comforted  them  by  explaining  :  "  That  it  was  a  great  fish 
named  Jason  which  laboured  day  and  night  trying  to  put  its  tail 
in  its  mouth  but  could  not  on  account  of  its  size." 

The  narrative  of  this  seven-year  voyage  of  St.  Brendan  and  his 
fourteen  monks  who  accompanied  him  was  one  of  the  popular 
"  folk-lore  tales  "  of  the  Middle  Ages,  and  many  editions  of  it  are 
now  extant.  But  at  best  it  is  only  regarded  as  a  romance,  or  a 
monkish  dream  of  an  imaginary  voyage  to  some  unknown  re- 
gions. Still  it  must  have  had  some  historic  foundation,  of  some 
journey  of  the  real  Brendan  in  his  effort  to  extend,  by  missionary 
work  the  borders  of  the  Christian  Church.  And  further  evidence 
of  this  is  found  in  the  expeditions  sent  out  by  the  Spaniards  to 
discover  St.  Brendan's  island  even  as  late  as  in  1721  the  date 
when  the  last  one  was  undertaken.  Indeed  there  are  many  in- 
dications that  Brendan  did  make  some  such  voyage ;  for  Fordun 
(the  Anglo-Saxon  historian)  tells  us  that  after  his  return  from  it  he 
went  to  Britain  to  visit  St.  Gildas  and  afterward  he  went  to  the 
Western  Isles  and  established  monasteries  "at  Ailech  and  Heth." 
Of  the  latter  Skeen  says :  "  This  land  of  Heth  we  now  know  to 
have  been  the  Island  of  Tyree."  Fordun  also  speaks  of  Brendan 
in  the  Island  of  Bute. 

St.  Brendan  was  one  of  St.  Finan's  "Twelve  Apostles  of 
Ireland." 


MAY  i7th. 

In  the  reign  of  Valerianus  who  died  269  St.  Restituta's  name 
appears  a"s  one  of  the  martyrs  to  the  Christian  faith  in  Africa. 
The  fiendish  ingenuity  of  those  early  Roman  officials  in  seeking 
out  means  of  torture  for  their  victims  seems  beyond  belief.  This 


•    WHITSUNDAY  245 

virtuous  Christian  woman,  after  she  had  endured  every  kind  of 
indignity  and  suffering  to  induce  her  to  abjure  her  faith  under 
orders  of  Proculus  was  placed  in  a  boat  and  bound  so  that  she 
could  not  escape.  Then  the  boat  was  filled  with  pitch  and  tow 
mixed  and  it  was  later  taken  out  to  sea  where  the  pitch  was  set 
fire  to  and  the  poor  woman  abandoned  to  her  fate.  The  skiff  or 
boat  burned  to  the  water's  edge  and  with  the  charred  remains  of 
St.  Restituta,  drifted  to  the  island  of  Ischia,  near  Naples  where 
the  relics  of  the  martyr  fell  into  Christian  hands  and  were  rever- 
ently cared  for. 

Verily  in  those  early  days  it  required  much  courage  to  be  a 
Christian. 


MAY  1 8th. 

As  a  movable  feast,  the  date  of  Whitsunday  is  dependent  upon 
that  of  Easter. 

WHITSUNDAY. 

THE   FEAST   OF   PENTECOST. 

Whitsunday  is  the  third  of  the  three  greater  festivals  celebrated 
by  the  Christian  Church  and  commemorates  the  descent  of  the 
Holy  Ghost  on  the  apostles  "  when  they  were  all  with  one 
accord  in  one  place "  after  the  Ascension  of  our  Lord,  and 
when  they  received  the  gift  of  tongues.  As  this  event  occurred 
on  the  day  of  Pentecost,  Whitsunday  is  naturally  associated  with 
the  great  Jewish  festival  held,  as  the  name  denotes  fifty  days 
after  the  feast  of  unleavened  bread.  A  coincidence  which  con- 
nects the  two  days  in  our  memory.  The  rabbinical  account  of  this 
event  is  an  ample  reason  for  both  its  celebration  and  the  impor- 
tance given  to  it.  It  is  a  remarkable  fact  that  in  the  languages 
peculiar  to  Western  Europe  this  day  seems  to  have  had  no  partic- 
ular name,  and  the  English  word  "  Whitsunday  "  it  is  said  was 
derived  from  some  of  the  characteristics  of  the  early  Roman  cere- 
monies on  the  day.  This  fact  seems  more  singular  as  Pentecost 


246    SAINTS   AND    FESTIVALS 


in  mediaeval  Western  Europe  was  such  a  marked  day.  In  the 
Middle  Ages  a  great  wax  candle  was  then  blessed  and  was  sup- 
posed to  be  emblematic  of  the  light  of  faith  shown  forth  upon  the 
world.  Numerous  ceremonies  then  in  vogue  have  now  passed 
into  desuetude,  especially  in  the  English  church.  One  of  these 
strikes  us  as  peculiarly  unaccountable,  the  distribution  by  the 
church  of  "  Whitsun  ale."  Yet  the  accounts  of  the  church  war- 
dens of  the  seventeenth  century  show  many  entries  where  they 
paid  for  "Whitsun  ale."  The  best  ex- 
planation I  have  found  for  it  is  that  it 
was  a  survival  of  the  ancient  Agape,  or 
"  love  feast,"  which  early  Christians  in- 
dulged in. 

A  dove  descending  from  Heaven  was 
the  emblem  of  the  descent  of  the  Holy 
Ghost  adopted  by  the  church.  The  illus- 
tration is  taken  from  a  banner  used  at 
Whitsuntide  in  a  Dorsetshire  church 
during  the  seventeenth  century.  A  dove 
was  often  suspended  above  an  image  of 
Christ  on  Whitsunday. 

The  canonical  colour  for  Whitsunday 
is  red.  While  this  colour  signifies  divine 
love  and  royal  dignity  as  well  as  blood, 
war  and  suffering,  being  thus  emblematic 
of  martyrs,  it  also  according  to  Dr. 
Nicholas  Gihr  a  recognised  authority  in 
such  matters  symbolises  "  that  burning 
glowing  love  which  is  enkindled  in  the 
hearts  of  the  faithful  through  the  Holy 
Spirit,  that  self-sacrificing  triumphant  love  which  in  martyrdom 
makes  an  offering  of  the  greatest  and  dearest  earthly  good  — 
even  life  itself.  (Song  of  Solomon,  viii.  6)."  Thus  on  Whitsun- 
day red  symbolises  the  fiery  tongues  that  came  upon  the  apostles 
(Acts  ii.  6),  typifying  that  the  apostles  should  be  eloquent  in 
words,  fervent  in  charity.  "  This  also,"  says  another  eminent 
scholar,  '•  is  the  birthday  of  the  church  fructified  by  the  blood  of 


ST.    DUNSTAN 


247 


Christ  and  the  martyrs."  I  have  been  thus  explicit  because  others 
like  myself  may  have  found  it  difficult  to  reconcile  the  canonical 
colour  of  this  day  with  the  recognised  emblematical  colour  of 
suffering  and  martyrdom. 


MAY  1 9th. 

Of  the  entire  list  of  saints  whose  names  appear  in  the  Kalendar 
of  the  Church,  there  is  no  one  who  from  the  different  stand- 
points from  which  he  has  been  judged,  is  so  misunderstood  as  St. 
Dunstan.  He  has  received  such  unstinted  adulation  that  at 
times  they  bordered  on  the  ridiculous  from  the  ill-advised 
admiration  of  his 
friends ;  while  from 
malevolent  critics  he 
has  been  pictured  as 
not  only  bigoted  but 
as  utterly  unscrupu- 
lous in  the  use  of  any 
means  to  gain  his  end 
that  both  in  their  ex- 
treme views  are  not 
only  wrong  but  most 
unjust.  That  St. 
Dunstan  was  one  of 
those  remarkable  men 
who  stamp  their  own 
character  on  the  age 
they  live  in  is  beyond 
question  but  that  he  has  also  like  others  suffered  from  this  may 
be  seen  by  any  who  take  the  trouble  to  study  the  man  from  an 
honest  point  of  view. 

Dunstan  was  born  in  the  isle  of  Glastonbury  in  924  or  5  (dates 
conflict  on  this  point)  and  was  of  noble  and  even  royal  descent. 
Glastonbury  has  always  been  regarded  as  a  sacred  spot.  It  was 
there  King  Arthur  was  buried  and  legends  tell  us  that  it  was 


ST.  DUNSTAN  AND  THE  DEVIL. 


248    SAINTS   AND    FESTIVALS 

there  also  that  Joseph  of  Arimathea  found  his  final  resting  place 
on  earth  and  that  St.  Patrick,  the  Apostle  of  Ireland,  was  buried  ; 
one  of  the  many  places  assigned  him  as  his  last  resting  place. 
Here  in  Dunstan's  youth  there  was  a  famous  monastery  where 
many  Irish  monks  of  learning  resided.  It  was  within  this  abbey 
that  Kings  Arthur  and  Edgar  were  buried,  as  well  as  many  nobles 
of  ancient  Britain  ;  and  it  is  said  that  its  last  abbot  was  hanged, 
because  he  refused  to  surrender  the  abbey  to  Henry  VIII.  but 
amid  the  ruins  the  chapel  of  St.  Joseph  and  the  abbot's  kitchen 
now  alone  can -now  be  seen. 

It  was  in  this  monastic  school  young  Dunstan  received  his 
early  education.  While  somewhat  delicate  in  his  bodily  health 
he  early  displayed  a  "  giant  mind  "  far  out-stripping  his  compan- 
ions, his  special  studies  beside  Scriptural  history  being  arithme- 
tic, geometry,  astronomy  and  music ;  but  at  the  same  time 
developing  wonderful  skill  in  drawing,  illumination  and  sculpture. 

He  also  spent  some  time  at  the 
monastery  of  P'leury  in  France. 
As  a  sort  of  amusement  he  be- 
came an  expert  worker  in  metals, 
silver,  copper,  iron  and  brass,  and 
in  his  cell  at  Glastonbury  he  set 
up  a  forge  in  addition  to  the  usual 
appointments  of  a  monastic  cell. 

He  at  an  early  age  went  to  the 
Court  of  Athelston  and  later  be- 
came a  great  friend  and  favourite 
with  Kings  Athelston,  Edmund 
and  Edred,  as  they  succeeded  each 
other,  his  influence  over  the  latter 
being  so  great  that  Dunstan  was 
accused  by  the  courtiers  with  sorcery.  One  great  aim  Dunstan  had 
was  to  establish  the  Benedictine  rule  in  all  English  monasteries 
and  he  was  therefore  regarded  as  the  father  of  the  English  Bene- 
dictines. During  Edred's  reign  the  power  of  Dunstan  was  almost 
supreme.  With  Edred's  death  came  a  change  the  kingdom  being 
ruled  by  his  profligate  son,  Edwy.  The  romantic  story  of  Edwy 


LEGENDS   OF   ST.    DUNSTAN  249 


and  Elgiva  needs  no  repetition  here ;  beyond  recalling  that  it  was 
Dunstan's  frank  condemnation  and  remonstrance  with  Edwy  for 
his  shameless  life  that  brought  about  the  prelate's  banishment 
from  court,  to  Glastonbury  where  he  erected  the  famous  cell 
with  its  oratory,  and  in  which  occurred  the  temptations  of  the  devil 
that  gave  rise  to  the  often  repeated  legend.  Shorn  of  its  roman- 
tic details  the  legend  tells  us  that  the  devil  sought  out  St. 
Dunstan  in  his  cell  to  lure  him  into  sin.  To  effect  this  purpose 
the  devil  had  assumed  the  likeness  of  a  beautiful  woman  and 
came  on  St.  Dunstan  at  a  time  when  he  was  working  at  his  forge. 
The  saint  at  once  detected  the  imposition  and  taking  a  pair  of 
red-hot  tongs  from  the  forge  seized  him  with  them  by  the  nose, 
which  caused  the  devil  to  appear  in  his  true  character.  The 
picture  of  this  scene  as  shown  above  is  from  a  window  in  the 
Bodleian  library.  With  the  death  of  Edwy  his  brother  Edgar 
became  king  and  Dunstan  was  restored  to  favour.  Edgar  made 
him  successively  Bishop  of  Worcester,  London,  and  later  Arch- 
bishop of  Canterbury.  Over  the  last  he  presided  for  twenty-seven 
years,  and  was  a  great  promoter  of  ecclesiastical  law  and  disci- 
pline as  well  as  a  patron  of  useful  and  fine  arts ;  and  his  almost 
contemporary  b  i  o  g  - 
raphers  say  he  was  a 
fine  musician,  an  arch- 
itect and  painter  of 
great  ability  and  won- 
derfully skilled  in 
working  metals  of  all 
kinds. 

To  attempt  to  re- 
count the  legends  told 
of  St.  Dunstan  one  ' 

would  need  a  small  volume ;  while  his  life  as  told  by  Butler  in 
plain,  simple  words  leaves  no  doubt  of  his  purity  of  life,  his  earn- 
est efforts  to  lead  all  who  came  under  his  influence  in  the  paths 
of  peace  and  virtue.  A  truly  holy  and  good  man  whose  aim  was 
ever  for  the  good  of  his  people  and  by  his  own  life  and  example 
to  teach  them.  In  A.  D.  960  he  went  to  Rome  and  as  Primate 


250     SAINTS   AND   FESTIVALS 

of  the  Anglo-Saxon  nation  received  great  honours.  He  died  on 
May  ipth,  988.  The  Clog  Almanacs  give  St.  Dunstan  several  em- 
blems. The  two  given  above  are  from  English  sticks  and  are 
very  puzzling  to  know  just  what  they  intend  to  represent.  The 
last  is  a  Danish  one  and  easily  understood  as  the  "  tongs  "  which 
are  regarded  as  St.  Dunstan's  proper  emblems. 

The  origin  of  the  Abbey  of  Glastonbury 
is  lost  in  antiquity  and  I  can  only  give  the 
legend  as  it  runs  which  is  that  when  the 
Apostle  Philip  came  to  France  he  sent 
Joseph  of  Arimathea  with  eleven  disciples 
to  Britain.  Arviragus,  King  of  Britain,  (said 
to  have  died  in  A.  D.  74)  was  so  pleased 
and  so  enchanted  by  the  beauty  of  their 
lives  and  the  courage  which  had  brought 
them  through  the  dangers  of  their  journey 
from  Palestine  that  he  gave  them  the  island 
of  Avelon,  as  Glastonbury  was  then  called. 
Here  he  built  a  church  with  "  wattled  walls  " 
—  that  is  by  placing  two  rows  of  upright 
stakes,  twining  willow  or  other  flexible 
branches  between  the  stakes,  and  filling  the 
intervening  space  with  adobe,  or  earth  —  and  they  then  began  to 
live  and  preach  as  Christ  had  set  the  example.  They  made  a  few 
converts  only  at  first.  During  the  Danish  invasion  King  Alfred 
found  here  a  refuge.  It  was  here  too,  so  the  legend  runs,  "  the 
mystic  thorn  "  first  bloomed  on  the  feast  of  the  Nativity  and  that 
Joseph  of  Arimathea  came  to  Avelon  in  the  fifteenth  year  after 
the  Assumption  of  the  Virgin  Mary.  It  was  from  this  small  be- 
ginning the  monastery  of  Glastonbury  at  last  came  into  existence. 
This  day  is  also  the  festival  of  SS.  Prassede  and  Pudenziana, 
sisters,  daughters  of  St.  Pudens  and  his  wife,  Claudia,  with  whom 
SS.  Peter  and  Paul  lodged  in  Rome,  and  all  were  among  the  early 
converts.  Pudens  was  a  patrician  of  great  wealth,  with  houses 
and  public  baths  at  the  foot  of  the  Esquiline.  The  first  of  these 
sisters,  Prassede,  died  on  July  2ist,  A.  D.  146,  and  the  last 
named  May  ipth,  A.  D.  148.  They  were  not  martyrs  but  their 


ST.   EHELBERT  251 

story  is  one  which  shows  the  true  devotion  of  those  early  Chris- 
tains.  By  the  death  of  their  parents  and  an  only  brother  these 
noble  women  had  inherited  the  wealth  of  the  family.  It  was  just 
then  that  the  earliest  persecutions  of  Christians  began  and  the 
sisters  resolved  to  devote  their  wealth  and  lives  to  aid  the  .suffer- 
ers. They  nursed  the  wounded,  visited  those  in  prison  and  buried 
the  dead  ;  aided  by  a  holy  man  named  Pastorus.  So  tender  was 
the  care  they  showed  these  martyrs  that  it  is  said  they  soaked  up 
their  blood  on  sponges  and  hid  them  in  a  well  in  their  home. 
Pudenziana  after  her  sister's  death  gave  shelter  in  her  house  to 
a  number  of  persecuted  Christians,  twenty-three  of  whom  were 
discovered  and  martyred  in  her  presence.  She  then  buried  their 
bodies  in  the  catacombs  of  her  grandmother,  Sta.  Priscilla,  but 
collecting  their  blood  in  a  sponge,  placed  it  in  a  well  in  her  own 
house,  where  she  herself  was  afterwards  buried.  An  oratory  is 
said  to  have  been  erected  on  the  site  by  Pius  I.,  A.  D.  160,  and 
was  certainly  in  existence  in  A.  D.  499,  when  it  is  mentioned  in 
the  acts  of  a  council.  In  A.  D.  822  the  original  church  was  de- 
stroyed and  the  present  church  erected  by  Paschal  I.,  of  whose 
time  are  the  low  tower,  the  porch,  the  terra-cotta  cornices  and 
the  mosaics.  During  the  absence  of  the  Popes  at  Avignon,  St. 
Prassede  was  one  of  the  many  churches  which  fell  almost  to  ruin 
and  it  has  since  suffered  terribly  from  injudicious  modernizations 
first  in  the  fifteenth  century  from  Rosellini,  under  Nicholas  V., 
and  afterwards  under  St.  Carlo  Borromeo  in  1 564. 

This  is  one  of  the  most  interesting  churches  in  Rome  to-day. 
A  mosaic  in  the  pavement  marks  the  grave  of  forty  martyrs 
whose  remains  Paschal  I.  collected.  Take  down  your  "  Walks 
in  Rome,"  or  any  guide  book  of  Rome,  and  you  will  be  amply 
repaid  your  time  in  reading  of  its  beauties,  but  this  is  not  the 
place  to  repeat  them. 


MAY  20th. 

St.  Ethelbert,  King  of  the  East-Angles,  is  honoured  in  Roman 
Martyrology  on  this  day  as  a  martyr.     That  he  was  a  Christian 


252 


SAINTS   AND    FESTIVALS 


ruler  we  have  ample  evidence  but  his  death  was  rather  a  base 
piece  of  treachery  on  the  part  of  Quendreda,  wife  of  Offa,  King 
of  the  Mercias,  when  Ethelbert  was  on  a  visit  to  Offa  to  solicit  the 
hand  of  his  daughter,  Alfreda,  in  marriage. 


On  this  day  also  the  Church  recognises  St.  Bernardino  of  Siena, 
a  saint  celebrated  alike  for  his  devotion  to  the  poor  and  afflicted 
and  his  rare  learning  and  valuable  writings  upon  prayer,  Divine 
love,  etc.,  and  a  "  Life  of  Christ."  It  was  this  man  who  insti- 
tuted the  "  Monte  de  Piete  "  in  France,  the  original  of  the  modern 
pawnshop.  He  died  May  2oth,  1444. 


MAY  2ist 

Is  the  festival  of  St.  Felix  of  Cantalicio,  a  native  of  Cittas 
Ducale  in  Umbria,  a  Capuchin  monk,  who  spent  his  life  in  beg- 
ging bread  and  wine  for  his  fellow  monks, 
and  so  successfully  that  never  during  his 
life  was  there  a  lack  of  either  among 
his  brotherhood.  Many  miracles  were 
ascribed  to  him  and  he  foretold  the  time 
of  his  own  death.  He  was  beatified  by 
Urban  VIII.  in  1625,  canonized  by  Cle- 
ment XI.  in  1721,  though  the  bull  of 
his  canonization  was  only  published  by 
Benedict  XIII.  in  1724.  He  was  the  first 
of  the  Capuchins  who  was  canonized. 

The  Clog  symbol   for  this   saint  is  a 
beggar's  scrip,  and  always  open. 


MAY  22d. 

That  the  two  names  given  in  the  Kalendar  of  B.Yvo  on  the 
21  st  and  St.  Yvo  on  the  22d  shall  not  be  confused,  I  need  only 
call  attention  to  the  two  dates ;  the  first  in  1115  and  the  last  in 
1353. 


EMBER    DAYS  253 

The  first  was  connected  with  the  monastery  of  the  Regular 
Canons  of  St  Austin's  order,  the  last  named  being  from  Treguier 
in  Brittany.  A  scholar  of  great  parts,  he  was  selected  as  official 
or  ecclesiastical  judge  of  Rennes.  He  is  reputed  to  have  pro- 
tected the  widows  and  orphans,  to  have  defended  the  poor  and 
administered  justice  with  an  impartial  hand.  His  charities  were 
only  limited  by  his  means.  He  built  a  hospital  for  the  sick  poor 
near  his  own  house  and  devoted  much  of  his  time  to  personally 
caring  for  its  inmates.  The  Bretons  founded  a  collegiate  church 
at  Paris  in  1348  to  honour  his  memory. 


MAY  23d. 

EMBER   DAYS. 

The  term  Ember,  it  is  said,  was  derived  from  the  Saxon  Em- 
bren  or  imb-ryne,  denoting  a  course,  or  circuit,  as  these  days 
occur  at  stated  periods  in  the  four  quarters  of  the  year.  Another 
and  fairly  plausible  theory  is  that  it  came  from 
the  early  practice  of  sprinkling  ashes  on  the 
head  on  fast  days  in  token  of  humility,  and 
from  the  custom  on  these  days  of  eating  only 
cakes  baked  upon  embers  and  termed  "  ember- 
bread." 

These  ember-days  or  periodical  fasts  were,  it 
is  said,  instituted  by  Pope  Calixtus  I.  (219-22), 
to  implore  the  blessing  of  God  on  the  pro- 
ducts of  the  earth.  It  was  not  until  the  Coun- 
cil of  Placentia  in  A.  D.  1095  that  any  uniformity 
in  the  dates  for  observing  these  fasts  was  de- 
termined on.  Then  the  first  Wednesday,  Friday 
and  Saturday  following  respectively  the  first  Sunday  in  Lent, 
Quadragesima  Sunday,  Whitsunday,  Holyrood  day  (the  I4th  of 
September)  and  St.  Lucy's  day  (the  I3th  of  December),  the  days 
observed  at  the  present  time,  were  chosen.  The  weeks  when  these 
days  occur  are  termed  "  ember  weeks  "  and  in  the  Roman  ritual 


254      SAINTS   AND   FESTIVALS 

the  "  ember  days  "  are  denominated  "  Jeguniaquatuor  temporum," 
or  the  fasts  of  the  four  seasons. 

The  Clog  Almanac  symbol  is  repeated  in  each  of  the  four  quar- 
ters.    But  I  find  none  for  these  days  upon  any  English  Clog  sticks. 


This  day,  May  23d,  is  the  festival  of  St.  Julia,  one  of  those  vir- 
gin martyrs  of  ancient  days  of  whom  Christian  women  may  well 
be  proud.  She  was  a  Carthagenian  who  was  captured  when 
Genseric  (or  as  some  historians  name  him  "  Genzric  ")  the  Van- 
dal King  of  Spain  (425-455)  in  one  of  his  incursions  took  Car- 
thage in  439.  She  was  sold  as  a  slave  to  a  pagan  merchant  of 
Syria.  But  being  a  Christian  she  held  herself  true  to  her  faith, 
though  faithful  and  obedient  to  her  master.  Her  unswerving 
fidelity  in  all  things  and  especially  to  her  religion  added  to  her 
virtues  of  many  kinds  won  even  from  this  pagan  respect  and 
trust,  such  as  was  seldom  then  accorded  to  one  in  her  station. 
Therefore  he  treated  her  kindly  and  permitted  her  daily  devotions. 
The  merchant  was  a  man  engaged  in  commerce  with  many  lands  ; 
and  upon  an  occasion  in  about  the  year  445,  when  business  took 
him  upon  a  journey  to  Gaul,  he  elected  that  the  slave  Julia 
should  be  one  of  his  suite  to  attend  upon  him  and  his  family  on 
the  journey.  The  merchant  was  a  most  upright  man  who  in 
addition  to  his  tolerance  of  Julia's  religion,  had  also  respected 
her  virtue  and  had  never  offered  her  any  indignity. 

On  their  arrival  on  the  northern  coast  of  Corsica,  now  called 
Capo-Corso,  an  idolatrous  festival  was  in  progress  in  which  the 
sacrifice  of  a  bull  was  one  of  its  features.  For  the  purpose 
of  joining  in  these  pagan  rites  the  merchant  and  suite  landed ; 
but  Julia  was  at  her  request  left  behind  as  she  could  not  even  by 
her  unwilling  presence  recognise  such  rites.  Indeed,  she  had 
openly  reviled  them  to  her  fellow  slaves. 

Felix,  the  pagan  Governor  of  Corsica,  received  the  merchant  with 
honour ;  but  had  noticed  Julia  as  left  behind  and  soon  asked  : 
"  Who  this  woman  was  who  thus  dared  to  insult  their  gods  ?  " 

Eusebius,  the  merchant,  told  her  story.  Then  the  governor 
offered  to  buy  her  by  giving  four  of  his  finest  female  slaves  in 
exchange  ;  but  the  merchant  replied  :  —  "  No !  all  you  are 


ST.    VINCENT   OF   LERINS     255 

worth  would  not  purchase  her  for  I  would  freely  lose  the  most 
valuable  thing  I  have  in  the  world  rather  than  be  deprived  of 
her." 

But  Felix  was  both  cunning  and  determined  upon  his  pur- 
pose and  resorted  to  the  means  so  often  used,  by  plying  Eusebius 
with  the  wine-cup  until  he  was  drunk.  Even  then  until  he  fell 
asleep  the  merchant  was  obdurate.  Then,  while  he  was  in  his 
stupor,  Felix  had  Julia  brought  to  him  and  strove  to  compel  her 
to  sacrifice,  to  the  pagan  gods.  But  in  vain.  Then  he  promised 
her  liberty ;  but  she  told  him  she  was  "  free  "  while  she  served 
Jesus  Christ.  In  his  rage  the  Governor  ordered  Julia  to  be 
hanged  on  a  cross,  and  the  hair  torn  from  her  head. 

Thus  it  was  the  Carthagenian  slave  won  her  martyr's  crown. 

In  763  monks  from  the  isle  of  Gorgon,  now  called  "  La  Gor- 
gona,"  lying  between  Corsica  and  Leghorn  rescued  her  relics  and 
by  the  order  of  Desiderius,  King  of  Lombardy,  they  were  depos- 
ited in  Brescia  where  to-day  her  memory  is  celebrated  with  the 
utmost  reverence. 


MAY  24th 

Is  the  festival  of  St.  Vincent  of  Lerins ;  whose  "  Commonitortum 
Adversus  Hereticos  "  has  come  down  to  us  from  A.  D.  434  when 
it  was  written  ;  and  curiously  some  half  century  or  so  since,  repub- 
lished  with  an  ENGLISH  preface  utilized  by  Dr.  Alban  Butler  in 
his  "  Lives  of  the  Saints,"  with  others  when  he  speaks  of  this 
saint. 

Vincent  was  an  officer  in  the  Roman  Army,  of  "Gaulish  extrac- 
tion," and  for  a  long  time  was  in  active  service  before  he  began 
to  consider  seriously  religious  matters.  When  he  did  so  he 
resolved  to  make  thorough  work  of  it.  The  camp,  forum,  or  the 
busy  city,  teeming  with  incidents  and  interests  of  every-day  life, 
he  felt  were  no  place  for  him  to  carry  out  his  purpose,  where 
ephemeral  matters  dominated  ;  and  no  better  evidence  is  needed 
to  prove  how  sincere  he  was  than  his  acts.  For  resigning  his 
position  as  an  officer  he  sought  a  place  of  retirement  where  he 


256     SAINTS   AND    FESTIVALS 

could  work  out  the  problem  of  life  ;  selecting  the  smaller  of  the 
two  islands  which  formerly  bore  the  name  of  "  the  Lerins,"  to 
which  he  retired.  It  was  here  after  careful  study  of  the  Holy 
Scriptures  and  with  a  thorough  knowledge  of  the  trend  of  the 
religious  beliefs  of  his  day  that  three  years  after  the  celebrated 
Council  of  Ephesus  (in  431)  he  wrote  a  book  in  support  of  the 
decision  of  that  Council  condemning  the  Nestorian  heresy.  He 
entitled  it  "  A  Commonitory  against  Heretics  "  ;  aimed  especially 
against  Nestorians  and  "the  Apollinarists."  He  disguised  his 
identity  under  the  name  of  Peregrinus ;  as  a  pilgrim  or  stranger 
who  is  separated  from  the  world,  his  principal  point  being : 
"  That  all  novelty  in  faith  is  a  mark  of  heresy  "  when  it  steps 
aside  from  the  traditions  of  the  Apostles  as  expounded  in  the 
Holy  Scriptures. 

From  the  verdict  of  others  his  style  of  diction  seems  to  have 
been  peculiarly  elegant  and  his  logic  "  clear  and  close." 

St.  Vincent  was  never  in  Holy  Orders  though  living  an  eremitical 
life  and  died  in  his  retirement  during  the  reigns  of  Theodosius  II. 
"  or  Valentinian  III."  and  therefore  before  the  close  of  the  year  456. 


MAY  25th. 

TRINITY  SUNDAY. 

The  mystery  of  the  Holy  Trinity  has  been  celebrated  by  the 
Church  from  very  ancient  days  but  its  observance  as  a  festival 
was  first  introduced  into  England  by  Thomas  a  Becket  toward  the 
close  of  the  XII.  century. 

The  earliest  attempt  at  representing  the  Trinity  by  means  of 
some  symbol  began  in  the  earliest  days  of  the  Christian  Church  as 
is  seen  by  the  relics  preserved  from  the  catacombs  about  Rome. 
Here  we  find  them  the  most  prominent.  The  simple  triangle  ;  a 
combination  of  three  fishes,  heads  and  tails  crossing  so  as  to  form 
a  triangle  or  these  circles  interwoven  into  the  semblance  of  a  tri- 
angle. In  fact,  the  equilateral  triangle  was  the  first  accepted 
symbol  of  the  Trinity.  The  beautiful  symbol  of  the  shamrock 


SYMBOLS   OF   THE   TRINITY  257 


leaf  so  often  used  had  its  origin  with  St.  Patrick,  Bishop  of 
Armagh  and  patron  saint  of  Ireland  who  died  A.  D.  466.  The 
good  bishop  was  preaching  as  he  often  did  in  the  open  air  and 
trying  to  illustrate  the  unity  in  Trinity.  He  read  in  the  faces  of 
his  hearers  the  fact  that  they  did  not,  nay  could  not  comprehend 
such  unity  and  equality.  He  was  at  a  loss  to  know  how  to  make 
it  clear  to  these  dull,  simple  folk.  Just  then  he  cast  his  eye  upon 
the  ground  and  saw  at 
his  feet  the  three-leaved 
shamrock.  He  plucked 
it  and  held  it  before  his 
audience.  The  mystery 
was  solved  ;  here  was  the 
"  three  in  one."  This 
these  simple-minded  folk 
at  once  understood  and 
from  that  time  the  sham- 
rock became  a  symbol  of 
the  H  oly  Trinity.  If, 
however,  my  reader  will 
turn  back  to  March  i2th  Drawn  from  a  xv-  Century  MS. 

he  will  find  more  regarding  this  matter. 

When  first  the  early  Christians  sought  for  some  symbol  for 
God  the  Almighty,  they  used  a  hand  projecting  from  a  cloud, 
later  part  of  the  arm  and  then  the  bust  was  shown.  Somewhere 
in  the  V.  century,  the  hand  was  displaced  for  a  face  in  the 
cloud,  but  it  was  not  until  the  latter  part  of  the  XI.  or  early 
in  the  XII.  century  that  God  was  first  represented  in  human 
form.  Not  so  with  Jesus  Christ.  Almost  from  the  first  He  is 
represented  in  human  form,  while  from  the  earliest  days  a  dove 
had  been  the  favourite  symbol  for  the  Holy  Ghost.  When  at  first 
Christian  artists  endeavoured  to  represent  the  Holy  Trinity,  God 
the  Father  and  God  the  Son  were  shown  as  men,  the  Holy  Ghost 
was  shown  by  the  symbol  of  the  dove.  But  strangely  for  a  long 
time,  God  the  Father  and  Jesus  Christ  were  identical  in  feature. 
Towards  the  end  of  the  XIII.  century  the  incongruity  of  this 
duality  broke  on  the  minds  of  the  artists  and  from  thence  (  as 


258     SAINTS  AND    FESTIVALS 


shown  in  the  following  illustration),  an  effort  was  made  to  show 
the  Father  as  an  old  man  and  later,  as  is  seen  in  the  first  illustra- 
tion, by  giving  Him  some  outward  sign  of  supremacy.  Thus 

sometimes  he  wears  the 
triple  crown,  again  he  bears 
in  his  hand  a  globe  (the 
earth)  surmounted  by  a 
cross.  This  history  is  too 
long  to  be  elaborated  here 
and  I  must  not  attempt  it. 
Still  later,  artists  again 
sought  to  be  more  explicit 
and  evolved  a  symbol  that 
embodied  the  thought,  as 
shown  in  the  Anagram 
copied  here  which  also  ex- 
emplifies the  Athanasian 
creed. 

To  be  made  a  Pope 
against  one's  will  sounds  a 
little  strange,  yet  such  was 
the  case  with  Hildebrand, 
afterward  Gregory  V.  whose  name  is  honoured  on  this  2$th  day 
of  May.  He  was  a  man  of  great  learning  and  highly  esteemed 
by  Pope  Leo  IX.  who  often  consulted  him.  In  1073,  on  the  death 
of  Alexander  II.,  Hildebrand  was  chosen  to  pATE 
fill  St.  Peter's  chair  entirely  against  his  will. 
"  He  left  nothing  unattempted  to  keep  that 
heavy  burden  from  his  shoulders  and  among 
other  expedients  he  wrote  Henry  IV.,  King 
of  Germany,  who  was  then  in  Bavaria,  to 
interfere  "  but  it  was  unavailing. 

Gregory  must  have  had  a  premonition  of 
the  stormy  times  that  awaited   him   in   his 
new  office  for  he  was  a  man  of  very  deter- 
mined character.     Just  then  "  simony,"  or  the  buying  and  selling 
of  ecclesiastical  preferments,  was  sadly  common  and  this  Gregory 


The  Trinity,  each  Person  wearing  the 
Cruciform  Nimbus,  i3th  Century. 


POPE  GREGORY  THE  GREAT  259 

abhorred  from  his  soul,  and  one  of  his  first  acts  was  to  depose 
Godfrey,  Archbishop  of  Milan  for  such  a  crime,  and  thus  brought 
down  a  storm  upon  himself.  Indeed,  the  whole  of  the  twelve 
years  he  filled  the  pontifical  chair  was  a  continued  struggle  against 
evil  and  wrong  in  the  Church  even  to  the  last,  and  he  gladly 
answered  the  call  of  the  Great  Master  when  in  1085  he  was  called 
higher.  His  letters  have  been  the  admiration  of  many  who  have 
read  them.  "  They  are  penned  with  great  eloquence  *  *  * 
and  we  boldly  say  no  Pope  since  Gregory  I.  wrote  such  strong 
and  firm  letters  as  this  Gregory  did,"  is  what  Dr.  Butler  writes 
of  him. 


MAY  26th. 

POPE  GREGORY,  THE  GREAT. 

Some  thirteen  hundred  years  ago  a  group  of  captives,  women 
and  children  attracted  the  attention  of  Gregory  (afterward  Pope 
Gregory  I.  known  as  "  the  Great "),  a  monk  from  the  monastery 
of  St.  Andrew  at  Rome,  and  he  asked  what  nation  they  be- 
longed to.  The  reply  was  "  they  are  Angles."  "  And,"  replied 
the  monk,  "  rightly  so  called  for  they  have  the  faces  of  Angels, 
and  ought  to  be  our  fellow  heirs  of  heaven." 

This  no  doubt  lingered  in  the  mind  of  Gregory  and  when  he 
became  Pope  and  saw  a  favourable  opportunity  he  resolved  to 
send  missionaries  to  Britain.  Remembering  his  old  convent  on 
the  Ccelian  Mount,  and  its  prior,  St.  Augustine  —  whose  name, 
both  as  a  saint  and  the  "  Apostle  of  the  English  "  is  honoured 
this  day  —  he  selected  this  faithful  man  with  a  company  of  forty 
monks  from  the  monastery  and  sent  them  forth  to  the  pagans  of 
Britain.  Ethelbert,  the  Saxon  King  of  Kent,  had  married  Bertha, 
daughter  of  Charibut,  King  of  Paris,  a  Christian.  She  had 
brought  with  her  a  French  priest,  Luidhard,  as  her  chaplain,  and 
their  capital  was  Canterbury  on  the  island  of  Thanet,  for  at  that 
time  an  arm  of  the  sea  surrounded  it.  Ethelbert  was  still  a 
pagan  in  spite  of  his  marriage  with  a  Christian ;  yet  this  latter 


26o     SAINTS    AND    FESTIVALS 


fact  induced  Augustine  to  choose  Thanet  as  the  safest  place  for 
him  to  land. 

It  must  have  been  a  picturesque  sight  that  first  meeting  be- 
tween the  Saxon  king  and  the  missionaries.  "  The  son  of  the 
ash-tree  "  and  his  pagan  warriors  in  one  group,  and  the  Italian 
prior  and  his  fellow  monks  in  cassock  and  cowl,  with  their  white- 
robed  choristers  around  them.  After  a  long  interview  Ethelbert 
consented  to  the  prior  and  his  fellow  monks  residing  for  a  time  in 
Canterbury,  and  the  strange  sight  was  witnessed  of  a  procession 
of  monks  headed  by  one  carrying  a  silver  cross  on  which  was 
painted  an  image  of  our  Saviour,  followed  by  the  choristers  sing- 
ing one  of  those  grand  Gregorian  chants. 

On  the  following  Whitsunday,  June  2,  597,  Ethelbert  was 
baptised  ;  perhaps  except  the  baptisms  of  Floric  and  Constantine, 

the  most  important 
baptism  of  a  monarch 
that  has  ever  taken  place 
in  its  ultimate  influence 
on  the  h  i  s  to  r  y  of  the 
Christian  Church. 

In  these  brief  sketches 
we  cannot  follow  Augus- 
i  tine  through  his  long  and 
varied  experiences.  In 
597  he  was  consecrated 
"  Bishop  of  the  English  " 
and  fixed  his  see  at  Can- 
terbury. He  died  in  604, 
but  before  that  had  con- 
secrated bishops  to 
London  and  Rochester 
and  laid  the  foundation  for  the  Christian  Church  in  England.  Bede 
calls  St.  Augustine  "  the  beloved  of  God  "  and  Capgrave  de- 
scribes him  as :  "  Tall  of  statue,  of  a  dark  complexion,  his  face 
beautiful,  but  withal  majestic."  He  is  represented  usually  wear- 
ing the  Benedictine  habit  as  in  the  illustration  given  above,  which 
is  copied  from  an  Harlien  Mass. 


ST.  AUGUSTINE. 


ST.    BED  E  261 

On  thfc  Jay  also  is  held  the  festival  of  St.  Philip  Neri,  the 
founder  of  the  Order  of  Oratorians.  A  Florentine,  born  in  1515, 
he  by  his  intellect,  eloquence  and  purity  of  life  became  a  leader  in 
the  religious  movements  of  his  day.  He  was  ever  employed  in 
charity  and  gathered  round  him  a  company  of  young  nobles  and 
men  of  learned  professions,  who  went  about  reading  with  and  car- 
ing for  the  sick  and  needy.  They  were  bound  by  no  vows  nor 
secluded  from  the  world.  They  simply  did  what  their  hands 
found  to  do,  in  love  and  charity.  They  called  themselves  Ora- 
torians, and  from  them  sprang  a  similar  order  termed  "  Peres  de 
1'Oratoire  of  France  "  and  the  "  Oratorians  of  England,"  of  whom 
Cardinal  Newman  and  the  poet  Frederick  Wilfrid  Faber  were 
zealous  members. 

The  unostentatious  self-sacrifice  and  earnest  work  of  these  men 
drew  to  them  everywhere  noble  good  helpers  from  princes  and 
church  dignitaries  through  all  classes  of  community  and  none  can 
read  their  story  and  not  admire  their  work  for  the  sick  poor. 

Under  Gregory  XIII.  in  1575,  the  order  was  confirmed  and 
afterward  in  1612  reconfirmed  by  Paul  V.  Through  this  noble 
order  houses  of  refuge  and  hospitals  were  built  in  many  places. 
The  story  is  replete  with  interest  and  instructive  detail ;  for  it 
tells  what  one  godly  man  may  do  if  his  heart  is  in  his  work.  St. 
Philip  was  canonized  by  Gregory  XV.  in  1622. 


MAY  27th. 

St.  John,  Pope  and  martyr,  is  honoured  this  day.  He  was  a 
Tuscan  by  birth  and  in  his  youth  among  his  fellow  students  was 
distinguished  and  regarded  as  an  oracle.  He  was  elected  to  the 
pontificate  in  523,  and  in  526  died  at  Romania,  a  martyr  under 
Theodoric. 


This  day  is  also  the  day  when  St.  Bede,  or  Beda  "  the  Vener- 
able," is  remembered.  Of  all  the  early  Anglo-Saxon  chroniclers, 
historians  and  biographers,  Bede  is  perhaps  the  one  above  all 
others  on  whom  modern  writers  have  been  obliged  to  rely  for  not 
only  church  history  but  for  much  secular  matter  that  would  have 


262    SAINTS   AND    FESTIVALS 

been  lost  save  for  his  careful  chronicles.  He  was  born  in  Jarrow, 
Northumberland  in  673.  He  became  eminent  for  his  learning 
and  erudition  and  died  dictating  a  translation  of  the  Gospel  of 
St.  John.  There  is  a  legendary  account  of  the  manner  in  which 
he  gained  the  title  "  venerable  "  that  runs  thus  :  His  pupils  wish- 
ing to  put  an  inscription  on  his  tombstone  wrote : 
"  Hac  sunt  in  fossa, 

Bede ossa," 

leaving  the  blank  because  they  had  not  a  fitting  title  to  fill  it. 
The  next  morning  some  unknown  hand  had  inserted  the  word 
"  venerable."  But  none  can  doubt  he  truly  deserved  the  title. 
He  died  in  735. 

Though  hardly  coming  within  the  scope  of  these  articles  some 
may  be  interested  to  know  this  day  also  is  the  anniversary  of  the 
death  of  the  noted  Reformer,  John  Calvin  in  1 564. 


MAY   28th. 

St.  Germanus,  the  glory  of  the  Church  of  France,  whose  festival 
occurs  on  this  day  was  a  man  of  noble  and  marked  characteris- 
tics ;  but  by  far  the  largest  portion  of  his  clerical  life  fell  during 
troublous  times  in  France.  King  Childebert,  a  son  of  Clovis,  was 
then  on  the  throne  but  until  he  came  under  the  influence  of  Ger- 
manus had  been  a  worldly,  ambitious  prince.  Soon  after  the  re- 
turn of  Childebert  and  his  brother  Clotaire  from  an  expedition 
undertaken  in  542  against  Spain,  Childebert  was  taken  sick  ; 
medical  aid  had  proved  ineffectual  and  he  sent  for  Bishop  Ger- 
manus to  come  to  his  palace  at  Celles,  near  Melun.  The  good 
man  spent  the  whole  night  with  the  king  in  prayer  and  in  the 
morning  laid  hands  on  the  monarch  who  was  at  once  restored  to 
health.  It  was  not  long  after,  however,  before  the  king  died. 
Clotaire  succeeded  his  brother  and  was  the  last  of  the  sons  of  the 
great  Clovis  to  sit  on  the  united  throne  of  France.  On  Clotaire's 
death  France  was  again  divided  by  his  sons.  Paris  was  given  to 
Charibert,  Orleans  and  Burgundy  to  Gontran,  Austrasia  to  Sige- 


CORPUS   CHRISTI    DAY       263 

bert  and  Soissons  to  Chilperic.      Then  through  their  own  ambi- 
tions and  the  intrigues  of  their  wives  trouble  began. 

In  speaking  of  St.  Augustine  it  will  be  remembered  I  men- 
tioned Bertha,  wife  of  the  Saxon  King  of  Kent,  as  the  daughter 
of  Charibert  by  his  wife  Ingoberga,  but  he  had  divorced  her  to 
marry  her  maid,  Mariovesa.  Germanus'  reproof  for  Charibert's 
misconduct  in  this  and  many  ways  was  the  first  of  the  good 
man's  troubles  which  grew  with  the  fraternal  wars  between  the 
brothers.  But  the  story  is  too  long  to  tell  and  even  our  saint 
lived  not  to  see  the  ending  for  he  died  in  576.  His  life  had  been 
a  busy,  useful  one.  The  most  noted  literary  work  of  St.  Ger- 
manus is  "  An  Exposition  of  the  Liturgy  "  in  which  is  reproduced 
the  ancient  Gallican  liturgy  or  Mass  as  used  in  France  before  the 
Roman  was  introduced  in  the  time  of  Charlemagne  and  Pope 
Adrian  I.  In  this  curious  work  St.  Germanus  also  explains  and 
describes  the  ceremonies  of  the  liturgy  and  all  of  the  vestments 
worn,  a  work  which  alone  will  keep  his  name  alive  in  hagiology. 


MAY  29th. 

CORPUS  CHRISTI  DAY 

Is  an  ancient  festival  in  the  Roman  Church,  but  after  the 
Reformation  was  discontinued  by  those  who  had  separated  from 
the  "  mother  church, "  with  whom  it  is  highly  honoured.  It 
comes  on  the  Thursday  following  Whitsunday  and  therefore  is  a 
movable  feast.  Its  design  is  to  honour  the  doctrine  of  transub- 
stantiation,  and  was  formerly  observed  with  much  pomp  and 
show,  a  procession,  with  the  pyx  containing  the  consecrated 
wafer  being  at  the  head  carried  by  the  church  dignitaries.  In 
past  days  this  procession  was  not  confined  to  church  and  was 
accompanied  by  figures  costumed  to  represent  certain  favourite 
saints  of  the  Church  where  the  festival  was  held.  Thus  St. 
Ursula  with  her  many  maidens,  St.  George  leading  the  captive 
dragon,  St.  Christopher  wading  the  river  with  the  infant  Saviour, 
St.  Sebastian  with  his  body  full  of  arrows,  St.  Catharine  with 


264     SAINTS   AND   FESTIVALS 

her  wheel  and  others.  The  priests  also  carried  in  their  hands 
pieces  of  sacred  plate  belonging  to  the  church.  The  streets  were 
decorated  with  wreaths  and  boughs  and  strewn  with  flowers. 
When  the  sacred  pyx  appeared  every  person  kneeled  while  it 
passed.  Later  and  after  the  procession,  games  and  mystery 
plays  were  universal,  with  music  and  dancing.  Save  in  certain 
purely  Catholic  countries  the  street  processions  are  now  seldom 
seen,  but  they  are  never  omitted  in  the  church. 


MAY  30th. 

St.  Felix  I.,  Pope  and  martyr,  who  succeeded  St.  Dionysius  in 
269  in  the  government  of  the  Church  is  remembered  this  day, 
when  after  filling  his  high  office  for  five  years  he  attained  the 
glory  of  martyrdom  in  274. 

On  this  day  also  the  name  of  another  of  those  royal  personages 
whom  the  Church  has  deemed  worthy  of  honour  appears,  St. 
Ferdinand  III.,  King  of  Castile  and  Leon.  He  was  the  hero  of 
many  battles  against  the  Moors  and  took  part  in  that  celebrated 
battle  of  Xeres,  where,  as  the  legend  runs,  St.  lago  appeared  at 
the  head  of  the  Spanish  troops  and  while  the  Moors  were  slaugh- 
tered by  the  thousand  only  one  Christian  was  slain.  His 
daughter,  Elenora,  married  Edward  I.  of  England  in  1253,  and  it 
was  she  who  sucked  the  poison  from  her  husband's  wound  for 
she  had  inherited  not  a  little  of  her  father's  courage.  It  was 
Ferdinand  who  built  that  wondrous  cathedral  of  Borgos  which 
points  to  heaven  with  spires  more  rich  and  delicate  than  any  of 
all  the  famed  cathedrals  of  the  world.  He  was  preparing  an 
expedition  against  the  Moors  in  Africa  when  death  called  him  in 
1252.  St.  Ferdinand  was  canonized  by  Clement  X.  in  1671. 


MAY  3 1  st. 

In   the  Roman  Church  this  day  is  sacred  to   St.  Petronilla,  a 
daughter  of  St.  Peter. 

The  legends  of  this  virgin  tell  us  that  she  accompanied  St. 


ST.PETRONILLA  265 

Peter  to  Rome.  Butler  says  St.  Peter  was  married  before  he 
became  an  Apostle  and  that  his  wife  "  attained  to  martyrdom,  at 
which  the  Apostle  encouraged  her."  The  name  of  this  virgin  is 
Petronilla,  the  feminine  and  diminutive  of  Peter.  She  was  a 
cripple  it  is  said  from  palsy,  and  her  legend  says  "  that  one  day 
when  the  Apostle  sat  at  meat  with  some  of  the  disciples  they 
asked  why  it  was  that  while  he  could  heal  others  his  own  child 
remained  helpless." 

St.  Peter  replied  that  it  was  the  will  of  God,  and  therefore 
good  that  she  should  be  thus.  But  that  the  glory  of  Christ 
should  be  manifested,  he  commanded  her  to  rise  and  serve  them. 
This  she  immediately  did  but  when  her  service  was  over  "  she  lay 
down  as  helpless  as  before."  The  legend  then  tells  how  by  her 
own  prayers  she  at  last  recovered  and  also  that  she  was  very 
beautiful,  and  a  young  Roman  named  Valerius  Flaccus  fell  in 
love  with  her  and  wished  to  marry  her.  Feeling  that  she  could 
not  do  this  and  fulfil  her  duties  to  the  church,  yet  afraid  to  refuse 
him,  she  begged  of  him  a  respite  of  three  days,  when  she  would 
reply.  When  he  came  for  his  answer,  however,  he  found  her 
dead.  He  lamented  her  sorely,  and  with  his  attendants  "  covered 
her  body  with  roses." 

She  was  buried  in  a  cemetery  "  on  the  way  to  Arden,  where  a 
church  stood  that  anciently  bore  her  name."  Gregory  III.  estab- 
lished there  a  station  for  public  prayer. 


JUNE 


After  her  came  jolly  JUNE,  arrayed 

All  in  green  leaves,  as  he  a  player  were  ; 

Yet  in  his  time  he  wrought  as  well  as  played, 
That  by  his  plough-irons  mote  right  well  appear. 

Upon  a  crab  he  rode,  that  did  him  bear, 
With  crooked  crawling  steps,  an  uncouth  pace, 

And  backward  rode,  as  bargemen  wont  to  fare. 

Spenser. 

Ovid  in  his  "  Fasti  "  makes  Juno  claim  the  honour  of  naming  this 
month.  But  standing  as  it  does  the  fourth  in  the  Roman  Kalen- 
dar  it  was  dedicated  "  a  Junioribus  "  as  May  was  "a  Majortbus." 
Romulus  assigned  to  it  thirty  days,  though  in  the  old  Alban  Kal- 
endar  it  had  but  twenty-six  days.  Numa  robbed  it  of  one  but 
Julius  Caesar  restored  that  and  its  number  of  days  has  since  been 
unchanged. 

This  month  since  the  old  Roman  days  has  been  considered  the 
most  propitious  for  consummating  marriage  ties.  Even  down  to 
the  Middle  Ages  this  pagan  superstition  was  retained  and  if  we 
may  hazard  the  remark  still  holds  good  as  a  favourite  month  for 
"the  wedding. "  But  this  passes  beyond  the  scope  of  these  pa- 
pers ;  or  I  could  fill  a  volume  on  ancient  marriage  customs,  from 
the  ring,  to  the  casting  of  rice  and  old  shoes  for  neither  are  of 
modern  date. 


JUNE  i  st. 

The  first  Sunday  after  Trinity  holds  an  especial  place  in  the  lit- 
urgy of  both  the  Roman  and  Reform  Churches  while  its  canonical 
colour  is  green  symbolical  of  bountifulness,  mirth,  youth  and  pros- 


ST.    PAMPHILLUS  267 

perity.  In  its  place  I  shall  take  occasion  to  speak  of  the  signifi- 
cance of  both  colours  and  precious  stones  as  symbols  but  in  passing 
may  remark  that  the  emerald  is  peculiarly  appropriate  for  this  day 
and  its  significance  from  its  glorious  colour  : — 


"  The  Emerald  burns,  intensely  bright, 
With  radiance  of  an  olive  light : 
This  is  the  faith  that  highest  shines, 
No  deed  of  charity  declines, 
And  seeks  no  rest  and  shuns  no  strife, 
In  working  out  a  holy  life." 


One  of  the  first  names  of  noted  saints  which  we  meet  in  June  is 
that  of  St.  Pamphillus  priest  and  martyr  whose  learning  and  eru- 
dition not  only  made  for  him  a  great  name  in  those  early  days  in 
which  he  lived  but  has  preserved  it  for  almost  sixteen  centuries. 
He  was  a  native  of  Berytus  a  city  famous  for  its  schools.  He 
came  from  a  rich  and  noble  family  and  after  perfecting  himself  in 
every  science  taught  there  became  a  magistrate.  It  was  not  until 
he  had  passed  his  early  manhood  that  he  became  a  Christian,  and 
then  it  was  not  upon  a  sudden  impulse  that  this  accomplished 
master  of  profane  sciences  and  the  renowned  magistrate  yielded 
to  the  convictions  forced  upon  him  by  a  careful  study  of  Holy 
Writ.  He  soon  moved  to  Caesarea  in  Palestine,  where  he  col- 
lected a  vast  library  said  to  have  contained  30,000  volumes.  Here 
he  also  established  a  school  of  sacred  literature.  Dr.  Butler  says  : 
"  To  his  labour  the  Church  was  indebted  for  the  most  correct  edi- 
tion of  the  Holy  Bible."  In  the  persecutions  of  Galerius  Maximus 
he  was  first  to  be  tortured  for  his  faith  in  Christ  while  later  and 
under  Governor  Urbanus  cast  into  prison,  but  even  there  he  wrote 
several  books.  His  imprisonment  began  in  307  and  continued 
for  two  years,  when  Fermilian,  the  successor  of  Urbanus  ordered 
him  to  be  tortured.  His  flesh  was  torn  from  his  bones  by  iron 
hooks ;  but  it  is  said  even  under  such  torment  he  opened  not  his 
mouth  or  allowed  a  groan  to  escape  him.  He  finished  his  mar- 
tyrdom before  a  slow  fire  and  died  invoking  "  Jesus  the  Son  of 


268      SAINTS   AND    FESTIVALS 


God,"  in  the  year  309.     Such  is  the  brief  story  of   this   noble 
scholar,  who  gave  his  life  in  testimony  of  his  faith  in  Christ. 


Under  this  date  mention  must  be  made  of  St.  Peter  of  Pisa  the 
founder  of  the  "  Hermits  of  St.  Jerom  "  who  observed  four  sea- 
sons of  Lent  in  each  year  fasting  on  all  Mon- 
(days,  Wednesdays  and   Fridays.      He  died  in 
1435,   aged   80  years.      Pius   V.    termed   him 
"  blessed."     He  was  beatified  by  Innocent  XII. 
in  1693. 


To-day  also  in  the  Anglican  Kalendar  there 
appears  the  name  of  St.  Nicomede  priest  and 
martyr  in  the  year  90.  He  was  a  scholar  of  St. 
Peter  and  for  conferring  on  his  sister  Felicula 
(a  virgin  martyr)  a  Christian  burial,  a  thing  he 
knew  was  done  at  the  peril  of  his  life,  he  was 
discovered  to  be  a  Christian.  Whereupon 
Domitian  ordered  him  to  sacrifice  to  the  Roman 
gods  which  he  refused  to  do  and  was  beaten  to 
death  with  spiked  clubs.  From  this  came  his 
emblem  in  the  Clog  Almanac. 

JUNE   2d. 

The  martyrs  of  Lyons  in  the  year  177  are  among  the  most 
noted  of  the  saints  of  the  Church  owing  to  the  ferocity  with  which 
the  pagans  of  Gaul  pursued  them  to  their  death.  Unfortunately 
the  story  is  too  long  for  a  detailed  repetition  as  it  furnishes  such 
an  illustration  of  the  fortitude  of  those  heroes  who  took  their  lives 
in  their  hands  and  went  forth  to  teach  "Christ  and  Him  cruci- 
fied." Although  they  are  called  the  "  martyrs  of  Lyons  "  not  a 
few  of  those  who  fell  came  from  Vienne  and  elsewhere.  After  those 
terrible  trials  prior  to  174  so  carefully  chronicled  by  historians  of 
the  Church  God  in  a  plain  and  direct  answer  to  the  prayers  of 
Christians  under  Marcus  Aurelius  granted  them  for  a  time  partial 
relief  from  their  trials,  but  in  177  they  were  once  more  renewed 


ST.CLOTILDIS  269 

by  the  pagans  in  Gaul.  St.  Pothinus  was  then  Bishop  of  Lyons 
and  naturally  from  his  office  was  the  most  prominent  in  this  trag- 
edy though  his  associates  Attalus,  Sanctus  Blandina  and  others 
were  equally  sufferers.  Many  of  these  were  Greeks  and  came  from 
Asia  as  a  great  traffic  had  then  sprung  up-  between  Asia  and  Mar- 
seilles while  Lyons  had  become  a  central  point  for  the  faithful  mis- 
sionaries of  Christ.  The  martyrdom  of  these  noble  men  is  but  the 
repetition  of  many  similar  events.  Torn  by  wild  beasts,  roasted 
over  slow  fires  and  tortured  in  every  conceivable  way,  yet  always 
they  were  "  faithful  unto  death."  It  is  fitting  then  for  us  all  to 
honour  them  on  this  day,  named  by  the  Church,  since  it  is  exam- 
ples like  theirs  which  show  how  much  we  of  to-day  owe  to  those 
early  Christians. 


JUNE  3d. 

St.  Clotildis,  or  Clotilda,  whose  name  appears  in  the  Kalendar  on 
this  day  is  a  saint  who  was  greatly  reverenced  in  early  days  in 
France.  Her  life  was  a  romance  from  her  infancy.  She  was  the 
daughter  of  Chilperic,  a  younger  brother  of  Goudebald  or  Goude- 
bud,  fourth  king  of  Burgundy,  491-516.  a  fierce  brutal  man  who 
caused  Chilperic,  his  wife  and  his  brothers  to  be  murdered  that  he 
might  usurp  the  control  of  the  entire  nation.  For  some  unknown 
reason  Clotilda  and  her  sister  then  infants  were  spared  in  this 
wholesale  massacre.  Her  sister  later  became  a  nun  and  Clotilda 
though  brought  up  in  the  court  of  Goudebald,  by  some  providence 
had  received  a  Christian  education.  In  due  time  Clovis  I.  sur- 
named  "  the  Great,"  the  victorious  king  of  the  Franks  whose 
reign  begun  in  481  when  he  was  but  fifteen  years  old  saw  and 
fancied  Clotilda  and  in  493  they  were  married  at  Soissons.  As 
the  average  royal  marriage  goes  it  was  for  those  days  a  most 
happy  one  and  the  young  queen  set  up  an  oratory  in  the  palace. 
She  evidently  was  a  most  discreet  woman.  She  honoured  her  war- 
like husband  and  by  slow  degrees  led  him  by  her  Christian  meek- 
ness to  respect  and  honour  her  and  more  to  the  purpose  to  listen 
to  her  as  she  discoursed  on  sacred  subjects  and  discredited  the 


270   SAINTS   AND    FESTIVALS 

idols  Clovis  then  worshipped.  She  led  rather  than  tried  to  drive 
him.  At  last  in  496  Clovis  was  engaged  in  a  battle  with  the 
Alemanni  (a  word  intended  to  mean  a  mixed  race  living  between 
the  Danube  and  the  Upper  Rhine)  he  was  near  to  defeat.  Some- 
thing inspired  him  to  call  on  "  Clotilda's  God  "  for  help.  From 
that  hour  the  tide  of  battle  turned  and  Clovis  won  an  historic 
victory. 

The  impression  made  upon  the  pagan  king  was  so  great  and 
lasting  that  on  his  return  home  he  was  baptized.  Thus  stripped 
of  verbiage  we  see  how  through  the  love  and  devotion  of  one 
faithful  soul  France  came  to  have  its  first  Christian  king  and  to 
become  Christianized.  At  the  baptism  of  Clovis  the  oil  used  it  is 
said,  was  brought  to  the  prelate  at  St.  Remi  —  where  the  ceremony 
occurred  —  by  a  dove  and  that  an  angel  brought  also  to  the  king 
three  white  lilies  which  he  in  turn  gave  to  St.  Clotilda  and  that 
from  this  circumstance  the  "  fleurs-de-lys,"were  substituted  for  the 
three  crapauds  (toads)  which  had  formerly  held  their  place  in  the 
royal  arms  of  France.  At  her  request  Clovis  built  in  Paris 
the  Church  of  SS.  Peter  and  Paul,  but  now  called  St.  Genevieve, 
in  this  church  her  remains  now  rest.  Her  death  occurred  on 
June  3,  545. 


JUNE  4th. 

St.  Quirinus  who  is  honoured  this  day  was  one  of  those  strong 
characters  we  are  constantly  meeting  with  among  the  fathers  of 
the  Church  in  early  days.  He  was  Bishop  of  Siscia  a  city  in 
Pannonia  upon  the  river  Save,  in  what  is  now  Hungary.  Owing 
to  his  earnest  fervent  preaching  he  had  fallen  under  the  ban  of 
Galerius  Maximus  as  the  story  is  related  by  Prudentius,  and  con- 
demned to  have  a  mill-stone  tied  to  his  neck  and  to  be  cast  into 
the  river.  The  legend  as  it  is  preserved  states  that  the  mill-stone 
instead  of  sinking  floated  and  then  recounts  a  long  conversation 
held  between  the  saint  and  Maximus  who  seemingly  was  watch- 
ing and  desired  to  save  his  life.  But  to  all  of  the  overtures  the 
saint  remained  true  to  his  great  Master  Christ.  In  this  conver- 


ST.    BONIFACE  271 

sation  Maximus  said  :  "  Now  confess  the  power  of  the  gods 
the  great  Roman  empire  adore.  Obey  and  I  will  make  you  a 
priest  of  Jupiter."  When  at  last  Quirinus  tired  at  the  long  delay 
while  the  mill-stone  still  floated  prayed  that  having  given  testi- 
mony of  his  faith  and  trust  he  might  be  allowed  to  depart.  Then 
slowly  the  stone  began  to  sink  and  the  martyr  passed  to  his 
reward.  This  was  in  the  year  304. 


This  day  also  marks  the  festival  of  St.  Optatus,  Bishop  of  Mile- 
vum  in  Numidia.  A  learned  African  educated  as  an  idolater 
and  who  as  St.'  Austin  puts  it :  "  Passing  from  the  dark  shades  of 
paganism  to  the  light  of  faith  carried  into  the  church  the  spoils  of 
Egypt ;  that  is  human  science  and  eloquence."  His  writings  yet 
remain  as  a  marvelous  testimony  of  the  wisdom  and  learning  of 
those  early  ages  and  the  purity  of  purpose  which  actuated  the 
Holy  Fathers.  St.  Optatus  survived  the  year  384  but  the  date  of 
his  death  is  not  positively  known. 


JUNE  sth. 

This  day  is  given  to  one  of  the  most  noted  saints  in  the  Chris- 
tian Kalendar  of  both  the  Roman  and  Anglican  churches.  St. 
Boniface  the  Apostle  of  the  Germans.  He  was  the  son  of  a  West 
Saxon  chieftain  born  at  Crediton  in  Devonshire  about  680.  He 
was  baptised  under  the  name  of  Winfrid  or  Winfrith  as  the  name 
sometimes  was  then  written.  Showing  from  his  infancy  both 
remarkable  powers  of  mind  and  a  serious  tendency  he  was  sent 
when  but  seven  years  of  age  to  the  monastery  at  Exeter  or  Escan- 
cester,  as  it  was  then  called  to  be  trained  by  the  celebrated  Abbot 
Walphund.  Later  he  studied  at  the  monastery  of  Nutcell  in 
Winchester  and  from  the  first  was  noted  for  his  proficiency  in 
acquiring  learning.  He  was  ordained  to  the  priesthood  in  710. 
From  youth  his  great  hope  had  been  to  be  able  to  carry  the 
gospel  to  the  heathen  of  Germany  and  in  719  he  went  to  Rome  to 
secure  from  Gregory  II.  permission  to  become  a  missionary  to 
the  German  infidels.  This  was  granted,  and  he  began  his  work  in 


272     SAINTS   AND    FESTIVALS 

Bavaria.  In  723  he  was  elevated  to  the  bishopric.  Till  then  he 
had  been  known  by  the  name  of  Winfrid  but  the  pope  at  that  time 
changed  his  name  to  Boniface.  We  cannot  follow  in  detail  the 
long  and  arduous  life  work  among  the  Germans,  and  its  wonder- 
ful success,  interesting  as  it  is,  or  the  growing  influence  Boniface 
gained  with  the  Church  and  his  preferment  to  the  archbishopric 
of  Mentz.  His  entire  life  was  one  of  earnest  faithful  devotion  to 
the  cause  of  Christ.  His  story  though  is  that  of  the  foundation  of 

Christianity  in  Germany, 
of  which  his  letters 
(thirty-nine  in  number) 
published  in  1605  give 
many  interesting 
incidents. 

When  74  years  of  age 
he  resigned  his  high  posi- 
tion as  primate  of  Ger- 
many and  once  more 
donned  his  Benedictine 
habit  to  resume  his  mis- 
sionary labours  only  to 
suffer  the  year  following 
with  fifty-two  of  his  com- 
panions in  holy  work 
martyrdom  at  the  hands 
of  the  pagans  of  Utrecht. 
In  Christian  art  St. 
Boniface  is  represented 
in  full  episcopal  robes,  hewing  down  an  oak,  or  with  an  oak  tree 
lying  prostrate  at  his  feet  and  an  axe  in  his  hand.  In  some  writ- 
ings he  is  termed  "  the  Oak  of  Jupiter."  His  Clog  symbol  is  a 
book  pierced  by  a  sword,  symbolizing  his  learning  and  martyr- 
dom. 


FEAST    OF    SACRED    HEART     273 


JUNE  6th. 

SACRATISSIMI  CORDIS  JESU. 

On  this  day  recurs  a  festival  peculiar  to  the  Roman  Church, 
one  that  has  never  been  recognized  by  the  Anglican  church  —  the 
Feast  of  the  Sacred  Heart. 

The  origin  of  this  festival  according  to  the  traditions  of  the 
Church  was  that  while  Margaret  Mary  Alacoque  a  "religieuse  "  of 
"  the  Visitation  of  Paray-le-Monial  "  in  France,  was  at  her  devo- 
tions Jesus  appeared  to  her  as  he  had  often  done  before,  and 
"showed  her  His  Sacred  Heart,  in  His  open  Breast,  encircled 
with  fire  and  flames,  *  *  and  He  revealed  to  her  that  He 
desired  to  have  an  especial  feast  estab- 
lished in  honour  of  His  Divine  Heart." 
In  her  statement  written  at  the  time  in 
which  she  describes  the  apparition  of 
Jesus  she  quotes  among  other  words  of 
Christ  then  uttered  :  "  For  this  reason  I 
ask  thee  that  the  first  Friday  in  the 
Octave  of  Corpus  Christi  be  set  apart  as 
a  special  feast  consecrated  to  the  honour 
of  My  Heart,"  and  later  He  added  this 


promise  : 


*     I  promise  that  My 


Heart  shall  be  opened  to  shed  in  richest 
abundance  the  Influence  of  Its  Divine 
Love." 

From  this  the  feast  was  in  due  time 
recognised  as  a  sacred  festival  of  the 
Church  by  a  bull  of  Benedict  XIV.  (pope 
1740-1758)  and  has  since  been  observed 
throughout  the  world  by  the  Roman 
Church. 

The  quotations  given  above  are  taken  from  the  second  of  a 
series  of  six  sermons  on  "  Devotion  to  the  Sacred  Heart,"  by  the 
Rev.  Ewald  Beirbum,  D.D.,  an  eminent  German  priest. 


On  this  day  also  appears  the  name  of  St.  Norbert  the  founder 


274    SAINTS   AND    FESTIVALS 

of  a  somewhat  celebrated  German  order  of  the  Roman  Church  : 
"  Stifler  der  Pramonstratenser-Ordin."  His  father  was  Count 
Gennep  and  his  mother  a  relative  of  Emperor  Heinrich  IV.  being 
descended  from  the  house  of  Lorraine.  He  was  born  at  Sauten 
in  the  duchy  of  Cleves  in  1080.  His  parents  had  early  dedicated 
him  to  the  service  of  the  church  but  for  a  long  time  their  hopes 
seemed  doomed  to  be  disappointed.  As  a  young  man  he  was  disso- 
lute and  his  life  was  given  to  pleasure.  He  was  instituted  to  a 
canonry  at  Santen  and  ordained  a  sub-deacon,  but  received  the  ec- 
clesiastical tonsure  in  an  utterly  worldly  spirit  and  made  no  outward 
change  in  his  life.  At  the  court  of  his  cousin  the  emperor  he  was  the 
soul  of  mirth,  and  his  wit  and  bon  mots  the  life  of  social  circles.  He 
refused  any  higher  orders  lest  they  might  put  some  restraint  upon 
his  pleasures.  But  the  time  came  when  this  was  all  changed. 
He  was  riding  near  the  village  of  Freten  in  Westphalia  on  a  richly 
caparisoned  horse  when  a  sudden  thunder  storm  burst  upon  him 
from  a  cloudless  sky  and  a  bolt  struck  directly  in  front  of  him  and 
he  was  thrown  from  his  horse  and  lay  unconscious  upon  the 
ground  for  some  time.  Then  like  a  second  Saul,  the  enormity  of 
his  sins  seemed  to  come  over  him  as  he  recovered  from  the  shock. 
He  went  no  more  to  court  but  retired  to  his  canonry  at  Santen 
leading  a  life  of  retirement  and  later  became  a  missionary  after 
having  been  ordained  deacon  and  priest.  This  roving  life  of 
austerity  and  self-sacrifice  he  led  until  in  1119  by  permission  of 
Calixtus  II.  he  founded  a  small  monastery  with  a  few  equally  de- 
voted men  in  a  lonesome  valley  called  Pre-montre.  After  many 
years  of  faithful  labour  here  in  1132  Norbert  was  elevated  to  the 
bishopric  of  Magdeburg  and  died  June  6,  1134. 


JUNE  7th. 

St..  Godeschalc  who  is  honoured  by  the  Church  this  day  was 
one  of  those  old  time  fierce  warriors  whose  lives  read  like  ro- 
mances. In  the  reign  of  Henry  the  Salic  whose  arms  with  those 
of  Knut,  King  of  Denmark  and  Bernard,  Duke  of  Saxony  kept 
the  barbarians  in  order  about  the  beginning  of  the  IV.  century, 


CANONIZATION   OF   SAINTS    275 

one  Uto  a  Western  Vandal  prince,  was  murdered  by  a  Saxon 
chief.  The  son  of  Uto,  Godeschalc  had  been  educated  at  the 
monastic  school  of  Lumburg  under  a  Gothic  bishop  but  had  then 
apostatized  from  whatever  of  Christianity  he  had  ever  accepted. 
Joining  two  pagan  princes  after  his  father's  murder  he  in  revenge 
harassed  without  mercy  the  Saxons  until  captured  by  Bernard  the 
Saxon  Duke  who  held  him  prisoner  for  a  long  time.  When  he  at 
last  gained  his  liberty  he  found  his  heritage  possessed  by  one 
Ratibor  a  powerful  Slavic  prince,  but  gathering  a  band  of  his  par- 
tisans Godeschalc  with  them  joined  the  Danes.  Then  King  Knut 
was  employed  in  his  wars  with  Norway  and  later  sent  Gode- 
schalc with  his  nephew  Sueno,  into  England,  where  his  prowess 
and  valour  won  for  him  such  favour  with  the  Danish  king  that  he 
gave  him  his  daughter  in  marriage.  After  Knut's  death  Gode- 
schalc returned  from  England  and  subdued  his  old  enemy  and  the 
entire  Slavic  country.  Meantime  he  had  under  the  influence  of  a 
Saxon  priest  been  converted  to  Christianity  and  reigned  many 
years  in  peace  surpassing  all  his  contemporary  princes  in  prudence, 
power  and  valour,  as  well  as  in  piety  and  holy  zeal.  He  built 
many  churches  and  monasteries  and  brought  over  to  the  faith  a 
great  part  of  the  idolaters  among  the  nations  subject  to  him.  He 
extended  his  missions  into  all  the  dominions  of  Godeschalc  and 
baptized  many  with  his  own  hands,  interpreting  to  the  people  in 
the  Slavonian  language  the  sermons  and  instructions  of  the 
priests. 

Five  years  later  the  Vandals  or  Slavi  who  had  remained  idol- 
aters, in  the  duchy  of  Mecklenburg,  revolted,  and  began  their 
sedition  by  the  murder  of  Godeschalc,  in  the  city  of  Lenzin  on 
June  7,  1066. 


CANONIZATION  OF  SAINTS. 

The  canonization  of  saints  has  only  been  accepted  as  a  dogma 
of  faith  by  the  Roman  Church  since  the  XII.  century  and  it  was 
confined  to  those  who  had  suffered  martyrdom  for  their  religious 
principles.  At  that  time  bishops  were  permitted  to  name  them 
but  the  numbers  increased  so  rapidly  that  it  was  soon  necessary 


276      SAINTS   AND  FESTIVALS 


to  limit  the  admission  to  the  canon  and  this  privilege  was  taken 
from  the  bishops  and  the  pope  alone  was  given  the  authority,  In 
the  same  prudent  spirit  it  was  decreed  that  the  holy  man  must 
have  been  dead  for  a  hundred  years  before  he  was  eligible  to  be 
canonized. 


MONKS   AND   MONASTERIES. 

From  reading  books  like  Scott's  inimitable  "  Monastery  and 
Abbot "  and  similar  stories  a  widespread  misconception  has  come 
to  the  general  reader  both  as  to  the  nature  of  the  primitive  mo- 
nastic buildings  but  as  well  of  the  monks  themselves  and  their 
usual  daily  occupations.  This  arises  from  no  fault  of  the  authors 
whose  descriptions,  like  that  of  Scott  speaking  of  Kennaquhair, 
are  accurate  as  to  the  time  of  which  they  wrote,  but  far  from 
being  so  in  regard  to  earlier  days.  Especially  is  this  true  in  refer- 
ence to  the  primitive  Irish,  Scotch  and  English  monasteries. 

The  description  of  these  which  follows  it  is  proper  for  me  to  say 
is  a  sort  of  wholesale  quotation  from  Skene's  "  Celtic  Scotland" 

and  Burton's  "  History 
of  Scotland,"  even 
where  I  fail  to  put  the 
proper  marks.  A  bit  of 
literary  patchwork  with 
its  pieces  cut  from  long 
and  elaborate  descrip- 
tion, from  which  I  will 
endeavour  to  make  a 
~  short,  but  I  hope,  clear 
5=3  picture. 

"  The  primitive  Celtic  monastery  was  a  very  simple  affair,  *  * 
*  a  village  of  rude  huts,"  and  "  we  must  not  suppose  at  all 
resembled  the  elaborate  stone  structures  of  the  Middle  Ages." 
In  most  instances  the  larger  buildings  were  built  with  wattled 
walls.  Thus  :  "  A  wall  plate  was  made  by  upright  stakes  having 
twigs  interlaced  between  them  in  the  usual  manner  of  basket 
making.  *  *  *  A  second  wall  was  placed  within  the  outer 


MONASTERIES  277 

one  and  turf  or  clay  was  filled  in  between  these  walls."  The 
thickness  varied  from  two  to  even  four  feet,  and  thus  a  very  solid 
wall  was  constructed,  the  roof  being  of  poles  above  which  was  a 
woven  thatch  of  straw.  Some  legend,  of  course,  lingered  around 
each  of  these  structures.  Skene  tells  how  Ciaran  of  Saighir,  one 
of  the  twelve  apostles  of  Ireland,  began  to  build  his  huts  and 
church  "  when  he  went  to  the  wood  for  his  material  a  wild  boar 
assisted  him  by  biting  off  with  his  sharp  teeth  the  rods  and 
branches  he  needed."  Still  later  came  the  timber  buildings  and 
those  constructed  from  hewn  planks.  It  was  not  till  the  end  of 
the  VIII.  century  when  the  ravages  of  the  Danes  and  by  re- 
peated lessons  of  danger  from  fire  any  attempt  was  made  to  use 
stone  in  their  buildings,  and  then  first  are  noticed  some  efforts 
toward  the  internal  comforts  of  the  monks.  "  The  monastic  sys- 
tem which  characterised  the  Irish  church  in  its  second  period  * 

*  *  presented  features  peculiarly  adapted  to  the  tribal  organiza- 
tions and  social  systems  of  the  Irish.  *  *  *  These  large 
monasteries  *  *  *  were  in  reality  Christian  colonies  into 
which  converts  after  being  tonsured  were  brought." 

My  readers  may  remember  that  St.  Brendan  was  first  thus 
cared  for  by  St.  Itha  and  later  until  he  was  ordained  to  the  priest- 
hood by  Bishop  Ere.  It  was  not  obligatory  on  these  "  converts  " 
to  take  upon  themselves  at  a  later  time  holy  orders.  Thus  when 
we  read  of  4,000  monks  under  the  rule  of  Comgall,  and  other 
large  numbers  elsewhere  we  must  not  think  of  them  as  "  monks  " 
in  the  usual  acceptation  of  the  term.  These  were  called  ''  Muintir 
or  familia,"  the  elders  "  seniors,"  who  gave  themselves  entirely  to 
devotions  and  the  service  of  the  church,  whose  chief  occupation 
in  their  cells  was  to  transcribe  the  Scriptures  and  illuminate  mis- 
sals. Of  one  Bishop  Marchata  an  Irish  ballad  says  : 

"  Three  score  psalm-singing  seniors, 
Were  his  household,  royal  in  number, 
Without  tillage,  reaping  or  kiln  drying, 
Without  work,  except  reading." 

a  somewhat  strange  exception.  The  rest  of  the  household  were 
divided  into  classes  for  tilling  of  their  fields,  caring  for  herds  and 


278     SAINTS   AND    FESTIVALS 

such  as  were  skilled  in  the  use  of  tools  in  mechanical  labour,  and 
making  clothing  for  the  "  family."     Of  this  I  will  give  other  details 
when  speaking  of  lona. 
These  monasteries  also  claimed  the  "  right  of  sanctuary." 


JUNE  8th. 

St.  Maximus,  the  first  Bishop  of  Aix  in  Provence,  who  is  hon- 
oured in  the  Kalendar  this  day  is  said  —  but  the  authority  for  the 
assertion  is  rather  vague  —  to  have  been  one  of  Christ's  personal 
followers  and  disciples.  His  life  whether  this  fact  be  true  or  not 
is  evidence  of  how  soon  the  early  Christians  began  to  spread  out 
over  the  world  teaching  the  Christian  faith,  for  his  preaching  the 
gospel  in  Marseilles  and  so  establishing  Christianity  in  Provence  is 
fully  authenticated  and  his  successor,  "  St.  Sedonius,  the  second 
Bishop  of  Aries,"  is  said  to  have  been  the  man  who  was  born 
blind  and  healed  by  our  Lord.  St.  Maximus  died  about  the  close 
of  the  I.  century. 


St.  William,  whose  name  also  appears  this  day,  was  the  son  of 
Earl  Herbert  and  his  mother  Emma  was  a  sister  of  King  Stephen. 
He  received  holy  orders  early  in  life  and  became  treasurer  of  the 
metropolitan  church  of  York.  In  1 144  he  was  elected  Archbishop 
and  consecrated  in  September  of  that  year  at  Winchester,  but 
through  influence  at  Rome  of  his  opponents,  Pope  Eugenius  III. 
deprived  him  of  his  see  and  he  lived  in  retirement  at  Winchester 
until  in  1153  he  was  again  elected  Archbishop  and  went  to  Rome 
where  he  received  the  pallium  from  his  holiness  Anastasius  IV., 
who  had  that  year  succeeded  to  the  pontificate.  His  return  to 
York  was  the  occasion  of  an  immense  ovation.  The  crowd  that 
had  assembled  was  so  great  that  it  broke  down  the  wooden 
bridge  over  the  Ouese  in  York,  and  it  was  only  by  miraculous  in- 
tervention no  lives  were  lost  and  St.  William  has  had  the  credit  of 
having  by  his  timely  prayer  been  the  means  of  the  preservation  of 
these  people  in  their  hour  of  danger.  No  less  than  thirty-six 


ST.COLUMBA  279 

miracles  are  accorded  to  St.  William.     He  died  in  1 1 54  and  was 
canonized  by  Nicholas  III.  in  1280. 


JUNE  9th. 

This  day  marks  the  festival  of  the  one  man  who  above  all  his 
self-sacrificing  brethren  to  whom  Scotland  owes  gratitude  for  the 
first  grand  missionary  work  in  behalf  of  the  Christian  religion 
among  the  northern  Picts,  the  then  dominant  power  in  Alban. 
To  understand  clearly  the  grandness  of  St.  Columba's  work  we 
must  first  give  a  very  brief  page  from  Scotch  history  for,  singular 
as  it  sounds,  the  Scotch  came  originally  from  Ireland,  and  the 
word  "  Scotia  "  in  the  earliest  recorded  history,  was  applied  only  to 
inhabitants  of  Irish  Dalriada.  In  360,  certain  Scots  came  first  to 
Britain,  not  as  colonists,  but  as  allies  to  the  Dalriadan  Picts  in 
Alban.  They  soon  disappeared  and  next  are  heard  of  in  501 
when,  according  to  Tighernac  (an  Irish  annalist)  Fergus  mor  mac 
Ere,  from  County  Antrim  in  Irish  Dalriada,  and  of  the  4<  Irish 
Gael,"  with  a  small  colony  settled  in  what  is  now  "  Southern  Ar- 
gyle  "  on  the  coast  and  founded  the  future  monarchy  of  Scotland. 
I  must  not  follow  further  this  most  interesting  part  of  Scotch  his- 
tory except  to  add  that  it  was  among  the  descendants  of  this 
Fergus  mor  mac  Ere,  Columba  first  found  friends  when  he  came 
to  Alban. 

Now  to  sketch  briefly  this  wonderful  man's  career  as  student, 
soldier,  missionary  and  saint.  Columba  (commonly  pronounced 
Colme)  was  born  December  7,  521,  and  was  descended  through  his 
father  Fedhlmidh  from  the  royal  Hy  Neill's,  and  by  his  mother 
from  a  long  line  of  Irish  Dalriadan  kings.  Innumerable  prophe- 
cies attended  his  birth,  among  them  one  by  St.  Patrick  who  fore- 
told his  birth  and  : — 


That  will  not  utter  a  falsehood  ; 

He'll  be  a  saint  and  will  be  devout, 

He'll  be  an  Abbott,  the  King  of  royal  graces, 

He'll  be  lasting  and  ever  good  ; 

The  eternal  kingdom  be  mine  by  his  protection." 


28o      SAINTS   AND   FESTIVALS 

Lack  of  space  precludes  a  record  of  his  brilliant  student  life  at 
Moghbile  (his  first  school)  under  Gemma,  a  noted  Bard,  who  in- 
spired in  him  that  poetic  love  of  the  beautiful  of  which  I  will  later 
speak.  His  education  was  completed  and  he  took  holy  orders  at 
Cluin-Brad  and  I  may  say  in  passing  became  one  of  the  historic 
"  Twelve  Apostles  of  Ireland." 

His  life  soon  became  a  busy  one  both  in  ecclesiastic  and  public 
affairs.  His  fervent  Christian  and  poetic  nature  made  him  de- 
vout ;  yet  he  was  a  typical  Irishman  and  allowed  no  one  "  to  tread 
on  the  tail  of  his  coat."  "  Athletic  Christianity  "  was  then  largely 
in  evidence,  as  we  see  by  the  number  of  "  doughty  men  of  valour  " 
who  appear  in  the  sanguinary  battles  of  those  days.  So  we  find 
Columba  engaged  in  several  pitched  battles. 

One  feature  of  Columba 's  character  from  his  student  days  was 
his  love  of  rare  manuscripts  and  it  was  this  which  under  God's 
providence  sent  him  forth  as  a  missionary ;  for  God  works  quite 
as  often  by  human  as  by  Divine  agencies.  At  Moghbile,  Finnian, 
Columba's  old  teacher,  had  a  rare  manuscript  of  the  Psalter  which 
the  pupil  often  desired  to  copy  —  for  he  was  a  skilled  penman  — 
but  was  refused  for  Finnian  was  of  the  true  "  bookworm  "  nature 
which  keeps  secret  his  treasures. 

About  560  Columba  visited  his  old  tutor.  He  had  not  forgotten 
the  coveted  Psalter  and  by  some  means  managed  surreptitiously  to 
obtain  possession  of  the  MS.  When  "  the  theft,"  as  Finnian 
termed  it,  was  discovered  and  traced  he  demanded  it  should  be 
returned,  but  the  demand  was  refused  and  then  King  Diarmid 
took  a  hand  in  the  matter  uttering  what  became  an  Irish  proverb  : 
"  To  every  cow  belongs  her  calf." 

To  sum  up  a  long  story  short,  the  Hy  Neills  met  King  Diarmid 
in  the  battle  of  Cuil-dreme  and  defeated  him. 

Columba's  trouble  was  now  serious  ;  a  "  synod  of  the  Saints  of 
Ireland  "  was  called  and  Columba  was  held  responsible  for  the 
loss  of  life  at  Cuil-dreme  and  it  was  decreed  "  he  must  rescue  as 
many  souls  from  Paganism  as  lives  had  been  lost  in  the  battle." 
Thus  it  came  that  Columba  went  forth  on  that  pilgrimage  to  the 
Picts  which  has  made  his  name  memorable.  I  only  regret  I  can- 
not give  the  many  interesting  details  which  throw  such  clear 
"  side-lights  "  on  the  story. 


IONA    MONASTERY          281 

Conal,  a  descendant  of  Fergus  mor  mac  Ere,  was  then  king  of 
the  Dalriadan  Scots  who  were  Christians  and  who  "  by  grace  " 
the  powerful  pagan  Picts  had  allowed  to  remain  thus  far  un- 
molested in  Argyle  and  in  some  of  the  islands  along  the  coast ; 
among  them  Mull  and  Hii,  later  corrupted  into  lona. 

Conal  knew  the  tender  ground  he  stood  on  with  the  Picts ; 
while  at  heart  a  Christian  he  could  not  defy  these  fierce  pagans. 
Indeed  he  stood  "  between  the  devil  and  the  deep  sea."  So  he 
gladly  took  a  middle  course  and  sent  Columba  and  his  associates 
on  to  Hii  (or  as  I  will  from  now  call  it  lona)  to  let  them  work  out 
their  own  salvation  on  that  utterly  desolate  barren  strip  of  rocky 
land. 

With  infinite  toil  they  built  their  "  bothies  "  (huts)  and  began 
their  strenuous  struggle,  first  for  the  necessities  of  life.  Even  the 
journey  from  Ireland  had  been  an  arduous  one  in  their  open 
"  cruaths,"  (wicker  boats  covered  by  raw  skins  of  animals  drawn 
over  the  frame  and  thus  allowed  to  dry  there)  and  in  these  they 
now  carried  their  slender  stock  of  provisions  and  other  belongings 
to  this  rugged,  rock  bound  island  so  often  and  graphically  de- 
scribed by  tourists  to  it. 

The  monastery  at  lona  in  most  respects  was  like  those  of  Ire- 
land at  that  time,  and  the  household  ordered  on  similar  lines,  but 
with  some  advance  since  Adamnan  speaks  of  the  "  pincinco  "  or 
butler,  and  "  pistor  "  baker,  adding  as  a  curious  fact  that  the  latter 
"  was  a  Saxon."  The  elders  and  certain  ones  of  the  labourers  were 
tonsured  from  ear  to  ear  ;  that  is,  having  the  hair  shaved  from 
the  front  of  the  head  back  to  a  line  drawn  from  the  ear,  while 
elsewhere  it  was  allowed  to  grow.  Their  young  men  were  not 
tonsured  as  in  Ireland.  Their  dress  was  of  but  two  garments,  a 
"  tunica  "  or  white  woolen  undershirt  and  a  "  Camilla,"  or  sleeved 
woolen  gown  (unbleached),  reaching  the  ankles.  This  had  also  a 
hood.  They  wore  hide  sandals  when  travelling,  but  in  the  house 
and  field  went  barefooted.  In  such  a  rigourous  climate  such  a 
dress  we  to-day  would  not  think  even  safe  for  health.  But  they 
were  hardened  to  this  from  childhood  ;  while  the  Picts,  save  for  a 
skin  worn  over  the  shoulders,  even  in  winter  were  almost  nude. 

The  food  was  of  the  simplest  kind  ;  bread  made  from  crushed 


282    SAINTS   AND   FESTIVALS 

barley  or  oatmeal,  milk  and  fish,  varied  only  by  the  addition  on 
festivals  of  seal  flesh,  wild  fowls  and  eggs.  In  honour  of  guests  or 
some  especial  "  high  feast "  beef  would  be  added  to  the  menu.  I 
must  for  lack  of  space  omit  mention  of  their  daily  lives  and  devo- 
tions except  to  say  that  they  followed  in  all  ways  the  rules  of  the 
Irish  monasteries.  St.  Columba's  cell  was  separated  from  the 
brethren  on  one  of  those  rugged  "  dunes  "  still  so  prominent  a  fea- 
ture of  the  island.  In  his  life  he  shared  alike  with  the  humblest 
of  his  brethren  in  everything.  Gentle,  kind  and  affectionate,  yet 
beneath  all  his  austerity  (for  he  never  forgot  his  mission)  he  had  a 
deep  love  for  the  beautiful  and  a  quaint,  subtle  sense  of  humour  ; 
as  one  writer  puts  it  "  with  a  laugh  always  in  the  tail  of  his  eye.'' 
His  teachings  to  the  heathen  were  of  the  plainest,  simplest  truths 
utterly  free  from  dogmas  not  fully  set  forth  in  the  "  Word  of 
God,"  to  use  his  own  expression.  But  his  real  missionary  work 
had  not  yet  begun  and  it  is  too  important  to  be  treated  within  the 
small  limit  left  me  and  therefore  I  must  return  to  it  later  when  I 
can  also  speak  of  St.  Comgall  whom  I  intentionally  passed  on 
May  loth,  as  these  fellow  workers  can  hardly  be  separated. 

Columba  was  now  in  the  flower  of  manhood  and  is  described  as 
a  "  type  of  manly  beauty,"  endowed  with  a  sweet,  sonorous  voice  ; 
a  certain  magnetism  of  manner  which  drew  everyone  toward  him  ; 
yet  never  lacking  in  dignity.  His  fame  had  already  spread  far 
beyond  the  narrow  limits  of  lona  among  the  northern  Picts  who 
from  the  first  had  been  his  objective  point.  They  were  a  race 
strangely  compounded.  They  were  barbarians  not  savages,  and 
possessed  of  wonderfully  quick,  clear  intellects,  though  utterly 
untutored.  This  is  shown  by  the  manner  in  which  they  met  the 
Romans  ;  grasping  instantly  the  secret  of  their  "  tactics  "  in  war, 
grafting  the  best  on  their  own  methods  and  surprising  their  in- 
vaders by  utilising  them.  Pagans  they  of  course  were  but  not 
unthinking.  Through  the  Romans  they  had  seen  something  of 
their  religion  and  had  laughed  at  it ;  refusing  to  be  cajoled  yet 
quick  to  learn  the  lessons  the  Romans  had  unconsciously  taught 
them.  Immured  by  exposure  from  infancy  they  regarded  the 
warm,  well-clad  Romans  as  effeminate.  They  were  a  strong  race 
wholly  devoid  of  tenderness  or  sentiment,  yet  superstitious  from 


DRUIDS   AND    MAGI  283 

their  Druidic  teachings  ;  still  with  an  inborn,  high  sense  of  honour 
and  fidelity.  Such  were  the  people  Columba  had  chosen  to  bring 
back  from  paganism.  Till  now  his  work  had  only  been  what  may 
be  termed  predatory  missionary  labour,  barely  reaching  the  borders 
of  the  great  Pictish  kingdom  over  which  Brude  then  reigned ;  a 
man  who  beyond  doubt  was  the  most  powerful  that  had  ever  sat 
on  the  throne.  A  man  of  unusual  penetration  and  perhaps  the 
only  one  among  his  people  outside  of  the  priesthood  who  saw 
through  the  superstitions  of  the  Druidical  religion.  How  much  of 
Brude  Columba  knew  is  uncertain  ;  but  he  was  well  aware  that 
between  lona  and  Inverness,  where  Brude  held  court,  save  the 
comparatively  safe  districts  of  Morven  and  Lochaber,  lay  the  dan- 
gerous Drumalbans  ;  beset  with  difficulties  from  unknown  paths 
where  fierce  superstitious  natives  lurked  under  the  guidance  of  the 
Druid  and  Magi  priests,  ready  to  intercept  his  way  ;  yet  his  reso- 
lution did  not  fail  him.  Unfortunately  neither  Adamnan  or  Mon- 
telembert  are  able  to  give  a  clear  account  of  this  remarkable 
journey.  We  only  know  that  Comgall  of  Bangor  and  Caimach  of 
Achaboe  were  his  companions.  These  two  men  were  of  the  race 
of  Irish  Picts  from  whom  the  Dalriadan  Picts  had  come  and  so  to 
a  certain  extent  they  had  kept  in  touch  with  their  kinsmen  in 
Alban. 

Beyond  brief  mention  of  hunger,  lack  of  shelter  and  constant 
opposition  by  the  Druid  and  Magi  priests,  the  chronicles  are  silent 
save  for  some  miraculous  acts  of  Columba  by  which  the  party 
were  preserved  until  they  reached  the  fortress  of  King  Brude  at 
Loch  Ness  and  which  antiquarians  have  positively  identified  with 
the  vitrified  fortress  now  termed  "  Craig-Phadrie  "  at  Inverness, 
so  well  known  to  Scotch  tourists. 

Here  again  at  the  arrival  of  Columba  and  his  companions  at 
Inverness  these  chroniclers  allow  the  miraculous  to  overshadow 
the  details  we  desire  to  know.  Thus  we  are  told  that  the  gates 
of  the  town  and  of  the  palace  were  closed  against  the  strangers. 
But  at  the  sign  of  the  cross  made  by  Comgall  the  town  gates 
opened  and  when  they  had  come  to  the  doors  of  the  royal  house 
St.  Columba  advanced  and,  making  a  similar  sign,  these  also  ad- 
mitted them  into  the  presence  of  the  king.  Angered  beyond 


284   SAINTS   AND    FESTIVALS 

measure  at  such  intrusion,  Brude  raised  his  sword  to  slay  them, 
but  Caimach  made  the  all-powerful  sign  of  the  cross  over  Brude's 
hand  and  it  fell  withered  at  his  side,  and,  the  chronicles  continue, 
so  remained  until  he  (the  king)  believed  in  God.  But  what  was 
spoken  or  how  the  stern  Pict  was  brought  to  terms  is  wholly  un- 
known. Some  even  declare  that  no  such  conversion  took  place. 
That  at  Columba's  intercession,  Brude's  strength  was  at  once 
restored,  and  that  from  then  during  his  life  he  held  Columba  in 
especial  reverence  is  historic.  But  Bede  records  that  in  the  ninth 
year  of  Brude,  or  Bridius,  which  would  be  in  565  and  thus  corres- 
pond with  Columba's  dates  in  leaving  lona  for  his  mission,  he 
was  baptized  by  Columba.  The  Pictish  chronicles  also  confirm 
this  in  date  and  fact. 

In  the  Irish  life  of  St.  Comgall  I  find  an  incident  nowhere  else 
mentioned,  "  that  then  Mailcu  the  son  of  the  king  came  with  his 
Drui  (Druid  priests)  to  contend  (argue)  against  Columielle  (Co- 
lumba) through  paganism ;  but  he  and  his  Drui  with  him  were 
destroyed  (overcome)  by  the  name  of  God  and  through  Columielle 
He  was  magnified." 

Just  here  it  is  interesting  in  some  measure  to  understand  what 
the  nature  of  this  pagan  belief  was  but  it  must  be  very  sadly  con- 
densed. It  was  the  same  in  all  respects  as  met  St.  Patrick  when 
he  came  to  Ireland,  and  perhaps  cannot  be  better  summed  up 
than  by  quoting  from  a  metrical  "  Life  of  St.  Patrick,"  by  Fiacc 
of  Sleibhte,  who  says  : 

"  He  preached  three-score  years 
The  Cross  of  Christ  to  the  Tuatha  of  Feni. 
The  Tuatha,  adored  the  Side, 
On  the  Tuatha  of  Erin  there  was  darkness, 
They  believed  not  the  true  God-head 
Of  the  Trinity." 

The  Book  of  Armagh  explains  that  the  "  Side,  or  Sidhe,"  were 
"gods  of  the  earth,  a  phantom."  Mysterious  beings  who  were 
supposed  to  dwell  alike  in  heaven,  on  the  earth,  in  the  sea,  sky, 
rivers,  mountains  and  valleys  at  will.  Spirits  to  be  dreaded  and 
conciliated,  to  be  worshipped  and  invoked  by  themselves  and 
through  the  natural  objects  in  which  they  were  supposed  to  dwell. 


COLUMBATE   CHURCH       285 

Hence  we  see  the  sacredness  of  the  Druidic  oaks  and  stones. 
The  Druid  and  Magi  priests  contended  they  did  not  worship  idols, 
but  their  deities  who  dwelt  in  them  ;  that  these  natural  objects 
were  not  themselves  powers,  but  that  through  them  the  Drudh 
could  consult  their  deity. 

The  Magi  added  soothsaying,  enchantment  and  divination ; 
while  as  doctors  they  practiced  on  the  superstitions  of  their  pa- 
tients as  did  the  Drui.  In  one  of  these  metrical  accounts  I  find 
these  lines  : 

"  The  Drui  of  Cruithnech  in  friendship 
Discovered  a  cure  for  the  wounded, 
New  milk  in  which  they  were  washed 
In  powerful  bathing." 

And  a  little  further  on  speaking  of : 

"  Six  demon  — like  Druadh  — 
Necromancy,  idolatry  and  illusion. 
In  a  fair  well-walled  house. 
*  *  ****** 

By  them  were  taught 
The  hovering  of  the  sreod  and  omens, 
Choice  of  weather,  lucky  times, 
The  watching  of  the  voice  of  birds 
They  practiced  without  disguise." 

This  word  sreod  Dr.  Todd  glosses  as  "  sneezing."  But  I  must 
not  enlarge  further  on  this  strangely  interesting  point. 

As  already  said  we  are  without  any  details  of  the  methods  used 
by  Columba  to  combat  these  pagan  beliefs,  but  the  conversion  of 
their  king  exercised  no  doubt  a  most  powerful  influence  in  aiding 
Columba's  efforts,  and  he  seemed  by  kindness  rather  than  by  force 
to  have  first  won  their  confidence  and  then  by  degrees  to  have 
taught  the  Christian  faith,  then  following  the  Irish  method  of  mo- 
nastic colonies,  or  as  they  were  termed,  monasteries,  and  in  many 
places  building  churches.  Thus  for  twelve  years  Columba,  Corn- 
gall  and  other  faithful  men  worked  steadily  in  laying  the  founda- 
tions of  the  Columbate  Church  as  it  has  been  called  in  his  honour, 
and  after  these  years  broadening  the  sphere  of  their  labours  to  in- 
clude the  Southern  Picts,  who  under  St.  Ninian  had  been  con- 


286      SAINTS   AND    FESTIVALS 

verted  but  who  soon  apostatized,  all  of  which  must  be  mentioned 
under  the  notice  of  this  great  teacher  Ninian  on  September  i6th. 

We  cannot  follow  through  Columba's  work,  so  full  of  incidents 
which  prove  his  devotion ;  his  never  failing  hope  even  under  dire 
misfortunes  and  cruel  wrongs,  till  at  last  he  reaches  his  lona  fam- 
ily once  more.  Nor  may  I  copy  as  I  would  like,  the  long  and 
touching  description  of  those  last  days  written  by  his  biographer, 
Cummene,  until  on  the  morning  of  June  9,  597,  Columba  called 
his  faithful  attendant,  Diormet,  to  him  and  said  :  "  This  day  is 
called  in  the  sacred  Scriptures  a  day  of  rest  and  truly  to  me  it  will 
be  such,  for  it  is  the  last  of  my  life  and  I  shall  enter  into  my  rest 
after  the  fatigues  of  my  labours." 

Thus  peacefully  passed  to  his  reward  one  of  God's  noblest  and 
most  faithful  servants,  leaving  behind  him  an  imperishable  mem- 
ory not  alone  in  the  affection  and  veneration  of  those  of  his  own 
day,  but  in  the  breasts  of  all  true  Christians  who  now  after  thir- 
teen centuries  study  his  character. 


JUNE  loth. 

Of  St.  Margaret,  Queen  of  Scotland,  niece  of  Edward  the  Con- 
fessor and  daughter  of  Edmund  Ironsides  who  is  honoured  by 
the  Church  this  day  we  may  read  in  any  Scotch  history. 


JUNE  nth. 

St.  Barnabas,  whose  festival  is  celebrated  this  day,  though  not 
one  of  the  twelve  was  through  his  intimate  association  and  the 
prominent  share  he  took  in  apostolic  transactions  termed  by  the 
primitive  Fathers  of  the  Church  "  Apostle,"  and  St.  Luke  also 
gives  him  the  honoured  title.  By  birth  he  was  a  Jew  of  the  tribe 
of  Levi.  Aside  from  his  labours  as  recorded  in  the  "  Acts  of  the 
Apostles  "  his  legend  tells  of  his  labours  in  Asia  Minor,  Greece  and 
Italy,  and  in  the  latter  was  made  Bishop  of  Milan.  At  last  when 
preaching  in  Judea  he  was  martyred  by  the  Jews  being  stoned 


ST.    BARNABAS 


287 


to  death  at  Salamis.  Tradition  tells  that  St.  Barnabas  always 
preached  from  the  Gospel  of  St.  Matthew  and  carried  with  him  a 
copy  written  by  the  Evangelist  himself,  and  that  when  his  remains 
were  found  this  manuscript  was  still  in  his  bosom. 
This  was  taken  to  Constantinople  and  a  church 
was  built  "  under  the  invocation  of  the  saint." 
St.  Mark  and  other  Christians 
buried  him  there.  In  Christian  art 
St.  Barnabas  is  represented  carry- 
ing the  gospel  in  one  hand  and  in 
the  other  a  pilgrim's  staff,  but  the 
Clog  Almanac  gives  him  a  rake. 
There  is  no  doubt  that  this  is 
from  some  legend  or  tradition  as 
most  of  these  emblems  are,  but 
what  it  is  I  am  not  able  to  learn. 


mer  solstice. 


Before    "  the   change   of  style  "  ST.  BARNABAS, 
the  nth  of  June  marked  the  sum- 
Hence  the  old  English  proverb : 


"  Barnaby  bright 

The  longest  day  and  shortest  night." 

In  "  Ye  olde  dayes  "  it  was  customary  for  the  priests  and  clerks 
to  decorate  the  church  with  garlands  of  roses. 

This  day  was  appointed  as  a  festival  by  St.  Charles  Borromeo  at 
the  sixth  provincial  council  in  1 582.  The  canonical  colour  for  this 
day  is  red. 


JUNE  1 2th 

Is  the  festival  of  St.  John  of  Sahagun  ;  a  hermit  of  the  Order  of 
St.  Augustine. 

Eremitic  life  had  a  peculiar  fascination  for  many  of  the  holy 
men  of  the  Church  ;  the  secret  of  which  it  is  hard  for  us  with  our 
gregarious  tendencies  to  understand.  But  how  strong  this  feeling 


288     SAINTS   AND   FESTIVALS 


was  is  seen  by  the  number  who  adopted  a  solitary  life.  And  it 
was  so  with  St.  John  who  early  in  his  life  as  a  Benedictine  had 
preferments  in  the  Church  and  noted  as  a  pulpit  orator.  But  he 
resigned  each  of  his  rich  "  livings  "  and  became  a  hermit  of  St. 
Austin  in  Salamanca  in  1463  and  was  made  "  Prior  "  of  the  mon- 
astery in  1471.  The  austerities  of  these  monks  were  almost  be- 
yond belief  in  their  devotions,  prayer,  penance,  abstination  from 
food  and  self-sacrifice  in  all  things  being  their  rule  for  daily  life. 
When  his  last  sickness  overtook  St.  John  he  foretold  his  death 
and  calmly  waited  it  when  it  came  June  i  ith,  1479.  For  the  many 
miracles  credited  to  him  he  was  "  beatified "  by  Pope  Clement 
VIII.  in  1601  and  canonized  by  Pope  Alexander  VIII.  in  1690. 
Pope  Benedict  XIII,  directed  an  office  to  be  inserted  in  the  Ro- 
man Breviary  fixing  the  date  for  June  i2th. 


JUNE 

The  festival  of  St.  Anthony,  or  Antonio  of  Padua,  celebrated 
to-day  is  one  of  the  few  of  the  mediaeval  saints  which  has  been 
retained  in  the  English  church  Kalendar  as  it  holds  its  place  in 

that  of  the  Roman  Church, 
and  few  of  all  the  long  list 
of  the  canonized  saints 
have  attained  to  greater 
celebrity.  Especially  i  s 
this  true  in  Italy  but  most 
so  at  Padua.  His  legend 
tells  us  that  early  in  his 
career  miraculous  power 
came  to  aid  him.  Once, 
it  is  said,  that  at  Rimini, 
in  order  to  convince  a  per- 
son of  heretical  belief  St. 
Anthony,  by  calling  to  the  fishes  caused  them  to  lift  their  heads 
from  the  water  to  testify  to  the  truth  of  his  assertions.  But  short 
as  his  life  was  the  list  of  his  miracles  is  too  long  a  one  to  be  re- 


ST.    ANTHONY 


289 


counted  here.  He  was  born  in  Lisbon  in  1195.  At  the  age  of 
fifteen  he  became  one  of  the  regular  Canons  of  St.  Austin,  near 
Lisbon.  When  twenty-three  he  became  a  Franciscan  friar  and 
soon  after  the  death  of  St.  Francis  in  1226, 
he  retired  to  his  convent  in  Padua  where 
he  died  in  1231,  aged  only  thirty-six  years. 
Yet  so  great  was  his  sanctity  that  Pope 
Gregory  IX.,  who  had  known  him  person- 
ally, canonized  him  in  1232.  Padua  claimed 
him  as  its  patron  saint  1307,  completed  a 
magnificent  church  in  his  honour  where 
have  been  gathered  a  wonderful  variety  of 
sacred,  saintly  relics,  not  the  least  among 
these  being  a  gilt  urn  of  somewhat  fantastic 
shape  which  it  is  said  contains  the  magical 
tongue  of  St.  Anthony,  which,  once  in  each 
year  is,  upon  the  day  of  his  death,  exhibited, 
and  then  solemn  and  magnificently  impos- 
ing ceremonies  are  held  in  honour  of  "  II 
Santo,"  as  everyone  terms  this  eloquent 
silver-tongued  saint. 

This  saint  must  not  be  confounded  with 
another  of  the  same  title  whose  festival 
occurs  on  January  1 7th,  a  noted  man  whose 
memory  has  been  recalled  in  its  place. 


JUNE  I4th. 

I  can  but  briefly  mention  St.  Basil  the  Great  especially  hon- 
oured this  day  in  the  Greek  church  as  the  founder  of  the  Order 
of  Basilicans.  He  was  born  in  a  family  of  great  sanctity  as 
shown  by  his  grandmother,  father,  mother,  two  brothers  and  a 
sister,  as  well  as  himself  having  been  honoured  by  canonization  as 
saints.  He  was  ordained  priest  in  362,  and  in  370  called  to  the 
bishopric  of  Caesarea.  After  a  life  full  of  usefulness  and  good 


29o     SAINTS   AND    FESTIVALS 

works  he  died  on  June  14,  A.  D.  380.  His  emblem  is  a  dove, 
from  a  legend  that  tells  that  when  preaching  of  the  Holy  Ghost  a 
dove  lighted  on  his  shoulder  and  remained  during  his  sermon. 


JUNE  1 5th. 

Of  the  several  noted  names  the  Church  honours  on  this  day 
none  is  perhaps  more  worthy  than  the  Blessed  Gregory  Lewis 
Barbadigo,  a  Venetian  of  a  noble  family  and  one  who  for  his  learn- 
ing alone  would  be  remembered.  But  his  true  Christian  virtues 
even  outshone  these  ;  while  his  character  for  wise  counsel  is  shown 
by  his  being  chosen  by  the  Republic  of  Venice  to  accompany  its 
ambassador,  Aloysius  Contarini,  to  that  famous  "  Congress  of 
Ministers,"  when  the  celebrated  treaty  commonly  called  "  of  West- 
phalia "  was  signed  by  the  plenipotentiaries  of  Germany,  France 
and  Sweden  on  October  24,  1648,  which  later  was  so  far-reaching 
in  its  influence  throughout  Europe.  Gregory  was  consecrated 
Bishop  of  Bergame  in  1657 ;  created  Cardinal  by  Alexander  VII. 
in  1660  and  translated  to  the  bishopric  of  Padua  in  1664.  In 
every  state  of  life  he  was  a  model  of  zeal,  watchfulness  and  piety. 
His  charities  were  unbounded,  the  actual  known  amount  being  in 
excess  of  eight  hundred  thousand  crowns ;  while  a  stately  sem- 
inary and  college  one  of  the  chief  glories  of  Padua  to-day  was  his 
personal  gift,  and  those  who  have  seen  its  rare  library,  many  of 
its  books  having  been  selected  by  him  or  under  his  direction,  can 
but  wonder  at  the  far-reaching  wisdom  and  learning  of  this  man, 
justly  termed  "  Blessed  "  by  the  church.  He  was  beatified  by 
Pope  Clement  XIII.  on  February  13,  1761. 

Among  other  bounteous  gifts  I  must  not  omit  mention  of  one, 
a  printing  office  which  was  connected  with  the  college  above 
named. 


St.  Vitus,  whose  festival  occurs  this  day,  Roman  hagiology  tells 
us  was  the  son  of  a  Sicilian  noble ;  but  under  the  care  of  his 
Christian  nurse  and  foster  father  from  early  infancy  taught  in  the 
faith  of  Christ.  When  twelve  years  of  age  this  was  discovered. 


ST.   VITUS  291 

The  child  and  his  foster  parents  were  imprisoned.  The  legend 
here  tells  how  the  father  watching  his  son  through  a  key  hole  saw 
him  surrounded  by  angels  and  the  dazzling  sight  blinded  him. 
By  the  prayers  of  the  son  his  sight  was  restored  and  the  prisoners 
were  released  ;  but  later  they  were  again  subjected  to  persecution 
and  fled  in  a  boat,  which  the  legend  says  :  "  Was  steered  by  an 
angel."  But  they  reached  Italy  only  to  meet  a  worse  fate ;  for 
being  again  accused  of  Christianity  and  boldly  confessing  it  the 
boy  martyr  was  cast  into  a  caldron  of  boiling  oil.  A  chapel  erec- 
ted in  his  honour  at  Ulm  later  became  famous  for  the  miraculous 
cures  effected  upon  persons  (women  more  especially)  afflicted  with 
nervous  or  hysteric  affection,  and  from  this  came  to  be  known  "  as 
St.  Vitus  dance,"  when  violent  motion  accompanied  the  disease. 
Whatever  may  be  the  truth  of  these  miraculous  cures  through  St. 
Vitus'  intercession,  it  remains  a  fact  attested  beyond  a  question 
that  this  child  and  his  nurse  and  foster  father  suffered  martyrdom 
in  evidence  of  their  faith  in  Christ  in  303.  St.  Vitus  is  one  of  the 
"  Moth-helpers "  or  patron  saints  of  Germany,  as  well  as  the 
patron  saint  of  actors  and  dancers  and  also  the  patron  saint  of 
Saxony,  Bohemia  and  Sicily. 


I  must  name  one  other  saint  on  this  day,  St.  Bernard  of  Men- 
thon,  if  for  nothing  more  than  his  forty-two  years  of  loving,  faith- 
ful preaching  and  care  for  the  Savoyards.  Yet  many  will 
remember  to  have  passed  over  the  two  roads,  which  I  have,  and 
rested  in  the  two  great  hospitals  he  founded,  the  Great  and  Little 
St.  Bernards.  The  St.  Bernard  dogs  bred,  trained  and  nurtured 
by  the  devoted  monks  of  these  hospices  need  no  eulogy  any  more 
than  do  these  faithful  fathers  who  have  so  long  never  failed  to 
prove  their  courage  or  their  devotion  to  Christ  and  to  their  fellow 
men.  Indeed,  the  man  or  woman  who  has  passed  over  these 
roads  and  fails  in  paying  due  reverence  to  this  holy,  devoted  man 
and  his  faithful  followers  is  lacking  in  true  human  sympathy  ; 
for  if  ever  a  man's  good  works  live  after  him,  those  of  St.  Ber- 
nard of  Menthon  do.  St.  Bernard  died  at  Novara  where  his  body 
has  rested  since  June  15,  1008. 


292    SAINTS   AND    FESTIVALS 

JUNE    i6th. 

The  Church  of  Rome  this  day  recognises  one  of  the  most  dis- 
tinguished members  of  the  Society  of  Jesus  in  St.  John  Francis 
Regis.  From  his  entry  into  the  order  he  was  an  ardent,  zealous 
worker  in  missionary  fields  and  in  his  efforts  to  crush  out  Calvin- 
ism, then  rapidly  growing  in  strength.  His  biographers  dwell 
especially  on  his  labours  at  Vivares  which  for  many  years  was  the 
stronghold  of  Calvinism  in  France,  and  at  Puy,  hardly  less  noted. 
But  to  us  Regis  has  a  special  interest  from  being  one  of  the  Jesuit 
Fathers  who  in  1634  came  as  missionaries  to  the  Hurons  and 
Iroquois  tribes,  even  though  his  stay  among  them  was  brief,  as  his 
services  and  the  wonderful  eloquence  of  his  preaching  were 
needed  in  France  to  resist  the  tide  of  Calvinistic  doctrines.  In 
this  role  he  was  perhaps  one  of,  if  not  the  most  successful  work- 
ers in  his  order.  His  strenuous  life  wore  him  out  quickly  and  he 
died  in  1640  when  but  forty-three  years  old.  St.  John  Francis 
Regis  was  beatified  by  Clement  XI.  in  1716  and  canonized  by 
Clement  XII.  in  1737. 


JUNE    I7th. 

The  Church  of  England  honours  the  "  Protomartyr  of  Eng- 
land," St.  Alban.  In  Roman  Martyrology  the  date  named  for 
this  saint  is  the  22d  of  June  and  although  the  Kalendar  of  the 
English  church  names  the  I7th,  the  best  authorities  fix  the  date 
as  the  22d.  Alban  was  born  in  Vercelam  in  Hertfordshire,  which 
then  was  one  of  the  strongest  and  most  populous  cities  of  Britain. 
It  is  now  called  St.  Albans  and  lies  between  the  river  Werlaim 
and  the  famous  Roman  road  called  "  Watling  street "  and  after 
the  Saxon  conquest  fell  into  decay.  Alban  was  a  pagan  ;  a  man 
of  some  renown  and  had  travelled  as  far  as  Rome  to  improve 
himself  in  learning  and  the  polite  arts. 

King  Offa  built  a  church  for  his  honour  in  794  and  later  a  Bene- 
dictine monastery  was  established,  the  abbot  of  which  had  prece- 


ST.  ALBAN 


293 


dence  over  all  other  prelates  as  its  tutelar  saint  had  been  England's 
Protomartyr.  A  legend  tells  that  one  of  the  soldiers  who  led  St. 
Alban  to  execution  was  converted  on  the  way  and  was  executed 
at  the  same  time,  literally  "  baptized  in  his  own 
blood." 

The  bloody  persecutions  of  Dioclesian  which 
raged  with  such  terrible  fury  in  most  parts  of  the 
Roman  empire  had  been  held  somewhat  in  check 
in  both  Gaul  and  Britain  by  Constantius  who 
reigned  with  almost  regal  authority.  At  last  these 
persecutions  reached  Britain.  Alban  had  returned 
from  his  travels  and  was  still  a  pagan  when  a 
priest  of  Caerleon  in  Monmouthshire,  named 
Amphibalus,  fleeing  from  persecution,  sought 
shelter  with  Alban.  It  was  granted  and  during 
the  brief  stay  of  Amphibalus  Alban  was  converted. 
Dressed  in  Alban's  garments  the  priest  escaped 
but  the  fury  of  the  pagans  now  turned  on  Alban  and  he  was 
called  on  to  sacrifice  to  their  gods ;  but  true  to  his  new  faith  he 

refused.  After  the  usual 
method  Alban  was  first 
brutally  tortured  and 
then  beheaded  by  an 
axe,  the  attribute  given 
him  in  Clog  Almanacs. 
In  art  he  appears  with 
sword  in  one  hand  and  a 
cross  in  the  other  and  at 
times  with  a  fountain 
springing  from  beneath 
his  feet. 


ST.  ALBAN. 


JUNE  1 8th. 

Under  the  first  persecution  of  Nero  the  names  of  twin  brothers, 
Marcus  and  Marcellianus,  sons  of  SS.  Vitalis  and  Valeria,  appear. 


294      SAINTS   AND   FESTIVALS 

Arrested  by  Fabian,  confessing  that  from  youth  they  had  been 
Christians,  they  were  tied  to  posts,  sharp  nails  driven  through 
their  feet,  but  still  continuing  their  praise  of  Christ  were  at  last 
relieved  from  torture  by  being  pierced  by  lances. 


JUNE 

Is  the  festival  of  St.  Bruno  afterward  Archbishop  Boniface. 
Descended  from  a  noble  family  in  Saxony,  he  very  early  displayed 
his  inclination  for  a  religious  life  and  while  yet  a  youth  received 
the  clerical  tonsure.  Otto  III.  soon  made  him  chaplain  of  his 
person  and  court  but  the  young  devotee  desired  a  more  secluded 
life  and  entered  the  cloisters.  Later  the  missionary  spirit  took 
hold  upon  him  as  it  did  on  so  many  of  the  clerics  of  his  day,  and 
he,  under  the  protection  of  St.  Henry  II.,  Emperor  of  Germany  — 
having  first  been  consecrated  a  bishop  at  which  time  he  received 
the  name  of  Boniface  —  he  began  his  labours  among  the  savage 
tribes  of  Prussia  but  was  repulsed  from  among  them  and  pushed 
on  to  the  other  side  of  Poland  into  Russia.  From  many  he 
received  rich  gifts  but  used  them  all  for  the  benefit  of  the  poor 
wherever  he  was. 

The  Russians  were  idolators  and  thus  had  abated  nothing  of 
their  ancient  ferocity,  and  he  was  ordered  to  leave  the  country. 
But  the  king  of  a  small  province  at  last  promised  to  listen  to  him 
"  if  he  could  see  him  walk  through  fire  without  it  harming  him." 
A  thing  which  the  legend  tells  us  he  accomplished,  "  and  the 
king  seeing  the  bishop  thus  preserved  in  the  midst  of  flames, 
asked  to  be  instructed  in  the  faith,  and,  with  many,  was  baptized." 
Thus  the  apostle  of  Russia  began  his  work  but  the  infidels  later 
seized  him  and  eighteen  of  his  companions  and  beheaded  them. 
But  the  seed  had  been  sown  and  later  bore  fruit,  and  gave  the 
good  man  his  title  of  the  apostle  of  Russia. 

This  saint  is  mentioned  in  Greek  menologies  on  this  day. 


On  this   day   also  occurs  the   anniversary  of  St.  Juliana   Fal- 
conieri ;   more   especially  honoured   at  Florence   where   she  was 


ST.    EDWARD  295 

born  in  1270,  and  where  a  little  later  her  parents  built  at  their  own 
expense  one  of  the  most  beautiful  among  the  many  charming 
churches  adorning  Florence  to-day  ;  the  Church  of  the  Annuncia- 
tion of  Our  Lady.  In  her  sixteenth  year  she  renounced  all  the 
attractions  held  out  before  her  of  a  life  such  as  naturally  would 
have  come  from  her  rank  and  great  fortune,  and  consecrated 
her  virginity  to  God  and  received  the  religious  veil  of  the  Man- 
tellatae.  The  Mantellatae  are  a  third  order  of  the  Servites,  the 
religious  men  being  the  first  order,  and  the  nuns  the  second  and 
third  of  the  Servites.  The  Mantellatae  take  their  name  from  a 
particular  kind  of  short  sleeves  which  they  wear  especially  fitted 
for  their  peculiar  duties  in  the  service  of  the  sick  and  their  other 
charitable  work  for  which  the  order  was  first  instituted.  Many 
devout  women  came  to  Juliana's  aid,  and  she  was  obliged  to 
accept  the  place  of  prioress  of  the  Sisters  of  the  Order  of  the 
Servants  of  the  Blessed  Virgin  Mary ;  and  the  Sovereign  Pontiff 
Clement  XII.  placed  her  name  among  the  holy  Virgins.  Her 
own  self-sacrifice  and  labour  knew  no  rest  and  in  her  old  age  her 
early  labours  had  so  reacted  upon  her  that  she  was  called  on  to 
suffer  great  physical  torment ;  but  it  was  borne  with  that  meek- 
ness that  characterized  her  life. 


JUNE   20th. 

The  Translation  of  St.  Edward,  king  and  martyr,  is  especially 
observed  by  the  Church  of  England  on  this  day.  Most  readers 
of  English  history  will  recall  the  tragedy  at  Corfe  castle  in  978 
when  the  young  King  Edward  II.,  surnamed  "  The  Martyr,"  was 
by  a  plot  of  his  mother-in-law,  Elfrida,  murdered,  while  he  was 
visiting  her  at  Corfe  castle,  Dorsetshire ;  her  object  being  to  make 
way  for  her  son,  Ethelred,  Edward's  half-brother.  As  the  king 
stood  drinking  the  usual  "  grace  cup "  from  one  of  those  huge 
wooden  cups  which  required  both  hands  to  hold  and  so  left  him 
defenseless,  he  was  stabbed  in  the  back.  He  was  privately  buried 
at  Wareham  in  unhallowed  ground,  but  his  legend  tells  of  many 


296     SAINTS    AND    FESTIVALS 

miracles  which  were  performed  then  and  how  :  "  wondrous  lights 
shown  from  above ;  there  the  lame  walked,  there  the  dumb  re- 
covered speech,  there  every  malady  gave  way  to  health. " 

In  980,  two  years  after  King  Edward's 
interment  at  Wareham,  yElphere  "eal- 
dorman  "  of  Mercia  caused  the  body  to 
be  translated  with  great  pomp  and  cere- 
mony to  Shaftsbury  where  it  was 
reinterred.  It  is  historic  that  on  opening 
the  coffin  at  this  time,  King  Edward's 
body  was  found  to  be  as  fresh  and  un- 
tainted as  when  he  had  been  so  uncere- 
moniously buried.  According  to  the 
legend  St.  Edward  appeared  to  ^Iphere 
in  a  dream  and  ordered  this  transfer  of 
his  body  to  be  made.  In  1001  the  body 
was  once  more  removed,  this  time  to 
Glastonbury  where  it  has  since  rested.  In  Christian  art  a  cup 
and  sceptre  are  the  usual  attributes  of  St.  Edward,  while  his  Clog 
Almanac  symbol  is  the  huge  wooden  cup  with  a  dagger  above  it. 


This  is  also  the  anniversary  of  the  birth  of  St.  Silverius,  pope 
and  martyr,  who  died  in  538  after  but  two  brief  years  in  the  ponti- 
fical chair.  For  refusing  to  restore  a  heretical  bishop  deposed  by 
his  predecessor,  Empress  Theodora  exiled  him  to  the  isle  of  Pon- 
tia  where  he  passed  to  his  reward. 


JUNE  2ist 

Is  the  festival  of  St.  Eusebius,  Bishop  of  Samosata,  capital  of 
Comagene  in  Syria,  now  called  Sempsat,  and  was  an  ancient  epis- 
copal see  under  the  metropolitan  of  Heiropolis.  He  was  elevated 
to  his  bishopric  in  361  at  the  time  when  the  Arian  emperor,  Con- 
stantius,  was  all  powerful,  and  disguised  under  a  military  dress 
Eusebius  visited  his  churches  to  continue  them  in  the  orthodox 


ST.    PAULINUS  297 

faith.  Valino,  however,  banished  him  to  Thrace.  When  under 
Theodosius  peace  was  restored  in  the  church,  Eusebius  was  re- 
called from  exile.  But  when  again  he  was  visiting  his  churches, 
an  Arian  woman  cast  down  on  his  head  a  heavy  tile  from  the  roof 
of  her  house  as  he  passed  along  the  street,  fracturing  his  skull  and 
causing  his  death.  A  fact  which  fully  illustrates  the  intense 
hatred  which  then  existed  between  the  Arians  and  Orthodox  fac- 
tions of  the  Church.  His  death  occurred  in  379  and  while  the 
Latins  honour  him  on  this  2ist  day  of  June  the  Greeks  make  his 
festival  on  the  22d. 


JUNE  22d. 

This  day  is  celebrated  in  Roman  Martyrology  as  the  birthday 
in  353,  at  Bourdeaux,  of  Pontius  Meropius  Paulinus,  a  man  de- 
scended from  a  long  line  of  illustrious  senators  but  who  by  his 
virtues  eclipsed  the  honours  and  triumphs  of  his  ancestors  and  won 
for  him  the  admiration  of  such  noted  holy  fathers  as  SS.  Martin, 
Sulpicius  Severus,  Ambrose,  Austin,  Jerome,  Gregory  of  Tours 
and  many  more  who  vie  with  each  other  in  celebrating  his  heroism 
and  saintly  virtues.  Endowed  with  wealth  and  high  rank  in  the 
world,  he  received  from  nature  a  penetrating  genius,  elevated  un- 
derstanding, and  by  his  carefully  considered  education,  that  needed 
training  and  culture  which  brought  to  the  highest  perfection  his 
naturally  rare  and  great  gifts  of  mind,  talents  that  from  his  infancy 
were  cultivated  by  the  best  teachers  of  his  day.  Among  these  he 
had  for  his  master  in  poesy  and  eloquence  the  famous  Ansonius, 
the  first  man  of  his  age  in  those  sciences,  and  as  a  rhetorician  re- 
nowned alike  for  his  delicate  wit  and  the  elegant  beauty  of  his 
style.  Under  such  a  teacher  Paulinus  even  more  than  fulfilled  the 
ardent  hopes  of  his  friends.  "  Everyone,"  says  St.  Jerom  of  this 
gifted  youth,  "  admired  the  purity  and  eloquence  of  his  diction, 
the  delicacy  and  loftiness  of  his  thoughts,  the  strength  and  sweet- 
ness of  his  style."  His  probity,  integrity  and  moral  worth  were 
equally  marked  and  everywhere  recognised,  as  shown  by  the  fact 
that  in  379  he  was  named  as  consul.  He  married  a  Spanish  lady 


298      SAINTS   AND   FESTIVALS 

of  great  wealth  who  was  a  sincere,  faithful  Christian  and  thus  his 
home  was  equally  happy  and  prosperous  as  his  public  life.  It 
would  seem  as  if  both  were  full  and  that  nothing  was  lacking  for 
his  personal  happiness.  Great  wealth  and  honoured  by  all ;  yet 
the  hollowness  of  earthly  things  already  after  fifteen  years  of  suc- 
cess began  to  dawn  upon  him,  and  with  his  wife,  still  in  the  prime 
of  her  youth,  they  repaired  to  one  of  their  Spanish  estates  where 
the  teachings  of  SS.  Ambrose  and  Martin,  whom  he  had  met  at 
Vienne,  gave  him  food  for  reflection.  Encouraged  by  his  devout 
wife,  he  sold  all  his  and  her  estates  and  bestowed  them  on  the 
poor  and  the  church,  thenceforth  leaving  the  world  behind  them 
and  going  forth  as  poor  as  they  had  been  rich.  In  due  time  Pau- 
linus  was  admitted  to  holy  orders  and  began  his  work  as  a  teacher 
as  well  as  a  follower  of  Christ.  In  the  pursuit  of  this  purpose  he 
retired  to  Nola  in  Campania,  just  outside  of  whose  walls  was  the 
tomb  of  St.  Felix  with  a  church  over  it.  It  was  here  Paulinus 
took  up  his  abode  for  the  following  fifteen  years.  In  410  the 
Goths  in  their  plundering  of  Italy  captured  Nola,  and  in  Roman 
Martyrology  we  read  :  "  He  became  poor  and  humble  for  Christ, 
and,  what  is  most  admirable,  became  a  slave  to  liberate  a  widow's 
son  who  had  been  carried  into  Africa  by  the  Vandals  when  they 
devastated  Campania."  He  died  in  431. 


JUNE  23d 

Is  the  festival  of  St.  Etheldreda,  or  as  sometimes  called  "  Audry." 
She  was  the  daughter  of  Annas,  or  Ina,  a  Christian  king  of  the 
East  Angles  and  was  born  in  Ermynge  in  Suffolk.  She  was  twice 
married,  the  first  time  to  Tonbercht,  or  Toubercht,  prince  of  the 
southern  Giroig  (a  tribe  inhabiting  what  is  now  Rutland,  North- 
ampton, Huntingdon  and  part  of  Lincoln)  who  gave  her  as  a 
dowry  the  "  Isle  of  Ely,"  in  the  fen  country.  Toubercht  lived  but 
three  years  after  his  marriage.  After  his  death  Etheldreda  retired 
to  the  Isle  of  Ely  and  for  five  years  lived  a  saintly  life  in  solitude. 
But  the  fame  of  her  virtues  had  reached  the  ears  of  Egfrid,  the 


ST.    ETHELDREDA  299 

powerful  king  of  Northumberland,  who  sought  her  in  marriage. 
Her  consent  to  this  union  was  "  extorted  "  rather  by  force  than 
voluntarily  and  for  twelve  years  she  reigned  with  him ;  being  to 
him  as  Butler  puts  it :  "  As  a  sister,  not  as  his  wife."  Then  by 
the  advice  of  St.  Wilfrid  she  left  her  husband,  took  the  religious 
veil  withdrawing  to  the  monastery  of  Coldingham  beyond  the 
Berwick  (already  mentioned),  where  she  lived  under  the  devout 
Abbess  St.  Ebba.  Egfrid  had  consented  to  this  at  first,  but  re- 
penting his  leniency,  later  pursued  her ;  but  a  sudden  rise  in  the 
tide  made  the  monastery  inaccessible  and  he  abandoned  his  quest 
later  marrying  another  wife. 

Freed  now  from  Egfrid  St.  Etheldreda  returned  to  her  old  retire- 
ment in  Ely.  Here  in  670  she  founded  a  double  monastery  for 
monks  and  nuns,  becoming  abbess  of  the  latter  branch.  In  870 
this  monastery  like  others  in  England  was  ravaged  by  the  Danes 
and  pillaged.  A  century  later  King  Edgar  granted  a  charter 
under  which  the  monastery  was  rebuilt  and  in  1107  Henry  I. 
erected  it  into  a  bishopric.  When  Henry  VIII.  decreed  the  dis- 
solution of  the  English  monasteries  the  conventual  church  was 
converted  into  what  has  now  developed  into  the  Cathedral  of  Ely 
and  which,  despite  its  external  defects  from  its  varied  styles  of 
architecture,  has  but  few  rivals  in  interior  beauty.  Thus  the  festi- 
val of  St.  Etheldreda  brings  back  the  long  and  interesting  story  of 
one  of  England's  most  noted  cathedrals  where  to-day  we  may  see 
her  sarcophagus,  a  relic  of  old  Roman  work,  but  which  her  legend 
assures  us  was  "  wrought  by  angel  hands." 


JUNE   24th 

Is  known  in  England  as  Mid-Summer  Day.  In  the  Christian 
Kalendar  the  day  is  held  sacred  as  the  "  Nativity  of  St.  John  the 
Baptist."  The  canonical  colour  for  the  day  is  white. 

When  we  remember  the  prominent  role  St.  John  played  in  both 
the  advent  and  life  of  our  Saviour  it  is  not  wonderful  that  this 
anniversary  has  taken  such  a  prominent  place  in  the  festivals  of 


300     SAINTS   AND   FESTIVALS 


the  whole  Christian  Church.  Indeed  next  to  the  Blessed  Virgin, 
SS.  Peter,  Andrew  and  Michael,  St.  John  the  Baptist  is  beyond 
question  the  most  popular  among  the  saints  in  the  Kalendar.  In 
England  alone  nearly  four  hundred  churches  are  dedicated  to  him. 
It  is  the  usual  custom  for  the  Church  to  cele- 
brate the  festival  of  its  saints  on  the  day  of 
their  death  or  to  quote  St.  Austin  "  their  birth- 
day to  eternal  life  "  but  St.  John  was  sanctified 
even  from  his  mother's  womb  (see  St.  Luke  I. 
15,  41)  and  the  exception  in  his  case  is,  there- 
fore, most  appropriate.  Beyond  the  story  of 
his  life  as  told  in  the  gospels  there  is  compara- 
tively little  known  of  him.  But  there  is  no 
lack  of  evidence  that  many  marvellous  signs 
and  wonders  not  only  marked  his  birth  but  also 
preceded  it.  That  his  parents,  Zachary  the  holy 
priest  of  the  family  of  Abia  and  Elizabeth  a 
cousin  of  the  Blessed 
Virgin  Mary,  his  mother 
ST.  JOHN.  were  under  especial 
divine  protection  and  favour  cannot  for  a 
moment  be  doubted.  His  birthplace  "  pro- 
bably was  Hebron,"  a  sacerdotal  town  in 
the  western  part  of  the  hilly  country,  some 
twenty  miles  from  Jerusalem  occupied  by 
the  tribe  of  Juda.  And  we  are  told  that  one 
day  while  Zachary  was  —  in  his  turn  — 
ministering  at  the  golden  altar  in  the 
sanctum  offering  incense  the  angel  Gabriel 
appeared  by  the  side  of  the  altar  and  fore- 
told the  birth  of  this  son  who  was  to  make 
his  name  sacred  throughout  all  coming  time, 
adding :  "  Thou  shalt  call  his  name 
John  "  together  with  other  wonderful  pre- 
dictions all  of  which  were  literally  fulfilled.  We  all  know  the 
remarkable  story  of  the  visit  of  the  Holy  Mother  of  Jesus  to 
Elizabeth  while  the  entire  story  of  the  life  of  St.  John  is  a  per- 


MID-SUMMER   FESTIVALS     301 

petual  sermon  to  teach  us  humility,  in  his  three  prominent  roles 
as  Prophet,  Preacher  and  Baptist.  In  Christian  art  St.  John  the 
Baptist  is  usually  represented  wearing  a  long,  loose  mantle  and 
carrying  a  tall  staff  or  wand  surmounted  by  a  cross  ;  accompanied 
by  a  lamb  ;  but  commonly  he  has  a  book  in  his  hand.  Frequently 
his  mantle  is  formed  of  skins  or  he  has  "  a  girdle  of  skin  about 
his  loins,"  (St.  Mark,  I,  6)  and  a  small  pennon  twined  around  a 
cross  with  the  legend  :  "  Ecce  Agnus  Dei "  upon  it.  At  times  but 
rarely  the  cross  is  omitted.  The  Clog  Almanac  symbol  is  in  allu- 
sion to  St.  John's  death  which  his  legend  tells  us  took  place  two 
years  before  that  of  Jesus  Christ  at  the  royal  fortified  palace  of 
Macheronta  near  the  Dead  Sea  on  the  river  Jordan  and  that  he 
was  buried  at  Sebaster. 

MID-SUMMER    DAY   FESTIVALS. 

From  the  fact  that  under  the  "  old  style  "  mid-summer  occurred 
on  the  Nativity  of  John  the  Baptist  there  was  in  the  early  days  in 
England  a  curious  mixture  of  pagan  and  Christian  ceremonies, 
since  for  ages  the  pagan's  had  celebrated  Mid-Summer  Day  as  a 
festival.  Thus,  in  an  inner  court  of  Magdalen  College  Oxford, 
there  is  a  stone  pulpit  and  upon  St.  John's  Day  this  pulpit  was 
formerly  transformed  into  a  bower  of  green  from  boughs  and 
branches  out  of  the  woods  after  the  pagan  fashion.  While  from 
the  pulpit  a  sermon  on  the  life  of  St.  John  the  Baptist  was 
preached.  When  asked  why  they  thus  followed  the  old  Druid 
style  the  students  said :  "  This  is  St.  John  in  the  Wilderness." 

In  many  places  in  England  down  to  the  time  of  Cromwell  Mid- 
Summer  night  parades  were  common ;  each  man  adorned  with 
garlands  of  flowers,  ribbons,  and  if  possible  jewels.  Tradition 
tells  of  a  private  view  Henry  VIII.  had  of  one  of  these  proces- 
sions in  1510  which  so  pleased  him  that  on  St.  Peter's  Eve  (June 
28th)  when  a  similar  parade  used  to  occur,  he  came  accompanied 
by  Queen  Catherine  and  a  long  suite  of  courtiers  to  witness  it. 
Some  very  strange  superstitions  too,  were  held  regarding  St. 
John's  Eve.  The  Irish  in  old  days  believed  that  on  this  night  the 
soul  of  every  person  left  the  body  and  wandered  on  through  space 
till  it  came  to  the  spot  where  the  soul  and  body  would  have  its 


302     SAINTS    AND    FESTIVALS 

final  earthly  parting  and  that  after  thus  reaching  this  place  it 
returned  to  the  mortal  to  whom  it  belonged.  An  English  super- 
stition was  that  anyone  who  would  sit  fasting  all  night  on  the 
church  porch  on  St.  John's  Eve  would  see  pass  before  him  all  the 
persons  of  his  parish  who  were  to  die  during  the  coming  year. 


JUNE  25th. 

St.  Prosper  of  Aquitain  so  surnamed  to  distinguish  him  from 
the  Bishop  of  Orleans,  is  this  day  honoured  by  the  Church.  He 
apparently  was  a  layman  only  but  was  a  poet  and  author  of  great 
merit.  Pope  Leo  the  Great  recognized  this,  when  in  440  he 
called  him  to  Rome  and  appointed  him  his  secretary,  while  even 
later  St.  Prosper's  writings  against  the  Pelagian  heresy  was 
deemed  of  such  value  and  importance  that  as  late  as  1711  a  com- 
plete edition  of  them  was  republished,  and  a  revised  edition  again 
in  1732  while  in  1757  some  of  his  writings  were  added  to  those  of 
St.  Austin,  and  published  in  Paris  thus  showing  the  value  placed 
upon  them  by  the  Church  of  Rome. 


The  Church  also  on  this  day  recognises  St.  Maximus  Bishop  of 
Turin,  another  of  the  lights  of  the  V.  century  whose  name  has 
come  down  through  the  long  centuries  as  one  of  the  great  and 
strong  writers  of  his  generation,  and  whose  Homilies  are  even 
to-day  read  and  regarded  with  veneration. 


JUNE  26th. 

In  Roman  Martyrology  we  read  that  on  this  day  the  Church 
honours  "  at  Rome  on  Mount  Ccelian  the  holy  martyrs  John  and 
Paul  who  were  brothers.  The  former  was  steward  and  the  latter 
secretary  of  the  Virgin  Constantia,  daughter  of  the  Emperor  Con- 
stantine." 

I  feel  certain  that  some  at  least  of  my  readers  will  recall  this 


SS.   JOHN   AND    PAUL          303 

Ccelian  Hill  and  the  view  from  it  looking  across  to  the  ruins  of  the 
Palatine  and  the  quaintly  beautiful  old  Church  of  SS.  Giovanni  e 
Paolo,  which  has  stood  on  its  brow  since  A.  D.  499  and  was 
erected  on  the  site  of  the  dwelling  of  these  two  brothers,  of  whom 
Mrs.  Jameson,  in  her  "  Sacred  and  Legendary  Art,"  says  :  "  They 
were  officers  in  the  service  of  Constantia,  whom  the  old  legends 
persist  in  representing  as  a 
most  virtuous  Christian 
(though  I  —  Mrs.  J.  —  believe 
she  was  far  otherwise)  *  * 

*  The  site  of  the  hill  being 
one  of  the  most  beautiful  in 
ancient  Rome."  From  their 
rank  and  social  position  as 
well  as  from  their  offices  these 
brothers  naturally  carried 
great  influence  and  trust. 
When  Julian  the  Apostate 
came  to  the  throne  he  at- 
tempted to  persuade  them  to  sacrifice  to  Roman  idols  but  they 
refused,  saying :  "  Our  lives  are  at  the  disposal  of  the  emperor 
but  our  souls  and  our  faith  belong  to  our  God."  Then  Julian, 
fearing  to  bring  them  to  public  martyrdom  lest  their  popularity 
should  cause  a  rebellion  and  the  example  of  fortitude  be  an  en- 
couragement to  others,  sent  off  soldiers  to  behead  them  privately 
in  their  own  house.  Hence  the  inscription  on  the  spot  "  Locus 
Martyrii  SS.  Joannis  et  Paoli  in  asdibus  proprus."  This  church 
was  built  by  Pammachus  the  friend  of  St.  Jerom  on  the  site  of 
the  house  of  the  saints. 

In  this  church  lies  the  body  of  "  St.  Paul  of  the  Cross,"  who 
died  in  1776,  and  who  was  the  founder  of  the  Order  of  Passionists 
of  whom  I  shall  speak  later. 

In  devotional  art  SS.  John  and  Paul  are  always  represented  in 
the  ancient  Roman  military  custom  with  sword  and  palm.  In  the 
Clog  Almanacs  they  also  bear  the  sword  and  palm  crossed  as  in 
the  illustration. 

There  is  also  a  famous  church  in  Venice  erected  to  these  martyrs 


by  the  Dominicians  who  emigrated  from  the  convent  in  Rome 
which  stands  near  the  church  on  Coelian  Hill. 


JUNE  27th 

Is  the  festival  of  St.  Crescius  who  was  a  disciple  of  the  Apostle  St. 
Paul.  He  was  born  in  Galatia  and  became  a  missionary  in  Gaul 
where  he  was  most  successful  in  converting  many  to  the  Christian 
faith.  When  the  strength  and  vigour  of  his  manhood  began  to  fail 
him  and  he  was  unable  longer  to  endure  the  hardships  of  his  mis- 
sionary work  in  Gaul  he  once  more  returned  to  Galatia,  where  he 
became  Bishop  and  laboured  faithfully  to  the  end  of  his  life  con- 
firming his  people  in  the  faith  until  Trajan  condemned  him  to 
suffer  martyrdom.  Only  one  more  of  that  devoted  band  of  early 
Christians  whose  name  is  hardly  known  in  these  later  days  but  it 
is  to  just  this  class  of  noble  martyrs  that  the  Christian  Church 
owes  its  preservation  nay  even  existence  to-day. 


Another  royal  personage  St.  Ladislas  I.  King  of  Hungary,  is  also 
honoured  this  day,  though  we  can  give  him  but  a  brief  mention. 
He  was  a  younger  son  of  Bela  I.  who  died  in  1063  and,  much 
against  his  wishes  after  his  elder  brother's  death,  Ladislas  was 
compelled  in  1077  to  assume  the  sovereignty  of  his  country. 
While  of  a  quiet  retiring  nature,  when  once  he  had  put  his  hand  to 
the  plough  he  looked  not  backward  but  devoted  himself  to  his 
country  and  yet  more  to  his  Divine  Master.  To  his  prowess  in 
war.  his  wisdom  in  diplomacy  and  his  watchfulness  at  all  times, 
Hungary  under  his  rule  was  freed  from  the  Huns  whom  he  drove 
out  of  his  domains  as  well  as  from  the  Poles,  Russians  and  Tar- 
tars, whom  he  vanquished.  In  1095  Ladislas  was  about  starting 
at  the  head  of  his  army  on  an  expedition  to  the  Holy  Land  against 
the  Saracens,  when  death  suddenly  came  to  him  on  July  soth. 
Roman  Martyrology,  however,  has  changed  the  date  of  his  festival 
to  June  27th.  His  life  was  full  of  good  deeds  and  endless  num- 
ber of  miracles  were  placed  to  his  credit,  both  before  and  after  his 
death.  He  was  canonized  by  Celestine  III.  in  1198. 


ST.    IREN^EUS  305 

JUNE  28th. 

St.  Irenseus  the  noted  man  whose  name  is  honoured  this  day  by 
the  Church,  was  by  his  own  statement  born  "  near  the  times  of 
Domitian,"  or  about  the  beginning  of  the  reign  of  Adrian  A.  D. 
1 20,  still  his  fame  seems  to  rest  largely  upon  his  power  as  a  writer 
against  the  heresies  that  even  at  that  early  day  had  begun  to  creep 
into  the  church.  Of  these  writings  St.  Gregory  of  Tours  and  St. 
Jerom  speak  in  most  enthusiastic  terms  :  for  his  zeal  and  earnest 
work  in  the  vineyard  of  the  Lord  was  very  great  and  we  find  him 
in  177  selected  as  the  second  bishop  of  Lyons  at  a  time  when  as 
already  alluded  to  the  Christians  at  Lyons  were  being  sorely  tor- 
mented and  persecuted.  It  is  thus  we  find  St.  Irenaeus  named  as 
one  among  the  "  martyrs  of  Lyons." 

Dates  disagree  somewhat  as  to  the  exact  year  when  he  testified 
to  his  faith  by  yielding  his  life  but  most  writers  make  the  date  in 
202,  but  some  fixing  it  in  208. 


THE  REASON  THE  POPE  CHANGES  HIS  NAME. 

A  pertinent  and  proper  inquiry  as  to  why  the  popes  change  their 
names  when  elevated  to  the  pontificate  is  often  asked.  Prior  to 
884  this  was  not  done,  but  in  that  year  Peter  di  Porea  was  elected 
pope  and  took  the  name  of  Tergius  II.  from  a  feeling  of  humility : 
since  he  did  not  deem  himself  worthy  to  bear  the  title  of  Peter  II. 
and  from  the  same  sentiment  no  pope  who  has  ever  yet  occupied 
the  pontifical  chair  has  ever  assumed  the  name  of  Peter.  Just 
why  each  successor  of  Peter  di  Porea  has  followed  the  example 
which  he  set  is  not  very  clear,  yet  the  fact  remains  that  each  of 
the  holy  fathers  upon  assuming  their  high  office  have  adopted  a 
name  by  which  they  chose  to  be  known. 


SYMBOLS  OF  THE  APOSTLES. 

From  the  earliest  period  to  which  archaeologists  have  been  able 
to  trace  Christian  art  the  "  Four  Holy  Evangelists  "  who  recorded 
the  words  and  acts  of  our  Lord  have  naturally  taken  precedence 
of  others.  Next  to  them  came  those  Apostles  whom  Christ 


3o6     SAINTS   AND    FESTIVALS 

chose  to  preach  His  gospel  "  through  all  nations."  The  first  rep- 
resentation of  those  twelve  apostles  like  those  given  the  evangel- 
ists were  purely  emblematical.  They  were  figured  as  twelve 
sheep,  with  Christ  as  the  Good  Shepherd  standing  in  their  midst 
bearing  a  lamb  in  his  arms.  Soon  we  find  Christ  represented  as 
Himself  the  "  Lamb  of  God,"  standing  on  a  slight  eminence, 
crowned  with  a  cruciform  nimbus,  with  the  apostles  as  sheep 
standing  on  either  side  of  Him.  In  some  of 
the  oldest  of  the  Roman  churches  this  form  is 
in  a  degree  varied  and  Christ  is  seen  as  "  the 
Lamb  "  standing  on  a  hill  from  which  the  four 
rivers  of  Paradise  are  flowing  (see  illustration 
in  article  of  April  ipth),  with  six  sheep  coming 

THE  CRUCIFORM OUt  fr°m  Jerusalem  on  tne  one  side»  and  s™ 
NIMBUS.  more  sheep  issuing  from  the  city  of  Bethlehem, 
on  the  other  side  of  the  hill.  The  next  step  shows  the  twelve 
apostles  as  men,  each  however,  accompanied  by  a  sheep  ;  and 
still  later  the  apostles  stand  with  scrolls  in  their  hands,  and 
the  sheep  left  out  from  the  picture.  The  several  especial  em- 
blems by  which  we  in  these  later  days  have  come  to  recognize  each 
apostle  were  assigned  them  at  a  far  later  period,  not  a  few  having 
been  given  long  after  their  death.  Of  these,  I  will  speak  as  I 
record  the  life  of  each  one  and  therefore  omit  them  here ;  except 
for  convenience  of  the  reader  I  will  make  a  list  of  them  : 

St.  Peter  —  Keys,  or  a  fish  ;  St.  Paul  —  One,  or  at  times,  two 
swords ;  St.  Andrew  —  A  transverse  cross  ;  St.  James  (Major)  — 
A  pilgrim  s  staff ;  St.  John  —  A  chalice  with  a  serpent ;  when  an 
eagle  is  given  it  is  in  his  character  of  an  evangelist ;  St.  Thomas 
—  A  builder's  rule  or  square  ;  but  sometimes  a  spear  ;  St.  James 
(Minor)  —  A  club;  St.  Philip  —  A  staff  or  crosier  surmounted  by 
a  cross  ;  or  a  small  cross  in  his  hand  ;  St.  Bartholomew  —  A  large 
knife;  St.  Matthew — A  purse;  St.  Simon  —  A  saw;  St.  Thad- 
dius,  or  Jude  —  A  halberd  or  lance  ;  St.  Matthias  —  A  lance. 


3o8   SAINTS   AND    FESTIVALS 


JUNE  29th 

Is  the  day  which  has  been  fixed  upon  by  the  Church  as  the  "  birth- 
day "  of  "  The  Prince  of  the  Apostles,"  as  St.  Peter  is  sometimes 
termed. 

In  both  Biblical  and  profane  history  the  names  of  SS.  Peter  and 
Paul  are  naturally,  constantly  and  intimately  connected.  The 
early  Christian  Church  was  at  all  times  considered  under  its  two 
great  divisions ;  that  of  the  converted  Jews,  and  that  of  the  con- 
verted Gentiles,  the  former  represented  by  St.  Peter  and  the  latter 
by  St.  Paul,  and  this  combined  for  the  universal  Church  of  Christ, 
not  as  Apostles  only,  but  also  as  founders  of  the  church.  For 
this  reason,  in  correct  Christian  art  we  find  them  constantly  seen 
together ;  or  where  our  Lord  is  introduced  into  the  picture,  they 
are  standing  on  either  side  of  Him.  The  same  is  true  where  the 
Blessed  Virgin  appears  or  where  they  are  at 
the  altar,  one  being  seen  at  each  end  of  it. 
In  the  Greek  types  the  portrait  of  "  the 
Pilot  of  the  Galilean  lake  "  is  taken  from  the 
description  (so  often  quoted)  given  by  Nice- 
phorus.  He  is  :  "  A  robust  old  man  with  a 
broad  forehead  and  rather  coarse  features, 
with  an  open,  undaunted  countenance, 
short  gray  hair  and  a  short  thick  beard, 
silvery  white  and  curled."  But,  strangely, 
according  to  this  description  Nicephorus 
adds  an  unexpected  feature  that  "  he  had 
red,  weak  eyes,"  a  peculiarity  which  has  not 
been  preserved  in  his  portraits.  Mrs. 
Jameson  says :"  In  some  of  the  early 
pictures  he  is  bald  on  the  top  of  his  head 
and  the  hair  grows  thick  around  in  a  circle,  somewhat  like  a 
priestly  tonsure,  and  in  some  examples  this  tonsure  has  the  form 
of  a  triple  row  of  curls,  close  to  the  head,  like  a  tiara."  The  same 
authority  says  that  in  Anglo-Saxon  art :  "  St.  Peter  is  always 
beardless  and  wears  the  tonsure." 

One  of  the  legends  of  St.  Peter  says  the  Gentiles  shaved  his 


ST.  PETER. 


ST.     PETER'S     KEYS  309 

head  to  make  him  an  object  of  derision,  and  that  from  this  the 
tonsure  originated.  In  Greek  art  St.  Peter's  dress  is  a  blue  tunic 
with  white  drapery  thrown  over  it,  but  blue  and  green  are  now 
regarded  by  the  best  artistic  authorities  for  the  saint's  robes. 

Of  the  two  keys  now  universally  recognized  as  St.  Peter's  pecu- 
liar attribute  there  seems  to  be  no  mention  until  after  the  begin- 
ning of  the  VIII.  century. 
In  all  the  ancient  mosaics 
and  upon  the  early  catacomb 
sarcophagi  St.  Peter  (as  in 
the  illustration)  bears  in  his 
hand  a  scroll  or  book,  and 
later  examples  show  him  still 
with  the  gospel  in  one  hand 
and  the  cross  in  the  other. 

The  keys  seem  to  have 
been  given  St.  Peter  only 
after  the  commencement  of 
the  VIII.  century.  While  in 
rare  cases  he  bears  a  single 
key,  in  general  he  has  two, 
one  of  gold  and  one  of  iron, 
opening  the  gates  of  Heaven 
and  Hell.  Or  these  keys  are 
of  gold  and  silver,  which  is 
interpreted  to  signify  his  power  "to  absolve  or  to  bind."  A 
mosaic  on  the  tomb  of  Otho  II.  (Lateran  Mus.)  shows  St.  Peter 
with  a  third  key,  expressing  dominion  over  Heaven,  Earth  and 
Hell.  But  such  examples  are  very  rare. 

At  times  St.  Peter  wears  a  papal  tiara  and  carries  his  key,  as 
Milton  drew  him : 

"  Last  came  and  last  did  go 
The  pilot  of  the  Galilean  lake  , 
Two  massy  keyes  he  bore  of  metal  twain, 
(The  golden  opes,  the  iron  shuts  amain) 
He  shook  his  mitred  locks,  and  stern 

bespake." 

It  would  be  a  work  of  supererogation,  (if  not  conceited  on  my 


310     SAINTS   AND  FESTIVALS 

part),  after  the  many  and  graphic  sketches  of  this  wonderful  man's 
life  and  character  which  have  been  written  by  theologians  of  every 
possible  shade  of  Christian  faith,  for  me  to  re-tell  his  remarkable 
story,  while  a  volume  would  be  needed  to  recount  the  many 
legends  of  his  varied  career. 

Of  his  death  we  are  all  familiar  with  the  story  of  how  Nero 
after  the  burning  of  Rome  accused  the  Christians  of  the  crime, 
and  how  St.  Peter,  under  the  counsel  of  friends  started  to  flee 
from  the  city  but  was  met  by  a  vision  of  our  Saviour  who  warned 
him  to  return,  as  he  did  only  to  be  seized  by  Nero's  soldiers  and, 
with  his  fellow  apostle,  St.  Paul  cast  into  the  Mamertine  prison 
from  which  he  emerged  only  to  meet  his  death.  The  records  of 
this  event  vary  somewhat.  According  to  one  St.  Peter  suffered 
martyrdom  in  the  Circus  of  Caligula  at  the  foot  of  the  Vatican 
and  was  crucified  between  two  metae  (i.  e.,  the  goals  or  terminal) 
in  the  circus,  round  which  the  chariots  turned  in  the  races. 
Another  tradition  says  he  was  put  to  death  in  the  courtyard  of  a 
barrack  or  military  station,  on  the  summit  of  Mons  Janicula  where 
the  Church  of  San  Pietro  in  Montoreo  now  stands  on  an  eminence 
above  the  site  of  the  Circus  of  Caligula.  Of  this  event  Dr. 
Butler  writes  :  "  St.  Peter,  when  he  was  come  to  the  place  of  exe- 
cution, requested  of  the  officers  that  he  might  be  crucified  with 
his  head  downwards,  alleging  that  he  was  not  worthy  to  suffer  in 
the  same  manner  his  Divine  Master  had  died  before  him.  *  *  * 
Accordingly  the  executioners  easily  granted  the  apostle  his  extra- 
ordinary request.  St.  Chrysostom,  St.  Austin  and  St.  Austerius 
say  that  he  was  nailed  to  the  cross ;  Tertullian  mentions  that  he 
was  tied  with  cords.  He  was  probably  both  nailed  and  bound 
with  ropes." 

JUNE  3oth 

Is  the  festival  of  St.  Paul  the  apostle  and  martyr,  the  fellow  pris- 
oner of  St.  Peter  as  he  had  been  his  companion  and  fellow  worker 
in  earlier  days. 

There  must  have  been  as  striking  a  contrast  between  St.  Paul 
and  St.  Peter  in  person  as  there  evidently  was  in  character.  That 
images,  or  what  we  to-day  would  call  "statuettes"  of  noted  per- 


ST.     PAUL  311 

sons  even  those  of  Christ,  were  common  with  the  Romans  is  seen 
by  St.  Augustine's  allusions  to  the  "  Lalarium  of  Marcellina," 
when  he  names  among  her  household  effects  images  of  "  Homer, 
Pythagoras,  Jesus  Christ  and  Paul  the  Apostle,"  from  which  pic- 
tures later  were  made.  Lucian  refers  to  St.  Paul  as  "  the  bald- 
headed  Galilean  with  a  hook  nose."  According  to  several  ancient 
traditions  St.  Paul  was  a  man  of  "  small  and  meagre  stature,"  with 
an  aquiline  nose,  a  high  forehead  and  unusually  bright,  sparkling 
eyes.  In  the  early  Greek  pictures  of  him  his  face  is  long  and  oval, 
the  nose  aquiline,  the  forehead  high  and  quite  bald.  His  beard 
is  always  long,  flowing  and  pointed  and  of  a  dark  brown  colour, 
Mrs.  Jameson  saying :  "  I  recollect  no  instance  of  St.  Paul  with  a 
gray  beard."  In  dress  the  pictures  of  St.  Paul  give  him  the  same 
blue  tunic  and  white  mantle  accorded  to  St.  Peter.  As  attributes, 
St.  Paul  in  all  the  earliest  pictures  bears  a  scroll  or  book,  or 
twelve  rolls  intended  to  designate  his  epistles.  Later  on  he  was 
awarded  the  sword,  as  in  illustration,  as  a  double  attribute,  first  to 
evidence  the  manner  of  his  death,  and  next  as  emblematical  of 
the  faithful  battle  fought  with  "  the  sword  of  the  Spirit  which  is 
the  word  of  God,"  (Ephesians  vi.,  17)  for,  as  we  all  know,  his  life 
from  the  time  of  his  conversion  was  one  long  spiritual  struggle. 
The  position  of  the  sword  in  every  case  is  the  point  to  be  noticed. 
If,  as  shown  in  illustration,  the  saint  leans  or  rests  upon  it,  it  is  his 
attribute  as  a  martyr.  If  held  aloft  or  brandished  it  is  then  his 
attribute  as  the  apostle  of  Christ.  Sometimes  two  swords  are 
given  St.  Paul  to  indicate  the  dual  attributes,  but  this  is  not  fre- 
quent. The  traditions  regarding  the  martyrdom  of  SS.  Peter  and 
Paul,  (although  in  Roman  Martyrology  the  death  of  St.  Peter  is 
marked  on  the  2pth  and  that  of  St.  Paul  on  the  3oth  of  June)  as 
generally  accepted  is  that  the  two  apostles  attained  their  glorious 
immortality  on  the  same  day,  but  in  different  places.  As  a  Ro- 
man citizen,  St.  Paul  escaped  the  ignominy  attached  to  public 
execution  in  the  circus,  as  well  as  the  prolonged  torture  of  death 
upon  the  cross.  That  he  was  beheaded  at  a  point  two  miles  from 
Rome  beyond  the  Ostian  way  known  as  "  Tre  Fontane,"  is  gener- 
ally accepted,  his  legend  running  that  as  his  head  fell  beneath  the 
sword  it  struck  the  earth  three  times  before  resting  and  at  each  of 


3i2      SAINTS   AND    FESTIVALS 


these  spots  a  fountain  sprang  forth  that  continues  flowing  even 
now.  Legends  of  St.  Paul  are  far  less  numerous  than  those  of  St. 
Peter,  one,  the  last,  being  that  a  Christian  Ro- 
man matron  named  Plautilla  stationed  herself 
on  the  Ostian  way  to  look  upon  him  for  the  last 
time  and  ask  his  blessing.  As  the  apostle 
turned  from  her  he  begged  that  she  would  loan 
him  her  veil  to  bind  his  eyes  at  the  fatal 
moment,  promising  to  restore  it  after  his  death. 
It  was  given  him  amid  the  mocking  jests  of  the 
laughing  soldiers.  But,  the  legend  continues, 
after  St.  Paul's  death,  true  to  his  promise,  he 
did  appear  to  Plautilla  and  returned  her  the 
blood-stained  veil. 

A  great  monastery  was  later  erected  on  this 
dirk   and   marshy  spot  where  a  church   "  St. 
Paolo  alle  Tre  Fontane,"  was  built  in  1590  for 
ST.  PAUL.          Cardinal   Aldobrandini,   which   contains,   it  is 
said,  the  marble  pillar  St.  Paul  was  bound  to  when  beheaded. 

The  following  description  of  this  historic  martyr  is  from  Cony- 
beare  and  Housons'  long  and  graphic  account  of  the  event : 
"  Through  the  dust  and  tumult  of  that  busy  throng,  the  small 
troop  of  soldiers  threaded  their  way  silently  under  the  bright  sky 
of  an  Italian  midsummer.  They  were  marching,  though  they 
knew  it  not,  in  a  procession  more  really  triumphal  than  any  they 
had  ever  followed  in  the  train  of  general  or  emperor  along  the 
Sacred  Way.  Their  prisoner,  now  at  last  and  forever  delivered 
from  captivity,  rejoiced  to  follow  his  Lord  'without  the  gate.' 
The  place  of  execution  was  not  far  distant,  and  there  the  sword  of 
the  headsman  ended  his  long  course  of  sufferings  and  released 
that  heroic  soul  from  that  feeble  body.  Weeping  friends  took  up 
his  corpse,  and  carried  it  for  burial  to  those  subterranean  laby- 
rinths where,  through  many  ages  of  oppression,  the  persecuted 
church  found  refuge  for  the  living  and  sepulchres  for  the  dead." 

For  the  same  reasons  I  failed  to  comment  on  the  life  of  St. 
Peter,  I  must  omit  any  remarks  on  that  of  St.  Paul ;  but  rio  Bible 
reader  need  search  long  for  such  details. 


JULY 


This  month  was  originally  the  fifth  month  in  the  Roman  year 
and  hence  denominated  Quintilis.  In  ancient  Alban  Kalendars  it 
had  thirty-six  days.  Romulus  gave  it  thirty-one  and  Numa 
reduced  it  to  thirty  ;  but  Julius 
Caesar  restored  the  lost  day  and 
it  has  so  remained.  After 
Caesar's  death,  Mark  Anthony 
changed  the  name  to  July  in 
honour  of  the  great  Julius. 
Among  the  Romans  the  influ- 
ence of  the  "  Dog-Star  "  was 
believed  to  be  all  powerful. 
Our  illustration  is  from  an  an- 
tique Roman  gem  and  pictures 
"  The  Dog-Star  "  as  the  Ro- 
mans were  used  to  call  it. 

The  Saxons  termed  July  the  : 
"  Hey  Monath "  and  also  the 
"  Maed  Monath,"  this  being 
the  time  of  their  hay-harvest  and  when  the  maed  was  in  bloom. 


JULY  1st 

Is  the  Octave  of  St.  John  the  Baptist,  and  has  a  typical  office  in 
the  liturgy  of  certain  churches  of  the  Roman  faith. 


Among  a  long  list  of  saints  the  Roman  Church  honours  this  day 
is  St.  Theobald,  or  Thibault,  as  he  is  sometimes  designated.     His 


3i4    SAINTS   AND   FESTIVALS 

legend  is  only  another  which  illustrates  the  peculiar  fascination 
that  seemed  to  hang  round  devoutly  inclined  men  and  women 
down  to  the  Middle  Ages,  and  was  confined  to  no  rank  or  station 
in  life. 

Theobald  belonged  to  a  family  of  the  "  Counts  Palatins  "  of 
Champagne  ;  born  at  Provins  in  Brie  in  1017,  and  was  a  nephew 
of  "  Theobald  Archbishop  of  Vienne  "  for  whom  he  was  named. 
In  his  youth  the  lives  of  St.  John  the  Baptist,  St.  Paul,  the  Hermit 
St.  Antony  and  St.  Arsenius  in  their  retreats  in  the  wilderness 
were  always  his  favourite  books  over  which  he  spent  days  and 
nights  "  in  ecstasies  of  delight  "  and  they  so  charmed  him  that  "  he 
sighed  for  the  like  sweet  retirement."  Frequent  converse  with  a 
hermit  named  Burchard  who  had  a  cell  on  a  small  island  in  the 
Seine,  only  added  to  his  fervent  desire  to  become  also  a  hermit. 
The  many  days  he  spent  with  this  holy  man  confirmed  him  in  his 
desires  and  strengthened  his  resolve  to  follow  a  life  of  solitude  in 
prayer  and  holy  study.  No  attraction  of  Court  life  nor  the  bril- 
liant marriage  his  family  had  arranged  for  him  could  wean  him 
from  his  set  purpose.  In  1034  Rodolph  (the  last  King  of  Bur- 
gundy), an  uncle  of  Theobald  died,  and  a  cousin  Eudo  claimed 
the  crown  and  the  sovereignty  over  Provence,  Savoy,  Viennois  and 
Burgundy,  (though  the  Duke  by  a  sort  of  vasselage  yet  held  Bur- 
gundy) but  the  Emperor  Conrad  "  the  Salic  "  seized  upon  it  by 
virtue  of  the  will  and  testament  of  the  late  King  and  a  war  ensued 
in  which  Theobald's  father  wished  him  to  take  the  head  of  an 
army  he  had  raised  to  aid  his  cousin  Eudo.  Then  it  was  Theo- 
bald informed  his  father  of  his  intended  eremitical  life  and  declined 
in  any  way  to  take  part  in  the  struggle.  Theobald  then  was 
barely  eighteen  years  old  ;  but  with  a  young  nobleman  named 
Walter  the  two,  having  given  their  courtly  garments  in  exchange 
for  the  robes  of  beggar  pilgrims  set  out  for  their  quest  of  a 
hermitage.  It  all  reads  like  one  of  those  old  tales  ;  how  they 
wandered  barefooted  through  Germany  and  on  to  Rome  and  at 
last  found  a  spot  named  Salanigo  near  to  Vincenza,  Italy  where 
they  built  their  cells  and  "  Walter  "  died.  For  years  Theobald 
then  led  his  lonely  life  known  far  and  wide  as  "  the  Hermit 
of  Salanigo "  whose  sanctity  had  attracted  the  notice  of  the 


VISITATION   OF   VIRGIN      315 

Bishop  of  Vincenza  through  whom  at  last  the  parents  learned  for 
the  first  time  of  the  whereabouts  of  their  son. 

The  denouement  is  somewhat  dramatic  when  the  father  and 
mother  found  their  son  in  rags,  and  came  away  with  the  enthusi- 
asm of  his  pleadings,  the  mother  resolved  to  become  a  hermit  and 
the  son  built  for  her  a  cell  near  his  own.  Theobald  died  in  1066 
and  was  canonized  by  Clement  III. 


JULY  2d. 

On  this  day  is  commemorated  in  both  the  Roman  and  Protes- 
tant churches  the  "  Visitation  of  the  Virgin  Mary,"  to  her  cousin 
Elizabeth  as  recorded  in  St.  Luke's  (I.,  39,  40)  gospel,  when  the 
Virgin  went  into  the  mountains  of  Judea  to  see  the  mother  of  St. 
John  the  Baptist.  This  festival  had  been  observed  for  some  time 
by  the  devout  members  of  the  church,  but  with  no  degree  of 
regularity,  when  in  1383  Urban  VI.  instituted  it  as  a  prescribed 
festival.  The  council  of  Basle  in  1441  enjoined  it  to  be  observed 
in  all  the  churches  and  fixed  the  date.  It  is  also  called  "  The 
Salutation  of  Elizabeth."  This  scene  has  so  often  been  repro- 
duced by  artists,  that  few  tourists  will  not  recall  some  one  of  the 
many  pictures  in  the  galleries  of  Europe. 


JULY  3d 

Is  the  festival  of  an  humble  but  devoted  servant  of  our  Lord,  St. 
Phocas  of  Sinope,  only  a  gardener,  whose  field  served  to  furnish 
food  for  his  Christian  brethren,  and  his  cottage  a  shelter  from  the 
storm.  Yet  this  was  enough  to  bring  upon  him  the  wrath  of 
those  persecutors  who  in  those  fateful  years  of  303  and  4  pursued 
every  Christian  with  relentless  hate.  His  legend  tells  of  his 
unremitted  charities  and  self-sacrifice,  until  one  stormy  night 
when  two  strangers  sought  shelter  and  received  it.  They  told 
him  they  were  in  search  of  one  Phocas  ;  to  slay  him  for  his  faith. 


316    SAINTS   AND    FESTIVALS 


From  his  humble  stores  he  fed  them  and  later,  with  his  blessings, 
sent  them  to  rest.  Then  he  went  to  his  garden  and  beneath  his 
vines  dug  his  own  grave.  In  the  morning,  when  questioned,  he 

led  his  guests  to  the  open  grave 
and  told  them  who  he  was. 
The  strangers,  loth  as  they  were 
to  slay  so  saintly  a  man,  dared 
not  to  disobey  the  orders  they 
had  received  and  therefore  be- 
headed him  by  the  grave  he  had 
prepared  in  which  he  was 
buried.  He  is  only  to  be  found 
represented  in  Byzantian  art ; 
where  he  is  shown  in  his 
gardener's  dress  hold  i  n  g  his 
spade  which  in  Clog  Almanacs 
is  given  him  as  an  attribute. 


JULY  4th. 

On  November  nth  the  fes- 
tival of  the  Great  St.  Martin  of 
Tours  occurs  at  which  time  we 


must  speak  of  him  at  some 
length ;  but  on  this  day 
both  the  Roman  and  An- 
glican church  celebrate  the 
translation  of  his  remains  in 
A.  D.  482  from  the  humble 
resting  place  in  which  they  .- 
were  deposited  after  his 
death  in  397  to  that  mag- 
nificent cathedral  at  Tours 
which  many  of  us  have  seen 
and  admired. 


ST.  MARTIN  OF  TOURS. 


CHRISTIANITY   IN  BRITAIN  317 

JULY  sth. 

I  will  mention  to-day  only  St.  Peter  of  Luxemburg  though  he  is 
one  who  well  deserves  more  extended  notice.  One  "whose 
miracles  "  Dr.  Butler  says,  "  would  fill  volumes ; "  one  of  which 
made  him  the  patron  saint  of  Avignon. 


The  same  is  true  of  St.  Modwina,  a  noble  Irish  virgin  who 
migrated  to  Scotland  and  there  founded  two  monasteries,  one  at 
Sterling  and  the  other  at  Edinburgh.  Later  she  came  to  England 
and  about  A.  D.  840  founded  a  monastery  in  the  forest  of  Arden 
where  she  secured  and  educated  the  daughter  of  the  pious  King 
Ethelwolf,  which  bore  her  name,  "  St.  Editha  "  and  who  became 
its  second  abbess. 

THE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  IN  BRITAIN. 

While  I  in  no  way  pretend  to  trace  the  story  of  the  church,  it 
naturally  is  -interwoven  with  our  subject  matter,  and  before  speak- 
ing of  St.  Palladius,  whose  name  is  a  prominent  one  in  the  Kalen- 
dar  of  both  the  Roman  and  Reformed  churches  it  is  necessary  to 
speak  of  the  progress  Christianity  had  made  in  Britain  before  the 
advent  of  this  holy  man.  During  the  occupation  of  the  island  by 
the  Romans  the  Christian  religion  had  unquestionably  made  some 
progress  in  such  provinces  as  were  under  the  domination  of 
Roman  arms  ;  but  beyond  or  outside  of  this  influence  the  natives 
were  pagans.  When  Severus,  the  Roman  general,  made  his  ad- 
vance northward  and  came  among  the  southern  Picts  there  are 
found  some  slight  traces  of  Christianity  having  been  taught  the 
conquered  tribes.  But  it  was  nearly  two  centuries  later  that  any 
material  progress  seems  to  show  itself  in  this  direction  ;  or  to  be 
more  exact,  a  few  years  only  before  the  Romans  in  410  finally 
evacuated  Britain.  Ptolemy  places  a  tribe  of  the  Novantae  of  the 
Southern  Picts  along  the  north  shore  of  Solway  Frith  at  a  point 
he  terms,  "  Leukopibia,"  on  the  west  side  of  Wigton  Bay.  Before 
that  time  a  Christian  missionary  named  Ninian  had  appeared 
among  them  and  built  a  church.  Several  important  facts  are  con- 
nected with  this  church.  First,  Ninian  tells  us  he  sent  to  Martin, 


318      SAINTS   AND   FESTIVALS 

Bishop  of  Tours,  for  workmen  to  build  his  church  "  after  the 
Roman  manner."  That  is,  of  stone  and  cement.  Thus  this  is 
the  first  stone  structure  we  have  any  authentic  record  of  built 
north  of  the  Solway  Frith.  Next  from  the  fact  that  Ninian  heard 
of  Martin's  death  while  he  was  building  his  church  we  get  an 
almost  exact  date,  not  usual  in  those  days ;  for  we  know  Martin 
died  in  397.  On  September  i6th,  on  St.  Ninian's  festival,  I  shall 
have  more  to  say  of  this  church  and  man. 

Whatever  advance  may  have  been  made  after  Ninian's  death 
the  Novantas  and  any  other  of  the  Picts  who  had  listened  to 
Ninian  quickly  apostatized  and  lapsed  into  paganism,  for  we  hear 
no  more  of  Christianity  till  we  come  to  the  record  of  Palladius. 


JULY  6th. 

There  is  a  long,  dark  interval  of  more  than  a  century  between 
the  death  of  Ninian  and  the  advent  of  Columba  (lately  mentioned) 
among  the  Southern  Picts.  In  the  meantime  the  only  break 
referring  to  Christianity  is  the  advent  of  St.  Palladius,  who  we  are 
told  was  sent  by  Pope  Celestine  in  430  as  a  missionary  "  to  the 
Scots."  Now  unfortunately  as  history  shows,  there  were  "no 
Scots  in  Scotland,"  as  both  Burton  and  Skene  tell  us  so  conclu- 
sively ;  perplexing  as  the  assertion  sounds,  for  the  land  now 
called  Scotland  was  then  called  either  Alban  or  Pictavia  accord- 
ing to  the  writer  who  was  speaking  of  it,  and  the  only  Scots 
then  known  were  the  Dalriadan  Scots  of  the  north  of  Ireland  who 
later  colonized  Argyle  under  Fergus  mor  mac  Ere.  Indeed  the 
story  of  Palladius  taken  from  either  ecclesiastical  or  profane  his- 
tory is  at  best  a  very  tangled  skein  which  I  cannot  undertake  to 
straighten  out  in  these  pages. 

After  careful  study  of  a  translation  of  a  portion  of  the  "Book  of 
Armagh"  (compiled  in  or  about  801),  which  contains  the  oldest 
authentic  life  of  St.  Patrick,  one  cannot  fail  to  be  struck  by  the 
fact  that  there  is  here  no  mention  of  St.  Palladius.  Again  read- 
ing the  fictitious  account  of  Fordun  in  which  the  Scots  colonized 
Scotland  several  centuries  before  Christ  and  had  been  converted 


ST.     PALLADIUS  319 

to  Christianity  by  Pope  Victor  I.  in  the  year  203,  we  wonder  what 
sort  of  a  church  they  had  until  in  430  Palladius  became  their  first 
bishop.  After  thus  sifting  the  various  phases  of  the  story  of  Pal- 
ladius it  seems  the  most  natural  to  accept  the  one  that  he  first 
had  gone  to  Ireland ;  that  while  there,  according  to  Fiech  of 
Sleibath,  he  founded  three  churches.  "  Nevertheless,  (says  Skene) 
he  was  not  well  received  by  the  people,  but  was  compelled  to  go 
round  the  coast  to  the  north,"  and  thus  on  his  homeward  way  to 
Rome  came  into  Pictavia,  where  at  a  place  called  Forddun  in  the 
plain  of  Girgin  he  died.  Whether  a  martyr  or  not  seems  quite 
too  uncertain  to  be  asserted.  This  place,  Forddun,  is  beyond 
doubt  in  Mearnes,  and  it  seems  a  natural  sequence  that,  driven 
northward  from  Ireland  through  the  Pentland  Frith  along  the  east 
coast,  Palladius  reached  Kincardineshire,  to  die  at  Forddun,  fif- 
teen miles  from  Aberdeen. 

Of  the  character  of  this  saint  who  is  termed  in  Roman  Martyr- 
ology  "  the  apostle  of  the  Scots,"  it  is  hard  to  pass  judgment  upon 
it  with  the  scant  material  available  ;  but  none  can  deny  that  only 
heroes  in  those  early  days  gave  themselves  to  a  missionary  life 
such  as  his  was.  In  some  of  the  old  Scotch  and  English  Kalen- 
dars  the  festival  of  St.  Palladius  is  named  for  December  I5th,  but 
later  English  and  Roman  Kalendars  agree  upon  July  6th  as  the 
proper  date. 


JULY  ;th 

Marks  the  anniversary  of  St.  Pantaenus  one  of  the  noted  "  Fathers 
of  the  Church"  in  its  early  struggles.  He  was  by  birth  a  Sicilian 
and  by  profession  a  Stoic  philosopher,  so  remarkable  for  his  elo- 
quence that  he  gained  the  name  of  the  "  Sicilian  Bee."  Attracted 
by  the  virtuous  lives  and  the  character  of  their  conversation,  he 
entered  the  celebrated  school  which  the  disciples  of  St.  Mark  had 
established  at  Alexandria  in  Egypt  in  order  to  study  the  Holy 
Scriptures.  Once  convinced  of  their  truth  he  delved  still  deeper 
in  the  study  of  sacred  learning.  His  natural  ability  and  habits  as 
a  critical  student  early  won  for  him  the  rank  and  reputation  he 


320   SAINTS    AND    FESTIVALS 

deserved.  By  choice  he  would  have  remained  in  obscurity  devot- 
ing himself  entirely  to  his  sacred  studies  ;  but  the  need  of  such 
men  as  he  was  urgent,  and  before  A.  D.  179  he  was  called  to  the 
head  of  one  of  the  schools  where  his  rare  ability  as  a  teacher  and 
his  depth  of  learning  quickly  raised  the  reputation  of  his  seminary 
to  the  first  place  among  "  the  schools  of  the  philosophers."  His 
reputation  had  long  before  extended  beyond  the  confines  of  Alex- 
andria and  Christian  envoys  from  India  begged  him  to  visit  the 
East  to  confute  the  subtle  arguments  of  the  Brachmans  (Brah- 
mins), and  Demetrius,  who  had  been  made  Bishop  of  Alexandria 
in  189  appointed  him  "  preacher  to  the  Eastern  nations,"  and  he 
spent  several  years  in  preaching  and  teaching  in  India.  Then  he 
returned  to  Alexandria  where  the  remainder  of  his  arduous  life 
was  passed  as  a  leader  and  teacher  in  those  famous  schools,  end- 
ing his  noble  career,  still  "  in  the  harness,"  about  216,  leaving  a 
well  earned  reputation  for  his  erudition  and  faithful  labours  in  the 
cause  of  Christ. 


To-day  is  also  sacred  to  the  memory  of  St.  Willibald,  a  son  of 
St.  Richard  one  of  those  early  Christian  kings  of  West  Saxony. 
Willibald  as  early  as  721  with  one  of  his  brothers  made  a  pilgrim- 
age to  the  Holy  Land  and  later  becoming  a  missionary  to  Aich- 
stadt  in  Franconia,  where  he  was  ordained  as  Bishop  and  for 
nearly  forty-five  years  served  his  Great  Master.  He  died  the  7th 
of  June  790,  but  his  festival  has  been  held  on  July  7th.  He  was 
canonized  in  938  by  Pope  Leo  VII. 


This  day  also  is  the  festival  of  St.  Benedict  XI.  Pope  and  Con- 
fessor. He  was  born  in  1240  and  when  fourteen  years  of  age 
took  on  the  habit  of  St.  Dominick.  In  1298  he  became  a  cardinal 
and  on  the  death  of  Boniface  VIII.  on  October  n,  1303,  was 
chosen  to  fill  the  pontifical  throne  but  he  only  occupied  it  for 
eight  months  and  seventeen  days  dying  July  7,  1304. 


SANT    ISABEL   DE   FEZ       321 

JULY  8th 

Is  set  apart  by  the  Roman  Church  as  the  festival  of  Queen  Elizabeth 
of  Portugal.  She  was  the  daughter  of  the  King  of  Arragon  and  wife 
of  the  profligate  King  Dionysius  of  Portugal  to  whom  she  was 
married  when  but  twelve  years  of  age  thus  for  forty  years  com- 
pelled to  do  penance  for  the  misdeed  of  those  who  had  thus  con- 
demned her  to  this  life  of  suffering.  Yet  through  it  all,  bearing 
her  trials  with  such  saintly  submission  as  to  win  for  her  the  love 
and  reverence  of  all  who  knew  her.  Indeed  she  won  for  herself 
by  her  patience  the  title  of  "  Sant  Isabel  de  Fez."  It  may  interest 
some  of  my  readers  to  know  that  she  was  the  original  of  Schiller's 
"  Fridolin,"  a  German,  though  the  scene  is  laid  in  Germany  and 
the  name  given  her  :  "  Die  Grafin  von  Savern."  Her  story  is  one 
long  sad  romance.  She  died  July  4,  1336.  For  her  virtues  and 
charities  she  was  canonized  by  Urban  VIII.  in  1625  who  at  that 
time  appointed  this  day  as  sacred  to  her  memory. 


To-day  also  is  remembered  for  St.  Grimald  of  St.  Omer  who 
has  the  especial  honour  of  being  the  first  professor  of  divinity  ever 
appointed  to  the  University  of  Oxford.  On  the  death  of  Eldred, 
Archbishop  of  Canterbury,  King  Alfred  strove  to  secure  Grimald's 
consent  to  accept  the  archbishopric,  but  he  refused  it.  He  died 
in  holy  sanctity  on  July  8,  903,  at  the  ripe  old  age  of  eighty-three. 


One  other  name,  that  of  St.  Procopius,  appears  in  the  Kalendar 
of  this  day  and  must  not  be  passed  if  for  no  other  reason  than 
that  he  was  the  proto-martyr  at  Bethsan  under  that  fatal  decree  of 
Dioclesian  which  reached  Palestine  in  303.  He  was  an  interpreter 
of  the  Greek  into  the  Syro-Chaldeac  tongue ;  but  a  devout  Chris- 
tian and  being  brought  before  Paulinus  prefect  of  the  province 
was,  as  usual,  ordered  to  sacrifice  to  the  heathen  gods  or  the  four 
great  emperors,  Diodesius,  Herculius,  Galerius  and  Constantius 
but  true  to  his  faith  refused  and  won  the  crown  of  martyrdom. 


By  a  coincidence  the  festival  of  St.  Procopius  King  of  Bohemia 
who  relinquished  his   crown  to   become   a  hermit   also    falls  on 


322     SAINTS   AND    FESTIVALS 


the  same  day  with  that  of  his  namesake,  St.  Procopius  of  Bethsan. 
I  find  for  King  Procopius  a  Clog  Almanac  symbol,  given  here 
_  which  is  almost  identical  with  that 

of  St.    Giles  and  was  given  for  a 

}tp  similar  reason,  his  kindness  to  the 

Ow        vl^  w''^  animals  around  his  hermitage. 

JULY  pth. 

According  to  the  Martyrology  of 
the  Venerable  Bede  this  day  is  the 
festival  of  St.  Ephrem  of  Edessa 
of  whom  Dr.  Butler  in  his  "  Lives 
of  the  Saints  "  says  :  "  This  humble 
deacon  was  the  most  illustrious  of 
all  the  doctors  who  by  their  doc- 
trines and  writings  have  adorned 
the  Syriac  church."  He  was  a  hermit  in  Syria  ;  but  his  wonderful 
writings  even  now  after  over  fifteen  centuries  are  yet  read  ;  while 
as  late  as  1743  they  were  esteemed  worthy  of  being  republished 
in  six  folio  volumes  at  Rome,  a  fact  which  fully  justifies  Butler's 
assertion. 


This  day  is  also  recognized  as  the  festival  of  St.  Veronica 
Guiliani,  virgin,  who  must  not  be  confounded  with  the  St. 
Veronica  whose  festival  occurs  on  Shrove  Tuesday ;  since  St. 
Veronica  Guiliani  was  born  in  1660.  She  was  christened  Ursula 
and  from  her  infancy  was  noted  for  her  devout  character.  At  the 
age  of  eighteen  she  became  a  novitiate  of  the  Capuchine  nuns  of 
Citta  del  Castillo  when  she  took  the  name  of  Veronica.  She 
successively  filled  every  office  in  the  community  until  when  thirty- 
four  years  of  age  she  was  appointed  "  Mistress  of  the  Novices  " 
becoming  in  1716  Abbess. 

Without  relating  the  legend  in  its  entirety,  mention  should  be 
made  of  St.  Veronica's  remarkable  vision  and  the  terrible  suffer- 
ing she  endured  but  it  would  be  impossible  to  explain  how  after 


ST.     FELICITAS'     SONS     ^323 

that  she  bore  upon  her  brow  marks  that  were  the  counterpart  of 
those  left  by  "  the  Crown  of  Thorns  "  which  our  Saviour  bore 
after  His  Crucifixion  ;  and  to  which  those  who  were  duly  to  examine 
her  "  testified  under  oath  "  she  bore  these  marks  until  her  death, 
as  evidence  of  her  "  espousal  "  of  Christ ;  Butler,  explaining  this 
word  "  espousal "  as  denoting  :  "  A  more  intimate  union  formed 
between  God  and  the  soul,  by  the  most  perfect  love." 

The  legend  is  one  of  the  most  remarkable  ones  found  in  the 
Lives  of  the  Saints  ;  and  yet  is  verified  by  authorities  that  it  seems 
impossible  to  question.  Her  death  came  from  consumption. 

Veronica  was  beatified  by  Pius  VII.,  and  canonized  by  Gregory 
XVI.  on  Trinity  Sunday,  May  20,  1830. 


JULY  loth 

Is  somewhat  remarkable  as  the  festival  of  seven  brothers  the 
sons  of  a  noble  and  wealthy  Roman  widow  who  all  fell  victims 
to  the  persecutions  of  Christians  in  the  reign  of  Marcus  Aurelius 
Antoninus.  One  by  one  these  noble  young  men  were  brought 
before  Publius  the  prefect  first  tempted  then  threatened  and  tor- 
tured, but  without  avail  for  their  mother  St.  Felicitas  stood  by  and 
exhorted  them  to  remain  faithful  to  Christ.  One  brother  was 
scourged  to  death  with  whips  whose  lashes  were  loaded  with  lead; 
two  were  beaten  to  death  with  clubs  and  one  cast  over  a  precipice 
while  three  were  beheaded.  These  are  commemorated  this  day  ; 
but  the  noble  matron,  their  mother,  is  remembered  on  November 
23d. 


JULY  nth. 

Pius  I.  Pope  and  martyr  is  this  day  honoured  by  the  Roman 
Church.  He  was  elevated  to  the  Papacy  in  142.  From  the 
records  of  Tillemont  we  see  he  had  served  with  the  clergy  at 
Rome  a  number  of  years  and  succeeded  St.  Hyginus  in  the 
government  of  the  Church.  The  records  of  his  life  are  meager 


324      SAINTS   AND   FESTIVALS 

some  contending  against  his  title  as  a  martyr.  As  there  are  emi- 
nent writers  on  both  sides  I  prefer  not  to  judge.  All  that  seems 
certain  regarding  this  early  Pope  is  that  he  was  born  in  Aquileia 
and  died  in  157  ;  being  buried  at  the  foot  of  Vatican  Hill. 


This  day  is  also  devoted  to  the  honour  of  St.  James,  Bishop  of 
Nisibis.  He  was  one  of  those  early  saints  to  whom  according 
to  his  legend  had  been  given  the  gift  of  prophecy  and  who  is 
credited  with  many  remarkable  miracles.  The  most  wonderful  of 
the  latter  being  when  he  saved  the  city  at  the  time  it  was  besieged 
by  the  Persian  Sapor  ;  and  utterly  helpless.  Then  in  answer  to 
the  prayers  of  the  Bishop  as  in  the  days  of  the  Egyptians  under 
Moses  clouds  of  gnats  and  flies  came.  They  entered  the  ears  and 
nostrils  of  the  elephants  and  horses  stinging  them  to  madness  and 
putting  the  army  into  utter  confusion  and  disorder.  After  this 
followed  pestilence  and  a  famine  which  in  time  caused  the  barba- 
rian Persian  to  withdraw  his  hosts  and  the  city  was  relieved. 

Much  confusion  covers  the  date  of  the  death  of  St.  James  rang- 
ing from  301  to  350  the  date  accepted  by  Dr.  Butler.  Thus  the 
festival  of  the  saint  is  recognized  by  the  Latins  on  the  nth  of  July 
by  the  Eastern  and  on  the  1 5th  of  July  by  the  Western  Churches, 
by  the  Greeks  on  the  1 3th  of  January  and  31  st  of  October;  by 
Syrians  on  the  i8th  of  January  and  by  Assyrians  on  a  Saturday  in 
December.  Certainly  a  variety  of  days  to  choose  from. 

The  writings  and  learning  of  St.  James  have  given  him  a  rank 
among  the  doctors  of  the  Syriac  Church,  next  to  that  of  St. 
Ephrem,  while  the  Armenians  honour  him  as  one  of  the  principal 
doctors  of  their  national  church. 


JULY  I2th. 

St.  John  Gualbert  came  of  a  rich  and  noble  family  in  Florence. 
He  was  given  in  his  youth  to  all  the  usual  follies  of  wealthy  men 
until  in  an  hour  he  was  suddenly  taken  from  his  worldly  life.  A 
brother  had  been  murdered.  Impelled  by  a  spirit  of  revenge  he 
sought  for  the  assassin  to  mete  out  to  him  the  vengeance  which 


FESTIVAL   OF    MIRACLES    325 

then  honour  seemed  to  require.  At  last  the  two  met  but  to  his 
surprise  the  assassin  fell  on  his  knees  and  craved  mercy  in  the 
name  of  Jesus  Christ.  The  plea  seemed  to  touch  an  unusual 
chord  in  John  Gualbert's  heart.  'He  could  not  resist  it.  His  feel- 
ing of  revenge  was  gone.  Not  only  did  he  grant  forgiveness  but 
promised  future  friendship.  From  this  interview  he  hastened  to 
the  monastery  of  St.  Minias  of  the  Order  of  St.  Bennet  and 
applied  for  admission  to  the  order.  Despite  his  father's  protest 
and  pleading  he  was  at  last  admitted  but  in  humility  he  never 
would  take  even  "  Minor  Orders,"  though  he  might  have  been 
abbot  of  the  monastery  at  a  later  time. 

Sometime  after  this  with  a  single  companion  he  sought  out 
solitude  where  they  could  in  privacy  indulge  in  such  austere 
devotions  as  met  their  wishes  happily  finding  two  devout  hermits 
in  a  valley  called  Vallis  Umbrosa  a  half  day's  journey  from 
Florence  in  Tuscany  when  the  four  established  their  new  order 
which  in  1070  Alexander  II.  approved  and  from  which  the  Order 
Vallis  Umbrosa  grew.  The  order  received  lay  brothers  as  well  as 
monks  "  who  were  exempt  from  certain  penances  and  silence  and 
were  employed  in  external  offices."  This,  Dr.  Butler  says  :  "  Is 
said  to  be  the  first  example  of  such  distinction  ;  but  it  was  soon 
imitated  by  other  orders."  The  holy  man  died  at  Passigrano  at 
the  age  of  seventy-four  in  1073.  Pope  Celestine  III.  canonized  him 
in  the  year  1193. 


JULY  I3th. 

When  the  I3th  day  of  July  falls  on  Sunday  (or  upon  the  Sunday 
immediately  following  the  i3th)  there  is  celebrated  at  Brussels 
in  Belgium,  a  local  feast  called 

THE   FESTIVAL   OF  THE   MIRACLES. 

The  legend  very  much  abridged  runs  as  follows  : 
In  1369  a  Jew  named  Jonathan  lived   in  Enghien  in  Hainault 
who  was  very  rich.     For  the  purpose  of  profanation  he  desired  to 
secure  some  of  the  consecrated  wafers  used  in  the  Holy  Sacra- 


326     SAINTS    AND    FESTIVALS 

ment  of  the  Eucharist.  To  accomplish  this  he  hired  a  poor  Jew 
named  Jean  de  Louvain  who  after  a  time  on  an  October  night, 
managed  to  steal  from  the  altar  of  St.  Catherine's  Church  in 
Brussels  the  pix  which  contained  the  sacred  wafers.  In  some- 
what graphic  words  the  legend  tells  of  Jean's  adventure.  He 
must  have  been  a  very  stolid  dolt  or  a  most  brave  man  to  have 
carried  out  his  purpose  as  he  did  amid  the  strange  demonstrations 
that  accompanied  the  theft.  But  he  did  so  and  duly  delivered  to 
Jonathan  his  spoils  receiving  the  reward  the  rich  man  had  prom- 
ised. Jonathan  did  not  live  to  carry  out  his  sacrilegious  purpose 
for  very  shortly  thereafter  while  walking  in  his  garden  he  was  mur- 
dered by  unknown  hands.  His  widow  seems  to  have  known  his 
wishes  and  soon  after  his  death  delivered  to  a  coterie  of  Jews  the 
pix  with  its  sacred  contents.  Upon  a  day,  evidently  selected  with 
the  utmost  malice  for  it  was  Good  Friday  in  the  year  1370  these 
Jews  assembled  and  taking  from  the  pix  the  sixteen  wafers  it  con- 
tained spread  them  out  on  the  table  around  which  they  stood. 
At  a  signal  they  began  to  stab  the  wafers  with  their  poinards.  It 
was  then  the  Miracle  occurred,  for  from  each  wafer  there  flowed  a 
stream  of  blood  as  the  poinard  was  withdrawn.  Affrighted  and 
amazed  the  sight  struck  them  dumb  as  they  stood  unable  to  move. 
At  last  they  fled  in  terror ;  but  like  all  cowards  they  began  to 
take  counsel  with  each  other  how  to  conceal  their  vile  work.  A 
woman  was  found  who  was  engaged  to  carry  the  defiled  wafers 
to  Cologne.  Just  what  was  to  be  done  with  them  there  by  some 
strange  inconsistency  the  legend  does  not  tell  nor  yet  where  they 
were  left  when  the  woman  returned  to  Brussels.  It  was  her 
own  conscience  began  to  reproach  her  and  she  confessed  to  the 
clergy  of  St.  Guduli  her  share  in  the  sacrilege  and  how  the  sacred 
emblems  could  be  recovered. 

Later  this  was  done  and  the  sacred  wafers  confided  to  the  care 
of  St.  Guduli  church  where  they  yet  may  be  seen  bearing  the 
blood  stains  and  marks  of  the  Jewish  poinards.  Later  the  mis- 
creants were  captured,  tried  and  condemned  for  their  sacrilege 
and  on  May  22,  1370  were  burned  at  the  stake  for  their  crime. 

On  several  occasions  thereafter  these  holy  wafers  proved  their 
miraculous  powers  in  staying  epidemics.  One  most  notable 


ST.     EU  GEN  I  US  327 

instance  being  in  1529  when  they  caused  a  grievous  epidemic 
which  then  raged  in  Brussels  to  cease.  From  that  time  a  festival 
in  their  honour  was  ordained  and  duly  observed  ;  until  during  the 
political  struggles  of  half  a  century  later  in  the  Netherlands, 
from  1 579  to  1 585,  they  were  omitted.  Again  during  the  Rev- 
olution of  1789  to  92;  they  were  neglected,  but  in  1804  with  due 
solemnity,  they  were  renewed  and  have  since  been  observed. 


This  day  is  set  aside  in  especial  memory  of  St.  Eugenius  and 
his  fellow  martyrs  who  won  their  crowns  of  glory  in  505.  The 
Roman  provinces  in  Africa  were  for  years  the  richest  and 
most  favoured  of  the  entire  Roman  empire.  Cartagenian  bar- 
barism had  given  place  to  the  lights  of  science  and  the  true 
religion  of  Christ  had  dispelled  heathenism.  African  princes  vied 
with  their  kings  in  their  efforts  towards  a  higher  and  better  life 
when  the  Romans,  to  preserve  Italy,  abandoned  many  of  their 
outside  provinces  to  preserve  its  great  center  from  the  onslaughts 
of  the  Goths  and  Vandals.  Already  they  had  as  our  historical 
readers  know  though  they  had  abandoned  Britain  thus  felt  no 
fear  for  Africa  though  Geneseric,  King  of  the  Vandals  and  Alaus 
had  gained  a  foothold  in  Spain.  Strange  as  it  sounds  these 
Vandals  were  mostly  Christians  but  of  the  Arian  types  of  faith. 
When  in  454  Geneseric  late  returned  from  plundering  Rome  he 
allowed  them  to  choose  St.  Deogratius  for  their  bishop  after 
he  had  razed  the  public  buildings  of  Carthage,  while  still  per- 
secuting those  of  the  Orthodox  faith.  After  a  reign  of  thirty- 
seven  years  this  tyrant  was  succeeded  by  his  son  Huneric  if 
possible  a  more  barbarous  persecutor  of  Orthodox  Christians 
than  his  father.  But  in  481  Huneric  so  far  relented  that  he 
allowed  the  long  vacant  bishopric  to  be  filled.  The  universal 
choice  fell  upon  Eugenius.  From  thence  on  life  was  indeed  a 
burden  to  the  good  bishop  though  he  came  safely  through  the 
first  stormy  conflicts  with  the  Arians,  It  was  Dr.  Butler  says, 
during  this  quarrel  that  the  Orthodox  church  took  the  name  of 
"  Catholic "  they  have  since  retained.  We  cannot  follow 
Eugenius  in  his  arduous  life ;  while  constantly  opposed  by 
Thrasimund  the  African  king  then  reigning,  until  with  St. 


328      SAINTS   AND   FESTIVALS 

Vindemial,  Bishop  of  Caspa  in  Africa,  he  was  condemned  to  die 
unless  he  would  accept  the  Arian  heresy.  Both  he  and  Vinde- 
mial refused  and  the  latter  was  beheaded ;  but  for  some  reason 
the  king  chose  to  send  Eugenius  into  banishment  in  the  Lan- 
guedoc  under  the  King  of  the  Visigoths  where  he  died  in  505. 


JULY  I4th. 

St.  Bonaventure  who  is  honoured  by  the  Church  this  day  was 
one  of  the  "  bright  lights  "  of  the  order  of  St.  Francis  who 
for  his  attainments  in  sacred  learning  was  given  the  title  of 
"  Seraphic  Doctor. "  He  advanced  rapidly  in  the  church  and 
in  1256,  was  made  "  Doctor  of  the  Church  "  by  Pope  Alexander 
IV.  King  Louis  IX.,  (St.  Louis)  held  Bonaventure  in  very  high 
esteem ;  frequently  sending  for  him  to  consult  upon  intricate 
points  and  always  having  a  place  for  him  at  his  table. 

The  writings  of  Bonaventure  hold  a  high  place  in  the  literature 
of  the  Roman  Church.  Especially  is  this  true  of  his  homiletic 
writings,  though  not  a  few  of  his  controversial  efforts  show  deep 
learning  and  a  great  command  of  language. 

The  last  public  function  where  St.  Bonaventure  appeared  was 
the  Council  at  Lyons  to  which  he  had  accompanied  Pope  Gregory 
X..  which  he  addressed  on  May  7th.  Later  his  fatal  illness  came, 
and  he  died  when  fifty-three  years  of  age  on  this  day  in  1274,  leav- 
ing a  memory  for  his  learning,  humility  and  loving  charity  such 
as  is  not  often  accorded  even  to  canonized  saints. 


JULY 

Is  the  festival  of  St.  Swithin  (as  the  Saxons  called  him)  or 
Swithun,  Bishop  and  patron  of  Winchester,  a  city  which  even 
in  the  early  days  of  the  Romans  in  Britain  had  attained  some 
note,  and  is  mentioned  by  Ptolemy  under  the  name  of  Venta. 
Later  it  was  the  chief  seat  of  the  kings  of  West  Saxony,  one  of 
whom  in  625  built  a  church  here.  When,  under  Egbert,  King  of 


ST.     S  W  I  T  H  I  N 


329 


Wessex,  in  828,  Britain  came  under  one  rule  Winchester  was  the 
capital  of  the  kingdom,  and  it  was  here  that  King  John  in  1214  to 
save  his  crown,  under 
orders  from  Pope  Inno- 
cent III.  did  homage  to 
the  Papacy. 

This  is  an  historic  spot 
where    Kenewalch,    son 
of  Kinegils,  in  643  com-  ( 
pleted     the    church    his  • 
father  began    and 
founded   the    monastery 
where    St.    Swithin     re- 
ceived both    his  educa- 
tion and  took  upon  him- 
self monastic  orders; 

being  ordained  by  Helinstan,  Bishop   of 

M  Winchester,  and  made  provost  or  dean 
of  the  "  Old  Monastery."  Such  was 
Swithin's  reputation  thus  early  in  his 
career  that  King  Egbert  committed  to 
his  care  the  education  of  his  son  Ethel- 

Hwold,  and  also  often  consulted  him  in 
affairs  of  his  kingdom.  After  Egbert's 
death  (837-8)  Ethelwold  (who  had  been 
ordained  a  sub-deacon)  by  a  dispensa- 
tion from  Pope  Leo  returned  to  secular 
life  and  succeeded  his  father  as  king, 
and  in  852  procured  for  his  old  teacher, 
Swithin,  the  Bishopric  of  Winchester, 
and  also  made  him  Chancellor.  Swithin 
accompanied  Alfred  the  Great  (the 
youngest  son  of  Ethelwold)  when  he 
went  to  Rome  to  be  confirmed.  Through 
the  influence  of  Bishop  Swithin  King  Ethelwold  bestowed  a  tithe 
or  tenth  part  of  all  his  lands  in  the  kingdom  on  the  Church. 


330     SAINTS   AND    FESTIVALS 


After  presiding  over  the  see  of  Winchester  for  nearly  eleven 
years  the  good  man  departed  this  life  on  July  2,  862,  and  through 
humility  requested  his  body  should  be  buried  outside  of  the  Cathe- 
dral, "  Where  the  feet  of 
passersby  might  tread 
and  the  rain  of  heaven 
fall  on  his  tomb."  This 
request  was  complied 
with  and  his  tomb  was 
on  the  north  side  of  the 
church,  where  it  received 
the  droppings  from  the 
eaves,  and  there  it  rested 
until  on  July  15,  in  971 
his  relics  were  with  great 
pomp  and  ceremony 
translated  to  the  tomb  within  the  church,  and  again  in  1094  to  the 
(then)  new  Cathedral  where  they  now  remain.  It  is  said  the  old- 
time  quartrain  : 

"  St.  Swithin's  day,  if  thou  dost  rain, 
For  forty  days  it  will  remain  ; 
St.  Swithin's  day,  if  thou  be  fair 
For  forty  days  'twill  rain  nae  mair." 

originated  from  the  eaves  dripping  on  the  saint's  tomb  and  has 
been  repeated  in  a  score  of  different  ways.  We  find  it  in  Poor 
Robin's  Almanac  of  1697  in  a  poem  of 
twenty  lines.  The  poet  Gay  also  in  his 
"  Trivia  "  recounts  the  story,  but  cautions 
in  finishing : 

"  Let  not  such  vulgar  tastes  debase  the 

mind; 
Nor  Paul,  Swithin,  rules  the  clouds  and 

wind." 

The  Clog  Almanac  symbols  given  to 
St.  Swithin  are  three  in  number.     The  first  is  supposed  to  be  his 
attribute  as  a  bishop.     But  it  is  beyond  my  power  to  guess  even 


ST.     EUSTATHIUS  331 

vhat  it  or  either  of  the  other  two  are  intended  to  signify.  They 
lo  doubt  had  some  runic  signification  to  the  possessors  of  these 
Clog  sticks,  and  no  doubt  it  was  cases  like  this  which  gave  these 
sticks  the  name  of  "  runic." 


JULY  i6th 

Is  the  festival  of  St.  Eustathius,  a  native  of  Sida  in  Pamphylia, 
who  from  being  Bishop  of  the  insignificant  Beraea  in  Syria  while 
under  the  rule  of  the  Arian  emperor  Constantius,  by  his  learning, 
sanctity  and  zeal  for  the  orthodox  faith  became  famous  and  in  324 
he  was  made  Patriarch  of  Antioch.  Here  as  elsewhere  the  ardent 
efforts  of  Eustathius  against  heresy  made  him  many  enemies 
among  the  Arian  bishops  who  laid  a  plot  to  secure  his  removal 
from  Antioch.  In  331  these  plotters  assembled  at  Jerusalem,  and 
in  a  synod  there  convened  tried  and  condemned  Eustathius  of  an 
heinous  sin  upon  the  testimony  of  a  debauched  woman,  suborned 
for  the  purpose.  They  also  accused  him  of  "  Sabellianism." 
Whereupon  Eustathius  was  first  sent  to  Constantinople  whence  he 
was  banished  to  Trajanopolis  in  Thrasia  (Thrace),  where  he  died 
in  exile.  Before  his  death  the  base  woman  confessed  her  crime. 
In  a  foot  note  Dr.  Butler  refers  to  the  opinion  St.  Jerom  held  of 
St.  Eustathius  and  quotes  from  Sozomen  to  show  the  wonderful 
eloquence  of  this  saint  and  the  inestimable  value  of  his  elegant 
writings,  though  most  of  them  have  been  lost. 


JULY    I7th 

Commemorates  St.  Alexius,  the  son  of  Euphemian,  a  rich  Roman 
senator,  whose  story  reads  like  a  romance.  From  youth  he  had 
been  devoutly  inclined  and  his  life  was  patterned  after  the  highest 
types  of  virtue  and  true  nobility.  At  the  urgent  solicitation  of  his 
parents  Alexius  was  induced  to  marry  a  young,  beautiful  and  rich 
maiden  ;  one  whom  he  respected  and  it  is  said  —  but  herein  is  the 
strange  inconsistency  —  loved.  But  even  while  consenting  his 


332    SAINTS   AND    FESTIVALS 

mind  was  ill  at  ease,  for  he  felt  that  the  fascinations  of  such  tem- 
poral happiness  and  honour  as  then  awaited  him  would  draw  him 
aside  from  the  higher  purposes  of  his  life.  By  what  course  of 
reasoning  he  at  last  was  led  to  act  as  he  did  is  unknown.  But 
while  he  consented  to  follow  out  his  parents'  wishes  even  to  the 
point  of  permitting  the  ceremony  of  a  marriage  to  be  performed, 
he  on  his  wedding  night,  quietly  slipped  out  of  his  house  and  was 
seen  no  more.  Disguised  as  a  pilgrim  he  wandered  into  a  distant 
land,  "living  in  poverty  and  sanctity."  At  last  he  returned  to 
Rome  not  as  the  Prodigal  Son,  for  he  did  not  disclose  himself,  but 
as  a  beggar  sought  refuge  in  his  father's  house.  He  was  received 
as  a  mendicant  by  his  father  who  never  suspected  his  identity. 
In  those  days  it  was  no  uncommon  event  for  rich  men  to  support 
several  mendicants  in  their  great  houses,  and  so  for  seventeen 
years  Alexius  lived  under  his  father's  roof  bearing  meekly  the  con- 
tempts of  the  pampered  servants.  Only  after  his  death  was  the 
truth  made  known  by  a  letter  his  son  left. 


This  day  is  also  the  festival  of  Leo  IV.,  who  was  elected  to  the 
pontificate  in  847.  To  him  the  Roman  Church  owes  the  restora- 
tion of  St.  Peter's  after  it  had  been  plundered  by  the  Saracens,  and 
also  for  his  fortifying  the  city  against  future  disasters  from  similar 
causes.  Among  many  miracles  attributed  to  Leo  was  the  extin- 
guishment of  the  great  fire  in  853  which  threatened  the  destruc- 
tion of  the  Church  of  St.  Peter.  He  died  July  17,  855. 


JULY  i8th 

Is  sacred  to  St.  Bruno,  Bishop  of  Segni,  and  noted  as  the  founder 
of  the  famous  Order  of  Carthusians  and  the  first  Abbot  of  that 
Order. 

He  was  from  the  illustrious  family  of  the  Lords  of  Asti  in 
Piedmont.  Studying  first  at  the  monastery  of  St.  Perpetuus  in 
Asti,  later  he  was  taught  theology  at  Paris  under  "  Raymond,"  and 
then  later  himself  taught  as  a  theologian  at  Rheims,  where  Urban 
II.  was  his  pupil.  When  Urban  became  Pope  he  sent  for  Bruno 


THE     CARTHUSIANS          333 

and  bestowed  many  honours  on  him.  Already,  in  1 08 r,  Gregory 
VII.  had  made  him  Bishop  of  Segni  and  Urban  wished  to  make 
him  Archbishop  of  Reggio,  but  the  honour  was  declined.  With 
six  companions  in  not  Bruno  established  the  first  Carthusian 
monastery  at  Chartreux.  Its  rules  are  among  the  most  severe  of 
all  the  many  monastic  orders,  almost  perpetual  silence  being  im- 
posed as  the  monks  may  talk  with  each  other  but  one  day  in  each 
week.  They  never  eat  meat  and  take  but  one  meal  daily,  and  this 
is  eaten  alone.  The  robes  and  hoods  of  the  order  are  white,  and 
the  entire  head  of  each  monk  is  closely  shaven. 

One  curious  fact  is  worthy  of  note,  that  in  spite  of  their  asceti- 
cism they  are  great  lovers  and  patrons  of  art.  Indeed  no  other 
monastic  order  in  early  days  did  as  much  for  pure  art  as  the 
Carthusians. 

St.  Bruno  died  on  August  31,  1125;  was  canonized  by  Lucius 
III.  in  1183,  but  his  festival  is  kept  on  July  i8th. 


JULY  1 9th 

Marks  the  saint's  day  of  St.  Vincent  de  Paul,  one  of  the  most 
romantic  as  it  is  one  of  the  most  beautiful  stories  of  a  pure,  spot- 
less, Christian  life,  and  a  true  philanthropist.  Happily  his  story 
has  been  often  and  well  told  so  my  brief  mention  is  all  that  is 
needed. 

St.  Vincent  was  born  in  Gascony  near  the  Pyrenaen  mountains 
on  a  small  farm.  His  father  seeing  in  the  lad  such  evidences  of 
talent  placed  him  in  the  Franciscan  monastery  school  at  Acqs. 
At  the  age  of  twenty  he  went  to  the  University  of  Toulouse 
where  he  spent  seven  years,  and  his  course  of  study  was  marked 
by  many  exhibitions  of  his  great  talent.  In  1605  a  legacy  of  500 
crowns  was  left  him  and  he  went  to  Marseilles  to  receive  it.  On 
his  homeward  journey  the  fellucca  in  which  he  and  his  companions 
were  was  captured  by  African  brigands  and  Vincent  was  sold  as  a 
slave  to  a  fisherman,  but  later  was  bought  by  an  alchemist  and 
physician  who  died  within  a  year,  and  finally  was  sold  to  a  "  rene- 
gado  "  Christian  from  Nice,  whom  in  time  he  brought  back  from 


334    SAINTS   AND    FESTIVALS 

his  apostacy  and  the  two  crossed  the  Mediterranean  sea  in  a  small 
open  boat.  Vincent  reached  Rome  in  June,  1607,  and  entered 
the  Convent  of  Fate  —  Beh-Fratelli.  In  1609  he  came  to  Paris. 
The  story  of  his  founding  of  the  "  Lazarites,"  or  "  Fathers  of  the 
Mission,"  and  later  "  The  Congregation  of  the  Sisters  of  Charity," 
and  the  wonderful  work  done  by  these  good  people  and  his  own 
self-sacrifices,  have  been  so  often  and  fully  told,  as  well  as  the 
story  of  his  work  for  "  The  Magdalenes  of  Paris  "  and  the  "  Hos- 
pital La  Magdalen  "  and  the  first  of  the  "  Foundling  Hospitals  " 
for  which  Paris  is  noted  it  needs  not  be  repeated.  As  a  friend  of 
Cardinal  Richelieu  and  of  Louis  XIII.,  he  became  a  most  influ- 
ential man.  I  will  therefore  add  no  more,  only  to  record  his  death 
at  St.  Lazare,  September  27,  1660,  at  the  great  age  of  four  score 
and  five  years  ;  and  was  buried  in  the  Church  of  St.  Lazarus  in 
Paris,  leaving  a  memory  sacred  to  every  true  Christian  of  what- 
ever faith.  He  was  canonized  by  Clement  XII.,  in  1737. 


JULY  2oth. 

St.   Margaret,   virgin  and  martyr,  in  whose  honour  both  the 
Anglican  and  the  Roman  branches  of  the  church  hold  this  day 

sacred  has  for  ages  been  re- 
garded as  the  special  type  of 
maiden  innocence  and  humility. 

IHiHnHMBaj^^zfe^Kmjn 

The  name  signifies  a  pearl.  Her 
I  legend  is  one  of  the  oldest 
I  among  the  many  of  the  saints 
I  of  the  early  days  ;  and  even 

T-V|  HUH  I  from  the  Middle  Ages  was  one 

"^^^^^^^^^^  of  the  most  popular.     She  was 

the  daughter  of  a  pagan  priest 

jrafeM.!  named  Theodosius  of  Antioch  ; 

but  being  a  delicate  child  she  was  sent  into  the  country  and  placed 
in  the  care  of  a  nurse  who  proved  to  be  a  Christian  and  who 
educated  her  young  charge  in  that  faith,  a  fact  that  was  un- 
known to  her  family.  As  she  developed  into  maidenhood  she 


ST.    MARGARET 


335 


displayed  such  wonderful  beauty  both  of  feature  and  person,  that 
when  by  chance  Olybrius,  the  Roman  governor  of  the  province 
saw  her,  he  was  captivated  and  wished  to  marry  her ;  but  the 
young  girl  rejected  his  offers  and  to  free  herself  from  his  attention 
declared  herself  to  be  a  Christian.  The  anger  of  her  relatives 
knew  no  bounds  and  when  Olybrius  in  order  to  overcome  her 
opposition  cast  her  into  prison,  they  did  not  interfere.  As  she 
remained  obdurate,  the  governor  next  tried 
torture  and  imprisonment  in  a  dungeon,  but 
still  she  was  inflexible.  While  thus  confined, 
the  legend  tells  us  the  devil  in  the  form  of  a 
dragon  appeared  to  her  to  frighten  her  from 
her  faith,  but  when  she  presented  the  cross 
before  the  fiend  he  fled.  Another  form  of 
this  legend  says,  the  dragon  swallowed  her 
bodily  ;  but  immediately  thereafter  she  burst 
from  him  unhurt.  Next,  the  devil  appeared 
to  her  as  a  man  ;  but  she  overthrew  him  and 
with  her  foot  on  his  head  compelled  him  to 
confess  his  base  purposes.  The  fame  of  her 
wonderful  power  was  spreading  and  under 
its  influence  many  were  being  converted. 
Once  more  she  was  tortured  but  with  no  re- 
sult except  to  confirm  her  more  surely  in  the 
faith,  and  to  prevent  further  trouble  she  was  condemned  and  be- 
headed. From  her  miraculous  delivery  from  the  dragon  St.  Mar- 
garet became  the  patron  of  women,  who  call  on  her  in  time  of 
childbirth.  Her  attributes  are  usually  the  palm  and  a  dragon. 
She  is  often  shown  in  art  standing  on  the  dragon  and  piercing  him 
with  a  tall  cross  with  a  sharpened  foot.  Occasionally  she  is  seen 
burst  from  the  body  of  the  dragon.  The  Clog  Almanac  symbol 
is  as  shown  above,  two  white  crosses  on  a  black  background.  St. 
Margaret's  popularity  in  England  is  best  shown  from  the  fact  that 
her  festival-service  is  one  of  the  very  few  found  in  the  "  MSS.  of 
Hours  "  and  that  238  churches  are  named  in  her  sole  honour. 
Only  as  interesting  by  comparison  I  add  St.  Nicholas  has  380, 
St.  Laurence  250,  St.  George  170,  and  St.  Martin  165. 


ST.  MARGARET. 


336   SAINTS    AND    FESTIVALS 

St.  Joseph  Barsabas,  whose  festival  is  also  held  this  day,  was 
one  of  the  disciples  of  our  Lord  who  competed  to  be  the  successor 
of  the  traitor  Judas. 


JULY  2ist 

Is  the  festival  of  St.  Praxedis,  a  sister  of  St.  Prudentia  of  whom  I 
spoke  May  2 1 st.  It  was  at  the  house  of  Pudens,  the  father  of 
these  noted  sisters,  that  St.  Peter  dwelt  when  he  came  to  Rome. 
After  the  death  of  their  father  these  noble  women  devoted  their 
great  wealth  to  the  succour  of  suffering  Christians  in  Rome,  add- 
ing thereto  their  time  and  persona)  services  in  nursing  those  of 
the  faith  who  were  sick  or  wounded  by  the  persecuting  Romans. 


To-day  also  is  the  festival  of  a  noted  soldier,  Victor  of  Mar- 
seilles. When  the  Emperor  Maximian  arrived  in  Marseilles  with 
the  blood  of  the  Thebasan  legions  and  other  martyrs  in  Gaul  yet 
fresh  upon  his  garments,  he  found  there  the  most  flourishing  and 
in  numbers  the  most  numerous  church  of  the  provinces.  One  of 
the  officers  of  the  German  army  then  stationed  at  Marseilles  was 
named  Victor,  who  was  a  Christian  and  who  in  spite  of  his  posi- 
tion as  an  army  officer  dared  to  proclaim  the  fact,  thus  proving  his 
courage  for  it  required  brave  men  to  profess  Christianity  in  those 
days.  The  emperor  heard  of  Victor  and  directed  him  to  be 
brought  before  him,  later  ordering  him  to  be  tortured  on  the  rack. 
Faithful  even  in  prison,  Victor  by  words  and  example  converted 
two  of  his  guards.  When  Maximian  heard  this  he  was  more 
incensed  than  ever  and  once  more  ordered  Victor  into  his  pres- 
ence, having  previously  had  a  statue  of  Jupiter  placed  in  the 
presence  chamber  and  an  altar  by  its  side.  Here  Victor  was 
commanded  to  worship,  but  instead  the  brave  soldier  kicked  over 
the  altar  and  statue.  For  this  act  his  foot  was  first  chopped  off 
and  later  his  body  placed  under  a  millstone  and  he  was  crushed 
to  death  by  its  revolution.  Even  this  did  not  abate  the  fury  of 
the  vindictive  emperor  for  he  caused  the  lifeless  body  to  be 


ST.    MARY    MAGDALENE     337 

beheaded.     In  art  Victor  is  represented  as  a  Roman  soldier  with 
his  foot  on  a  millstone. 


JULY  22d 

Is  the  day  set  apart  both  in  the  Roman  and  English  Church 
Kalendars  for  the  festival  of  St.  Mary  Magdalene.  Of  all  the 
persons  who  figure  in  sacred  history  and  in  Christian  art,  Mary 
Magdalene  is  one  of  the  most  difficult  to  treat  of.  So  unreal,  if 
we  attempt  to  fix  her  identity ;  so  real  as  the  ac- 
cepted and  recognized  impersonation  of  the  peni- 
tent sinner  absolved  through  faith  and  love. 
Whether  Mary  Magdalene,  "  out  of  whom  Christ 
cast  seven  devils,"  Mary  of  Bethany,  and  "  the  wo- 
man who  was  a  sinner  "  be,  as  some  assert,  three 
separate  persons  or,  as  others  affirm,  one  and  the 
same  individual,  under  different  designations  is  one 
of  those  mooted  points  that  it  is  not  likely  will 
ever  be  settled,  and  since  the  doctors  of  the  church 
like  St.  Chrysostom  hold  one  view  and  SS.  Clement 
and  Gregory  another,  it  is  hardly  fitting  for  a  lay- 
man to  presume  to  decide.  An  eminent  English 
writer  says  in  speaking  of  the  matter  "  that  since  i 
St.  Gregory  wrote  a  general  opinion  prevails  that 
if  not  all  three,  two  at  least,  '  the  woman  who  was 
a  sinner  and  Mary  Magdalene,'  are  identical." 

This  day  in  memory  of  Mary  Magdalene  was  retained  in  the 
first  Book  of  Common  Prayer  of  Edward  VI.  and  the  Collect, 
Epistle  and  Gospel  —  this  last  from  St.  Luke  vii.,  36,  to  end  of 
the  chapter  —  most  appropriate  ;  but  the  identity  of  the  person 
being  questioned  the  service  was  omitted  in  the  second  of 
Edward's  prayer  books.  Nothing  of  any  moment  in  the  history  of 
Mary  Magdalene  which  is  perfectly  authentic  is  known  beyond 
what  is  told  in  Holy  Writ ;  but  it  is  believed  that  after  our  Lord's 
Ascension  she  dwelt  in  Ephesus  with  the  Blessed  Virgin  and  St 
John.  There  is  a  widely  credited  legend  and  not  wholly  unsup- 


ST.  MARY 
MAGDALENE. 


338      SAINTS   AND    FESTIVALS 


ported  by  evidence  that  Mary  Magdalene,  the  Blessed  Virgin, 
Martha  and  Mary  of  Salome,  finding  themselves  much  persecuted 
by  the  Jews  of  Ephesus,  set  sail  to  cross  the  Mediterranean  ;  that 
their  boat  was  a  poor  and  leaky  craft,  and  that  it  was  only  by  a 
miraculous  intervention  the  party  was  saved  and  landed  on  the 
south  coast  of  Gaul ;  where  they  separated  and  Mary  Magdalene 
went  to  Marseilles  and  finally  returned  to  St.  Baume  where  she 
spent  the  remainder  of  her  days,  and  that  it  was  in  this  retreat 
she  closed  her  earthly  pilgrimage.  The  finding  of  her  relics  at  a 
place  now  called  St.  Maximin's,  and  those  of  St.  Martha  at 

Zarascon  on  the  Rhone 
as  related  by  Dr.  Butler, 
seems  to  bear  out  the 
truth  of  the  legend  as 
above  told.  Another 

(legend,  possibly  a  part  of 
the  first  one  for  these 
tales  often  become  sadly 
mixed  by  their  being  fre- 
quently orally  repeated, 
tells  of  St.  Mary  Mag- 
dalene living  for  thirty 
years  in  a  cave  near  Mar- 
seilles weeping  for  her 
past  sins,  while  angels 
daily  ministered  to  her  wants. 

In  art  Mary  Magdalene  is  always  represented  carrying  a  vase, 
or  a  box  of  a  peculiar  form  supposed  to  contain  the  "  precious 
ointment."  At  times  this  box  lies  at  her  feet  and  in  some  rare 
cases  an  angel  is  bringing  it  to  her.  Her  hair  is  always  golden 
in  colour  and  very  abundant,  falling  down  and  covering  her 
shoulders.  Again,  she  is  represented  as  kneeling  before  a 
"  death's  head  "  and  clasping  the  foot  of  a  cross,  but  the  "  alabas- 
ter box  "  and  her  long,  beautiful  hair  are  never  forgotten.  From 
her  being  the  first  witness  of  the  Resurrection  she  is  especially 
reverenced  by  the  Greek  Church  while  both  the  Greek  and  Latin 
Churches  honour  her  on  the  same  day. 


ST.    BRIDGET   OF   SWEDEN     339 

The  Clog  Almanac  symbol  given  is  supposed  to  represent  the 
"  alabaster  box,"  yet  like  many  of  these  it  requires  a  great  stretch 
of  imagination  to  see  it. 


JULY  23d 

Is  the  festival  of  St.  Apollinaris,  who,  according  to  Bede,  "  was 
crowned  with  martyrdom "  during  the  reign  of  Vespasius  — 
Roman  Emperor  from  9  to  79 —  "  after  having  sat  as  Bishop  for 
twenty  years."  The  saint  had  gone  with  the  Apostle  Peter  to 
Rome  from  Antioch.  While  at  Rome  St.  Peter,  "  after  having 
laid  hands  upon  him,  sent  him  into  east  Italy  to  preach.  Here, 
later,  he  became  the  First  Bishop  of  Ravenna.  While  Dr.  Butler 
styles  Apollinaris  "  Martyr,"  he  does  not  agree  with  Bede  for  he 
thinks  the  "  martyrdom,"  of  the  faithful  bishop  consisted  in  the 
usual  suffering  and  privations  every  true  Christian  must  pass 
through. 


This  day  also  is  the  festival  of  a  very  remarkable  woman,  St. 
Bridget  of  Sweden,  widow  of  Ulpho,  Prince  of  Nevicia,  who  died 
July  23,  1372.  She  seems  to  have  been  peculiarly  favoured  in 
that  she  received  a  far  higher  degree  of  education  than  most 
women  of  her  times  and  is  termed  a  "  scholar,"  while  her  volumi- 
nous writings  on  religious  subjects  are  yet  quoted  and  regarded 
with  esteem.  She  founded  the  Order  of  Brigantines,  a  peculiar 
one  from  the  fact  that  it  associated  under  the  same  roof  nuns  and 
monks.  The  regular  establishment  of  a  "  House  of  Brigantines  " 
numbered  sixty  nuns  and  thirteen  monks,  four  deacons,  and  eight 
lay-brothers,  all  under  the  control  and  government  of  a  "  Lady 
Abbess."  Henry  V.  at  about  1420  founded  the  "  Brigantine 
House  of  Sion,"  on  the  bank  of  the  Thames  (now  the  palatial 
residence  of  the  Duke  of  Northumberland)  as  a  memorial  of  the 
battle  of  Agincourt,  the  nuns  being  almost  entirely  ladies  of  rank. 
It  flourished  until  about  1589  then  seems  to  have  gone  into 
decadence,  and  the  nuns  there  remaining  went  to  sister  orders  on 


340     SAINTS    AND    FESTIVALS 

the  continent.      St.  Bridget  of  Sweden  was  canonized  by   Pope 
Boniface  IX. 


JULY  24th. 

SS.  Romanus  and  David,  Patrons  of  Muscovy,  are  this  day 
honoured  by  the  Church.  They  were  brothers  and  sons  of 
Uladimir,  Muscovite  Prince  and  a  Christian,  and  were  named 
Boris  and  Hliba,  or  Cliba ;  but  in  Latin  were  called  Romanus 
and  David.  Uladimir  had  in  908  founded  a  great  monastery  near 
Klow,  where  these  two  for  their  faith  were  basely  murdered  in 
1010  by  their  brother,  Suatopelch,  who  had  usurped  his  father's 
throne.  If  for  no  other  reason  these  two  are  worthy  of  mention, 
in  that  they  alone  are  honoured  by  the  Catholic  Russians  of  Lithu- 
ania and  Poland  who  keep  this,  and  no  other  saints-day  festival 
except  of  these  brothers,  the  Patrons  of  Muscovy. 


JULY  25th 

Is  the  anniversary  of  St.  James  (Major),  the  Apostle  and  brother 
of  the  Evangelist  St.  John.  Beyond  what  is  told  of  him  in  the 
gospels  very  little  is  known  save  that  by  order  of  Herod  Agrippa, 
sometimes  called  Herod  the  Great,  he  was  beheaded  about  four- 
teen years  after  the  crucifixion  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  that  he  was 
the  first  of  the  Apostles  who  suffered  martyrdom.  But  in  Spanish 
legends  as  the  patron  saint  of  Spain  they  enter  into  other  details 
of  his  life  that  a  volume  would  hardly  suffice  to  repeat.  They 
say  that  Santiago  (James)  was  not  a  poor  fisherman,  but  a 
nobleman's  son  who  for  pleasure  accompanied  his  father  and 
brother  attended  by  servants  in  their  boat,  but  attracted  by  the 
miracles  of  Christ  he  followed  Him.  That  at  thirty-eight  differ- 
ent times  St.  James  after  his  death  appeared  at  the  head  of  the 
Spanish  army.  That  after  Christ's  death  for  a  time  he  preached 
in  Judea,  then  came  to  Spain  as  a  missionary.  I  may  repeat  here 


ST.    JAMES    MAJOR 


the  Spanish  legend  of  his  victory  over  Hermogenus,  a  noted 
sorcerer,  and  how  he  converted  him,  and  that  they  were  beheaded 
at  the  same  time. 

According  to  these  Spanish  legends  St.  James  after  preaching 
the  gospel  in  Spain  returned  to  Palestine 
and  was  the  first  Bishop  of  Jerusalem, 
and  that  it  was  while  preaching  there  he 
was  seized  and  thrown  from  the  battle- 
ments of  the  temple  and  killed  by  the 
Jews.  The  recovery  of  his  body  was 
more  miraculous  than  any  event  in  his 
life  as  was  the  voyage  of  the  ship  from 
Joppa,  through  the  Pillars  of  Hercules 
and  its  final  arrival  at  Iria  Flavia,  or  as 
sometimes  called,  Padron.  Here  the 
body  was  laid  upon  a  stone  which  became 
like  wax,  and  the  body  sank  into  it  until 
at  last  it  enveloped  it  and  it  became  St. 
James'  sarcophagus.  This  stone  was, 
the  legend  continues,  revealed  by  a  vision 
to  a  priest  in  800  and  the  sacred  remains 


ST.  JAMES  MAJOR. 


moved  to  Comportella  where  a  church  was  built,  and  many  won- 
derful miracles  wrought  for  pilgrims.  Of  these  it  is  said  often  an 
hundred  thousand  persons  visited  the  shrine  in  a  single  year.  Dr. 
Butler  says :  "  It  was  the  accuser  of  St.  James  who,  repenting, 
was  beheaded  with  the  Apostle,"  and  the  same  authority  gives  the 
place  of  the  burial  of  St.  James  at :  "  Iria  Flavia  "  on  the  border 
of  Galicia,  and  that  the  relics  were  translated  to  Comportella  to 
which  place  Pope  Leo  III.  transferred  the  see  of  Iria  Flavia.  The 
military  Order  of  St.  James,  surnamed  the  Noble,  was  instituted 
by  Ferdinand  II.,  in  1175. 


JULY  26th 

Is  sacred  to  the  memory  of  St.  Anne,  the  Mother  of  the  Blessed 
Virgin.      This    name  Anne,   in    Hebrew    signifies   "gracious." 


342    SAINTS   AND    FESTIVALS 


ST.  ANNE. 


Among  the  Hebrews  for  a  woman  to  be  barren  was  looked  upon 
as  the  greatest  possible  affliction,  and  according  to  the  legends  of 
St.  Anne,  this  was  her  case,  and  it  was 
only  in  answer  to  her  prayers  that  "  the 
curse  "  was  removed.  No  doubt,  there- 
fore, that  the  earliest  representations  we 
find  in  Christian  art  of  St.  Anne  in  the 
attitude  of  prayer  with  her  arms  ex- 
tended, refer  to  this.  From  the  very 
earliest  records  of  the  Church  St.  Anne 
and  her  husband  St.  Joachim  have  been 
honoured,  and  their  names  appear  in  both 
the  Roman  and  English  Church  Kalen- 
dars  ;  though  both  history  and  Holy  Writ 
are  silent  as  to  their  lives  and  acts.  As 
early  as  550  a  magnificent  church  was 
erected  in  Constantinople  in  her  honour 
and  in  710  her  relics  were  translated  from 
Palestine  and  placed  there.  Even  in  the  Catacombs  about  Rome 
St.  Anne's  figure  appears  as  above  mentioned  in  the  attitude  of 
prayer,  often  accompanied  by  a  dove.  In  I 
later  times  (as  in  illustration)  she  holds  a 
book  and  is  teaching 
the  Blessed  Virgin  to 
read.  Occasionally 
St.  Joachim  stands  by 
SSt.  Anne's  side.  The 
Clog  symbol  here 
given  some  may  be 
able  to  decipher  ;  I  am 
obliged  to  confess  I 
cannot.  There  is  yet 
another  of  these  Clog 

symbols  quite  as  mysterious  as  the  one  given 
and  I  copy  it  though  I  cannot  explain  it.  There  must  .be  as  I 
have  said  before,  some  "  runic "  significance  to  some  of  these 
symbols  lost  to  us  of  modern  days. 


THE    SEVEN   SLEEPERS      343 

JULY  27th. 
THE   LEGEND  OF  THE    SEVEN   SLEEPERS 

Whose  festival  the  Roman  Church  celebrates  this  day,  is  a  curious 
story,  as  the  legend  runs,  transmitted  orally  as  all  those  old  Folk 
Tales  were.  The  Emperor  Decius  set  up  a  statue  in  the  city  of 
Ephesus  (191-251)  commanding  every  one  to  worship  it.  Seven 
young  men  who  were  Christians  disobeyed  the  mandate,  but 
unambitious  to  become  martyrs  they  fled  to  Mount  Coelius  and 
concealed  themselves  in  a  cavern.  Decius,  unable  to  locate  them, 
caused  all  of  the  caves  on  the  mountain  to  be  sealed  up.  From 
that  time  nothing  was  heard  of  them  until  in  the  year  479,  when 
persons  digging  for  the  foundation  of  a  stable  they  intended  to 
build  disturbed  the  stones  with  which  the  cavern  had  been  sealed 
and  the  young  men  were  awakened  by  the  noise.  Feeling  hungry 
they  with  due  precaution  sent  one  of  their  number  into  the  city  to 
buy  food.  The  strange  dress  and  the  antiquity  of  the  coin  the 
young  man  offered  for  the  food  he  had  bought  aroused  the  curi- 
osity of  the  merchant,  and  he  was  tracked  to  the  cave  where  all 
were  found  well  and  alive  after  a  miraculous  sleep  of  two  hundred 
and  twenty-nine  years. 

Like  others  of  these  legends  there  is  in  it  a  soupgon  of  truth. 
The  young  men  were  walled  in  and  it  was  the  discovery  of  their 
relics  in  479  that  gave  rise  to  the  fable.  A  similar  one  may  be 
read  in  the  Koran,  only  in  the  Mohammedan  legend  a  dog  named 
Kratius  accompanied  the  sleepers  who  were  all  animals,  and  he, 
with  eight  other  animals,  yet  sit  in  the  Mussulman  paradise.  These 
are  the  ass  of  Balaam,  the  ant  of  Solomon,  the  whale  of  Jonah, 
the  ram  of  Isaac,  the  calf  of  Abraham,  the  camel  of  Falch,  the 
cuckoo  of  Belkia,  the  ox  of  Moses  and  the  mare  of  Mohammed. 

These  Seven  Sleepers  are  highly  honoured  by  the  Greek  and 
Oriental  nations  and  in  early  martyrology  have  a  prominent  place 
and  are  commemorated  on  this  day. 


344 


SAINTS   AND    FESTIVALS 


JULY  28th. 

Among  those  early  fathers  of  the  Church  to  whom  we  all  owe  a 
great  debt  is  St.  Victor,  who  is  this  day  remembered.  He  was  a 
native  of  Africa  and  succeeded  St.  Eleuthenus  in  the  pontificate  in 
the  year  192  and  the  XIX.  of  Commodus.  Already  heresys  and 
schisms  had  begun  to  enter  the  church  one  of  which,  "  that  Jesus 
Christ  was  but  a  man,"  was  then  being  taught,  and  which  Victor 
by  his  earnest  efforts  checked,  even  if  he  could  not  overcome.  A 
watchful,  faithful  servant  whose  strenuous  life  had  but  one  pur- 
pose in  view.  It  was  dur- 
ing Victor's  pontificate  too, 
that  the  first  questions 
about  the  time  for  celebrat- 
ing Easter  began  and  coun- 
cils were  held  in  Rome, 
Gaul,  Palestine,  at  Corinth 
and  elsewhere.  The  edicts 
of  Severus  for  Victor's  per- 
secution were  issued  in  202 
but  the  good  man  had  al- 
ready gone  to  his  reward 
in  201.  Some  place  this 
date  in  197  and  others  in 
202.  The  date  given  is 
from  Dr.  Butler's  "  Lives  of 
the  Saints." 


Another  Pope,  Innocent 
I.,  is  also  honoured  this 
day.  He  ascended  the 
pontifical  throne  as  succes- 
sor of  Anastatius  in  402 
when  Alaric  the  Goth  threatened  to  overrun  Italy,  and  Innocent 
personally  strove  to  effect  a  reconciliation  but  in  vain.  The  over- 
throw of  Alaric  in  403  for  a  time  gave  Rome  rest  and  after  the 


ST.    MARTHA  345 

last  struggle  of  the  Goth  in  410  the  good  Pope  devoted  himself  to 
his  pontifical  duties  and  to  combating  the  Pelagian  errors,  which 
brought  forth  those  letters  which  have  so  long  kept  him  in  mem- 
ory. He  died  in  417. 


JULY  29th. 

St.  Martha,  the  sister  of  Mary  and  Lazarus,  is  the  saint  whom 
the  Church  honours  this  day.  Beyond  the  story  told  of  her  in  the 
Gospels  there  is  little  known  of  her.  After  the  Ascension  of  our 
Lord  her  legend  tells  us  that  she  accompanied  Mary  Magdalene 
to  Provence  and,  according  to  all  the  Provengal  legends  Martha 
was  the  first  person  who  founded  a  convent  for  holy  women. 
This  it  is  said  was  at  Aix.  One  of  the  legends  told  of  Martha  at 
this  time  is  that  a  fearful  dragon  called  Tarasque  ravaged  the 
country  lying  concealed  during  the  day  in  the  river  Rhone.  Mar- 
tha watched  for  him,  and  meeting  him,  overcame  him  by  sprinkling 
holy  water  over  the  beast.  Then  she  bound  him  with  her  girdle 
(some  say  with  her  garter),  and  when  thus  he  was  helpless  she  slew 
him.  A  magnificent  church  was  built  in  the  city  of  Tarasgon,  the 
alleged  scene  of  Martha's  conflict  with  the  dragon,  which  was 
richly  endowed  by  King  Louis  XI.,  who  also  gave  the  church  a 
gold  bust  of  St.  Martha  and  which  is  reputed  to  contain  her  head. 
The  usual  attribute  of  St.  Martha  is  some  implement  for  cooking. 
Sometimes  she  is  shown  holding  the  asperge  and  the  dragon  lying 
bound  at  her  feet.  St.  Martha  is  the  recognized  patroness  of 
housewives  and  cooks. 


JULY  soth 

Is  the  festival  day  of  St.  Julitta,  one  of  the  many  martyrs  who 
proved  their  faith  in  that  fatal  year  303.  When  Dioclesian  issued 
his  first  edict  against  Christians  in  the  year  303  he  disbarred  them 
from  all  protection  by  the  laws  and  to  be  without  any  of  the 
privileges  of  citizens,  thus  by  one  unjust  act  opening  the  door  for 


346    SAINTS   AND    FESTIVALS 

fraud  of  many  kinds,  as  was  the  case  with  Julitta.  She  was. rich, 
had  estates  about  Caesarea  in  Cappadocia  with  flocks  and  herds, 
coveted  by  a  wicked  man  who,  when  all  other  means  had  failed 
him  to  obtain  possession  of  her  property  haled  her  into  court 
where  he  accused  her  of  being  a  Christian.  The  judge  ordered 
fire  and  incense  brought  into  court  and  demanded  the  woman  to 
sacrifice  to  the  Roman  gods.  Exasperated  by  her  refusal  the 
usurper  was  awarded  her  estates.  Because  she  bore  her  poverty 
with  such  meekness  exhorting  her  Christian  brethren  to  hold  firm 
to  the  faith,  she  was  condemned  to  be  burned  in  the  vault  where 
they  confined  her.  Strangely  though  while  stifled  to  death  by  the 
dense  smoke  her  body  was  untouched  by  the  flames  and  her 
friends  buried  her  remains  entire. 


JULY  3ist 

Is  the  anniversary  of  St.  Ignatius  Loyola,  a  man  whose  influence 
has  been  more  far-reaching  in  its  results  than  many  who  have 
filled  the  papal  throne.  The  story  of  his  life  has  been  told  many 
times  and  from  many  points  of  view,  from  those  who  almost  idolize 
his  memory  to  those  who  treated  him  with  vindictive  bigotry.  He 
has  been  pictured  as  an  angel  of  light  and  as  the  incarnation  of 
evil.  Space  permits  only  a  brief  outline  in  which  many  of  the 
most  dramatic  scenes  must  be  omitted. 

He  was  born  in  1491  of  an  ancient  and  noble  family.  Bred  at 
the  court  of  Ferdinand  V.  as  a  page,  but  emulous  of  his  brothers 
he  became  a  soldier  and  hidalgo,  his  veins  full  of  hot  Biscayan 
blood  when  in  1521  in  the  defense  of  Pampeluna  against  the 
French  he  was  wounded.  From  boyhood  he  had  high,  noble 
ideas  free  from  avarice.  He  hated  gaming  but  was  addicted  to 
gallantry  (as  that  word  then  implied)  and  full  of  the  maxims  of 
worldly  honour  and  a  genius  for  poetry.  His  confinement  dur- 
ing convalescence  was  long  and  painful.  We  cannot  undertake 
to  follow  the  train  of  his  thoughts  which  upon  his  recovery  led 
him  to  seek  the  ancient  monastery  of  Mount  Serrat,  where  he 
hung  up  his  arms  and  on  the  morning  of  the  Annunciation  of  the 


ST.    IGNATIUS    LOYOLA       347 

Blessed  Virgin  in  1522  took  on  himself  the  holy  vows  which 
ordered  his  future  life  and  started  on  a  pilgrimage  as  a  beggar 
to  Jerusalem,  reaching  there  September  4th,  1523.  On  his  return 
to  Spain  he  completed  his  university  course  and  in  1528  went  to 
Paris.  But  let  no  reader  think  that  either  his  pilgrimage  or  the 
years  since  have  been  devoid  of  incident.  Indeed  they  are  full  of 
remarkable  happenings  though  I  cannot  recall  them  here.  At 
Paris  Ignatius  completed  his  study  of  Latin  and  his  course  in 
philosophy.  It  was  here  he  met  and  became  intimate  with  the 
five  young  men  —  Francis  Xavier,  Peter  Faber,  (a  Savoyard), 
James  Laynez,  Alphonso  Bodadilla  (a  Spaniard),  and  Simon  Rod- 
riguez (a  Portuguese) — who  with  Loyola  were  to  found  his 
famous  Society  of  Jesus.  By  degrees  Loyola  inspired  these 
young  men  with  his  ardent  spirit  of  devotion.  It  is  a  long  and 
interesting  story  which  at  last  culminated  in  an  underground 
chapel  of  the  Church  of  Montmartre  where  they  took  solemn 
vows  of  celibacy,  poverty,  and  the  devotion  of  their  lives  to  the 
care  of  Christians  and  the  conversion  of  infidels.  Such  on  the 
night  of  August  I5th  in  1534  was  the  beginning  of  the  most 
world  renowned  order  but  it  was  only  completed  at  the  time  fixed 
for  the  closing  of  their  studies,  the  Feast  of  the  Assumption  of 
Our  Lady,  January  25,  1537. 

The  plan  of  the  new  order  was  laid  before  Pope  Paul  III.  who 
after  some  objections  finally  approved  it  and  a  bull  granting  them 
a  constitution  was  issued  September  27,  1540. 

To  write  the  story  of  Ignatius  Loyola's  life  from  this  point 
would  be  to  write  almost  in  its  entirety  the  early  history  of  the 
Jesuits,  as  he  was  elected  the  first  president  and  established  at 
Rome  as  the  director  of  all  the  movements  of  the  society.  Even 
the  most  casual  reader  must  be  aware  of  the  vast  and  varied 
manifestations  of  this  famous  society,  but  few  can  imagine  the 
wonderful  executive  ability  required  in  its  inception.  The  plan- 
ning of  the  thousand  and  one  details  for  the  success  which,  to 
quote  from  an  ultra-Calvinistic  writer,  they  secured  "  as  sharp- 
shooters and  skirmishers,  that  made  them  the  most  dangerous 
antagonists  of  Protestantism."  The  rules  which  Ignatius  ordained 
show  his  far-reaching  foresight  as  well  as  the  purity  of  his  inten- 


348     SAINTS    AND    FESTIVALS 

tions,  whatever  the  world  may  think  or  in  later  days  may  have  been 
the  aim  of  the  order,  and  no  true  Christian  can  read  the  "  Spirit- 
ual Exercises "  Loyola  wrote  and  not  be  sure  the  author  was 
inspired  by  only  true  and  holy  motives,  for  it  is  the  man  we  are 
considering  and  not  the  order  he  instituted.  One  of  his  best  and 
most  truthful  biographers  gives  us  in  a  single  sentence  the  true 
inwardness  of  this  man's  character  when  he  says  :  "  This  interior 
strength  he  chiefly  maintained  by  an  eminent  spirit  of  prayer  and 
the  constant  and  closest  union  of  his  soul  with  God." 

Worn  out  by  his  labours  Loyola  died  July  31,  1556,  aged  sixty- 
five  years.  He  was  beatified  by  Paul  V.  in  1609  and  canonized 
by  Gregory  XV.  in  1622,  though  the  bull  was^not  published  until 
the  following  year  by  Urban  VIII. 


AUGUST 


The  eighth  was  August,  being  rich  arrayed 

In  garment  all  of  gold,  down  to  the  ground  : 
Yet  rode  he  not,  but  led  a  lovely  maid 

Forth  by  the  lily  hand,  the  which  was  crowned 
With  ears  of  corn,  and  full  her  hand  was  found. 

—  Spenser, 

In  the  old  Roman  Kalendars  August  bore  the  name  of  Sextilis 
as  the  sixth  month  and  it  contained  but  twenty-nine  days.  Julius 
Caesar  in  reforming  the  Kalendar,  added  a  day  to  it ;  but  when 
Augustine  conferred  upon  it  his  own  name  he  took  a  day  from 
February  and  added  it  thus  making  the  thirty-one  days  now 
accorded  it. 


AUGUST  ist. 

LAMMAS. 

This  was  one  of  the  four  great  pagan  festivals  of  Britain,  the 
others  being  on  ist  November,  ist  February  and  ist  May.  The 
festival  of  the  Gule  of  August  as  it  was  called  most  probably 
celebrated  the  realization  of  the  first-fruits  of  the  earth  and  more 
particularly  that  of  the  grain-harvest.  When  Christianity  was 
introduced  the  day  continued  to  be  observed  as  a  festival  for  the 
same  reason,  a  loaf  being  the  usual  offering  at  the  church  service, 
and  consequently  the  day  came  to  be  called  Hlaf-mass,  subse- 
quently corrupted  into  Lammas,  just  as  hlaf-dig  (bread-dispenser) 
was  applicable  to  the  mistress  of  a  house  and  came  to  be  softened 
into  the  familiar  and  extensively  used  term  lady.  This  we  would 
call  the  rational  definition  of  the  word  Lammas.  There  is  an- 


350      SAINTS   AND   FESTIVALS 


other,  but  of  a  somewhat  uncertain  derivation  pointing  to  the 
custom  of  bringing  a  lamb  on  this  day  as  an  offering  to  the  cathe- 
dral church  of  York.  Without  doubt  this  custom  which  was 

purely  local  had  its  rise 
from  the  term  Lammas, 
after  the  true  original 
signification  of  that  word 
had  been  forgotten. 

It  was  once  customary 
in  England  in  contraven- 
tion of  the  proverb,  that 
"  a  cat  in  mittens  catches 
no  mice  "  to  give  money  to 
servants  on  Lammas-day 
to  buy  gloves ;  hence  the 
term  Glove-Silver.  The 
Clog  symbol  is  supposed  to 
represent  the  completion  of 
the  first  half  of  the  year 
and  the  gathering  of  the 
First  Fruits. 


The  Roman  Church  to-day  celebrates  the  feast  of 

THE  SEVEN    MACHABEES. 

This  word  is  sometimes  written  Maccabees.  These  were  seven 
brothers  but  their  mother  must  not  be  confounded,  as  is  often  the 
case  with  St.  Felicitas  and  her  seven  sons  mentioned  on  July  loth. 

These  seven  brothers  were  holy  Jewish  martyrs  who  suffered 
death  in  the  persecution  of  Antiochus  Epiphanes  the  impious  king 
of  Syria  164  B.  C.  Why  they  have  a  place  in  the  Roman  Church 
Martyrology  is  a  most  natural  question.  In  the  Catholic  Diction- 
ary of  Addis  and  Arnold  many  Old  Testament  saints  are  men- 
tioned and  attention  is  called  to  the  fact  that  "  Abel  and  Abraham 
are  invoked  by  name  in  the  Liturgy  for  the  dying  prescribed  by 


ST.    PETER   AD    VINCULA     351 

the  Roman  ritual."  The  same  authority  says:  "  The  list  of  feasts 
given  by  Manuel  Comnenus  mentions  one  feast  of  an  Old  Testa- 
ment saint  Elias,  though  the  Church  of  Jerusalem  had  many  such 
feasts  and  at  Constantinople  churches  were  dedicated  to  Elias, 
Isias,  Job,  Samuel,  Moses,  Zacharias  and  Abraham.  But  the  Mac- 
habees  are  the  only  Old  Testament  saints  to  whom  the  Latin 
church  assigned  a  feast  to  be  kept  by  the  whole  church ;  though 
the  Carmelites  keep  the  feast  of  St.  Elias  and  at  Venice  there  are 
churches  dedicated  to  Job,  Moses,  etc." 

In  a  personal  letter  from  an  eminent  professor  at  St.  Bernard's 
Seminary  to  whom  I  wrote  for  reference,  and  to  whom  I  am  in- 
debted for  the  above  quotation  as  well  as  for  an  endless  number 
of  kindly  acts  in  citing  to  me  historical  authorities  ;  he  replies  to 
my  query  why  these  Jewish  martyrs  who  fell  victims  for  the  faith 
of  their  Church,  as  truly  as  ever  a  Christian  fell  for  his  faith  — 
were  thus  included  in  the  Roman  Church  list  of  martyrs,  he  says : 
"  The  reason,  as  Thomassen  thinks  for  the  exception  in  the  case 
of  the  Machabees  is  that  the  mode  of  their  martyrdom  so  closely 
resembled  that  suffered  by  Christian  martyrs  and  that  the  date  of 
their  suffering  was  so  near  to  the  Christian  era,"  later  adding : 
"  I  suppose  that  as  the  Old  Covenant  or  Dispensation  was  but  a 
preparation  for  the  new  the  church  authorities  did  not  consider  it 
inconsistent  to  select  certain  personages  of  the  Old  Testament  as 
models  of  virtue  even  for  Christians." 


To-day  at  Rome,  there  is  an  especial  office  in  honour  of 

ST.    PETER  AD   VINCULA. 

The  chains  and  prisons  of  the  saints  have  ever  been  their  great- 
est joy.  All  Bible  readers  are  familiar  with  the  story  of  St.  Peter 
when  after  Herod  Agrippa  had  slain  St.  James  the  Great  he  cast 
the  Prince  of  the  Apostles  into  prison  and  loaded  him  with  chains 
and  how  he  was  delivered  the  night  before  the  day  when  Herod 
had  expected  to  win  for  himself  great  applause  by  permitting  the 
Holy  Apostle  to  be  put  to  death.  Thus  this  is  naturally  a  great 
festival  and  kept  by  the  Church  in  memory  of  that  miraculous 
event.  The  celebrated  church  Roman  tourists  are  familiar  with 


352    SAINTS  AND   FESTIVALS 

St.  Pietro  in  Vincoli  is  said  to  have  been  originally  founded  in  A. 
D.  109  by  Theodora  a  sister  of  Hermes  Prefect  of  Rome.  A 
bolder  legend  attributes  the  foundation  to  St.  Peter  himself  who 
is  believed  to  have  dedicated  this  church  to  his  Divine  Master. 
But  history  can  assign  no  earlier  foundation  for  this  church  than 
that  in  442  by  the  Empress  Eudoxia  wife  of  Valentinian  III.,  from 
whom  the  church  takes  its  name  of  the  Eudoxian  Basilica  and  who 
placed  there  one  of  the  famous  chains  which  now  form  its  great 
attraction  to  Roman  Catholic  pilgrims. 

Hemans  gives  also  the  following  legend  : 

"  The  chains  left  in  the  Mamertine  prisons  after  St.  Peter's  con- 
finement there  are  said  to  have  been  found  by  the  martyr,  St. 
Balbina,  in  126,  and  by  her  given  to  Theodora,  another  sainted 
martyr,  sister  to  Hermes,  Prefect  of  Rome,  from  whom  they 
passed  into  the  hands  of  St.  Alexander,  the  first  Pope  of  that 
name,  and  were  finally  deposited  by  him  in  the  church  erected  by 
Theodora,  where  they  have  since  remained." 


AUGUST  2d 

Is  sacred  to  the  memory  of  St.  Stephen  "  Pope  and  Martyr." 
When  St.  Lucius  was  going  to  martyrdom  he  urged  upon  the 
brethren  to  choose  Stephen  as  his  successor.  Accordingly  in  May 
253  this  was  done ;  though  Stephen  filled  the  high  office  only  a 
little  over  four  years.  But  they  seem  to  have  been  four  busy 
anxious  years.  Between  the  internal  disturbances  in  the  Church 
and  persecution  from  without  the  holy  Father  had  little  rest.  It 
is  a  weary  story  of  those  early  heresies  which  had  entered  the 
Church  and  which  Stephen  was  called  on  to  combat,  and  my 
readers  would  find  scant  satisfaction  in  them  unless  I  told  the 
story  in  detail  so  that  the  merits  of  the  controversy  could  be 
understood  ;  a  thing  I  cannot  do. 

But  the  fact  remains  that  through  all  these  troublous  times 
Stephen  was  ever  true  and  loyal  to  the  Catholic  —  Orthodox  — 
Church.  In  passing  let  me  say,  that  in  its  proper  place  in  the 
course  of  these  articles,  I  shall  give  readers  the  story  of  the  origin 


RELICS   OF   ST.   STEPHEN     353 

of  this  word  Catholic,  and  the  significance  attached  to  it  by  the 
Church,  as  a  distinguishing  title. 

St.  Stephen  died  August  2,  257  and  was  buried  in  the  cemetery 
of  Calixtus,  Rome.  He  is  styled  martyr  in  the  Sacramentary  of 
St.  Gregory  the  Great,  and  in  many  ancient  Martyrologies,  though 
nothing  of  a  definite  character  is  given.  We  know  the  persecu- 
tion of  Valerian  began  in  257  and  it  is  but  natural  to  suppose 
Stephen  would  be  among  the  first  to  be  sought  out  as  a  victim. 

St.  Stephen's  relics  were  translated  to  Pisar,  in  1682,  and  Dr. 
Butler  says  :  "  His  head  is  kept  with  great  respect  at  Cologne." 


AUGUST  3d. 

This  day  is  sacred  to  the  memory  of  the  discovery  of  the  relics 
of  St.  Stephen  the  proto-martyr ;  or  as  it  is  termed  in  Roman  Mar- 
tyrology,  "  The  Invention  of  St.  Stephen."  The  same  puzzling 
term  that  is  used  about  the  finding  of  the  Cross  of  our  Lord. 

Through  some  fatality,  neglect  or  whatever  it  was,  the  place  of 
burial  of  the  First  Martyr  of  the  Church  had  been  forgotten  and 
neglected  though  it  was  found  to  be  but  twenty  miles  from  Jeru- 
salem at  a  spot  called  Capahargmala  (the  borough  of  Gamaliel) 
and  while  the  story  of  St.  Stephen  had  so  often  been  related  the 
place  where  his  mortal  remains  rested  had  seemingly  been  blotted 
from  the  memory  of  those  who  told  of  his  glorious  martyrdom. 

The  legend  is  an  interesting  one.  At  Caphargamala  in  415 
there  stood  an  old  basilica  in  the  charge  of  a  venerable  priest 
named  Lucian  who  slept  in  the  baptistry.  On  the  night  of  Decem- 
ber third  in  415  the  old  man  lay  half-waking,  meditating  upon 
some  sacred  theme  when  he  saw  by  his  couch  a  tall  comely  old 
man,  of  venerable  aspect.  He  wore  a  long  white  beard  and  was 
clothed  in  a  garment  of  white  bordered  with  plates  of  gold 
whereon  were  crosses  and  in  his  hand  he  held  a  golden  wand. 

"  Who  "  asked  Lucian,  "  art  thou  ?  " 

"  I  "  was  the  reply  "  am  Gamaliel  who  instructed  Paul  the 
Apostle  in  the  law.  But  go  thou  to  Jerusalem  and  tell  the  Bishop 
John  to  come  here  and  open  the  tombs  in  which  on  the  east  side 


354     SAINTS    AND    FESTIVALS 

lieth  Stephen  who  was  stoned  by  the  Jews  without  the  north  gate. 
His  body  lay  unguarded  for  a  day  and  a  night  but  was  untouched 
by  birds  or  beasts.  Then  I  caused  his  relics  to  be  secretly  carried 
to  my  house  in  the  country,  by  the  faithful  and  for  forty  days 
funeral  rites  were  celebrated  when  I  had  him  laid  here  in  my  own 
tomb.  Nicodemus  who  came  to  Jesus  by  night  did  I  also  bring 
into  my  house  and  he  lies  honourably  buried  in  my  tomb  where  I 
likewise  buried  my  son  Abibas.  His  body  is  in  the  third  sarcoph- 
agi on  higher  ground  next  to  that  of  my  own.  My  wife  and  my 
eldest  son,  Semelias  lie  in  another  spot  called  '  Capharsemalia.' 
Go  therefore  and  tell  this  to  the  bishop." 

Lucian  fearful  lest  he  might  be  regarded  as  an  impostor 
hesitated.  But  Gamaliel  appeared  to  him  again  this  time  with 
two  baskets  one  of  gold  filled  with  red  and  white  roses  and  one  of 
silver  full  of  saffron  of  delicious  smell.  Asking  what  they  meant 
he  was  told  :  "  The  red  roses  represent  St.  Stephen  and  the 
white  Nicodemus  who  was  without  stain." 
But  Lucian  still  hesitated,  until,  on  the  same  day  he  was 
upbraided  by  Gamaliel  for  his  neglect. 
To  cut  short  the  voluminous  details 
of  the  legend  Lucian  at  last  did  re- 
pair to  Jerusalem  and  told  of  his 
visions.  Thus  it  was  that  the  relics 
of  St.  Stephen  were  recovered. 

The  relics  of  St.  Stephen  were  first 
translated  to  the  Church  of  Sion  and 
later  by  the  younger  Theodosius  to 
Constantinople  and,  lastly,  by  Pope 
Pelagius  conveyed  to  Rome  and  when 
lowered  into  the  tomb  where  St. 
Laurence  lay  the  legend  continues : 
"  St.  Laurence  moved  aside  to  give 
the  place  of  honour  on  his  right  hand." 

This  was  the  origin  of  the  Spanish  title  conferred  upon  St.  Lau- 
rence (of  whom  I  will  speak  August  loth)  the  title  "  II  cortose 
Spagnuolo  "  the  courteous  Spaniard.  In  art  St.  Stephen  is  repre- 
sented as  young  with  a  mild  and  beautiful  aspect  always  habited 


ST.    DOMINIC  355 

in  the  rich  dress  of  a  deacon,  the  Dalmatica  being  of  a  crimson 
colour  covered  with  delicate  embroidery.  The  sleeves  are  loose 
and  flowing,  while  heavy  gold  tassels  hang  from  his  shoulders, 
both  over  his  breast  and  at  the  back.  But  the  attribute  that  is 
everywhere  recognized  as  the  one  most  fitting  for  the  glorious 
protomartyr  is  the  simple  palm  branch  of  victory.  On  December 
26th  St.  Stephen's  Day  I  spoke  at  length  of  this  holy  man. 


Naturally  the  festival  day  selected  for  St.  Gamaliel  and  St. 
Nicodemus  was  that  of  the  discovery  of  the  relics  of  St.  Stephen. 
Outside  of  what  we  read  in  Holy  Writ  regarding  these  two  men 
with  what  is  told  in  the  legend  there  is  no  record,  beyond  the  fact 
that  Nicodemus  when  turned  out  of  the  synagogue  and  deserted  — 
possibly  persecuted  —  by  his  former  companions,  sought  out 
Gamaliel  and  was  by  him  given  a  home  and  Christian  burial. 


AUGUST  4th. 

In  the  long  list  of  the  canonized  saints  of  the  Roman  Church  it 
would  be  a  difficult  task  to  select  the  favourite  one.  But  I  run  no 
risk  when  I  name  St.  Dominic  as  one  of  the  foremost  in  the 
affections  of  the  laity  of  the  Roman  Church  and  of  not  a  few  of 
the  English  church  as  well.  Imprimis  he  was  born  a  Spanish 
gentleman,  and  I  think  that  we  of  to-day,  hardly  realize  the  true 
significance  attached  to  those  words  in  the  XII.,  century;  for 
they  implied  then  the  best  type  of  a  true  noble-man.  Not  a 
hidalgo  or  bravado  to  whom  might  made  right.  A  class  of  men 
to  whom  Spaniards  now  look  back  upon  with  justifiable  pride. 
He  was  born  in  Old  Castile  at  Calaruega  in  the  diocese  of  Osma ; 
of  the  famous  family  of  Guzman  of  whom  the  ex-Empress 
Eugenia  is  a  descendant.  Had  Dominic  de  Guzman  so  chosen 
there  were  few  honours  at  the  Spanish  court  he  could  not  have 
with  a  fair  degree  of  security  looked  forward  to  ;  but  he  preferred 
to  resign  worldly  honours  for  the  service  of  his  Great  Master.  I 
have  before  me  as  I  write  a  sketch  of  the  life  of  St.  Dominic  writ- 
ten by  a  clergyman  of  the  Church  of  England  forty  years  ago  in 


356   SAINTS    AND    FESTIVALS 

which  he  says  :  "  Protestants  hardly  do  justice  to  such  men. 
Think  of  their  objects  as  we  will  we  must  own  that  in  confining 
themselves  to  a  diet  of  pulse  and  a  bed  of  boards,  in  giving  away 
everything  they  had  to  the  poor,  in  depriving  themselves  out  of 
every  earthly  indulgence  and  giving  nearly  their  whole  time  to 
religious  exercises  they  established  such  a  claim  to  popular 
admiration,  that  the  influence  they  acquired  was  not  to  be  won- 
dered at."  And  I  am  fain  to  believe  with  him  as  I  read  the  life 
of  this  man. 

He  was  fourteen  years  of  age  when  he  entered  the  public  schools 
of  Palentia  from  which  he  went  to  the  University  of  Salamanca. 
Even  then  we  know  the  associations  a  young  man  met  at  those 
universities  were  not  such  as  to  lead  them  in  the  paths  of  holiness. 
Yet  one  incident  in  Dominic's  life  at  the  university  when  he  was 
but  twenty-one  years  of  age  which  is  no  legend  or  fable  shows  the 
earnest  heartfelt  longing  he  had,  to  sacrifice  himself  when  in  his 
walks  one  day  he  met  a  poor  woman  who  begged  alms  to  help 
secure  for  her  brother  the  ransom  needed  to  save  him  from  becom- 
ing a  slave  to  the  Moors.  Dominic  had  not  money  to  secure  this 
yet  at  once  offered  himself  as  a  substitute  to  take  the  place  of  the 
captive.  Happily  this  end  was  gained  without  such  a  sacrifice  but 
it  proved  the  metal  the  man  was  made  of.  Let  my  readers  turn  to 
the  Gospel  of  St.  John  and  read  xv:  v.  13. 

Alphonsus  IX.  King  of  Castile,  chose  the  Bishop  of  Osma  as 
Ambassador  to  arrange  the  marriage  of  Prince  Ferdinand  with 
the  daughter  of  the  Earl  of  La  Marche  —  some  claim  this  was  a 
province  of  North  Germany  and  others  of  Sweden,  while  still 
other  historians  make  it  France  — •  and  the  Bishop  took  Dominic 
with  him.  As  they  passed  through  Languedoc  then  the  center  of 
the  Albigneses  heresy  Dominic's  heart  took  fire.  It  was  this 
Waldensian  "  heresy  "  that  first  put  him  into  great  activity.  His 
success  in  restoring  many  of  the  Vaudois  to  the  Church  seems  to 
have  suggested  to  him  that  he,  and  others  associated  with  him, 
might  greatly  advance  the  interests  of  religion  by  a  practice  of 
going  about  preaching  and  praying  continually,  while  at  the  same 
time  abstaining  in  their  own  persons  from  every  sort  of  indulgence. 
In  the  course  of  a  few  years  he  had  thus  established  a  new  order 


ROMAN    BASILICAS          357 

of  religious  called  the  Black  or  Preaching  Friars,  or  later  after  his 
own  name  the  Dominicans  (the  term  black  referring  to  the  hue  of 
the  cloak  and  hood  which  they  wore).  This  order  was  sanctioned 
by  Pope  Innocent  III.  in  1215  and  very  soon  it  had  its  establish- 
ments in  most  European  countries.  There  were  in  England  at 
the  Reformation  forty-three  monasteries  of  the  Blackfriars,  and  in 
Scotland  fifteen.  Dominic  was  un- 
remitting in  his  exertions  to  extend, 
sustain  and  animate  his  institution. 
He  performed  many  journeys  always 
on  foot.  He  braved  every  sort  of 
danger.  He  never  showed  the  slight- 
est symptom  of  pride  in  his  success 
for  all  with  him  was  for  the  glory  of 
God  and  the  saving  of  men.  The 
contemporary  memoirs  which  describe 
his  life  are  full  of  miracles  attributed 
to  him.  He  had  on  several  occasions 
restored  to  life  persons  believed  to  be 
dead.  Often  in  holy  raptures  at  the 
altar  he  appeared  to  the  bystanders 
elevated  into  the  air.  It  was  his 
ardent  desire  to  shed  his  blood  for  the  cause  he  had  espoused,  but 
in  this  he  was  not  gratified.  The  founder  of  the  Dominicans 
calmly  died  of  a  fever  at  Bologna,  at  the  age  of  51.  He  was 
canonized  by  Gregory  IX.  in  1224.  St.  Dominic  has  several 
attributes.  A  dog  is  often  given  him  as  a  symbol  of  fidelity.  He 
is  also  represented  in  the  full  canonical  robes  of  a  Bishop  and 
holding  a  lily  in  one  hand  and  a  book  in  the  other  while  in  Danish 
Clogs  he  has  a  star  as  in  illustration. 


AUGUST  5th. 

There  are  three  patriarchal  churches  in  Rome  in  which  the 
Pope  officiates  upon  different  festivals  and  in  one  of  which  he 
resides  when  in  the  city.  These  are  the  Basilica  of  St.  John 


358    SAINTS   AND    FESTIVALS 

Lateran,  St.  Peter's  on  the  Vatican  Hill  and  Sta.  Maria  Maggiore, 
the  last  named  because  of  its  antiquity  and  was  the  first  church 
erected  in  Rome  to  the  honour  of  God,  that  was  dedicated  to  the 
Virgin  Mary.  It  is  sometimes  called  Liberian  Basilica,  as  it  was 
founded  by  Pope  Liberius  and  John  a  rich  Roman  patrician  to 
commemorate  a  miraculous  event  which  has  sometimes  given  it 
the  name  of  Sta.  Maria  Ad  Nives.  The  legend  was  that  on  the 
5th  day  of  August  there  was  a  fall  of  snow  that  covered  the  plot 
where  the  Basilica  now  stands  and  that  the  Holy  Virgin  appeared 
there  in  a  vision  and  that  the  snow  covered  no  other  ground  than 
that  she  had  selected  for  the  site  of  a  new  temple. 

It  is  in  commemoration  of  this  event  that  on  Mount  Esquilin  in 
each  year  the  "  Festa  La  Madonna  della  Nive  "  is  celebrated  at 
Sta.  Maria  Maggiore  when,  during  a  solemn  high  Mass  in  the 
Borghese  chapel,  showers  of  white  rose-leaves  are  thrown  down 
constantly  through  two  holes  in  the  ceiling  "like  a  leafy  mist 
between  the  priests  and  worshippers." 

This  church,  in  spite  of  many  alterations,  is  in  some  respects 
internally  the  most  beautiful  and  harmonious  building  in  Rome, 
and  retains  much  of  the  character  which  it  received  when  rebuilt 
between  432  and  440  by  Sixtus  III.,  who  dedicated  it  to  Sta.  Mater 
Dei,  and  established  it  as  one  of  the  four  patriarchal  basilicas, 
whence  it  is  provided  with  the  "  porta  santa,"  only  opened  by  the 
Pope  with  great  solemnity  four  times  in  a  century. 

It  is  in  this  basilica  that  the  manger  from  Bethlehem,  in  which 
our  Saviour  lay,  has  been  preserved  and  upon  Christmas  day  it  is 
taken  from  its  silver  case  and  shown. 


AUGUST  6th. 

The  Transfiguration  of  our  Lord  on  Mount  Tabor  in  the 
presence  of  St.  Peter  and  the  two  sons  of  Zebedee,  SS.  James 
and  John,  who  were  later  to  be  also  witnesses  of  his  bloody 
agony  in  the  garden,  is  one  that  marks  a  Holy  Mystery  as  told  in 
Mat.  xviii.,  Mark  ix.,  and  Luke  ix.  And  thus  the  day  has  been 


MONOGRAMS  359 

selected  by  all  branches  of  the  Christian  Church  as  a  sacred 
festival. 

Just  when  the  festival  was  first  observed  is  not  quite  certain. 
The  Greeks  as  their  records  show  made  it  a  holy  day  in  the  VI. 
century  and  according  to  Dr. 
Butler  :  "  The  ninety-fourth  ser- 
mon of  St.  Leo  which  is  on  this 
mystery  shows  this  festival  to  have 
been  observed  at  Rome  in  the 
middle  of  the  V.  century."  Pope 
Calixtus  III.  made  it  more  univer- 
sal by  a  bull  dated  in  1457.  The 
only  Clog  symbol  I  find  for  this  day  is  an  English  one,  a  simple 
Latin  cross. 

This  day  also  commemorates  St.  Xystus,  or  Sixtus  II.  the  25th 
successor  of  St.  Peter.  He  only  filled  the  high  office  for  a  single 
year  and  fell  a  martyr  under  the  persecution  of  Valerian  in  258. 


AUGUST  7th. 

The  early  Christians  made  constant  use  of  a  variety  of  mon- 
ograms of  the  name  of  Christ  in  endless  varieties.  These  mono- 
grams were  of  Greek  origin  and  the  Latins  long  used  the  Greek 
letters  only  modifying  them  to  conform  to  the  Roman  letters  at  a 
very  late  period  and  as  in  Clog  symbol  given,  thus  combining 
both  the  Greek  and  Roman  letters.  A  monogram  of  Christ  was 
written  at  Chartres  in  Latin  in  the  XIII.  century ;  but  the 
first  two  letters  are  Greek,  the  third  and  fourth  might  be  either 
Greek  or  Latin,  and  the  last  two  are  exclusively  Latin  XPITVS. 

"  The  first  sigma  is  omitted.  Here  (referring  to  the  illustration) 
the  monogram  of  Christ  is  Greek,  while  the  adjective  noster  is 
Latin."  It  will  also  be  observed  that  the  Greek  letter  chi  takes 
on  the  form  of  the  Latin  Cross,  whereas  in  the  usual  monogram 
of  the  letter  X  (chi)  P  (rho)  the  Greek  Cross  is  used  in  some  of  the 
raised  familiar  forms  like  these,  or  by  contracting  the  names  of 


360     SAINTS   AND   FESTIVALS 


our  Lord  by  using  the  first  and  last  letters  I  C  which  stood  for 
Jesus.  The  I  (Iota)  and  C  (ancient  sigma)  of  IHCOYC  are 
Christ,  the  X  (chi) 
from  XPICTOC  and 
these  combined  read 
Christ.  In  the  West, 
.however,  they  altered  the  original  Greek 
letters  into  those  used  in  their  country  and 
time,  and  by  using  the  first  two  and  the 
last  letter  of  the  name  of  Jesus  in  Greek 
and  the  clever  device  of  mak- 
ing the  sign  of  contraction 
intersect  the  h  (Eta),  added 
uhe  significant  Cross. 

In  another  common  form 
the  same  result  is  arrived  at 
by  crossing  the  Iota  and  using 
the  later  form  of  the  Greek 
letter  Sigma  (S). 

Referring  to  the  very  commonly  used  monogram  given  here  I 
wish  to  quote  from  the  calendar  of  the  Book  of  Common  Prayer, 
edited  by  the  Rev.  W.  D.  Macray  of  Oxford,  Eng- 
land :  "  It  is  a  mistake  to  suppose  that  these  initials 
were  originated  to  convey  the  meaning  of  'Jesus 
Hominum  Salvator'  (Jesus  Saviour  of  Men),  for  they 
were  not,  being  of  Greek  and  not  Latin  origin."  A 
verd  simple  form  known  as  the  Vesica 
Picis  (in  illustration)  is  also  often  used  as 
an  emblem  of  the  name  of  Jesus. 

The  dedication  of  the  7th  of  August 
to  the  name  of  our  Blessed  Lord  was 
introduced  into  the  English  church  calendar  at  the 
time  of  the  Reformation  from  the  Office  Books  of 
the  Sarum  Use.  In  the  Roman  Church  this  feast,  of 
the  name  of  Jesus  is  fixed  for  the  second  Tuesday  after  Epiphany. 


ST.   ROMAN  US  361 

AUGUST  8th. 

Under  that  fatal  edict  of  Dioclesian  in  303  the  number  of  vic- 
tims who  suffered  seems  to  be  endless.  Again  to-day  the  Church 
honours  SS.  Cyriacus,  Largus  and  Sinaragdus,  who  with  twenty 
companions  had  been  executed  on  the  i6th  of  March  and  hur- 
riedly buried  by  friends  on  the  Salarian  way ;  but  on  this  day 
brought  to  the  sacristy  of  Sta.  Maria  in  Via  Lata  and  placed  at 
rest.  This  is  therefore  a  day  of  abstination. 


AUGUST  9th 

Is  observed  in  the  Roman  Church  as  the  "  Vigil  of  St.  Laurence 
Martyr." 


To-day  the  Church  remembers  St.  Romanus,  a  Roman  soldier 
who  was  so  convinced  of  the  truth  of  Christianity  as  taught  by  St. 
Laurence,  while  this  holy  man  was  in  prison,  that  he  begged  of 
him  to  be  baptised  then  and  there  knowing  as  he  did  that  the  act 
meant  nothing  less  than  death,  that  by  making  even  the  request 
he  was  signing  his  own  death  warrant.  If  we  needed  evidence  of 
the  potent  power  of  St.  Laurence  as  a  preacher  and  earnest 
worker  in  his  master's  vineyard,  St.  Romanus  gives  the  proof  for 
the  soldier  was  instantly  arrested,  tried,  condemned,  and  on  the 
day  before  his  worthy  preceptor  he  won  his  crown  of  glory. 


AUGUST  loth. 

Of  St.  Laurence,  the  principal  saint  whom  the  Church  honours 
this  day,  Mrs.  Jameson  truthfully  says  :  "  It  is  singular  that  of  this 
young  and  renowned  martyr  honoured  at  Rome  next  to  SS.  Peter 
and  Paul,  so  little  should  be  known  and  it  is  no  less  singular  that 
there  has  been  no  attempt  to  fill  up  the  lack  of  material  by  inven- 
tion." Even  Dr.  Butler  who  terms  him  "the  glorious  St.  Lau- 
rence," confesses  that  "  the  ancient  fathers  made  no  mention  of 


362      SAINTS   AND   FESTIVALS 


his  birth  and  education,"  while  at  the  same  time  he  also  says  that 
with  St.  Maximus  "  the  whole  church  joins  in  a  body  to  honour." 
Nor  is  this  honour  confined  to  the  Roman  Church,  for  again  to 
quote  from  an  eminent  writer  of  the  English  church :  "  This  saint 
has  ever  been  famous  throughout  all  Christendom.  His  heroic 
firmness  and  constancy  under  intense  suffering 
having  caused  him  to  be  most  highly  honoured 
since  mediaeval  days." 

The  claim  of  the  Spaniards  that  St.  Laurence 
was  of  Spanish  birth  is  generally  conceded,  but 
beyond  this  Laurence  appears  as  a  deacon  at 
Rome  under  Bishop  Xystus  (Sixtus  II.)  while 
his  legend  much  condensed  from  the  "  Flos 
Sanctorum,"  is  as  follows  though  my  version 
is  not  verbatim. 

About  the  time  Valerian  was  a  prisoner  of 
Sapor,  King  of  Persia,  Sixtus  II.,  Bishop  of 
'Rome  had  for  his  deacon  a  young  and  pious 
priest  named  Laurence  who  was  a  Spaniard, 
a  native  of  Osca  or  Huesca  in  the  kingdom 

Ne°tUesfJadeChgurcSh    °f  Arragon-      Being  very  Young  he  Walked  SO 

Kent.  meekly  and  blamelessly  before  God  that  Sixtus 

chose  him  for  his  archdeacon  and  gave  into  his  care  the  treasures 
of  the  church  as  they  were  then  styled,  consisting  of  a  little  money, 
some  vessels  of  silver  and  gold  and  copes  of  rich  embroidery  for 
the  service  of  the  altar  which  had  been  presented  to  the  church 
by  certain  great  and  devout  persons. 

Sixtus,  on  being  denounced  to  the  prefect  at  Rome,  was  impri- 
soned and  soon  after  condemned  to  death.  When  Laurence  saw 
this  he  was  in  great  affliction  and  clung  to  his  friend  and  pastor, 
saying :  '  Whither  goest  thou,  O  my  father,  without  thy  son  and 
servant  ?  Am  I  found  unworthy  to  accompany  thee  to  death,  and 
to  pour  out  my  blood  with  thine  in  testimony  to  the  truth  of 
Christ  ?  St.  Peter  suffered  his  deacon,  Stephen,  to  die  before 
him.  Wilt  thou  not  suffer  me  to  prepare  thy  way  ?  '  All  this  he 
said  and  much  more,  when  the  holy  man  replied :  '  I  do  not  leave 
thee,  my  son.  In  three  days  thou  shall  follow  after  me  and  thy 


ST.  LAURENCE. 


ST.    LAURENCE  363 

battle  shall  be  harder  than  mine  for  I  am  old  and  weak  and  my 
course  shall  be  soon  finished  ;  but  thou  who  art  young  and  strong 
and  brave,  thy  torments  will  be  longer  and  more  severe  and  thy 
triumph  the  greater,  therefore  grieve  not.  Laurence  the  Levite 
shall  follow  Sixtus  the  priest.'  Then  he  commanded  Laurence  to 
take  all  the  possessions  of  the  church  and  distribute  them  among 
the  poor.  Then  Sixtus  was  put  to  death  and  Laurence  walked 
through  the  city  seeking  out  the  poor,  the  sick,  the  naked  and 
hungry  fulfilling  Sixtus'  command,  arriving  at  night  at  a  house  on 
Coelian  Hill  where  dwelt  a  Christian  woman  named  Cyriaca,  who 
sheltered  many  fugitives  and  ministered  to  their  wants.  When 
Laurence  reached  there  he  found  her  sick,  but  healed  her  by  lay- 
ing his  hands  upon  her.  The  legend  follows  Laurence  for  sev- 
eral days  in  his  good  work  before  the  satellites  heard  that  the 
possessions  of  the  church  had  been  confided  to  him  and  searched 
him  out  (these  details  I  omit)  and  arrested  him,  confining  him  in 
a  dungeon  under  a  man  named  Hippolytus  whose  whole  family 
had  been  converted. 

When  brought  before  the  prefect  and  the  question  put  where 
he  had  hid  the  treasures  of  the  church,  Laurence  said  that  in  three 
days  he  would  show  them.  To  quote  from  this  point  as  I  have 
not  done  before :  "  The  third  day  being  come,  St.  Laurence 
gathered  together  the  sick  and  poor  to  whom  he  had  dispensed 
alms  and  placing  them  before  the  prefect  he  said :  '  Behold  the 
treasures  of  Christ's  church.'  Upon  this 
the  prefect,  thinking  he  was  mocked,  fell 
into  a  great  rage  and  ordered  that  St.  Lau- 
rence should  be  tortured  till  he  made  known 
where  the  treasures  were  concealed,  but  no 
suffering  could  subdue  the  patience  and  con- 
stancy of  the  holy  martyr.  Then  the  pre- 
fect commanded  he  should  be  carried  by  night  to  the  baths  of 
Olimpias,  near  the  villa  of  Sallust  the  historian,  and  that  a  new 
kind  of  torture  should  be  prepared  for  him  more  strange  and  cruel 
than  had  ever  before  been  used  or  had  entered  the  heart  of  a 
tyrant  to  conceive,  for  he  ordered  him  to  be  stretched  on  a  sort  of 
bed  formed  of  iron  in  the  manner  of  a  gridiron  and  a  fire  to  be 


364     SAINTS   AND   FESTIVALS 

lighted  beneath  which  should  gradually  consume  his  body  to 
ashes,"  an  order  that  was  carried  out  literally,  and  is  told  in  all 
its  horrid  details  and  then  continues  thus  : 

"  In  the  midst  of  his  tortures  Laurence,  to  further  triumph  over 
the  cruelty  of  the  tyrant  said  :  '  Seest  thou  not,  oh  foolish  man, 
that  I  am  already  roasted  on  one  side  and  that,  if  thou  wouldst 
have  me  well  cooked,  it  is  time  to  turn  me  on  the  other." 

The  well-known  attribute  of  St.  Laurence  is  the  gridiron  (lagra- 
ticola),  to  which  the  palm  branch  is  often  added.  Sometimes  the 
gridiron  is  omitted  and  St.  Laurence  bears  a  dish  with  gold  and 
silver  coins  in  it. 


AUGUST  nth. 

As  we  turn  the  pages  of  history  the  terrible  persecutions  of 
Dioclesian  seem  to  meet  us  everywhere.  In  Roman  Martyrology 
we  read  to-day  :  "  At  Rome  between  the  two  laurels  is  celebrated 
the  birthday  of  St.  Tiburtius  the  martyr,  who  under  the  judge 
Fabian  in  the  persecution  of  Dioclesian,  after  he  had  walked  bare- 
footed on  burning  coals  still  confessed  Christ  with  great  constancy, 
and  was  led  three  miles  from  the  city  and  there  struck  with  the 
sword."  Dr.  Butler  locates  the  scene  of  the  martyrdom  on  the 
Lavican  road.  With  Tiburtius'  name  is  coupled  that  of  Chroma- 
tius  and  the  somewhat  curious  cause  for  the  conversion  of  this 
man,  erstwhile  "  vicar  to  the  prefect  of  Rome,"  as  told  in  Butler's 
"  Lives  of  the  Saints  "  is  that  "  in  the  first  year  of  Dioclesian,  St. 
Tranquillinus  being  brought  before  him,"  Agustins  Chromatius, 
vicar  to  the  prefect,  "  assured  him  that  having  been  afflicted  with 
the  gout  he  had  recovered  a  perfect  state  of  health  by  being  bap- 
tized. Chromatius  was  troubled  with  the  same  disease  and  being 
convinced  by  this  of  the  truth  of  the  gospel  sent  for  Polycarp,  the 
priest  who  had  baptized  Tranquillinus,  and  receiving  the  sacrament 
was  freed  from  that  corporal  infirmity,  *  *  *  and  resigned  his 
dignity  and  was  succeeded  by  Fabian,"  only  to  become  himself  a 
martyr.  This  Tiburtius  above  mentioned  was  a  son  of  Chroma- 
tius and  while  all  details  are  lacking,  it  is  easy  to  see  how  as  in 


ST.    CLARE  365 

other  Roman  families  the  truth  of  Christ  had  been  discussed  be- 
tween father  and  son,  and  whatever  first  led  up  to  their  convic- 
tions they  were  among  those  true  heroes  who  gave  up  their  earthly 
lives  rather  than  to  recant  and  lose  their  life  eternal. 


AUGUST  1 2th 

Is  especially  recognized  as  the  festival  of  St.  Clare  virgin  and 
abbess  named  in  Roman  Martyrology  to  be  honoured  on  this  day. 
"  At  Assisi  in  Umbria  St.  Clare  Virgin  who  was  the  first  of  the 
poor  women  of  the  Order  of  Minorites  and  being  celebrated  for 
the  holiness  of  her  life  was  numbered  among  the  holy  virgins  by 
Alexander  IV."  But  the  story  of  St.  Clare  or  Clara  cannot  end 
with  such  brief  mention.  It  has  been  told  for  ages  as  a  folk-tale 
repeated  in  grave  severe  form  by  the  fathers  of  the  church  in  the 
middle  ages  and  half-satirically  told  by  an  English  clergyman  of 
late  days.  Each  in  their  way  do  this  noble  woman  injustice.  Let 
us  strive  to  sift  the  true  story,  of  a  maiden  born  of  a  rich  and 
noble  family  in  Assisium,  in  Italy  whose  father  Phavirino  Sciffo 
had  proved  his  prowess  as  a  knight  on  more  than  one  stricken 
field.  The  period  when  St.  Francis,  (Francisco  d'Assisi  founder 
of  the  Order  of  Franciscans,  1182-1226)  appeared  was  one  of 
great  darkness  in  the  history  of  the  Roman  Church  though  the 
enthusiastic  faith  of  some  barbarian  kings  and  nobles,  "  bred  of 
the  self-devotion  and  earnestness  of  the  missionaries  had  led  to 
their  endowing  the  church  largely  so  that  bishoprics  begat  wealth 
and  men  of  noble  birth  sued  for  them  to  the  power  which  accom- 
panied these  places."  The  Church  as  we  know  from  Dean  Mil- 
man  and  others,  was  not  then  prosperous.  But  the  story  of  St. 
Francis  must  not  be  intruded  upon  here  beyond  the  point  of  the 
influence  the  Saint  had  over  St.  Clare. 

The  first  great  gathering  of  the  order  St.  Francis  had  founded 
was  in  1 21 2  on  Palm  Sunday  and  that  day  Francis  spoke  from  the 
pulpit. 

Among  those  who  heard  him  were  Phavirino  Sciffo,  his  wife 
Hortulana  (sometimes  written  Ortulania)  and  their  daughters 


366     SAINTS   AND   FESTIVALS 


Clare,  Agnes  and  Beatrix.  As  Francis  expounded  his  "  golden 
thought  "  of  the  duty  of  each  to  cast  aside  the  world,  wealth,  lux- 
ury and  personal  aggrandizement  and  accept  even  poverty  for  the 
love  of  Christ,  none  listened  with  more  rapt  attention  than  Clare 
Sciffo.  The  desire  to  serve  her  master  had  penetrated  her  soul. 
She  had  all  that  wealth  beauty  and  worldly  station  could  give ; 
but  what  were  these  compared  to  that 
'"priceless  treasure."  From  that  hour 
her  mind  was  fixed  and  she  would  give 
her  whole  life  to  the  service  of  Christ. 

That  night  she  went  to  the  Chapel  of 
the  Portiuncula  where  Francis  was  in- 
stalled, and  implored  to  be  received  and 
given  work  to  do  no  matter  what,  at  the 
same  time  taking  off  her  jewels  and  rich 
garments.  Francis  was  as  unable  as  he 
was  unwilling  to  refuse  the  maiden,  and 
casting  over  her  a  coarse  habit,  she  was 
enrolled  among  the  Champions  of  Pov- 
erty. As  Francis  had  no  other  female 
adherent,  he  took  Clare  to  the  Bene- 
'dictine  convent  of  St.  Paolo  for  the  time 
being  and  in  spite  of  the  protestations 
of  her  parents,  when  Francis  had  com- 
pleted a  dwelling  for  her  and  others  who  also  had  joined  her, 
established  the  Order  of  Franciscan  nuns,  as  they  were  later 
called,  the  "  Poor  Clares,"  and  she  became  the  "  Madre  Serafica  " 
in  October  of  the  year  1212,  As  the  rules  of  Francis  enjoined 
strict  poverty,  the  only  support  of  the  nuns  at  St.  Damian  as  the 
little  nunnery  was  called,  was  brought  them  by  the  monks. 
Gregory  IX.  objected  to  such  free  intercourse  as  thus  obtained, 
but  Clare  was  firm,  telling  him  "  that  if  the  holy  brothers  may 
not  minister  to  us  the  Bread  of  Life,  they  shall  not  provide  us 
with  the  bread  that  perisheth."  Gregory,  who  could  defy  an 
emperor  as  he  did  Frederick  at  Barbarossa  met  his  match  in  this 
determined  young  woman  and  finally  had  to  yield  to  her.  But  I 
may  not  elaborate  the  long  and  interesting  story  of  St.  Clare  and 


ST.  CLARE. 


ST.    HIPPOLYTUS  367 

the  wonderful  results  attained  by  the  Franciscan  nuns.  She  died 
in  1253  at  the  age  of  sixty.  She  was  canonized  by  Alexander  IV., 
in  1255. 


AUGUST 

It  is  but  the  natural  sequence  that  the  bold  Roman  soldier  Hip- 
polytus  converted  by  St.  Laurence  while  awaiting  his  own  crown 
of  glory,  did  not  escape  the  fury  of  Decius,  and  it  is  equally  fit- 
ting that  the  Church  honours  him  as  it  does  this  day. 

The  respite  given  Hippolytus  was  brief,  between  the  horrible 
death  inflicted  on  his  instructor  and  the  time  he  and  his  family, 
even  to  his  aged  nurse  Concordia,  stood  before  the  implacable 
tyrant  —  not  judge  —  it  could  have  been  hardly  less  than  torture 
for  the  noble  soldier  to  see  the  nurse  he  had  loved  from  infancy 
actually  scourged  to  death  because  she  would  not  yield  her  faith, 
and  then  one  by  one  to  see  nineteen  of  his  own  family  beheaded 
before  him  for  the  same  cause,  while  he,  not  knowing  yet  his  own 
doom,  was  obliged  to  witness  the  horrid  sight.  We  may  well  rev- 
erence Roman  courage  with  an  example  like  this  set  before  us, 
when  this  hero,  despising  clemency  if 
he  would  apostatize  preferred  to  be,  as 
he  was,  "  tied  to  the  tails  of  wild  horses 
and  thus  perish  by  a  cruel  and  terrible 
martyrdom." 

By  a  curious  mingling  of  pagan 
mythology  and  Christian  traditions  this 
Christian  Hippolytus  has  received  the 
attributes  of  his  pagan  namesake,  the 
son  of  Theseus,  and  is  the  patron  saint  of  horses.  The  name 
in  Greek  signifies  "one  who  is  destroyed  by  horses."  In  art 
Hippolytus  is  usually  represented  as  a  Roman  soldier  with  a 
bunch  of  keys  at  his  belt.  On  the  Clog  sticks  he  has  as  an 
attribute  the  same  as  is  seen  in  St.  Hippolytus'  hand  in  a  picture 
in  the  Academy  of  Florence  and  is  said  to  be  an  ancient  curry 
comb.  There  are  several  noted  paintings  of  the  martyrdom  of 


368   SAINTS   AND    FESTIVALS 

St.  Hippolytus  showing  him  fastened  to  the  wild  horses'  tails, 
who  are  rearing  before  starting  on  their  mad  race. 


AUGUST   i4th. 

By  a  curious  coincidence  two  saints  bearing  the  same  name  are 
honoured  this  day.  One,  St.  Eusebius,  who  for  his  defense  of  the 
Catholic  faith  was  confined  by  the  Arian  emperor  Constantine  for 
seven  months  and  died  from  the  effects  of  it.  The  other  St. 
Eusebius  was  a  martyr  of  a  time  antedating  the  decrees  of  Dio- 
clesian  so  often  mentioned,  and  still  his  martyrdom  in  all  its 
essential  features  is  like  those  of  other  days  a  few  years  later,  his 
offense  being  a  refusal  to  sacrifice  to  the  Roman  gods.  The 
exact  date  of  his  death  is  not  known,  but  was  not  far  from  295. 


AUGUST   i  sth. 

On  this  festival  the  Church  commemorates  the  translation  of 
the  Mother  of  our  Lord  into  His  kingdom.  There  is  literally 
nothing  known  regarding  the  life  of  the  Blessed  Virgin  after  the 
Ascension  of  our  Lord.  An  endless  number  of  legends  exist  and 
not  a  few  with  more  than  a  soup$on  of  truth  in  them.  I  wish  I 
might  quote  some  of  them,  but  I  cannot.  Still  I  can  refer  my 
readers  to  Mrs.  Jameson's  invaluable  and  reliable  "  Legends  of 
the  Madonna "  that  will  more  than  repay  the  time  required  for 
their  perusal. 

There  seems  little  doubt  that  St.  John  the  Evangelist  fulfilled 
the  sacred  trust  committed  to  him.  We  find  ample  evidence  th.it 
St.  John  in  his  old  age  retired  to  Ephesus,  but  whether  the  Holy 
Virgin  went  there  with  him  is  too  "  vexed  "  a  question  to  enter 
upon  ;  or  whether,  as  many  believe,  she  died  at  Ephesus  or  Jeru- 
salem and  was  laid  in  "  her  sepulchre  cut  in  the  rock  at  Geth- 
semane."  All  authorities  agree  that  she  lived  to  an  advanced  old 
age  before  she  paid  the  debt  of  nature.  The  festival  of  her 
Assumption  is  one  of  the  oldest  recognized  in  the  Roman  Church 


ASSUMPTION    OF   VIRGIN     369 

as  well  as  that  of  the  Greeks,  mention  being  made  of  it  in  pontifi- 
cal records  of  the  early  part  of  the  VI.  century.  The  Assump- 
tion of  the  Virgin  had  even  before  this  been  recognized,  as 
mention  is  made  of  a  sermon  by  St.  Proclus  in  428  "  on  the  day  of 
her  festival." 

This  festival  is  by  far  the  most  sacred  of  the  many  paid  by  the 
Roman  Church  to  the  Blessed  Virgin. 


AUGUST   i6th. 

The  saint  which  the  Church  honours  this  day,  and  whom  eccle- 
siastical historians  call  "  the  apostle  of  the  North  and  the  Thauma- 
turgus  of  his  age,"  is  St.  Hyacinth.  He  was  descended  from  an 
ancient  house  of  the  Oldrovans,  one  of  the  most  illustrious  of  all 
Silesia,  then  a  part  of  Poland.  He  was  born  in  1185  in  Breslau, 
educated  at  the  celebrated  universities  of  Cracow,  Prague  and 
Bologna,  taking  his  degree  as  doctor  of  laws  and  divinity  from  the 
last  named  university.  Then  he  became  prebend  of  the  Cathe- 
dral of  Cracow.  After  that  in  1218,  accompanying  his  uncle  Yvo 
of  Konski,  chancellor  of  Poland,  to  Rome,  Hyacinth  there  met  St. 
Dominic  and  took  upon  himself  the  habit  and  vows  of  the  Domin- 
ican Order  and  became  a  missionary  on  the  banks  of  the  Baltic, 
and  founded  churches  in  Prussia,  Pomerania  and  adjacent  coun- 
tries, including  the  Isle  of  Rugen  and  the  peninsula  of  Geden. 
Later  he  pushed  on  to  Denmark,  Sweden,  Norway  and  Gothia, 
and  yet  later  to  Little,  or  Red  Russia  and  penetrated  the  Tartar 
country. 

A  typical  man  among  that  great  army  of  those  early  mission- 
aries that  we  of  to-day  do  such  scant  justice  to,  who  not  only 
"  took  his  life  in  his  hand,"  but  forgetting  self  in  the  service  of  his 
great  Master,  stands  forth  justly  glorified  among  saintly  heroes  of 
those  bygone  ages,  to  whom  the  Christian  Church  owes  a  debt  I 
am  fain  to  believe  few  recognise.  After  travels  which  covered 
over  4,000  leagues,  he  at  last  reached  Cracow  in  1257  when  seventy- 
two  years  of  age  and  upon  the  feast  of  the  Assumption  of  the 


370    SAINTS   AND    FESTIVALS 

Blessed  Virgin  passed  to  his  reward.    He  was  canonized  by  Clem- 
ent VII  I.  in  1594. 


AUGUST   1 7th. 
In  Roman  Martyrology  this  day  is  named  as 

THE   OCTAVE   OF   ST.    LAURENCE. 

Perhaps  no  one  story  can  better  illustrate  the  bitter  vindictive- 
ness  of  the  so-called  Arian  Christians  toward  their  Orthodox 
brethren  than  that  of  St.  Liberatus  and  his  six  Brothers  of  the 
Church  who  occupied  a  small  monastery  near  Capsa  in  the  prov- 
ince of  Ryzacecena,  whom  the  Church  honours  this  day.  In  483 
under  Huneric,  the  Arian  Vandal  King  in  Africa,  because  they 
would  not  abjure  the  orthodox  faith  of  one  baptism,  they  were 
dragged  from  their  quiet  monastery  and  subjected  to  unheard  of 
torments.  Lastly,  when  they  refused  to  acknowledge  any  change, 
they  were  bound  to  the  wood  by  which  they  were  to  be  burned. 
Again  and  yet  again  did  these  vandals  strive  to  light  this  wood, 
but  in  vain ;  the  wood  would  not  take  fire.  Then  in  his  anger 
Huneric  commanded  that  they  should  be  beaten  to  death  by  iron 
bars,  an  order  faithfully  carried  out.  The  event  is  worth  remem- 
bering to  emphasize  the  bitterness  of  these  Arians  toward  their 
fellow  Christians. 


AUGUST   1 8th 

Is  the  festival  day  of  St.  Helena,  wife  of  Constantine  Chloris  (the 
Pale)  and  mother  of  Constantine  the  Great.  But  perhaps  the  one 
act  of  her  varied  life  which  has  and  ever  will  make  her  name 
memorable  was  that,  when  over  four  score  years  of  age,  through 
her  agency  the  true  cross  upon  which  our  Lord  Christ  had  suf- 
fered was  discovered  after  nearly  three  centuries,  during  which 
time  its  hiding  place  had  been  kept  a  profound  secret. 

Naturally  the  life  of  this  woman  has  been  often  told,  but  it  can 
never  fail  to  be  of  interest  to  every  true  Christian. 


ST.   HELENA  371 

French  historians  have  vainly  tried  to  prove  that  at  the  time  she 
married  Constantine  Chloris  she  was  "  an  inn-holder  "  (Stabularia) 
in  Bithynia,  but  the  most  reliable  traditions  show  her  to  have  been 
a  Briton  by  birth  and  probably  a  native  of  Colchester,  though 
some  eminent  English  historians  name  York  as  her  birthplace. 
To  understand  clearly  the  story  the  reader  should  turn  to  his 
Roman  history  and  read  up  the  events  which  led  the  two  Roman 
emperors,  Dioclesian  and  Maximian,  in  293  to  choose  two  other 
"  inferior  emperors "  to  aid  them  in  the  government  of  the  vast 
empire.  Dioclesian  chose  one  Galerius  and  Maximian  took  Con- 
stantine Chloris  for  assistants.  Prior  to  this  Constantine  had 
married  Helena  the  Briton.  Then  read  on  through  those  long 
pages  of  events  which  rendered  it  necessary  from  a  diplomatic 
standpoint,  for  Chloris  to  divorce  Helena  in  order  to  marry  Theo- 
dora, the  daughter  of  Maximian,  and  thus  follow  the  wonderful 
story  by  which  Constantine  the  Great,  the  son  of  Chloris  and 
Helena,  rose  to  power.  All  history  of  a  most  interesting  nature 
and  which  carefully  read  would  add  greatly  to  the  clear  under- 
standing, not  only  of  St.  Helena's  story,  but  of  scores  of  the 
saints  referred  to. 

The  Empress  Helena  and  her  son  were  not  separated  by  the 
divorce  and  he  always  honoured  her,  as  shown  by  calling  her 
"  Augusta,"  or  empress  of  his  armies.  But  Helena  was  not  con- 
verted at  the  time  her  son  was  ;  indeed  it  was  only  after  his  mirac- 
ulous victory  that  she  renounced  paganism.  I  will  not  give  details 
of  her  interesting  life  down  to  325-6,  when  Constantine  became 
master  of  the  East  and  concurred  in  the  assembling  of  the  Coun- 
cil of  Nice  and  resolved  to  build  a  magnificent  church  on  Mount 
Calvary.  It  was  then  that  St.  Helena  took  charge  of  the  enter- 
prise and,  although  over  eighty  years  of  age,  went  to  Jerusalem, 
to  discover  if  possible  where  the  true  cross  was  then  hidden. 
As  the  legend  is  told  under  date  of  May  3d  when  speaking  of 
the  "  Invention  of  the  Cross  "  it  need  not  be  repeated  here. 

The  temple  of  Venus  which  profaned  the  sacred  spot  where 
this  is  reputed  to  have  occurred  was  destroyed  by  order  of 
Empress  Helena  A.  D.  326. 

On  her  return  to  Rome  after  this  wonderful  discovery,  the  noted 


372     SAINTS    AND    FESTIVALS 

empress  passed  quietly  away  in  the  year  328,  on  August  i8th. 
The  "  Church  of  the  Nativity  "  at  Bethlehem  was  built  by  St. 
Helena  in  327,  and  is  the  oldest  church  in  the  world. 


AUGUST 

While  Dioclesian  yet  reigned  and  during  the  second  year  of  the 
great  persecution  of  the  Christians,  Urban,  then  president  of 
Palestine,  became  especially  vindictive  against  the  faithful,  visiting 
condign  punishment  upon  them  for  the  most  trivial  offense 
against  Roman  law,  or  in  not  a  few  cases  on  suspicion  only  that 
any  one  was  a  Christian.  This  was  so  with  the  several  saints 
whose  names  are  to  be  honoured  by  the  Church  grouped  together 
this  day.  In  regard  to  St.  Timothy  no  pretext  seems  to  have 
been  offered  for  the  cruel  treatment  he  received  except  that  he 
openly  avowed  his  faith,  and  for  that  was  stretched  upon  the  rack 
and  his  flesh  torn  with  iron  combs  to  make  him  recant ;  upon  his 
refusal,  he  was  burned  to  death  before  "  a  slow  fire,"  at  Gaza,  on 
May  i,  304,  while  SS.  Agapius  and  Thecla,  upon  similar  grounds 
were  sent  to  Caesarea  under  guards,  where  after  being  tortured, 
they  were  condemned  to  be  torn  to  pieces  by  wild  beasts  in  the 
amphitheater.  Thecla  was  the  first  to  fall  a  victim  to  this  barba- 
rous punishment ;  then  with  a  refinement  of  cruelty,  Agapius  was 
remanded  to  his  prison  and  only  after  two  years  of  constant  tor- 
ment did  he  gain  his  martyr's  crown  in  the  same  manner.  By 
common  consent  both  the  Latin  and  Greek  churches  have  united 
the  festivals  of  these  three  saints  and  named  the  ipth  day  of 
August  for  its  celebration. 


AUGUST  20th. 

In  every  age  and  class  of  society  there  are  men  who  seem  to  be 
born  leaders,  men  whom  their  associates  recognize  at  once  and 
willingly  follow.  It  has  been  thus  in  the  Church  as  well  as  in  the 
world  at  large,  as  is  seen  in  so  many  cases ;  but  never  perhaps, 


BERNARD    OF    CLAIRVAUX373 

more  strikingly  illustrated  than  in  the  case  of  St.  Bernard  of  Clair- 
vaux,  whose  festival  occurs  this  day,  and  who  is  often  styled 
"  the  last  of  the  Fathers,"  while  he  was  beyond  question  one  of 
the  greatest  men  of  the  Middle  Ages. 

He  was  the  son  of  a  knight  of  a  ancient  and  noble  family,  and 
was  born  at  Fontaines  near  Dijon  in  Burgundy,  in  1091.  His 
mother  Aliz  was  a  devoutly  pious  woman  and  encouraged  her  son 
in  his  religious  tendencies  which  he  began  to  show  at  a  very  early 
age,  and  when  he  was  still  but  a  lad  he  declared  his  intention  of 
leading  a  monastic  life.  His  mother  died  in  mo  when  Bernard 
was  but  nineteen  years  of  age,  and  he  soon  thereafter  entered  the 
Cistercian  monastery  of  Citeaux,  though  his  brothers  and  friends 
plead  against  such  a  course.  Instead  —  and  this  early  incident 
shows  that  gift  of  leadership  above  spoken  of  —  in  the  end  he 
persuaded  thirty  of  his  companions  including  his  brothers  to  join 
him  in  his  monastic  life.  The  discipline  of  the  Cistercians  is  very 
rigourous  but  did  not  reach  the  standard  Bernard  set  for  himself, 
and  he  imposed  many  restrictions  on  his  life  which  the  order 
would  permit  but  did  not  command,  while  in  every  way  he  was 
rising  in  the  estimation  of  his  superiors. 

A  capable  man  like  Bernard  was  not  to  be  lost  in  privacy.  As 
Citeaux  became  crowded  with  devotees,  the  Abbot,  a  shrewd  judge 
of  character,  selected  Bernard  and  sent  him  into  the  wilderness  at 
the  head  of  twelve  companions  to  found  a  new  settlement.  After 
wandering  northwards  for  ninety  miles  they  fixed  their  abode  in  a 
woody  valley  called  Wormwood  in  Champagne,  and  erected  a  log 
hut  that,  under  Bernard's  genius,  grew  into  the  renowned  Abbey 
of  Clairvaux,  of  which  he  became  abbot  when  he  was  but  twenty- 
four  years  of  age. 

I  may  not  follow  the  interesting  details  of  this  great  man's  life. 
An  incident  or  two  must  suffice. 

The  saintly  rigour  of  his  life,  his  eloquence  as  a  preacher,  and 
his  courage  in  attacking  civil  and  ecclesiastical  wrong-doers 
gradually  raised  Bernard  into  European  fame,  and  letters  and 
visitors  from  far  and  near  drifted  to  Clairvaux.  The  force  of  his 
influence  became  especially  manifest  in  1130  when  on  the  death 
of  Pope  Honorius  II.  two  popes —  Innocent  II.  and  Anacletus  II. 


374      SAINTS   AND    FESTIVALS 

—  each  claimed  to  be  the  true  and  only  vicar  of  Christ.  The 
rulers  of  Europe  were  at  a  loss  to  decide  between  the  rivals. 
Louis  VI.  of  France  convened  a  council  to  consider  the  question 
to  which  Bernard  was  invited.  The  assembly  waited  with  awe 
for  his  opinion,  believing  that  the  Holy  Spirit  would  speak 
through  his  mouth.  He  declared  for  Innocent,  and  the  council  at 
once  broke  up  perfectly  satisfied. 

When  Wordsworth  wrote  he  no  doubt  imagined  he  had  origin- 
ated a  thought,  but  St.  Bernard  anticipated  him  by  centuries 
when  he  wrote  one  of  his  pupils  :  "  Trust  to  one  who  has  had 
experience.  You  will  find  something  far  greater  in  the  woods 
than  you  will  find  in  books.  Stones  and  trees  will  teach  you  that 
which  you  will  never  learn  from  masters.  Think  you,  you  can 
suck  honey  from  the  rock,  and  oil  from  the  flinty  rocks  ?  Do  not 
the  mountains  drop  sweetness,  the  hills  run  with  milk  and  honey, 
and  the  valleys  stand  thick  with  corn  ?  "  One  of  his  most  notable 
controversies  was  with  Abelard,  the  Rationalist  of  the  XII. 
century,  who  was  accused  of  unsound  doctrine  and  dangerous 
speculation  on  the  mystery  of  the  Trinity.  Abelard  challenged 
Bernard  to  a  public  logical  disputation.  At  first  Bernard  hesitated 
and  refused.  "  When  all  fly  before  his  face,"  said  Bernard,  "  he 
selects  me,  the  least,  for  single  combat.  I  refuse,  because  I  am 
but  a  child,  and  he  a  man  of  war  from  his  youth."  These  fears 
were  overcome  by  his  friends  and  a  council  was  called  at  Sens  to 
which  the  king  of  France  and  a  crowd  of  nobles  and  ecclesiastics 
repaired.  Abelard  came  with  a  troop  of  disciples  ;  Bernard  with 
two  or  three  monks,  as  it  behoved  a  Cistercian  abbot  to  travel. 
Abelard  seems  to  have  discovered  that  he  had  made  a  mistake. 
He  was  used  to  address  the  reason  of  scholars,  and  the  gathering 
at  Sens  was  made  up  of  men  on  whose  minds  his  logic  would  have 
slight  effect  whilst  his  adversary's  impassioned  oratory  would  be 
irresistible.  Bernard  had  scarcely  opened  his  discourse  when,  to 
the  speechless  astonishment  of  all,  Abelard  rose  up,  said  he  re- 
fused to  hear  more  or  answer  any  questions.  He  appealed  to 
Rome  and  at  once  left  the  assembly.  The  council,  nevertheless, 
proceeded  to  condemn  Abelard,  and  the  pope  affirmed  the 
decree.  Two  years  afterwards,  in  1 142,  Abelard  died. 


ST.    JANE  375 

Perhaps  the  crowning  glory  of  St.  Bernard's  life  was  his  efforts 
for  the  second  crusade  when  our  saint  was  fifty-five  years  of  age. 

The  writings  of  St.  Bernard  fill  many  volumes  and  are  highly 
prized.  His  first  published  book  "  On  the  Twelve  Degrees  of 
Humility"  even  now  widely  read,  was  followed  in  1120  by  his 
"  Homilies  on  the  Gospels."  But  I  cannot  enumerate.  Perhaps 
his  masterpieces  are  "  The  Cross  of  Abelard  "  and  his  "  Five 
Books  of  Consideration."  All  of  his  writings  are  characterized  by 
their  vigour,  terseness  and  a  high  degree  of  literary  ability,  even 
when  judged  by  our  modern  standards. 

St.  Bernard  died  at  Clairvaux,  August  2oth,  in  the  sixty-third 
year  of  his  age,  and  was  buried  before  Our  Lady's  high  altar  in 
the  monastic  church. 

He  was  in  every  way  a  truly  great  man  whether  we  view  him 
from  an  ecclesiastical  or  moral  standpoint ;  one  of  those  rare  men 
whose  virtues  and  accomplishments  cannot  be  justly  summed  up 
in  a  brief  sketch  like  the  present. 


AUGUST  2ist 

Is  the  festival  of  St.  Jane  Frances  De  Chantal,  the  grandmother  of 
the  celebrated  Mme.  de  Sevigne.  The  father  of  St.  Jane  was  a 
man  of  some  note  being  one  of  the  presidents  of  the  Parliament 
of  Burgundy,  but  more  particularly  for  his  loyalty  to  Henry  IV.  in 
his  struggle  with  the  league.  While  Jane  Freniot  was  still  an 
infant  she  lost  her  mother  by  death,  but  her  father  by  his  prudent, 
pious  care,  as  far  as  possible  supplied  the  mother's  place.  When 
Jane  was  twenty  years  of  age,  in  obedience  to  her  father  she  was 
married  to  the  Baron  de  Chantal,  an  officer  of  distinction  in  the 
French  army  and  a  favourite  with  King  Henry  IV.  While  thus 
complying  with  her  father's  wishes  the  union  was  one  that  she 
would  have  avoided  not  from  any  just  reason  so  far  as  the  baron 
went,  for  he  was  in  all  ways  a  thoroughly  acceptable  man  and 
proved  a  kind  husband,  but  that  the  maid  had  earnestly  desired  to 
lead  a  religious  life.  In  those  days  a  father's  command  on  such  a 
subject  was  recognized  as  supreme.  She  therefore  yielded,  but 


376   SAINTS   AND    FESTIVALS 

in  so  doing  made  a  mental  vow  that  if  in  God's  providence  she 
became  a  widow,  from  that  hour  she  would  devote  her  life  to  the 
service  of  God  and  the  poor. 

A  happy,  contented  life  followed  for  eight  years  during  which 
four  children  were  born.  Then  on  a  day  when  the  baron  and  a 
friend  were  hunting  deer  in  his  forest  at  Bourbilly  (the  name  of 
his  estate),  this  friend  in  the  dim  light  mistook  the  dull,  dun  color 
of  the  baron's  hunting  coat  for  a  deer  moving  behind  a  clump  of 
bushes  and  shot  him.  The  baron  lived  nine  days  only  and  then 
the  baroness  found  herself  at  twenty-eight  years  of  age,  the 
widow  she  had  pictured  herself ;  but  hampered  by  her  duty  to 
four  young  children,  a  duty  she  did  not  either  shirk  or  deny,  and 
though  her  inclinations  for  a  religious  life  were  unchanged  she 
recognized  where  her  paramount  duty  lay.  After  her  year  of 
mourning  was  over  she  began  her  consultations  with  her  old 
friend,  St.  Francis  de  Sales,  who  after  months  of  careful  consider- 
ation at  last  broached  to  her  his  project  for  the  establishment  of 
"a  Congregation  of  the  Visitation  of  the  Virgin  Mary."  In  the 
formation  of  this  order  the  baroness  lent  him  her  aid  and  con- 
tributed largely  from  her  wealth.  But  her  children  were  neither 
neglected  nor  forgotten,  and  before  she  left  the  world  to  assume 
the  direction  of  the  new  order  as  "  La  Mere  Chantal  "  she  saw  her 
eldest  daughter  happily  married  to  the  young  Baron  de  Thouns,  a 
nephew  of  St.  Francis  ;  a  second  daughter  also  married  to  the 
Count  de  Touloujon,  a  nobleman  of  great  virtue,  prudence  and 
honour  ;  while  God,  in  his  wisdom,  had  taken  to  himself  the  third 
daughter.  Her  son  the  young  Baron  de  Chantal,  then  fifteen 
years  old,  she  committed  to  the  care  of  her  father,  President  Fre- 
niot.  Thus  when  her  children  no  longer  needed  her  care,  she 
took  upon  herself  the  arduous  duties  she  had  determined  upon. 
The  vicissitudes  of  her  life  from  this  point  would  fill  a  volume  and 
be  the  entire  early  history  of  the  Order  of  the  Visitation,  as  it  was 
known.  How  faithfully  she  fulfilled  those  duties  is  well  known  in 
the  Roman  Church.  She  died  December  13,  1641  ;  was  beatified 
by  Benedict  XIV.  in  1751,  and  canonized  by  Clement  XIV.  on 
September  2,  1769,  who  then  fixed  the  day  of  her  feast  for  the  2ist 
of  August. 


ORDER    OF    SERVITES       377 

AUGUST  22d. 

Of  St.  Hippolytus,  the  primitive  prelate  and  illustrious  doctor, 
who  flourished  in  the  beginning  of  the  III.  century,  and  whom 
the  Church  honours  this  day,  outside  of  his  writings  very  little  is 
known.  Even  St.  Jerom  was  obliged  to  say  that  he  was  unable 
to  learn  of  what  city  he  was  bishop,  yet  such  was  the  force  of  his 
wonderfully  gifted  pen  that  not  a  few  of  its  products  live  even 
now  after  seventeen  centuries  have  come  and  gone,  and  we  are 
apt  to  wonder  if  the  writings  of  any  of  the  prelates  of  the  twen- 
tieth century  will  be  found  so  wise  and  valuable  that  men  will 
read  them  in  the  thirty-seventh  century,  as  a  half  score  of  this 
man's  writings  are  read  to-day.  Even  in  his  own  day  or  very 
near  it,  his  fame  must  have  been  beyond  that  of  most  of  his  con- 
temporaries for  there  stands  now  in  the  Vatican  library  a  statue 
of  St.  Hippolytus  which  was  dug  up  in  1551,  and  which  bears 
evidence  of  its  having  been  erected  far  back  in  the  dusty  days  of 
the  past,  in  his  honour.  "  The  Greeks  and  Ethiopians,"  Dr.  Butler 
says,  "  honoured  St.  Hippolytus  on  our  2pth  of  January ;  the 
Latins  on  the  22d  or  23d  of  August." 


AUGUST  23d. 

Of  the  several  saints  named  in  the  Kalendar  of  this  day  I  will 
take  space  to  mention  but  one,  St.  Philip  Beniti,  or  Benize  as  he  is 
sometimes  called,  the  principal  ornament  and  propagator  of  the 
religious  "  Order  of  Servites  "  in  Italy. 

As  a  young  man  St.  Philip  had  studied  medicine  in  Paris  and 
later  took  his  degree  of  doctor  from  the  University  of  Padua, 
whence  he  returned  to  Florence. 

The  Order  of  Servites  or  the  servants  of  God  had  been  founded 
some  fifteen  years  before  his  return.  Some  very  rich  merchants 
of  Florence  by  mutual  agreement,  had  retired  from  the  world 
to  Monte  Senario,  six  miles  from  the  city ;  where  in  little  cells 
they  lived,  having  all  things  in  common.  To  St.  Philip  their  lives 
seemed  to  be  peculiarly  attractive  as  meeting  his  own  ideal  of 


378   SAINTS    AND    FESTIVALS 

self-sacrifice  for  others.  Attending  service  one  evening  at  their 
chapel  the  Epistle  was  from  Acts  viii.,  29,  and  in  it  the  words 
occur  "  Draw  near  and  join  thyself  to  the  chariot,"  which  were 
addressed  to  his  namesake,  Philip ;  and  which  he  felt  were 
addressed  to  him  in  person.  A  vision  which  came  to  him  that 
night  confirmed  him  in  this,  and  with  no  little  dread  he  applied, 
and  in  due  time  was  "  admitted  to  the  habit  of  the  order  by  Father 
Bonfilio,"  the  superior  of  the  community.  This  was  in  Sep- 
tember, 1233.  From  thence  his  life  was  devoted  to  charity  and 
the  propagation  of  his  order,  passing  through  every  grade  from 
that  of  servitor  to  that  of  definitor  and  at  last  in  1267  he  became 
the  fifth  General  of  the  Order. 

After  the  death  of  Clement  IV.  he  was  sought  for  by  many  as 
a  successor  to  the  pontifical  throne  ;  but  when  he  heard  of  this  he 
fled  to  the  mountains  and  lay  concealed  until  after  the  election  of 
Gregory  X.,  and  thenceforward  gave  his  life  to  the  service  of  his 
order.  He  died  in  1285  and  for  his  sanctity  was  canonized  in 
1726  by  Benedict  XIII. 


THE  NOBLE  ARMY  OF  MARTYRS  PRAISE  THEE. 

In  opening  the  chapter  on  early  martyrs  Mrs.  Jameson  says : 
"  When  in  the  daily  service  of  the  church  we  repeat  these  words 
of  the  sublime  hymn  I  wonder  sometimes  whether  it  be  with  a  full 
appreciation  of  their  meaning.  Whether  we  do  really  reflect  on 
all  that  this  noble  army  of  martyrs  hath  conquered  for  us  ?  "  As 
I  record  in  the  Kalendar  the  names  of  these  "  noble  "  martyrs  this 
question  constantly  recurs  to  me,  and  how  utterly,  except  for  the 
Roman  Church  we  in  this  utilitarian  age  should  forget  them  and 
let  the  memory  of  their  sacrifices  sink  into  oblivion.  From  our 
comfortable,  well  upholstered  pew,  with  a  due  and  reverent  mien 
we  echo  back  the  glorious  words  as  they  fall  on  our  ears ;  yet 
how  many  of  us  in  the  privacy  of  our  own  homes  ever  give  this 
"  noble  army  of  martyrs  "  a  second  thought,  much  less  to  stop 
and  compute  the  debt  every  Christian  no  matter  what  his  creed 
may  be,  owes  them,  or  reflect  on  the  true  heroism  they  displayed. 


ST.    BARTHOLOMEW 


379 


Their  names  even  are  but  empty  sounds  while  their  noble  deeds 
are  quite  forgotten  though  done  in  imitation  of  their  Divine 
Master  and  to  prove  their  faith  in  His  promises. 


AUGUST  24th. 

This  is  St.  Bartholomew's  Day.  As  this  apostle  is  not 
mentioned  in  any  of  the  canonical  books  except  when  enumerat- 
ing the  names  of  the  twelve,  legend  has  filled  the  gap  with  the 
usual  result,  and  we  find  ourselves 
much  at  a  loss  in  regard  to  his  true 
history.  One  of  these  legends  makes 
him  the  son  of  an  husbandman,  while 
another  makes  him  the  son  of  Prince 
Ptolomcus,  supposed  to  be  the  Tholo- 
mew  or  Tolmai  family  mentioned  by 
Josephus,  while  Jensenius  and  other 
learned  writers  take  the  apostle  to 
have  been  the  same  person  with 
Nathaniel,  a  native  of  Cana  in  Galilee, 
a  doctor  of  Jewish  law.  All  legends 
agree  that  after  the  Ascension  of 
Christ  he  travelled  into  many  distant 
lands  preaching  the  gospel ;  some  say- 
ing he  even  reached  India  in  his 
journeyings.  It  was  at  Hierapolis  in 
Phrygia  he  met  St.  Philip.  It  is  said 
that  in  all  of  his  travels  he  carried 
with  him  a  copy  of  the  Gospel  of  St. 
Matthew  from  which  he  constantly  quoted.  Returning  from  his 
travels  he  preached  in  Armenia  and  Cilicia  and  while  in  the  city 
of  Albanopolis  he  was  seized  and  condemned  to  a  most  cruel 
death  ;  for  he  was  first  flayed  alive  and  later  crucified.  The  proper 
attribute  of  St.  Bartholomew  is  a  knife  of  very  peculiar  form.  If 
we  could  get  an  exact  copy  of  an  ancient  Jewish  "  flesher's  knife  " 


ST.  BARTHOLOMEW. 
Winchester  Glass. 


380    SAINTS   AND   FESTIVALS 


we  should  have  it  in  its  proper  shape.  The  illustration  copies 
the  knife  in  an  old  Florentine  picture  of  St.  Bartholomew  and 
I  give  it  as  found,  not  assuming  to  vouch  for  its  correct  form. 
The  other  illustration  is  from  an  English  Clog-stick,  for  I  find 
none  of  this  saint  on  the  Danish  sticks. 

The  martyrs  of  Utica  who  had  suffered  under  the  decree  of 

Valerian  in  258,  are  this  day 
honoured  by  the  Roman 
Church,  in  Carthage.  St. 
Austin  places  their  number  at 

>one  hundred  and  fifty-three 
persons,  and  this  holocaust  is 
universally  spoken  of  as  the 
"  White  Mass  "  and  the  ques- 
tion is  often  asked  why.  The 
following,  taken  verbatim  from 
the  American  edition  of 
Roman  Martyrology,  not  only 
answers  the  query  but  shows 
the  propriety  of  the  appella- 
tion :  "  Among  other  torments 
inflicted  on  them,  a  limekiln 
was  set  on  fire  by  order  of  the 
governor  and  live  coals  with 
incense  being  brought  to  him 
he  said  to  the  confessors : 
'  Choose  one  of  these  two  things,  to  offer  incense  to  Jupiter  on 
these  coals  or  to  cast  yourselves  into  the  kiln.'  Armed  with  the 
faith  and  confessing  Christ  to  be  the  son  of  God,  they  each  with 
a  rapid  step  precipitated 
themselves  into  the  kiln 
and  amidst  the  vapours 
of  the  lime  were  reduced 
to  dust."  It  is  difficult  to  conceive  of  a  higher  degree  of  moral 
courage  and  heroism  than  this  "  Noble  Army  of  Martyrs  "  dis- 
played on  that  memorable  24th  day  of  August  in  258.  Even 
those  gallant  three  hundred  Spartan  heroes  at  Thermopylae, 


ST.    LOUIS  381 

who  for  ages  have  been  held  up  as  models  of  courage  were  not 
superior  to  these  humble  Christians. 


AUGUST  25th 

Is  the  feast  of  St.  Louis,  King  of  France,  a  saint  who  in  France 
has  had  few  that  have  been  held  in  greater  esteem.  He  was  born 
in  Poissey,  in  1215,  and  therefore  often  signed  himself  "  Louis  of 
Poissey."  By  the  death  of  his  grandfather,  Philip  II.  in  1223  his 
father,  Louis  VIII.,  became  king,  but  only  for  three  brief  years 
as  he  died  November  7th,  1226,  and  our  saint  when  only  in  his 
twelfth  year  of  age  became  nominally  King  of  France. 

His  mother  Blanche,  a  daughter  of  Alphonsus  IX.,  (sometimes 
called  VIII.)  King  of  Castile,  was  proclaimed  regent  during  his 
minority,  and  happily  for  the  young  monarch  she  proved  herself  a 
woman  of  more  than  ordinary  worth  and  ability.  She  was  not 
only  a  devout  church-woman,  but  a  most  devoted  mother  from 
the  hour  of  the  birth  of  the  heir  to  the  French  throne.  From 
infancy  Louis  was  a  docile,  loving  child,  and  from  the  earliest 
dawn  of  his  intellect  Queen  Blanche  directed  and  personally  super- 
vised his  education.  Even  the  burden  of  care  which  the  regency 
placed  upon  her  was  not  allowed  to  interfere  with  this  —  as  she 
felt  it  —  her  paramount  duty.  She  must  have  been  a  woman  of — 
for  that  period  —  unusual  education,  and  to  her  care,  and  in  part 
we  are  told,  by  her  personal  teaching,  young  Louis  became  a  per- 
fect master  of  the  Latin  language,  as  well  as  to  speak  with  a 
grace,  ease  and  dignity  in  public.  But  over  all  the  teachings  of 
the  Church  at  all  times  dominated  ;  while  the  tender,  mutual  love 
between  the  mother  and  her  son  is  one  of  the  pleasantest  pictures 
of  the  life  of  St.  Louis.  In  a  like  manner  Louis  was  most  fortu- 
nate in  the  wife  that  was  selected  for  him,  Margaret  of  Provence, 
whom  he  married  May  27,  1234.  But  I  must  not  enlarge  on  bio- 
graphical matters.  In  Dr.  Butler's  notice  of  St.  Louis  I  read  the 
following :  "  Baldwin  II.,  the  Latin  emperor  of  Constantinople 
in  1239,  made  St.  Louis  (in  gratitude  for  his  great  largesses  to  the 
Christians  in  Palestine  and  other  parts  of  the  East)  a  present  of 


382    SAINTS   AND    FESTIVALS 

the  Holy  Crown  of  Thorns  which  was  formerly  kept  in  the  Im- 
perial palace  but  was  then  in  the  hand  of  the  Venetians,  as  a 
pledge  for  a  considerable  loan  of  money  borrowed  of  them  and 
which  St.  Louis  discharged,"  and  following  this  the  author  tells  of 
the  disposition  of  this  holy  relic. 

The  story  of  the  Crusades  of  King  Louis  to  the  Holy  Land  are 
too  trite  to  repeat  here  save  to  mention  the  date,  when  after  hav- 
ing gone  to  the  Abbey  of  St.  Denis  "  to  take  the  Oriflame  "  (the 
ancient  standard  borne  by  the  kings  of  France  in  war  and  so 
called  from  its  being  of  a  red  or  flame  colour)  he  set  sail  from 
Aiguesmortis  on  August  27,  1248,  for  Palestine  and  not  to  return 
until  after  over  six  years  of  this  terrible  war,  to  Vincennes  on 
September  5,  1254. 

The  second  crusade  was  undertaken  March  25,  1267,  but  King 
Louis  only  finally  sailed  with  his  army  from  Aiguesmortis  July  i, 
1270,  with  his  sons  Philip,  John  (Count  of  Nevers)  and  Peter 
(Count  of  Alengon)  and  a  numerous  retinue  among  whom  was 
Theobald,  King  of  Navarre,  a  son-in-law  of  St.  Louis. 

It  was  to  be  the  last  of  the  great  king's  efforts,  for  he  died  from 
"distemper"  on  August  25th  in  1270  and  his  relics  were  brought 
to  Paris  and  deposited  in  the  Church  of  St.  Denis.  He  was 
canonized  by  Benedict  VIII.  in  1297. 


AUGUST    26th. 

The  Church  to-day  remembers  St.  Zephrinus,  one  of  those 
early  fathers  who  filled  the  pontifical  chair  in  202  when  Severus 
raised  the  fifth  of  those  bloody  persecutions  which  mark  the  entire 
history  of  the  Christian  Church  from  the  day  when  our  Lord  suf- 
fered upon  Calvary.  Like  so  many  of  those  devoted  men,  little  is 
known  of  him  beyond  the  fact  of  his  having  suffered  for  the  cause 
of  Christ  and  that  during  the  sixteen  years  he  was  looked  up  to  as 
the  Head  of  the  Church,  he  comforted  the  suffering,  giving 
strength  to  the  wavering  and  at  the  last  won  his  own  immortal 
crown  of  glory  in  218. 


ST.    GELASINUS    (ACTOR)    383 

Another  saint  who  is  also  this  day  honoured  is  St.  Gelasinus  ; 
who  is  one  of  whom  we  wish  we  knew  more.  At  best  his  story 
is  a  mythical "  Folk-Tale, "  told  from  the  chronicles  of  Alexandria. 
The  man  was  an  actor  and  for  a  jest  in  a  warm  bath,  in  a  scene 
in  a  play  given  on  an  Alexandrian  stage,  he  had  been  in  mock 
solemnity  baptized.  From  that  moment  a  strange  solemn  feeling 
had  seized  upon  him.  The  thing  which  had  begun  as  a  jest  had 
materialized  into  a  solemn  reality,  and  as  he  came  forth  from  his 
bath  he  proclaimed  himself  a  Christian  in  truth.  The  story  of  his 
arrest,  trial  and  condemnation  is  without  any  marked  features 
from  others  of  its  kind  and  the  chronicle  of  his  execution  briefly 
states  "  he  was  stoned  to  death." 


AUGUST  27th. 

In  Roman  Martyrology  for  this  day  we  read  of  the  death  of  St. 
Joseph  Calasanctus,  Confessor :  "  Illustrious  by  the  innocence  of 
his  life,  who  to  instruct  youths  in  piety  and  letters  founded  the 
Order  of  the  Poor  Regular  Clerks  of  the  pious  schools  of  the 
Mother  of  God."  His  life  had  been  one  continued  self-sacrifice 
for  the  sick  and  destitute  ;  for  whom  he  gave  up  the  wealth  and 
social  station  of  the  noble  family  in  Arragon  from  which  he  came. 
He  was,  in  short,  a  man  with  an  ideal  priesthood  in  his  mind 
which  he  sought  by  both  precept  and  example  to  establish.  He 
had  laboured  for  this  twenty  years  when  in  1617  Paul  V.  allowed 
him  and  his  companions  to  form  themselves  into  a  congregation 
under  simple  vows,  which  in  1621  Gregory  XV.  changed  to  reli- 
gious vows  and  gave  them  the  name  they  bear.  The  Order  passed 
through  many  vicissitudes.  Alexander  VII.  in  1656  brought  them 
back  to  the  simple  vows  of  1617.  Clement  IX.,  again  in  1669 
raised  them  to  a  religious  order  which  Innocent  XL  confirmed 
in  1689.  They  teach  philosophy,  divinity,  mathematics,  the  learned 
languages  and  all  the  classics  as  well  as  the  elementary  branches. 
They  have  houses  in  most  cities  of  Italy,  Austria-Hungary,  Poland 
and  Spain.  St.  Joseph  Calasanctus  died  at  the  wonderful  old  age 


384     SAINTS   AND   FESTIVALS 

of  ninety-two  in   1648.     An  office  in  the  Roman  Breviary  was 
established  for  him  in  1769. 


AUGUST   28th. 

St.  Augustine,  to  whom  this  day  is  dedicated  is  often  called 
"  The  Greatest  of  the  Fathers  "  and  is  one  of  those  saints  who 
are  held  in  equal  reverence  by  both  the  Roman  and  Protestant 
Churches.  He  was  one  of  the  "  Four  Latin  Fathers  "  who  as 
logicians  and  advocates  wrote  and  suffered  for  the  church  militant 
in  its  early  and  fierce  struggle,  and  who  fixed 
the  articles  of  faith  which  thereafter  were 
received  for  their  guidance.  Of  these  "  Latin 
Fathers  "  St.  Augustine  appears  as  the  third 
in  usual  order,  SS.  Simon  and  Ambrose 
occupying  the  first  and  second  places  and 
St.  Gregory  the  fourth. 

Augustine  was  an  African  being  born 
at  Tagaste,  a  city  of  Numidia,  in  354.  His 
father  was  a  pagan  and  his  mother,  Monica, 
a  Christian  of  earnest  piety  who  longed  with 
exceeding  desire  for  her  son's  conversion. 
In  his  boyhood  falling  seriously  ill,  he  desired 
to  submit  to  the  rite  of  baptism,  but  the 
danger  being  averted,  the  rite  was  deferred. 
As  he  grew  up,  his  morals  became  corrupted 
and  he  lapsed  into  profligate  habits.  In  his 
nineteenth  year  the  perusal  of  Cicero's  Hor- 
tensius  ( a  work  now  lost )  made  a  deep 
impression  on  his  mind,  and  stirred  within 
him  aspirations  after  a  nobler  life.  At  this 
juncture  he  became  a  convert  of  the  Manichaens  and  for  nine 
years  an  able  advocate  of  their  opinions.  The  Manichaens  were 
a  set  founded  by  one  Manes,  about  261.  He  confounded  the 
teaching  of  Christ  with  that  of  Zoroaster  and  held  that  the 


ST.  AUGUSTINE 
of  Hippo. 


ST.    AUGUSTINE  385 

government  of  the  universe  was  shared  by  two  powers,  one  good 
and  the  other  bad  ;  the  first,  which  he  called  Light,  did  nothing 
but  good ;  the  second,  which  he  called  Darkness,  did  nothing 
but  evil.  Meanwhile,  Augustine  taught  grammar  at  Tagaste  and 
then  rhetoric  at  Carthage,  but  growing  disgusted  with  the  vicious 
character  of  his  pupils  he  determined  to  go  to  Rome,  much  against 
the  will  of  his  mother.  In  Rome  he  attracted  many  scholars,  but 
finding  them  no  better  than  on  the  other  side  of  the  Mediterranean, 
he  removed  to  Milan  where  he  was  elected  professor  of  rhetoric. 
The  intrepid  Ambrose  ruled  at  that  time  as  Archbishop  in  Milan 
and  by  his  ministry  Augustine  was  delivered  from  the  Manichaen 
heresy.  The  vacation  of  386  he  spent  at  the  country  seat  of  his 
friend  Verecundus,  in  the  diligent  study  of  the  Scriptures;  and 
in  the  Easter  of  the  following  year  he  and  his  son,  Adeodatus, 
a  youth  of  singular  genius,  were  baptized  by  Ambrose. 

It  was  on  this  occasion  it  is  said,  that  the  "  Te  Deum  "  was 
composed  and  chanted  by  Ambrose  and  Augustine  alternately 
as  they  advanced  to  the  altar  At  the  request  of  his  mother,  St. 
Augustine  accompanied  her  (who  had  been  in  Milan  to  witness 
his  baptism)  to  Aplina,  but  she  died  on  the  way  and  he  retired  to 
a  villa  near  Hippo  where  after  three  years  spent  in  monastic 
seclusion  in  391  he  took  on  himself  holy  orders,  and  in  396,  was 
made  Bishop  of  Hippo,  where  he  presided  nearly  thirty-five  years 
until  in  430  when  the  town  was  besieged  by  the  Vandals.  It  was 
during  this  siege  that  he  died  in  the  month  of  March.  When  the 
city  some  months  after  his  death  was  captured  and  burned,  his 
library  was  fortunately  saved,  which  contained  his  voluminous 
writings  —  two  hundred  and  thirty-two  separate  books  or  treatises 
on  theological  subjects,  besides  a  complete  exposition  of  the 
psalter  and  the  gospels,  and  a  copious  magazine  of  epistles  and 
homilies.  The  best  account  of  Augustine  is  found  in  his  Confes- 
sions, in  which  with  unflinching  and  sorrowful  courage  he  records 
the  excesses  of  his  youth,  and  the  progress  of  his  life  in  Christ. 

It  is  these  writings  which  have  made  St.  Augustine  the  patron 
saint  of  theologians  and  scholars.  The  representations  of  St. 
Augustine  in  Christian  art  make  too  long  a  list  for  me  to  venture 
upon  them,  beyond  mentioning  that  such  great  names  as  Reubens 


386     SAINTS   AND   FESTIVALS 

and   Vandyke  head  the  list  of  artists,  while  Albert  Diirer  was 
proud  to  be  the  engraver  of  Vandyke's  picture. 


AUGUST  29th. 

This  day  in  the  Roman  Church  is  held  an  office  in  memory  of 
the  beheading  of  John  the  Baptist.  The  story  as  told  by  SS. 
Matthew  and  Mark  are  like  household  words.  We  all  have  heard 
it  from  our  childhood.  Pointing  as  this  event  does,  to  both  a 
great  moral  and  an  historic  event  of  no  ordinary  character,  it  is 
eminently  fitting  it  should  be  remembered  with  suitable  offices  by 
the  Church. 

Well  authenticated  traditions  tell  us  that  after  the  decollation  of 
John  the  Baptist  his  disciples  secured  his  body  and  that  they 
entombed  it  at  Sebasti,  or  Samaria,  but  that  during  those  trou- 
blous days  when  Julian  the  Apostate  reigned,  the  tomb  was  devas- 
tated and  rifled  by  the  pagans  who  then  burnt  a  part  of  the  sacred 
bones,  but  that  faithful  Christians  secured  the  rest  and  sent  them 
to  Alexandria  whence  in  later  days  they  were  distributed  to  many 
places.  Theodosius  in  386  had  built  a  church  in  honour  of  St. 
John  the  Baptist  on  the  site  of  the  ancient  temple  of  Serapis,  which 
had  been  destroyed.  It  was  here  the  remainder  of  the  relics  were 
preserved.  But  the  head  of  John  had  never  been  found,  until  it 
was  discovered  in  Emesa  in  Syria. 

According  to  a  tradition  for  which  I  am  indebted  to  my  kind 
friend  at  St.  Bernard's  Seminary,  Herod  in  grief  over  his  act  had  the 
head  of  St.  John  the  Baptist  concealed  and  buried  in  his  palace  to 
spare  it  from  further  indignities  on  the  part  of  his  courtiers.  There 
it  remained  until  after  the  discovery  of  the  holy  cross  by  St.  Helena 
which,  as  history  tells  us,  brought  many  pilgrims  to  Jerusalem, 
and  the  head  was  found  by  two  pilgrims  to  whom  St.  John  had 
appeared  in  a  vision,  and  it  was  brought  to  Cilicia  under  Emperor 
Valeses  and  later  to  Constantinople  under  Emperor  Theodosius. 
From  Constantinople  it  was  stolen  by  a  Greek  and  brought  to 
Emesa  in  Syria,  and  its  location  was  unknown  until  the  year  453 
when  it  was  again  brought  to  light  by  the  Archimandite  Marcellus. 


ST.    JOHN'S    DECOLLATION  387 


Emesa  was  captured  by  the  Moslems  in  635  and  the  head  of  the 
Baptist  was  saved  from  their  hands  by  being  taken  to  Cappadocia 
or  Armenia,  and  kept  until  in  the  year  850  it  was  again  brought 
back  to  Constantinople.  Here  it  was  at  first  kept  in  the  imperial 
palace  but  was  afterwards  confided  to  a  monastery  (Kloster 
Studuim)  where  it  still  was  in  1025.  The  front  part  of  the  head 
was  taken  to  Amiens,  France,  in  the  time  of  the  Holy  Roman 
Empire,  where  it  is  still  kept  in  great  veneration.  Dr.  Butler  says  : 
"  Part  of  the  head  is  said  to  be  kept  in  St.  Sylvester's  Church  in 
Campo  Marzo,  Rome,  though  Sirmond  thinks  this  to  be  the  head 
of  St.  John  the  Martyr  of  Rome." 

The  celebration  of  the  feast  of  "  the  Decollation  of  St.  John  the 
Baptist,"  according  to  the  "  Kirchenlexikon  "  seems  to  have  origin- 
ated from  a  particular 
festival  that  has  been  ob- 
served  in  Sebasti, 
Palestine,  since  the  IV. 
century  on  the  29th  of 
August,  though  the  event 
itself  may  have  taken  place 
earlier  in  the  year  ;  "  pos  - 
sibly  in  February."  It  has 
according  to  ancient 
Sacramentaries  been  ob- 
served in  Italy  since  the 
V.  century.  In  some 
churches  it  was  celebrated 
within  the  octave  of  the 
"  Festurn  Nativitatis  of 
St.  Joannes."  But  it  was 
introduced  into  the  Roman  Missal  from  the  Sacramentaries  of 
Pope  Gelasius,  and  Gregory  extended  it  to  all  churches  of  the 
West,  fixing  the  date  (IV.  Kal.  Sept.)  on  August  29th.  The 
Greek  Church  in  addition  to  this  festival  celebrates  the  Synalis 
St.  Joannes  (Synalis  "  getting  together  ")  as  a  triple  festival.  The 
first,  "  the  Inventio  Caput  Joannes  "  on  February  29th,  another  on 
the  3d,  or  6th  of  May.  The  Clog  symbol  for  this  festival  is  an  axe 


388     SAINTS   AND    FESTIVALS 

of  an  ancient  form,   doubtless   the   invention  of  the   Clog-stick 
maker. 


AUGUST  soth 

Is  the  festival  of  the  only  canonical  saint  yet  chosen  from  the 
western  shores  of  the  Atlantic,  St.  Rose,  or  "  Santa  Rosa  di 
Lima."  She  was  christened  Isabel,  but  from  the  wondrous  colour 
of  her  complexion  as  she  lay  in  her  cradle,  which  resembled  the 
delicate  tints  of  a  rose,  her  mother  called  her  :  "  My  Rose,"  a 
name  which  clung  to  her  through  life  and  by  which  she  was 
canonized.  From  infancy  her  life  was  one  beautiful  story  of  love 
and  patience.  At  a  very  early  age  she  took  the  habit  and  vows  of 
the  third  Order  of  St.  Dominic,  and  her  legend  tells  that  to  keep 
constantly  her  mind  intent  upon  her  Saviour  she  wore  a  thin 
circlet  of  silver  on  her  head  within  which  were  sharp  points  or 
nails  to  remind  her  continually  by  their  tiny  prickings  of  the 
crown  of  thorns.  She  died  when  but  thirty-one  years  of  age  at 
Lima,  Peru,  on  August  24,  1617. 

The  Peruvian  legend  regarding  her  says  that  when  Clement  X. 
was  asked  to  canonize  her  he  refused,  exclaiming :  "  India  y 
Santa!  asi  como  blueven  rosas."  (India  and  saint!  as  likely  as 
that  it  should  rain  roses).  The  words  had  hardly  left  Clement's 
lips  before  a  literal  shower  of  roses  began  to  fall  in  the  Vatican  and 
"  continued  until  the  Pope  acknowledged  his  incredulity."  This 
was  in  1671  when,  after  the  examination  of  one  hundred  and 
eighty  witnesses,  Clement  X.  canonized  St.  Rose  and  named 
August  3oth  as  her  festal  day. 


AUGUST  3ist. 

This  day  is  the  festival  of  St.  Raymund  Nonnatus.  The  sur- 
name appended  from  the  peculiar  circumstances  attending  his  birth. 
His  legend  unfortunately  is  devoid  of  many  details  we  would  like 


ST.    RAYMUND  389 

to  know.  He  was  a  Spaniard  born  at  Portel,  in  Catalonia,  in 
1204. 

As  Raymund  passed  from  youth  to  young  manhood,  with  his 
ability  and  agreeable  manners  he  might,  if  he  would  have  done  so, 
by  pushing  his  fortune  at  the  court  of  Arragon,  backed  by  the  influ- 
ence of  his  friends  and  his  family  who  all  urged  him  to  such  a 
course,  have  easily  attained  to  almost  any  reasonable  ambition, 
either  for  wealth,  rank,  or  official  position  he  desired ;  but  he 
would  not  consent.  Almost  from  his  cradle,  certainly  from  the 
time  when  he  could  reason  with  himself,  he  had  a  higher  aim  than 
worldly  power.  It  was  only  after  strenuous  opposition,  and 
through  the  mediation  of  his  relative,  the  Count  of  Cordova,  that 
his  father  at  last  consented  and  young  Raymund  took  the  vows 
and  habit  of  the  then  newly  organized  "  Order  of  Our  Lady  of 
Mercy  for  the  Redemption  of  Captives,"  an  order  which  came 
from  the  necessities  of  the  time  when  so  many  Christians  were 
suffering  captivity  under  the  Moors.  One  of  those  organizations 
which  offered  neither  personal  glory  nor  honour,  whose  members 
were  prompted  and  stimulated  to  action  by  pure  love  of  their 
fellowmen.  Their  convent  was  at  Barcelona  and  Raymund  early 
took  rank  among  his  associates,  so  that  hardly  had  three  years 
elapsed  after  his  entry  there  before  he  was  named  by  his  superiors 
to  the  office  of  "  Ransomer,"  a  position  which  demanded  a  high 
degree  not  only  of  executive  ability  but  a  clear,  cool  head  and 
great  judgment. 

His  first  assignment  to  active  service  sent  him  into  Barbary 
with  a  considerable  amount  of  money  to  negotiate  for  the  release 
of  Christian  slaves.  This  accomplished,  he  still  found  so  many 
captives  remaining  that  his  heart  was  wrung  with  pity,  and  to 
secure  their  release  he  himself  became  a  hostage  that  they  might 
go  free  while  he  remained  until  their  ransom  was  paid.  From 
our  standpoint  Raymund's  conduct  during  this  interval  may  not 
have  been  wise  ;  for  urged  by  the  love  of  Christ  he  preached  to 
the  Mohammedans  the  doctrines  of  the  Christian  religion  only  to 
be  punished  by  chains,  torture  and  imprisonment,  and  he  would 
have  been  put  to  death  but  for  fear  that  by  such  an  act  the 
ransom  he  was  an  hostage  for  would  be  lost.  At  last  this  was 


390    SAINTS   AND   FESTIVALS 

paid  and  Raymund  returned  to  Barcelona  but  his  sufferings  had 
brought  upon  him  disease  and  when  barely  thirty-seven  years  of 
age  he  died.  He  was  made  a  Cardinal  but  he  never  took  upon 
himself  either  the  dress  or  the  usual  equipage  of  his  high  office. 
"  Pope  Alexander  II.  inserted  his  name  in  the  Martyrology  in 
1657." 


SEPTEMBER 


Next  him  September  marched  eke  on  foot, 
Yet  was  he  hoary,  laden  with  the  spoil 

Of  harvest  riches,  which  he  made  his  boot, 
And  him  enriched  with  bounty  of  the  soil. 

— Spenser. 

When  the  year  began  in  March  as  the  seventh  month,  Septem- 
ber was  properly  named,  but  when  the  Kalendar  was  changed  by 
placing  two  months  before  March,  the  name,  like  those  of  the 
three  following  months,  October,  November  and  December,  all 
seem  inappropriate,  but  through  all  the  mutations  their  names 
have  not  been  changed  as  others  have,  though  Julius  Cassar  added 
a  day  to  the  month  which  Augustus  again  took  away,  and  it  has 
since  remained  so.  In  old  English  days  this  month  was  called 
Gerst  monat  or  barley  month,  because  of  the  barley  harvest. 


SEPTEMBER  ist. 

To  the  denizens  of  London  there  is  no  name  in  the  entire  list  of 
saints  mentioned  in  the  Kalendar  more  familiar  than  that  of  St. 
Giles  who  is  this  day  honoured  by  all  branches  of  the  Christian 
Church,  especially  in  France,  Germany,  England  and  Poland,  as 
well  as  in  Greece  and  Rome,  for  he  was  by  birth  an  Athenian  of 
noble  extraction  who  in  Latin  is  called  Aequidius. 

From  a  desire  to  secure  perfect  isolation  from  the  world  St. 
Giles  migrated  into  France  and  set  up  a  hermitage  in  a  forest 
near  the  mouth  of  the  Rhone  in  what  is  now  the  diocese  of 
Nismes,  devoting  himself  wholly  to  his  prayers  and  holy  reflec- 
tions. His  legend  tells  us  of  a  hind  who  came  daily  to  his  cell 


392      SAINTS   AND   FESTIVALS 


and  thus  furnished  the  hermit  with  milk.  One  day  the  King  of 
France  while  hunting  happened  to  stalk  this  hind  and  chased  it 
until  it  found  refuge  in  the  cave  of  St.  Giles  and  it  was  thus  the 

secret  of  his  retirement  was  discovered  ;  but 

nothing  could  induce  him  to  leave  his  loved 
-  solitude.     He  did,  however,  consent  to  allow 

¥  a  few  disciples  to  join  him,  and  a  monastery, 

^"^^1  _^  which  at  its  inception  was  like  the  early  Irish 
I  C|  monasteries,  was  begun  and  St.  Giles  be- 
^^^r  came  its  abbot.  From  this  later  grew  an 

abbey  of  the 

Benedictine 

order  bearing  his  name  and  the  town 
of  St.  Giles  which  was  famous  in  the 
wars  of  the  Albigenses.  The  church, 
it  is  said,  still  remains  and  is  a  remark- 
able example  of  the  architecture  of 
the  VIII.  century,  being  "  covered 
with  bas-reliefs  on  the  outside  and 
has  a  remarkable  staircase  in  the  in- 
terior." St.  Giles  is  the  patron  of 
cripples  from  his  refusal  to  be  cured 
of  an  accidental  lameness,  in  order 
that  by  his  deformity  he  might  be 
able  the  more  thoroughly  and  com- 
pletely to  mortify  his  pride.  St.  Giles' 
Cripplegate  is  one  of  the  many 
churches  that  have  been  dedicated  to 
this  saint.  This  church  antedates  the 
Conquest.  Where  the  Church  of 
"  St.  Giles-in-the-Fields  "  now  stands 
Queen  Matilda,  wife  of  Henry  I., 
erected  a  hospital  for  lepers.  While 
in  Scotland  to  this  day  on  one  side  of  the  coat-armorial  of  the  city 
of  Edinburgh  you  may  see  figuring  as  a  supporter  the  hind  which 
ancient  legend  represents  as  nurturing  the  holy  anchorite  in  the 
forests  of  Languedoc  twelve  hundred  years  ago. 


ST.  GILES. 


ST.   STEPHEN   OF   HUNGARY   393 

In  art  St.  Giles  is  usually  represented  in  full  canonical  dress  with 
a  crosier  and  hind  as  in  our  illustration.  In  some  cases  the  hind 
has  an  arrow  in  its  neck,  but  the  usual  Clog  symbol  is  a  mysteri- 
ous emblem  given  above,  the  form  often  being  varied  into  the 
shape  shown  here  and  supposed  to  be  some  old  Athe- 
nian symbol  or  hieroglyphic.  St.  Giles  died  at  his 
abbey  some  time  between  the  years  720  and  725. 
The  exact  date  is  unknown  but  for  centuries  the  feast 
day  of  September  ist  has  been  observed  both  by 
the  English  church  and  in  Roman  Martyrology  in 
honour  of  this  saint. 


SEPTEMBER   2d 

Is  sacred  in  the  Roman  Church  as  the  festival  of  St.  Stephen,  the 
first  Christian  king  of  Hungary.  His  father,  Geysa,  was  the 
fourth  duke  of  the  Hungarians,  and  with  his  wife,  Sarloth,  under 
the  teaching  of  Adalbert,  a  Northumbrian  missionary  and  who 
afterward  became  Bishop  of  Prague,  were  baptised.  The  legend 
of  St.  Stephen  tells  that  Sarloth,  his  mother,  was  warned  in  a 
dream  to  give  her  son  the  name  of  the  great  proto-martyr  and 
when  in  977  he  was  born  he  was  at  once  thus  christened,  and 
from  his  infancy  educated  in  the  tenets  of  the  church.  In  997  his 
father,  Geysa,  died  and  the  young  duke  set  about  the  task  of 
Christianizing  his  province,  he  himself  often  acting  as  a  mission- 
ary. As  his  strength  grew  he  added  by  conquest  much  territory, 
and  at  last  asked  Pope  Sylvester  II.  to  confirm  him  as  king  of 
Hungary.  Not  only  was  this  done,  but  the  pope  sent  him  a 
present  of  a  cross  which  was  to  be  carried  before  him,  and  the 
legate  of  the  Vatican,  Astric,  placed  the  crown  on  Stephen's  head. 
This  was  in  the  year  1000.  I  am  reminded  in  passing  of  an  inter- 
esting historical  fact  connected  with  this  crown,  which  was  pre- 
served at  Presburg,  that  it  was  used  to  crown  Maria  Theresa  as 
empress.  But  I  must  not  try  to  follow  the  intricate  story  of  this 
first  Christian  king  of  the  Hungarians  beyond  referring  to  his 
remarkable  "  code  of  laws "  in  fifty-five  chapters,  which  even 
to-day  are  noted  for  their  justice,  wisdom  and  moderation,  and 


394      SAINTS   AND   FESTIVALS 

which  are  the  foundation  of  Hungarian  law.  Of  Stephen's  fidel- 
ity to  the  church  and  of  his  own  personal  purity  of  life,  one  can 
hardly  speak  too  highly.  For  three  long  years  he  suffered  from 
painful  maladies  borne  with  the  true  Christian  patience,  yet  never 
failing  to  watch  his  kingly  duties.  At  the  last  on  August  15, 
1038,  he  passed  to  rest  after  forty-one  years  of  rule  and  when 
over  three-score  years  of  age.  He  was  canonized  by  Pope  Bene- 
dict IX.,  but  Pope  Innocent  XI.,  in  1686  fixed  his  festival  for  the 
2d  of  September  with  an  office  for  the  whole  church,  that  being 
the  day  Emperor  Leopold  recovered  Buda  out  of  the  hands  of  the 
Turks.  But  in  Hungary  the  festival  is  kept  on  August  2oth,  the 
day  on  which  his  relics  were  translated  to  the  great  Church  of 
Our  Lady  at  Buda  erected  in  St.  Stephen's  honour  by  the  holy 
King  Ladislas. 

SEPTEMBER   30 

Is  devoted  to  St.  Simeon  Stylites  the  Younger,  of  whom  I  may 
make  but  brief  mention.  He  was  one  of  those  famous  "  Pillar 
Saints "  of  whom  I  already  have  made  mention.  His  legend 
reads  :  "  For  three-score  and  eight  years  he  lived  successively  on 
two  pillars  within  the  inclosure  of  the  monastery  in  the  exercise  of 
assiduous  contemplation."  He  died  in  592. 


SEPTEMBER  4th. 

St.  Cuthbert,  who  died  March  2oth  in  687  or  8,  and  was  Abbot 
of  "  Old  Melrose,"  is  again  especially  honoured  on  this  day,  the 
anniversary  of  the  translation  of  his  relics  in  the  year  995. 

Readers  must  not  confound  "  Old  Melrose  "  with  the  well- 
known  ruins  of  Melrose  Abbey.  Back  in  the  VII.  century  in 
a  rude  woody  country  occupied  by  a  few  half-savage  tribes  of 
southern  Picts  and  Angles,  on  a  high  promontory  around  two 
sides  of  which  flows  the  Tweed,  stood  the  monastery  of  Mailros, 
a  small  connection  of  "  wattled  huts  "  such  as  before  described. 
This  was  "  Old  Melrose  "  as  it  is  termed,  in  order  to  distinguish  it 
from  its  successor  whose  beautiful  ruins  many  of  my  readers  have 


ST.CUTHBERT  395 

seen.  It  was  of  this  monastery  of  Mailros  that  Cuthbert,  who 
had  entered  it  as  a  shepherd-boy,  at  last  came  to  be  its  Abbot. 
The  incursions  of  the  Danes  had  come  before  the  death  of  St. 
Cuthbert  often  disturbing  the  monks  of  Mailros,  and  the  Abbot 
had  commanded  if  after  his  death  the  monks  should  be  driven  out 
by  these  Danes,  they  should  take  his  remains  with  them  wherever 
they  went.  The  holy  man  was  much  honoured  during  his  life, 
but  when  eleven  years  after  his  death,  in  order  to  give  his  remains 
a  more  prominent  place,  his  tomb  was  opened,  they  found  his 
body  untouched  by  decay  ;  the  monks  became  convinced  that  he 
was  indeed  a  saint,  and  not  a  few  miracles  are  recorded  as  having 
been  performed  at  his  new  shrine  where  his  body  remained  until 
875  when  the  monks,  driven  out  by  the  Danes,  took  St.  Cuthbert's 
relics  to  find  rest  at  Chester-le-Street. 

But  even  this  resting  place  was  in  a  certain  sense  temporary,  for 
in  995,  a  new  incursion  of  the  Danes  sent  them  off  once  more 
upon  their  travels.  They  were  kept  some  time  at  Rippon  in 
Yorkshire,  and  when  the  danger  was  past  the  monks  set  out  on 
their  return  to  Chester-le-Street,  bearing  the  relics  with  them. 
They  were  miraculously  arrested,  at  a  spot  called  Duirholm  (the 
deer's  meadow),  on  the  River  Wear,  and  there  they  finally  settled 
with  the  precious  corpse  of  their  holy  patron,  giving  rise  to  what 
has  since  been  one  of  the  grandest  religious  establishments  of  the 
British  empire,  the  cathedral  of  Durham.  This  is  the  event 
which  was  for  some  ages  celebrated  as  the  Translation  of  St. 
Cuthbert. 

For  upwards  of  an  hundred  years  the  tomb  of  St.  Cuthbert 
with  his  uncorrupted  body  continued  to  be  visited  by  devout  pil- 
grims, and  in  1104  on  the  erection  of  the  present  cathedral  of 
Durham  it  was  determined  to  remove  his  remains  to  a  shrine 
within  the  new  structure.  Some  doubts  had  been  expressed  as  to 
the  permanence  of  his  incorruptibility,  and  to  silence  all  such  mis- 
givings the  clergy  of  the  church,  having  met  in  conclave  beside 
the  saint's  coffin  the  night  before  its  intended  removal,  resolved  to 
satisfy  themselves  by  an  actual  inspection.  After  preparing  them- 
selves for  the  task  by  prayer,  they  removed,  with  trembling  hands, 
the  external  fastenings  and  opened  the  first  coffin  within  which  a 


396     SAINTS   AND   FESTIVALS 


second  was  found,  covered  with  rough  hides  and  enclosing  a  third 
coffin  enveloped  in  several  folds  of  linen.  On  removing  the  lid 
of  this  last  receptacle  a  second  lid  appeared,  which  on  being 
raised  with  much  fear  and  agitation,  the  swathed  body  of  the 
saint  lay  before  them  "  in  a  perfect  state." 

For  the  greater  part  of  three  centuries  more  the  body  of  St. 
Cuthbert  lay  here  undisturbed.  He  was  not  forgotten  during  this 
time  but  a  legend  prevailed  that  the  site  of  his  tomb  was  known 

only  to  the  Catholic 
clergy,  three  of  whom,  it 
was  alleged,  and  no  more 
were  intrusted  with  the 
secret  at  a  time,  one  being 
admitted  to  a  knowledge 
of  it  as  another  died  — 
all  this  being  in  the  hope 
of  a  time  arriving  when 
his  shrine  might  be  re- 
erected,  and  the  incorrupt 
body  presented  once 
more  to  the  veneration  of 
the  people. 

In  1827  St.  Cuthbert's 
tomb  was  opened  once 
more  and  lying  on  the  breast  of  the  swathings,  was  found  the  gold 
cross  St.  Cuthbert  is  reported  to  have  worn,  and  it  is  shown  in 
the  illustration  copied  from  an  illustrated  description  of  Durham 
Cathedral.  But  as  on  March  2oth  I  spoke  of  this  saint  I  will 
not  enlarge  further  upon  his  story  here  except  to  mention  the 
legend  of  "  St.  Cuthbert's  Beads,"  as  told  in  "  Marmion  "  : 

On  a  rock,  by  Lindisfarne, 
Saint  Cuthbert  sits,  and  toils  to  frame 
The  sea-born  beads  that  bear  his  name  ; 
Such  tales  had  Whitby's  fishers  told, 
And  said  they  might  his  shape  behold, 

And  hear  his  anvil  sound  ; 
A  deadened  clang  —  a  huge  dim  form, 
Seen  but,  and  heard,  when  gathering  storm 

And  night  were  closing  round. 


ST.    LAURENCE    JUSTINIAN     397 


It  was  an  ancient  Northumbrian  legend  a  thousand  years  old 
when  Scott  wrote,  and  while  modern  science  shows  these  beads 
with  which  the  shore  is  strewn  after  every  storm  to  be  the  fossil- 
ized remains  of  animals 
called  c  r  i  n  o  i  d  s  which 
once  inhabited  the  deep 
in  myriads,  now  seldom 
found  complete,  yet  if 
the  reader  examines 
these  illustrations,  ST.  CUTH BERT'S  BEADS. 

selected  from  thousands  no  two  alike  he  will  not  wonder  back  in 
the  old  days  when  superstition  reigned,  men  could  believe  the 
legend  that  St.  Cuthbert  forged  these  beads  in  his  cave  under  the 
sea  for  the  faithful  to  use  on  their  rosaries. 


SEPTEMBER  $th. 

St.  Laurence  Justinian  who  is  honoured  by  the  Church  this  day 
was  a  native  of  Venice,  born  in  1380  of  an  illustrious  family,  even 
amid  the  host  of  Venetian  nobles  of  that  period  ;  but  from  his 
earliest  childhood  he  constantly  desired  to  lead  a  religious  life. 
His  mother,  a  devout  woman,  had  been  left  a  widow  and  there- 
fore hoped  to  see  the  family  honour  perpetuated  in  her  son,  and 
thus  an  honourable  alliance  had  been  arranged  for  Laurence  when 
he  was  nineteen  years  of  age.  But  this  was  never  completed  as 
the  young  man  then  secretly  fled  to  the  monastery  of  St.  George 
in  Alga  and  was  admitted  to  the  religious  habit.  From  that 
time  on  his  life  was  that  of  the  usual  novice  save  that  it  was 
marked  by  an  unusual  degree  of  humility,  a  trait  which  he  never 
overcame  even  when  his  profound  wisdom  and  learning  had 
placed  him  among  the  leaders  of  the  church. 

Talents  such  as  Laurence  Justinian  displayed  never  are  long 
without  recognition,  and  his  reputation  spread  far  beyond  the 
walls  of  his  monastery.  Pope  Eugenius  IV.  in  1433,  much 
against  the  wish  of  Laurence,  not  only  nominated  him  to  the 
episcopacy  of  Venice  but  insisted  upon  his  accepting  the  high 


398   SAINTS   AND   FESTIVALS 

office  which  he  so  worthily  filled  until  1451,  when  Dominic 
Michelli,  the  Patriarch  of  Grado,  died,  and  Nicholas  VI.  trans- 
ferred the  patriarchal  dignity  to  the  see  of  Venice,  and  invested 
Laurence  with  it ;  thus  conferring  on  him  the  high  honour  of 
being  the  first  Patriarch  of  Venice,  an  honour  which  he  held  until 
January  8,  1455,  when  he  passed  peacefully  to  rest.  The  cere- 
mony of  beatification  was  performed  by  Clement  VII.  in  1524, 
and  that  of  his  canonization  by  Alexander  VIII.  in  1690,  when 
September  5th,  the  anniversary  of  his  consecration  as  bishop  was 
fixed  upon  for  his  festival. 


SEPTEMBER  6th. 

The  especial  name  honoured  at  Rome  in  Martyrology  on  this 
day  is  St.  Eleutherius,  a  man  noted  for  his  beautiful  simplicity  of 
character  and  noble  virtues  which  won  for  him  the  friendship  of 
St.  Gregory  the  Great,  nay  more,  his  love  and  reverence,  and  we 
read  in  Roman  Martyrology  of  "  this  servant  of  God  who,  accord- 
ing to  the  testimony  of  Pope  St.  Gregory,  raised  a  dead  man  to 
life  by  his  prayers  and  tears."  St.  Eleutherius  died  at  the  Monas- 
tery of  St.  Andrew's  in  Rome  about  585,  and  his  remains  were 
translated  later  to  Spoleto. 


SEPTEMBER  7th 

Is  the  saint-day  or  festival  of  St.  Evurtius,  or  Evurchus  who 
holds  a  place  in  the  Anglican  Kalendar,  as  well  as  in  that  of  the 
Roman  Church  ;  yet  singularly  almost  nothing  is  known  of  him. 
His  brief  legend  tells  that  during  the  reign  of  Constantine  (the 
Great)  he  was  sent  to  secure  the  release  of  some  captives ;  but 
fails  to  tell  by  whom  held,  and  that  he  arrived  at  Orleans  just 
when  the  faithful  happened  to  be  electing  a  bishop ;  that  as  he 
waited  and  watched  the  ceremony,  a  dove  twice  came  and  lighted 
upon  his  shoulder  and  the  last  time  remained  there. 

The  incident  so  impressed  the  congregation  as  to  his  sanctity 
that  they  elected    him  —  nem.  con. —  Bishop   of    Orleans.     This 


ST.    CLOUD  399 

election  was  duly  confirmed  and  he  assumed  his  office.  Still 
later,  the  legend  tells  when  he  was  about  to  erect  his  Cathedral 
Church  of  the  Holy  Cross  he  directed  the  men  where  to  dig  for  its 
foundation,  and  that  as  the  workmen  dug  they  came  upon  a  spot 
containing  gold  amply  sufficient  to  meet  the  expense  of  the  edifice. 
Dr.  Butler  says :  "His  name  is  famous  in  the  ancient  Martyr- 
ologies ;  but  his  history  has  no  authenticity,  as  Stilting  complains," 
and  adds,  "  his  relics  had  three  translations,"  but  beyond  this 
furnishes  us  with  no  details.  He  is  supposed  to  have  died  in  340. 


St.  Cloud  is  another  saint  also  honoured  this  day,  a  prince  of 
the  royal  family  of  the  first  race  in  France,  a  son  of  Chlodomir, 
King  of  Orleans  and  a  grandson  of  St.  Clotilda,  of  whom  and  of 
whose  machinations  to  secure  the  control  of  the  entire  country  I 
spoke  lately.  In  524  Chlodomir  was  killed  in  Burgundy  when 
St.  Cloud  was  hardly  three  years  old.  His  grandmother  at 
that  time  came  to  Paris  bringing  with  her  his  two  older  brothers, 
Theobald  and  Gunthaire. 

Childebert,  King  of  Paris,  and  Clotaire,  King  of  Soissons,  the 
brothers  of  Chlodomir,  at  once  conspired  to  kill  their  children  and 
thus  to  secure  Burgundy  to  be  divided  between  them.  They  suc- 
ceeded in  murdering  Cloud's  two  brothers,  Childebert  killing  one 
by  his  own  hand  and  Clotaire  in  turn  the  other ;  but  by  a  mys- 
terious Providence,  Cloud  escaped  and  was  hidden  in  a  monastery 
until  all  danger  was  over.  It  is  a  long  and  interesting  bit  of 
French  history  how  Cloud  might  have  gained  the  kingdom  of 
Burgundy  until  in  551,  of  his  own  wish  he  was  ordained  to  the 
priesthood  by  Eusebius,  Bishop  of  Paris,  and  later  built  a  monas- 
tery at  Nogent  (now  St.  Cloud)  and  collected  pious  men  to  join 
him  in  his  efforts  for  the  good  of  mankind,  and  his  holy  life,  and 
his  death  in  560,  when  his  inheritance  was  by  his  directions 
divided  among  the  poor  of  Nogent  and  the  churches  of  the  see  of 
Paris.  It  is  a  true  and  beautiful  story  of  one  who  might  have 
been  a  king,  but  preferred  to  serve  his  Great  Master,  and  while  I 
would  gladly  tell  it  cannot  do  so  here.  The  monastery  built  by 
St.  Cloud  is  now  changed  into  a  Collegiate  Church  of  canons. 


400     SAINTS   AND   FESTIVALS 

SEPTEMBER  8th. 


THE  NATIVITY   OF   THE    BLESSED    VIRGIN 

Is  a  sacred  festival  which  is  observed  alike  in  the  Greek,  the 
Roman  and  the  English  branches  of  the  Christian  Church. 

In  the  birth  of  the  Holy  Virgin  we  come  one  step  nearer  to  the 
accomplishment  of  those  prophecies  which  abound  in  the  Old 
Testament  and  to  appreciate  duly  the  wonderful  importance  of 
this  event  "  we  must,"  as  Dr.  Butler  says,  "  consider  her  trans- 
cendant  dignity  and  the  singular  privileges  by  which  she  was 
distinguished  above  all  other  pure  creatures."  Her  dignity  is 
expressed  by  the  Evangelist  when  he  says ;  "  Of  whom  was 
born  Jesus,  who  is  called  Christ."  (Matthew  i.,  16).  Again  the 
venerated  St.  Bernard  says :  "  Choose  which  you  will  most 
admire,  the  most  beneficent  condescension  of  the  Son  or  the  sub- 
lime dignity  of  the  Mother,  etc." 

The  legends  of  the  Nativity  of  the  Virgin  are  almost  endless  in 
number,  a  favourite  one  describing  the  Concert  of  Angels  who 
hovered  over  the  mother  and  child.  In  Le  Clerc's  Almanac  this 
concert  is  presented  and  the  Angels  at  the  same  time  are  seen 
strewing  flowers  over  them. 

Most  of  the  traditions  regarding  Joachim  and  Anne  tell  us  that 


NATIVITY   OF    B.   VIRGIN     401 

they  were  "  exceedingly  rich,"  and  thus  in  many  of  the  early 
works  of  art  that  present  "  La  Nascita  della  B.  Vergine  "  the 
room  is  full  of  gorgeous  furniture  and  magnificent  decorations  of 
the  ancient  Hebrew  type,  and  the  child  Mary  as  she  rests  on  her 
mother's  breast  is  surrounded  by  "a 
Glory"  and  never  without  "  a  Nimbus."  The 
Clog  symbol  is  a  simple  heart  without  any 
adornments. 

The  Nativity  of  the  Blessed  Virgin  has 
been  kept  by  the  Church  with  great  solem- 
nity from  very  early  days.  The  "  Roman 
.  Ordo"  mentions  homilies  and  litanies  ap- 
pointed by  Pope  Sergius  (687-701)  in  688 
and  a  procession  to  be  made  on  this  day  from  St.  Adrian's 
Church  to  the  Liberian  basilica  (Sta.  Maria  Maggiore,  lately 
mentioned)  and  a  prescribed  office  for  the  ceremony,  not  to 
speak  of  them  in  detail,  many  especial  prayers  and  collects,  at 
close  intervals  from  the  feast  as  mentioned  by  St.  Idlefonsus  in 
the  VII.  century  down  through  intervening  ages.  The  Greeks, 
the  Copts  in  Egypt  and  all  Christian  Churches  in  the  East  kept 
this  feast  with  the  utmost  solemnity  and  when  after  the  Refor- 
mation the  ceremonials  of  the  dissenting  church  were  revived,  this 
feast  was  retained. 


On  this  day  also  the  festival  of  St.  Adrian  is  observed.  He  was 
a  Roman  officer  and  the  church  above  mentioned  was  erected  in 
his  honour.  He  suffered  martyrdom  under  Maximian  Galerius  in 
the  year  306. 


Under  this  date  Dr.  Butler  speaks  of  "  The  Festival  of  the  Holy 
Name  of  the  Virgin  Mary  "  to  be  observed  "  on  the  Sunday  within 
the  Octave  of  her  Nativity."  This  festival  was  appointed  by 
Pope  Innocent  IX.  and  the  occasion  was  a  solemn  thanksgiving 
for  the  relief  of  Vienna  when  it  was  besieged  in  1063. 


402    SAINTS   AND    FESTIVALS 

SEPTEMBER  9th. 

Again  this  day  the  cruelties  of  Dioclesian  are  brought  before  us 
by  the  names  of  SS.  Dorotheus,  Gorgonius  and  their  companions, 
who  as  martyrs  for  the  faith  of  Christ  suffered  under  those  terri- 
ble edicts  of  this  brutal  Roman  emperor.  Dorotheus  was  the 
first  chamberlain  of  the  Emperor  Dioclesian  while  Gorgonius  and 
Peter  were  under  chamberlains.  These  three  were  the  principal 
eunuchs  of  the  palace  and  had  sometimes  borne  the  weight  of  the 
most  difficult  affairs  of  State  and  been  the  support  of  the  emperor 
and  his  court.  When  the  palace  of  Nicomedia  was  set  on  fire, 
an  event  already  mentioned,  which  readers  will  remember  was 
charged  to  the  Christians  by  Galerius,  the  joint  emperor  with  Dio- 
clesian, Dorotheus  and  a  number  of  his  companions  who  knew 
how  unjust  and  untrue  the  assertion  was  had  the  manhood  to 
deny  boldly  the  falsehood.  The  anger  and  suspicions  of  the 
emperor  were  aroused  and  he  accused  his  eunuchs  of  being  Chris- 
tians. This  was  not  true  in  fact  yet  once  these  three  men  had 
been  nearly  converted  to  the  faith.  They  were  thoughtful  men 
not  time  servers  and  were  considering  in  their  own  minds  the 
weighty  question  of  the  salvation  of  their  souls.  By  a  mere  word, 
an  assertion  and  a  vain  act  they  could  then  have  saved  their 
earthly  lives  but  with  solemn  deliberation  they  saw  the  truth  and 
their  noble  Roman  blood  knew  no  deceit.  They  had  decided  for 
themselves  and  the  inexorable  Dioclesian  sacrificed  these  men, 
true  to  him  in  all  matters  of  state,  but  who  refused  to  sacrifice  to 
Roman  gods  they  knew  were  but  myths.  The  cruelties  they  were 
subjected  to  seem  beyond  the  humanity  of  man  to  inflict  on  a 
fellow  man.  The  fiendish  cruelties  of  the  wildest  savages  are 
gentle  when  compared  with  those  these  sturdy  brave  men  were 
called  on  to  endure  as  the  price  they  paid  for  holding  fast  to  the 
faith  of  Christ.  The  details  of  these  horrors  are  told  in  the  narra- 
tive of  their  persecution  and  death  that  lies  before  me  as  I  write, 
but  they  are  too  brutal  to  transcribe.  Yet  I  cannot  help  asking 
myself  whether  I  would  have  endured  them  as  these  "  saints  "  did. 


ST.PULCEHRIA  403 

SEPTEMBER  loth. 

St.  Pulcehria,  the  Virgin  Empress  of  the  East  whom  the  Roman 
Church  has  chosen  for  honour  on  this  day  is  one  of  those  remark- 
able and  exceptional  characters  that  from  time  to  time  come  to  light 
as  we  turn  the  pages  of  ancient  history.  She  was  born  in  399,  the 
granddaughter  of  Theodosius  the  Great.  Her  father,  Arcadius, 
was  a  weak  man  governed  by  his  wife,  Eudoxia,  and  his  eunuchs  ; 
but  his  daughter,  Pulcehria,  had  evidently  inherited  from  her 
grandfather  the  noble  traits  which  marked  her  character. 

She  was  hardly  fifteen  years  of  age  when  in  414,  she  with  her 
brother  Augustus  —  two  years  her  junior  —  were  jointly  invested 
with  imperial  power  ;  while  the  care  and  education  of  her  brother 
devolved  upon  Pulcehria  at  an  age  when  we  to-day  would 
regard  her  as  hardly  more  than  a  child  herself.  We  must  not 
forget  the  fact  —  too  patent  for  debate  —  that  the  women  of  the 
East  mature  both  mentally  and  physically  at  a  much  earlier  age 
than  with  us  of  the  West.  Yet  there  was  a  certain  precocity  of 
wisdom  and  a  provision  of  her  future  which  induced  Pulcehria  to 
make  a  public  vow  of  chastity,  and  thus  warn  off  possible  suitors 
for  her  hand.  In  like  manner  she  induced  her  sisters  to  take  sim- 
ilar vows  and  thus  save  the  empire  from  being  embroiled  by  some 
marriage  that  would  be  disastrous  to  the  State.  Her  influence 
over  her  brother  was  unbounded  and  whatever  else  may  have 
been  the  outcome  of  her  teaching  she  at  least  held  him  true  to  the 
faith  of  his  grandfather,  Theodosius,  at  a  time  when  many  here- 
sies were  creeping  into  the  Church.  A  writer  very  near  to  this 
period  says :  "  The  imperial  palace  under  her  discretion  was  as 
regular  as  a  monastery,"  while  another  of  later  date  says  :  "  Far 
from  making  religion  subservient  to  policy,  all  her  views  and  pro- 
jects were  regulated  by  that  virtue,  and  by  this  the  happiness  of 
her  government  was  complete."  She  was  skilled  in  both  the 
Greek  and  Latin  tongues,  proficient  in  history  and  other  branches 
of  science  and  literature,  and  a  generous  patron  of  art,  but  above 
all,  a  just  and  generous  ruler  who  by  her  wisdom  had  kept  her 
people  at  peace  and  in  prosperity  and  won  their  love. 

When  her  brother  was  about  twenty  years  of  age,  an  Athenian 


4o4    SAINTS   AND    FESTIVALS 

lady  appeared  at  Court  seeking  aid  to  secure  justice  in  her  father's 
will  by  which  she  was  disinherited.  The  young  man  was  capti- 
vated by  her  beauty  and  he  married  her. 

At  first  there  was  no  change  in  any  way  so  far  as  Pulcehria  was 
concerned.  But  soon  the  story,  as  old  as  the  institution  of  kingly 
powers,  was  again  reenacted.  The  Queen  Eudosia,  jealous  of  the 
influence  Pulcehria  exercised,  plotted  for  her  downfall.  She  had 
neither  grounds  nor  reason  for  so  doing  since  the  devoted  sister 
already  weary  of  power  was  only  too  happy  for  an  excuse  to  be 
relieved  and  quickly  sought  retirement. 

Eudosia  had  been  brought  up  and  educated  by  her  father,  an 
Athenian  philosopher,  as  an  idolater ;  but  before  her  marriage  had 
been  baptized,  and  as  soon  as  Pulcehria  was  removed  from  her 
path  began  those  historic  presecutions  of  447  and  449.  This 
providentially  was  of  but  short  duration,  for  the  emperor  died  in 
July  of  450  and  Pulcehria  again  resumed  her  control  over  the 
Empire  of  the  East  and  brought  peace  to  the  Christians.  It  was 
then  the  Empress  felt  the  need  of  help  in  her  duties  and  was 
married  but  with  the  agreement  that  she  yet  should  be  permitted 
to  keep  her  early  vow.  The  man  thus  chosen  was  worthy  of  the 
confidence  reposed  in  him  and  to  their  joint  efforts  the  Church 
owed  much  of  the  peace  it  enjoyed  in  the  East  during  this  reign, 
while  Dr.  Butler  says  of  her :  "  Historians  assure  us  that  volumes 
would  be  required  to  sum  up  all  the  churches,  monasteries  and 
especially  the  hospitals  which  St.  Pulcehria  founded  and  richly 
endowed." 

She  died  upon  September  loth  in  453,  and  for  centuries  both  the 
Greek  and  Latin  Churches  have  celebrated  hers  as  the  feast  of  a 
holy  virgin. 


SEPTEMBER  I4th. 

The  history  of  the  "  Invention  of  the  Cross  "  has  been  told 
already  (  see  May  3d )  and  how  from  this  discovery  by  St.  Helena, 
Constantine  the  Great  was  led  to  build  a  magnificent  church  on 
Mount  Calvary  for  its  preservation.  But  before  this  came  the 


EXALTATION   OF  THE 


wonderful  "  Labarum."  This  story  as  briefly  told  is  that  when 
Constantine  ( who  was  not  then  converted )  was  about  to  meet 
the  Emperor  Maxentius,  he  put  up  a  prayer  "  to  the  One  True 
God,"  for  help  and  in 
response  to  this  prayer 
there  appeared  in  mid- 
day the  monogram  of 
Christ  known  as  t  h  e 
Labarum  ( see  first 
illustration  )  and  caused 
a  banner  to  be  made, 
that  bore  upon  it  the 
monogram  o  f  Christ 
and  beneath  it  the  por- 
traits of  himself  and 
his  two  sons.  This  was 
the  banner  carried  in 
the  decisive  battle 
when  Maxentius  was 
defeated  and  after 
which  as  history  tells 
us,  he  drowned  him- 
self in  the  Tiber.  Still 
another  form  is  given 
which  is  said  to  have 
born  upon  it  the  in- 

scription  (  as  in  illustra-      ™  "P  9»P  £lOfle 
tion  )  in  Greek  the  words  :  By  this  Conquer. 

The  first  form,  however,  is  beyond  doubt  the  one  placed  upon 
the  banner. 

Naturally  the  discovery  of  the  true  Cross,  made  Christians  of 
Jerusalem  and  the  hosts  of  pilgrims  who  flocked  to  the  city  anxious 
to  see  the  sacred  piece  of  wood.  Therefore  in  338  it  was  deter- 
mined that  the  Holy  Rood,  (cross)  should  be  "raised"  or  "ex- 
alted "  in  full  view  of  the  people. 

Our  illustration  given  is  taken  from  a  reprint  in  1876  of  a  Dutch 
Legendary  History  of  the  Cross  originally  published  in  1423. 


4o6    SAINTS    AND    FESTIVALS 


This  custom  of  the  Exaltation  of  the  Cross  on  this  day  was  con- 
tinued annually  through  several  centuries. 

In  603  Phocas,  the  cruel  and  covetous  Emperor  of  the  East,  was 
reigning,  when  Chosroes  II.,  King  of  Persia,  broke  peace  with  him 

upon  a  specious  pretense  and  meet- 
ing no  serious  opposition  plundered 
Mesopotamia  and  part  of  Syria. 
Heraclius,  then  Prefect  of  Africa 
(afterward  Emperor  of  the  East) 
was  begged  by  the  people  to  as- 
sume the  purple  and  rid  them  of 
the  tyrant  Phocas.  This  he  did 
—  though  I  may  not  tell  the  story 
here  —  and  sought  for  peace  with 
Chosroes.  But  the  barbarian  re- 
fused all  overtures  and  pushed 
forward  until  in  613  he  captured 
Damascus,  and  in  614  Jerusalem, 
THE  LABARUM.  an(j  m  so  doing  secured  the  sacred 

relic  of  the  Cross.  It  was  then  that  as  history  tells  us  Chosroes 
defiled  the  sacred  relic  and  carried  it, 
among  his  plundered  treasures  from 
Jerusalem.  Then,  by  his  wonderful  vic- 
tory over  Chosroes,  Heraclius  once  more 
secured  the  Holy  Cross  and  brought  it 
to  Jerusalem.  The  next  illustration  taken 
from  the  same  Dutch  book  already 
spoken  of  is  in  two  parts,  the  left  show- 
ing an  angel  closing  the  gates  of  the  city, 
on  account  of  the  pomp  and  show  of 
Heraclius,  and  the  right  where  the  veil 
hides  the  Cross  as  it  is  being  taken  into 
the  Basilica.  This  last  event  occurred 
in  629  when  the  ceremony  of  Elevation  of 
the  Cross  was  for  a  time  resumed  but  THE  LABARUM  BANNER 
with  the  late  prostitution  of  the  holy  relic  ,  OF  CONST ANTINE. 
it  ceased  at  Jerusalem  until  revived  by  decrees  of  the  Church. 


HOLYROOD    DAY 


407 


Many  churches  in  Britain  were  dedicated  to  the  Holy  Rood  or 
Cross.  One  at  Edinburgh  became  the  nucleus  of  the  palace  of 
the  Scottish  kings.  Thus  Holyrood  Day  was  one  of  much  sacred 
observance  all  through  the  middle  ages.  The  same  feeling  led  to 
a  custom  of  framing,  between  the 
nave  and  choir  of  churches  what  was 
called  a  rood-screen  or  rood-loft,  pre- 
senting centrally  a  large  crucifix  with 
images  of  the  Holy  Virgin  and  St. 
John  on  each  side.  A  winding  stair 
led  up  to  it  and  the  epistle  and  gospel 
were  often  read  from  it.  Some  of 
these  screens  still  remain,  models  of 
architectural  beauty  but  numbers  were 
destroyed  with  reckless  fanaticism  at 
the  Reformation,  when  the  people  did 
not  distinguish  between  the  objects 
which  had  caused  what  they  deemed 
idolatry  and  the  beautifully  carved 
work  which  was  free  from  such  a 
charge. 


THE  CONSTANTINE 
BOOM. 


SEPTEMBER 

Is  the  Octave  of  the  Nativity  of  the  Blessed  Virgin  and  is  observed 
in  the  Roman  Church  by  an  especial  office. 

In  the  "  Ordo  "  for  this  day,  I  note  an  office  for  St.  Nicomedes, 
a  holy  priest,  who  during  the  persecution  of  Domitian,  was  beaten 
to  death  with  clubs,  because  of  his  aid  and  comfort  to  other  mar- 
tyrs and  his  refusal  to  sacrifice  to  idols,  saying :  "  I  do  not  sacrifice 
except  to  the  Omnipotent  God,  who  reigns  in  Heaven." 

Saints  Sabas  and  Nicetas  are  the  two  most  famous  saints  among 
the  Goths.  The  first  of  these  —  Sabas  —  is  honoured  on  April 
1 2th  and  the  last  on  this  day ;  especially  by  the  Greeks,  who  name 
him  as  one  of  the  ''  great  martyrs."  When  Valens  became 
Emperor  of  the  East  in  364  the  nation  of  the  Goths  was  divided 
into  two  kingdoms.  Athanaric,  King  of  the  Eastern  Goths, 


408     SAINTS   AND   FESTIVALS 

whose  territory  bordered  on  the  Roman  empire  toward  Thrace,  in 
370,  raised  a  furious  persecution  against  the  Christians.  By  his 
orders  an  idol  was  placed  in  a  chariot  and  carried  through  the 
towns  and  villages  and  any  Christian  who  refused  to  adore  it  was 


put  to  death  ;  their  usual  custom  being  to  burn  them  and  their 
children  in  their  houses.  Thus  Nicetas,  a  noble  Goth,  who  had 
accepted  the  Christian  faith  and  proved  his  constancy  within  the 
holocaust  of  his  own  dwelling. 


ST.    NINIAN  409 

SEPTEMBER  i6th. 

This  day  the  Roman  Church  honours  another  of  those  noble  men 
of  whom  she  has  so  many  to  be  proud  of,  St.  Ninian,  the  Apostle 
to  the  Southern  Picts,  and  to  whom  I  already  have  alluded.  Of  his 
early  life,  as  is  the  case  with  many  of  those  old-time  worthies,  little 
seems  to  be  known  beyond  the  fact  that  he  was  the  son  of  a 
Cumbrian  Briton  prince  in  or  about  Galloway  ;  in  the  borderland 
between  what  is  now  England  and  Scotland,  but  then  was  in 
North  Umbria  and  a  part  of  Bernecia.  The  same  section  I  have 
spoken  of  as  that  occupied  in  the  II.  century  by  a  tribe  which 
Ptolemy  termed  the  "  Novantag  "  and  who  came  to  be  known  as 
"  the  Picts  of  Galloway,"  and  still  later  as  the  locus  habitat  of  the 
"Wild  Scots  of  Galloway."  How  Ninian 's  house  had  come  to 
know  anything  of  Christianity  is  untold  and  we  can  only  infer  that 
it  had  come  about  through  intercourse  with  his  Irish  neighbours. 
Thus  in  a  vague,  uncertain  way  we  are  told  how  Ninian  had 
quitted  "  court  and  its  attractions  "  and  made  a  journey  to  Rome 
where  he  spent  many  years.  The  next  we  hear  of  him  is  toward 
the  close  of  the  Roman  occupation  of  Britain,  as  a  missionary 
located  on  the  north  shore  of  Solway  Frith  and  on  the  west  side  of 
Wigtown  Bay,  at  a  town  which  Ptolemy  calls  "  Leukopibia,"  now 
called  Whithorn.  St.  Ninian's  story  here  first  connects  him  with 
St.  Martin  of  Tours  for  whom  we  know  through  many  incidents  in 
his  later  life  he  had  a  great  veneration  and  love.  It  also  first 
mentions  the  foundation  of  the  "Magnum  Monasterium  "  founded 
by  Ninian  at  Whithorn,  and  variously  called  "  The  House  of 
Martin  "  and  "  Candida  Casa,"  the  latter  probably  from  the  white 
stone  of  which  the  church  edifice  was  constructed.  The  legend 
tells  us  that  Ninian  sent  to  St.  Martin  of  Tours  for  workmen  to 
build  this  church  "  after  the  Roman  manner,"  and  it  is  the  first 
stone  structure  of  which  we  have  any  authentic  account  north  of 
the  Solway  Frith.  While  no  date  is  given  in  regard  to  this  we 
know  St.  Martin  died  in  397,  and  therefore  this  could  not  have 
been  at  a  later  date.  This  monastery  became  known  as  a  great 
seminary  for  secular  and  religious  learning.  It  was  here  that  St. 
Finian,  or  Finbarr,  was  educated  and  later  established  the  great 


4io     SAINTS   AND   FESTIVALS 

school  at  Magh-Bile,  or  Mogbile  in  county  Down,  Ireland,  of 
which  I  spoke  on  June  9th,  when  describing  the  life  of  St. 
Columba. 

From  this  great  monastic  school  both  Ninian  and  his  pupils 
went  forth  as  missionaries  among  the  Southern  Picts  and  pagan 
Britons  from  Mount  Grampus  —  as  it  was  then  called  —  through 
Cumbria  and  Northumbria ;  and  from  this  gained  the  title  of  the 
"  Apostle  to  the  Southern  Picts. " 

In  early  days  the  residence  of  the  Picts  alternated  between  the 
Northern  and  the  Southern  Picts  and  also  the  capitol  of  the  nation 
changing  with  each  alternate  dynasty,  an  interesting  subject  I  can 
not  enter  on  here.  Ethnologically  these  Picts  were  one  race  and 
descended  from  the  same  cruithnigh ;  but  while  united  in  general 
purpose  they  were  dual  in  certain  essential  points.  In  Ninian's 
time  the  king  was  a  Southern  Pict,  Tudivald  by  name  ;  as  fierce  an 
idolater  as  Columba  encountered  in  Brude  at  Inverness.  Yet 
Ninian  seems  to  have  overcome  him  as  it  was  by  his  aid  the  won- 
derful church  which  Ninian  built  was  completed.  It  is  singular 
though,  that  there  is  no  account  of  the  conversion  of  King  Tudi- 
vald to  be  found  either  in  Bede's  or  Siacginui's  Chronicles,  or  in 
any  of  the  Folk-tales  of  the  time  as  was  the  case  when  the  doors 
and  gates  fell  before  SS.  Columba  and  Conegal  at  Inverness. 

Whatever  of  Ninian's  teachings  resulted  in  had  passed  by  St. 
Columba's  time  and  the  tribes  again  lapsed  with  Ninian's  depar- 
ture into  a  state  of  semi-paganism. 

Again  there  comes  an  aggravating  hiatus  in  the  life  of  Ninian  ; 
yet  in  an  old  "  Irish  Life  of  St.  Ninian  "  it  is  recorded  that  he  left 
Whithorn  and  went  to  Ireland  where  he  founded  a  church  in 
Leinster  called  Cluain  Couairc,  and  in  "  Bollaudus  Acta  Sancta  " 
it  is  recorded  he  is  commemorated  on  September  i6th  under  the 
name  of  Morenn.  "  Mointnd  Tomain  hi  tuaiscert  h  Fallan  " 
glossed  —  Monenni  of  Cluain  Toman  in  the  north  of  Hy-Fallan 
in  Leinster.  The  Martyrology  of  Talsnacht  says  "  Monenni "  is 
merely  Nenn,  or  Ninian,  "  i.  e.,  Ninianus  Episcopus  Candida 
Casa."  Bede,  the  Saxon  historian,  is  the  authority  —  now  univer- 
sally accepted  —  for  the  date  of  St.  Ninian's  death  in  432  ;  but  no 
details  of  any  kind  exist,  as  to  when,  where  or  how  he  died  except 


ST.    CYPRIAN  411 

that  Montelambert's,  "  Monks  of  the  West  "  says  Ninian  died  at 
Whithorn  432. 


Another  honoured  name  this  day  is  St.  Cyprian,  one  of  the 
most  famous  of  the  Latin  Fathers  and  second  only  in  eloquence 
to  Lactantius.  He  was  a  native  of  Carthage  and  became  a  con- 
vert to  Christianity  at  an  advanced  period  of  life  having  been  led 
to  renounce  paganism  through  conversation  with  an  aged  presby- 
ter called  Cecilius,  whose  name  he  adopted  as  an  addition  to  his 
own.  The  enthusiasm  which  he  displayed  on  behalf  of  his  new 
faith  caused  him  soon  to  be  admitted  as  a  priest,  and  within  less 
than  a  year  afterwards  to  be  raised  to  the  dignity  of  Bishop  of 
Carthage  as  successor  to  Donatus.  In  the  exercise  of  his  office 
he  manifested  such  zeal  that  the  pagans,  in  derision  styled  him 
Coprianus,  in  allusion  to  a  Greek  term  for  filth  ;  and  on  the  com- 
mencement of  the  Christian  persecution  under  the  Emperor  Decius 
the  heathen  populace  rushed  into  the  market-place  shouting: 
"  Cyprian  to  the  lions !  Cyprian  to  the  wild-beasts  !  "  The  danger 
that  threatened  him  seemed  so  imminent  that  he  deemed  it  expedi- 
ent for  a  time  to  retire  from  Carthage  though  in  doing  so  he 
exposed  himself  to  some  severe  animadversions  from  his  brother- 
clergy  of  Rome  for  thus  shrinking  from  the  storm  and  suffering 
his  flock  to  perish.  From  his  place  of  retreat,  however,  which 
seems  to  have  been  carefully  concealed,  he  despatched  numerous 
letters  to  guide  and  animate  his  people  under  their  trials.  At  last 
on  an  abatement  of  the  persecution  taking  place,  Cyprian  returned 
to  Carthage  and  continued  his  episcopal  ministrations  with  great 
zeal  and  success  till  a  fresh  season  of  tribulation  commenced  for 
the  church  under  the  Emperor  Valerian,  in  A.  D.  257.  On  this 
occasion  the  Bishop  of  Carthage  showed  no  disposition  to  cower 
before  the  blast  but  bravely  remained  at  his  post  to  encourage  and 
strengthen  his  hearers.  In  the  autumn  of  the  last-mentioned  year 
he  was  himself  apprehended  and  brought  before  the  African  pro- 
consul, who  ordered  him  into  banishment  to  the  city  of  Curubis, 
about  fifty  miles  from  Carthage.  After  remaining  there  for  about 
a  twelve  month  the  expectation  of  still  bloodier  edicts  arriving 
from  Rome  caused  him  to  be  brought  back  to  Carthage  and  lodged 


4i2     SAINTS   AND   FESTIVALS 

for  a  time  under  surveillance  in  his  own  country-house  near  the 
city.  On  the  reception  of  the  fatal  orders,  the  Proconsul  Galerius 
Maximus  caused  Cyprian  to  be  brought  before  him  at  his  country- 
seat  of  Sextus,  six  miles  from  Carthage.  The  tide  of  popular 
opinion  had  now  turned  entirely  in  favour  of  the  bishop  ;  who  had 
while  a  pestilence  was  raging  in  the  city,  exerted  himself  with  the 
most  heroic  ardour  both  personally  and  by  calling  forth  the  co- 
operation of  others  in  relieving  the  sufferings  and  ministering  to 
the  necessities  of  the  sick.  A  noble  large-heartedness  had  also 
been  shown  by  him  in  proclaiming  to  his  people  the  duty  of  assist- 
ing all  sufferers  in  this  terrible  visitation  without  regard  to  the  cir- 
cumstance of  their  being  Christian  or  pagan.  An  immense  and 
sympathizing  crowd  accompanied  him  on  the  road  to  the  procon- 
sul's house.  The  proceedings  before  that  functionary  appear  to 
have  been  of  a  very  summary  description  as  Cyprian  on  having 
replied  to  a  few  interrogations  and  steadily  refusing  to  conform 
to  the  pagan  ceremonies,  was  forthwith  ordered  to  be  beheaded. 
This  was  in  the  year  238. 


SEPTEMBER    i;th. 

In  Roman  Martyrology  mention  is  made  and  in  the  Ordo  for 
this  day  there  is  in  the  Roman  Church  an  especial  office  directed 
in  commemoration  of  the  "  Impression  of  the  sacred  wounds 
which  St.  Francis,  founder  of  the  Order  of  Minorites,  received 
through  a  wonderful  favour  of  God,  in  his  hands,  feet  and  sides 
on  Mount  Alvernia."  St.  Francis'  festival  occurs  on  October  4th, 
but  this  day  is  a  special  occasion  to  mark  this  event  which  won  for 
him  the  title  of  "the  Seraphic."  The  legend  is  a  very  long  one 
and  must  be  condensed  into  a  few  words  devoid  of  the  incidents 
which  make  it  a  graphic  picture.  After  a  fast  of  fifty  days  in  his 
cell  on  Mount  Alvernia  he  had  a  vision  of  a  seraph  with  six  wings 
descending  from  Heaven  and  standing  beside  him.  When  the 
angel  left  he  found  indelibly  impressed  on  his  hands,  feet  and  side 
imprints  of  the  wounds  our  Saviour  Lord  had  received  on  the 
Cross  of  Calvary,  imprints  he  carried  with  him  until  his  death.  It 


ST.   THOMAS,  "ALMONER'      413 

is  this  event  that  the  Roman  Church  celebrates  to-day  in  especial 
honour  of  St.  Francis,  though  his  festival  occurs  later  in  the  year 
when  I  shall  have  much  to  say  of  this  notable  man. 


SEPTEMBER  i8th. 

The  Roman  Emperor  Domilianus  can  hardly  be  counted  a  saint 
but  since  the  name  of  this  heartless  monster  is  closely  connected 
with  the  death  of  so  many  of  the  "  noble  Army  of  the  Martyrs  " 
it  seems  proper  to  mention  this  as  the  anniversary  of  his  death. 
He  was  foully  though  no  doubt  deserving  of  his  fate  —  assassi- 
nated in  the  year  96  as  Roman  history  tells  us,  but  I  must  forego 
giving  the  details. 


This  day  is  the  festival  of  St.  Thomas  of  Villanova,  or  Villanu- 
eva,  surnamed  "  The  Almoner ;  "  the  glory  of  the  Church  of 
Spain  in  these  later  days.  He  was  born  at  Fuelana  in  Castile  in 
1488.  When  fifteen  years  of  age  he  was  sent  to  the  University  of 
Alcala  which  was  founded  by  Cardinal  Ximenes,  Prime  Minister 
under  both  Ferdinand  and  Charles  X.  Later  on,  after  graduation 
he  taught  moral  philosophy  at  Alcala  and  at  the  celebrated  Uni- 
versity of  Salamanca.  In  1518  he  took  the  habit  and  vows  of  the 
Hermits  of  St.  Austin  at  the  house  of  that  institute  at  Salamanca. 
His  legend  tells  us  the  singular  coincidence  that  "  he  pronounced 
his  vows  on  the  very  day  and  in  the  same  hour,"  when  Luther 
publicly  renounced  his  connection  with  the  Roman  Church.  The 
title  Almoner  was  bestowed  upon  him  because  of  his  generosity 
to  the  poor.  It  is  told  of  him  that  from  a  child  his  one  aim  in  life 
seemed  his  desire  to  help  others.  That  as  a  lad  he  would  disrobe 
himself  in  the  street  even,  in  order  to  clothe  some  poor  child  he 
met  in  rags  and  that  throughout  his  life  he  was  ever  ready  to 
forego  any  comfort,  deny  himself  every  luxury  and  endure  priva- 
tion, even  to  the  extent  of  personal  physical  suffering,  if  thereby 
he  was  able  to  alleviate  the  necessities  of  others.  As  a  pulpit 
orator  he  was  wonderfully  eloquent  and  Charles  V.  held  him  in 
such  veneration  that  in  1544  he  named  him  Archbishop  of  Val- 


4H   SAINTS   AND    FESTIVALS 

encia.  Thomas  reluctantly  accepted  the  exalted  position  but 
secretly  resolved  to  use  the  wealth  the  office  would  inevitably 
bring  to  him  for  the  good  of  his  jellow  men.  He  arrived  at 
Valencia  so  poorly  clad  and  provided  for  that  his  canons  sent  him 
a  purse  of  four  thousand  crowns  with  which  to  equip  himself  for 
his  new  state.  He  thanked  the  donors  and  then  sent  the  money 
to  a  hospital  for  the  sick  and  appeared  wearing  the  same  hat  he 
had  worn  for  twenty-six  years.  He  classified  as  philanthropists 
to-day  might  well  do  ;  the  poor,  dividing  them  into  six  classes  to 
be  treated  accordingly.  First  the  bashful  poor  who  once  had 
been  independent  and  were  now  ashamed  to  beg.  Second,  poor 
girls  whose  poverty  enforced  them  to  temptation,  sin  and  shame. 
Third,  poor  debtors.  Fourth,  orphans  and  foundlings.  Fifth, 
the  lame,  sick  and  infirm.  And  lastly  strangers  who  found 
themselves  without  the  means  to  secure  for  themselves  food  and 
lodging. 

While  he  gave  all  his  income  save  barely  enough  to  maintain  his 
simple  establishment,  barren  of  every  luxury  or  anything  ostenta- 
tious, his  charities  were  not  indiscriminately  bestowed.  A  pro- 
fessional beggar  (tramp  or  hobo  we  term  them)  found  no  mercy 
at  his  hand ;  but  the  deserving  never  left  him  empty  handed. 
Had  I  the  space  to  tell  the  story,  some  of  his  methods  would  give 
points  to  our  generous  but  unsystematic  philanthropists. 

But  the  choicest  gift  this  holy  man  bestowed  was  given  all 
unconsciously  to  himself  by  his  personal  visits  to  the  poor,  sick 
and  suffering,  where  his  presence  seemed  to  bring  comfort  and 
peace  at  all  times.  I  regret  thus  to  briefly  memorize  a  life  so  full 
of  love  and  charity.  He  died  in  1555  and  \vas  beatified  by  Paul 
V.  in  1618,  who  then  directed  St.  Thomas'  attribute  should  be 
"  An  Open  Purse."  He  was  canonized  by  Alexander  VII.  in  1658. 


SEPTEMBER 

This  day  is  the  festival  of  St.  Theodore,  the  first  Archbishop  of 
Canterbury  after  St.  Austin,  who  had  been  consecrated  by  Pope 
Vitilian  in  668. 


ST.   AGAPETUS  415 

The  Roman  Church  holds  this  day  in  honour  of  SS.  Januarius, 
Bishop  of  Beuenvento  ;  Sosius,  Deacon  of  Miseno ;  Provennilus, 
Deacon  of  Puzzuoli  and  two  eminent  laymen  named  Eutychius 
and  Acutius  of  Puzzuoli,  all  victims  of  the  cruel  persecution  of 
Dioclesian.  This  is  but  the  repetition  of  the  oft-told  story  of 
chains,  imprisonment,  exposure  to  wild  beasts  in  the  ampitheater, 
and  they  were  at  last  beheaded  in  305  because  they  had  visited 
and  comforted  Christian  prisoners,  and  that  they  themselves  held 
firmly  to  the  faith  of  Christ.  The  body  of  St.  Januarius  was 
brought  to  Naples  and  with  it  a  bottle  which  contained  some  of 
his  blood,  and  his  legend  says  that  even  to-day  after  these  centur- 
ies of  time  have  elapsed  when  this  bottle  is  placed  by  the  head  of 
its  martyr  the  congealed  blood  at  once  liquifies.  Pope  Pius  II. 
mentions  this  as  a  fact  in  1450. 


SEPTEMBER  2oth 

Is  sacred  to  the  honour  of  St.  Agapetus,  Pope  and  Confessor. 
In  535  when  Pope  John  II.  died,  Agapetus  was  only  an  Arch- 
deacon of  the  Church  of  SS.  John  and  Paul  of  Rome,  but  his 
learning  and  sanctity  were  widely  known  and  he  was  elected  suc- 
cessor to  the  Holy  See  and  ordained  on  May  4,  535,  ten  days 
after  the  death  of  John  II.  His  influence  was  at  once  felt  for  by 
his  interposition  the  unhappy  schism  of  Diosconis  against  Boni- 
face II.  in  529  was  quickly  healed.  Justinian  not  only  recognized 
him  but  sent  to  him  an  especial  profession  of  faith  which  Agape- 
tus received  as  orthodox  and  the  two  became  warm,  loyal  friends. 
In  February,  536,  Agapetus  went  to  Constantinople  to  interview 
the  emperor,  where  he  died  on  April  I7th  of  the  same  year  after 
a  brief  but  eventful  period  of  only  eleven  months  and  a  few  days 
as  a  dominant  power  of  the  Church.  His  festival  has  been  fixed 
for  this  day. 


THE  SIBYLS. 


The  author  has  been  asked  several  times  in  regard  to  the  Sibyls 
and  their  connection  with  the  Church.     While  it  cannot  be  said 


4i6   SAINTS    AND    FESTIVALS 

the  Church  recognised  these  mythical  personages  it  seems  clear  it 
used  them  as  a  quasi-argument  in  the  early  and  middle  ages  as 
shown  by  this  verse,  from  a  hymn  said  to  have  been  written  by 
Pope  Innocent  III.,  (i72d  Pope,  1198-1216)  and  translated  in  the 
English  version  of  the  Missal  as  follows  : 

"  The  dreadful  day,  the  day  of  ire 
Shall  kindle  the  avenging  fire 

Around  the  expiring  world  ; 
And  earth,  as  Sibyl  said  of  old, 
And  as  the  prophet  king  foretold, 

Shall  be  in  ruin  hurled." 

Both  the  origin  and  number  of  the  Sibyls  is  obscure  and  uncer- 
tain. Varro  one  hundred  years  B.  C.  gave  their  number  as  ten 
and  their  names  came  from  their  habitation  :  Sibylla  Persica,  from 
Persia,  Libyca  (Libyea),  Delphica  (Delphi),  Eryhaea  (Erthyrae), 
Cumana  (Cumae),  Samia  (Samos),  Sinomeria  (Black  Sea),  Tibur- 
tina  (Tivoli),  Hellespontina  (Hellespont),  and  Phrygia  (Phrygia). 
There  were  others  afterward  named  like  the  Agrippa,  the  Hebriaca 
and  the  Europas  ;  while  the  Queen  of  Sheba  is  also  termed  one  of 
these  wonderful  creatures.  They  were  prophetesses  and  foretold 
the  coming  of  Christ  to  the  Gentiles  as  the  Prophets  of  old  did  to 
the  Jews.  Much  disagreement  existed  among  the  Early  Fathers 
as  to  the  value  of  their  prophesies.  Some  even  regarded  them  as 
emissaries  of  the  devil.  Traditions  and  legends  innumerable  are 
told  of  these  Sibyls  ;  but  I  can  make  room  for  none,  and  only 
mention  the  especial  office  of  a  few. 

The  Sibylla  Persica  was  supposed  to  be  a  daughter-in-law  of 
Moses.  She  predicted  the  coming  of  the  Messiah.  She  is  repre- 
sented as  holding  down  a  serpent  beneath  her  feet  and  with  a 
lantern  in  her  hand. 

The  Sibylla  Libyea  prophesied  the  manifestation  of  Christ  to 
the  Gentiles.  Her  legend  says  she  was  twenty-four  years  old  at 
that  time.  Her  attribute  is  a  lighted  torch. 

The  Sibylla  Eryhaea  seemed  to  have  a  varied  mission.  She 
appears  as  the  prophetess  of  divine  vengeance  and  of  the  Trojan 
war,  and  as  such  bears  a  naked  sword  as  her  attribute.  But  she 


THE    SIBYLS  417 

is  said  to  have  also  foretold  the  Annunciation,  and  in  this  charac- 
ter has  for  her  attribute  a  white  rose. 

The  Sibylla  Cimmeria  when  eighteen  years  old  prophesied  the 
crucifixion  of  Christ,  and  for  this  bears  as  an  attribute  a  cross  or 
crucifix. 

The  Sibylla  Cumana  foresaw  and  foretold  the  Nativity  and  that 
it  should  take  place  in  a  stable,  and  thus  her  attribute  is  an  ancient 
stone  manger. 

The  Sibylla  Delphica  for  her  prophecy  of  the  mock  regal  adorn- 
ment of  Christ,  has  for  her  attribute  a  crown  of  thorns. 

The  Sibylla  Cania  was  of  the  time  of  Isaiah,  and  has  as 
attribute  a  reed  and  a  cradle.  Just  why  is  not  apparent  in  her 
legend. 

The  Sibylla  Phrygia  prophesied  the  Resurrection  of  Christ, 
and  therefore  bears  the  Resurrection  Cross  with  its  banner. 

The  Sibylla  Tibertina  is  represented  as  dressed  in  skins  of  ani- 
mals. Her  attribute,  a  bundle  of  rods,  seemingly  symbolizes 
Christ's  flagellations,  and  in  like  manner  the  Sibylla  Agrippa  has 
a  scourge  in  her  hand. 

The  Sibylla  Hellespontina  prophesied  the  incarnation  and  also 
the  crucifixion  of  Christ,  and  thus  has  the  double  attributes  of  a 
crucifix  and  a  budding  rod. 

Finally  the  Sibylla  Europa  is  represented  as  but  fifteen  years  old. 
It  was  she  who  prophesied  the  massacre  of  the  Innocents  and 
thus  has  a  sword  for  her  attribute. 

From  this  brief  mention  of  the  Sibyls  we  can  easily  understand 
the  quasi-recognition  given  them  by  the  Church,  mythical  though 
they  were. 


SEPTEMBER   2ist. 

This  is  the  festival  of  St.  Matthew,  the  Apostle  and  Evangelist. 
Among  the  Apostles  St.  Matthew  ranks  as  the  seventh  or  eighth, 
but  as  an  Evangelist  is  placed  first,  since  theologians  in  general 
concede  it  was  the  first  of  the  Gospels  written.  Others  place  it  as 


ST.    MATTHEW 


419 


the  third  and  its  date  is  fixed  by  these  in  A.  D.  66.  There  is  very 
little  positive  knowledge  about  St.  Matthew's  personality.  He 
alludes  to  himself  but  once  in  his  own  Gospel,  while  in  the  Gos- 
pels of  the  other  Evangelists  he  is  named  but  twice  and  then  only 
incidentally.  He  was  a  Hebrew,  the  son  of  Alphaeus  of  the  tribe 
of  Issachar ;  by  profession  "  a  publican  "  or  tax-gatherer  under 
the  Romans,  an  office  which  while  very  lucrative  to  him  was  pecu- 
liarly odious  and  offensive  in  the  eyes  of  his  fellow  Jews.  His 
original  name,  Levi,  in  Hebrew  signifies  "  Adhesian,"  (See  Gene- 
sis xxix.,  34)  while  the  name  Matthew  in  the  same  language  means 
"  Gift  of  Jehovah."  To  the  point  where  Christ  bids  Matthew 
follow  him,  the  sacred  records  as  well  as  traditional  and  legendary 
history  are  equally  scant. 
Beyond  this  we  have 
almost  wholly  to  depend 
on  tradition  for  every- 
thing we  find  regarding 
St.  Matthew.  From  the 
"  Perfecto  Legendario  " 
and  other  traditions  that 
confirm  it,  we  learn  that 
St.  Matthew  wrote  his 
Gospel  to  satisfy  the 
wishes  of  the  converts  in 
Palestine  and  that  after 
the  Ascension  when  the 
Apostles  were  dispersed, 
he  went  into  Egypt  and 
Ethiopia  to  preach ;  that 
while  at  the  capital  of 
Ethiopia  he  lodged  at  the 
house  of  the  eunuch  who  had  been  baptised  by  Philip.  At 
that  time  there  were  two  terrible  magicians  who  by  their  spells 
and  enchantments  held  the  Ethiopians  in  terror  and  subjection. 
St.  Matthew  quickly  overcame  these  magicians,  and  having  bap- 
tized the  people  they  were  free  from  the  diseases  which  the  incan- 
tations of  these  sorcerers  had  inflicted  on  them.  St.  Matthew 


420    SAINTS   AND    FESTIVALS 

spent  twenty-three  years  in  Egypt  and  Ethiopia,  and  during  that 
time  is  reported  to  have  performed  many  miracles. 

Both  Eusebius  and  St.  Epiphanius  in  cheir  chronicles  claim  that 
St.  Matthew  spent  several  years  preaching  in  Judea  before  he 
went  to  the  East  and  was  richly  rewarded  by  the  number  of  con- 
verts he  made  and  that  his  Gospel  was  written  before  he  departed 
on  his  long  mission. 

That  St.  Matthew  reached  a  very  old  age  and  died  in  the  nine- 
tieth year  of  the  Christian  Era  seems  to  be  generally  believed  ; 
but  the  manner  of  his  death  is  uncertain.  The  Greek  legends  tell 
of  him  dying  in  peace  in  Parthia,  but  Venantius  Fortunatus  relates 
that  he  suffered  martyrdom  at  Nadabar.  According  to  Dorotheus 
he  was  honourably  interred  at  Hierapolis  in  Parthia.  His  relics, 
were  long  since  brought  to  the  West,  Pope  Gregory  VII,  in  1080, 
saying  they  were  kept  in  a  church  bearing  his  name  at  Salerno. 

In  art  St.  Matthew  as  an  Evangelist,  holds  in  his  hand  a  book, 
(see  illustration)  or  a  pen  while  an  angel  —  his  proper  attribute 
—  stands  by  pointing  toward  heaven.  As  an  Apostle  he  usually 
holds  a  purse  or  money-bag  as  significant  of  his  former  voca- 
tion. The  grotesque  winged-man,  his  frequent  symbol,  I 
have  before  spoken  of,  while  the  Clog  Almanac  symbol  is  purely 
"  Runic." 


SEPTEMBER  22d. 

The  story  of  St.  Maurice  and  his  noble  companions  of  the 
Thebean  legion  of  which  Maurice  was  the  commandant  may  be 
somewhat  trite  to  readers  of  ancient  history,  but  it  is  peculiarly 
fitting  to  be  told  now  as  it  marks  the  inception  of  what  have  come 
to  be  known  as  the  Dioclesian  persecutions. 

Among  the  troops  which  accompanied  Maximian  into  Gaul  was 
the  Thebean  legion  raised  in  Thebais,  Upper  Egypt,  a  country  then 
full  of  zealous  Christians.  Maximian's  expedition  was  wonderfully 
successful  and  when  the  army  had  crossed  the  Alps  and  reached 
Octodurum  on  the  Rhone  (  now  Martini  in  the  Valais),  Maximian 


THEBEAN    LEGION 


421 


issued  an  order  that  the  whole  army  join  in  sacrificing  to  the  gods 
for  their  success. 

It  was  then  the  Thebean  legion  rose  in  their  might,  inspired  by 
the  heroic  Christian  Maurice,  and  withdrew  from  the  main  army  to 
Agaunum  (a  village  now  called  Maurice  in  honour  of  this  brave 
man)  and  to  a  man  openly  but  firmly  refused  obedience  to  the 
order  to  sacrifice  to  the  Roman  gods. 
They  were  loyal,  as  soldiers ;  would  fight 
the  battles  of  the  Empire  "  a  la  mort," 
but  they  would  worship  only  the  one 
God,  whom  Christ  represented.  The 
anger  of  the  emperor  knew  no  bounds. 
He  ordered  the  legion  decimated,  one  in 
every  ten  as  the  lot  fell  to  be  put  to  death, 
and  that  the  rest  return  to  camp  and  obey 
his  order.  Encouraged  by  their  officers 
not  one  man  faltered  in  his  given  purpose 
even  after  that  first  decimation.  Again 
the  emperor  threatened  them  with  death 
to  every  man  of  them  if  they  refused  to 
sacrifice  to  the  gods.  Their  reply  was  as 
before,  adding  :  "  We  have  arms  in  our 
hands,  but  we  shall  not  resist  because  we 
would  rather  die  than  live  by  any  sin." 
This  Thebean  legion  was  six  thousand 
strong,  the  finest  soldiers  of  the  Roman 
Army  when  by  Maximian's  order  they 
were  surrounded.  Although  well  armed 
and  while  their  officers  were  skilled  men  of  war  and  brave ;  yet 
when  the  final  order  came  they  silently  submitted  without  one 
blow  in  self  defense  but  allowed  themselves  from  their  comman- 
ders Maurice,  Exuperius  and  Candidus,  down,  to  be  slaughtered. 
Save  to  encourage  each  other  to  stand  firm  in  the  faith  and  submit 
to  their  martyrdom  they  opened  not  their  lips.  The  camp  was 
literally  filled  with  their  dead  bodies  lying  in  pools  of  bood. 

Maximian,  to  encourage  his  army  to  this  brutal  massacre,  had 
given  them  permission  to  Joot  the  Thebean  camp  and  each  tp 


422    SAINTS    AND    FESTIVALS 

retain  such  spoils  as  he  could  secure.  While  thus  engaged  a 
veteran  Roman  soldier  who  had  held  aloof  from  the  bloody  work, 
came  among  them.  This  soldier,  Victor  by  name,  they  invited  to 
_  join  the  revels  as  they  feasted 

W  on    the    viands    they    had 

Ipk  secured,  but  he  refused.   They 

taunted  him  and  cried  :  "Art 
thou  then,  too,  a  Christian  ?  " 
to  which  both  he  and  a  com- 

•^i  panion  named  Ursus  replied  : 

^k          ^k  '*  We  are,  and    glory  in  our 

^L         ^^  profession."   Whereupon  they, 

^^        ^^        like  their  Thebean  friends,  were 

^^        ^W      cut  down. 

B^^.  ^          ^W     This  was  on  September  22d 

J  J  in  286  and  their  festival   was 

long  known  as  that  of  "  the 
Happy  Legion." 


SEPTEMBER  23d. 


•^  On    this   day   the   Greek 

^^  Church  especially  honours  St. 

Thecla,  a  virgin  martyr  of  the 

first  century.     The   Latin 

I  Church  as  well  reverences  her 

SYMBOL  OF  THE  HAPPY  LEGION.   with  but  Htt,e  less  veneration. 

She  was  a  native  of  Isauria,  and  St.  Methodius  in  his  "  Banquet 
of  Virgins  "  tells  us  she  was  "  well  versed  in  profound  philosophy 
and  the  various  branches  of  polite  literature."  Her  legend  is 
that  she  was  betrothed  to  a  youth  named  Thanryris ;  but  on 
hearing  St.  Paul  preach  she  resolved  upon  leading  a  religious  life 
and  to  do  so  refused  to  marry  the  young  man.  At  last  tired  of 
entreating  Thecla,  Thanryris  applied  to  the  governor,  and  this 
caused  Paul  to  be  imprisoned.  Bribing  the  jailor  with  her  earrings 
and  a  silver  mirror,  she  gained  access  to  Paul  and  sitting  at  his 


ST.   THECLA  423 

feet  listened  to  his  words  and  became  all  the  more  convinced  in 
her  resolves.  In  the  end  Paul  was  scourged  and  driven  from  the 
city,  but  St.  Thecla  was  condemned  to  be  burned.  She  was 
brought  naked  to  the  stake  and  though  a  huge  fire  was  built  round 
her,  it  burned  itself  out  leaving  the  virgin  unhurt.  After  this 
her  legend  tells,  but  does  not  say  how  she  escaped  and  went 
with  Paul  to  Antioch  where  she  was  again  arrested  and  con- 
demned by  the  governor  to  be  torn  to  pieces  in  the  amphitheatre 
by  wild  beasts.  The  day  came  and  she  was  again  stripped  of 
her  clothing  and  led  by  a  chain  fastened  to  a  girdle  around  her 
waist.  But  as  the  flames  had  refused  to  burn  her,  so  now  the 
wild  beasts  came  and  lay  quietly  at  her  feet  as  if  they  slept. 
The  governor  marvelled  as  well  he  might,  and  cried  out :  "  Who 
art  thou,  woman,  that  no  beast  will  harm  thee  ?  "  "  I,"  she  replied. 
"  am  a  servant  of  the  living  God  and  His  Son,  Jesus  Christ."  The 
governor  ordered  her  clothing  brought  and  said  :  "  Put  on  thy 
garments  and  get  thee  hence." 

Then  Tinsinia,  a  widow,  took  Thecla  to  her  house  where  she 
entertained  her  giving  her  "  much  money"  to  aid  Paul  in  his  work, 
and  with  a  store  of  clothing  for  the  poor,  she  sent  her  again  to 
Paul. 

At  last  Thecla  retired  to  a  mountain  cave  to  dwell  as  a  recluse 
but  the  sick  sought  her  out  and  she  healed  them  by  her  prayers. 
The  physicians  of  Silicia  said  she  was  a  priestess  of  Diana  and 
healed  others  by  reason  of  her  perfect  chastity  of  thought  and 
deed.  So  they  sent  evil  men  to  do  her  violence  but  as  she  ran  with- 
in her  cave  for  safety  a  great  rock  rolled  itself  before  its  mouth 
and  shut  the  wicked  men  out  from  harrassing  her.  Her  long 
legend  adds  that  thus,  partly  in  journeying  and  partly  in  the  mo- 
nastic seclusion  of  her  cave,  she  spent  seventy-two  years  of  her 
life  having  been  eighteen  when  she  left  Iconium  and  ninety  "  when 
God  translated  her."  Thecla  was  the  first  female  honoured  by 
the  Greek  Church.  Her  attributes  are  a  palm  branch  in  her  hand 
and  wild  beasts  of  every  kind  lying  quietly  at  her  feet. 


424   SAINTS   AND    FESTIVALS 

SEPTEMBER   24th. 

This  day  is  marked  in  the  Roman  mass  as  the  Feast  of  Our 
Lady  of   Mercy. 
In  the  English  church  the  day  is  recognised  as 

THE   FEAST   OF   INGATHERING. 

Wherever  throughout  the  earth  there  is  such  a  thing  as  a  formal 
harvest,  there  also  appears  an  inclination  to  mark  it  with  a  festjve 
celebration.  The  wonder  and  gratitude  felt  towards  the  great 
Author  of  Nature  when  it  is  brought  before  us  that,  once  more, 
as  it  has  ever  been,  the  ripening  of  a  few  varieties  of  grass  has 

furnished  food  for  earth's 
teeming  millions,  make  it 
natural  that  there  should 
everywhere  be  some  sort  of 
feast  of  ingathering.  In 
England  this  festival  passes 
under  the  endeared  name  of 
Harvest  Home.  In  Scotland 
where  that  term  is  unknown 
the  festival  is  hailed  under 
I  the  name  of  the  Kirn.  In 
the  north  of  England  its 
ordinary  designation  is  the 
Mell  Supper.  And  there 
are  perhaps  other  local 
names. 

While  this  day  is  marked  in  the  ritual  of  the  Church  it  is  not  like 
our  Thanksgiving  a  national  feast,  but  rather  it  may  be  called  a 
movable  feast  which  every  farmer  regulates  to  suit  his  own  Har- 
vest Home,  that  few  of  the  great  estates  or  larger  farmers  even 
now  fail  to  observe. 

But  if  you  would  read  of  the  old-time  Harvest  Home  take 
down  your  volume  of  Herrick,  that  quaint,  genial,  lovable  English 
poet  of  the  old  days,  and  read  his  lines  beginning 


ST.   BARK.  425 

"  Come,  sons  of  summer,  by  whose  toile, 
We  are  the  Lords  of  wine  and  oile  ; 
By  whose  tough  labours,  and  rough  hands, 
We  rip  up  first,  then  reap  our  lands." 

*****  « 

The  only  Clog  Almanac  symbol  I  find  for  this  day  is  an  English 
one,  which  represents  a  sickle,  the  reaper's  implement  from  the 
earliest  days. 


SEPTEMBER  25th. 

To  St.  Barr  or  Finbarr,  as  he  is  at  times  called  (or  yet  again 
Barrus,  or  Barrocus  ;  for  in  those  old  days  seemingly,  no  two  per- 
sons spelled  the  same  name  in  the  same  manner),  every  Irishman, 
born  in  Cork,  pays  reverence  on  March  i;th  and  December  ist, 
for  it  was  to  this  saintly  man,  who  established  a  monastery  at 
Lough  Eric,  that  the  city  of  Cork  owes  its  inception.  The  church 
has  named  this  25th  of  September  his  festival  day.  The  name  by 
which  he  was  baptized  was  Lochan  ;  that  of  Fin-bar,  or  Bar  the 
White  was  given  him  afterward.  He  served  as  Bishop  at  Cork 
seventeen  years  and  died  at  Cloygen,  fifteen  miles  from  there,  but 
his  relics  rest  in  a  silver  shrine  in  his  cathedral  at  Cork.  The  old 
monastery  is  called  Gill  Abbey,  or  Gill  Acda  o  Mugin  after  the 
famous  Bishop  of  Cork  in  1170,  who  had  so  increased  its  impor- 
tance that  it  bore  his  name  as  if  he  had  founded  it. 


SEPTEMBER  26th 

Is  dedicated  to  SS.  Cyprian  and  Justina  who  were  brought 
together  under  somewhat  peculiar  circumstances,  St.  Cyprian  has 
as  a  surname  the  title  "  the  Magician,"  for  the  reason  that  prior  to 
his  conversion  he  was  a  soothsayer  and  practiced  the  arts  of 
magic.  It  was  in  this  capacity  that  a  young  pagan  nobleman 
came  to  consult  him  and  employed  him  to  use  his  art  of  divination 
to  enable  the  young  man  to  overcome  the  objections  of  a  beautiful 


426      SAINTS   AND   FESTIVALS 

young  Syrian  lady  named  Justina  with  whom  he  was  in  love. 
Her  father  was  a  "  Priest  of  the  Idols  "  in  Antioch.  But  she  had 
been  converted  to  Christianity  and  through  her  influence  both  her 
parents  had  become  Christians,  and  she  naturally  was  very  averse 
to  granting  the  wish  of  the  young  pagan.  Cyprian  was  not  loth 
to  make  the  trial  and  put  forth  every  artifice  he  knew  to  accomplish 
his  purpose  ;  but  soon  found  himself  smitten  with  the  charms  of 
the  young  lady  as  well  as  surprised  at  his  want  of  success. 
Justina  was  well  aware  of  what  Cyprian's  purpose  was,  and  in 
his  "  Confessions "  the  Magician  says  :  "  She  armed  herself 
with  the  sign  of  the  Cross  and  overcame  the  invocations  of 
the  demons,"  and  wondering  what  the  secret  power  could  be 
began  in  earnest  to  search  for  the  truth.  He  consulted  a 
priest  named  Eusebius  who  encouraged  him  in  the  work  of  con- 
version which  he  ultimately  consummated  by  burning  all  his 
magical  books,  giving  his  substance  to  the  poor,  and  enrolling 
himself  among  the  Christian  catechumens.  On  the  breaking  out 
of  the  persecution  under  Dioclesian,  Cyprian  was  apprehended  and 
carried  before  the  Roman  governor  at  Tyre.  Justina,  who  had 
been  the  original  mover  in  his  change  of  life,  was  at  the  same 
time  brought  before  this  judge  and  cruelly  scourged,  whilst 
Cyprian  was  torn  with  iron  hooks.  After  this  the  two  martyrs 
were  sent  to  Nicomedia  to  the  Emperor  Dioclesian  who  forthwith 
commanded  their  heads  to  be  struck  off.  The  history  of  St. 
Cyprian  and  St.  Justina  was  recorded  in  a  Greek  poem  by  the 
Empress  Eudocia,  wife  of  Theodosius  the  Younger,  a  work  which 
is  now  lost. 


SEPTEMBER  2;th. 

This  day  is  the  festival  of  another  somewhat  remarkable  couple. 
Saints  Elzear,  Count  of  Arian,  and  his  wife,  Delphina.  Both 
were  from  rich  and  noble  families  in  the  kingdom  of  Naples. 

When  Elzear  was  but  ten  years  old,  Charles  II.,  King  of  Sicily 
and  Count  of  Provence,  caused  him  to  be  betrothed  to  Delphina 
of  Glandeves,  the  daughter  of  the  Lord  of  Pui-Michel,  a  girl  of 


SS.   ELZEAR   AND    DELPHINA427 

twelve  years  of  age.  In  1308,  three  years  later,  the  marriage  was 
celebrated  with  great  pomp.  But  as  it  happened,  Delphina  as 
well  as  her  husband  was  a  devotee  to  religious  life ;  for  the  two 
had  been  brought  together  solely  for  the  aggrandizement  of  their 
respective  families  and  for  state  purposes.  By  a  mutual  agree- 
ment, the  newly  wedded  couple  resolved  to  live  together  in  perfect 
chastity  and  sanctity  as  brother  and  sister,  a  compact  which  was 
never  broken.  When  Elzear  was  twenty-three  years  old,  by  the 
death  of  his  father,  he  inherited  his  rank,  titles  and  great  wealth. 
But  these  the  noble  couple  looked  upon  only  as  "  talents " 
entrusted  to  them  for  the  benefit  of  the  poor,  sick  and  needy. 
Delphina  had  also  inherited  the  great  estates  of  Glandeves.  From 
that  hour  their  lives  were  unostentatiously  given  to  the  work  of 
their  Master ;  as  in  the  meantime  they  both  had  been  enrolled  in 
the  "  Third  Order  of  St.  Francis,"  of  whom  and  his  Orders  of 
Franciscans  I  shall  speak  on  October  ist. 

I  must  omit  all  further  details  of  his  advancement  at  Court 
though  still  living  for  the  great  purpose  he  set  before  him,  until  we 
find  Elzear,  attended  by  the  flower  of  the  nobility  of  Naples,  as 
the  ambassador  of  King  Robert,  at  Paris,  to  demand  of  Charles 
IV.  the  hand  of  Mary,  the  daughter  of  the  Count  of  Valois  in 
marriage  for  the  Duke  of  Calabria.  It  was  in  Paris  he  sickened 
and  died  on  September  27th,  1323,  when  in  his  twenty-eighth 
year  of  age,  leaving  a  memory  for  his  brief  life  redolent  for  its  true 
beauty  and  sanctity. 

After  Elzear's  death,  Delphina  spent  some  time  at  the  court  of 
Naples  as  the  friend  and  companion  of  Queen  Saucia,  wife  of  King 
Robert.  But  on  the  king's  death  in  1343,  Delphina  was  retired  to 
the  nunnery  of  St.  Clare,  where  she  died,  in  the  seventy-sixth 
year  of  her  age,  on  September  26th,  1369,  but  her  festival  has 
most  appropriately  been  kept  on  the  same  day  with  her  sainted 
husband. 


SEPTEMBER  28th. 

St.  Lioba,  who  is  this  day  honoured  by  the  Roman  Church,  was 
held  up  by  them,  both  in  England  and  Germany,  at  the  close  of 


428     SAINTS   AND   FESTIVALS 


the  X.  century,  as  a  model  of  Christian  perfection  which  was  to 
be  followed.  She  was  of  an  illustrious  Anglo-Saxon  family  and 
born  in  West  Saxony.  At  an  early  age  she  was  placed  in  the 
monastic  school  of  the  great  double  monastery  of  Winburn  in 
Dorsetshire  where  she  was  under  the  care  of  the  Abbess  Zetta. 
For  her  day  she  was  an  unusually  learned  woman.  St.  Boniface 
was  fully  aware  of  both  her  learning  and  her  virtues,  therefore  was 
anxious  to  secure  her  services  for  his  infant  church  in  Germany ;  a 
wish  which  Lioba  shared  most  heartily,  and  which  at  length  was 
gratified  and  St.  Boniface  quickly  placed  her  at  the  head  of  a 
small  monastery,  called  Bischafsheim,  or  the  Bishop's  House.  Her 
teachings  and  precepts  soon  made  the  little  nunnery  famous  and 
many  nuns  were  sent  from  it  to  other  parts  of  Germany  to  be 
taught  by  her ;  while  kings  and  princes  recognized  her  worth  and 
virtue.  Especially  among  these  was  Pepin,  the  King  of  the 
Franks,  and  later  his  son,  Charles,  or  Charlemagne,  when  he  came 
into  power,  often  sent  for  her  to  come  to  Aix-la-Chapelle  for  con- 
sultation, and  his  wife,  Hildegardis,  would  have  kept  her  perpetu- 
ally by  her  if  she  could  have  done  so.  The  departure  of  St. 

Boniface  to  Friesland  and 
his  martyrdom  was  a  crush- 
ing blow  from  which  Lioba 
never  fully  recovered,  and  in 
her  old  age  she  resigned  her 
cares  and  retired  to  a  little 
nunnery  at  Scornscheim  near 
Mentz,  dying  there  in  779. 


SEPTEMBER  apth 

Is  the  feast  of  St.  Michael 
and  all  the  Angels,  or  as  it 
is  popularly  called,  Michael- 
mas Day. 

Michael   is   regarded   in  the   Christian  world   as   the   chief  of 
angels,  or  an  archangel.     His  history  is  obscure.    In  Scripture  he 


s.  MICHAEL. 


ST.    MICHAEL 


429 


is  mentioned  five  times  and  always  in  a  warlike  character  ;  namely, 

thrice  by  Daniel  as  fighting  for  the  Jewish  church  against  Persia  ; 

once  by  St.  Jude  as  fighting  with 

the  devil  about  the  body  of  Moses ; 

and  once  by  St.  John  as  fighting  at 

the  head  of  his  angelic  troops 

against  the  dragon  and  his  host. 

The  festival  is  one  which  is 
strictly  observed  by  both  branches 
of  the  Christian  Church  :  the 
Anglican  and  Roman. 

On  the  Clog  Almanac  St.  Mich- 
ael has  for  his  attribute  a  pair  of 
scales  of  the  earliest  type. 

According  to  St.  D  i  o  n  y  s  i  u  s 

(called  the  Areopagite)  and  other 

theologians  there  are  three  classes 

of  angels,  each  division  consisting 

of  three  orders,  or  choirs,  thus  making  nine  orders  ;  viz.  : 

ist  THE  COUNCILLORS  OF  THE  MOST  HIGH. 

And  of  these  First,  SERAP- 
HIMS.  Usually  represented  as 
covered  with  eyes.  Second 
CHERUBIMS,  each  having  six 
wings.  Third  THRONES. 

lid  GOVERNOR. 
Of  these  First,  DOMINA- 
TIONS, who  bear  a  sword, 
triple  crown  and  sceptre. 
Second  VIRTUES,  in  complete 
armor.  Third  POWERS, 


chaining  devils. 


Hid  MESSENGERS. 

Of  these  First,  PRINCEDOMS.    These  hold  a  city,  or  are  in 
complete  armor  and  bear  a  pennon. 


Second  ARCHANGELS. 


430     SAINTS    AND    FESTIVALS 

St.    Michael  and    St.   Raphael,  bearing  a    pilgrim's    staff.    St. 

Gabriel,  Angel  of  the  Annunciation,   and  St.  Uriel.    All  these 

wear  complete  armor  and 
sometimes  carry  trumpets. 
Third  ANGELS.  These 
generally  carry  a  wand. 

Of  the  endless  variety  of 
conception  by  artists  as  to 
the  forms  of  the  Angels  and 
Archangels  I  cannot  here 
speak,  though  it  is  a  most 
interesting  subject.  The 
two  illustrations  given  are 
from  the  painted  glass  win- 
dows in  the  Chapel  of  New 
College,  Oxford,  while  the 

CAEDMON  MS.      WINDOW  IN  ANTE-  two  others,  a  Cherubim 
x.  CENTURY.       CHAPEL,  MERTON    and  Seraph,  are  from  sources 

COLLEGE,  OXFORD.  a&  shown  jn  ^  subscription 

of  each.     The  canonical  colour  for  this  Feast  of  St.  Michael  and 
All  Angels  is  white. 

I  cannot  take  space  to  speak  of  why  :  — 

"  September,  when  by  custom  (right  divine) 
Geese  are  ordained  to  bleed  at  Michael's  shrine  "— 

save  to  call  attention  to  the  custom. 


SEPTEMBER 


The  day  is  especially  sacred  to  St.  Jerom  in  all  Christian 
churches  ;  not  alone  because  he  stands  as  the  first,  of  the  "  Four 
Latin  Doctors  of  the  Church,"  but  because  of  his  importance  and 
dignity  as  founder  of  Manachism  in  the  West  ;  and  also  as  the 
author  of  the  universally  received  translation  of  the  Old  and  New 
Testaments  called  "The  Vulgate." 


ST.   JEROM  431 

Jerom  —  as  his  name  is  spelled  in  the  earlier  writings  of  the 
Fathers  —  was  born  at  Striddonium  (now  Idripui)  on  the  confines 
of  Pannonia,  Dalmatra  and  Italy  in  342.  His  father,  Eusebius, 
was  rich  and  as  young  Jerom  displayed  especial  aptitude  for  study 
he  was  sent  to  Rome  for  his  later  education,  where  he  had  for  his 
tutors  the  famous  pagan  grammarian  Donatus  and  the  celebrated 
Victorinus,  the  rhetorician,  who  by  a  decree  of  the  Senate  was 
honoured  with  a  statue  in  Trajan's  square  —  later  perfecting  him- 
self in  logic  by  studying  the  works  of  Aristotle  and  Porphry. 
Jerom  tells  us,  that  while  thus  engaged  :  "  I  was  wont  to  visit  the 
tombs  of  the  Apostles  and  Martyrs,"  and  of  the  deep  impression 
they  made  upon  his  mind,  In  spite  of  it  all,  he  like  other  students 
even  in  modern  days,  fell  into  temptation  and  for  a  time  aban- 
doned himself  to  the  pleasures  of  gay  Roman  life.  But  his  in- 
born love  of  virtue  and  learning  at  last  triumphed  over  this 
youthful  lapse  from  "  the  straight  and  narrow  way."  His  perfect 
knowledge  of  the  Greek  and  Latin  languages  and  his  naturally 
critical  mind  led  him  to  study  for  the  bar,  and  he  early  became 
eminent  for  his  eloquence  as  a  pleader  before  tribunals  and  his 
accurate  knowledge  of  law.  When  past  thirty  he  began  his 
travels  in  Gaul,  visiting  the  various  schools  of  learning  of  Mar- 
seilles, Toulouse,  Bordeaux,  Autun,  Lyons  and  the  then  imperial 
city  of  Triers.  It  was  at  this  latter  place  he  became  converted 
and  was  baptised,  a  most  interesting  story,  as  read  in  the  "  Chron- 
icle and  Letters  of  St.  Jerom  ;  "  though  too  long  for  repetition  here  ; 
but  culminating  in  his  vowing  perpetual  celibacy  on  his  return  to 
Rome,  where  for  a  time  he  was  secretary  to  Pope  Memasus. 

In  373  he  traveled  in  the  East  later  studying  divinity  with  Greg- 
ory, Nazianzen,  Epiphanius  and  Didymus,  and  the  Hebrew  with  a 
learned  Jew  named  Barraban,  but  spending  most  of  his  time  at 
the  monastery  in  Bethlehem  in  deep  study ;  later  retiring  into  the 
deserts  of  Egypt  and  Syria  among  Amhorites  to  gain  instruction 
and  edification  from  their  conversation. 

But  we  cannot  follow  the  details  of  his  studious  life  though 
from  the  day  of  his  consecration  in  Holy  Orders  in  377,  there  is  no 
period  that  is  not  replete  with  interest.  Twice  before  he  began 
the  work  that  has  made  his  name  immortal,  he  had  corrected  from 


432    SAINTS   AND    FESTIVALS 

the  ancient  Italic,  books  of  the  Old  Testament  and  Psalter,  once 
at  Rome  in  382  and  next  in  389  while  yet  in  Palestine. 

The  new  and  correct  translation  of  St.  Jerom's  Vulgate  was 
published  only  when  Dom  Martiany  (1647-1717)  the  French  Bene- 
dictine and  Commentator  brought  it  before  the  world  under  the 
title  of  "  The  Sacred  Library  "  though  the  council  of  Trent  had 
in  1546  declared  it  to  be  the  authentic  version  of  the  Bible.  But 
the  history  of  this  would  of  itself  fill  a  volume  to  cover  it  in  de- 
tail, and  cannot  be  crowded  into  a  few  lines,  such  as  are  at  my 
disposal. 

After  three  years  of   residence  in   Rome,  Jerom  once  more 

returned  to  the  monastery  he 
had  founded  in  Bethlehem, 
where  he  died  in  peaceful  old 
age  in  420. 

The  legends  and  traditions 
of  St.  Jerom  are  replete  with 
interest,  but  like  the  brief  story 
of  his  life  which  I  have  so  un- 
satisfactorily to  myself  told 
must  be  curtailed. 

Sitting  at  the  gateway  of  his 
monastery  in  Bethlehem,  St. 
Jerom  saw  a  huge  lion  come 

(From  an  ancient  Venetianldition  of  his  Hmping  toward  him  holding  one 

writings  and  life.)  front  paw  in  the  air.    The  holy 

man  did  not  move  until  the  lion  crouched  at  his  feet  and  held  his 
paw  before  him.  On  examining,  St.  Jerom  found  the  paw  had 
been  penetrated  by  a  sharp  thorn  which  he  carefully  removed  and 
then  applied  some  healing  ointment,  bound  up  the  wounded  foot 
and  assigned  to  the  lion  to  lie  down  within  his  own  cell  where  he 
attended  him  until  the  paw  was  healed.  From  that  time  the  lion 
became  the  saint's  constant  companion,  following  him  like  a  dog 
everywhere.  Later  an  ass  that  used  to  bring  fire-wood  for  the 
monks,  was  confided  to  the  care  of  the  lion  while  he  grazed  in  a 
neighbouring  meadow,  but  while  the  lion  slept  the  ass  strayed 
away.  The  lion  searched  in  vain  and  returned  to  the  monastery 


ST.   JEROM'S   LION  433 

shame-faced  and  with  a  drooping  head.  Jerom,  thinking  the  lion 
had  devoured  the  ass,  ordered  that  the  daily  burden  of  fire-wood 
should  be  packed  on  the  lion's  back,  to  which  the  beast  humbly 
submitted  and  performed  the  duties  of  the  ass.  One  day  the 
lion  having  performed  his  duties,  set  out  again  to  search  for  the 
ass.  A  caravan  was  just  then  passing  and  the  lion  saw  it  was  led 
by  an  ass  in  whom  he  recognised  his  erstwhile  charge,  and  the 
ass  also  remembered  the  lion.  At  once  the  lion  drove  the  camels, 
merchants  and  attendants  into  the  gates  of  the  monastery,  where 
the  merchants  at  last  confessed  to  having  stolen  the  ass.  St. 
Jerom  pardoned  them  and  set  them  free.  From  a  score  of  such 
legends  the  lion  early  became  the  attribute  of  St.  Jerom  and 
appears  in  all  pictures  of  the  saint.  Another  reason  being  that 
the  proud,  fiery  nature  of  the  lion  was  peculiarly  characteristic 
of  St.  Jerom. 


OCTOBER 


Then  came  October,  full  of  merry  glee ; 

For  yet  his  noule  was  totty  of  the  must, 

Which  he  was  treading  in  the  wine-fat's  see, 

And  of  the  joyous  oyle,  whose  gentle  gust 

Made  him  so  frolic  and  so  full  of  lust: 

Upon  a  dreadful  Scorpion  he  did  ride, 

The  same  which  by  Dianae's  doom  unjust 

Slew  great  Orion,  and  eeke  by  his  side 

He  had  his  ploughing-share  and  coulter  ready  tyde. 

— Spenser. 

October  received  its  name  from  being 
the  eight  month  in  the  old  Alban  or 
Latin  Kalendars  when  there  were  but  ten 
months  in  the  year.  The  ancient  Saxons 
styled  this  month  the  "  Wyn-monath,"  or 
"wine-month,"  yet  there  was  no  wine 
made  at  that  time  in  old  Saxony.  The 
early  Germans  termed  it "  Winter-fyllith," 
as  being  the  precursor  of  winter. 


OCTOBER  ist. 

St.  Remigius,  who  is  this  day  honoured  by  the  Roman  Church, 
was  the  great  Apostle  of  the  French,  and  one  of  the  brightest 
lights  of  the  Gaulish  Church  ;  alike  illustrious  for  his  learning, 
eloquence,  sanctity  and  miracles.  His  name  still  has  a  place  also 
in  the  Calendar  of  the  English  church.  Youthful  precocity  did 


ST.    REMIGIUS 


435 


not,  as  it  does  sometimes,  belie  the  future  in  Remigius  ;  for  at  the 
age  of  only  twenty-two  years  we  find  him  (reluctantly  on  his 
part)  made  Bishop  of  Rheims.  The  result  proved  that  the 
pontificate,  in  insisting  upon  his  accepting  the  perferment,  made 
no  mistake.  Clovis  was  at  this  time  king,  and  though  yet  a  pagan, 
held  Remigius  in  high  esteem  and  listened  to  him  as  he  did  to  his 
wife  Clotildis,  who  was  a  Christian.  It  was  not 
until  after  the  battle  of  Talbiac  in  496  that  Clovis 
was  converted  as  the  result  of  securing  Divine 
interposition,  the  legend  running  that :  "  When 
Clovis  was  starting  to  meet  the  Sueve  and  Alemani, 
Clotildis  had  said  :  '  In  the  hour  of  your  need,  if 
you  cry  to  our  God  He  will  help  you.'  The  battle 
was  going  against  Clovis ;  his  troops  had  already 
begun  to  retreat  before  the  enemy,  when  Clovis 
in  desperation  cried  :  '  Oh  Christ !  whom  Clotildis 
invokes  as  Son  of  the  living  God,  I  have  called  on 
my  gods,  but  they  have  no  power ;  I  implore  Thy 
succor.  Deliver  me  from  my  enemies  and  I  will 
be  baptized  in  Thy  name.'  From  then  the  legend 
said,  the  tide  of  battle  changed,  and  Clovis  won 
his  great  victory  and  soon  after  fulfilled  his  vow." 
came  to  Rheims  for  the  remarkable  ceremony,  Remigius  perform- 
ing the  solemn  rite.  After  his  baptism  Clovis  bestowed  many 
lands  and  much  wealth  on  Remigius  who  distributed  them  among 
the  churches.  King  Clovis  died  in  511  but  Remigius  survived 
him  many  years,  dying  in  533'when  ninety-four  years  of  age  and 
after  he  had  served  as  bishop  and  archbishop  of  Rheims  over 
seventy  years. 


S.  REMIGIUS. 
Many  bishops 


OCTOBER   2d. 

In  the  Ordo  of  the  Roman  Church  to-day  is  an  office  for  "  SS. 
Angelonim   Custodium,"  or   "  The   Feast   of  the   Holy   Angel- 
Guancaus." 
This  day  is  also  the  festival  of  a  somewhat  noted  Englishman 


436      SAINTS   AND   FESTIVALS 

whose  name  is  alike  honoured  in  the  one  English  church  and  in 
Roman  Martyrology,  St.  Thomas  Cantelupe,  some  time  High- 
chancellor  of  England  and  Bishop  of  Hereford.  His  father  was 
the  celebrated  William  Lord  Cantelupe,  one  of  those  generals  who 
succeeded  in  the  overthrow  of  the  Barons  and  the  French,  thereby 
fixing  the  crown  on  the  head  of  Henry  III .  The  family  was 
descended  from  one  of  the  Norman  Knights  who  made  up  the 
train  of  William  the  Conqueror,  and  had  by  many  felicitous 
marriages  by  the  XIII.  century  become  one  of  the  most  powerful 
families  in  England  allied  to  the  earls  of  Pembroke,  the  Fitz- Wal- 
ters, earls  of  Hereford,  the  Brenses,  earls  of  Abergavany  and 
others.  Thomas  was  first  placed  under  the  care  of  Walter 
Cantelupe,  Bishop  of  Hereford,  later  under  that  remarkable  man 
Robert  Kilwasby,  the  learned  Dominican  who  was  successively 
Archbishop  of  Canterbury,  Cardinal,  Bishop  of  Porto,  and  the 
Founder  of  the  Black  Friars  of  London. 

When  Thomas  resolved  to  consecrate  his  life  to  the  church 
after  his  studies  in  England,  he  perfected  himself  at  Orleans 
in  the  study  of  civil  law  as  a  preliminary  to  a  better  knowl- 
edge of  canon  law.  Pope  Innocent  IV.  recognising  his  ability 
nominated  him  as  his  chaplain  but  he  within  a  few  months 
resigned  his  office  and  returned  to  England  to  complete  his  course 
of  canon  law  at  Oxford  and  later  was  chosen  chancellor  of  that 
famous  university ;  an  office  he  held  when  King  Henry  III.  created 
him  lord  high  chancellor  of  the  kingdom.  At  his  own  request 
Thomas  was  granted  leave  by  Edward  I.  to  resign  again  and  retire 
to  Oxford  where  his  time  was  given  to  study  and  devotion.  In 
1275,  he  was  canonically  chosen  Bishop  of  Hereford,  an  office  he 
filled  until  his  death  in  1282.  The  sanctity  of  the  man  and  the 
reverence  in  which  he  was  held  is  testified  by  the  fact  that  in 
1287  Edward  III.  personally  attended  the  translation  of  his  relics 
to  the  marble  tomb  where  he  now  rests.  He  was  canonized  by 
John  XXII.  in  1310,  when  his  festival  was  fixed  for  October  2d. 


ST.    FRANCIS    OF   ASSISI      437 

OCTOBER  3d 

Is  sacred  to  St.  Dionysius,  the  Areopagite. 

Among  the  judges  of  that  most  venerable  and  illustrious  senate 
of  the  Areopagites  who  listened  to  St.  Paul  on  that  memorable 
day  described  in  Acts  xvii.  about  the  year  51,  was  a  noted  scholar, 
named  Dionysius,  an  Athenian  philosopher.  The  convincing  logic 
of  Paul  added  to  his  own  knowledge  of  the  facts  in  regard  to  the 
life  and  death  of  Jesus  Christ  left  the  philosopher  no  alternative 
and  he  frankly  and  publicly  acknowledged  the  same,  receiving 
from  the  Apostle  the  rite  of  baptism,  and  from  his  great  learning 
at  once  became  an  active  and  most  valued  assistant  and  later  was 
appointed  by  St.  Paul  as  bishop  of  Athens. 

Of  the  death  of  this  holy  man  not  a  little  uncertainty  exists. 
The  Greeks  in  their  menologies  say  he  was  burned  at  the  stake  in 
Athens  for  his  faith. 

A  long  list  of  works  written  by  St.  Dionysius  the  Areopagite  is 
to  be  found  in  Butler's  "  Lives  of  the  Saints." 


OCTOBER  4th 

Is  the  anniversary  of  one  of  the  most  interesting  characters  in  the 
entire  list  of  the  canonized  saints  of  the  Roman  Church.  St. 
Francis  of  Assisi,  "  The  Seraphic  "  as  he  was  termed  for  his 
fervid  eloquence  and  his  devout  love  and  service  of  his  Divine 
Master.  Yet  with  it  all  such  a  miracle  of  personal  humility.  A 
large  volume  that  lies  before  me  finds  scant  room  to  record  the 
events  of  his  noble  life  of  self-sacrifice  ;  therefore  this  brief 
mention  can  be  but  a  testimony  of  his  worth.  The  son  of  a  mer- 
chant of  Assisi  near  Florence,  he  was  baptized  Giovanni  (John) 
but  gained  his  name  of  Francis  (the  Frenchman)  from  his  being 
taught  French  as  a  preparation  for  the  business  he  had  been 
intended  for  by  his  father  ;  but  Providence  changed  this.  In  one 
of  those  local  provincial  quarrels  Francisco  was  taken  a  prisoner, 
and  for  a  year,  held  a  captive  in  the  fortress  of  Perugia.  Sickness 
followed  upon  his  release,  and  as  he  lay  upon  his  sick  bed  he 


SAINTS   AND   FESTIVALS 

resolved  to  devote  his  life  to  God.  From  thenceforth  his  whole 
life  was  one  of  poverty,  for  his  father  had  cast  him  off ;  yet  he  in 
the  midst  of  his  own  poverty  still  went  bravely  on  in  his  life's 
work  until  he  succeeded  in  founding  the  Order  of  Friar  Minors,  or 
better  known  as  Franciscans,  one  of  the  three  Mendicant  Orders 
of  Friars,  that  later  was  supplemented  by  the  Order  of  "  Poor 
Clare's  "  described  in  the  account  already  given  of  St.  Clare  of 
Assisi,  the  "  Grey  Sister."  The  fundamental  character  of  each 
being  either  personal  poverty  ;  relying  wholly  upon  the  charity  of 
others  not  alone  for  their  own  meagre  wants,  but  as  well  for  the 
means  whereby  to  carry  on  their  own  great  work  for  the  benefit 
of  the  sick,  the  suffering  and  the  poor  whom  they  fed.  It  is 
a  wonderful  story  which  I  regret  not  to  repeat ;  but  it  would 
involve  the  entire  early  history  of  this  noted  order  of  Franciscans. 


OCTOBER  5th. 

THE   FESTIVAL  OF  THE   ROSARY. 

The  first  Sunday  in  October  is  fixed  by  the  Ordo  of  the  Roman 
Church  as  the  Festival  of  the  Rosary.  By  means  of  its  beads  and 
their  arrangement  the  rosary  is  used  by  members  of  this  church  to 
assist  their  memory  in  the  repetition  and  counting  of  the  prayers 
said  in  accordance  with  its  ritual.  These  consist  of  fifteen  Pater 
Nosters  and  a  hundred  and  fifty  Ave  Marias  which,  for  the  con- 
venience of  worshippers,  are  counted  on  a  string  of  beads.  Each 
rosary  or  string  of  beads  consists  of  fifteen  decades,  each  of  these 
decades  contains  one  Pater  Noster  marked  by  a  large  bead,  and 
ten  Ave  Marias,  marked  by  ten  smaller  beads.  The  festival  of  the 
rosary  was  instituted  to  implore  Divine  mercy  in  favour  of  the 
church  and  all  the  faithful  and  to  return  thanks  for  the  benefits 
conferred  on  them,  more  especially  for  the  victory  of  Lepanto  in 
1571  over  the  Turks. 

Pope  Pius  V.  ordained  the  festival  for  all  the  churches  under  the 
title  of  Sta.  Mary  de  Victoria,  but  Gregory  XIII.  changed  the  title 
to  that  now  used. 


THEROSARY  439 

The  rosary  itself  in  its  present  form  is  said  to  have  been  invented 
by  St.  Dominic  ;  though  it  had  its  first  origin  in  the  East  and  had 
long  been  used  by  hermits,  anchorets  and  the  Benedictine  monks 
before  its  introduction  into  the  use  of  the  church  as  a  body. 


The  Roman  Church  pays  honour  this  day  to  St.  Placidus,  the 
Abbott  of  Messina  in  Sicily  and  his  companion  martyrs.  Placidus 
was  the  son  of  Tertullus,  a  Roman  senator,  and  like  so  many  sons 
of  noble  Roman  families  was  at  the  age  of  seven  committed  to 
the  care  of  St.  Benedict  at  his  monastery  at  Sublaco.  It  was 
here,  legend  tells  us,  St.  Benedict  performed  a  wonderful  miracle. 
The  lad  Placidus  in  some  way  had  fallen  into  the  water  of  the  lake 
and  when  St.  Benedict  was  told  of  it  he  called  a  monk,  named 
Maurus  and  blessing  him  sent  him  to  the  rescue.  The  child, 
"  was  floating  a  bow-shot  from  the  shore  when  Maurus,  walking 
on  the  water,  seized  the  lad  and  drew  him  ashore,  his  (Maurus) 
melote  (a  sheep-skin  the  monks  wore  on  their  shoulders)  not  even 
having  been  wetted."  This  power  having  been  given  Maurus 
through  the  blessing  of  St.  Benedict. 

How  much  influence  this  rescue  had  on  young  Placidus  in 
determining  his  future  is  not  told  in  direct  words  ;  but  it  could 
not  have  failed  under  all  the  circumstances  and  his  surroundings 
to  have  impressed  him  deeply ;  for  he  took  upon  himself  the 
monastic  vows  at  an  early  age.  In  or  about  541  he  went  to  Sicily 
where  he  founded  a  monastery  at  Messina ;  he  then  being  twenty- 
six  years  of  age.  In  this  act  he  was  nobly  aided  by  his  father 
Tertullus.  Here,  too,  he  was  joined  by  his  two  brothers  Euty- 
chius  and  Victorinus,  with  his  sister,  Floria,  devoting  their  lives  to 
devotion  and  to  works  of  charity.  A  few  short  years  only  were 
granted  them  when  a  party  of  Arian  Goths  headed  by  a  pirate 
named  Manrechas  landed  on  the  island  and  some  thirty  or  more 
monks  with  Placidus,  his  virgin  sister  and  his  brothers  were 
brutally  murdered  and  their  monastery  plundered  and  destroyed 
on  October  5,  546. 


440    SAINTS   AND    FESTIVALS 


OCTOBER  6th. 

The  memory  of  St.  Faith  to  whom  a  crypt  in  the  cathedral  of 
St.  Paul  in  London  is  dedicated,  is  one  of  the  saints  which  both 
the  Anglican  and  Roman  Churches  select  for  honour  on  this  day. 
Among  those  Christians  whose  invincible  constancy  triumphed 
over  the  malice  of  Dacian  under  Dioclesian  and  Maximian,  none 
better  deserves  notice  than  the  —  almost  —  child  whose  parents 
had  named  at  her  baptism  "  Faith."  A  girl  endowed  with  such 
exquisite,  wondrous  personal  beauty  of  both 
face  and  form,  that  even  passing  strangers 
stopped  and  watched  her  with  longing,  linger- 
ing eyes  that  they  might  fix  in  their  memories 
her  pure,  saintly  face.  No  woman,  however 
young,  is  insensible  of  her  own  charms,  nor  was 
Faith  so.  She  knew  also  what  such  beauty  as 
hers  could  win  for  her  in  the  outer  world  ;  but 
hers  was  a  higher,  purer  and  nobler  ambition 
for  she  had  been  taught  only  the  simple  faith 
of  Christ  crucified,  risen  and  all  powerful  to 
save.  Thus  when  apprehended  and  brought 
before  Dacian  she  needed  none  to  instruct  her 
how  to  answer  him.  Her  legend  purports  to 
give  these  verbatim  as  she  stood  sturdy  and 
steadfast  to  her  name  and  all  it  represented. 
ST.  FAITH.  jvjol.  could  au  ^g  wjles,  threats  or  promises 

of  Dacian  avail  against  her  strong  purpose.  Even  the  on-lookers 
were  struck  with  pity  and  horror  as  they  exclaimed  :  "  How  can 
this  tyrant  torment  this  innocent  young  virgin  ! "  For  which 
many  were  then  and  there  arrested  and  suffered  death  as  the 
penalty  of  their  sympathy.  Of  course  St.  Faith's  fate  was  sealed 
from  the  moment  when  she  refused  to  sacrifice  to  Diana  and 
she  was  beheaded  on  October  6,  290. 


To-day  is  also  the  festival  of  the  celebrated  St.  Bruno,  Founder 
of  the  Carthusian  Monks. 
The  story  of  how  St.  Bruno  with  his  companions  first  conceived 


ST.    BRUNO  441 

the  project  of  the  order  at  Rheims  and  at  a  later  date  retired  to 
the  wilderness  of  Chartreaux  and  founded  a  church  and  small 
monastery  from  whence  the  order  was  finally  evolved  is  a  long 
and  interesting  one.  The  event  is  said  to  have  occurred  in  1085 
or  86,  authorities  differ,  Dr.  Butler  naming  June,  1084. 

The  rules  of  the  Carthusians  are  the  most  severe  of  any  of  the 
monastic  orders.  Almost  perpetual  silence  is  maintained  among 
the  brothers,  for  they  never  speak  if  a  sign  can  serve  the  purpose 
except  on  one  day  in  each  week  when  for  a  time  they  may  con- 
verse together.  They  never  taste  meat  and  a  single  meal  of 
"  pulse,  bread  and  water,"  is  allowed  daily.  This  too  is  eaten 
separately.  Their  dress  is  white. 

St.  Bruno  might  have  had  preferment  in  the  Church  but  he 
declined  all  to  carry  out  his  cherished  ideal  community.  He  died 
in  1101.  Pope  Leo  X.  instituted  an  office  for  St.  Bruno  in  1514 
for  the  church  of  St.  Stephen;  but  in  1623  when  he  was  canon- 
ized by  Gregory  XV.  the  office  was  extended  to  the  whole  Church. 

This  St.  Bruno  must  not  be  confounded  with  St.  Bruno,  Bishop 
of  Segni,  mentioned  July  i8th,  as  he  sometimes  is,  even  by 
writers,  for  I  have  a  volume  before  me,  purporting  to  be  "  Stories 
of  the  Saints,"  in  which  the  lives  of  the  two  saints  are  sadly 
jumbled. 


OCTOBER  7th 

Commemorates  St.  Mark,  Pope  and  Confessor,  who  held  the  high 
and  holy  office  but  for  eight  months  from  January  i8th,  336, 
when  he  was  placed  in  the  Apostolic  chair,  until  his  death  on 
October  7th  of  the  same  year. 


The  day  is  also  sacred  to  St.  Justina,  the  patroness  of  both 
Padua  and  Venice  who  like  the  gentle  St.  Faith  was  yet  another 
victim  of  the  terrible  persecutions  of  those  twin  monsters  Diocle- 
sian  and  Maximian  ;  who  recognized  neither  youth,  beauty  nor 
virtue  as  an  excuse  for  the  heinous  crime  of  being  a  Christian. 
This  beautiful  virgin  was  the  daughter  of  King  Vatalicino  of 


442     SAINTS   AND   FESTIVALS 

Padua,  a  Christian  who  educated  her  in  his  faith.  On  his  death 
Maximian  accused  the  princess  of  holding  the  faith  of  her  father. 
Far  from  denying  it,  she  boldly  affirmed  her  belief  in  Christ.  As 
usual,  no  mercy  was  given  and  she  was  condemned  to  death  and 
her  legend  tells  how  when  the  executioner  appeared,  "  she 
opened  wide  her  arms  and  received  without  flinching  the  fatal 
sword  thrust  in  her  bosom." 


OCTOBER  8th 

The  Church  honours  St.  Bridget  of  Sweden,  the  Founder  of  the 
Order  of  Brigitines,  or  Brigitta.  She  was  the  wife  of  Ulpho, 
Prince  of  Nericia,  who  died  in  1344.  After  her  husband's  death 
and  when  she  had  distributed  his  estate  among  her  children  she 
instituted  the  Order  bearing  her  name,  whose  object  was,  in 
addition  to  charity  and  other  good  works,  to  observe  particular 
devotions  for  the  Passion  of  Our  Lord  and  in  honour  of  His  Holy 
Mother.  She  built  the  great  monastery  of  Wastein  in  which  were 
housed  sixty  nuns,  and  in  a  separate  building  friars  numbering 
thirteen  priests,  four  deacons,  four  doctors  of  the  Church  and 
eight  lay  brothers  of  the  Order.  The  Order  itself  apparently  was 
not  confirmed  until  after  her  death  when  it  was  approved  by 
Martin  V.  (Pope  1417-1431),  while  she  died  in  1373. 

The  Order  of  the  Brigitines  appeared  as  the  Third  of  the  Order 
of  St.  Augustine.  One  monastery  only  of  this  Order  ever  was 
founded  in  England,  that  of  Sion-house  built  in  1413,  by  Henry  V. 
and  of  which  I  have  already  given  an  account  in  a  previous  article. 

St.  Bridget  was  canonized  in  1391  by  Boniface  IX.,  and  her 
canonization  confirmed  by  Martin  V.  in  1419. 


This  day  is  also  the  festival  of  St.  Pelagia,  the  penitent  come- 
dian, who  is  such  a  prominent  character  in  Charles  Kingsley's 
remarkable  novel,  "  Hypatia." 


ST.   DENIS 

OCTOBER  9th. 


443 


This  day  is  sacred  to  St.  Denis,  Denys,  or  Dionysius,  who  must 
not  be  confounded,  as  is  often  the  case,  with  St.  Dionysius  the 
Areopagite  spoken  of  on  October  3d. 

St.  Denis  was  of  all  the  Roman  missionaries  in  Gaul  the  indi- 
vidual who,  in  preaching  the  doctrines  of  the 
Cross,  penetrated  furthest  into  the  country,  and 
fixed  his  seat  at  Paris  of  which  he  became  the 
first  bishop.  He  is  said  to  have  been  put  to 
death  during  the  persecution  of  Valerian,  and 
a  well-known  legend  is  related  regarding  him, 
that  after  suffering  decapitation,  he  miracul- 
ously took  up  his  head,  carried  it  in  his  hands 
for  the  space  of  two  miles  and  then  lay  down 
and  expired. 

The  bodies  of  St.  Denis  and  his  companions 
are  recorded  to  have  been  interred  by  a  Chris- 
tian lady  named  Catalla  not  far  from  the  place 
where  they  had  been  beheaded.  A  chapel  was 
thereafter  erected  over  their  tomb  and  in  the 
fifth  century  a  church  which  was  greatly  re- 
sorted to  by  pilgrims.  St.  Denis  is  the  patron 
of  France. 


ST.  DENIS. 


To-day  is  also  kept  the  festival  of  St.  Lewis  Bertrand.  He  was 
one  of  a  noble  band  for  whom  too  high  praise  cannot  be  spoken, 
who  in  those  early  days  dared  the  dangers  of  crossing  the  broad 
Atlantic  to  carry  the  gospel  to  the  Indians  of  the  New  World. 

He  was  a  Spaniard  by  birth,  born  in  Valencia,  where  as  a  youth 
he  became  a  novice  in  a  Dominican  monastery,  passing  through  the 
various  degrees  in  the  order  with  credit  both  to  himself  and  his 
teachers.  For  years  his  one  ambition  had  been  to  become  a  mis- 
sionary to  the  savages  of  America.  He  was  not  ignorant  of  the 
discomforts  and  dangers  which  attended  such  a  life  or  the  proba- 
bility of  its  costing  him  his  own  life.  It  was  not  until  1352 
when  he  was  thirty-six  years  of  age,  that  he  received  permission  to 


444   SAINTS   AND   FESTIVALS 

undertake  such  a  mission,  and  South  America  was  selected  for 
his  field  of  work  when  accompanied  by  one  of  his  fellow  friars  he 
started,  and  after  a  long  and  tedious  voyage  landed  at  Golden 
Castile.  The  scene  of  his  labours  for  the  next  three  years  lay  in 
the  Isle  of  Tobago,  the  province  of  Carthagena,  and  upon  the 
Isthmus  of  Panama.  Even  at  that  early  day  the  Dominicans  had 
established  themselves  in  South  America  but  the  territory  St. 
Lewis  Bertrand  penetrated  was  new  ground  and  the  hardships  he 
and  his  companion  endured  from  hunger  and  exposure  were 
beyond  description.  A  stone  for  a  pillow,  Mother  Earth  for  a  bed, 
and  wild  fruits  for  their  food.  It  would  seem  as  if  the  "  gift  of 
tongues  "  had  been  bestowed  on  this  man,  so  quickly  did  he 
acquire  the  varied  dialects  of  these  untutored  savages  ;  but  it  was 
this  above  other  things  which  won  for  him  their  confidence.  The 
next  objective  point  of  our  missionary  was  the  Caribbees,  where  in 
the  mountains  of  St.  Martha  he  baptized  over  15,000  persons. 
Again  in  the  country  of  Mopaia  and  on  the  Isle  of  St.  Thomas  he 
gained  many  converts  to  Christ,  protected  always  by  unseen 
hands  from  dangers  only  later  discovered.  In  1569  to  protect 
these  savages  from  ruthless  plunder  and  persecutions  of  lawless 
Spanish  adventurers  who  infested  these  new  countries,  St.  Lewis 
Bertrand  resolved  to  sail  for  Spain  and  seek  from  the  Spanish  throne 
the  needed  relief  in  which  he  was  partially  successful ;  but  his 
superiors  thought  they  had  other  and  more  needed  work  for  him 
in  Spain,  and  he  could  not  therefore  return  to  his  missionary  work, 
much  as  he  desired  to ;  but  devoted  himself  to  preparing  others 
for  the  Master's  vineyard  by  his  holy  life,  example  and  teachings, 
until  in  1 580  when  one  day  preaching  in  the  cathedral  at  Valencia, 
he  was  taken  ill  and  carried  from  the  pulpit  to  what  proved  to  be 
his  death  bed.  He  was  beatified  by  Paul  V.,  in  1608,  and  canon- 
ized by  Clement  X.  in  1671. 


OCTOBER  roth. 

This  day  is  kept  sacred  to  the  memory  of  another  of  the  noted 
men  of  the  Jesuits,   St.    Francis  Borgia,   the   Fourth  Duke  of 


ST.   FRANCIS   BORGIA      445 

Gandia  and  the  Third  General  of  the  Jesuit  Order,  and  named  by 
his  mother  out  of  love  and  devotion  to  St.  Francis  of  Assisi.  He 
was  a  precocious  child.  At  the  age  of  seven  he  read  fluently  his 
native  Spanish  language  and  as  he  advanced  in  years  no  pains  or 
expense  were  spared  to  furnish  him  with  the  best  and  most 
learned  tutors  and  masters  in  each  branch  of  learning.  He  early 
disclosed  a  desire  for  a  strict  religious  life  ;  but  his  father  opposed 
it  (his  mother  had  died  in  1520)  and  in  1528  when  he  was  eighteen, 
in  order  to  turn  his  thoughts  into  other  channels  he  was  removed 
from  Saragossa  and  placed  at  the  court  of  Charles  V. ,  then  one  of 
the  gayest  courts  in  Europe.  Here  he  gained  the  esteem  of  the 
Empress,  who  planned  to  marry  him  to  Eleanor  de  Castro,  a 
Portuguese  lady  of  the  first  rank,  with  great  wealth  and  very 
accomplished  as  well  as  possessed  of  rare  beauty,  while  added  to 
these  she  was  a  woman  of  fervent  piety,  and  Francis'  father  gave 
him  no  opportunity  to  decline  so  advantageous  an  offer. 

In  1 539  the  pious  Empress  died  and  shortly  thereafter  the  Mar- 
quis was  made  Viceroy  of  Catalonia,  and  created  knight  of  the 
order  of  St.  James  or  the  "  Red  Cross,"  the  most  honourable  order 
of  Spain.  Barcelona  was  the  seat  of  the  government  and  it  was 
here  that  Francis  first  became  acquainted  with  the  tenets  of  the 
Jesuit  order  and  began  to  study  their  objects.  Encouraged  as  he 
had  always  been  by  his  wife,  Francis'  life  had  at  all  times  been  a 
devout  and  religious  one  ;  but  now  he  began  to  strive  for  some- 
thing beyond  the  life  he  was  then  living.  In  the  meantime 
Francis'  father  had  died,  and  he  now  was  Duke  of  Gandia,  and  in 
1543  he  returned  to  his  native  town  where  he  soon  founded  a 
college  for  the  Society  of  Jesus.  In  1546  his  devoted  wife  died 
and  about  that  time  Peter  Le  Fever,  one  of  St.  Ignatius  Loyola's 
associates  in  founding  the  order,  came  to  Gandia  and  laid  the  first 
stone  for  the  new  college.  It  was  then  the  Duke  resolved  on  the 
most  momentous  act  of  his  life  and  applied  for  admission  to  the 
Society  of  Jesus,  laying  aside  wealth,  honours,  and  rank  to  be  a 
servant  and  to  renew  his  studies  in  order  to  become  a  doctor  of 
theology. 

In  1549  St.  Francis  visited  Rome  and  with  the  money  he  had 
brought  from  Spain  built  a  church  for  the  "  Professed  House  " 


446    SAINTS   AND   FESTIVALS 


and  laid  the  foundation  (though  he  declined  the  honour  and  title 
of  Founder)  of  the  great  Jesuit  institution  called  the  Roman  Col- 
lege completed  by  Pope  Gregory  XIII.,  then  resigned  his  Duchy 
to  his  eldest  son  and  in  January,  1551,  took  his  final  vows  as  a 
member  of  the  Society  of  Jesus. 

The  zeal  with  which  Francis  carried  out  his  vows  during  the 
succeeding  years  justly  entitles  him  to  the  title  given  him  by  Dr. 
Butler  as  "  the  second  founder  "  of  the  Order,  for  while  his  gifts  in 
money  had  been  lavish,  his  wisdom  and  prudence  had  done  even 
more  for  the  Order. 

On  July  2,  1565,  on  the  death  of  St.  Laynez,  the  second  General 
of  the  Society,  Francis  Borgia  was  elected  the  third  General  in 
succession,  an  office  he  filled  until  his  death  in  1572. 

St.  Francis  Borgia  was  beati- 
fied by  Pope  Urban  VIII.  in 
1624,  canonized  by  Clement  IX. 
in  1671  and  his  festival  fixed  for 
October  loth  by  Innocent  XI. 
in  1683. 


OCTOBER  nth. 

This  is  the  festival  of  St. 
Ethelburge  or  Edeliburge,  the 
virgin  Abbess  of  the  first  Bene- 
dictine nunnery  founded  in 
England  by  St.  Erconwald, 
Bishop  of  London.  Ethelburge 
was  an  Anglo-Saxon  princess, 
and  a  sister  of  Erconwald.  Al- 
though there  were  then  no 
English  houses  to  which  she  could  repair  to  carry  out  her  vows 
of  religious  life,  she  secluded  herself  from  the  world,  even  in  her 
father's  "  Rath  "  in  the  privacy  of  her  own  apartments.  When, 
however,  her  brother,  Erconwald,  then  Bishop  of  London,  founded 


ST.  ETHELBURGE. 


ST.   WILFRID  447 

a  Benedictine  •  nunnery  at  Barking  in  Essex,  she  consented  to 
become  its  head  and  was  its  first  Abbess.  Her  life  was  one  of 
those  quiet,  unostentatious  ones  we  sometimes  see  devoted  to 
silent  and  secret  good  works ;  her  greater  and  more  sterling 
qualities  only  once  being  called  out  when  in  663  the  plague 
appeared  within  the  walls  of  the  Barking  nunnery.  Then  her  true 
heroism  displayed  itself  in  a  most  marked  manner  by  her  attention 
and  devotion  to  her  sick  and  dying  sisters.  Giving  herself  no  rest, 
performing  even  the  most  menial  duties  without  complaint  and 
giving  succor  and  support  to  all  until  the  last  victim  had  been 
claimed  by  the  dread  disease  no  earthly  power  could  resist. 

When  at  last  the  survivors  were  safely  removed  from  danger 
and  her  hour  of  rest  seemed  near,  she  herself  fell  a  victim  to  her 
devotion  to  others  and  went  to  her  reward,  on  this  nth  of  Octo- 
ber in  664. 


OCTOBER  1 2th. 

Both  the  Anglican  and  Roman  Churches  commemorate  on  this 
day  the  memory  of  St.  Wilfrid  or  as  the  Anglo-Saxons  wrote  it 
Willferder,  Bishop  of  York,  who  was  born  in  the  ancient  kingdom 
of  Northumberland  in  634  and  educated  at  the  monastery  of  Lindis- 
farne,  then  one  of  the  noted  monastic  schools.  Indeed  these 
monastic  schools  were,  down  to  the  tenth  century,  the  only  ones  in 
Britain  where  any  high  degree  of  education  was  to  be  obtained. 
At  the  age  of  nineteen  in  653  ambitious  still  to  attain  a  degree  of 
knowledge  beyond  that  of  Lindisfarne  Wilfrid  started  for  France 
and  Italy  and  in  passing  through  Kent  met  the  noted  Bennet 
Biscop  the  founder  of  the  celebrated  monasteries  of  Wearmouth 
and  Jarrow  into  whose  churches  this  advanced  thinker  and  theolo- 
gian introduced  the  first  paintings  ever  placed  in  a  church  in 
Britain.  In  company  with  this  learned  man  young  Wilfrid 
traveled  to  Rome,  where  by  good  fortune  he  met  St.  Boniface 
then  an  archdeacon  and  through  him  was  introduced  to  the  pope. 
From  Rome  he  proceeded  to  Lyons  where  after  three  years  of 
study  he  received  the  ecclesiastical  tonsure  and  was  ordained 
returning  to  Britain  in  658  when  the  great  controversy  over 


448    SAINTS    AND    FESTIVALS 


Easter  was  at  its  height  and  in  which  he  had  a  part.  From 
thence  on  his  was  a  busy  missionary  life,  not  only  in  Northumber- 
land but  in  Bernecia  and  the  North  which  if  I  might  tell  it  in 
detail  would  show  how  constant  and  earnest  were  those  faithful 
men  who  laid  the  foundation  for  Christianity  in  Britain.  The 
contest  over  his  bishopric  was  long  and  tedious  and  would  inter- 
est none  save  ecclesiastics  therefore  I  omit  it.  Yet  even  during 
all  this  persecution  Wilfrid  was  never  idle  in  his  Master's  work 
literally  "  dying  in  the  harness  "  in  709. 


OCTOBER  1 3th. 
TRANSLATION  OF  THE  RELICS  OF    EDWARD  THE  CONFESSOR. 

Towards  the  close  of  1065 
this  pious  m  o  n  ar  c  h  com- 
pleted the  rebuilding  of  the 
Abbey  at  Westminster  and 
at  Christmas  "  he  caused 
the  newly-built  church  to  be 
hallowed  in  the  presence  of 
the  nobles  assembled  during 
that  solemn  festival." 

The  king's  health  contin- 
ued to  decline  till  on  the  5th 
of  January  he  felt  that  the 
hand  of  death  was  upon  him. 

Every  reader  of  history 
knows  how  the  Confessor's 
last  hours  were  embittered 
by  the  bickerings  of  his 
court  as  to  who  should  suc- 
ceed him  until  worn  out  he 
at  last  told  Harold  and  the 
rest  to  settle  the  matter  any 
way  they  could,  then  turned 
on  his  bed  commending  his 


ST.  EDWARD  THE  CONFESSOR. 


soul  to  God  thus  dying  on  January  5,  1066. 


ST.    EDWARD 


449 


The  Confessor's  first  burial  place  was  in  front  of  the  high  altar 
in  the  church  dedicated  to  St.  Peter  (now  called  Westminster 
Abbey)  begun  by  Ethelbert  and  completed  by  his  son  Edward 
surnamed  "The  Confessor."  This  tomb  was  then  a  very  simple 
affair  and  the  early  Chronicles  tell  us  that  William  the  Conqueror 
presented  a  pall  to  cover  it :  "  Very  richly  was  it  worked  in  fine 
gold  and  silver,  which  King  William  had  made  to  the  honour  and 
fame  of  St.  Edward." 

When  Westminster  Abbey  was  rebuilt  by  Henry  III.  the  coffin 
of  the  Confessor  was  for  a  time  placed  in 
the  palace  of  Westminster  from  whence 
it  was  brought  to  the  gorgeous  new 
shrine  the  monarch  had  prepared  for  it, 
in  the  new  Abbey,  on  October  13,  1269. 
The  coffin  on  this  occasion  was  carried 
by  King  Henry,  his  brother  Richard, 
Earl  of  Cornwall  (King  of  the  Romans), 
his  two  sons,  Edward  (afterwards  Ed- 
ward I.)  and  Edmund,  Earl  of  Lancaster ; 
the  Earl  of  Warren  ;  Lord  Basset  and  as 
many  other  nobles  "  as  could  come  near 
to  touch  it."  And  we  are  told,  "  this  was 
the  first  time  that  Divine  Service  was 
celebrated  in  this  Church  after  the  King 
rebuilt  it." 

The  present  tomb  that  some  of  us  have 
seen  is  but  the  mutilated  remains  of  the 
magnificent  structure  erected  by  Henry 
III.  for  only  the  basement  of  that  XIII. 
century  work  is  now  standing.  It  was  Italian  design  erected  in 
Purbeck  marble  then  profusely  adorned  with  glass  mosaic.  The 
material  and  workmen  were  brought  from  Italy  by  Abbot  Ware 
and  an  inscription  may  yet  be  seen  that  tells  us  "  Peter  the  Ro- 
man citizen  finished  the  work  in  1269."  On  either  side  of  the 
shrine  north  and  south  are  the  niches  wherein  in  old  days  they 
laid  sick  persons  in  hope  of  a  miraculous  cure  from  St.  Edward 
whose  body  now  actually  lies  above  those  niches. 


450     SAINTS   AND  FESTIVALS 

To  quote  from  Mr.  Troutbeck's  valuable  monograph  ;  "  The 
body  formerly  lay  in  a  golden  shrine  above  the  marble  and 
mosaic  base  and  this  shrine  was  adorned  by  many  splendid 
jeweled  images.  There  were  among  others  an  image  of  St. 
Edmund  King  and  Martyr,  his  crown  set  with  two  large  sapphires 
a  ruby  and  other  precious  stones,  a  figure  of  the  Virgin  and  Child 
set  with  rubies  emeralds  and  garnets,  a  figure  of  St.  Peter  holding 
in  one  hand  a  Church  in  the  other  the  keys ;  upon  his  breast  there 
appeared  a  large  sapphire,  meanwhile  the  saint  was  trampling 
on  the  heart  of  Nero."  This  will  give  my  readers  a  faint  idea  of 
the  splendors  of  this  now  vanished  shrine. 

Henry  VIII.  in  1536  despoiled  the  shrine  of  its  treasures,  while 
all  that  he  left  of  any  value  the  "  Reformers  "  of  Cromwell  carried 
away.  Lest  these  vandals  should  even  desecrate  the  tomb  itself 
the  Monks  for  a  time,  secreted  the  Confessor's  body  ;  but  in  time 
of  Queen  Mary  it  was  restored  to  its  proper  place.  This  Queen 
presented  many  jewels  and  images  for  St.  Edward's  shrine  but  its 
pristine  beauty  had  forever  departed. 


OCTOBER 

Is  the  festival  of  St.  Callistus,  or  Calixtus  as  that  name  is  some- 
times written.  He  was  elected  to  the  pontificate  August  2,  218, 
and  held  the  high  position  for  five  years  and  two  months ;  but  the 
uncertainty  of  these  early  dates  lead  others  to  limit  this  time  to 
four  years  and  a  few  months. 


OCTOBER   1 5th 

Is  held  sacred  in  memory  of  St.  Teresa,  or  Theresa,  Virgin 
Foundress  of  "The  Barefooted  Carmelites."  Her  story,  if  I 
could  tell  it  in  extenso  is  one  of  the  many  real  romances  that  are 
to  be  found  among  the  devotees  of  the  Roman  Church.  I  take 
space  for  but  an  epitome  of  it. 


ST.   TERESA 


She  was  Spanish,  born  at  Avila  in  Castile  in  1515.  Her  parents 
were  of  gentle  blood  but  not  wealthy  yet  not  in  that  most  unhappy 
of  all  lots  in  life,  in  any  age  or  country,  "  genteel  poverty."  In 
one  of  the  fortress-houses  of  Avilon  says  Miss  G.  C.  Graham  in 
her  life  of  Santa  Teresa  :  "  Where  on  the  shield  over  the  gateway 
the  bucklers  of  the  Davilas  were  quartered  with  the  rampant  lion 
of  the  Cepedas  she  was  born  and  passed  her  childhood." 

For  a  time  after  her  mother's  death  Teresa  was  in  the  Convent 
of  Encarnacion  not  as  a  novice  but  pupil.  It  is  right  here  a 
pretty  love  story  comes  in  had  I 
place  for  it.  For  in  spite  of  the 
dearth  of  eligible  suitors  for  many 
maidens  owing  to  the  hegira  of 
the  more  enterprising  young  Span- 
iards to  the  Eldorado  of  the  New 
World  Teresa  had  no  lack  of  them. 
Then,  too,  she  had  fallen  into  the  •„ 
habit  of  reading  those  old-time 
thrilling  anecdotes  of  Knight- 
errantry  then  so  much  the  vogue  in 
Spain.  But  the  romances  and  fic- 
tion each  were  ended  by  a  sudden 

and   for  a  time  dangerous  illness. 

During  her  convalescence   at  the 

manor-house  of  her  Uncle  Pedro 

de  Cepeda,  a  grave   formal   man 

who    read   religious    books  only ; 

she  was  called   upon   to   read  to 

him.    The  courteous  respect  of  the 

young  for  their  elders,  left  her  no 

alternative  while  she  concealed  her 

dislike  to  such  books  as  best  she 

could.    At  last  the  epistles  of  St.  Jerom  were  given  her  to  read 

and  it  was  from  the  reading  of  these  that  her  resolution  came  to 

take  upon  herself  the  vows  of  a  Carmelite  nun.     It  was  not  the 

inspiration  of  a  moment  but  after  a  long  struggle  which  fills  many 

pages  in  her  own  writings  in  describing ;  for  unlike  many  who 


ST.  TERESA. 


452      SAINTS   AND    FESTIVALS 

in  those  days  entered  religious  retreats  she  was  sincere  and  earn- 
est. The  nunnery  of  Encarnacion  it  may  be  said  in  passing  was 
then  far  from  being  what  many  think  of  such  retreats. 

Under  her  newly  inspired  devoutness  this  far  from  met  Teresa's 
ideas  though  perforce  she  for  a  long  time  endured  it.  In  fact, 
twenty  years  lapsed,  full  of  many  interesting  experiences,  failures 
and  falterings  before  the  hoped  for  time  came. 

Even  the  story  of  the  Reformation  of  the  Carmelite  Nuns  must 
be  abridged.  The  discipline  of  the  Encarnacion  was  lax,  lacking 
in  almost  every  way  the  essential  features  of  a  religious  house 
during  the  twenty  years  St.  Teresa  waited  before  her  opportunity 
came  and  then,  it  was  accomplished  only  through  difficulties  she 
might  well  have  shrank  from.  Briefly  told  it  came  about  thus  : 
An  elderly  nun  of  the  Carmelite  Order  had  observed  St.  Teresa 
often  talking  with  her  regarding  the  restoration  of  the  primitive 
rules  that  once  governed  houses  like  the  Encarnacion.  It  was  not 
without  hesitation  that  the  Superior  and  the  Provincial  were  in- 
duced to  give  their  consent  that  Teresa  and  thirteen  nuns  should 
start  a  convent  to  be  governed  by  the  old-time  strict  rules.  In- 
deed the  Provincial  very  quickly  changed  his  mind  and  forbade 
the  new  enterprise  to  be  entered  upon.  But  Teresa  had  forestalled 
this.  A  house  had  been  secured  and  through  friends  both  a  Papal 
brief  and  the  consent  of  the  Bishop  had  been  obtained  and  on  St. 
Bartholomew's  Day  in  1 562  the  little  band  of  enthusiastic  ascetics 
set  up  their  altar  in  their  new  home.  What  followed  seems  to 
us  to-day  a  sort  of  comedy.  The  Prioress  had  taken  alarm,  the 
Town-Council  and  Chapter  of  the  Cathedral  joined  in  the  fray 
when  St.  Teresa  was  ordered  by  them  to  return  to  the  Encarna- 
cion and  close  the  new  house.  But  she  held  the  Papal  brief  and 
the  authority  of  the  Bishop,  which  she  flourished  in  the  face  of 
the  Provincial  and  to  quote  from  a  descriptive  verse  before  me  of 
this  affair  :  "  The  city  magnates  in  high  dudgeon  appealed  to  the 
sovereign  Philip  II."  In  the  end  but  not  until  after  a  year  Teresa 
came  off  victor. 

This  then  was  the  origin  of  the  Reformation  of  Barefooted 
Carmelites.  But  her  eager  active  mind  now  that  she  had  her  dis- 
calceated  nuns,  resolved  to  enlarge  her  field  and  secure  an  order  of 


ST.    GALL  453 

friars  as  well  which  through  a  General  of  the  Society  of  Jesus  at 
Medina  she  later  succeeded  in  founding  in  1568.  A  story  quite  as 
curious  in  all  its  details  as  had  been  the  founding  of  her  discalce- 
ated  nuns.  But  I  will  not  enlarge  beyond  saying  that  through 
the  aid  of  an  excellent  priest  Antonio  de  Heredia  and  St.  John  of 
the  Cross  the  foundation  for  the  Order  of  the  Barefooted  Friars 
began  in  Medina  and  the  Order  soon  began  to  spread  under  St. 
Teresa's  earnest  work.  For  she  was  practical  as  well  as  enthusi- 
astic and  from  the  hour  she  started  out  from  the  Encarnacion 
convent  for  her  new  purpose  her  life  was  one  of  incessant  toil 
until  in  October  1582  worn  out  with  her  labours  for  the  Carmelites 
Brothers  and  Sisters  of  the  Strict  Observance  she  went  to  her 
reward.  She  was  canonized  by  Gregory  XV.  in  1621. 


OCTOBER  i6th 

Is  devoted  to  the  memory  of  St.  Gall,  one  of  those  learned  Irish- 
men who  went  forth  from  those  remarkable  monastic  schools  of 
Ireland  as  missionary  to  the  pagans  of  the  continent  in  the  year 
585 ;  first  preaching  in  Austrasia  and  Burgundy  finally  settling 
with  a  few  devoted  brethren  on  the  banks  of  Lake  Constance  in 
the  Switzerland  of  to-day :  where  they  dwelt  in  their  little  cells. 
The  legend  tells  us  "  by  the  casting  out  of  a  devil,  from  the  beauti- 
ful daughter  "  of  Gunzo,  the  Duke  or  Governor  of  the  surrounding 
country,  St.  Gall  had  won  them  great  favour  so  that  the  Duke  as 
well  as  the  Bishops,  would  have  placed  him  in  the  Episcopal  see 
of  Constance  ;  but  he  preferred  his  mission  work  and  cell  by  Lake 
Constance  from  which  he  only  emerged  to  preach  among  the 
pagans  many  of  whom  he  brought  to  the  knowledge  of  Christ. 
He  went  out  to  be  a  missionary  and  as  such  he  faithfully  remained, 
in  spite  of  hardships  and  all  tempting  offers  of  ease  until  his  death 
October  18,  646. 
His  festival  has  been  fixed  for  the  i6th  of  this  month. 


454     SAINTS   AND  FESTIVALS 


OCTOBER  i  ;th. 

The  Angelican  Church  honour  in  their  Kalendar  on  this  day 
St.  Etheldreda,  Abbess  of  Ely  for  whom  the  Roman  Church  holds 
a  festival  June  23d,  on  which  day  I  told  her  history. 


On  this  day  the  name  of  St.   Hedwiges,  Duchess  of  Poland, 
appears  in    Roman    Martyrology.     A   remarkable    woman   who 
despite  her  almost  royal  birth  saw  nothing  in  the  pomps  and  vani- 
ties of  Court  life  worthy  to  compare  with  the  love  of  Christ  in  the 
soul.     Her   father   Bertold   III.   of   An- 
dectia,    Marquis   of     Meran,     Count  of 
Tivol  and  Prince  of  Carinthea  had   be- 
stowed her  in  marriage  on  Henry,  Duke 
of  Silesia  when  she  was  but  twelve  years 
old.     Henry  was  also  descended  from  a 
great   and    noble   family  and   himself  a 
man  of  note.     Not  to  dwell  on  the  early 
years  of  her   married  life  in  which  she 
faithfully  fulfilled  her  marital  duties  we 
hasten  on  for  those  stirring  times  in   Po- 
land.    Henry  of   Silesia  proved  himself 
no   pawn  on  the  board  while   the  great 
game  was  being  played.     In  1235  as  all 
readers  of  Polish  history  know,  the  crisis 
S.  HEDWIGES.  came  started  in  1233  when  the  nobles  of 

Greater  Poland  expelled  Ladislas  Ortonis  who  had  made  Henry 
their  Duke.  His  wife  urged  him  not  to  accept  the  flattering  offer 
for  she  foresaw  what  only  too  surely  came  as  it  did  in  most  of  the 
governing  houses  of  that  period  when  her  own  sons  would  be 
quarreling  for  supreme  authority  in  the  State. 

This  conflict  came  even  sooner  than  Hedwiges  had  anticipated 
for  Duke  Henry  having  marched  against  Cracow  and  some  other 
provinces  of  Poland  had  easily  overcome  them.  Out  of  love  for 
his  second  son  Conrad  the  Duke  wished  to  place  him  in  control. 
To  this  Hedwiges  demurred  regarding  the  rights  of  the  elder 
brother  Henry  as  paramount.  To  make  our  story  brief  the  armies 


ST.    LUKE,    EVANGELIST     455 

of  the  two  brothers  met  in  deadly  conflict  and  despite  the  support 
Conrad  received"  from  his  father  Henry  was  victorious  and  Conrad 
died  soon  afterward  in  retirement.  But  I  must  not  follow  Polish 
history  any  further. 

For  years  before  Duke  Henry  died  it  had  been  the  wish  of  the 
Duchess  to  found  a  great  monastery  for  Cistercian  nuns  at 
Trebuitz,  three  miles  from  Breslau  the  capital  of  Silesia.  To 
this  the  Duke  although  at  first  opposed  at  last  consented,  but  to 
secure  her  end  Hedwiges  sacrificed  her  entire  dower  while  her 
husband  aided  by  settling  upon  the  new  monastery  as  an  endow- 
ment the  town  of  Trebuitz,  and  other  estates  thus  providing  for 
the  maintenance  of  one  thousand  persons.  It  was  hither  she 
retired  after  her  (amicable)  separation  from  Duke  Henry  took 
place  that  she  might  more  earnestly  fulfil  her  charitable  and 
religious  ambitions.  From  this  time  her  life  was  devoted  solely 
to  penance  and  good  works  too  numerous  for  detail  here.  Her 
death  took  place  on  October  15th,  1243.  In  1266  Pope  Clement 
IV.  canonized  her,  but  it  was  Pope  Innocent  IX.  who  fixed  the 
date  for  her  festival. 


OCTOBER   i8th. 

St.  Luke,  the  third  in  rank  among  the  Holy  Evangelists  is  this 
day  remembered  and  honoured  by  Christians  throughout  the  world. 
He  was  not  one  of  the  Apostles  having  been  converted  after 
Christ's  ascension.  But  he  was  the  companion  and  beloved  friend  of 
Paul  and  after  his  death  Luke  preached  the  gospel  in  Greece  and 
Egypt.  He  was  a  proficient  in  the  science  of  physics  and  also  an 
artist  of  no  mean  talent,  as  the  pictures  he  drew  of  both  our 
Saviour  and  the  Virgin  Mary  prove.  One  of  these  pictures  of  the 
Blessed  Virgin  ascribed  to  the  pencil  of  St.  Luke,  Pope  Paul  V. 
had  placed  in  the  Borghesion  chapel  of  Sta.  Maria  Via  Lata  in 
Rome,  where  it  is  still  shown.  While  Mrs.  Jameson  (see  her 
Sacred  and  Legendary  Art )  does  not  credit  St.  Luke  as  having 


456   SAINTS   AND    FESTIVALS 


been  an  artist  she  concedes  that  he  is  the  recognized  Patron  of 

Painters. 

His  gospel  was  —  it  is  generally  believed  —  written  much  later 

than  either  St.  Matthew  or  St. 
Mark.  His  s  y  m  b  o  1  is  the 
"  Winged  Ox."  Callot's  im- 
ages represent  him  as  paint- 
ing the  Virgin  and  Child.  His 
death  occurred  on  or  about  A. 
D.  63.  The  illustration  above 
is  the  Clog  Almanac  symbol 
of  St.  Luke  and  purely  Runic. 


OCTOBER 


It  is  curious,  as  I  have  al- 
ready remarked,  how  in  the 
early  days  of  the  Church  personal  quarrels  and  a  desire  for  revenge, 
used  the  popular  prejudice  the  laws  and  the  antipathy  to  the  Chris- 
tian religion  as  a  cloak  beneath  which  any  one  of  the  Christian 
Faith  could  be  punished.  Ptolemy,  Lucius  and  another  companion 
in  their  martyrdom  whom  the  Church  remembers  to-day  furnishes 
another  instance  of  the  truth  of  this  remark.  Ptolemy  was  a 
zealous  Christian  at  Rome  and  through  his  earnest  endeavours  and 
pleadings  with  a  Roman  matron  he  had  succeeded  in  converting  her 
and  she  openly  proclaimed  her  belief.  Her  husband  was  deeply 
angered  and  vowed  vengeance  not  only  upon  her  but  also  on 
Ptolemy.  Under  a  Roman  law  the  matron  at  last  secured  a  legal 
separation  from  the  man  who  had  so  wantonly  abused  her.  This 
was  the  signal  for  the  Roman  to  use  his  best  efforts  to  secure 
vengeance  against  Ptolemy.  Appearing  before  Antoninus  (  Mar- 
cus- Aurel  a  Consul  of  Rome,  who  died  A.  D.  202)  a  known 
opponent  of  Christianity  he  lodged  his  complaint  and  it  was  sent  to 
Urbicius,  the  prefect.  Here  the  Roman  accused  Ptolemy  of  being 
a  Christian,  a  crime  that  needed  only  the  confession  of  the  faithful 
man  to  secure  for  him  condemnation  to  death.  It  was  then  that 


ST.    FRIDESWIDE  457 

Lucius  another  Roman  Christian  came  upon  the  scene  and  pro- 
tested against  the  injustice  of  the  decree  and  Urbicius  demanded 
of  him  :  "  Art  thou  too  a  Christian  ?  "  The  reply  :  "  I  am  !  "  was 
enough  ;  Lucius  was  condemned  to  suffer  with  Ptolemy.  Still  a 
third  noble  man  rose  to  protest  and  declared  his  faith,  a  man  whose 
name  has  never  been  known  though  he  like  the  other  two  suffered 
at  the  same  time,  the  same  death,  on  October  19,  166  and  is 
honoured,  according  to  Roman  Martyrology  :  "  At  Rome  with  the 
other  faithful  worthies. " 


I  can  but  briefly  speak  of  St.  Frideswide,  Patroness  of  Oxford 
whose  father,  Didon  was  Prince  of  Oxford  and  the  neighbouring 
territory  during  the  early  years  of  the  VI II.  century  and  who  as  a 
Christian  Prince  in  750  founded  a  nunnery  in  honour  of  St.  Mary 
which  he  committed  to  the  care  of  his  daughter  Firdeswide  as  its 
Abbess.  She  had  not  been  without  a  romance  in  her  life.  Before 
she  had  become  an  Abbess  her  beauty,  virtues  and  rank  had 
captivated  a  Mercian  prince  named  Algar  who  had  tried  in  vain  to 
secure  her  hand,  since  her  resolution  to  live  a  religious  life  had 
been  taken  in  early  life.  Even  when  she  had  entered  the  nunnery 
he  pursued  her  and  laid  a  plot  to  carry  her  off  by  force  as  her 
legend  tells  of  her  escape  by  hiding  for  a  long  time  in  a  hog-stye 
and  how  the  prince  was  mysteriously  struck  with  blindness  during 
his  search  for  her ;  but  he  repented  and  after  the  earnest  prayers 
of  the  saint  his  sight  was  miraculously  restored.  Later  St.  Frides- 
wide built  for  herself  a  cell  and  oratory  near  Thornbury  to  which 
she  retired  living  in  holy  sanctity  until  her  death  about  790. 


OCTOBER  2oth. 

The  Church  to-day  honours  a  saint  from  out  of  Pagan  Persia. 
Euginius  called  by  the  Orientals  Abus  and  the  Chaldaens  Avus 
(both  meaning  Our  Father)  was  a  disciple  of  St.  Anthony,  and 
one  of  the  earliest  missionaries  into  the  far  East.  He  established 
a  large  monastery  near  Nisibis  from  whence  he  sent  out  his 
emissaries  through  Syria  and  among  the  Persians  and  Saracens. 


458     SAINTS    AND    FESTIVALS 

Among  the  converts  thus  made  was  one  disciple  of  Abus  named 
Barsabias  who  with  some  companions  suffered  under  the  first 
persecution  of  the  Christians  in  Persia  begun  by  Sapor  or  Chah- 
pour  II.  and  Sassanide,  King  (died  380)  thus  he  is  among  the 
earliest  martyrs  in  that  country  and  therefore  remembered  on 
this  day  by  the  Church.  With  his  ten  monks  Barsabias  was 
preaching  against  the  religion  of  the  Magians  and  teaching  that 
of  Christ  when  they  were  apprehended  loaded  with  chains  and 
brought  before  the  Governor  at  Astahara  —  a  city  near  the  famous 
ruins  Persepolis  —  where  after  a  mere  farce  of  an  examination 
was  had,  a  death  sentence  was  pronounced.  This  was  in  342 
and  is  especially  interesting  as  being  the  inception  of  those  relent- 
less persecutions  of  Christians  in  that  region  and  which  was  to 
continue  for  centuries. 


St.  Zenobius,  Bishop  of  Florence  and  patron  of  that  city,  is  also 
honoured  this  day  at  Florence,  although  his  name  appears  in 
Roman  Martyrology  on  May  25th. 


OCTOBER   2ist 

Is  the  festival  of  St.  Ursula  and  her  virgin  companions.  Few 
tourists  who  ever  visited  Cologne  have  failed  to  listen  to  her  leg- 
end, as  they  gazed  at  the  gruesome  row  of  skulls  ranged  around 
her  chapel  in  the  cathedral  the  remnant  of  the  original  eleven 
thousand  virgins.  There  are  a  score  of  versions  of  this  legend 
almost  any  of  which  would  fill  many  pages,  but  probably  the  best 
that  may  be  read  is  that  given  in  Mrs.  Jameson's  "Sacred  and 
Legendary  Art,"  and  known  as  the  Cologne  version. 

It  is  impossible  to  condense  any  one  of  these  legends  within 
reasonable  space  and  I  shall  not  attempt  it  but  only  mention  a  few 
bald  facts  —  if  any  of  these  legends  has  a  right  to  credence  —  as 
told. 

First  Ursula  was  the  daughter  of  a  king  of  Brittany,  and  her 
beauty  was  hardly  less  than  angelic  while  her  mind  was  a  perfect 


ST.    URSULA  459 

storehouse  it  was  said  of  wisdom  and  a  knowledge  of  every  event 
from  the  days  of  Adam  in  the  Garden  until  her  own  time.  But 
rank,  wealth,  beauty  and  accomplishments  were  all  secondary  to 
her  love  of  Christ.  Naturally  she  was  early  sought  in  marriage 
and  Prince  Conon  a  pagan  and  the  only  son  of  King  Agrippinus 
of  England  was  among  those  who  desired  to  win  her.  Thinking 
by  onerous  terms  to  escape  any  marriage  she  demanded  that  she 
should  have  ten  virgins  of  the  noblest  blood  of  the  kingdom  for 
her  ladies,  that  each  of  these  should  have  a  thousand  virgins  to 
attend  them  and  she  herself  should  have  another  thousand  maid- 
ens, and  lastly  that  she  should  have  a  respite  of  three  years  in 
which  "to  honour  her  virginity."  The  report  of  the  ambassadors 
only  made  Prince  Conon  more  eager  and  all  she  demanded  was 
granted.  The  virgins  were  therefore  gathered  and  sent  to  Brit- 
ain. The  prince  was  also  so  anxious  to  see  this  marvel  of  beauty 
and  wisdom  that  he  too  came.  Then  Ursula  had  a  revelation, 
that  before  her  marriage  she  must  make  a  pilgrimage  to  Rome 
with  her  virgins.  At  Cologne  she  had  a  vision  that  foretold  that 
on  her  return  she  and  her  virgins  would  suffer  martyrdom  at  that 
place.  Prince  Conon  followed  her  to  Rome  where  he  was  bap- 
tized by  Cyriacus,  receiving  the  name  Ethereus.  Leaving  out  all 
the  details  which  led  up  to  the  event,  St.  Ursula  and  her  virgins  as 
well  as  Ethereus,  her  betrothed  were  while  on  their  homeward 
journey,  and  in  fulfillment  of  Ursula's  vision  slain  by  the  pagan 
Huns  at  Cologne. 

The  Ursuline  Order  named  in  honour  of  this  virgin  was  founded 
by  Bishop  Angela  of  Bresica  in  1537.  It  was  approved  by  Paul 
III.  in  1544  and  declared  a  religious  order  under  the  rule  of  St. 
Austin  by  Gregory  III.  in  1572. 


OCTOBER  22d. 

In  the  festival  of  SS.  Nunelo  and  Alodia,  Spanish  Virgins  and 
Martyrs  whom  the  Church  honours  this  day  we  are  again  reminded 
of  how  widely  personal  ambition  or  a  desire  for  revenge  lay  back 
of  and  were  often  the  indirect  cause  of  not  a  few  Christian 


460      SAINTS   AND   FESTIVALS 

martyrs.  In  this  case  nearly  two  centuries  intervened  between 
the  original  cause  and  these  sufferers.  But  to  tell  it  would  be  to 
recount  pages  of  Spanish  history  and  tell  how  in  revenge  for  the 
vile  outrages  of  Roderic  the  Gothic  king  had  put  on  a  sister  of 
Count  Julian,  he  had  first  brought  the  Moors  and  Saracens  into 
Spain  who  later  had  possessed  themselves  of  Mount  Calpie  which 
became  the  world  famed  Gibraltar,  and  so  trace  that  wonderful 
conflict  which  continued  long  after  the  two  virgins  with  which  we 
have  to  do,  had  sealed  with  their  blood,  their  faith  as  Christians  in 
a  town  which  through  this  conflict  came  under  the  control  of  the 
Saracens. 

The  father  of  these  sisters  was  a  Mohammedan  ;  but  like  many 
others  of  his  day  had  married  a  Christian  wife  and  the  children 
had  been  brought  up  in  the  faith  of  their  mother.  Had  they  as 
they  came  to  mature  age  been  less  lax  in  their  views  they  could 
have  escaped  their  terrible  fate.  But  their  beauty  won  for  them 
the  undesired  attention  of  many  Saracen  lovers  for  whom  they 
were  called  upon  to  renounce  their  religion  or  surfer.  Then  was 
enacted  that  often  repeated  story  of  persecution  on  one  side  and  a 
firm  refusal  to  yield  on  the  other.  It  involved  a  pretty  romance 
that  I  can  make  no  record  of  here,  beyond  its  hard  unjust  con- 
clusion whereby  when  their  lovers  backed  by  all  the  persuasions  of 
the  king's  officers  and  endless  promises  of  wealth  and  honour,  these 
virgins  chose  for  themselves  death  rather  than  the  loss  of  their 
faith  in  Christ,  and  so,  without  a  tremor,  they  went  to  their 
execution  on  October  2 2d  in  851. 


OCTOBER  23d. 

Under  the  persecutions  which  Julian  the  Apostate  instituted 
there  was  hardly  a  nobler  example  of  Christian  heroism  and  faith 
than  that  displayed  by  St.  Theodoret  whom  the  Church  remembers 
on  this  day. 

Julian  the  uncle  of  the  emperor  had  been  made  "  Count  or 
Governor  of  the  East";  a  district  which  embraced  the  city  of 
Antioch  in  which  dwelt  so  large  a  number  of  Christians  as  well 


ST.    THEODORET  461 

also,  a  large  contingent  of  Arians.  Among  the  Orthodox,  (  or  as 
I  have  before  explained  Catholic )  priests  then  living  at  Antioch, 
was  a  zealous  priest  who  had  during  the  reign  of  Constan- 
tine  been  active  in  destroying  idols  and  in  building  churches 
over  the  relics  of  martyrs.  To  this  faithful  man's  hands  had  been 
committed  the  care  of  the  sacred  vessels  used  by  the  church  in  its 
various  ordinances  and  ritual.  The  intrinsic  value  of  these  had 
been  greatly  exaggerated  but  when  Julian  ( the  Governor )  heard 
that  a  vast  store  of  gold  and  silver  vessels  were  in  the  hands  of 
the  Christians  he  resolved  to  confiscate  them  and  as  a  first  step 
ordered  the  clergy  to  be  banished  from  Antioch.  The  priest  Theo- 
doret  refused  to  obey  this  mandate  and  he  was  brought  bound 
before  Julian  who  accused  him  of  having  "  thrown  down  the 
statues  of  the  gods  "  during  the  previous  night.  Then  began  a 
series  of  tortures  akin  to  those  of  the  so-called  Spanish  Inquisition 
such  as  the  "  bastinado,"  the  "  stretching  of  the  body/'  and  similar 
acts.  But  I  cannot  bring  myself  to  transcribe  all  the  acts  this 
fiend  Julian  ordered  to  be  inflicted  on  this  faithful  man  until  in  his 
impotent  rage  he  commanded  he  should  be  beheaded. 

Julian  secured  the  treasures  of  the  Church  but  unsatisfied  yet 
he  profaned  and  defiled  them  to  crown  his  atrocities.  Nemesis  or 
more  truly  God's  vengeance  quickly  punished  Julian  but  this  story 
my  readers  may  find  in  any  Roman  history.  This  story  of  St. 
Theodoret  is  only  an  incident  in  Julian's  life.  It  occurred  in  362. 


OCTOBER  24th. 

St.  Proclus,  Archbishop  of  Constantinople,  whose  name  appears 
in  the  Kalendar  of  to-day  was  one  of  the  marked  characters  of  his 
generation  and  his  influence  very  widespread.  He  had  from  his 
ordination  as  Deacon  been  famous  as  a  pulpit  orator  and  had 
been  chosen  as  the  Archbishop  of  Cyzicus  the  metropolis  of  the 
Hellespont  but  the  people  refused  to  acknowledge  the  jurisdiction 
of  the  Bishop  of  Constantinople  who  had  appointed  him  and  for 
this  declined  to  receive  Proclus  who  returned  to  his  native  city 


462    SAINTS    AND    FESTIVALS 

but  daily  gaining  in  reputation  for  wisdom,  until  in  434  when  he 
was  promoted  to  the  high  honour  of  Archbishop  of  Constantinople. 

Perhaps  the  most  noted  of  the  many  writings  which  have  kept 
the  name  of  St.  Proclus  in  memory  are  those  he  addressed  to  the 
Armenians  in  436  when  the  Armenian  Bishops  came  to  consult 
with  Proclus  about  the  doctrine  and  writings  of  Theodorus  then 
gaining  ground  among  the  Armenians. 

The  year  447  is  yet  notable  for  the  earthquakes  which  befell 
many  parts  of  Egypt  including  Constantinople  from  whence  the 
people  fled  in  consternation  ;  even  the  Emperor  Theodosius  and 
his  court  being  among  these,  but  everywhere  the  figure  of  St. 
Proclus  is  named  in  his  arduous  efforts  to  comfort  his  scattered 
flock  and  it  was  through  this  incessant  labour  that  death  overtook 
him  on  October  24,  in  447.  In  addition  to  Roman  Martyrology 
St.  Proclus'  name  appears  in  the  Greek  Menologues  and  in  the 
Muscovite  Kalendar  for  this  day. 

In  the  Ordo  for  this  day  in  the  United  States,  I  notice  an 
office  in  honour  of  the  Feast  of  St.  Raphael,  Archangel. 


OCTOBER  25th. 

St.  Crispin's  Day  is  one  of  the  most  famous  of  the  Saint  Days 
not  only  in  England,  but  in  many  parts  of  Europe. 

St.  Crispin  and  his  brother  Crispianian  were  natives  of  Rome 
and  having  become  converts  to  Christianity  traveled  northwards 
into  France  to  propagate  the  faith.  They  fixed  their  residence  at 
Soissons  where  they  preached  to  the  people  during  the  day  and  at 
night  earned  their  subsistence  by  the  making  of  shoes.  In  this 
they  followed  the  example  of  the  Apostle  Paul,  who  worked  at  his 
craft  of  tent-making  and  suffered  himself  to  be  a  burden  to  no 
man.  They  furnished  the  poor  with  shoes  it  is  said  at  a  very  low 
price  and  their  legend  adds  that  an  angel  supplied  them  with 
leather.  In  the  persecution  under  Emperor  Maximian  they 
suffered  martyrdom  and  according  to  a  Kentish  tradition  their 
relics  after  being  cast  into  the  sea  were  washed  ashore  at 


ST.    EVARISTUS  463 

Romncy  Marsh.  In  medieval  art  the  two  brothers  are  repre- 
sented as  two  men  at  work  in  a  shoemaker's  shop  and  the  emblem 
for  the  day  in  the  Clog  Almanacs  is  a 
pair  of  sandals  or  feet  shod  with  them. 

From  time  immemorial  Crispin  and 
Crispianian  have  been  regarded  as  the 
patron-saints  of  shoemakers  who  used  to 
observe  and  still  in  many  places  yet  cele- 
brate their  day  with  great  festivity  and 
rejoicings.  One  special  ceremony  used 
to  be  a  grand  procession  of  the  brethren 
of  the  craft  with  banners  and  music 
whilst  various  characters  representing 
King  Crispin  and  his  court  were 
sustained  by  different  members. 


OCTOBER  26th. 

In  the  Roman  Church  this  day  is  sacred  to  the  memory  of  St. 
Evaristus  who  in  the  year  102  succeeded  St.  Anacletus  as  the 
head  of  the  Christian  Church  in  Rome  and  governed  its  affairs  for 
nine  years.  In  Pontifical  records  this  pope  is  honoured  with  the 
title  of  Martyr,  but  beyond  such  trials  as  every  Christian  endured 
during  the  reign  of  Trajan  there  seems  to  be  no  record  of  a  cruel 
death  and  he  was  buried  :  "  near  to  St.  Peter's  tomb  on  the 
Vatican,"  the  chronicles  record.  It  was  Evaristus  who  first 
divided  Rome  into  separate  parishes  and  assigned  to  each  its 
especial  priests  and  a!so«named  seven  deacons  to  attend  upon  the 
Bishop.  Some  writers  have  ascribed  to  him  the  creation  of  the 
rank  of  Cardinal ;  but  of  this  I  cannot  speak  with  any  degree  of 
certainty.  Pope  Evaristus  died  in  112. 


OCTOBER  27th. 

This  day  the  name  of  St.  Frumentius,  the  Apostle  of  Ethiopia  is 
held  in  honour  by  the  Church  in  Abyssinia. 


464    SAINTS   AND    FESTIVALS 

During  the  reign  of  Constantine  the  Great,  a  scholar  named 
Metrodosus  had  traveled  into  Farther  Persia  called  by  the 
ancients  Ethiopia.  Although  he  had  been  despoiled  of  many 
valuables  by  Sapor  II.  or  Chahpour  he  brought  home  many  rich 
treasures,  diamonds  and  precious  stones.  This  had  inspired 
"  Meropius,  a  philosopher  of  Tyre,"  (as  chronicles  call  him)  with 
an  ambition  to  secure  like  treasures  ;  he  therefore  planned  for  him- 
self a  similar  expedition.  On  this,  Meropius  took  with  him  his 
two  nephews  who  were  then  only  lads.  The  ship  which  Meropius 
had  chartered  for  his  voyage  put  into  a  small  port  to  secure  pro- 
visions when  the  barbarians  attacked  them  and  slew  all  except 
the  two  boys  whom  the  prince  took  as  his  slaves.  The  lads 
seem  to  have  in  some  way  won  the  heart  of  the  barbarian  for 
they  received  only  kindness  at  his  hands  and  upon  his  death-bed 
he  gave  them  their  liberty.  The  Queen  also  who  during  the 
childhood  of  her  son  governed  the  land  entreated  them  to  remain 
with  her  and  aid  her  in  the  government  for  by  that  time  they  were 
men.  They  consented  and  did  so  remain  until  the  young  prince 
assumed  the  government.  Then  the  younger  of  the  two  erst- 
while slaves  returned  direct  to  Tyre  but  Frumentius  the  elder 
who  had  never  during  all  those  years  of  his  captivity  failed  to 
wish  for  the  conversion  of  these  heathens  went  first  to  Alexan- 
dria, where  he  sought  out  St.  Athanasius  to  whom  he  related 
his  story  and  expressed  a  hope  that  the  Archbishop  would 
send  some  one  to  Axuma  as  a  missionary.  A  synod  of  Bishops 
was  called  who  after  long  and  careful  consideration  selected 
Frumentius  himself  as  the  proper  person  ;  whereupon  he  was 
duly  ordained  Bishop  of  Ethiopia.  How  truly  and  faithfully  he 
fulfilled  this  new  and  arduous  duty  is  too  long  a  story  to  repeat 
here.  But  it  is  one  of  those  records  of  early  missionary  work  the 
Church  justly  prides  itself  upon.  The  Bishop  continued  his  earnest 
work  with  apparently  great  success  until  about  the  year  405  when 
the  "  Supreme  Pastor  called  him  to  his  recompense."  The  Latin 
Church  has  ever  honoured  St.  Frumentius  on  October  27th  while 
the  Greek  Church  commemorates  him  on  November  3oth.  The 
Abyssinians  adding  to  his  name  the  title  of  the  "  Apostle  of  the 
Country  of  the  Axumites. " 


SS.   SIMON    AND   JUDE       465 

OCTOBER  28th. 

In  passing  it  is  not  out  of  place  to  mention  that  this  is  the 
anniversary  of  the  birth  in  1467  of  Desiderius  Erasmus,  who 
despite  Luther's  sarcasm  was  an  influential  factor  in  bringing 
about  the  great  Reformation  of  which  Luther  was  the  exponent. 
Erasmus  died  on  July  12,  1536. 


In  all  Christian  Churches  this  day  is  set  apart  for  the  honour  of 
SS.  Simon  Zelotus  (the  Zelot)  and  Jude  (Thaddaeus,  or  Lebbeaus) 
whose  names  have  for  ages  been  connected.  Yet  even  in 
ecclesiastical  biographies  there  is  so  much  uncertainty,  contra- 
diction and  confusion  in 
regard  to  these  Apostles 
that  one  hesitates  as  to 
what  should  be  said. 
According  to  one  tradi- 
tion these  were  the  same 
persons  of  whom  St. 
Matthew  speaks  as  breth- 
ren or  kinsmen  of  our 
Saviour.  But  in  quick 
succession  another  tradi- 
tion tells  us  this  could 
not  be  so ;  for  according 
to  this  last  they  were  two 
brothers  who  were 
among  the  shepherds  to 
whom  the  angel  revealed 
the  birth  of  Christ.  The  only  point  wherein  all  agree  seemingly  is, 
that  these  Apostles  preached  the  Gospel  together  in  Syria  and 
Mesopotamia.  But  whether  they  suffered  martyrdom  together  or 
not  is  again  a  mooted  point.  One  tradition  claiming  that  both 
were  put  to  death  in  Persia ;  St.  Simon  being  sawn  asunder  with 
a  timber  saw  and  St.  Jude  killed  by  a  halbert.  Thus  in  some  of 
the  illustrations  of  the  Apostles,  St.  Simon  bears  a  saw  as  his 
attribute  and  St.  Jude  a  halbert. 


ST.  SIMON. 
From  Roodscreen 
Fritton  Church, 
Norfolk. 


ST.  JUDE. 
From  Roodscreen 
Fritton  Church, 
Norfolk. 


466    SAINTS   AND   FESTIVALS 

One  tradition  of  St.  Simon  says  that  he  came  to  England  and 
was  there  crucified  by  the  ancient  Britons.  In  Greek  art,  St. 
Simon  is  represented  as  suffering  martyrdom  on  a  cross  and  so 
much  like  those  of  our  Saviour,  that  but  for  the  superscription 
"  O  CIMON  "  (the  last  O,  being  the  Greek  omega)  they  cannot 
be  distinguished.  In  Greek  art  also  singu- 
larly St.  Jude  and  St.  Thaddaeus  are  shown 
as  two  distinct  persons  ;  though  we  know 
mm  ^m^  St.  Jude  was  called  both  Thaddaeus  and 
^^^h  Lebbaeus  and  the  gospels  show  was  a 
^^F^f  kinsman  of  Christ.  (See  Matt,  xiii.,  55.)  In 
~~  some  of  the  Runic  Clog  Kalendars  SS. 

Simon  and  Jude's  day  is  marked  by  a  ship 
to  represent  their  occupation  as  fishermen. 
The  more  common  ones  being  like  our  illus- 
tration. To  conclude  this  list  of  contradic- 
tions, I  have  before  me  another  illustration 
of  the  martyrdom  of  St.  Jude  showing  him  being  shot  to  death 
with  arrows  as  if  to  add  to  the  confusion  already  mentioned. 

Even  the  careful  painstaking  Dr.  Butler,  finds  it  necessary  to 
qualify  his  words  by  saying  :  "  If  this  Apostle  preached  in  Egypt, 
etc.,"  in  his  remarks  on  St.  Simon.  Thus  showing  how  limited 
the  knowledge  of  our  best  authorities  is  in  regard  to  these 
Apostles. 


OCTOBER  29th. 

In  St.  Narcissus  the  venerable  Bishop  of  Jerusalem  whom  the 
Church  honours  on  this  day  we  have  if  in  no  other  respect  a  most 
remarkable  instance  of  longevity.  Born  toward  the  close  of  the 
first  century  he  was  almost  four-score  years  of  age  when  he  was 
placed  at  the  head  of  the  Church  in  Jerusalem  as  its  Thirtieth 
Bishop.  In  195  we  find  him  with  Theophilis,  Bishop  of  Cassarea, 
jointly  presiding  at  the  council  of  the  Bishop  of  Palestine  held  in 
Csesarea  convened  to  consider  that  vexed  question  which  so  long 
troubled  the  Church  as  to  the  proper  time  for  observing  Easter. 


NEW   YEAR   CUSTOMS         467 

Despite  the  reverence  the  holy  Bishop  was  held  in  by  good  men 
of  his  day  it  is  evident  he  had  his  enemies  even  "  in  his  own 
household  "  because  of  his  severity  and  strictness  in  observing 
the  obligations  imposed  upon  all  Christians  by  the  laws  of  the 
Church  and  by  them  was  driven  into  exile  for  several  years.  But 
in  the  end  he  returned  and  supported  by  his  faithful  flock  aided  by 
a  Coadjutor  St.  Alexander  in  his  extreme  old  age  once  more  min- 
istered to  his  people  until  as  I  read  in  the  Roman  Martyrology  for 
this  day :  "  The  blessed  Narcissus,  Bishop  of  Jerusalem,  distin- 
guished by  his  holiness  patience  and  faith  went  to  God  at  the  age 
of  one  hundred  and  sixteen  years." 


OCTOBER  soth. 

The  Church  holds  a  festival  this  day  for  St.  Asterius,  one  of  the 
early  Fathers  of  the  Church  who  wrote  about  A.  D.  400  and 
whose  works  even  yet  are  held  in  reverence  for  their  wisdom  and 
vigour.  But  they  are  more  especially  interesting  to  us  from  his 
mention  of  the  keeping  of  the  festivals  of  the  Resurrection  and 
Epiphany  (or  "  of  lights,"  as  he  calls  it)  as  well  as  of  Christmas. 
Another  most  interesting  point  is  his  sermon  (still  preserved) 
decrying  against  the  pagan  custom  of  going  from  door  to  door  to 
"  wish  each  other  a  Happy  New  Year."  Showing  how  ancient 
that  custom  is,  Asterius'  objection  being  not  the  joyous  wish  but 
the  wild  riotous  conduct  of  those  who  engaged  in  the  act. 

Few  of  us  I  fancy  realise  the  obligation  antiquarians  and 
scholars  owe  to  the  Roman  Church,  for  the  preservation  of  ancient 
manuscripts  like  these  sermons  of  St.  Asterius  which  throw  such 
a  flood  of  light  on  those  early  customs  in  the  old  world  ;  filling  out 
many  gaps  where  profane  history  is  silent. 


OCTOBER  sist. 

It  is  also  the  Vigil  of  All  Saints  and  for  which,   both  in  the 
Anglican  and  Roman  Churches,  especial  offices  are  ordained. 


468      SAINTS   AND    FESTIVALS 

HALLOWE'EN. 

There  is  perhaps  no  night  in  the  year,  which  the  popular  imagi- 
nation has  stamped  with  a  more  peculiar  character  than  the 
evening  of  the  3ist  of  October,  known  as  All  Hallow's  Eve,  or 
Hallowe'en.  It  is  clearly  a  relic  of  pagan  times,  for  there  is  nothing 
in  the  church  observance  of  the  ensuing  day  of  All  Saints  to  have 
originated  such  extraordinary  notions  as  are  connected  with  this 
celebrated  festival,  or  such  remarkable  practices  as  those  by  which 
it  is  distinguished. 

The  leading  idea  respecting  Hallowe'en  is  that  it  is  the  time  of 
all  others  when  supernatural  t  influences  prevail.  It  is  the  night 
set  apart  for  a  universal  walking  abroad  of  spirits,  both  of  the 
visible  and  invisible  world  ;  for  one  of  the  special  characteristics 
attributed  to  this  mystic  evening  is  the  faculty  conferred  on  the 
immaterial  principle  in  humanity  to  detach  itself  from  its  cor- 
poreal tenement  and  wander  abroad  through  the  realms  of  space. 

A  good  sized  volume  would  hardly  suffice  to  record  the  super- 
stitions which  even  yet  to  some  degree  hover  round  this  evening 
and  the  variety  of  games  which  have  become  inseparably  con- 
nected with  it.  Burn's  Hallowe'en  gives  some  of  them  and  is  well 
worth  the  reading  again. 


St.  Quintin,  the  saint  which  is  held  in  especial  reverence  this  day 
is  another  of  those  noble  examples  which  the  history  of  the  early 
Church  furnish  so  many ;  and  prove  how  earnest  were  those  men 
who  then  professed  the  Christian  faith.  Descended  from  a  Roman 
senatorial  family  he  was  a  soldier  by  profession  and  already  held 
high  rank  in  the  army  when  he  became  convinced  of  the  truth  of 
Christianity. 

No  sooner  had  he  done  this,  than  casting  aside  his  worldly 
ambitions  and  a  life  of  ease,  he  entered  the  service  of  his  Divine 
Master,  and  attended  by  a  single  friend  St.  Lucian  they  took  up 
the  arduous  life  of  missionaries,  which  then  seemed  to  inspire  the 
best  and  noblest  men  who  abjured  the  Roman  gods  and  professed 
the  Christian  faith ;  the  same  spirit  which  had  scattered  Christ's 


ST.    QUINTIN  469 

disciples  to  the  "  ends  of  the  earth."  Thus  they  went  into  Gaul 
in  the  end  during  287,  in  the  early  years  of  the  joint  reign  of 
Maximian  Herculeus  and  Dioclesian  to  receive  their  crown  of  mar- 
tyrdom ;  and  win  for  themselves  crowns  of  glory  in  another  world. 


NOVEMBER 


This  month  was  anciently  styled  the  "  Wint  Monat  "  or  Wind 
Month  or  Blot-Monath,  Blood-Month,  from  the  custom  of  slaugh- 
tering the  cattle  during  this  month  for  use  during  the  winter  for 
food ;  and  also  from  ancient  pagan  sacrifices  held  in  this  month 
during  which  "  blood  offerings  "  to  their  deities  formed  part  of  the 
ceremony. 


NOVEMBER   1st. 

ALL  SAINTS  DAY. 

This  festival  takes  its  origin  from  the  conversion  in  the  seventh 
century  of  the  Pantheon  at  Rome  into  a  Christian  place  of  wor- 
ship, and  its  dedication  by  Pope  Boniface  IV.  to  the  Virgin  and  all 
the  martyrs.  The  anniversary  of  this  event  was  at  first  celebrated 
on  the  ist  of  May,  but  the  day  was  subsequently  altered  to  the  ist 
of  November  which  was  thenceforth,  under  the  designation  of  the 
"  Feast  of  All  Saints,"  set  apart  as  a  general  commemoration  in 
their  honour.  The  festival  has  been  retained  by  the  Anglican 
church. 

As  early  as  'the  IV.  century  the  Greeks  kept  a  festival  on  the 
first  Sunday  after  Pentecost  in  honour  of  "  All  Martyrs  and 
Saints."  There  is  still  preserved  in  the  archives  of  the  Roman 
Church  a  sermon  preached  by  St.  Chrysostom  (died  September  14 
A.  D.  407)  upon  one  of  these  anniversaries. 

The  feast  was  introduced  into  the  Western  Church  by  Pope 
Boniface  IV.  after  the  dedication  of  the  ancient  temple  of  the  Pan- 
theon as  a  Christian  church  under  the  name  of  "  Sta  Maria  ad 
Martyrs,"  in  608.  The  temple  having  been  made  over  to  him  by 


ALL   SAINTS   DAY  47.1 

the  Emperor  Phocas,  the  feast  was  held  on  May  I3th.  About  731 
Gregory  III.  constructed  a  chapel  in  St.  Peter's  Church  in  honour 
of  "  All  Saints,"  since  which  time  the  "  Feast  of  All  Saints  "  or  "  All 
Saints'  Day  "  as  it  is  popularly  known,  has  been  kept  by  the  Church 
on  November  ist.  After  the  Reformation  this  festival  was  one  of 
those  the  Reformers  retained,  and  in  doing  so  they  retained  as 
well  the  day  fixed  by  Gregory  III.  as  the  one  on  which  to  cele- 
brate it.  In  834,  Pope  Gregory  IV,  at  the  request  of  Louis 
"  the  Mild,"  extended  the  festival  to  the  "  Universal  Church." 

I  can  to-day  name  only  one  of  the  several  saints  whose  names 
appear  in  the  Kalendar,  that  of  St.  Cassarius. 

At  Terracina  among  the  pagan  rites  on  certain  occasions  held 
in  honour  of  Apollo,  the  tutelar  deity  of  the  city,  it  was  the  custom 
of  some  young  man  to  offer  himself  as  a  voluntary  sacrifice  to  the 
god.  After  having  been  for  weeks  pampered,  carried  and  hon- 
oured by  the  citizens,  decked  with  the  richest  apparel  and  most 
glittering  ornaments,  on  the  specified  day  the  young  devotee, 
immediately  after  the  ceremonies  of  sacrifice  to  the  god  would 
rush  from  the  temple  and  running  at  full  speed  through  a  crowd 
of  eager  spectators  who  lined  each  side  of  the  way  to  a  high 
precipice  he  would  plunge  into  the  sea,  and  be  forever  lost 
beneath  its  waves.  According  to  pagan  belief  this  act  secured  for 
the  voluntary  victim  such  favour  from  the  hands  of  the  gods  in 
the  next  world,  as  could  be  no  otherwise  secured. 

Cassarius  was  a  Christian  deacon  lately  come  from  Africa  where 
in  A.  D.  300  he  happened  to  witness  this  vain,  impious  act,  and 
regardless  of  Dioclesian's  lately  promulgated  decree,  dared  to 
deprecate  the  act  as  useless.  Two  of  the  priests  of  Apollo  over- 
heard his  words  and  hardly  had  they  fallen  from  his  lips,  when  he 
was  seized,  bound  and  dragged  before  the  governor  and  accused, 
only  of  course  to  be  condemned.  The  deacon  did  not  deny  his 
words  but  gave  testimony  to  his  faith  in  Christ  and  was  taken 
from  the  presence  of  the  governor,  tied  in  a  sack  and  cast  from 
the  same  precipice  where  Apollo's  voluntary  victim  had  made  his 
sacrifice. 


472    SAINTS   AND   FESTIVALS 

NOVEMBER  2d. 

ALL   SOULS'   DAY. 

This  is  a  festival  peculiar  to  the  Roman  Church  and  is  celebra- 
ted on  behalf  of  the  souls  in  purgatory,  for  whose  release  the 
prayers  of  the  faithful  are  offered  and  masses  performed  in  the 
churches  from  altars  decked  in  black  and  with  every  insignia  of 
mourning. 

In  explanation  Dr.  Butler  says :  "  By  purgatory,  no  more  is 
meant  by  Catholics  than  a  middle  state  of  souls,  namely  of  purga- 
tion from  sin  by  temporary  chastisement  for  a  punishment  of  some 
sin  and  inflicted  after  death,  which  is  not  eternal.  As  to  the 
place,  manner  or  kind  of  these  sufferings,  nothing  has  been 
defined  by  the  church.  *  *  *  " 

This  festival  was  first  introduced  by  St.  Odilo,  the  abbot  of  Cluni, 
who,  to  quote  verbatim  from  Roman  Martyrology,  "was  the  first 
to  prescribe  that  the  commemoration  of  all  the  faithful  departed 
should  be  made  in  his  monasteries  on  the  next  day  after  the 
Feast  of  All  Saints.  This  rite  was  afterward  received  and 
approved  by  the  universal  church." 

Odilo  de  Mercoeur  was  the  sixth  abbot  of  Cluni  and  born  in 
962,  dying  in  1049,  and  his  festival  occurs  on  January  ist.  This 
especial  festival  of  All  Souls  was  instituted  in  the  early  part  of  the 
XI.  century  but  its  observance  soon  was  esteemed  of  such 
importance  that  in  event  of  its  falling  on  Sunday  it  was  directed 
that  it  should  not  be  postponed  as  in  the  case  of  some  ceremo- 
nials, until  Monday  ;  "  that  the  departed  might  suffer  no  detriment 
from  the  lack  of  the  prayers  of  the  church  of  the  faithful." 


On  this  day  the  Church  pays  honour  to  the  memory  of  St. 
Victorinus,  a  father  whom  St.  Jerom  termed  "  one  of  the  pillars 
of  the  church."  He  was  a  professor  of  oratory  in  Greece  and  is 
noted  in  Grecian  annals  of  A.  D.  290.  It  was  as  a  writer  and 
commentator  on  the  Scriptures  that  he  most  excelled,  though  as 
Bishop  of  Pettan  in  Upper  Pannonia,  now  in  Styria,  his  eloquence 


ST.    HUBERT 


473 


bore  wonderful  fruit.  Like  many  another  he  could  not  escape  the 
far-reaching  decrees  of  Dioclesian,  and  won  his  crown  of  glory  in 
3°4- 


NOVEMBER  3d 

Is  sacred  to  St.  Hubert,  patron  of  huntsmen  and  of  the  chase. 
His  is  one  of  those  interesting  legends  constantly  met  with  as  we 
read  the  lives  of  the  saints  of  the  Church,  showing  the  mysterious 
working  of  Providence  in  turning  many  lives  by  some  slight  inci- 
dent. Young,  gay,  rich  and  very  handsome,  no  noble  at  the  court 
of  Theodebert  III.,  King  of  Austrasia,  was  more  courted  or  led  a 
wilder  life.  In  passing  I  notice  this  king  is  called  Theodore  by 
Dr.  Butler  and  others.  There  was  no  king  by  that  name  in 
Austrasia,  and  the  two  names  evidently  have  been  confounded. 
Theodebert's  father,  Theode- 
bert II.,  died  in  612,  and 
Theodebert  III.  was,  though 
but  a  child,  named  his  suc- 
cessor. 

It  was  when  Theodebert's 
court  was  at  its  height  that 
Hubert  of  Aquitaine  first  ap- 
peared and  made  hunting  in 
the  forest  of  Ardennes  so 
fashionable.  There  was  no 
day  too  sacred  for  Hubert  to 
refrain  from  his  favourite  sport  and  no  remonstrance  potent 
enough  to  keep  him  from  indulging  in  it.  Thus  it  was  that 
in  the  early  gloaming  of  an  holy  day  in  the  forest  of  Ardennes, 
a  young  white  stag  stood  before  him.  Its  first  horns  were  just 
sprouting  and  devoid  of  branches :  but  either  from  the  shad- 
ows of  the  branches,  or  in  his  fancy,  Hubert  thought  he  saw  a 
cross  between  them.  The  legend  as  told  claims  it  was  an  actual 
cross.  Be  that  as  it  may,  the  effect  was  the  same  to  set  his 
thoughts  on  the  teachings  he  had  neglected  so  long.  His  life 


474      SAINTS   AND    FESTIVALS 

quickly  was  a  changed  one.  At  first  he  sought  out  a  band  of 
brigands  who  infested  the  forest  and  some  of  whom  he  had  met 
in  his  wanderings,  and  told  them  his  story  and  won  some  of  them 
over  to  seek  a  better  life.  At  length  Hubert  went  to  the  ven- 
erable St.  Lambert,  Bishop  of  Maestricht  and  patron  of  Leige, 
with  whom  he  studied  and  by  whom  he  was  ordained.  In  68 1 
the  holy  prelate  was  murdered.  Already  Hubert  had  been 
advanced  to  the  administration  of  the  diocese  as  assistant  of  St. 
Lambert,  and  on  his  death  he  became  the  Bishop  of  Leige,  as  the 
see  had  been  transferred  thither.  St.  Hubert  administered  his 
holy  office  until  May  30,  727,  when  he  died.  He  was  buried  in 
the  Church  of  St.  Peter  in  Leige.  His  clog  symbol  is  as  in  illus- 
tration a  stag,  sometimes  with  a  cross  between  its  horns. 


NOVEMBER  4th. 

"  St.  Charles  Borromeo,  the  model  of  pastors  and  the  reformer 
of  ecclesiastical  discipline  in  these  degenerated  ages,"  is  the 
manner  in  which  Dr.  Butler  opens  the  narrative  of  the  life  of  one  of 
the  saints  the  Church  remembers  on  this  day.  The  story  is  too 
long  an  one  to  repeat  in  detail,  yet  most  difficult  to  condense.  He 
was  the  second  son  of  Gilbert  Borromeo,  count  of  Arona,  and 
Margaret  of  Medicis,  a  sister  of  John  Angelus,  afterward  Pope 
Pius  IV.,  while  the  Borromeo  family  was  among  the  most  ancient 
of  the  long  list  of  which  Lombardy  can  boast.  From  infancy  he 
was  destined  for  the  church  yet  when  a  child  of  only  1 2  years  of 
age,  an  uncle  Julius  Caesar  Borromeo,  resigned  to  him  the  rich 
revenues  of  the  Benedictine  monastery  of  SS.  Gratinian  and  Felin, 
uncontrolled  by  anyone  older  and  wiser  to  guide  him.  He  studied 
Latin  and  "  humanity  "  at  Milan  and  civil  and  canon  law  at  the 
University  of  Pavia  during  which  time  in  1558  when  20  years  old, 
his  father  died,  but  he  quickly  returned  from  home  and  took  his 
degree  in  1559  and  in  1561  his  uncle,  Pius  IV.,  created  him  a  car- 
dinal. Enough  one  might  think  between  his  great  wealth  and 
rank  to  turn  the  head  of  an  ordinary  young  man. 

His  uncle  had  been  raised  to  the  pontificate  in  1559  and  early 


ST.    BERTILLE  475 

in  the  next  year  named  his  nephew  as  the  head  of  the  council,  and 
another  uncle  added  the  benefices  of  another  abbey  or  priory 
which  he  controlled,  to  the  young  priest's  income.  The  record 
of  his  life  shows  that  all  this  wealth,  honour  and  power  had  no 
influence  upon  his  simple  mode  of  living.  Of  his  executive 
abilities  and  the  promptness  with  which  he  disposed  of  the  vast 
number  of  ecclesiastical  affairs  that  came  under  his  care,  everyone 
speaks  in  the  highest  terms ;  but  it  was  as  a  reformer  of  ecclesias- 
tical abuses  he  was  most  noted.  For  this  purpose  he  established 
the  noble  college  of  the  Borromeos  at  Pavia,  and  sent  missionaries 
into  every  part  of  his  diocese  to  see  that  his  people  were  cared 
for.  Naturally  he  won  the  hatred  of  a  class  of  priests  who  had 
used  the  Church  revenues  for  their  own  indulgences,  and  one 
attempted  to  kill  him  as  he  was  celebrating  evening  service. 

It  seemed  as  if  the  world  had  combined  to  spoil  him  by  heaping 
wealth  and  honours  on  him,  for  King  Philip.  II.  settled  an  annual 
pension  on  him  of  9,000  crowns  and  gave  him  the  principality  of 
Osia,  but  none  of  all  these  favours  ever  changed  his  simple  life  or 
led  him  to  vary  from  the  one  great  object  set  before  him.  As 
became  his  rank,  he  gave  feasts  of  which  he  personally  never  par- 
took. He  died  at  Milan  on  the  4th  of  November,  1584.  His  last 
words  were  "  Ecce  Venio  "  (  Behold  I  come). 


NOVEMBER  $th 

Is  the  festival  of  St.  Bertille,  Abbess  of  Chelles  which  was 
refounded  by  St.  Bathildes,  wife  of  Clovis  II.,  and  was  about  four 
leagues  from  Paris.  This  nunnery  is  chiefly  remarkable  for  the 
number  of  noted  females,  of  royal  and  noble  birth  that  from  time 
to  time  were  gathered  within  its  protecting  walls,  both  of  French 
and  of  foreign  lineage.  Among  them  we  read  the  names  of 
Hereswith,  the  Queen  of  East  Angles,  who  became  a  nun  at 
Chelles  in  646,  and  also  of  Queen  Bathildes  who  retired  here  in 
665  after  the  close  of  her  regency  and  Clotaire  III.  ascended  his 
throne. 

St.  Bertille  was  herself  from  one  of  the  noblest  families  in 


476    SAINTS    AND    FESTIVALS 

Soissons  in  the  reign  of  Dagobert  I.  and  had  been  educated  at 
Jouarre,  a  great  double  monastery  at  Brie,  the  nuns  of  which  were 
under  the  famed  St.  Thilchildes ;  who  selected  St.  Bertille  at  the 
request  of  Queen  Bathildes  as  the  first  Abbess  of  the  refounded 
nunnery  about  646,  and  over  which  she  ruled  forty-six  years  until 
her  death  in  692. 


NOVEMBER  6th 

Is  kept  in  honour  of  St.  Leonard  by  both  the  Anglican  and 
Roman  Churches.  He  was  a  nobleman  of  high  rank  at  the  Court 
of  Clovis  I.  where  he  was  converted  by  St.  Remigius  who  later 
instructed  him  in  divinity. 

Leonard  had  been  a  favourite  with  the  king  and  still  retained 

Kmuch  of  his  old  influence  though  he  had  after 
his  conversion  spent  far  less  time  at  court  than 
of  old,  his  greatest  pleasure  now  being  to  go  from 
prison  to  prison  in  Paris  striving  to  comfort  the 
prisoners,  learning  from  them  their  stories  and 
providing'  for  their  wants.  Not  a  few  of  those 
he  thus  met  he  found  either  were  unjustly  held 
or  had  by  their  long  imprisonment  been  amply 
punished  for  their  offences  as  the  lax  laws  and 
indifferent  judges  often  left  such  persons  im- 
prisoned for  years  awaiting  even  accusation.  Such 
were  the  cases  Leonard  took  in  charge  and  as  he 
discovered  the  truth  brought  them  to  the  notice  of  Clovis  and 
thus  many  were  set  at  liberty.  It  was  for  this  we  find  in  the  Clog 
Almanacs  the  symbol  of  a  rude  hammer  is  given  him,  or  some- 
times a  broken  chain.  After  a  time  Leonard  decided  in  spite  of 
the  entreaties  of  the  king  to  enter  the  monastery  of  Micy  in 
Orleans,  where  he  took  on  the  religious  habit  and  discipline,  and 
devoted  himself  to  study  and  reflection.  Later  he  became  a  her- 
mit, building  for  himself  a  cell  and  oratory  near  Limoges.  After 
a  period  of  retirement  and  devotion,  though  still  leading  his  hermit 


ST.    LEONARD 


477 


life  he  began  to  instruct  the  neighbouring  peasantry,  thus   filling 

up   the  measure  of  his  years  with  good  works  until  his  death  in 

559.     He  had  received  the  order  of  deacon  but 

declined  further  advancement  and  so   is   usually 

represented   in  art  in  a  deacon's  dress   and   the 

broken  chains  of   prisoners.     He   has  ever  been 

held   in   high   honour  by  the   English   church   as 

evidenced  by  the  dedication  of  about  one  hundred 

and  fifty  churches  to  his  name. 


Sandringham 

Church,  Norfolk. 


NOVEMBER  ;th. 

The  Roman  Church  this  day  honours  another 
of  those  early  missionaries  who  forgetful  of  them- 
selves went  forth  to  fulfil  Christ's  injunction,  in 
the  person  of  St.  Willibrord  who  was  born  in  the 
kingdom  of  Northumberland  in  638  or  about  that 
date.  The  story  of  St.  Willibrord  in  certain  ways  *T-  . 

*  J     From  Stained  Glass, 

resembles  that  already  told  of  others  except  that 

,  t 

he  was  in  some  respects  a  man  of  far  greater  ac- 
complishments. Before  he  was  seven  years  of  age  he  had  been 
placed  in  the  then  celebrated  monastery  of  Rippon,  in  Britain, 
which  was  still  under  the  control  of  St.  Wilfrid,  its  founder, 
a  man  of  great  learning  and  one  who  had  the  rare  gift  of  inspiring 
his  pupils  with  ambitions  of  the  highest  and  noblest  character. 
As  I  have  before  said,  the  Irish  monastic  schools  were  at  that  day 
hardly  second  to  those  upon  the  continent  and  drew  to  them  the 
best  class  of  students.  Thus  it  was  that  when  twenty  years  of 
age  Willibrord  went  to  Ireland  where  he  joined  St.  Egbert  and 
others  and  spent  many  years  there  in  the  study  of  the  sacred 
sciences.  It  was  not  until  he  was  thirty  years  old  that  he  was 
ordained  a  priest.  In  the  meantime  one  of  Willibrord's  early 
companions  who  had  come  from  Rippon  with  him  had  gone  from 
Ireland  to  Friesland  as  a  missionary  and  after  two  years  had 
returned.  His  other  friend,  St.  Egbert,  had  also  wished  to  go  to 
Friesland,  but  for  good  reasons  had  not  done  so.  Still  this.  Fries- 


478     SAINTS   AND  FESTIVALS 

land  mission  was  one  of  such  importance  that  Willibrord  was 
inspired  by  a  desire  to  undertake  himself  the  arduous  task,  and  at 
last  in  699  he  obtained  permission  to  go  to  Lower  Germany,  or 
Friesland.  It  had  long  before  been  a  missionary  field,  but  the 
good  work  of  the  early  workers  had  been  nearly  overcome  by 
pagan  priests  when  he  reached  there  with  his  companions,  and 
under  the  protection  of  Pepin  of  Herstel  (or  Pepin  the  Big),  Duke 
of  Friesland  began  their  work  which  was  ultimately  to  become  so 
successful.  I  must  not  tell  this  long  and  interesting  story  for  it  is 
the  history  of  the  Early  Church  in  Lower  Germany.  His  monas- 
tery at  Utrecht  and  the  schools  he  built  thus  prepared  the  way  for 
the  good  St.  Boniface  thirty  years  later  ;  all  under  difficulties  few, 
save  men  of  such  energy  as  Willibrord,  could  have  overcome. 
Literally  worn  out  with  his  labours  his  peaceful  end  came  at 
extreme  old  age.  The  chronicles  are  greatly  at  variance  on  the 
point  as  to  just  when  he  died.  If  we  accept  Dr.  Butler's  dates  — 
viz.,  birth  about  638  and  death  in  738,  he  was  a  centenarian.  All 
concur  in  his  having  reached  great  age  and  in  testifying  to  his 
earnest,  self-sacrificing  labours  and  the  wonderful  ability  which  he 
at  all  times  displayed  in  the  management  of  his  ecclesiastical 
duties,  and  of  the  love  he  inspired  among  his  people  and  contem- 
porary ecclesiasts. 


NOVEMBER  8th. 

By  a  coincidence,  another  Northumberland  saint  follows  St. 
Willibrord  in  the  Kalendar  of  those  whom  the  Roman  Church  so 
justly  honours,  in  the  name  of  St.  Willehad,  Bishop  of  Bremen  and 
the  Apostle  of  Saxony,  and  whose  mission  evidently  was  inspired 
by  the  wonderful  success  of  SS.  Willibrord  and  Boniface  in  Fries- 
land  and  Germany  ;  for  his  first  effort  in  772  was  in  Friesland  at  a 
place  called  Docknow  in  West  Friesland.  His  stay  here  was  very 
brief.  Crossing  the  Issel  he  made  his  way  through  the  country 
now  called  Ober-Inel,  not  without  a  narrow  escape  of  his  life  at 
the  hands  of  infidels  at  a  village  called  Humark.  But  a  Provi- 
dence seemed  to  watch  over  him  and  he  continued  his  journey  to 


LATERAN    OBELISK  479 

Wigmore  where  Bremen  now  stands  and  was  the  first  Christian 
missionary  to  cross  the  Elbe.  The  Saxons  had  at  that  time  spread 
themselves  from  the  Oder  to  the  Rhine  and  the  Germanic  ocean ; 
thus  occupying  the  greater  part  of  the  provinces  of  Northern  Ger- 
many ;  and  though  divided  into  several  cantons  or  tribes,  they 
were  in  case  of  general  war  under  one  commander.  It  was  here 
that  St.  Willehad  preached  until  the  great  Saxon  rebellion  against 
Charlemagne  broke  out  in  782  instigated  by  Whitikind,  a  West- 
phalian  Saxon,  who  had  been  in  rebellion  in  777  and  escaping  had 
fled  to  Denmark.  But  we  must  not  mix  history,  interesting  as  it 
is,  with  our  story.  During  the  three  years  of  active  warfare 
Willehad  spent  his  time  in  retirement  at  the  tomb  of  St.  Willibrord 
engaged  in  transcribing  the  epistles  of  St.  Paul  and  other  sacred 
literature. 

With  the  close  of  hostilities  the  Duke  Whitikind  was  baptized, 
and  with  restored  peace  St.  Willehad  resumed  his  missionary  work 
and  upon  July  15,  787,  was  ordained  Bishop  of  Saxony  fixing  his 
see  at  Bremen,  the  city  seemingly  having  about  this  time  been 
founded  and  his  cathedral  church,  we  are  told,  was  built  of  wood, 
but  his  successor  rebuilt  it  of  stone.  St.  Willehad  lived  but  a 
short  time  after  the  completion  of  his  church,  his  legend  telling  us 
that  he  died  in  a  Friesland  village  in  789. 


NOVEMBER  9th. 
THE  DEDICATION  OF  ST.  JOHN  LATERAN. 

It  would  be  difficult  to  find  a  more  remarkable  group  of  build- 
ings than  those  which  surround  the  "  Piazza  di  San  Giovanni,"  in 
Rome,  in  the  center  of  which  stands  the  Obelisk  of  the  Lateran  ; 
the  oldest  object  in  all  that  wonderful  city  of  antiquities,  it  having 
been  —  according  to  the  translators  of  the  hieroglyphics  it  bears  — 
originally  raised  in  memory  of  the  Pharaoh  Thothmes  IV.  in  the 
year  1740  B.  C.  It  was  brought  from  the  Temple  of  the  Sun  in 
Heliopolis,  to  Alexandria  by  Constantine,  and  later  to  Rome 
where  it  was  used  together  with  the  obelisk  now  standing  in  the 


480    SAINTS  AND   FESTIVALS 

Piazza  del  Popolo,  to  ornament  the  Circus  Maximus.  By  order  of 
Sixtus  V.  it  was  transferred  in  158810  its  present  site.  Facing 
this  venerable  obelisk  are  the  Baptistery  and  Basilica  of  the 
Lateran.  The  remaining  edifices  I  must  not  take  space  here  to 
notice.  The  Baptistery  of  the  Lateran  —  sometimes  called  "  St. 
Giovanni,  in  Fonte  " — was  built  by  Sixtus  III.  (430-40),  though 
only  portions  of  the  original  structure  now  remain.  The  Lateran 
derives  its  name  from  its  having  -been  the  residence  of  a  rich 
patrician,  Plautius  Lateranus,  whose  estates  Nero  confiscated  and 
who  was  put  to  death  for  participating  in  the  conspiracy  of  Piso. 
It  became  an  imperial  residence  and  Maximianus  gave  a  portion 
of  it  to  his  daughter,  Fausta,  the  second  wife  of  Constantine. 
When  Constantine  the  Great,  by  his  victory  over  Maxentius  in 
312,  became  master  of  Italy  and  Africa,  Christians  everywhere 
began  to  erect  sumptuous  churches  —  checked  in  the  East  for  a 
time  in  319  by  the  persecutions  —  and  among  them  Constantine 
built  a  church  sometimes  called  "  Constantinian  Basilica,"  but 
now  universally  termed  St.  John  Lateran.  It  was  given  to  Pope 
Melchiades  in  312  by  Constantine  who  had  laboured  upon  it  with 
his  own  hands.  It  was  consecrated  on  November  9,  324.  The 
Lateran  church  is  styled  the  heart,  the  mother  and  the  mistress  of 
all  churches  as  an  inscription  on  its  walls  imports  :  "  Sacrosancta 
Lateranensis  Ecclesia,  Omnium  Urbis  et  Orbis  Ecclesianum  Mater 
et  Caput."  The  chapter  of  the  Lateran  takes  precedence  even 
over  St.  Peter's  who  once  contested  this,  but  by  the  bull  of 
Gregory  IX.  and  Pius  V.  the  right  of  the  Lateran  was  confirmed 
and  therefore  every  newly  elected  Pope  comes  here  for  coronation. 
The  story  of  the  old  Basilica  is  full  of  interest,  and  is  told  in  many 
of  the  Roman  guidebooks  so  fully  I  must  not  repeat  it  here.  The 
consecration  of  a  church  edifice  with  the  Roman  Church  is  a  very 
solemn  observance  and  the  rites  and  prayers  are  very  strictly  pre- 
scribed, hence  the  anniversary  of  this,  the  acknowledged  Mother 
of  Churches,  is  regarded  as  no  ordinary  festival. 


MARTINMAS  481 

NOVEMBER  loth. 

St.  Justus,  Archbishop  of  Canterbury,  whose  name  appears  in 
the  Kalendars  of  both  the  Anglican  and  Roman  Church  this  day 
was  a  Roman  by  birth  and  a  monk  of  St.  Gregory's  monastery ; 
but  his  learning  and  virtues  had  won  for  him  a  very  great  reputa- 
tion both  in  Rome  and  elsewhere.  Therefore  when  St.  Austin 
begged  for  some  one  to  be  sent  to  aid  him  in  preaching  in  England 
Justus  was  selected  as  the  man  above  all  his  brethren  most  fitted 
for  the  position.  He  arrived  in  England  in  601  but  his  wonderful 
talent  and  the  success  that  followed  his  work  was  so  marked  that 
in  604  he  was  created  Bishop  of  the  important  see  of  Rochester, 
and  for  twenty  years  ministered  to  his  people,  winning  not  alone 
their  love  but  adding  many  souls  to  the  number  of  the  faithful. 
In  624,  on  the  death  of  St.  Mellitus,  Justus  was  raised  to  the  Arch- 
bishopric of  Canterbury,  but  filled  it  only  during  three  years  when, 
to  quote  Dr.  Butler's  quaint  and  most  appropriate  expression  : 
"  He  went  to  receive  his  reward  from  the  hands  of  the  Prince  of 
Pastors  on  the  loth  of  November  in  627,"  leaving  a  name  so  pure 
and  a  memory  so  sweet  that  to  quote  again  from  a  Church  of  Eng- 
land prelate  :  "  We  keep  green  his  memory  both  because  of  the 
love  we  bear  him  and  for  the  example  he  left  us  by  his  earnest 
holy  life." 


NOVEMBER  nth. 
MARTINMAS 

Is  without  doubt  one  of  the  most  favourite  festivals  of  both  the 
English  and  Roman  Churches  in  England ;  and  the  story  of  St. 
Martin  is  one  of  the  noblest  and  truest  that  it  will  be  my  privilege 
to  tell,  even  abridged  as  it  must  be. 

St  Martin,  the  son  of  a  Roman  military  tribune,  was  born  at 
Sabaria  in  Hungary  about  316.  From  his  earliest  infancy  he  was 
remarkable  for  mildness  of  disposition ;  yet  he  was  obliged  to  be- 
come a  soldier,  a  profession  most  uncongenial  to  his  natural 
character.  After  several  years'  service  he  retired  into  solitude 


482    SAINTS   AND    FESTIVALS 

from  whence  he  was  withdrawn,  by  being  elected  Bishop  of  Tours 
in  the  year  374.  The  zeal  and  piety  he  displayed  in  this  office 
were  most  exemplary.  He  converted  the  whole  of  his  diocese  to 
Christianity,  overthrowing  the  ancient  pagan  temples  and  erecting 
churches  in  their  stead.  From  the  great  success  of  his  pious 
endeavours  Martin  has  been  styled  the  Apostle  of  the  Gauls ;  and 
being  the  first  confessor  to  whom  the  Latin  Church  offered  public 
prayers,  he  is  distinguished  as  the  father  of  that  church.  In 
remembrance  of  his  original  profession,  he  is  also  frequently 
denominated  the  Soldier  Saint. 

The  true  story  of  St.  Martin's  life  is  in  itself  a  romance  while 
the  legends  and  fables  told  of  him  would  fill  a  volume. 

While  a  soldier  he  won  the  love  of  everyone  with  whom  he 
came  in  contact  for  his  true  whole-hearted  benevolence.  The 
winter  of  332  was  one  of  unusual  severity  in  Amiens  where 
Martin  was  then  stationed.  Marching  with  his  company  one 
bitter  day  Martin  saw  a  man  scantily  clothed  shivering  with  the 
cold.  Many  already  had  passed  but  none  had  tried  to  succour  him. 
Martin's  impecuniosity  was  proverbial  in  the  army,  not  from  his 
extravagance  but  from  his  never  failing  generosity.  But  this  day 
he  surprised  even  those  who  knew  him  best.  Having  neither  food 
nor  money  for  the  poor  stranger  Martin  took  the  cloak  from  his 
shoulders  and  with  the  sharp  blade  of  his  sword  divided  it  in 
half  —  laying  one  part  over  the  shivering  pauper  and  covering  his 
own  exposed  person  with  the  rest.  The  act  was  quickly  done  and 
so  wholly  unostentatiously  that  few  saw  it.  Later  he  bore  without 
a  word  the  witty  jibes  of  his  fellows  over  his  abbreviated  garment. 
This  much  is  literally  true.  His  legend  tells  us  that  that  night  he 
had  a  vision  in  which  he  saw  Jesus  Christ  wearing  the  half  of  the 
divided  cloak,  and  saying  to  his  angel  host :  "  Martin,  the  catechu- 
men hath  clothed  Me  in  this  garment." 

The  name  then  given  to  this  cloak  was  "  chape  "  and  according 
to  Collin  de  Planey,  the  English  words  "chapel  "  and  "  chaplain  " 
are  both  derived  from  it. 

While  I  might  fill  pages  with  legends  of  St.  Martin,  I  will  limit 
myself  to  one,  which  may  be  termed  a  palindrome.  St.  Martin 
was  enroute  for  Rome,  journeying  on  foot.  Satan,  ever  on  watch, 


ST.    MARTIN   OF   TOURS      483 

took  occasion  to  taunt  him  on  his  not  having  a  conveyance  more 
suitable  to  his  dignity  as  a  bishop.  On  the  instant  St.  Martin 
touched  his  Satanic  Majesty  and  he  was  transformed  into  a  mule 
upon  whose  back  St.  Martin  rode.  Whenever  the  transformed 
demon  grew  lazy  or  tired  the  saint  would  spur  him  on  at  full 
speed  until  the  devil  defeated  and  worn  out  exclaimed  : 

"  Signa  te  Signa :  temere  me  tangis  et  angis : 
Roma  tibi  subito  motibus  ibit  amor." 

In  English — "  Cross,  cross  thyself  :  thou  plaguest  and  vexest  me 
without  necessity  ;  for,  owing  to  my  exertions,  thou  wilt  soon  reach 
Rome,  the  object  of  thy  wishes."  The  singularity  of  this  distich 
consists  in  its  being  palindromical  —  that  is,  the  same,  whether  read 
backwards  or  forwards.  Angis,  the  last  word  of  the  first  line, 
when  read  backwards,  forming  signa, 
and  the  other  words  admitting  of  being 
reversed  in  a  similar  manner. 

St.  Martin,  at  the  time  of  his  vision 
above  spoken  of,  was  yet  unbaptized  ;  but 
very  soon  thereafter  the  sacred  rite  was 
performed,  and  when  40  years  of  age  he 
left  the  military  taking  holy  vows  and 
for  many  years  leading  a  hermit's  life 
until  in  371  he  was  named  as  Bishop  of  j 
Tours.  His  life  was  ever  one  of  those  examples  of  Christian 
virtue  that  makes  him  one  of  the  best  loved  both  in  the  English 
and  Roman  Churches  of  almost  any  in  the  entire  Kalendars.  In 
art  he  is  presented  in  the  full  robes  of  a  Bishop  with  a  naked 
beggar  at  his  feet,  the  illustration  given  above  being  one  of 
several  of  a  similar  design  on  Clog  Almanacs. 


NOVEMBER  I2th 

The  Church  remembers  St.  Martin,  Pope  and  Martyr,  who  died 
in  655.  He  was  a  man  who  early  in  life  became  renowned 
for  his  learning,  as  was  evidenced  when  Pope  Theodorus  sent 


484    SAINTS   AND   FESTIVALS 

him  —  while  yet  but  a  deacon  —  to  Constantinople  in  the  quality  of 
"  Apocrisiarius,"  or  nuncio.  Pope  Theodorus  died  in  July,  649, 
and  in  October  of  that  year  Martin  was  elected  to  the  pontifical 
chair.  The  enmity  of  the  Emperor  Constans  to  Martin  was  well 
known  but  ineffective  for  when  the  time  came  for  election  he 
was  chosen  without  a  dissenting  voice.  In  June,  653  the  exarch  of 
the  Emperor  arrived  in  Rome  with  orders  to  make  charges  against 
the  Pope  of  concealing  arms  in  his  palace  but  none  were  found. 
Despite  this,  on  the  1 8th  of  the  same  month  the  Pope,  who  had 
been  sick  in  the  Lateran,  was  seized  and  carried  in  a  boat  down 
the  Tiber  and  thence  to  the  island  of  Nixos  where  he  was  kept 
under  guard  for  a  year  and  in  September,  654,  carried  on  to  Con- 
stantinople, and  in  December  condemned  to  die.  First  he  was 
stripped  of  his  clothing  save  a  tunic,  an  iron  collar  was  put  on  his 
neck  and  thus  he  was  dragged  from  the  palace  through  the  city  to 
his  prison  where  he  was  confined  until  in  May,  655,  when  for  some 
reason  he  was  sent  to  Taurica  Chersonesus,  a  pagan  country  where 
at  that  time  a  famine  prevailed  through  which  he  suffered  great 
privations,  but  happily  on  September  i6th  of  that  year  death 
released  the  sufferer.  The  Latin  Church  selected  November  i2th 
for  his  festival,  the  Greeks  naming  April  i3th  and  also  Sepember 
16  and  2oth  for  his  honour,  while  the  Muscovites  hold  their  festival 
for  him  on  April  i4th. 


NOVEMBER  13th. 

The  list  of  canonized  saints  of  the  Roman  Church  has  by  no 
means  been  confined  to  their  priesthood  or  the  holy  women  from 
their  nunneries.  Thus  to-day  commemorates  the  name  of  St. 
Homobonus,  a  merchant,  who  was  happily  thus  named.  A  man 
whose  life  story  is  a  model  for  every  young  man  —  nay,  and  old 
men,  too,  if  he  has  prospered  in  business  —  to  follow.  An  earnest, 
hard-working  Christian  who  was  not  "  slothful  in  business  ;  "  on 
the  other  hand,  a  shrewd,  far-seeing  man  but  one  whose  honest 
gains  were  not  hoarded  for  self-gratification  or  the  accumulation 
of  wealth.  A  man  who  provided  liberally  for  his  own  household 


ST.    LAURENCE  485 

but  who  held  himself  responsible  as  an  almoner  of  the  Giver  of  all 
good  gifts  for  the  use  of  the  wealth  entrusted  him.  I  cannot, 
of  course,  follow  in  detail  the  beautiful  story  of  his  "  secret " 
charity ;  not  content  with  paying  "  tithe  of  mint  and  anise  and 
cummin  "  he  did  not  omit  weightier  matters  and  beyond  doubt  he 
reaped  his  just  reward  when  at  matins  in  the  very  act  of  joining  in 
the  Gloria  in  Excelsis  his  summons  came.  In  1198  Pope  Inno- 
cent III.  canonized  this  just  man.  • 


Both  the  English  and  Roman  Martyrologies  name  this  day  for 
St.  Britius,  or  St.  Brice,  the  successor  of  St.  Martin  of  Tours  in 
that  famous  bishopric. 


This  day  is  also  named  for  one  of  the  youngest  saints  in  the 
entire  Kalendar  of  the  Church,  St.  Stanislas  Kostka,  son  of  John 
Kostka,  a  senator  of  Poland,  and  Margaret  Kirska,  sister  of  the 
Palatine  of  Muscovia  in  1550.  His  is  one  of  those  stories  some- 
times met  with  of  a  pure  young  life  which  even  from  infancy  was 
untainted  by  sin  in  any  form  and  an  inborn  desire  to  do  good  to 
others  that  was  only  and  continually  coupled  with  a  desire  to  give 
his  life  and  service  to  the  Society  of  Jesus.  This  last  wish  was 
violently  opposed  by  his  father  and  therefore  he  left  his  home 
secretly  in  1567  and  at  length  succeeded  in  reaching  Rome  and 
becoming  a  disciple  of  St.  Francis  Borgia,  then  general  of  the 
order.  But  his  life  was  soon  cut  short  for  he  died  in  August, 
1568  when  but  seventeen  years  and  nine  months  old.  The 
sanctity  of  his  short  life  was  so  marked  that  in  1604  Pope  Clement 
VIII.  was  lead  to  beatify  him  —  that  is,  to  "  declare  him  happy." 
He  was  canonized  by  Benedict  XIII.  in  1727. 


NOVEMBER 

Is  the  festival  of  St.  Laurence,  Archbishop  of  Dublin.  He  was 
a  son  of  Maurice  O'Tool,  a  rich  and  powerful  Prince  in  Leinster. 
His  experiences  in  life  began  young  for  he  was  only  ten  years  of 
age  when  his  father  was  compelled  to  deliver  his  son  to  Dermond 


486     SAINTS   AND   FESTIVALS 

MacMerchad,  King  of  Leinster,  as  a  "  hostage."  This  man 
seems  to  have  been  a  brutal  fellow,  and  the  sufferings  of  the  poor 
child  were  horrible.  At  last  O'Tool  heard  of  them  and  the 
legend  as  it  runs  says  "  he  obliged  King  MacMerchad  to  place 
the  child  in  the  care  of  the  Bishop  at  Glendaloch." 

But  how  he  was  able  to  coerce  the  King  is  not  apparent,  still  it 
is  evident  the  father  must  have  been  a  man  of  more  than  ordinary 
power  to  control  thus  the  acts  of  a  king.  Glendaloch  was  in 
County  Wicklow  and  its  Bishop  was  also  Abbot  of  the  monastery. 
Here  Laurence  remained  receiving  his  education  and  ordination 
and  ultimately,  upon  the  death  of  the  good  prelate  who  had  stood 
by  him  for  those  fifteen  years,  the  young  man  found  himself 
Abbot  of  the  monastery  and  but  for  the  canon  of  the  Church 
regarding  age,  would  have  been  then  raised  to  the  episcopate. 
When  five  years  later  Gregory,  Archbishop  of  Dublin,  died,  so 
well  established  had  Laurence's  reputation  both  for  learning  and 
executive  ability  become,  that  he  was  chosen  by  a  unanimous 
vote  as  the  successor  to  this  metropolitan  see  despite  the  fact  that 
he  was  barely  thirty  years  of  age  and  just  within  the  limit  of 
canonical  law.  The  manner  in  which  Laurence  conducted  his 
see  fully  justified  his  having  been  chosen  while  yet  so  young. 

In  1179  when  Pope  Alexander  III.  summoned  the  third  general 
council  of  Lateran  "  for  the  reformation  of  manners  and  extin- 
guishing of  heretical  errors  "  Archbishop  Laurence  was  one  of 
the  delegates  and  made  himself  so  valuable  in  many  ways  that  the 
Pope  named  him  "  Legate  of  the  Holy  See  in  the  Kingdom  of 
Ireland."  When  Henry  II.  of  England  was  offended  at  Doderic 
the  Irish  monarch,  Laurence  attempted  to  mediate,  but  he  was 
refused  by  the  King  who  soon  set  out  for  Normandy.  But 
Laurence  was  a  man  who  seemed  to  know  no  such  word  as 
"  fail  "  and  in  due  time  followed  Henry  into  France  and  renewed 
his  efforts  for  peace,  and  the  King  was  so  won  by  both  his  logic, 
loyalty  and  piety  that  he  at  length  yielded  to  the  wishes  of  Lau- 
rence. It  was  the  last  victory  of  the  noble  prelate  for  at  the 
monastery  of  Eu,  on  the  confines  of  Normandy,  when  enroute 
for  home  the  worthy  saint  sickened  and  died  November  I4th 
1 1 80.  Pope  Honorius  issued  the  bull  of  his  canonization  in  1226. 


ST.    EDMUND  487 

NOVEMBER  i$th 

Is  the  festival  of  an  English  saint  recognized  by  both  the 
Anglican  and  Roman  Churches,  St.  Malo  or  Mallou,  the  first 
Bishop  of  Aleth  in  Brittany.  Though  born  in  England  he  was 
educated  in  Ireland,  as  was  the  case  of  most  men  who  attained 
any  note  for  learning  during  the  VI.  century.  His  great  ability 
was  early  recognized  by  everyone  and  he  might  have  had  pre- 
ferment in  the  church  in  his  own  country  but  there  arose  some 
political  difficulty  just  at  the  time  that  induced  him  to  leave  his 
native  land  and  seek  a  refuge  in  Bretagne  where  he  settled  as  a 
companion  of  a  holy  recluse  near  the  city  of  Aleth.  His  name 
had  preceded  him  and  in  541  when  the  city  was  erected  into  a 
bishopric,  he  was  chosen  as  its  first  Bishop,  and  later  the  city  itself 
came  to  be  called  after  his  name.  He  died  in  565. 


NOVEMBER  i6th. 

St.  Edmund,  Archbishop  of  Canterbury,  whom  the  English  and 
Roman  Church  both  honour  to-day  presents  a  rare  combination  of 
characteristics.  Possessed  of  an  intense  desire  for  the  attainment 
of  knowledge  with  the  facilities  which  were  granted  him,  he 
became  a  very  learned  man.  Coupled  with  this  was  an  equally 
great  love  for  religion  and  devotion  to  sacred  thoughts.  The  two 
naturally  led  him  to  seek  retirement  and  seclusion  from  the  world 
but  when  circumstances  called  him  to  the  front  he  laid  aside  his 
personal  wishes  and  threw  himself  into  the  work  laid  out  for  him 
by  his  superiors. 

As  a  child  he  had  first  been  placed  in  the  monastic  schools  at 
Evesham,  from  thence  going  to  Oxford  and  lastly  to  Paris  where 
for  a  time  he  taught  in  the  schools,  but  later  returned  to  his  native 
land  and  from  1219  to  1226  was  a  professor  of  logic  in  the,  even 
then,  famous  University  of  Oxford.  A  canonry  at  Salisbury 
being  offered,  he  accepted  it  but  had  been  there  only  a  short  time 
when  a  mandate  from  the  Pope  directed  him  to  go  forth  and 


SAINTS   AND    FESTIVALS 

"  preach   the  crusade  against  the  Saracens,"   which  he  did  with 
such  vigour  that  his  influence  was  felt  far  and  near. 

The  see  of  Canterbury  had  long  been  vacant  when  Gregory  IX. 
selected  Edmund  to  fill  it,  and  Henry  III.  most  gladly  confirmed 
the  nomination  and  he  was  consecrated  to  his  high  office  on 
April  2d  in  1234.  The  exactions  laid  upon  the  clergy  by  Henry 
III.  fill  many  pages  in  the  life  of  Edmund  and  caused  him  endless 
trials  and  conflicts  we  may  not  enter  upon  here,  but  they  ulti- 
mately compelled  him  to  flee  to  France  for  safety  where  he  died 
near  Provins  in  Champagne  on  November  i6th  in  1242. 


St.  Margaret,  Queen  of  Scotland,  whose  name  appears  this  day 
in  the  Kalendar  of  the  English  church  was  one  of  those  characters 
of  sterling  virtue  to  whom  all  creeds  alike  pay  a  respectful  hom- 
age. Even  if  we  pass  the  eulogy  paid  her  by  her  confessor, 
Turgot,  as  too  flattering,  enough  remains  of  true  history  for  us  to 
understand  why  Scotchmen  revere  her  memory.  She  was  a  niece 
of  Edward  the  Confessor  and  Edmund  Ironside.  Her  youth  was 
spent  in  exile  under  the  guardianship  of  the  King  of  Sweden,  and 
it  was  through  being  wrecked  on  the  Scottish  coast  Margaret 
came  to  meet  King  Malcolm,  which  resulted  in  their  marriage.  Her 
charity  to  the  poor  was  unbounded  and  her  kindness  to  English 
prisoners  captured  by  the  King  won  for  her  ihe  veneration  of  the 
English.  It  was  through  her  influence  that  the  observance  of  the 
Sabbath,  which  had  at  that  time  become  much  neglected  in  Scot- 
land, was  again  restored.  Her  last  days  were  full  of  adversity 
borne  with  exemplary  resignation.  The  Roman  Church  observes 
her  festival  on  June  loth  but  in  the  Kalendar  of  the  English 
church  it  appears  on  this  day. 


NOVEMBER  I7th 

Is  the  festival  of  St.  Hugh,  Bishop  of  Lincoln,  and  the  builder  of 
the  Cathedral  in  this  quaint,  historic  English  town.  The  original 
church  had  been  founded  by  William  II.  surnamed  Ruber  the 
Red— sometimes  improperly  termed  "  Rupert  or  Rufus  " — at  some 


ST.    HUGH 


489 


period  prior  to  1 100 ;  but  the  Cathedral  was  this  church  rebuilt 
during  the  reign  of  Henry  II.  (1154-1189),  the  first  building  hav- 
ing been  wrecked  by  an  earthquake. 

The  early  life  of  St.  Hugh  until  he  was  nineteen  was  spent  in 
Burgundy  where  he  was  born,  but  in  1159  he  entered  the  monas- 
tery at  Chartreuse  where  he  was  educated  and  duly 
ordained.  In  1181  Henry  II.,  who  had  founded 
the  first  Carthusian  monastery  in  England  at 
Witham  in  Somersetshire,  sent  for  St.  Hugh  to 
become  its  abbot.  Despite  the  fact  that  St.  Hugh 
had  not  hesitated  to  criticise  severely  the  King 
for  certain  acts,  Henry  held  him  in  such  high 
esteem  that  in  1 186  he  named  him  Bishop  of  Lin- 
coln and  lent  him  all  the  aid  in  his  power,  added 
to  royal  gifts  of  money  to  reconstruct  the  old 
church  which  had  been  begun  by  Remigius  as 
early  as  1086.  As  a  result  of  St.  Hugh's  wonder- 
ful taste  and  knowledge  of  architecture,  the  beauti- 
ful Cathedral  as  it  stands  to-day,  saving 
York-Minster,  is  the  finest  specimen  of  pure  Gothic 
architecture  to  be  found  in  England.  No  end  of 
legends  are  still  told  in  Lincoln  of  St.  Hugh  dur- 
ing the  building  of  the  Cathedral,  of  how,  with 
his  own  hands  he  carried  material  for  the  workmen 
and  even  laid  some  of  its  stones.  St.  Hugh  died 

ST.  HUGH. 

on  November  17,  1200,  and  so  greatly  was  he  re-    prom  S.  Mary's 
vered  that  King  John  (who  came  to  the  throne  in    Tower»  Oxford. 
1199)  and  King  William,  assisted  by  many  of  their  nobles,  three 
archbishops,  fourteen  bishops  and  more  than  one  hundred  abbots, 
carried  his  body  to  the  tomb  where  it  rested  in  a  silver  shrine. 


NOVEMBER  i8th 

Is  honoured  by  especial  Offices  and  Masses  in  the  Roman  Church 
as  the  day  of  the  dedication  of  the  Vatican  Churches  of  SS.  Peter 
and  Paul,  the  second  patriarchal  church  at  Rome  and  in  which 


490   SAINTS   AND   FESTIVALS 


rest  the  bodies  of  those  sainted  men.  It  is  impossible  to  recount 
the  story  of  the  Vatican  here  and  a  garbled  one  is  quite  out  of 
place ;  but  none  can  doubt  the  fitness  of  observing  with  solemn 
rites  the  anniversary  of  this  historic  and  venerable  church. 


St.  Hild  or  Hilda  is  one  of  the  several  saints,  named  in  the  Kal- 
endar  for  remembrance  on  this  day.  With  royal  blood  in  her 
veins  and  all  that  it  implied  in  those  old  days  she,  for  the  love  she 

bore  her  Great  Master,  voluntar- 
ily laid  aside  earthly  honours 
and  left  the  court  of  King 
Edwin,  her  uncle,  and  took  the 
habit  of  a  humble  nun.  Her 
piety  and  holy  life  led  S.  Aiden 
to  secure  her  appointment  as 
abbess  of  (to  quote  a  quaint 
phrase  often  used)  a  "  numer- 
ous "  monastery  at  Heartea, 
now  Hartlepool  in  the  bishop- 
ric of  Durham.  In  passing  it 
may  be  added  this  nunnery  was 
in  the  "  Isle  of  Stags,"  and 
was  founded  by  "  Hein,"  the 
first  nun  ever  known  in  the 
kingdom  of  Northumberland. 
After  some  years  spent  here 
Hilda  founded  another  great, 
double  monastery  —  i.  e.,  for 


ST.  HILDA. 


monks  and  nuns,  in  separate  buildings  —  on  the  bay  of  Light- 
house afterward  called  Prestby  (from  the  great  number  of  priests 
assembled  and  living  there),  and  at  present  Whitebay  in  York- 
shire. Both  of  these  were  destroyed  by  the  Danes,  and  no  vestige 
is  left  of  them. 

The  wonderful  wisdom  of  St.  Hilda  not  alone  in  spiritual  but  in 
temporal  affairs  won  for  her  so  great  a  reputation  that  kings  from 
far  and  near  came  to  seek  from  her  advice  and  counsel.  To 
quote  again  from  the  chronicle  of  the  period  :  "  In  the  year  of  the 


ST.    ELIZABETH  491 

Incarnation  of  Our  Lord  680,  on  the  I7th  of  November,  the  Abbess 
Hilda  *  *  *  died  and  was  carried  into  Paradise  by  Angels,  as 
was  beheld  in  a  vision  by  one  of  her  own  nuns  ;  then  at  a  distance 
on  the  same  night."  The  nun  who  saw  this  was  later  known  as 
"  St.  Bees." 

Those  who  desire  to  know  more  of  this  saintly  woman  may  read 
a  fuller  account  of  her  interesting  life  in  S.  Baring  Gould's  "  Vir- 
gin Saints  and  Martyrs." 


NOVEMBER 

Is  the  festival  of  St.  Elizabeth  of  Hungary,  daughter  of  the  valiant, 
Christian  King,  Alexander  II.  who  was  born  in  1207.  And 
thereby  hangs  another  of  those  old  world,  old-time  tales ;  when 
children  were  betrothed  by  their  parents  while  yet  in  their 
cradles.  Such  was  the  fate  of  Elizabeth  when  Herman  the  Land- 
grave of  Thuringia  and  Hesse  planned  with  King  Alexander  to 
marry  her  to  his  son  Lewis,  a  child  of  her  own  age.  It  thus  came 
that  when  Elizabeth  was  but  four  years  of  age  she  was  sent  from 
her  home  to  the  court  of  the  Landgrave  to  be  brought  up  and 
educated.  Accompanied  by  twelve  maidens  from  her  father's 
household,  "  a  silver  cradle  and  a  rich  wardrobe,"  she  reached 
the  castle  of  Wartberg  at  Eisenach ;  and  on  the  next  day  amid 
imposing  ceremonies  the  babies  were  betrothed  and  laid  side  by 
side  in  the  cradle.  From  thence  on  for  several  years  the  two  were 
never  separated  and  grew  to  love  each  other  intensely.  Despite 
the  fact  that  little  or  no  attention  was  paid  to  religion  or  religious 
ceremonies  in  the  household  of  the  Landgrave,  our  little  saint 
never  slighted  her  duties,  being  taught  them  by  an  unusually 
learned  and  pious  priest,  one  Conrad  of  Marpurg.  The  charity 
which  was  one  of  her  marked  characteristics  in  life,  early  showed 
itself  and  in  Herman  she  had  a  true  friend ;  but  upon  his  death, 
and  when  Lewis  (or  Louis  as  he  is  sometimes  called)  became 
Landgrave  great  opposition  arose  against  the  marriage  ;  but  Lewis 
proved  true  to  the  love  of  his  childhood  and  the  two  were  mar- 
ried when  they  were  twenty  years  old  and  their  life  was  one  of 


492    SAINTS   AND    FESTIVALS 

perfect  content.  I  will  not  recount  her  endless  acts  of  kindness 
to  the  poor  or  the  wondrous  miracles  her  legend  tells  of ;  but  I 
must  make  room  to  record  how  in  the  famine  in  Thuringia  and 
during  the  plague  which  followed  it  she  not  only  gave  her  jewels 
for  the  benefit  of  the  sick  but  clothed  them  in  her  own  royal  gar- 
ments ;  and  how  —  to  his  credit  it  should  be  recorded  —  when  the 
state  officials  complained  of  her  having  depleted  the  treasury  by 
her  gifts,  her  husband  not  only  kissed,  thanked  and  blessed  her, 
but  bade  his  Ministers  to  :  "  Let  her  do  as  she  will." 

The  next  year,  1227  Lewis  set  forth  for  the  Crusade  in  Pales- 
tine but  died  in  Calabria  in  the  arms  of  the  Patriarch  of  Jerusalem, 
on  September  nth. 

Then  it  was  the  hitherto  suppressed  hatred  toward  the  loving, 
generous  Landgravine  broke  forth  and  the  jealousy  of  Henry  the 
brother  of  Lewis,  which  during  his  lifetime  he  had  not  dared  to 
show,  was  vented  on  the  devoted  widow  and  mother  of  his  chil- 
dren whom  he  drove  from  her  castle.  In  her  poverty  she  sup- 
ported herself  and  children  by  spinning  wool. 

When  the  Knights  of  the  Holy  Crusade  returned  they  compelled 
Henry  to  take  a  different  course  until  Elizabeth's  son,  Herman, 
came  to  his  majority  and  to  give  her  as  her  dower  the  city  of 
Marpurg.  But  in  the  meantime  she  had  drunk  of  the  very  dregs 
of  sorrow.  A  brief  three  years  later  this  saintly  woman  followed 
her  loved  and  loving  husband  and  died  on  November  19,  1231. 

Many  pictures  remain  of  St.  Elizabeth,  the  most  noted  being 
that  painted  by  Murillo  for  the  church  of  Castad,  at  Seville. 


NOVEMBER  2oth. 

St.  Edmund,  King  of  the  East- Angles,  whose  festival  is  held 
to-day,  reached  his  throne  when  his  cousin,  Offe,  resigned  it  to 
spend  the  remainder  of  his  days  in  penance  at  Rome.  Edmund 
was  then  but  fifteen  years  of  age  but  a  boy  of  unusual  qualities 
and  most  persistent  in  his  pursuit  of  learning,  as  well  as  devout 
and  religious.  His  reign  for  fifteen  years  was  one  of  unusual  peace 


ST.    EDMUND 


493 


for  his  subjects,  until  the  invasion  of  the  Danes,  under  Hengar 
and  Hausa  (or  Hubba,  as  some  write  it)  in  870.     Of  these  bloody 
raids  by  the  Danes  so  many  and  full  accounts  have  been  written 
in  every  English  history  no  description  need 
be  repeated.     They  all  were  alike   in  their 
bloody,   heartless   fury.     In   this  one  King 
Edmund  and  his  court  were  made  captives 
and,  had  they  consented  to  abjure  their 
Christian   faith    and    adopt    the    religious 

rites  of  the  pagan  Danes  their  lives  might  have  been  saved.  St. 
Edmund  refused  and  after  scourging  he  was  tied  to  a  tree  and 
shot  to  death  with  arrows.  The  Clog  symbol  above  is  intended 
to  represent  a  quiver  of  arrows.  His  legend  tells  how  after  his 
death,  his  head  was  thrown  among  briars  and  bushes,  and  that 
the  Danes  in  departing  from  the  scene  of  their 
butchery  were  lost  and  constantly  misled  by 
-.  the  head  calling  out  "  Here  ! "  "  Here  !"  and 
that  the  head  was  at  last  discovered  by  means 
of  a  pillar  of  light  which  stood  over  it  and 
illuminated  the  space  and  that  when  found  a 
wolf  was  standing  guard  over  it.  St.  Edmund 
was  buried  at  a  place  now  called  St.  Edmunds- 
bury  and  the  arms  of  the  town  are  the  "  three 
crowns  of  the  East-Angles,  and  has  for  its  crest 
a  wolf,  holding  the  King's  head  between  its 
paws."  St.  Edmund  has  always  held  a  high 
place  in  the  Kalendar  of  the  English  church  as 
well  as  in  that  of  the  Roman  Church. 
ST.  EDMUND. 

From  a  Painting  on  

a  Roodscreen  in 
Norfolk. 

NOVEMBER  2ist. 

THE  PRESENTATION  OF  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN 

Is  one  of  the  most  impressive  festivals  of  the  Roman  Church.  It 
had  its  origin  from  an  ancient  Jewish  rite  first  mentioned  in  Holy 
Writ  in  the  history  of  Samuel,  and  one  so  universally  followed 


494 


SAINTS   AND    FESTIVALS 


from  that  day.  How  early  the  festival  was  first  introduced  into 
the  Christian  Church  is  not  known ;  but  the  most  ancient  of  the 
Greek  menologies  extant  mention  the  entrance  of  the  Virgin  into 
the  Temple,  and  it  was  a  Feast  celebrated  by  the  Greeks  long 
before  it  was  adopted  by  the  Latin  Church.  The  one  central 
thought  always  being  the  consecration  of  herself  (the  Holy  Virgin) 
to  God. 

Many  legends  are  extant  of  the  act  itself  but  far  too  often  they 
are  confounded  with  the  act  of  the  presentation  of  the  Christ-child 
himself  at  the  Temple.  That  Mary  lived  a  retired  life  is  plainly 

true  and  some  even  claim  the  espou- 
sals were  at  first  simply  a  "  betrothal  " 
instead  of  a  marriage.  In  certain 
places  this  espousal  has  an  especial 
office  on  January  22d,  the  date  also 
assigned  by  some  for  the  marriage  of 
the  Virgin. 


NOVEMBER  22d 

Is    devoted  to  St.   Cecilia,   a  virgin 
martyr. 

This  saint  was  a  Roman  lady  of 
good  family  and  having  been  educated 
as  a  Christian  was  desirous  of  devot- 
ing herself  to  heaven  by  her  life  of 
celibacy.  Compelled,  by  her  parents 
to  wed  a  young  nobleman  named 
Valerian,  she  succeeded  in  converting  both  her  husband  and  his 
brother  to  Christianity  and  afterwards  shared  with  them  the 
honours  of  martyrdom.  Accounts  differ  as  to  the  death  which  she 
suffered,  some  asserting  that  she  was  boiled  in  a  cauldron,  and 
others  that  she  was  left  for  days  to  expire  gradually  after  being 
half  decapitated.  The  legend  states  that  the  executioner,  after 
striking  one  blow  found  himself  unable  to  complete  his  task. 


ST.  CECILIA. 
From  a  print  by  Marcantonio. 


ST.    CECILIA  495 

St.  Cecilia  is  regarded  as  the  patroness  of  church  music  and  of 
music  generally ;  but  the  reason  for  her  holding  this  office  is  not 
very  satisfactorily  explained.  Dr.  Butler  says  that  it  was  from  her 
assiduity  in  singing  the  divine  praises,  the  effect  of  which  she 
often  heightened  by  the  aid  of  an  instrument.  She  is  generally 
represented  singing  and  playing  on  some  musical  instrument,  or 
listening  to  the  performance  of  an  angelic  visitant.  This  last 
circumstance  is  derived  from  an  ancient  legend  which  relates 
that  an  angel  was  so  enraptured  with  her  harmonious  strains  as 
to  quit  the  abodes  of  bliss  to  visit  the  saint.  Dryden  thus  alludes 
to  the  incident  in  his  ode  for  St.  Cecilia's  Day : 

At  last  divine  Cecilia  came, 

Inventress  of  the  vocal  frame  ; 

The  sweet  enthusiast  from  her  sacred  store, 

Enlarg'd  the  former  narrow  bounds, 

And  added  length  to  solemn  sounds. 

St.  Cecilia  is  generally  represented  playing  on  the  organ  or  harp, 
or  with  organ-pipes  in  her  hand.  In  the  Church  of  St.  Cecilia  in 
Trastevere  at  Rome  (rebuilt  on  the  site  of  a  church  founded  in 
the  IX.  century),  she  is  represented  as  a  recumbent  figure,  with 
the  face  downwards  and  a  deep  wound  on  the  back  of  her  neck, 
evidently  alluding  to  the  legend  which  says  that  the  executioner 
being  unable  to  behead  her,  left  her  half  dead  to  linger  three  days. 
She  is  sometimes  represented  as  being  boiled  in  a  cauldron  and 
occasionally  carries  a  sword  in  one  hand  and  an  instrument  of 
music  in  the  other. 


NOVEMBER  2^d. 

St.  Clement,  the  third  Pope  of  the  Church  of  Rome,  is  this  day 
honoured  both  by  the  Roman  and  English  Churches. 

Clement  was  a  Roman  by  birth  but  of  Jewish  extraction.  He 
was  converted  to  the  Christian  faith  by  St.  Paul  and  it  is  claimed 
with  much  reason,  that  he  is  the  person  alluded  to  in  the  Philip- 
pians  iv,  3 ;  since  it  is  well  known  that  Clement  was  a  constant 


496      SAINTS   AND   FESTIVALS 


attendant  of  both  St.  Peter  and  St.  Paul  in  their  labours,  and  upon 
the  death  of  St.  Cletus  in  A.  D.  91  he  was  made  Bishop  or  Pope  of 
Rome  and  accord  ing  to  the  Liberian  Kalender  sat  in  the  Apostolic 
chair  for  "  nine  years  and  eleven 
months."  It  was  through  his  teach- 
ing that  Domitilla,  the  daughter  of 
the  Emperor  Domitian,  became  a 
Christian  and  through  her  influence 
Clement  secured  immunity  where 
others  suffered.  But  when  Trajan, 
who  governed  Rome  during  the 
absence  of  the  emperor,  instituted  his 
persecution  Clement  was  banished  to 
the  island  quarries  worked  by  con- 
victs ;  a  punishment  but  little  less 
terrible  than  death  by  torture.  There 
was  no  water  for  these  miserable 
creatures  and  Clement  in  prayer 
begged  for  their  deliverance.  As  he 
opened  his  eyes  he  saw  a  lamb  stand- 
ing on  a  hill  and  went  thither  where  he  digged  a  well  and  found 
a  spring  of  clear  fresh  water.  It  was  for  this  act  his  legends  say, 
he  was  condemned  to  death.  This  was  accomplished  by  tying 
him  to  an  anchor  and  afterward  cast  into  the  sea.  His 
legend  continues  that  when  Christians  prayed  "the 
waters  of  the  sea  were  driven  back  and  a  ruined  temple 
was  disclosed  in  which  his  body  still  fast  to  the  anchor 

was  found,"  and  still  more  marvelously  it  adds 
that  for  many  years  on  the  anniversary  of  St. 
Clement's  death  the  water  each  year  receded 
and  remained  so  for  three  days.  For  this 
reason  in  art  St.  Clement  is  always,  as  in  our 
illustration  represented  with  an  anchor. 

In  Clog  Almanacs  his  symbol  is  sometimes  a 
water  bottle.  Plot  in  describing  a  "  Clog  Ala- 
manak  "  said,  "  that  a  pot  is  marked  against  the  23d  of  November 
for  the  feast  of  St.  Clement,  from  an  ancient  custom  which  doubt- 


ST.  CLEMENT. 
Prom  the  Lubeck  Passionale. 


BAREFOOTED   CARMELITES  497 

less  took  its  rise  from  some  tradition  of  the  above  mentioned 
miracle  of  going  about  on  that  night  to  beg  drink  to  make  merry 
with."  Herewith  also  I  give  another  from  an  English  Clog  but 
it,  like  many  of  them,  seems  to  have  a  secret  or  Runic  meaning. 

Many  miracles  are  credited  to  St.  Clement  both  before  and  after 
his  death,  but  I  must  omit  mention  of  them. 


NOVEMBER  24th. 

St.  John  of  the  Cross  whose  festival  the  Church  keeps  this  day, 
was  by  birth  a  Spaniard  from  Old  Castile  ;  who  took  upon  himself 
the  habit  of  the  Carmelites,  when  twenty-one  years  of  age  enter- 
ing the  monastery  at  Medina.  When  St.  Teresa  set  about  her 
work  of  reforming  the  Carmelite  Order  the  reputation  of  the 
Medina  monk  had  reached  her  ears  and  she  sought  him  out.  His 
humility  and  the  purity  of  his  life  won  her  admiration  and  she 
chose  him  as  one  of  her  chief  assistants  in  establishing  the  Order 
of  Our  Lady  of  Carmel ;  and  on  Advent  Sunday  in  1 568  John 
entered  the  poor  little  house  in  the  village  of  Dunville,  from  which 
was  evolved  the  "  Barefooted  Carmelite  Friars,"  whose  institution 
was  approved  by  Pope  Pius  V.  and  in  1580  confirmed  by  Gregory 
VIII.  The  austerities  of  this  order  I  have  already  commented  on; 
but  John  added  if  possible,  even  greater  trials  for  himself,  and  his 
life  was  indeed  a  series  of  crosses.  The  old  Carmelite  Friars  did 
not  take  kindly  to  St.  Teresa's  reformations  and  found  in  John  the 
victim  whom  they  sought,  and  in  their  chapter  condemned  him  to 
imprisonment.  After  many  months  his  release  came  and  with  it 
a  series  of  preferments,  until  in  1588  he  became  Vicar-Provincial 
of  Andalusia  and  first  definitor  of  the  Order.  In  1591  he  found 
himself  again  in  disfavour  with  the  Order  when  its  chapter  met  at 
Madrid,  and  he  retired  in  disgrace  to  the  solitude  of  a  small  con- 
vent in  the  mountains  of  Sierra  Morena;  where  he  composed 
several  works  that  have  made  his  name  famous  and  where  he 
passed  his  last  hours.  St.  John  was  canonized  by  Benedict  XIII. 
in  1726,  and  his  office  in  the  Roman  Breviary  was  fixed  for  this 
day. 


498    SAINTS   AND    FESTIVALS 

NOVEMBER   25th. 

St.  Catharine,  who  is  honoured  alike  by  the  Anglican  and  Ro- 
man Churches  on  this  day,  was  the  daughter  of  Cortis  (a  half- 
brother  of  Constantine),  King  of  Egypt. 

Among  the  earlier  saints  of  the  Romish  Kalendar  St.  Catharine 
holds  an  exalted  position  both  from  rank  and  intellectual  abilities. 
She  was  one  of  the  most  distinguished  ladies 
of  Alexandria  in  the  beginning  of  the  fourth 
century.  From  a  child  she  was  noted  for  her 
acquirements  in  learning  and  philosophy  and 
while  still  very  young  she  became  a  convert  to 
the  Christian  faith.  During  the  persecution 
instituted  by  the  Emperor  Maximinus  II.,  St. 
Catharine  assuming  the  office  of  an  advocate 
of  Christianity,  displayed  such  cogency  of 
argument  and  powers  of  e  1  o  q  u  e  n  c  e  as  to 
silence  thoroughly  her  pagan  adversaries. 
Maximinus,  troubled  with  this  success,  assem- 
bled together  the  most  learned  philosophers  in 
Alexandria  to  confute  the  saint  ;  but  they  were 
both  vanquished  in  debate  and  converted  to  a 
DeHef  in  the  Christian  doctrines.  The  enraged 

, 

tyrant  thereupon  commanded  them  to  be  put 
tQ  death  by  burning)  but  for  St  Catharine  he 

reserved  a  more  cruel  punishment.  She  was  placed  in  a  machine 
composed  of  four  wheels  connected  together  and  armed  with 
sharp  spikes,  so  that  as  they  revolved  the  victim  might  be  torn  to 
pieces.  A  miracle  prevented  the  completion  of  this  project. 
When  the  executioners  were  binding  Catharine  to  the  wheels  a 
flash  of  lightning  descended  from  the  skies,  severed  the  cords  with 
which  she  was  tied  and  shattered  the  engine  to  pieces,  causing  the 
death  both  of  the  executioners  and  numbers  of  the  bystanders. 
Maximinus  still  bent  on  her  destruction,  ordered  her  to  be  carried 
beyond  the  walls  of  the  city  where  she  was  first  scourged  and  then 
beheaded.  The  legend  proceeds  to  say  that  after  her  death  her 
body  was  carried  by  angels  over  the  Red  Sea  to  the  summit 


ST.  CATHARINE. 

From  Stained  Glass. 

West  Wickham 
Church,  Kent. 


ST.   CATHARINE  499 

of  Mount  Sinai.  The  celebrated  convent  of  St.  Catharine  is 
situated  in  a  valley  on  the  slope  of  that  mountain  and  was  founded 
by  the  Emperor  Justinian  in  the  sixth  century,  and  contains  in  its 
church  a  marble  sarcophagus,  in  which  the  relics  of  St.  Catharine 
are  deposited.  Of  these  the  skeleton  of  the  hand  covered  with 
rings  and  jewels  is  exhibited  to  pilgrims  and  visitors. 

In  art  St.  Catharine  bears  a  sword,  indicative  of  the  mode  of 
her  death,  but  even  thus,  as  seen  in  our  illustration,  the  wheel, 
symbolic  of  the  suffering  intended  for  her,  is  often 
introduced.  In  the  Clog  Almanacs  the  wheel  al- 
ways appears. 

The  legend  of  St.  Catharine  of  Alexandria  is  by 
no  means  an  ancient  one  —  as  these  saintly 
legends  run  —  for  even  among  the  Greeks  it  can- 
not be  traced  back  beyond  the  eighth  century,  for  ] 
it  is  first  told  in  the  Greek  menology  of  the  Emperor  Basil  in  the 
ninth  century.  It  apparently  had  its  birth  among  the  monks  of 
Mount  Sinai  and  was  brought  from  the  east  by  the  Crusaders  of 
the  eleventh  century  who  told  it  in  gratitude  for  the  protection 
this  "  Invitissimo  Ervina  "  was  credited  with  giving  protection  to 
the  Christian  Warriors  in  the  Holy  Land.  In  the  fifteenth  century 
an  attempt  was  made  to  remove  St.  Catharine  from  the  Kalendar 
by  certain  prelates  of  France  and  Germany,  but  she  has  not  only 
retained  her  place  in  Roman  Martyrology  but  as  well  in  the  Eng- 
lish Reformed  Church,  and  probably,  next  to  Mary  Magdalene  is 
to-day  the  most  popular  among  the  female  saints  in  both  the 
Kalendars. 

St.  Catharine  of  Alexandria  must  not  be  confounded  with  St. 
Catharine  of  Siena,  a  saint  of  the  fourteenth  century,  whose  festi- 
val is  held  April  3oth. 


NOVEMBER  26th. 

Among  others  of  the  saints  the  Church  pays  honour  to  on  this 
day  is  St.  Conrad,  Bishop  of  Constance,  whose  name  has  more 
especial  interest  to  my  English  readers,  as  he  was  connected  by 


500     SAINTS    AND    FESTIVALS 

blood  with  the  illustrious  house  of  the  Guelphs,  whose  pedigree  is 
derived  from  Clodion,  King  of  the  Franks,  and  Wittekind  the 
Great  (first  Duke  of  Saxony),  and  consequently  from  Woden,  the 
chief  god,  and  thus  of  the  stock  of  the  principal  royal  families  of 
the  Saxons  who  founded  the  Heptarchy  in  England.  The  name 
Guelph,  or  Guelf,  was  only  taken  during  the  reign  of  Charlemagne, 
when  the  family  were  simply  "  Counts  of  Altroff,"now  called 
Weingarten,  in  Suabia,  and  not  to  be  confounded  with  the  Altroff 
near  Nuremberg  in  Franconia,  nor  with  the  capital  of  Uri  in 
Switzerland.  But  I  have  digressed  too  far  already,  and  I  must 
not  follow  this  interesting  genealogy  of  our  saint,  from  Conrad 
Rudolph,  the  second  Count  of  Altroff,  the  founder  of  the  house  of 
Guelph,  to  our  St.  Conrad. 

From  childhood  Conrad  had  displayed  his  desire  for  a  religious 
life  and  the  temptations  and  ambitions  of  worldly  rank  and  power 
had  no  influence  over  him,  and  from  the  time  he  entered  the 
monastery  his  biographer  tells  how  "  everyone  approached  him 
with  awe,  veneration,  mixed  with  confidence  and  affection  inspired 
by  his  tender  charity  and  humility. "  He  was  rapidly  promoted 
from  the  time  of  his  ordination  as  a  priest  until  in  934  he  was 
named  as  Bishop  of  Constance  to  fill  a  vacancy  which  happened 
in  that  year.  From  his  wealth  he  richly  endowed  the  church  at 
Constance  as  well  as  providing  for  the  poor  of  his  flock.  For 
forty-two  years  he  filled  this  sacred  office,  dying  in  976  full  of 
years  and  good  works. 


Thus  with  this  day  we  complete  the  list  of  the  Feasts,  Fasts  and 
Festivals  of  the  Christian  Church  and  mention  of  most  of  the  holy 
men,  whom  both  the  Roman  and  Reformed  Churches  have  hon- 
oured ;  though  to  keep  within  required  limits  I  have  been  com- 
pelled to  leave  unmentioned  not  a  few  I  would  gladly  have  spoken 
of. 

In  concluding  this  series  of  articles  I  should  not  be  doing  jus- 
tice if  I  failed  to  acknowledge  the  great  obligations  I  am  under  to 
more  than  one  of  the  reverend  gentlemen  connected  with  St.  Ber- 
nard's Seminary  for  not  alone  placing  at  my  service  many  rare  and 
valuable  books  from  the  rich  library  of  the  Seminary,  but  far  more 


AUTHORITIES    QUOTED      501 

than  this  ;  their  kindly  suggestions  as  to  where  among  these  books 
I  would  find  the  information  I  desired  and  without  which  I 
many  times  would  have  been  sadly  at  a  loss  for  definite  data. 

It  has  been  an  ever-increasing  debt,  and  one  I  cannot  repay, 
made  all  the  greater  by  the  gentle,  kindly  hearts  behind  which 
constantly  were  ready  to  aid  and  advise  me. 

I  also  desire  to  acknowledge  the  references  I  have  in  many 
cases  made  to  such  valuable  books  as : 

"  Die  Attribute  der  Hallinger  Hanover,  1843  ;"  "  Conybeare  and 
Housons;"  "Catholic  Dictionary  of  Addis  and  Arnold;"  "  Kir- 
chenlexikon ; "  "The  Golden  Legend,"  printed  by  Wynkin  de 
Worde  from  the  Latin  of  Jacobus  de  Viragine,  and  re-printed  by 
T.  Fisher  Unwin  with  a  preface  by  S.  Baring-Gould  and  an  intro- 
duction by  John  Ashton.  "  The  Catalogus  Sanctorum  et  Ges- 
torum,"etc.  (1538).  "The  Lives  of  the  Saints,"  by  Dr.  Alban 
Butler,  and  many  other  works  I  have  tried  to  name  as  I  quoted 
from  them. 


A   Chronological   List 

OF    THE 

BISHOPS   AND    POPES 

of  the  Christian  Church  from  the  death  of  St.  Peter. 


A.  D. 

A.  D. 

65 

St.  Peter. 

253-257  St.  Stephen. 

65-  76 

"  Linus. 

257-258    "  Sixtus  II. 

76-  89 

"  Cletus. 

259-269     "  Dionysius. 

89-100 

"  Clement. 

269-275     "  Felix. 

100-109 

"  Anacletus. 

275-283    "  Eutychian. 

109-109 

"  Evaristus. 

283-296     "  Caius. 

109-119 

"  Alexander. 

296-304    "  Marcellinus. 

119-128 

"  Sixtus  I. 

308-310    "  Marcellus. 

128-139 

"  Tilesphorus. 

310-310    "  Eusebius. 

139-142 

"  Hyginus. 

311-314    "  Melchiades. 

142-157 

"  Pius  I. 

3  1  4-3  3  5    "  Sylvester. 

157-168 

"  Anicetus. 

336-336    "  Mark. 

168-176 

"  Soter. 

337-352    "  Julius. 

176-192 

"  Eleutherius. 

352-366  Liberius. 

192-202 

"  Victor. 

366-384  St.  Damasus. 

2O2-2I8 

"  Zephyrinus. 

385-398     "  Sericius. 

218-223 

"  Calistus. 

399-402     "  Anastasius. 

223-230 

"  Urban. 

402-417     "  Innocent  I. 

230-235 

"  Pontian. 

417-418     "  Zozimus. 

235-236 

"  Anterus. 

418-422     "  Boniface. 

236-250 

"  Fabianus. 

422-432     "  Celestine. 

251-252 

"  Cornelius.  • 

432-440    "  Sixtus  III. 

252-253 

"  Lucius. 

440-461     "  Leo  "  The  Great. 

CHRONOLOGICAL   LIST      503 


A.  D. 

461-468  St.  Hilary. 
468-483     "  Simplicius. 
483-492    "  Felix  II.*  (or  III  ?) 
492-496    "  Gelasius. 
496-498     "  Anastasius. 
498-514  Symmachus. 
514-523  Hormisdas. 
523-526  St.  John  I. 
526-529  Felix  III.*  (or  IV.) 
529-531  Boniface  II. 
532-535  John  II. 
535-536  Agapetus. 
536-538  St.  Sylverius. 
538-555  Vigilius. 
555-559  Pelagius  I. 
559-572  John  III. 
573-577  Benedict  I. 
577-590  Pelagius  II. 
590-604  St.   Gregory  "the 

Great." 

604-605  Sabinian. 
606-606  Boniface  III. 
607-614  Boniface  IV. 
614-617  Deusdedit  or  Adeodu- 

tus. 

617-625  Boniface  V. 
626-638  Honorius  I. 
640-640  Severinus. 
640-642  John  IV. 
642-649  Theodorus. 
649-655  St.  Martin. 
655-658  Eugenius  I. 
658-672  Vitalian. 
672-676  Adeodatus. 


A.  D. 

676-679  Domnus. 
679-682  St.  Agatho. 
682-683    "  Leo  II. 
684-685  Benedict  II. 
685-686  John  V. 
686-687  Conon. 
687-701  Sergius. 
701-705  John  VI. 
705-707  John  VII. 
708-708  Sisinnius. 
708-715  Constantine. 
715-731  St.  Gregory  II. 
731-741  Gregory  III. 
741-752  St.  Zachery. 
752-752  Stephen  II.  (four  days) 
752-757  Stephen  III. 
757-767  Paul  I. 
768-772  Stephen  IV. 
772-795  Adrian. 
795-816  Leo  III. 
816-817  Stephen  V. 
817-824  Paschal. 
824-827  Eugenius  II. 
827-827  Valentine. 
828-844  Gregory  IV. 
844-847  Sergius  II. 
847-855  St.  Leo  IV. 
855-858  Benedict  III. 
858-867  Nicholas  I. 
867-872  Adrian  II. 
872-882  John  VIII. 
882-884  Marin  or  Martin  II. 
884-885  Adrian  III. 
885-891  Stephen  VI. 


*  See  Dr.  Alban  Butler's  "  Lives  of  the  Saints." 


504   SAINTS   AND   FESTIVALS 


A.  D. 

891-896  Formosus. 

896-897  Stephen  VII. 

897-898  Romanus. 

898-898  Theodorus  II. 

898-900  John  IX. 

900-903  Benedict  IV. 

903-905  Leo  V. 

905-911  Sergius  III. 

911-913  Anastasius  III. 

913-914  Lando. 

914-928  John  X. 

928-929  Leo  VI. 

929-931  Stephen  VIII. 

93 i  -936  John  XI. 

936-939  Leo  VII. 

939-943  Stephen  IX. 

943-946  Martin  III. 

946-956  Agapetus  II. 

956-964  John  XII. 

964-964  Leo  VIII. 

964-965  Benedict  V. 

965-972  John  XIII. 

972-974  Benedict  VI. 

974-975  Domnus  II. 

976-984  Benedict  VII. 

984-985  John  XIV. 

986-996  John  XV.  * 

996-999  Gregory  V. 

999-1003  Sylvester  II. 
1003-1003  John  XVII. 
1004-1009  John  XVIII. 
1009-1012  Sergius  IV. 
1012-1024  Benedict  VIII. 
1024-1033  John  XIX. 


A.  D. 

1033-1044  Benedict  IX. 
1045-1046  Gregory  VI. 
1046-1047  Clement  II. 
1048-1048  Damasus  II. 
1049-1054  St.  Leo  IX. 
1055-1057  Victor  II. 
1057-1058  Stephen  X. 
1058-1061  Nicholas  II. 
1061-1073  Alexander  II. 
1073-1085  St.  Gregory  VII. 
1086-1087  Victor  III. 
1087-1099  Urban  II. 
1099-1118  Paschal  II. 
1118-1119  Gelasius  II. 
1119-1124  Calixtus  II. 
1124-1130  Honorius  II. 
1130-1143  Innocent  II. 
1143-1144  Celestine  II. 
1144-1145  Lucius  II. 
1145-1153  Eugenius  III. 
1153-1154  Anastasius  IV. 
1154-1159  Adrian  IV. 
1159-1181  Alexander  III. 
1181-1185  Lucius  III. 
1185-1187  Urban  III. 
1187-1187  Gregory  VIII. 
1187-1191  Clement  III. 
1191-1198  Celestine  III. 
1198-1216  Innocent  III. 
1216-1227  Honorius  III. 
1227-1241  Gregory  IX. 
1241-1241  Celestine  IV. 
1243-1254  Innocent  IV. 
1254-1261  Alexander  IV. 


*  John  XVI.,  appears  as  an  antipope  997-8,  when  he  died. 


CHRONOLOGICAL   LIST      505 


A.  D. 

1261-1265 
1265-1268 
1271-1276 
1276-1276 
1276-1276 
1276-1277 
1277-1280 
I28I-I285 
1285-1287 
1288-1292 
1294-1294 

tine 
1294-1303 


Urban  IV. 
Clement  IV. 
Gregory  X. 
Innocent  V. 
Adrian  V. 
John  XX.  or  XXL* 
Nicholas  III. 
Martin  IV. 
Honorius  IV. 
Nicholas  IV. 
St.     Peter     Celes- 
V. 
Boniface  VIII. 


The  following  Popes  sat  at 
Avignon. 

1303-1304  Benedict  XI. 
1305-1314  Clement  V. 
1316-1334  John  XXII. 
1334-1342  Benedict  XII. 
1342-1352  Clement  VI. 
1352-1362  Innocent  VI. 
1362-1370  Urban  V. 
1370-1378  Gregory  XI. 


The  following  Popes  sat  at 
Rome  while  others  sat  at  Avig- 
non. 

1378-1389  Urban  VI. 
1389-         Boniface  IX. 


Contemporary  Popes  at  Avig- 
non 


A.  D. 

1378-1394  Clement  VII. 
1394-1398  Benedict  XII. 
Who  was  chosen  by  the  French 
and  Spaniards. 

In  1413  Benedict  XIII.  was 
restored,  but  deposed  in   1417 
when  Clement  VII I.  was  elected 
but  not  acknowledged. 
1389-1404    Boniface    IX.     At 

Rome. 

1404-1406  Innocent  VII. 
1406  Gregory  XII. 

1409  Gregory  XII. 
Deposed. 

1409-1410  Alexander  V. 

1410  John  XXIII. 
1415  John  XXIII. 

Deposed. 

1417-1431  Martin  V. 
1431-1447  Eugenius  IV. 
1447-1455  Nicholas  V. 
1455-1458  Calixtus  III. 
1458-1464  Pius  II. 
1464-1471  Paul  II. 
1471-1484  Sixtus  IV. 
1484-1492  Innocent  VIII. 
1492-1503  Alexander  VI. 
1503-1503  Pius  III. 
1503-1513  Julius  II. 
1513-1521  Leo  X. 
1522-1523  Adrian  VI. 
1523-1534  Clement  VII. 
1534-1549  Paul  III. 


*St.  John  XVI.  as  Antipope  makes  the  succeeding  numbers 
certain. 


506    SAINTS   AND   FESTIVALS 


A.  D. 


1555-1555 
1555-1559 
1559-1565 
1566-1572 
1572-1585 
1585-1590 
1590-1590 
1590-1591 
1591-1591 
1592-1605 
1605-1605 
1605-1621 
1621-1623 
1623-1644 
1644-1655 
1655-1667 
1667-1669 
1670-1676 


Julius  III. 
Marcellus  II. 
Paul  IV. 
Pius  IV. 
St.  Pius  V. 
Gregory  XIII. 
Sixtus  V. 
Urban  VII. 
Gregory  XIV. 
Innocent  IX. 
Clement  VIII. 
Leo  XI. 
Paul  V. 
Gregory  XV. 
Urban  VIII. 
Innocent  X. 
Alexander  VII. 
Clement  IX. 
Clement  X. 


A.  D. 

1676-1689 
1689-1691 
1691-1700 
1700-1721 
1721-1724 
1724-1730 
1730-1740 
1740-1758 
1758-1769 
1769-1774 
1775-1779 
1800-1823 
1823-1829 
1829-1830 
1831-1846 
1846-1878 
1878-1903 
1903 


Innocent  XI. 
Alexander  VIII. 
Innocent  XII. 
Clement  XI. 
Innocent  XIII. 
Benedict  XIII. 
Clement  XII. 
Benedict  XIV. 
Clement  XIII. 
Clement  XIV. 
Pius  VI. 
Pius  VII. 
Leo  XII. 
Pius  VIII. 
Gregory  XVI. 
Pius  IX. 
Leo  XIII. 
PiusX. 


In  the  earlier  days,  the  head  or  chief  ruler  of  the  Christian 
Church  was  termed  Bishop. 

The  name  Pope  (Latin  Papa,  or  Father)  was,  according  to  the 
Catholic  dictionary  :  "  given  at  first  as  a  title  of  respect  to  eccle- 
siastics generally,  and  among  the  Greeks  is  to-day  given  all 
priests  and  was  thus  used  as  late  as  the  Middle  Ages  by  inferior 
clerics.  In  the  West  it  seems  very  early  to  have  become  the 
spiritual  title  of  Bishops.  Even  as  late  as  the  VI.  century  the 
title  of  Pope  was  given  to  all  Metropolitans  in  the  West.  Grad- 
ually, however,  the  title  was  limited  to  the  Bishops  of  Rome  and 
we  find  a  synod  of  Pavia  in  998  rebuked  an  Archbishop  of  Milan, 
for  calling  himself  Pope. " 

Gregory  VII.  at  a  Roman  council  in  the  year  1073  formally 
prohibited  the  use  or  assumption  of  this  title  by  any  other  than 
Roman  Bishops. 


Alphabetical   Index 

OF 

CANONIZED  SAINTS 
AND  OTHERS. 


Letters  indicate,  A.  Abbot ;  Ab.  Archbishop ;  B.  Bishop ;  C. 
Confessor* ;  H.  Hermit  or  Anchorit ;  M.  Martyr ;  R.  Recluse  ; 
V.  Virgin ;  V.  A.  Virgin  Abbess. 

The  date  indicates  the  day  which  the  Roman  Church  has 
selected  as  their  saint-day,  or  the  day  on  which  they  are 
honoured. 


A. 

St.  Aaron.  A.  June  21. 
"  Aaron,  M.  July  i. 
"  Abbam,  A.  Oct.  27. 
"  Abdon,  M.  July  30. 
"  Abraamius,  B.  M.  Feby  5. 
"  Abraham,  H.  March  15. 
"  Abrogastus,  B.  C.  July  2. 
"  Acepsimas,  A.  March  14. 


St.  Adalard,  A.  Jan.  2. 
"  Adalbert,  B.  M.  April  23. 
"  Adamnan,  A,  Sept.  23. 
"  Adelbert,  C.  June  25. 
"  Adjustre,  Sept.  30. 
"  Ado,  B.  C.  Dec.  16. 
"  Adhelm,  M.  May  25. 
"  Adrian,  M.  Sept.  8. 


*  CONFESSOR— From  the  Dictionary  of  Addis  and  Arnold,  I  take  the  following  : 
"  Confessor.  A  name  used  from  the  earliest  times  for  persons  who  confessed 
the  Christian  faith  under  persecution,  thus  exposing  themselves  to  danger  and 
suffering,  but  who  did  not  undergo  martyrdom.  For  a  time  the  martyrs  were  the 
only  saints  who  received  special  and  public  honour  after  death  from  the  Church 
and  Martyrs  only  (with  the  Blessed  Virgin  and  the  Apostles)  are  mentioned  in 
the  Canon  of  the  Roman  Mass,  though  the  Cumbrosian  Canon  has  the  names  of 
other  saints  also.  But  at  the  beginning  of  the  IV.  century  public  honours  were 
also  given  to  persons  of  heroic  sanctity  even  if  they  had  not  been  martyred. 
Thus  St.  Anthony,  as  St.  Jerom  tells  us,  directed  that  his  body  after  death  should 
be  concealed,  because  he  did  not  wish  "  Martyrium  "  enacted  in  his  honour. 
Thus  the  name  Confessor  got  the  technical  meaning  which  it  now  has  in  the 
Missal  and  Breviary—  i.  e.—\t  was  applied  to  all  male  saints  who  did  not  fall 
under  some  special  class,  such  as  martyr,  apostle,  evangelist,  etc.  St.  Martin, 
Bishop  of  Tours,  who  died  in  397,  was  the  first  or  among  the  very  earliest  of  the 
Confessors  that  the  church  honoured  with  "an  office  and  feast."  In  the  office  on 
Good  Friday,  the  word  "  Confessor,"  means  "  singer  "  because  in  the  Scriptures 
"confessing  "  to  God— is  used  for  singing  his  praises. 


5o8     SAINTS   AND  FESTIVALS 


St.  Adrian  of  Scotland,  B.  M. 
March  4. 

"  Adrian    of     Palestine,     M. 
March  5. 

"  Adrian,  A.  Jan.  9. 

"  Adulph,  M.  June  17. 

"  Aelred,  A.  Jan.  12. 

"  jEmilianus,  M.  Dec.  6. 

"  ALngus,  B.  C.  March  n. 

'•  Afra,  M.  Aug.  5. 

"  Agape,  M.  April  3. 

"  Agapetus,  M.  Aug.  18. 

"  Agapetus,  Pope,  C.  Sept.  20. 

"  Agapius,  M.  Aug.  19. 

"  Agatha,  V.  M.  Feb.  5. 

"  Agatho,  Pope,  Jan.  10. 

"  Agilbert,  M.  Jan.  25. 

"  Agilus,  A.  Aug.  30. 

"  Agnes,  V,  M.  Jan.  21  and 
Jan.  28. 

"  Agnes   of  Monte  Pulciano, 
V.  A.  April  20. 

"  Agoard,  M.  June  25. 

"  Agricola,  M.  Nov.  4. 

"  Agulus,  B.  C.  Feb.  7. 

"  Aibert,  B.  April  7. 

"  Aicard,  A.  C.  Sept.  15. 

"  Aid,  A.  April  u. 

"  Aidan  of  Mayo,  B.  Oct.  20. 

"  Aidan  of  Lindisfarne,  B.  C. 
Aug.  31. 

"  Aithilahas,  M.  March  24. 

"  Ajutre,  R.  C.  April  30. 

"  Alban,  Protomartyr  of  Bri- 
tain, June  22. 

Blessed  Albert,  Patriarch  of  Jer- 
usalem, April  8. 


St.  Albeus,  B.  C.  Sept.  12. 
"  Albinus,  B.  March  i. 
"  Alcmund,  M.  March  19. 
"  Alchmund,  B.  C.  Sept.  7. 
"  Aldegondes,  V.  A.  Jan.  30. 
"  Alden,  (see  Maidoc). 
"  Aldehelm,  B.  May  25. 
"  Aldric,  B.  C.  Jan.  27. 
"  Alexander  of  Caesarea,  M. 

March  28. 
"  Alexander,  B.  of  Jerusalem, 

M.  March  18. 
"  Alexander,  B.  of  Alexandria, 

C.  Feb.  26. 

"  Alexander,  Pope,  M.  May  3. 
"  Alice,  or  Adelaide  of  Cologne, 

V.  A.  Feb.  5. 
"  Alice  or  Adelaide,  Empress 

of  Germany,  Dec.  16. 
"  Alipius,   B.   C.  August   1 5. 
"  Almachus,  M.  Jan.  i. 
"  Aloysius  Gonzaga,  C.  June 

21. 

"  Alphaeus,  M.  Nov.  18. 
"  Alphonsus      Turibius,     M. 

March  23. 

"  Alphonsus  Liguori,  Aug.  2. 
"  Alto,  A.  Sept.  5. 
"  Amand,  B.  C.  June  18. 
"  Amandus,  B.  C.  Feb.  6. 
"  Amator,  B.  C.  May  i. 
"  Amatus  of  Sion,  B.  C.  Sept. 

13- 
"  Amatus  of  Loraine,  A.  Sept. 

13- 

"  Ambrose,  B.  C.  Dec.  7. 

"  Ambrose,  B,  of  Milan.Apr.  4. 


CANONIZED   SAINTS 


509 


St.  Ammon,  H.  Oct.  4. 
"  Amphilochius,  B.  C.  Nov.  23. 
"  Anacletus,  Pope,  M.July  13. 
"  Anastasia,  M.  Dec.  25. 
"  Anastasia      "the      Elder," 

Dec.  24. 

"  Anastasius,  M.  Jan.  22. 
"  Anastasius    "the    Sinaite," 

Apl.  21. 
"  Anastasius,  Patriarch,  April 

21. 

"  Anastasius  "  the  Younger," 

B.  M.  April  21. 
"  Anastasius,  Pope,  C.   April 

27. 

"  Andeolus,  M.  May  i. 
"  Andrew  Corsini,  B.  C.  Feb. 

4- 
"  Andrew  of  Crete,  M.  Oct. 

17- 
"  Andrew  Avellino,   C.  Nov. 

10. 

"  Andrew,  Apostle,  Nov.  30. 
"  Angelus,  M.  May  5. 
"  Anian,  B.  C.  Nov.  17. 
"  Anianus,  B.  April  25. 
"  Anicetus,  Pope,  M.  April  17. 
"  Anysia,  M.  Dec.  30. 
"  Anne,  Mother  of  the  B.  V. 

Mary,   July  26. 
"  Anno,  B.  C.  Dec.  4. 
"  Ansbert,  B.  C.  Feb.  9. 
"  Anscharius,  B.  C.  Feb.  3. 
"  Anselm,  B.  C.  March  18. 
"  Anstrudis,  V.  A.  Oct.  17. 
"  Anterus,  Pope,  Jan.  3. 
"  Anthelm,  B.  C.  June  26. 


St.  Anthimus,  B.  M.  April  27. 
"  Anthony  of  Padua,  C.  June 

13- 

"  Anthony,  M.  April  14. 
"  Antipas,  M.  April  n. 
"  Antoninus,  B.  C.  May  10. 
"  Antony    (or  Anthony),   A. 

Jan.  17. 
"  Anthony  Cauleas,  B.  C.  Feb. 

12. 

"  Aper,  B.  C.  Sept.  15. 
"  Aphraates,  H.  April  7, 
"  Apian,  M.  April  2. 
"  Apollinaris,  B.  Jan.  8. 
"  Apollinaris,  B.  M.  July  23. 
"  Apollinaris  Sidonius,  B.   C. 

Aug.  23. 

"  Apollo,  A.  Jan.  25. 
"  Apollonia,  V.  M.  Feb.  9. 
"  Apollonius    in    Egypt,   M. 

March  8. 

"  Apollonius      "  the     Apolo- 
gist," M.  April  18. 
"  Arbogastus,  B.  C.  July  21, 
"  Arcadius,  M.  July  12. 
"  Archinimus,  M.  March  29, 
"  Armogastes,  M.  March  29. 
"  Arnoul    of  Soissons,  B.  C. 

Aug.  15. 

"  Arnoul,  B.  C.  July  18. 
"  Arsenius,  H.  July  19. 
"  Artemius,  M.  Oct.  20. 
"  Augustine  of  England,  B. 

C.  May  26. 
"  Augustine  of  Hippo,   Aug. 

28. 
"  Aulanus,  M.  April  28. 


5io     SAINTS  AND  FESTIVALS 


St.  Aunaire,  B.  Sept.  25. 
"  Aurea,  V.  A.  Oct.  4. 
"  Aurelian,  B.  C.  June  16. 
"  Austremonius,  C.  Nov,  i. 
"  Auxentius,  H.  Feb.  14. 
"  Azades,  M.  April  22. 

B. 

St.  Babolen,  A.  June  26. 
"  Babylas,  B.  M.  Jan.  24. 
"  Bademus,  A.  M.  April  10. 
"  Bain,  B.  June  20. 
"  Baldrede,  B.  C.  March  6. 
"  Barachius,  M.  March  29. 
"  Baradat,  Solitary,  Feb.  22. 
"  Barbara,  V.  M.  Dec.  4, 
"  Barbasceminus,  M.  Jan.  14. 
"  Barbatus,  B.  C.  Feb.  19. 
"  Barhadbesciabas,  M.  July  21. 
"  Barlaam,  M.  Nov.  19. 
"  Barnabas,  Apostle,  June  u. 
"  Barr,  B.  C.  Sept.  25. 
"  Barsabias,  M.  Oct.  20. 
"  Barsanuphius,  H.  Feb.  6. 
"  Barsimaeus,  B.  M.  Jan.  30. 
"  Bartholomew  of  Dunelin,  C. 

June  24. 
"  Bartholomew,  Apostle,  Aug. 

24. 
"  Basil  of  Ancyra,  M.  March 

22. 

"  Basil  the  Great,  B.  C.  June 

14- 

"  Basilides,  Quirinus,  etc.,  M. 

M.  June  12. 

"  Basiliscus,  M.  May  22. 
"  Basilissa,  M.  April  15. 


St.  Bathildes,  Queen  of  France, 

Jan.  30. 

"  Bavo,  H.  Oct.  i. 
"  Bauhus,  M.  Oct.  7. 
"  Beanus,  B.  Dec.  16. 
"  Becan,  A.  April  5. 
"  Becket     (Thomas    a),    M. 

Dec.  29. 

"  Bede,  C.  May  27. 
"  Bega,  V.  Sept.  6. 
"  Begga,  A.  Dec.  17. 
"  Benedict  Biscop,  A.  M.  Jan. 

12. 
"  Benedict  of  Anian,  A.  Feb. 

12. 

"  Benedict,  Patriarch  of  West- 
ern Monks,  March  21. 
"  Benedict  II.,  Pope,  C.  May 

7- 
"  Benedict  XI.,  Pope,  C.  July 

7- 

"  Benezet,  C.  April  14. 
"  Benignus,  M,  Nov.  I. 
"  Benignus  of  Ireland,  B.  Nov. 

9- 

"  Benjamin,  M.  March  31. 
"  Bernard    of    Menthon,    C. 

June  15. 
"  Bernard    of    Clairvaux,    A. 

Aug.  20. 
"  Bernard  Ptolemy,   C.   Aug. 

21. 
"  Bernardin  of  Sienna,  C.  May 

20. 

"  Bernward,  B.  C.  Nov.  20. 
"  Bertha,  A.  July  4. 
"  Bertille,  A.  Nov.  5. 


St.  Berlin,  A.  Sept.  5. 
"  Bertran,  B.  July  3. 
"  Bettelin,  H.  C.  Sept.  9. 
"  Beuno,  A.  April  21. 
"  Bibiana,  V.  M.  Dec.  2. 
"  Birinus,  B.  C.  Dec.  3. 
"  Blaan,  B.  Aug.  10. 
"  Blaithmaic,  A.  Jan.  19. 
"  Blase,  B.  M.  Feb.  3. 
"  Bobo,  C.  May  22. 
"  Boisil.  C.  Feb.  23. 
"  Bolcan,  A.  July  4. 
"  Bona,  V.  A.  April  24. 
"  Bonasus,  M.  April  21. 
"  Bonaventure,  B.  C.  July  14. 
"  Boniface,   M     (under     Dio- 

clesian),  May  14. 
"  Boniface  of  Scotland,  B.  C. 

March  14. 
"  Boniface  of  Mentz,  Apostle 

of  Germany,  June  5. 
"  Boniface     of      Magdeburg, 

Apostle  of  Russia,  June 

19- 

"  Boniface  I.,  Pope,  C.  Oct.  25. 
"  Bonitus,  B.  Jan.  1 5. 
"  Bonosius,  M.  Aug.  21. 
"  Botulph,  A.  June  17. 
"  Braulio,  B.  C.  March  26. 
"  Breaca,  V.  June  4. 
"  Brice,  B.  C.  Nov.  13. 
"  Bridget  or  Bride,  Patroness 

of  Ireland,  Feb.  i. 
"  Bridget  of  Sweden,  Widow. 

Oct.  8. 

"  Brieuc,  B.  C.  May  i. 
"  Brinstan,  B. .Nov.  4. 


St.  Brithwald,  B.  Jan.  9. 
"  Briocus   of  Wales,  M.  May 

i. 

"  Bronacha,  V.  A.  April  2. 
"  Bruno  of  Segni,  B.  C.  July 

1 8. 

"  Bruno,  C.  Oct.  6. 
"  Brynoth,  B.  C.  May  9. 
"  Burckard,  B.  C.  Oct.  14. 
"  Buriana,  June  4. 
Dr.    Butler    (Alban),    Author. 
May  15. 

C. 

St.  Cadoc  or  Cadroc,  A.  Jan.  24 

"  Cadroe,  C.  March  6. 

"  Caesarius,  C.  Feb.  25. 

"  Caesarius,  B.  C.  Aug.  27. 

"  Caesarius,  M.  Nov.  i. 
PoetCeedmon,  Feb.  n. 
St.  Caius,  Pope,  Aug.  20. 

"  Cajetan,  C.  Aug.  7. 

"  Calais,  A.  July  I. 

"  Calixtus,  Pope,  M.  Oct.  14. 

"  Callinicus,  M.  Jan.  28. 

"  Camillus  de  Lellis,  C.  July 

14. 

"  Cammin,  A.  March  25. 
"  Canicus  or  Kenny,  A.  Oct. 

ii. 

"  Cantianus,  M.  May  31. 
''  Cantius,  M.  May  31. 
"  Canut,  Jan.  7. 
"  Canutus,  King,  M.  Jan.   19. 
"  Caradoc,  H.  April  13. 
'*  Caraunus,  M.  May  28. 
"  Carpus,  B.  M.  April  14. 


512     SAINTS    AND    FESTIVALS 


St.  Casimir  ''  the  Good  ",  Earl 

of  Flanders,  C.  Mar.  4. 
"  Cassian,  M.  Aug.  13. 
*'  Castus,  M.  May  22. 
"  Cataldus,  B.  May  10. 
"  Cathan,  B.  C.  May  17. 
"  Catharine  of  Alexandria,  V. 

M.  Nov.  25. 
"  Catharine  of    Bologna,   V. 

Mar.  9. 
''  Catharine  of  Genoa,  Widow, 

Sept.  14. 
"  Catharine    of    Sienna,    V. 

April  30. 
"  Catharine    of    Sweden,    V. 

Mar.  22. 
"  Catharine  of  Ricci,  V.  Feb. 

13- 

''  Ceadda,  B.  M.  Mar.  2. 
"  Cecilia  or  Cecily,  V.  M.  Nov. 

22. 

"  Cecilius,  C.  June  3. 
"  Cedd,  B.  Jan.  7. 
'*  Celestine,  Pope,  C.  April  6. 
"  Celsus,  B.  April  6. 
"  Ceolfrid,  A.  Sept.  25, 
"  Ceslas,  C.  July  20. 
Chair    of    St.    Peter,  Antioch, 

Feb.  22. 
Chair  of  St.  Peter,  Rome.  Jan. 

1 8. 
Blessed   Charlemagne,  E.  Jan. 

28. 
St.  Charles  "the  Good",   M. 

Mar.  2. 

"  Charles   Borromeo,    B.    C. 
Nov.  4. 


St.  Charles  V.  of  Rome,  Aug.  i. 

"  Chef,  A.  Oct.  29. 

''  Chelidonius,  M.  Mar.  3. 

"  Chillen  or  Kilian,  C.  Nov.  13. 

"  Christina,  V.  M.  July  24. 

"  Christopher,  M.  July  25. 

"  Chrodegang,  B.  C.  Mar.  6. 

"  Chromatius,  C.  Aug.  11. 

"  Chronan,  A.  April  28. 

"  Chuniald,  Priest,  Sept.  24. 

"  Chrysanthus,  M.  Oct.  25. 

''  Chrysogonus,  M.  Nov.  24. 

"  Cianan,  B.  C.  Nov.  24. 

"  Ciman,  M.  Dec.  12. 

"  Clare,  V.  A.  Aug.  12. 
(Founder    of    Order    of    Poor 

Clares). 

St.  Clare  of    Monte  Falio,   V. 
Aug.  1 8. 

''  Clarus,  M.  Nov.  4. 

"  Claud,  B.  M.  June  6. 

"  Claudius,  M.  Aug.  23. 

"  Clement  I.,  Pope,  M.  Nov. 

23- 
"  Clement  of  Alexandria,   B. 

C.  Dec.  4. 

''  Clement,  B.  M.  Jan.  23. 
"  Cletus,  M.  April  26. 
"  Clotildis,  Queen  of  France, 

June  3. 

"  Clou,  B.  C.  June  8. 
"  Cloud,  C.  Sept.  7. 
"  Coemgen,  B.  C.  June  3. 
Blessed  Collette,  V.  M.  Mar.  6. 
St.  Colman,  B.  C.  June  7. 
"  Colman  Elo,  A.  C.  Sept.  26. 
"  Colman,  M.  Oct.  13. 


CANONIZED   SAINTS 


St.  Colman,  A.  Dec.  12. 
"  Columba,  Apostle  of  Picts, 

A.  June  9. 

"  Columba,  V.  M.  Sept.  17. 
"  Columba,  V.  M.  Dec.  31. 
"  Columba,  A.  Dec.  12. 
'*  Columban,  A.  C.  Nov.  22. 
"  Comgall,  A.  May  10. 
"  Comgall,  A.  July  27. 
"  Conall,  A.  May  22. 
''  Concordius,  M.  July  2. 
"  Conon,  B.  Jan:  26. 
'*  Conon  and  Son,  MM.  May 

29. 

"  Conrad,  B.  C.  Nov.  26. 
"  Conran,  B.  C.  Feb.  14. 
"  Constant,  C.  Nov.  13. 
Blessed   Constantine,   King  of 

Scotland,  M.  April  2. 
St.   Constantine    (supposed  to 
have  been  a  king  in  Britain), 

Mar.  14. 

"  Constantine,    one    of    the 
Seven  Sleepers,  July  27. 
11  Corbinian,  B.  C.  Sept.  8. 
"  Corentin,  B.  C.  Dec.   12. 
"  Cormac,  B.  C.  Sept.  14. 
"  Cormac,  A.  Dec.  12. 
"  Cornelius,  Pope,    M.    Sept. 

1 6. 

"  Cosmas,  M.  Sept.  27. 
"  Crispin,  M.  Oct.  25. 
"  Crispinian,  M.  Oct.  25. 
"  Crispina,  M.  Dec.  5. 
SS.   Crowned    Brothers,    MM. 

Nov.  8. 
St.  Cucufas,  M.  July  25. 


St. 


Cumin,  B.  Aug.  19. 
Cunegunda,  Empress,  Mar. 

3- 

Cuthbert,  B.  C.  March  30. 
Cuthbert,     Translation     of 

Relics,  Sept.  4. 
Cuthburge,  Q.  Aug.  31. 
Cuthman,   Founder  of  the 

Order    of    Trinitarians, 

Feb.  8. 

Cybar,  R.  July  i. 
Cyprian,  B.  M.  Sept.  16. 
Cyprian,  M.  Sept.  26. 
Cyriacus,  M.  Aug.  8. 
Cyrian     of     Carthage,   M. 

Sept.  16. 

Cyril,  Patriarch  of  Alexan- 
dria, Jan.  28. 
Cyril,    Ab.    of    Jerusalem. 

Mar.  1 8. 

Cyril,  M.  May  20. 
Cyril,  M.  C.  Dec.  22. 
Cyrus,  M.  Jan.  31. 


St. 


D. 

Dabius,  C.  July  22. 
Damasus,  Pope,  C.  Dec.  11, 
Damhnade,  V.  June  13. 
Damian,  M.  Sept,  27. 
Daniel,  M.  Feb.  21. 
Daniel,  B.  C.  Nov.  23. 
Daniel,      the      Stylite,      C. 

Dec.  n. 

Daria,  M.  Oct.  25. 
Datira,  M.  Dec.  6. 
Daterus,  M.  Feb.  u. 


5H    SAINTS    AND    FESTIVALS 


St.  David,      of       Wales,        B. 

March  i. 
"  David,    Patron  of  Muscovy, 

July  24. 

"  Declan,  B.  July  24. 
"  Deicolus,  A.  Jan.  18. 
"  Delphine,  M.  Sept.  27. 
"  Dennis,  see  Dionysius. 
"  Desiderius,  B.  M.  May  23. 
"  Deusdedit,  C.  Aug.  10. 
"  Didacus,  C.  Nov.  13. 
"  Didymus,  M.  April  28. 
"  Die,  or  Dio,  B.  June  19. 
SS.  Dionysia  and  Dativa,  MM. 

Dec.  6. 
St.  Dionysius,   the  Areopagite, 

B.  M.  Oct.  3. 
"  Dionysius  of  Alexandria,  B. 

Nov.  17. 
"  Dionysius  of  Corinth,  B.  M. 

April  8. 
"  Dionysius,     or     Dennis     of 

Paris,  M.  Oct.  9. 
"  Dionysius,  Pope,  C.  Dec.  26. 
"  Dionysius,  One  of  the  Seven 

Sleepers,  July  27. 
"  Disen,  B.  C.  Sept.  8. 
"  Docmail,  C.  June  14. 
"  Dominic,  Founder  of  the 

Order  of  Friar  Preachers, 

Aug.  4. 
"  Dominic  Loricatus,  C.  Oct. 

14. 

"  Domninus,  M.  Oct.  9. 
"  Donatian,  B.  C.  Oct.  14. 
"  Donatus,  B.  C.  Oct.  22. 
"  Donatus,  B.  M.  Aug.  7. 


St.  Dorotheus,    of    Tyre,    M. 

June  6. 

"  Dorothy,  V.  M.  Feb.  6. 
"  Dositheus,  Monk,  Feb.  23. 
"  Dotto,  A.  April  9. 
"  Droctrovius,   A.    March  10. 
"  Drostan,  A.  July  n. 
"  Druon,  B.  April  16. 
"  Dubricius,  B.  C.  Nov.  14. 
"  Dumhade,  A.  May  25. 
"  Dunstan,  B.  C.  May  19. 
"  Duthak,  B.  C.  March  8. 
"  Dympna,  V.  M.  May  15. 


E. 

St.  Eadbert,  B.  C.  May  6. 
"  Eadburge,  A.  Dec.  12. 
"  Eanswide,  V.  A.  Sept.  12. 
"  Ebba,  M.  April  2. 
"  Ebba  or  Abba  of  Colding- 

ham,  V.  A.  Aug.  25. 
"  Ecrigan,   King  of  Scotland. 

April  21. 

"  Edana,  V.  July  5. 
"  Edburge,  V.  Dec.  21. 
"  Edelburga,  V.  July  7. 
"  Edelwald,  C.  March  23. 
"  Editha,  V.  Sept.  16. 
"  Edmund,  King  of  England, 

M.  Nov.  20. 

"  Edmund,  B.  C.  Nov.  16. 
"  Edward,  King  of  England, 

M.  March  18. 
"  Edward,   King,   Translation 

of  Relics  of  the  Confessor, 

June  20, 


CANONIZED   SAINTS 


St.  Edward    "the    Confessor," 

King,  Oct.  3. 
"  Edwin,   King  of  Northum- 

bria,  Oct.  4. 
"  Egwin,  B.  Jan.  n. 
"  Eingan,  C.  April  21. 
"  Elesbaan,  King  of  Ethiopia, 

C.  Oct.  2.7. 

"  Eleutherius,  B.  M.  Feb.  20. 
"  Eleutherius,  Pope,   M.  May 

26. 

"  Elias,  M.  Feb.  16. 
"  Elier,  H.  M.  July  16. 
"  Eligius,  B.  C.  Dec.  i. 
"  Elizabeth      o  f       Hungary, 

Widow,  Nov.  19. 
"  Elizabeth,  Queen  of   Portu- 
gal, July  8. 
"  Elizabeth  of  Sconauge,  V.  A. 

June  1 8. 

"  Elizian,  M.  Sept.  27. 
"  Elphege,  B.  M.  April  19. 
"  Elphege     "the    Bald,"    B. 

April  19. 

"  Elzear,  M.  Sept.  27. 
"  Emerentiana,  V.  M.  Jan.  23. 
"  Emiliana,  V.  M.  Dec.  24. 
"  Emmeran,  B.  M.  Sept.  22. 
"  Enna,  A.  March  21. 
"  Ennodius,  B.  C.  July  17. 
"  Enric,  Nov.  4. 
"  Ephrem,  Deacon,  C.  July  9. 
"  Epimachus,  M.  Dec.  12. 
"  Epiphanius  of  Pavia,  B.  Jan. 

21. 
"  Epiphanius   of   Salamis,    B. 

May  12. 


St.  Epipodius,  M.  April  22. 
"  Equitius,  A.  Aug.  n. 
"  Erasmus  of  Antioch,  B.  M. 

Nov.  25. 

"  Erasmus,  B.  M.  June  2. 
"  Erhard,  A.  C.  Feb.  9. 
"  Eric,   King  of  Sweden,  M. 

May  1 8. 

"  Erlulph,  B.  M.  Feb.  10. 
"  Eskill,  B.  M.June  12. 
"  Ethbin,  A.  Oct.  19. 
"  Ethelbert,   King  of  Anglia, 

M.  May  20. 
"  Ethelbert,      first     Christian 

king  in  Britain,  C.  Feb. 

24. 
"  Ethelburge  of  Barking,  V.  A. 

Oct.  ii. 
"  Etheldreda  or  Audry,  V.  A. 

June  23. 
"  Etheldreda  or  Audry,  of  Ely, 

V.  A.  Oct.  17. 
"  Etheldritha,  V.  Aug.  2. 
"  Ethelwold,  B.  C.  Aug.  i. 
"  Eubulus,  March  i. 
"  Eucherius,  B.  C.  Feb.  20. 
"  Eucherius,  B.  C.  Nov.  16. 
"  Eugendus,  A.  Jan.  i. 
"  Eugenia,  V.  M.  Dec.  25. 
"  Eugenius,  B.  C.  July  13. 
"  Eugenius,    of    Ireland,    B. 

Aug.  23. 
"  Eugenius  of  Paris,  M.  Nov. 

IS- 

"  Eulalia,  V.  M.  Dec.  10. 
"  Eulogius,  M.  March  u. 


516    SAINTS  AND   FESTIVALS 


St.  Eulogius,  Patriarch  of  Alex- 
andria, B.  C.  Sept.  13. 

"  Eunan,  B.  Sept.  7. 

"  Euphemia,  V.  M.  Sept.  16. 

"  Euphrasia,  V.  March  13. 

"  Euplius,  M.  Aug.  12. 

"  Eusebius,  M.  at  Gaza,  Sept. 
8. 

"  Eusebius,  B.  M.  June  21. 

"  Eusebius,  A.  Jan.  23. 

"  Eusebius,  M.  at  Rome,  Aug. 
14. 

"  Eusebius,  C.  Aug.  14. 

"  Eusebius,  Pope,  C.  Sept.  26. 

"  Eustachius,  M.  Sept.  20. 

"  Eustasius,  A.  March  29. 

"  Eustathius,  B.  C.  July  16. 

"  Eustochium,  V.  Sept.  28. 

"  Eustochius,  B.  Sept.  19. 

"  Euthymius,  A.  Jan.  20. 

"  Eutropius,  M.  Jan.  12. 

"  Evaristus,  Pope,  M.  Oct.  26. 

"  Everildis,  V.  July  9. 

"  Evertius,  B.  C.  Sept.  7. 

"  Evroul,  A.  Dec.  20. 

"  Ewalds    (The    Two)    MM. 
Oct  3. 

"  Exuperius,  B.  Sept.  28. 

F. 

St.  Fabian,  Pope,  M.  Jan.  20. 
"  Faine,  see  Fanchea. 
"  Faith  of  Rome,  V.  M.  Aug.  i 
"  Faith  of  Gaul,  V.  M.  Oct.  6, 
"  Fanchea,  V.  Jan.  I. 
"  Fara,  V.  A.  Dec.  7. 
"  Faro,  B.  C.  Oct.  28. 


St.  Faustinus,  M.  July  29. 
"  Faustus,  M.  Oct.  13. 
"  Fechin,  A,  Jan.  20. 
"  Fedlemid,  B.  C.  Aug.  9. 
"  Felan,  A.  Jan.  9. 
"  Felicitas,  M.  March  7. 
"  Felix  of  Nola,  Priest,  Jan. 

14. 

"  Felix,  B.  C.  Aug.  9. 
"  Felix  of  Cantalicio,  C.  May 

21. 

"  Felix  I,  Pope,  M.  May  30. 

"  Felix,  Pope,  M.  July  29. 

"  Felix  of  Nantes,  B.  C.  July 

7- 
"  Felix  of  Carthage,  M.  Sept. 

10. 
"  Felix  of  Dunwich,  M.  Mar. 

8, 
"  Felix  of    Thiabura,  B.   M. 

Oct.  24. 

"  Felix  of  Valois,  C.  Nov.  20. 
"  Ferdinand     III.,     King    of 

Castile  and  C.  May  30. 
"  Ferreol,  M.  Sept.  18. 
"  Ferreolus,  M.  June  16. 
"  Ferrutius,  M.  June  16. 
"  Fiachna,  C.  April  29. 
"  Fiaker,  H.  C.  Aug.  30. 
"  Fidelis     o  f      Sigmaringen, 

M.  April  24. 
"  Fidharleus,  A.  Oct.  i. 
"  Finan    of    Lindisfarne,    C. 

April  7. 

"  Finbar,  A.  July  4. 
"  Finian   "the   Leper"  Mar. 
16. 


CANONIZED    SAINTS 


St.  Finian,  B.  C.  Sept.  10. 
"  Finian,  A.  Oct.  21. 
"  Finian,  B.  C.  Dec.  12. 
"  Fintan,  A.  Feb.  17. 
"  Fintan,  A.  Oct.  21. 
"  Flavia     Domitilla,    V.      M. 

May  12. 

"  Flavian,  B.  M.  Feb.  17. 
"  Flora,  V.  M.  Nov.  24. 
"  Florence  (An  Irish  Saint) 

A.  Dec.  15. 

"  Flour,  B.  C.  Nov.  3. 
"  Foilan,  M.  Oct.  31. 
"  Forty  Martyrs  of  Sebaste, 

March  10. 
"  Four    Crowned     Brothers, 

M.  Nov.  8. 
"  Francis    of   Assisium,     C. 

Oct.  4. 

"  Francis  Borgia,  C.  Oct.  10. 
"  Francis  di  Girolamo,   May 

n. 
"  Francis  of  Paula,  C.  April 

2. 
"  Francis  of  Sales,  B.  C.  Jan. 

29. 

"  Francis  Solano,  C.  July  24. 
"  Francis,    Stigmas  of,    Oct. 

4- 

"  Francis  Xavier,  C.  Dec.  3. 
"  Frances,  Widow,  March  9. 
"  Frederick  of  Utrecht,  B.  M. 

July  1 8. 
SS.  Friar  Minors,  The  Five,  M 

M.  July  6. 
"  Friar   Minors,   The   Seven, 

MM.  Oct.  13. 


St.  Frideswide,    Patroness      of 

Oxford,  V.  Oct.  19. 
"  Fridian,  B.  C.  March  18. 
"  Fridolin,  C.  March  6. 
SS.  Fructuosus,  B.  and  others, 

MM.  Jan.  21. 

St.  Fructuosus,  B.  C.  April  16. 
"  Frumentius,  B.  C.  Oct.  27. 
"  Fulgentius,  B.  C.  Jan.  i. 
"  Fursey,  A.  and  an  Irish  King 

Jan  1 6. 
"  Fuscian,  M.  Dec.  n. 

G. 

St.  Gal,  B.  July  i. 
"  Galdin,  B.  C.  April  18. 
"  Galdus,  B.  Jan.  31. 
"  Gall,  A.  Oct.  1 6. 
"  Galla,  Widow,  Oct.  5. 
"  Galmier,  C.  Feb.  27. 
"  Gamaliel,  C.  Aug.  3. 
"  Gatian,  B.  C.  Dec.  18. 
"  Gaucher,  A.  April  9. 
"  Gaudentius  of  Brescia,  B.  C. 

Oct.  25. 

"  Gelasinus,  M.  Aug.  26. 
"  Gelasius,  Pope,  C.  Nov.  21. 

"  Genebrard,  M.  May  1 5, 

"  Genesius,  B.  C.  June  3. 

"  Genesius,  M.  Aug.  26. 

"  Genesius,  of  Aries,  M.  Aug. 
26. 

"  Genevieve,  V.  Jan.  3. 

"  George,  Patron  of  England, 
M.  April  23. 

"  Gerald,  B.  March  13. 

"  Gerald,  A.  April  5, 


518      SAINTS   AND   FESTIVALS 


St.  Gerald,  Count  of   Aurillac, 

C.  Oct.  13. 
"  Gerard  of  Tours,  B.  C.  Apr. 

23- 
"  Gerard  of    Chonad,   B.   M. 

Sept.  24. 

"  Gerard,  A.  Oct.  3. 
"  Gerimonia,  Sept.  7. 
"  German,  M.  Feb.  21. 
"  Germanus,  Patriarch  of  Con- 
stantinople, B.  May  12. 
"  Germanus,  B.  C.May  28. 
"  Germanus  of  Auxerre,  B.  C. 

July  26. 
"  Germanus   of  Capua,  B.  C. 

Oct.  30. 

"  Germer,  A.  Sept.  24. 
"  Gertrude,  V.  A.  Nov.  15. 
"  Gervasius,  M.  June  19. 
"  Gery,  B.  C.  Aug.  n. 
SS.  Getulius   and  others,  MM. 

June  10. 

St.  Gilasinus,  M.  Aug.  26. 
"  Gilbert,  A.  Feb.  4. 
"  Gilbert,  B.  April  i. 
"  Gildard,  B.  C.  June  6. 
"  Gildas  "  the  Wise,"  A.  Jan. 

29. 
"  Gildas,  "  the  Albanian,"  C. 

Jan.  29. 

"  Giles,  A.  Sept.  i. 
"  Glastian     of     Scotland,    B. 

Jan.  23. 

"  Goar,  C.  July  6. 
"  Gobain,  M.  June  20. 
"  Godard,  B.  C.  May  4. 


St.  Godeschalc,   Prince   of  the 

Western     Vandals,     M. 

June  7. 
"  Godfrey  of  Amiens,  B.  Nov. 

8. 

"  Godric,  H.  May  21. 
"  Gontran,  King  of  Burgundy, 

C.  Mar.  28. 
"  Gregory,  B.  Jan.  4. 
"  Gregory  II.  Pope,  C.Feb.  13. 
"  Gregory  X.  Pope,  C.  Feb.  16. 
"  Gregory  of   Nyssa,     B.  C. 

Mar.  9. 
"  Gregory  "  the  Great"  Pope, 

C.  Mar.  12. 
"  Gregory  Nazianzen,  B.    C. 

May  9. 
"  Gregory  VII.  Pope,  C.  May. 

25- 

Blessed  Gregory,  B.  C.  June  15. 
St.    Gregory  of  Ulnith,   A.  C. 
Aug.  25. 

"  Gregory,  Apostle  of  Arme- 
nia, B.  C.  Sept.  30. 

"  Gregory  Thaumaturgus,  B. 
C.  Nov.  17. 

"  Gregory   of    Tours,   B.    C. 
Nov.  17. 

"  Gregory,  M.  Dec.  24. 

"  Grimbald,  A.  July  8. 

"  Grimonia,  V.  A.  C.  Sept.  7. 

"  Gudula,  V.  Jan.  8. 

"  Gudwall,  A.  Oct.  9. 

"  Gummar,  C.  Oct.  n. 

"  Gundleus,  C.  Mar.  29. 

"  Gunthiern,  A.  July  9. 

"  Guthlake,  H.  April  n. 


CANONIZED    SAINTS 


St.  Guy,  C.  March  31. 
"  Guy,  C.  Sept.  12. 
"  Gybrian,  Priest,  C.  May  8. 

H. 

"  St.  Harold  VI.  of  Denmark, 
King,  M.  Nov.  i. 

"  Hedda,  B.  C.  July  7. 

"  Hedwiges,  Widow,  Oct.  17. 

"  Hegesippus,  C.  April  7. 

"  Helen,  M.July  31. 

"  Helen,  Empress,  Aug.  18. 

"  Hemma,  Widow,  June  29. 

"  Henry,  H.  Jan.  16. 

"  Henry  of  England,  Blessed, 
B.  M.  Jan.  19. 

"  Henry  of  Treviso,  C.  June 
10. 

"  Henry  II.,  Emperor  of  Ger- 
many, July  15. 
Blessed    Herman    Joseph,    C. 

April  7. 
St.  Hermas,  C.  May  9. 

"  Hermenegild,  M.  April  13. 

"  Hermes,  M.  Aug.  28. 

"  Hidulphus,  B.July  11. 

"  Hilarion,  A.  Oct.  21. 

"  Hilary,  B.  Jan.  14. 

"  Hilary  of  Aries,  B.  C.  May 

5- 

"  Hilda,  A.  Nov.  18. 
"  Hildegardis  of   Monte    St. 

Disibode,  V.  A.  Sept.  17. 
"  Hippolytus,  M.  Aug.  13. 
"  Hippolytus,   Early  Author, 

B.  M.  Aug.  22. 
"  Homobonus,  C.  Nov.  13. 


St.  Honoratus,  B.  Jan.  16. 
"  Honoratus,  B.  C.  May  16. 
"  Honorius,  B.  C.  Sept.  30. 
"  Hope  of  Rome,  M.  Aug.  i. 
"  Hormisdas,  M.  Aug.  8. 
"  Hospitius,  R.  Oct.  15. 
"  Hubert  of  Liege,  B.  C.  Nov. 

3- 
"  Hugh   of  Lincoln,  M.  Aug. 

27. 

"  Hugh,  B.  C.  April  i. 
"  Hugh  of  Cluni,  A.  C.  Aug. 

29. 
"  Hugh    of     Lincoln,    B.    C. 

Nov.  17. 

"  Humbert,  B.  M.  Nov.  20. 
"  Hyacinth,  C.  Aug.  16. 
"  Hyacinthus,  M.  Sept.  n. 
"  Hyginus,  Pope,  M.  Jan.  n. 

I. 

St.  Ibar,  B.  April  23. 

"  Ida,  Widow,  Sept.  4. 

"  Idaberga,  V.  June  20. 

"  Idus,  B.  July  14. 

"  Ignatius,  B.  M.  Feb.  I. 

"  Ignatius  Loyola,  C.  July  31. 

"  Ignatius,  Patriarch  of  Con- 
stantinople, Oct.  23. 

"  Ildephonsus,  B.  Jan.  23. 

"  Illidius,  B.  C.  June  5. 

"  Iltutus,  A.  Nov.  6. 

"  Innocent  I.,  Pope,  C.  July 
28. 

"  Irchard,  B.  C.  Aug.  24. 

"  Irenasus  of  Sirmium,  B.  M. 
March  24. 


520 


SAINTS    AND    FESTIVALS 


St.  Irenasus,  B.  M.  June  28. 

"  Isaac,  B.  M.  Nov.  30. 

"  Isabel,  V.  Aug.  31. 

"  Ischyrion,  M.  Dec.  22. 

"  Isaias,  M.  Jan.  14. 

"  Isidore,  Hospitaler  of  Alex- 
andria, Priest,  Jan.  15. 

"  Isidore  of  Scete,  H.  Jan.  15. 

"  Isidore  of  Pelusium,  Monk, 
Feb.  4. 

"  Isidore,  Patron  of  Madrid, 
C.  May  10. 

"  Isidore  of  Seville,  B.  April 

4- 

"  Ita,  V.  Jan.  15. 
"  Ivia,  B.  April  25. 

J. 

St.  James  of  Sclavonia,  C.  April 

20. 

"  James,  M.  April  30. 
"  James,  "  the  Less  "  Apostle, 

May  i. 
"  James,    "  Major,"    Apostle, 

July  25. 
"  James     of    Nisibis,    B.   C. 

July  ii. 
"  James  (Intercisus)  M.  Nov. 

27. 
"  James    La    Marca    of    An- 

cona,  C.  Nov.  28. 
"  Jane,    or   Joan    of    Valois, 

Queen  of  France,  Feb.  4. 
"  Jane   Frances    de  Chantal, 

Widow,    Abbess,    Aug. 

21. 


St.  Januarius  and  others,  B.  M. 

M.  Sept.  19. 
"  Januarius    of    Cordova,  M. 

Oct.  13. 

"  Jariat,  B.  C.  Dec.  26. 
"  Jeremy,   Cassarea,  M.   Feb. 

16. 

"  Jerom  ^miliani,  C.  July  20. 
"  Jerom,    Priest,     Doctor    of 

the  Church,  C.  Sept.  30. 
"  Joachim,  C.  April  16. 
"  Jonas,  M.  March  29. 
"  Joannicius,  A.  Nov.  4. 
"  Joavan,  B.  C.  March  2. 
"  Jodoc,  C.  Dec.  13. 
"  John,  "the   Almoner"  Pa- 
triarch, Jan.  23. 
"  John  Calybite,  R.  Jan.  15. 
"  John    Chrysostom,    B.    C. 

Jan.  27. 
"  John  of  Rheomay,  A.  Jan. 

28. 

"  John  of  Matha,  C.  Feb.  8. 
"  John  Joseph  of  the  Cross. 

March  5. 

"  John  of  God,  C.  March  8. 
"  John  of  Egypt,  B.  March  27. 
"  John  Climacus,  A.  Mar.  30. 
"  John  at  Latin  gate,  May  6. 
"  John  Damascen,  C.  May  6. 
"  John  of  Beverley,  B.  C.  May 

7- 
"  John   "the   Silent."    B.    C. 

May  13. 
"  John  Nepomucen,  M.   May 

16. 
"  John  of  Prado,  M.  May  24. 


CANONIZED   SAINTS 


521 


St.  John,  Pope,  M.  May  27. 

"  John   of  Sahagun,  C.  June 
12. 

"  John  Francis  Regis,  C.  June 
1 6. 

"  John  of  Rome,  M.  June  26. 

"  John  of  Moutier,  Priest,  C. 
June  27. 

"  John,  one  of    the    "Seven 
Sleepers,"  July  27. 

"  John  Gualbert,  A.  July  12. 

"  John  Columbini,  C.  July  31. 

"  John    the    Baptist,    Nativ- 
ity of,  June  24. 

"  John  the  Baptist,   Decolla- 
tion of,  Aug.  29. 

"  John      "the     Dwarf,"     R. 
Sept.  15. 

"  John  of  Bridlington,  C.  Oct. 
10. 

"  John  Capistran,  C.  Oct.  23. 

"  John  Lateran,  Dedication  of 
the  Church,  Nov.  9. 

"  John  of  the  Cross,  C.  Nov. 

24. 
Blessed  John  Marinoul,  C.  Dec. 

13. 
St.  John,   Apostle,   Evangelist, 

Dec.  27. 
SS.   Jonas    and    others,     MM. 

March  29. 
St.  Joseph  of  Leonissa,  C.  Feb. 

4- 
"  Joseph  of  Arimathea,  Mar. 

17. 

"  Joseph,    Husband    of    the 
Virgin  Mary,  Mar.  19. 


St.  Joseph  Barsabas,  C.  July  20. 
"  Joseph     Calasanctius,       C. 

Aug.  27. 
"  Joseph    of    Cupertino,    C. 

Sept.  1 8. 

"  Jude,  Apostle,  Oct.  28. 
"  Julia,  V.  M.  May  23. 
"  Julian,  M.  Jan.  9. 
"  Julian  of  Manns,  B.  Jan.  27. 
"  Julian  of  Palestine,  M.  Feb. 

17- 
"  Julian  of  Toledo,  B.  C.  Mar. 

8. 

"  Julian  of  Cilicia,  M.  Mar.  16. 
"  Julian,  H.  July  6. 
"  Julian  Sabas,  H.  Oct.  18. 
"  Julian,  M.  Aug.-  28. 
"  Juliana,  V.  M.  Feb.  16. 
"  Juliana  Falconieri,  V.  June 

19- 

"  Julitta,  M.  July  30. 
"  Julius,  Pope,  C.  April  12. 
"  Julius,  M.  May  27. 
SS.     Julius   and    Aaron,   MM. 

July  i. 
"  Justa     and     Rufina,    MM. 

July  20. 

St.  Justin,  M.  June  i. 
"  Justin,  M.  Oct.  1 8. 
"  Justina,  V.  M.  Oct.  7. 
"  Justinian,  H.  M.  Aug.  23. 
"  Justus,  B.  C.  Sept.  2. 
SS.  Justus    and    Pastor,    MM. 

Aug.  6. 

St.  Justus,  B.  C.  Nov.  10. 
SS.  Juventin      and     Maximin, 
MM.  Jan.  25. 


522    SAINTS    AND    FESTIVALS 


K. 

St.  Kebius  B.  April  25. 
"  Kenelm,    King    of    Mercia, 

M.  Dec.  13. 
"  Kenney,  A.  Oct.  n. 
"  Kennocha,  V.  March  13. 
"  Kentigern.  B.  Jan.  13. 
"  Kentigerna,    Widow,     Jan. 

7. 

"  Keyna,  V.  Oct.  8. 
"  Kiaran,  B.  C,  March  5. 
"  Kiaran,  A.  Sept.  9. 
SS.  Kilian,  Colman  and  others 

MM.  July  8. 
St.  Kings,  V.  July  24. 
"  Kinnia,  V.  Feb.  I. 
SS.  Kyneburge,     Kyneswide 
etc.  MM.  March  6. 

L. 

St.  Ladislas,  King  of  Hungary, 

C.  Juoe  27. 

"  Lamalisse,  C.  March  2. 
"  Lambert,  B.  M.  Sept.  17. 
"  Landelin,  A.  June  15. 
"  Landry,  B.  C.  June  10. 
"  Largus,  M.  Aug.  8. 
"  Laserian,  B.  April  18. 
"  Laurence  of  Canterbury,  B. 

Feb.  2. 
"  Laurence  the   Spaniard,  M, 

Aug.  10. 
"  Laurence    Justinian,   B.   C. 

Sept.  5. 
"  Laurence  of  Dublin,  B.   C. 

Nov.  14. 
"  Lea,  Widow,  March  22. 


St.  Leander,  B.  C.  Feb.  27. 

"  Lebwin,  C.  Nov.  12. 

"  Leo,  M.  Feb.  18. 

"  Leo  the  Great,  Pope,  April 
II. 

"  Leo  IX.,  Pope,  C.  April  19. 

"  Leo  II.,  Pope,  C.  June  28. 

"  Leo  IV.,  Pope,  C.  July  17. 

"  Leocadia,  V.  M,  Dec.  9. 

"  Leocritia,  M.  March  15. 

"  Leodegarius,  B.  M.  Oct.  2. 

"  Leonard,  H.  Nov.  6. 

"  Leonides,  M.  April  22. 

"  Leonorus,  B.  July  i. 

"  Leopold,  Marquis  of  Mar- 
gams,  Austria,  C.  Nov. 

IS- 

"  Lethard,  B.  C.  Feb.  24. 
"  Leucius,  M.  (245)  Jan.  28. 
"  Leufredus,  A.  June  21. 
"  Lewine,  V.  M.  July  24. 
"  Lewis,  B.  C.  Aug.  19. 
"  Lewis,  King  of  France  (see 

Louis). 

"  Liberatus,  M.  Aug.  17. 
"  Liborius,  B.  C.  July  23. 
"  Licinius,  B.  C.  Feb.  13. 
"  Lidwina,  V.  April  14. 
"  Lifard,  A.  June  3. 
"  Limneus,  M.  Feb.  22. 
"  Linus,  Pope,  M.  Sept.  23. 
"  Lioba,.V.  A.  Sept.  28. 
"  Livin,  B.  M.  Nov.  12. 
"  Lo,  B.  Sept.  21. 
"  Loman,  B.  C.  Feb.  17. 
"  Lomer,  A,  Jan.  19. 


CANONIZED    SAINTS 


523 


St.  Louis,  King  of  France,  C. 
Aug.  25. 

"  Luanus,  A.  Aug.  4. 

"  Lucia,  M.  Sept.  16. 

"  Lucian,  Priest,  Jan.  7. 

"  Lucian  of  Beauvais,  M.  Jan. 
8. 

"  Lucian  of  Nicomedia,  M. 
Oct.  26. 

"  Lucius,  Pope,  M.  Mar.  4. 

"  Lucius,  M.  (166)  Oct.  19. 

"  Lucius,  an  early  king  of  Bri- 
tain, C.  Sept.  19. 

"  Lucy,  V.  Sept.  19. 

"  Lucy,  V.  M.  Dec.  13. 

"  Ludger,  B.  March  26. 

"  Luican,  C.  July  27. 

"  Luke,  Evangelist,  Oct.  18. 

"  Lullus,  B.  C.  Oct.  1 6. 

"  Lupicinius,  M.  Feb.  28. 

"  Lupus  of  Troyes,  B.  C. 
July  24. 

"  Lupus  of  Sens,  Archb.  Sept. 


i. 


M. 


SS, 
St. 


Macarius  of  Alexandria,  H. 

Jan.  2. 
Macarius       "the      Elder," 

Jan.  16. 

Maccai,  A.  April  n. 
Mac-cartin,  B.  C.  Aug.  15. 
Macedonius,  A.  Jan.  24. 
Machabees,   "  the    Seven," 

MM.  Aug.  i. 

Mackessoge,  B.  C.  Mar.  10. 
Macrina,  V.  July  19. 


St.  Macull,  C.  April  25. 
"  Maculindus,  B.  Sept.  16. 
"  Madelberte,  V.  A.  Sept.  7. 
"  Maden,  C.  May  17. 
"  Magloire,  B.  C.  Oct.  24. 
"  Magnisius.  B.  Sept.  3. 
"  Maguil,  May  30. 
"  Maharsapor,  M.  Nov.  27. 
"  Maidoc,  (also  called  Alden), 

B.  Jan.  31. 

"  Maieul,  A.  May  u. 
"  Main,  A.  Jan.  15. 
"  Majoricus,  M.  Dec.  6. 
"  Malchus    of     Caesarea,    M. 

March  28. 
"  Malchus,  one  of  the  Seven 

Sleepers,  July  27. 
"  Malachy,  B.  C.  Nov.  3. 
"  Malo,  B,  November  15. 
"  Malrubius,  A.  April  21. 
"  Malrubius,  B.  M.  August  27. 
"  Mamas,  M.  August  17. 
"  Mammertus,  B.  C.  May  n. 
"  Mammolin,  M.  October  16. 
"  Mans  or  Magnus  of  Orkney, 

B,  M.  April  1 6. 
"  Mansuet,  B.  Sept,  3. 
"  Marcella,  Widow,  Jan.  31. 
"  Marcellina,  V.  July  17. 
"  Marcellinus,  M.  June  2. 
"  Marcellus,  Pope,  M.  Jan.  16. 
"  Marcellus,  M.  Sept.  4. 
"  Marcellus,  M.  Oct.  7. 
"  Marcellus,  M.  Oct.  30. 
"  Marcellus,  B.  C.  Nov.  i. 
"  Marcellus,  A.  Dec.  29. 
"  Marcian,  Priest,  Jan.  10. 


524     SAINTS   AND   FESTIVALS 


St.  Martian,  M.  Oct.  4. 

"  Marcian,  H.  C.  Nov.  2. 

"  Marciana,  V.  A.  Jan.  9. 

"  Marcou,  A.  May  i. 

"  Marcus,  M.  June  18. 

"  Marcus,  M.  Oct.  4. 
Blessed   Margaret,  Princess  of 

Hungary,  V.  Jan.  28. 
St.  Margaret,  Queen  of    Scot- 
land, June  10. 

"  Margaret  of  England  (XII. 
century),  V.  Feb.  3. 

"  Margaret  of  Cortona,  Peni- 
tent, Feb.  22. 

"  Margaret  of  Antioch,  V.  M. 
July  20. 

"  Margaret,  V.  M.  Sept.  2. 

"  Marina,  V.  June  18. 

"  Marinus,  M.  March  3. 

"  Maris,  M.  Jan.  19. 

"  Marius,  A.  Jan.  27. 

"  Mark  of  Arethusa,  Syria,  B. 
C.  March  29. 

"  Mark,  Evangelist,  April  25. 

"  Mark,  Pope,  C.  Oct.  7. 

"  Mark  of  Jerusalem,  B.  C. 
Oct.  22. 

"  Marnan,  B.  C.  March  2. 

"  Maro,  A.  Feb.  14. 

"  Martha,  V.  July  29. 

"  Martial,  B.  June  30. 

"  Martin    of    Tours,    B.    C. 
Nov.  u. 

"  Martin,   Pope,  M.  Nov.  12. 

"  Martina,  V.  M.  Jan.  30. 

"  Martinian,  one  of  the  Seven 
Sleepers,  July  27. 


St.  Martinanus,  H.  Feb.  13. 
SS.  Martyrs  for  the  Holy  Scrip- 
tures, Jan.  2. 
Martyrs  of  Japan,  Feb.  5. 
Martyrs  of  Alexandria   (in  the 

pestilence)  Feb.  28. 
Martyrs  Forty,  of  Sebaste,  Mar. 

10. 
Martyrs  of  Alexandria  in  303, 

March  17. 

Martyrs  of  Hadiab,  April  6, 
Martyrs  of  Massylitan,  April  9. 
Martyrs,      Roman      Captives, 

April  9. 

Martyrs  of  Saragossa,  April  16. 
Martyrs  of  Rome,  under  Nero, 

June  24. 

Martyrs  of  Gorcum,  July  9. 
Martyrs,    Seven  Brothers,  July 

10. 
Martyrs,   Seven  Sleepers,  July 

27. 

Martyrs  of  Utica,  Aug.  24. 
Martyrs,  Twelve  Brothers,  Sept. 

i. 

Martyrs  of  Triers,  Oct.  4. 
Martyrs,  Seven,  of    Samosata, 

Dec.  9. 

Martyrs,  Ten,  of  Crete,  Dec.  23. 
St.  Maruthas,  B.  C.  Dec.  4, 
Mary,   B.    V.    Purification    of, 

Feb.  2. 
Mary,  B.  V.  Annunciation  of, 

March  25, 
Mary,  B.  V.  Visitation  of,  July 

2. 
Mary,  B,  V.  ad  Nives,  Aug.  5. 


CANONIZED   SAINTS 


525 


Mary,    B.   V.   Assumption  of, 

Aug.  15. 

Mary,  B.  V.  Nativity  of,  Sept.  8. 
Mary,  B.  V.  Presentation    of, 

Nov.  21. 
Mary,    B.    V.    Conception    of, 

Dec.  8. 

St.  Mary  of  Egypt,  April  9. 
"  Mary  of  Pazzi,  V.  May  23. 
"  Mary,  niece  of  St.  Abraham, 

Penitent,  March  15. 
"  Mary  of  Oignies,  June  23, 
"  Mary  Magdalen  "  the  Sin- 
ner," July  22. 
"  Mary,  M.  Nov.  I. 
"  Mary  of    Cordova,    V.   M. 

Nov.  24. 

"  Matthew,  Apostle,  Sept.  21. 
"  Matthias,  Apostle,  Feb.  24. 
"  Mathurin,  C.  Nov.  9. 
"  Maud,  Queen  of  Germany, 

March  14. 

"  Maura,  V.  Sept.  21. 
"  Maurice,  M.  Sept.  22. 
"  Maurilius,  B.  C.  Sept.  13. 
"  Mauront,  A.  May  5. 
"  Maurus,  A.  Jan.  15. 
"  Maw,  C.  May  17. 
"  Maxentia,  V.  M.  Nov.  21. 
"  Maxentius,  A.  June  26. 
"  Maximian,  one  of  the  Seven 

Sleepers,  M.  July  27. 
"  Maximilian,  M.  March  12. 
"  Maximinus,  B.  C.  May  29. 
"  Maximinus,  B.  C.  June  8. 
"  Maximus,  M.  April  30. 


St.  Maximus  of  Normandy,  M. 

May  25. 

"  Maximus,  B.  C.  June  25. 
"  Maximus  of  Riez,  B.  C.  Nov. 

27. 

"  Maximus,  C.  Dec.  30. 
"  Mechtildes,  V.  A.  April  10. 
"  Medard,  B.  C.  June  8. 
"  Mel,  Feb.  6. 
"  Meen,  A.  June  21. 
"  Melania    "  the     Younger," 

Dec.  31. 

"  Melanius,  B.  C.  Jan.  6. 
"  Melchiades,  Pope,  Dec.  10. 
"  Meleusippus,  M.  Jan.  17. 
"  Melito,  B.  C.  April  I. 
"  Mellitus,  B.  C.  April  24. 
"  Mello,  B.  C.  Oct.  22. 
"  Memmius,  B.  Aug.  5. 
"  Meneve,  A.  July  22. 
"  Mennas,  M.  Nov.  II. 
"  Merriadec,  B.  C.  June  7. 
"  Merri,  A.  Aug.  29. 
"  Methodius,  Patriarch  of  Con- 
stantinople, C.  June  14. 
"  Methodius  of  Tyre,  B.  M. 

Sept.  1 8. 

"  Methodius,  C.  Dec.  22. 
"  Michael,  Apparition  of,  May 

8. 
"  Michael,  Dedication  of,  Sept. 

29. 
"  Milburge      of      Shropshire, 

V.  A.  Feb.  23. 
"  Mildred,  V.  A.  Feb.  20. 
"  Milgithe,  V.  Jan.  17. 
"  Milles,  B.  M.  Nov.  10. 


526      SAINTS   AND    FESTIVALS 


St.  Mitrius,  M.  Nov.  13. 
"  Mochoemoc,  A.  Mar.  13. 
"  Mochteus,  B.  C.  Aug.  19. 
"  Mochua  or  Cronan  of  Bella, 

Ireland,  A.Jan,  i. 
"  Modan,  A.  Feb.  4. 
"  Modomnoc,  B.  C.  Feb.  1 3. 
"  Modwena,  V.  July  5. 
"  Molingus,  B.C.June  17. 
"  Moloc,  B.  C.  June  25. 
"  Monan,  M.  March  i. 
"  Monegondes,  R.  July  2. 
"  Monica,  Widow,  May  4. 
"  Moninna,  V.  July  6. 
"  Monon,  M.  Oct.  18. 
"  Montanus,  M.  Feb.  24. 
"  Mummolin,  B.  C.  Oct.  16. 
"  Munde,  A.  April  15. 
"  Mungo,  see  Kentigern. 
"  Muredack,  B.  Aug.  12. 

N. 

St.  Nabor,  M.  July  12. 
"  Narcissus,  M.  Oct.  29. 
"  Nathalan,  B.  C.  Jan.  8. 
"  Nathy,  Priest,  Aug.  9. 
"  Nazarius,  M.  July  28. 
"  Nemesianus,  M.  Sept.  10. 
"  Nemesion,  M.  Dec.  19. 
"  Nennius,  A.  Jan.  17. 
"  Nennus  of  Aran,  A.  June  14. 
"  Nenoc,  V.  June  4. 
"  Neot,  H.  C.  Oct.  28. 
"  Nereus,  M,  May  12. 
"  Nestabulus    of    Gaza,    M. 

Sept.  8. 
"  Nestor  of  Gaza,  M.  Sept.  8. 


St.  Nestor,  B.  M.  Feb.  27. 
"  Nicander,  M.  June  17. 
"  Nicasius,  B.  M.  Dec.  14. 
"  Nicephorus,  M.  Feb.  9. 
"  Nicephorus,      Patriarch     of 
Constantinople,   C.   Mar. 

13- 

"  Nicetas,  A.  April  3. 
"  -Nicetas,  M.  Sept.  1 5. 
"  Nicetius,  B.  C.  April  2. 
"  Nicetius,  B.  C.  Dec.  5. 
"  Nicholas  of  Lincopen,  B.  C. 

May  9. 
"  Nicholas  of    Tolentino,  C. 

Sept.  10. 

"  Nicholas,  B.  C.  Dec.  6. 
"  Nicodemus,  Aug.  3. 
"  Nicomedes,  M.  Sept.  15. 
"  Nicon,  C.  Nov,  26. 
"  Nilammon,  H.  Jan.  6. 
"  Nilus   "  the   Younger,"    A. 

Sept.  26. 

"  Nilus,  H.  C.  Nov.  12. 
"  Nincon,  Jan.  4. 
"  Ninian,  B.  C.  Sept.  16. 
"  Nissen,  A.  July  25. 
"  Norbert,  B.  C.  June  6. 
"  Nunilo,  V.  M.  Oct.  22. 
"  Nympha,  V.  M.  Nov.  lo. 

O. 

St.  Odilo  or  Olon,  A.  Jan,  i. 
"  Odo,  B.  C.  July  4. 
"  Odo,  A.  C.  Nov.  1 8. 
"  Odrian,  B.  May  8. 
"  Odulph,  C.  July  18. 


CANONIZED     SAINTS 


527 


St.  Oduvald  or  Odwald,   A.  C. 

May  26. 
"  Olaus,  King  of  Norway,  M. 

July  29. 

"  Olmypias,  Widow,  Dec.  17. 
"  Omer,  B.  C.  Dec.  9. 
"  Onesimus,   disciple    of    St. 

Paul,  Feb.  16. 
"  Onuphrius,  H.  June  12. 
"  Oportuna,  V.  A.  April  22. 
"  Optatus,  B.  C.  June  4. 
"  Osith,  V.  Oct.  7. 
"  Osmanna,  V.  Sept.  9. 
"  Osmund,  B.  C.  Dec.  4. 
"  Oswald,  B.  Feb.  29, 
"  Oswald,  King  of  Northum- 

bria,  M.  Aug.  5. 
"  Oswin,    King  of  Deira,  M. 

Aug.  20. 

"  Othilia,  V.  A.  Dec.  13. 
"  Otho,  B.  C.  July  2. 
"  Oudoceus,  B.  July  2. 
"  Ouen,  B.  C.  Aug.  24. 

P. 

St.  Pachomius,  A.  May  14. 
"  Pacian,  B.  C.  March  9. 
"  Pacificus  of  San  Severino, 

Sept.  24. 

"  Palladius,  B.  C.  July  6. 
"  Pambo  of  Nitria,  A.  Sept.  6. 
"  Pammachus,  C.  Aug.  30. 
"  Pamphilus,  M.  June  I. 
"  Pancras,  M.  May  12. 
"  Pantasnus,    Father    of    the 

Church,  July  7. 
"  Pantaleon,  M.  July  27. 


St.  Paphnutius,  B.  C.  Sept.  u. 
"  Papoul,  M.  Nov.  3. 
"  Paregorius,    M   (at   Patara) 

Feb.  1 8. 

"  Paschal,  Baylon,  C.  May  17. 
"  Paschasius   Radbert,   A.  C. 

April  26. 

"  Pastor,  M.  Aug.  6. 
"  Paternus,  B.  C.  April  15. 
"  Patiens,  B.  C.  Sept.  ir. 
"  Patrick,  Apostle  of  Ireland, 

B.  C.  March  17. 
"  Patricius,  B.  M,  April  28. 
"  Paul,  the  first  Hermit,  Jan. 

IS- 
"  Paul  and  36  Companions  in 

Egypt,  MM.  Jan.  18. 
"  Paul  of  Verdun,  B.  C.  Feb. 

8. 
"  Paul  "  the  Simple,"  H.  Mar. 

7- 

"  Paul  of  Leon,  B.  C.  Mar.  12. 
"  Paul   of    Narbonne,    B.    C. 

Mar.  22. 
"  Paul  of  Constantinople,  B. 

M.  June  7. 
"  Paul,   M.  (at  Rome,  A.  D. 

362)  June  26. 
"  Paul,  Apostle,  June  30. 
"  Paul,    Conversion    of,   Jan. 

25. 

"  Paul,  H.  Dec.  20. 
"  Paul  of  Gaza,  M.  July  25. 
"  Paula,  Widow,  Jan.  26. 
"  Paulinus,  Patriarch,  Jan.  28. 
"  Paulinus    of    Nola,    B.    C. 

June  22. 


528      SAINTS   AND   FESTIVALS 


St.  Paulinus  of  York,  B.  C.  Oct. 

10. 

"  Pega,  V.  Jan.  8. 
"  Pelagia,  V.  M.  June  9. 
"  Pelagia,  Penitent,  Oct.  8. 
"  Peleus,  M.  Sept.  19. 
"  Pellegrina,  B.  Aug.  I. 
Blessed   Pepin  of  Landon,   C. 

Feb.  21. 

St.  Perpetua,  M.  Mar.  7. 
"  Perpetuus,  B.  C.  April  8. 
"  Peter  of   Pisa,  Founder  of 
Hermits   of    St.    Jerom, 
June  I. 

"  Peter  Balsam,  M.  Jan.  3. 
"  Peter    of    St.    Austin's,    A. 

Jan.  6. 
"  Peter  of  Sebaste,  B.  C.  Jan. 

9- 

"  Peter  Nolasco,  C.  Jan.  31. 

"  Peter  Damian,  B.  Feb.  23. 

"  Peter  Gonzales,  C.  April  15. 

"  Peter,  M.  (1252),  April  29. 

"  Peter  of  Tarentaise,  B.  May 
8. 

"  Peter  Regalati,  C.  May  13. 

"  Peter,  M.  (250),  May  15. 

"  Peter  Celestine,  Pope,  C. 
May  19. 

"  Peter,  M.  (about  304),  June 
2. 

"  Peter,  Prince  of  the  Apos- 
tles, June  29. 

"  Peter  of  Luxemburg,  B.  C. 
July  5. 

"  Peter  of  Alcantara,  C.  Oct. 


St.  Peter  of  Alexandria,  B.  M. 

Nov.  26. 
"  Peter    Chrysologus,    B.    C. 

Dec.  4. 

"  Peter  Paschal,  B.  M.  Dec.  6. 
"  Peter  ad  Vincula,  Aug.  i. 
SS.  Peter  and  Paul,  Dedication 

of     their    churches    at 

Rome,  Nov.  18. 
St.  Petroc,  A.  June  4. 
"  Petronilla,  V.  May  31. 
"  Petronius,  B.  C.  Oct.  4. 
"  Phaebadius,  B.  C.  April  25. 
"  Philastrius,  B.  C.  July  18. 
"  Phileas,  B.  M.  Feb.  4. 
"  Philibert,  A.  Aug.  22. 
"  Philomen,  Nov.  22. 
"  Philoromus,  M.  Feb.  4. 
"  Philip,  Apostle,  May  i. 
"  Philip  Neri,  C.  May  26. 
"  Philip  "the  Deacon,"  June 

6. 

"  Philip  Beniti,  C.  Aug.  23. 
"  Philip  of  Heraclea,   B.  M. 

Oct.  22. 

"  Philogonius,  B.  C.  Dec.  20. 

"  Phocas,  M.  July  3. 

"  Piat,  M.  Oct.  i. 

"  Pionius,  M.  Feb.  I. 

"  Pius  I.,  Pope,  M.  July  11. 

"  Pius  V.,  Pope,  M.  May  5. 

"  Placidus,  A.  M.  Oct.  5. 

"  Plato,  A.  April  4. 

"  Plechelm,  B.  C.  July  15. 

"  Plutarch,  M.  June  28. 

"  Pcemen,  A.  Aug.  27. 

"  Pollio,  M.  April  28.        !. 


CANONIZED    SAINTS 


529 


St.  Polycarp  of  Smyrna,  B.  M. 
Jan.  26. 

"  Polyeuctus,  M.  Feb.  13. 

"  Pontian,  Pope,  M.  Nov.  19. 

"  Pontius,  M.  May  14. 

"  Poppo,  A.  Jan.  25. 

"  Porphyrius,  B.  C.  Feb.  26. 

"  Postidius,  B.  C.  May  17. 

"  Potamiana,  M.  June  28. 

"  Potamon,  B.  M.  May  18. 

"  Pothinus  of  Lyons,  M.  June 

2. 

Martyrs  of  Pontus,  Feb.  5. 
St.  Praxedes,  V.  July  21. 

"  Pretextatus,  B.  C.  Feb.  24. 

"  Primus,  M.  June  9. 

"  Prior,  H.  June  17. 

"  Prisca,  V.  M.  Jan.  18. 

"  Priscus,  M.  Mar.  28. 

"  Prix,  B.  M.  Jan.  25. 

"  Probus,  M.  Oct.  11. 

"  Processus,  M.  July  2. 

"  Proclus,  B.  C.  Oct.  24. 

"  Procopius,  M,  July  8. 

"  Projectus,  B.  M.  Jan.  25. 

"  Prosdecimus,  B.  M.  Nov.  7. 

"  Prosper    of    Acquitain,  C. 
June  25. 

"  Protasius,  M.  June  19. 

"  Proterius,  B.  M.  Feb.  28. 

"  Protus,  M.  Sept  u. 

"  Prudentius,  B.  C.  April  6. 

"  Psalmod,  H.  Mar.  8. 

"  Psalmodius,  H.  June  14. 

"  Ptolemy,  M.  Oct.  19. 

"  Publius,  B.  M.  Jan.  21. 


St.  Publius,  A.  (near  Zeugma, 

in  Syria),  Jan.  25. 
"  Prudentiana,  V.  May  19. 
"  Pulcheria,  V.  Sept.  10. 

Q- 

St.  Quadratus,  B.  C.  May  26. 
"  Quintin,  M.  Oct.  31. 
"  Quiricus,  M.  June  16. 
"  Quirinus,  B.  M.  June  4. 

R. 

St.  Radbod,  B.  C.  Nov.  29. 

"  Radegundes,      Queen      of 

France,  Aug  13. 
Blessed  Raingarda,  "  the  Ven- 
erable Widow,  June  26. 
St.  Ralph,  B.  C.  June  21. 

"  Randaut,  M.  Feb.  21. 

"  Raymund  of  Pennafort,  C. 
Jan.  23. 

"  Raymund     Nonnatus,     C. 
Aug.  31. 

"  Regina,  V.  M.  Sept.  7. 

"  Regobert,  M.  June  4. 

"  Regulus,  B.  Mar.  30. 

"  Remaclus,  B.  C.  Sept.  3. 

"  Rembert,  B.  C.  Feb.  4. 

"  Remigius,  B.C.  Oct.  i. 

"  Respicius,  M.  Nov.  10. 

"  Restituta,  V.  M.  May  17. 

"  Richard,  King  of  West  Sax- 
ony, C.  Feb.  7. 

"  Richard.  B.  C.  April  3. 

"  Richard,  B.  C.  June  9. 

"  Richard   of  Andria,   B.  C. 
Aug.  21. 


530    SAINTS   AND    FESTIVALS 


St.  Richarius  or    Riquier,    A. 
April  26. 

"  Rictrudes,  A.  May  12. 

"  Rigobert,  B.  Jan.  4. 
Blessed  Robert  of  Arbrissal,  C. 

Feb.  23. 
Blessed  Robert  of  Chaise  Dieu, 

A.  April  24. 
St.  Robert,  A.  April  29. 

"  Robert  of  Newminster,  A. 
June  7. 

"  Rock  or  Roch,  C.  Aug.  16. 
Blessed  Roger,  A.  Feb.  13. 
St.  Roger,  C.  Mar.  5. 

"  Romanus,  Patron  of  Mus- 
covy, A.  Feb.  28. 

"  Romanus,  M.  July  24. 

"  Romanus  (Roman  Soldier), 
M.  Aug.  9. 

"  Romanus  of  Rouen,  B.  C. 
Oct.  23. 

"  Romanus  of  Palestine,  M. 
Nov.  1 8. 

"  Romaric,  A.  Dec.  8. 

"  Romuald,  A.  Feb.  7. 

"  Rosa  of  Viterbo,  V.  Mar.  8. 

"  Rosalia,  V.  Sept.  4. 

"  Rose  of  Lima,  V.  Aug.  30. 

"  Rouin,  A.  Sept.  7. 

"  Ruadham,  one  of  the 
Twelve  Apostles  of  Ire- 
land, B.  April  15. 

"  Ruffin,  M.  July  24. 

"  Rufina,  V.  A.  July  10. 

"  Rufina,  V.  M.  (under  Dio- 
clesian),  July  20. 

"  Rufinus,  M.  June  14. 


St.  Rufus,  H.  April  22. 
"  Rufus,  M.  Dec.  18. 
"  Rumold,  Patron  of  Mechlin, 

B.  M.  July  i. 
"  Rumon,  B.  C.  Jan.  4. 
"  Rumwald,  C.  Nov.  3. 
"  Rupert  or  Robert  of  Saltz- 

burg,  B.  C.  Mar.  27. 
"  Rusticus,  B.  Sept.  24. 

S. 
St.  Sabas,  M.  April  12. 

"  Sabas,  A.  Dec.  5. 

"  Sabina,  M.  Aug.  29. 

"  Sabinianus,  M.  Jan.  29. 

"  Sabinus,  B.  M.  Dec.  30. 

"  Sadoth,  B.  M.  Feb.  20, 
Saints,  All,  Nov.  i. 
St.  Salvius,  B.  Jan.  11. 

"  Salvius,  B.  Sept.  10. 

"  Sampson,  B.  C.  July  28. 

"  Samthana,  V.  A.  Dec.  19. 

"  Sapor,  B.  M.  Nov.  30. 

"  Saturninus,  B.  M.  Nov.  29. 

"  Saturninus,  M.  Feb.  n. 

"  Saturninus,  M.  Nov.  29. 

"  Saturus,  M.  Mar.  29. 

"  Scholastica,  V.  Feb.  10. 

"  Sebastian,  M.  Jan.  20. 

"  Sebbi  or  Sebba,   King    of 
Essex,  C.  Aug.  29. 

"  Secundin  of  Meath,  Ireland, 
B.  Nov.  27. 

"  Secunola,  M.  (II.  century), 
July  10. 

"  Senan,  B.  C.  Mar.  8. 

"  Sennen,  M.  July  30. 


CANONIZED    SAINTS 


St.  Sequanus,  A.  Sept.  19. 
"  Serapion,  M.  Jan.  31. 
"  Serapion   "the    Sindonite," 

Mar.  21. 
"  Serapion  "the  Scholastic," 

A.  March  21. 

"  Serapion,  B.  C.  Mar.  21. 
11  Serenus,  M.  Feb.  23. 
"  Serf,  B.  April  20. 
"  Sergius,  M.  Oct.  7. 
"  Servatius,  B.  May  13. 
44  Servulus,  C.  Dec.  23. 
"  Severianus,  B.  M.  Feb.  21. 
"  Severin,  B.  C.  Oct.  23. 
"  Severin  or  Surin,  B.  Oct.  23. 
"  Severinus,  A.  Jan.  8. 
"  Severinus,  A.  Feb.  u. 
"  Sexburg,  A.  July  6. 
"  Sidronius,  M.  Sept,  8. 
"  Sigebert  II.,  King  of  Aus- 

trasia,  C.  Feb.  I. 
"  Sigefride,  B.  Feb.  15. 
"  Sigismund,    King   of    Bur- 
gundy, M.  May  i. 
"  Silave,  B.  C.  May  17. 
"  Silverius,  Pope,  M.  June  20. 
"  Silvin,  B.  C.  Feb.  17. 
"  Simeon  Stylites,  C.  Jan.  5. 
"  Simeon,  B.  M.  Feb.  18. 
"  Simeon  of  Ctesiphon,  B.  M. 

April  17. 

"  Simeon,  July  i. 
"  Simeon     Stylites     "the 

Younger,"  Sept.  3. 
"  Simon,  an  Infant,  M.  Mar. 

24. 
"  Simon  Stock,  C.  May  16. 


St.  Simon,  Apostle,  May  28. 
"  Simplicius,  Pope,  C.  Mar.  2. 
"  Simplicius,  M.  July  29. 
"  Sina,  Deacon,  M.  Nov.   10. 
"  Sindulphus,  Priest,  Oct.  20. 
"  Siran,  A.  Dec.  4. 
"  Sisinnius,  M.  May  29. 
"  Sisoes,  H.  July  4. 
"  Sixtus  I.,  Pope,  M.  April  6. 
"  Sixtus  III.,  Pope,  Mar.  28. 
"  Smaragdus,  M.  Aug.  8. 
"  Socrates  of  Britain,  M.  Sept. 

17. 

"  Sola,  H.  Dec.  3. 
"  Sophia,  V.  M.  April  30. 
"  Sophronius,  B.  C.  Mar.  n. 
"  Soter,  Pope,  M.  April  22. 
"  Soteris,  V.  M.  Feb.  10. 
Souls,  All,  Nov.  2. 
St.  Speratus,  M.  July  17. 
"  Speusippus,  M.  Jan.  17. 
"  Spiridion,  B.  C.  Dec.  14. 
"  Stanislas,  B.  M.  May  7. 
"  Stanislas  Kostka,  C.  Nov.  13. 
"  Stephen  of  Grandmont,  A. 

Feb.  8. 

"  Stephen,  A.  Feb.  13. 
"  Stephen  of   Citeaux,  A.  C. 

April  17. 

"  Stephen,  Pope,  M.  Aug.  2. 
"  Stephen,  King  of  Hungary, 

C.  Sept.  2. 
"  Stephen  of  Britain,  M.  Sept. 

17- 

"  Stephen  "  the  Younger,"  M. 
Nov.  28. 


532    SAINTS    AND    FESTIVALS 


St.  Stephen,  Proto-martyr,  Dec. 

26. 
"  Stephen,  "  Invention  of   his 

Relics,"  Aug.  3 
"  Sulpicius,  Pious,  B.  C.  Jan. 

17. 
"  Sulpicius  le  Debonnaire,  B. 

Jan.  17. 

"  Sulpicius  Severus,  Jan.  29. 
"  Sulpicius,  B.  Jan.  29. 
"  Suranus,  A.  M.  Jan.  24. 
"  Susanna,  V.  M.  Aug.  n. 
"  Swidbert     "the    Ancient," 

B.  C.  Mar.  i. 
"  Swithin,  B.  C.July  15. 
"  Syagrius,  B.  C.  Aug.  27. 
"  Sylvester  Gozzolini,  A.  Nov. 

26. 

"  Sylvester,  Pope,  C.  Dec.  31. 
"  Symmachus,  Pope    C.  July 

19. 

"  Symphorian,  M.  Aug.  22. 
"  Symphorosa  and  her  Seven 

Sons,  MM.  July  18. 
"  Syncletica,  V.  Jan  5. 
"  Syra,  V.  June  8. 

T. 
St.  Tanco,  B.  M.  Feb.  16. 

"  Tarachus,  M.  Oct.  n. 

"  Tarasius,  Patriarch  of  Con- 
stantinople, C.  Feb.  23. 

"  Tecla,  V.  A.  Oct.  15. 

"  Telesphorus  VII.,  Pope,  M. 
Jan.  5. 

"  Teresa,  V.  Oct.  15. 

"  Ternan,  B.  C.  June  12. 


St.  Tertius,  M.  Dec.  6. 
"  Thais,  "  the  Penitent,"  Oct. 

8. 

"  Thalassius,  M.  C.   Feb.  22. 
"  ThaliUeus,  R.  C.  Feb.  27. 
"  Thea,  M.  July  25. 
"  Thecla,  V.  M.  Sept.  23. 
"  Theliau,  B.  C.  Feb.  9. 
"  Theobald,  C.  July  i. 
"  Theobald,  A.  July  8. 
"  Theodora,   a    Greek  Saint, 

Empress,  Feb.  1 1. 
"  Theodora,  V.  M.  April  28. 
"  Theodore,  B.  C.  Sept.  19. 
"  Theodoret,  M.  Oct.  23. 
"  Theodorus  (Stratilates),  M. 

Feb.  7. 

"  Theodorus,  B.  C.  April  22. 
"  Theodorus  (Tyro),  M.  Nov. 

9- 
"  Theodorus    "  the    Studite," 

A.  Nov.  22. 
"  Theodorus  Grapt,  C.    Dec. 

27. 
"  Theodorus  of  Tabenna,  A. 

Dec.  28. 
"  Theodosia  of    Cassarea,  V. 

M.  April  2, 
"  Theodosius,       Cenobiarch, 

Jan.  ii. 

"  Theodota,  M.  Sept.  29. 
"  Theodotus,  M.  May  18. 
"  Theodulus,  M.  Feb.  17. 
"  Theonas,  B.  C.  Aug.  23. 
"  Theophanes,  A.  C.  Mar.  13. 
"  Theophilus,  B.  C.  Dec.  6. 
"  Thierri,  A.  July  i. 


CANONIZED    SAINTS 


533 


St.  Thillo,  R.  Jan.  7. 
"  Thomas  of  Aquino,  D.  C. 

March  7. 
"  Thomas       of     Alexandria, 

Archb.  Aug.  23. 
"  Thomas  of  Villanova,  B.  C. 

Sept,  1 8. 
"  Thomas  of  Hereford,  B.  C. 

Oct.  2. 

"  Thomas,  Apostle,  Dec.  21. 
"  Thomas     a     Becket,     see 

Becket. 

Thomas  a  Kempis,  Nov.  10, 
St.  Thrasilla,  M.  Dec.  24. 
"  Thyrsus,  M.  Jan.  28. 
"  Tibba,   M.    (VII.    century) 

March  6. 

"  Tibertius,  M.  Aug.  ll. 
"  Tiburtius,  M.  April  14. 
"  Tigernach,  B.  C.  April  5. 
"  Tilberht,  B.  C.  Sept.  7. 
"  Timothy,    disciple     of    St. 

Paul,  B.  M.  Jan.  24. 
"  Timothy    of    Caesarea,    M. 

Aug.  19, 
"  Timothy    of    Antioch,    M. 

Aug.  22. 

"  Titus,  B.  Jan.  4. 
"  Tochumra,  V.  June  n. 
"  Totnan,  M.  July  8. 
"  Tresain,  C.  Feb.  7. 
"  Tron,  C.  Nov.  23. 
"  Trypho,  M,  Nov.  10. 
"  Turiaf,  B.  July  13. 
"  Turibius,  B.  April  16. 
"  Turninus,  C.  July  17. 
"  Tygrius,  M.  Jan.  12. 


St.  Tyrannic,  M,  Feb.  20. 

U. 

St.  Ubaldus,  B.  May  16. 
"  Ulfrid,  B.  M.  Jan.  18. 
"  Ulmar,  A.  July  20. 
"  Ulpian,  M.  April  3. 
"  Ulrick,  R.  Feb.  20. 
"  Ulrick,  B.  C.  July  4. 
"  Ultan,  B.  Sept.  4. 
"  Urban,  Pope,  M.  May  25. 
"  Ursmar,  B.  April  19. 
"  Ursula,  M.  Oct.  21. 

V. 
St.   Valentine,  Priest,   M.  Feb. 

14. 

"  Valentina,  V.  M.  July  25. 
"  Valerian,  M.  April  14. 
"  Valerian  of  Lyons,  M.  Sept. 

4- 

"  Valery,  A.  Dec.  12. 
"  Vandrille,  A.  July  22. 
"  Vaneng,  C.  Jan.  9. 
"  Vanne,  B.  C.  Nov.  9. 
"  Vauge  or  Vaught,  H.  June 

I5« 

"  Vedast,  B,  C.  Feb.  6. 
"  Venantius,  M.  May  18. 
"  Venerand,     M.      (in     Nor- 
mandy), May  25. 
"  Verda,  V.  M.  Feb.  21. 
"  Veronica  of  Milan,  V.  Jan. 

13. 

"  Veronica  Giuliani,  V.  July  9. 
***  Vettius  Epagatus,  M.  June 
2. 


534     SAINTS    AND    FESTIVALS 


St.  Victor  of  Arcis,  H.  C.  Feb. 

26. 

"  Victor,  M.  April  12, 
"  Victor,  M.  (early)  May  8. 
"  Victor    of     Marseilles,     M. 

July  21. 

"  Victor,  Pope,  M.  July  28. 
"  Victoria,  V.  M.  Dec.  23. 
"  Victorian,  M.  Mar.  23. 
"  Victoricus,  M.  Dec.  n. 
"  Victorinus,  M.  Feb.  25. 
"  Victorinus,  B.  M.  Nov.  2. 
"  Vigilius,  B.  M.  June  26. 
"  Vimin,  B.  C.  Jan.  21. 
"  Vincent  or  Vivian,  M.  Jan. 

22. 

"  Vincent  Ferrer,  C.  April  5. 
"  Vincent  of  Lerins,  C.  May 

24. 

"  Vincent,  M.  June  9. 
"  Vincent  de  Paul,  C.  July  19. 
"  Virgil,  B.  C.  Nov.  27. 
"  Vitalis,  M.  April  28. 
"  Vitalis,  M.  Nov.  4. 
"  Vitus,  B.  C.  Feb.  5. 
"  Vitus,  M.  June  15. 
"  Vulgan,  C.  Nov.  2. 
"  Vulsin,  B.  C.  Jan.  8. 

W. 

St.  Walburge,  V.  A.  Feb.  25. 
"  Walstan,  C.  May  30. 
"  Walter,  A.  May  8. 
"  Walter,  A.  June  4. 
"  Walthen,  A.  C.  Aug.  3. 
"  Waltrude,  Widow,  April  9. 
"  Wasnulf,  C.  Oct.  i. 


St.  Wenceslas,    Duke    of    Bo- 
hemia, M.  Sept.  28. 
"  Wenefride,  V.  M.  Nov.  3. 
"  Wereburge,  V.  A.  Feb.  3. 
"  Werenfrid,  C.  Nov.  7. 
"  Wigbert,  A.  C.  Aug.  13. 
"  Wilfrid  of  York,  B.  C.  Oct. 

12. 

"  Willehad,  B.  C.  Nov.  8. 
"  William,  B.  C.  Jan.  10. 
"  William  of  Maleval,  H.  Feb. 

10. 
"  William    of    Norwich,    M. 

Mar.  24. 
"  William  of  Eskille,   A.   C. 

April  6. 

"  William,  B.  C.  June  8. 
'•  William  of  Monte  Vergine, 

June  25. 
"  William  of    Brieuc,   B.    C. 

July  29. 
"  William  of  Roschild.B.  C. 

Sept.  2. 

"  Willibald,  B.  C.  July  7. 
"  Willibrord,  B.  C.  Nov.  7. 
"  Winebald,  A.  Dec.  18. 
"  Winoc,  A.  Nov.  6. 
"  Winwaloe,  A.  Mar.  3. 
"  Wiro,  B.  May  8. 
"  Wistan,  M.  June  i. 
"  Witen,  see  Guy. 
"  Withburge,  V.  July  8. 
"  Wolfgang,  B.  Oct.  31. 
"  Wulfhad,  M.  July  24. 
"  Wulfhilde,  V.  A.  Dec.  9. 
"  Wulfran,  B.  Mar.  20. 
"  Wulstan,  B.  C.  Jan.  19. 


CANONIZED    SAINTS 


535 


x. 

St.  Xistus,  see  Sixtus  I. 

Y. 

Blessed  Yvo  of  Chartres,  B.  C. 

May  20. 
St.  Yvo,  C.  (1353),  May  22. 

Z. 

St.  Zachary,  Pope,  C.  Mar.  15. 
"  Zachaeus,  M.    (under    Dio- 
clesian),  Nov.  18, 

Readers  must  not  think  this  list  comprises  all  of  the  Canonized 
Saints,  for  it  does  not.  There  are  many  others,  this  list  naming 
only  the  more  noted  ones. 


St.  Zeno,  B.  C.  April  12. 
"  Zeno,  M.  (at  Gaza),  Sept.  8. 
"  Zenobius,  B.  C.  Oct.  20. 
"  Zenobius,  M.  Feb.  20. 
"  Zephyrinus,  Pope,  M.  Aug. 

26. 

"  Zita,  V.  April  27. 
"  Zoticus,  B.  M.  July  21. 
"  Zozimus     of    Syracuse,    B. 

Mar,  30. 
"  Zozimus,  M.  (116).  Dec.  18. 


GENERAL   INDEX 


Abelard,  The  Rationalist  .  374 
Abbey,  Benedictine  of  St. 

Giles  .         ,        .         .392 

Clairvaux   .  .  373 

Denis  (St)  .      ....  382 

Mailros       .         .        .  394 

Melrose     V .      .        .  394 

Westminster      .        .  448 

Acta  Sanctorum         .        .  240 

Advent  (Introductory)        XIII 

Aiden,    First    Columban 

Bishop  in  Scotland  .  175 
Alcuin,  An  early  teacher 

at  York  .  .  .147 
Alfred,  The  Great  .  .  329 
Almanac  (Introductory) 

XII  .  .  .  .  330 
Alphonsus,  King[of  Castile  381 
All  Saints  Day  470  et  seq. 

All  Souls  Day   .         472  et  seq. 
Altera  Quadragesima 

(Introductory)  .  XIII 
Ambrosian  Chant  .  178,  385 
Andrews  Cross  (St)  Edin- 
burgh .  .  .  .5 
Agnes  Eve  (St)  .  .  .75 
Angels  and  Archangels 

428  et  seq. 
Angel  of  Annunciation  146,  430 


Animals,  Sacred  of  Mussel- 
men   ....  343 
Annunciation  of  Blessed 

Virgin         .        .        .146 

Apostle  to  Andalusia          .   128 

"  Axumites     .     ...     .  464 

"  Ethiopia      .        .        .  463 

"  France         .         .         .  434 

"  Gaul    .         .         .         .482 

"  Germany     .         .         .271 

"  India  ,        .        184  etseq. 

"  Ireland         .        .        .183 

"  North  ....  369 

"  Picts  Northern    .        .  280 

"  Picts  Southern     .        .  408 

"  Russia         .        .        .  294 

Apostle  of  Saxony    .     141,478 

"  "      Sweden         .  105 

"  The  Twelve         .        .  306 

April         .         .         .         .172 

Arabian  Shamrock     .        .  139 

Areopagites,  The        .        .  437 

Arian  Doctrine  .        .     66,  169 

"  Heresy         .        .     28,  117 

"  Vandals        .        .         .327 

"  Visigoths      .        .        .118 

Arians,  The       .        .    108,  129 

Arianism    .        .        ,         .140 

Arius,  Promulgator  of 

Arianism     .        .     28,  117 


GENERAL     INDEX 


537 


Aries,  See  Burgundy  Sec- 
ond     .... 
Armagh,  Book  of      .        .139 
Arthurs  Seat,  Edinburgh  .     71 
Ascension  Day  .        .        .231 
"          "  Customs       .  232 
"          "  Vigil     .        .  242 
Ash  Wednesday        .        .115 
Ass,  The  procession  of  the  1 57 
Athanaric,  King  of  Eastern 

Goths  ,  .  .  407 
August  ....  349 
Aurelius  Prudentius,  Poet  17 
Authorities  quoted  .  .  501 


B 


60 


Bannockburn,  Battle  of 
Barbarossa,  Emperor  of 

Germany  .  .  .185 
Barefooted  Friars,  See 

Friars 
Basil  II.  (The  Macedonian) 

Emperor  of  the  East  .     34 

Basilica  Eudoxian      .        .  352 

"        Lateran  John      358,480 

"        Liberian         .        .  358 

"        Pietro  in  Vinculo  .  352 

"        Roman,  The .         .  357 

Beads,  Cuthberts  (St.)       .  397 

Beatification       .         .         .56 

Benedictines       .         .        .97 

Berengarius  III. 

Margrave  of  Jurea  .  24 
Bernard  (St)  Writings  of  .  375 
Bible,  See  Vulgate 

"  King  James   Author- 
ized version  of  81 


Blanche,  Queen  of  France    381 
Black  Friars,  See  Friars 
Blessed  Albert,  The  .        .185 
"  Alexius  Falconer!,  The  106 
"  Barbadigo,  Gregory 

Lewis  The  .        .        .  290 

"  Eulychian,  The  .        .1$ 

"  Pepin,  The         .        .  no 

"  Peter  Damian,  The    .   113 

Bobadillo,  Alphonso  .        .  347 

Bogoris,  King  of  Bulgaria .     34 

Bridewell    ....     90 

Brigitines,  House  of  Sion 

339.  442 

Bruce,  King  of  Scotland  ,  60 
Brude,  King  of  the  Picts  .  283 
Burgundy,  "  The  Second  " 

sometimes  called  Aries    24 


Caedmon  ....  101 
Calvinists  .  .  .  .211 
Candida  Casa  (The  White 

Church)  .  409  et  seq. 
Candlemas  .  ,  .90 
Canonization  of  Saints  56,  275 
Carthage  .  .  .  .144 
Catholic,  Name  first  used  .  327 
Centurion,  Who  pierced  our 

Saviour's  side  .  .135 
Chapel,  Derivation  of  name  482 
Charlemagne,  Emperor  51,  479 
Charles  I.  King  of  England  87 
Charles  II.  (The  Bold)  King 

of  Burgundy  .  .  24 
Chelles,  Royal  Nunnery 

475.  86 


538    SAINTS   AND   FESTIVALS 


Childebert,  King  of  Paris  .  399 

Childermas  Day         .        .     44 

Chosroes,  King  of  Persia  .  406 

Christmas^.         .        .  37  et  seq. 

Christmas.  Date  Fixed       ,  191 

Christian  religion  in  Britain  317 

Church  St.  Cloud       .        .  399 

"  Columbate  (Scotland)   285 

"  Cluain  Couairc  Leins- 

ter  Ireland  .  .  .  410 
"  St.  Genevieve  Paris  .  52 
"  St.  Giles  London  .  392 
"  St.  Guduli  .  .  326 
"  John  Lateran  358, 479,  480 
"  Lazarus  .  .  ,  334 
"  Mother  of  .  .  .  480 
"  Nativity  Jerusalem  .  227 
"  Nives  (snow)  The 

Maria  Ad   .        .        .  358 

"  Oldest  in  the  world    .  227 

"  At  Bethlehem     .         .  372 

"  Peter  and  Paul .       52,  489 

Scotland,  First  Stone 

Church        .        .        .  409 
Churching  of  Women        .     91 
Circumcision  of  Christ        .     50 
Clodomir  of  Orleans,  Son 
of  Clovis  I.  King  of 
France        .        .        .  399 
Clog  Almanacs  (Introduc- 
tory)      ...        Ill 
Clonard,  See  Cluin-Irard 
Clotaire,  King  of  Soissons    399 
Clovis  I.,  King  of  France 

52,96,435 

Cluin-Irard         .        .        ,19 
Coenobiarch  on  Coenobite  .     62 


Coinage  of  Cleopatra  .     67 

"      "  Clovis  II.  and 
Dagobert,  Kings  of 
France      .        .        .     6,  7 

College  of  Borromeosat 

Pavia  ....  475 
"  Roman      .        .        .  446 

Common  Book   of  Prayer 

97,  337,  360 

Conal,  King  of  Scotch 

Dalriadans  .         .        .281 

Conference  at  Carthage     .     47 
"  "  Hampton 

Court .        .        .        ,     81 

Congregation    de   Propro- 

ganda          ."        .        .211 
"  Sisters  of  Charity  .  334 
"  Visitation  of  Virgin 
Mary  ....  376 

Conrad,  (The  Salic) 

Emperor     .        .        .314 

Conrad  of  Marpurg  .        .  491 

Constantine,  Emperor  of 

Rome  (355)        .        .     23 

Constantius    (The    Great) 
Emperor,  48,  168,  370,  et  seq, 
404  et  seq. 

Constantine  (Copronymus)  133 

Convent  Aix  .  .  .  345 
"  Barcelona  .  .  389 
"  Catharine  (St) 
Mt.  Sinai  .  .  .  499 
"  Fate  (Ben-Fratelli)  334 
"  Lucy  (St)  ..  .126 
"  Paolo  (St)  .  .  366 
"  Sierra  Morena  .  497 

Corfe  Castle      .        .    140,  295 


GENERAL     INDEX 


539 


Corpus  Christi  Day    .  .  263 
Council  at  Aries  (353)  .     66 
"    Beziers  (356).  .     66 
"    Caesarea  (195)  .  466 
"     Chalcedon  (451)  .   106 
"     Ephesus  (431)  .256 
"    Lateran  (1179)  .  486 
"    Lateran  (1215)  .   186 
"    Lyons  (1274).  .  105 
"     Nice  (3 1 8)     .  .     28 
"    Nice    (325),  (Ecu- 
menical      .        .  48,  165 
•«    Nice  (806)      .  .  133 
"     Toledo  (656)  .  146 
"    Trent  (1546).  .  432 
Cripplegate,  See   St   Giles. 
Cross  Andrews  (St)   .  .       5 
"     Ecclesiastic       .  .   182 
"     Elevation  of       .  .  406 
"     Exaltation  of     .  .186 
"     Invention  of       .   224,  404 
"    Pomme      .        .  .165 
"    Resurrection     .  .  165 
"     St.  Stephen's     .  .  353 
"     Symbolic   .        .  .  204 
"     Triple        .         .  .181 
"     Triumphant      .  .   165 
Crown  of  St.  Stephen  .  393 
Croyland  Isle     .        .  .191 
Crucifix,  The     .        .  .151 
Crusades,  St.  Louis    .  .  382 
Culdees,  The  Scotch  130  et  seq. 

D 

Dacia,  Petrus  de  (Introduc- 
tory)   .        .        .        .VIII 
Dacian,  Roman  Emperor  ,     77 


Dagobert,  King  of  France  no 
Damian,  Peter  the  Blessed  113 
December  ....  6 
Decius,  Persecutions  of  28,  240 
Dioclesian,  Roman 

Emperor     .        .        .214 
Distaff  Day        .  .     57 

Doctors  of  the  Latin  Church  1 32 
«      .<  «  Syriac  Church  324 
"      "  "  Western 
Church        .        .        .127 
Domitianus,  Roman 

Emperor  .  .  .413 
Donatus  of  Carthage  .411 
Donatus,  Pagan  Gramma- 
rian ....  431 
Doway,  College  of  .  .46 
Dragon  of  St.  George  .  209 
Druids  .  .  .  138,  283 
Durham  Cathedral  .  .  395 

E 

Easter,    162  et  seq.,  166  et  seq. 
466 

"    English  Customs       .  167 
"    Emblems  .        .        .165 
"    Octave       .        .        .180 
Edict  of  Severus        .        .  344 
Egbert,  King  of  Wessex  .  328 
Elizabeth,  Queen  of  Portu- 
gal     ....  321 
Elizabeth,  Salutation  of    .315 
Ember  Days       .        .        .253 
Emblems  of  Apostles 

150,  151  etseq. 
"     "  Christ  151  et  seq. 

"     "  Easter          .        .  165 
"     "  the  Passion      151,  160 


540   SAINTS   AND    FESTIVALS 


Epiphany  .  .  53,  54  et  seq. 
"  Greater  and  Lesser  .  55 
Erasmus,  Desiderius  .  .  465 
Ethelred,  King  of  Mercia  .  190 
Eudocia,  Roman  Empress  426 
Eugenius  IV.,  Pope  .  .  397 
Eulychian,  Pope  .  .15 
Eustratius  Proculus  .  .216 
Eutychius  of  Puzzuoli  .415 
Eutycia,  Mother  of  St.  Lucy  20 
Eutropia,  sister  of  Nicasius  22 
Exarch,  a  Viceroy  .  .  484 
Exaroh,  a  Superior-General  i  r 
Expiation,  Preparation  for  116 


Faber,  Peter.     One  of  the 
Founders  of  the  Soci- 
ety of  Jesus       .        8,  347 
Father  of  the  Gaulish 

Church  ....  482 

Fathers  Four  Latin  .        .  384 

"     Mission    .         .         .  334 

Feast  of  All  Saints    470  et  seq. 

"    All  Souls  472  et  seq. 

"    Exaltation  of  the  Cross 

1 86 

"    Heart  of  Jesus .          .  273 
"     Holy    Angel — Guan- 

caus   ....  435 
"    Holy  Name  of  Jesus      71 
"    Ingathering        .        .  424 
"    Immaculate    Concep- 
tion     .       .        .        .15 
"    John  the  Baptist,  De- 
collation of  .        .        .  387 
"     Kings        ...    56 


Feast  of  Madonna  del  Nive 

(of  Snow)  .  .  .358 
"  Michael  St.  and  All 

Angels  .  .  .  428 
"  Name  of  Jesus  .  .  360 
"  Nativity  of  Blessed 

Virgin  »  •  •  .  401 
"  St.  Nicholas  .  .13 
"  Orthodoxy  .  .  101 
"  Our  Lady  of  Mercy  .  424 
"  Paschal  .  163  et  seq. 
"  of  St.  Paul.  .  .  80 
"  Presentation  of  B. 

Virgin         .        .        .493 
"    St.    Raphael,    Arch- 
angel .        .        .          462 
"    Sacred  Heart  of  Jesus  273 
Festival  of  Harvest  Home  .  424 
"      "  Holy  Name  of  the 

Virgin  Mary       .         .401 
"     "  Mid-summer,         .  301 
"    "  Miracles        ,        .  325 
"    "  the  Mother  of  God    146 
"     "  the  Rosary    .         .  438 
Friars,  Barefooted  Carmel- 
ites    .        .        .        .497 
"    Black,  of    London,  . 

The    .        .        .        .436 

"     Carmelite,  Old  .         .  497 

"     Five  Minor,  The        .     69 

"     White,  The       .         .186 

Friesland         .   147,  477  et  seq. 

Fontane,  Tre,  Rome          .311 

G 

Gange  Day        .         .        .  228 
Genseric,   King    of    Arian 
Vandals      .        .144,  327 


GENERAL     INDEX 


541 


Gibraltar,  First  name. 
Glasgow,  City  of 
Good  Friday 
Goths  Arian 

"       Eastern  .        . 
Gregory  V.  Pope 
Guelph,  The  name    . 

H 


133,  258 
.  50° 


Hallowe'en  .  .  .  468 
Harvest  Home  .  .  .  424 
Helena,  Empress  of  the 

East  224  et  seq.,  370 

Henry  III.  of  England  176,  489 
"    III.  (The  Black)  of 

Germany  .  '.  .10 
Heraclius  .  .  .  .47 
Hereswith,  Queen  of  East 

Anglia        .        .        .475 
Heresy,  Albigneses    .         .  356 
"    Arian  (see  Arius) 

28,  117 

"  Early  Church  .  .43 
"  Ebonites  .  .107 
"  Eutychian  ".  .  62 
"  Felix  .  .  .  102 
"  '  Manes  (Manichaen) 

384  et  seq. 

"  Montanus  .  .  206 
"  Monothelism  .  .  47 
"  Nazareans  .  .  107 
"  Pelagian  121,  184,  345 
"  Privatus  .  .75 

"     Sabellianism     .         .331 
"    Waldensian      .        .  356 
Hermenegild,     Prince    of 

Visigoths    .         .         .118 


Hermits  of  St.  Austin        .  413 
Hildebald  of  Cologne        .  1-47 
Hildebrand,  see  Gregory  V. 
Hipparchus  of  Samosata         16 
Holy  Rood  405  et  seq. 

"     Thursday          .         ,231 
"     Saturday  .        .        .161 
"     Week        .        157  et  seq. 
Homo    Signorum    (Intro- 
ductory)     .        .         VIII 
Honorius  II.,  Pope     .        .  373 
Hospital  of  St.  Bernard      .  291 
"  Foundling        .  334 

"  La  Magdalen   .  334 

"  Lepers      .        .    392 

House  of  Brigitines  .  .  339 
Sion  .  .  .  339,442 

Huguenots,  Vindictive  .  149 
Huneric,  African  King  of 

Arian  Vandals    .        .  370 
Hypatia     .        .        .83, 442 

I 

Iconoclasts         .  .3 

Iconoclastic  Bishops  .  .134 
Immaculate  Conception 

14  et  seq. 

Innocents'  Day  .  .  .44 
Innocent  III.  Pope  .  .176 
Innocent  VIII.  Pope  .  .  174 
Invention  of  the  Cross  224,  404 
Invention  of  St.  Stephen's 

Relics          .         .         .  353 
lona  .        .         .        .  281 

Irish  Martyrology  .  .131 
Isdegerdes,  Son  of  Sapor 

III 170 

Isle  of  Stags      .        .        .  490 


542    SAINTS    AND    FESTIVALS 


January      .        .        .        .49 
Jarchus  Solomon,     (Intro- 
ductory)    .        .        .VIII 
Jesuits,    See  Society  of 

Jesus 

Joan  of  Arc  .  .  .56 
Joseph  of  Arimathea,  248,  250 
John,  King  of  England  .  74 
John  St.,  Decollation  of 

386  et  seq. 

Judas  .  .  .  .152 
Julian,  The  Apostate 

167  et  seq.,  386,  460 

July 313 

June 266 

Justinus,     (The     Ancient) 
Emperor     .        .        .62 

K 

Kalendar    Old    and    New 
Styles  .        .        .        .49 

Kalendars  (Introductory)     VII 

Kildare,  or  Kil-dara,  The 

City  of         .        .        .90 

Kirn,  Scotch  Harvest  Home 

424 

Knights  of  the  Holy  Cru- 
sades ....  492 

Koran,  The        .  .47 


Labarum,  The  .  .  .  405 
Lactantius,  the  Orator  .411 
Ladislas,  King  of  Hungary  394 
Lady  Day  ....  146 
Lammas  Day  .  .  .  349 


Lanfranc  ....  205 
Lateran,  The  .  .  .  480 
Latin  Fathers  (The  Four)  384 
Latin  Gate  at  Rome,  The  42 
Laura,  A  retreat  and  school 

for  novitiates  .  11,240 
Laurence,  Legend  of  St.  21 
Laynez,  James  .  .  .  347 
Lazarites,  Fathers  of  the 

Mission       .        .        .  334 
Legend,  Mohammedan      .  343 
Legion,  The  Happy   .        .  422 
"    Thebean 

420  et  seq. 

"  Thundering  .  .129 
Leinster  .  »  .  410, 485 
Lent  '.  .  .  .115 
"  Mid  ....  143 
Leo  the  Armenian  .  .  134 
Leo  III.  (The  Isaurian) 

Emperor  ...  3 
Leo  I.  (The  Great),  Pope  .  189 
Leo  IX.,  Pope  .  .  .  200 
Lewis,  Landgrave  of  Thur- 

ingia  .        .        .        .491 
Lewis  (le  Debonnaire),  Em- 
peror .        .        .        .51 
Liberian,  see  Basilica 
Lincoln  Cathedral      .        .  488 
Longinus  the  Centurion     .  135 
Lothaire,  King  of  France  .     24 
Lothaire,  King  of  Italy       .     24 
Louis  IX.,  King  of  France 

(St)      .        .        .  328,  381 
Louis  XIII.,  King  of  France    94 
Loyola,  Founder  of  the  So- 
ciety of  Jesus     8,  185,  347 


GENERAL     INDEX 


543 


Lucian,  Priest  of  Palestine     41 
Luivigild      or     Leogivild, 
King  of  the  Visigoths 

I  *  8,  193 

M 

Macarius  of  Jerusalem       .  226 
Maccabees,  See  Machabees 
Machabees,      The     Seven 

350  et  seq. 
Magdalene,  Foundling 

Hospital  of  Paris         .  334 
Magi,    The    Three    Wise 

Men  .  .  55  et  seq. 
Magi,  The  Druid  .  283,  285 
Mahomet,  or  Mahommed  .  47 
Mailros,  See  Melrose 
Malcolm,  King  of  Scotland  488 
Malmsbury,  William  of, 

Historian     .        .        .141 
Manichaens,  The       384  et  seq. 
March        ....  120 
Mariners,  See  Patron  Saints 
Martiany,  Dom,   French 

Benedictine         .         .  432 

Martin,  Legend  of  St.        .  483 

Martinmas  Day.        .-        .  481 

Martyrology-Irish       .         .131 

Martyrs,  Alexandrian         .118 

"     Dioclesian        .         .  214 

"    England,  The  Proto 

of        ....  292 

"     Lyons      .         .        .  268 

"     Nicomedian     .        .215 

"    Noble  Army  of        .  378 

"     Samosata         .        .17 

"    Sebaste         .  .  ,      .130 


Martyrs  Utican          .        .  380 
Marcellus,  The  Archiman- 

dite     .         .         .        .386 
Margaret  of  Provence        .  381 
Mary.  The  Three      .         .  337 
Mass,     Gregorian      .        .150 
The  White     .         .  380 
Maunday  Thursday  1 58  et  seq. 
Maximian,    Roman     Em- 
peror  .         ,     16,  215,  336 

May 220 

Mell-Supper,      Harvest 

Home ....  424 
Melrose  Abbey,  Old  and 

New  .  .  .  142,  394 
Meropius  Philosopher  of 

Tyre  ....  464 
Michael  (The  Drunkard) 

Emperor  of  the  East  .  33 
Michaelmas  Day  .  .  428 
Mid-Lent  ....  143 
Mid-Summer  .  .  .  301 
Missionary,  The  t  fi 

Scotland  .  .  .  280 
Mohammedan  Legends  .  343 
Monasteries  .  .  .  276 
Monastic,  See  Schools 
Monasterium  Magnum  .  409 
Monastery  Andrew  (St) 

Rome  .  .  .  398 
"  Bethlehem  .  .  432 
"  Beverly  .  .  .231 
"  Bischafsheim  .  .  428 
"  Cassino  .  ,  .  143 
"  Cell-Comgall  .  .  236 
"  Chartreuse  .  .  489 
"  Chartreux  .  .  333 


544     SAINTS   AND   FESTIVALS 


Monastery  Citeaux  (Cister- 
cian) .  .  .  .373 
"  Cloud  (St)  .  .  399 
"  Conversano  .  .  205 
"  St.  Cornelius  .  .  102 
"  Cropin  .  .  .184 
"  Croyland  .  .191 
"  Ebba(St)  .  .  175 
"  Ely  .  .  .  92,  299 
"  Eu  ...  486 
"  George,  Alga  (St)  .  397 
"  Glastonbury  .  .  250 
••  Glendaloch  .  .  486 
"  Gill  Abbey  .  .  425 
"  Gregory  (St)  .  .481 
"  Heartea  (Now  Har- 

tlepool,  Eng.)      .  .  490 

"  House  of  Martin  .  409 

"  lona           .        .  .  281 

"  Jarrow       .         .  .64 

"  Jouarre,  St.  Brie  .476 

"  Kloster  Studuim  .  387 

"  Lindisfarne        .  .  447 

"  Lough  Eric       .  .425 

"  Luxeuil      .        .  .16 

"  Mailros      .        .  .  395 

"  Mark  (St)  .        .  .173 

41  Medina      .         .  .  497 

"  Messina     .         .  .  439 

"  Micy  (Orleans)  .  .  476 

"  Minias  (St)        .  .  325 

"  Mortuva    .        .  .185 

"  Mount  Serrat    .  .  346 

"  New  Corbie       .  .     51 

"  Nisibis       .         .  .  457 

"  Nogent      .        .  .  399 

"  Perpetuus          .  .  332 


Monastery  Prestby    .        .  490 
"    Regular  Canons  of 

St.  Austin  .  .  .253 
"  Reiz  ...  I 
"  Rippon  .  .  .  477 
"  Rosnat  .  .  .183 
"  Seine  .  .  .102 
"  Sublaco  .  .  .  439 
"  Trebuitz  .  .  .455 
"  Utrecht  .  .  .478 
"  Wastein  .  .  .  442 
"  Wearmouth  .  64, 447 
"  Werden  .  .  .  147 
"  Whithorn  .  .  408 
"  Winburn  .  .  428 

"    Winchester    (The 

Old)  .  .  .  .329 
"  Witham,  The  first 

Carthusian  in  England  489 

Monks       .        .        .19,  276 

"    Called  Mourners        .  189 

"    of  Mt.  Sinai       .        .170 

Monogram     Christ's 

204,  359  et  seq. 
Monothelism,  See  Heresy, 
Monte  de  Piete  .  .  .  252 
Monte  Senario  .  .  .  377 
Moravian  Bishops  .  .  34 
Mother  of  Churches  .  .  480 
Mothering  Sunday  .  .143 
Moors  in  Seville  .  .  69 
Muilros  see  Melrose 

N 

Nathaniel,  Supposed  to  be 
same  as  St.  Bartholo- 
mew .  .  .  .  379 


GENERAL     INDEX 


545 


Nativity  of  Christ        37  et  seq. 
"        "     Eve  of      .        .35 
"        "     John  the  Bap- 
tist     ....  299 
"        "     Virgin  Mary     .  40x3 
Nebridius,    Treasurer    of 

Emperor  Theodosius       25 
New  Style   (Introductory) 

XII  .  .  .  .49 
New  Years  .  .  .50,  467 
Nicene  Creed  .  .  .23 
Nimbus,  Cruciform  .  .  306 
Nostrandum  Michael,  Al- 
manac (Introductory)  VIII 
Novantse,  Pictish  tribe  .  409 
November  .  .  .  470 

Numa  Pompilius,  (Kalen- 

dar)     .        .        .        .49 
Nunnery,    Barking,      The 
first     Benedictine     in 
England     .        446  et  seq. 
"    Clare  (St)          .        .  427 
"     Encarnacion      .        .  452 
"    Heartea    .        .        .  490 
"     Mercia       .        .        .92 
"    Mary  (St)  .        .  457 

"    Royal  at  Chelles    86,  475 
"     Scornscheim      .        .  428 
Nuns,  Barefooted  Carmel- 
ites     .        .        .        .  452 
"    Benedictine       .        .123 
"     Capuchine         .        .  322 
"    Cistercian          .        .218 
"     Franciscan        .        .  366 
"     Hein,  the  first  in  North- 
umberland .        .         .  490 
«'    Ursuline,  The  .        .  459 


O 

Obelisk  of  Lateran     .        .  479 

Octave  of  Christmas  .        .    50 

"        Epiphany    .         .    62 

"        Laurence  (St)     .  370 

"        Nativity    of    the 

B.  Virgin        .        .  407 
October     .        .  .  434 

(Ecumenical     Council 

(Nice  325)  .        .    48 

Olaus,  King  of  Sweden      .  104 
Old  Style,  (Introductory) 

XII.    .....        .49 

Order     Augustine     (St) 

Third  ....  442 

"    Barefooted  Carmelites 

452,  497 

"    Barefooted  Friars       -453 
"    Barefooted    Trinitar- 
ians    .         .         .         .     99 

"    Basil  St)  .        .     32 

"  Benedictine  .  97,  142 
"  Bennet  (St)  .  .  325 
"  Black  Friars  .  357,  436 
"  Brigantines  or  Brigi- 

tines    .        .        .  339, 442 
"    Camaidoll  .        .     97 

"    Carmelites  .        .184 

"    Carmelites,  See  Bare- 
footed 

"    Carmelites,     Brothers 
and   Sisters   of     Strict 
Observance    .       .        .453 
"    Carthusians        .        .  332 
"    Carthusian  Monks      .  440 
"    Charity  of  .128 


546      SAINTS   AND   FESTIVALS 


Order  Cistercians       .        .217 
"    Congregation  of  the 

Visitation  .  .85 

"  Dominic  (St)  .  .  388 
"  Dominicans  .  .  357 
"  Francis  (St)  .  .  328 
"  Francis  (Third)  .  427 
"  Franciscans,  .210,  438 
"  Franciscan  Friars  .  204 
"  Franciscan  Nuns  .  366 
"  Friar  Minors  .  .  438 
"  Gray  Friars  .  .210 
"  Hermits  of  St.  Aus- 
tin ....  413 
"  Hermits  of  St.  Jerom 

268 

"  Holy  Trinity.  The  99 
"  James  (St)  .  .  .445 
"  James  (St)  Military  341 
"  Jesuits  .  .  347,  445 
"  Knights  of  St.  George  208 
"  Mendicant  Friars  .  438 
"  Mercy,  Of  .  .99 

"  Minims,  Of  .  .  173 
'*  Mitigated  Clares, 

(Uroanists)          .        .126 
"    Nuns  of  the  Annun- 
ciation        .        .        .94 
"    Oratorians          .        .  261 
"    Our  Lady  of  Carmel  .  497 
"    Our  Lady  of  Mercy, 
For  the  Redemption  of 
Captives      .        .        .  389 
"    Passionists          .        .  303 
"    Penitents    .         .        .126 
"    Poor  Clares         .  366,438 
"    Poor  Regular  Clerks     383 


Order  Red  Cross        .        .  445 
"   Servants    of     Blessed 

Virgin  .  .  .  106 
"  Servites  .  .  .  377 
"  Stifler  der  Pramon- 

stratenser  .  .  .  274 
"  Trinitarians  .  .  98 
"  Urseline  Nuns  .  .  459 
"  Vallis  Umbrosa  .  325 
"  Visitation  of  Virgin 

Mary  .        .        .  376 

"    White  Friars      .        .186 
Organ     Introduced     into 

Churches     .        .        .188 
Oster  or  Easter  .        .        .164 
Ostrogoths          .        .        .118 
Oswi,  King  of  Northumber- 
land   .        .        .        .64 
Otho  I.  Emperor  of  Ger- 
many .        .        .24 
Otho  II.  Emperor  of  Ger- 
many         .  .    25 


Paintings.     First  used    in 

Churches  in  Britain  63,  447 
Palms,  Blessing  of     .        .156 
"        Procession  of       .156 
•        Sunday         .        .  155 
"        Sunday    in   Eng- 
land    .        .        .        .157 
Pantheon,  The          52,  239,  470 
Paschal  Feast         .163,  et  seq. 
Passion,  Emblem  of    151, 

i6oet  seq. 
"    Week     .        .        .150 


GENERAL      INDEX 


547 


Patriarch,  of  Monks  .      70 

Patrick,  Confessions  of  St.   138 
Metrical  Life  of  St.  284 
Patron  Saints          .  153  et  seq. 
"      of  Actors  and  Dan- 
cers    .        .        .  291 
"      "  Architects  .    30 

"       "  Builders       .         .     30 
"  Cities  .        .153 

"  "  Brussels  .  .  58 
"  "  Boulogne  .  .  2 
"  "  Cantania  .  .  95 
"  Chester  .  .  92 
"  "  Florence  .  .  458 
"  "  Leige  .  .  474 

"  Malta  .        .     94 

"      "  Oxford         .        .  457 
"  Padua          .  289,  441 
"  Paris    ...     51 
"  Winchester  .        .  328 
"      "  Venice          .        .  441 
Patron  of  Countries  .         .153 
"        "  Bohemia    .        .  291 
"        "  East  Indies         .      9 
"        "  France        .        .  443 
"        "  Muscovy    .         .  340 
"        "  Saxony      .        .  291 
"  Scotland     .         .       5 
"        "  Sicily .        .        .  291 
"        "  Wales        .         .120 
Patron  of  Cooks         .         .  345 
"  Horses       .        .  367 
"         "  Housewives        .  345 
"         "  Huntsmen  and 

Chase  .  .  .473 
"  "  Medicinal  Springs  122 
"  "  Music  .  .  495 


Patron  of  Nurses       ' .        .153 
Patron  of  Order  of  St.  An- 
drew's Cross  in  Russia      5 
"        "  Order  of  Golden 

Fleece          .        .        .      $ 
Patron  of  Painters      .         .  458 
"        "  Sailors  and  Mari- 
ners .        .         12,  195 
"        "  School-boys         .     12 
"        "  Shepherds  .   197 
"        "  Women  in  child- 
birth   ,        .        .        .335 
"        "  Theologians        .  385 
Patrophilis,  Arian  Bishop    .  23 
Paul  (St)  in  England      .  80,  8 1 
Pawn-shop,  The  First        .  252 
Pentecost           .        .  162,  245 
Pepin,  King        .        .        .   102 
Peter's  Chair,  Rome    71  et  seq. 
"            "      Antioch       .  in 
"  Keys           .        .        .309 
Peter  the  Hermit        .        .61 
Picts,  Northern  and  South- 
ern     ....  410 
Pillar  Saints       .         .      18,  394 
Pius  V.,  Pope     .         .         .  229 
Pius  X.,  Pope     .  .56 
Plot,  Dr.  Robert  (Introduc- 
tory)   .        .         .         .IX 
Plough  Monday          .         .     63 
Polycarp     ....  364 
Pope's   Change    of   name, 

The  reason  .  .  305 
Priestby  or  Prestby  .  .  490 
Prince  of  Apostles  .  .  308 
Ptolemy,  Egyptian  Astron- 
omer (Introductory)  .  VII 
Purgatory  .  .  .  472 


548      SAINTS   AND    FESTIVALS 


Purification  of  the  Blessed 
Virgin         .        .        .90 

Q 

Quadragesima     (Introduc- 
tion) XIII  ...    98 
Quigrich  of  St.  Fillan         .    60 
Quinquagesima  Sunday      .     97 
Quodvultdeus,     Bishop   of 
Carthage    .        .        .144 

R 

Relics  of  St.  Cuthbert        .  395 
"      "  Edward  the  Con- 
fessor        .        .        .  295 
"      "  St.  Stephen          .  353 
Resurrection      .        .        .  162 
Restoration  of  St.  Peter's, 

Rome.  .  .  .332 
Rheims,  Seigeof  .  .  22 
Rivers  of  Paradise  .  .  203 
Robert,  King  of  Paris  .  427 
Rock  Day  .  .  .57 

Rocking    .        .        .        -57 
Rodriguez,    Simon,  one  of 

the  Founders  of  Jesuits  347 
Rogation  Days  .  .  227 

Roman  Basilica          .        .  357 
Rosary,  The      .        438  et  seq. 
Runic,  The    word   (Intro- 
ductory)      .        .        .    X 


Sabellianism,  Heresy          .  331 
Sacred  Animals  of  Mussel- 
men    ....  343 


Saint,  The  Soldier      .         .  482 
Saints  and  Saint  Days        .  181 
Saints   Canonized,    named 
in  text.  See  page  num- 
bers following 

St.  Abdas  .  .  .170 
"  Abraham  .  .  .136 
"  Abus,  see  St.  Eugenius 
"  Achilleus  .  .  .238 
"  Adalard  .  .  .51 
"  Adalbert  .  .  .  393 
"  Adelaide,  see  St.  Alice 
"  Adrian  .  .  .  401 
"  Aebba  .  .  .  175 
"  vEngus  .  .  .  130 
"  Agapetus  I.,  Pope  .415 
"  Agapetus  II.,  Pope  .  24 
"  Agapius  .  .  .372 
"  Agatha  .  94  et  seq. 
"  Agnes  .  76  et  seq. 
"  Aidan  .  .  .  142 
"  Aiden  .  .  .  490 

"  Alban,  Proto-Martyr  of 

England  .  .  .  292 
"  Alberic  .  .  .218 
"  Albert  .  .  .184 
"  Alexander,  Patriarch  of 

Alexandria  .  .116 
"  Alexander  I.,  Pope  .  352 
"  Alexander  V.,  Pope  .  94 
"  Alexander  .  .  467 

"   Alexius        .        .        .331 
"   Alice  ....     24 
"   Alodia         .        .       459-60 
"   Alphege,  see  St.  Elphege 
"   Alphonsus  Turibius    .  145 


GENERAL     INDEX 


549 


St.  Ambrose  of  Milan 

14,  177,  385 

"  Anacletus  II.,  Pope  .  373 
"  Anastasia  .  .  .196 
"  Andrew,  Apostle  .  .  4 
"  Angelonium  and  Com- 
panions .  .  .435 
"  Anicetus,  Pope  .  .198 
"  Anne,  Mother  of  B. 

Virgin  Mary  .  .  341 
"  Anno  .  .  .  .10 
"  Anselm.  .  .15,  205 
"  Anthony  .  .  68 

"  Anthony  of  Padua        .  288 
"  Anthony,    Patriarch   of 

Monks  in  Egypt  .  .  70 
"  Antonio  or  Antony,  see 

St.  Anthony 

"  Apollinaris  .  .  .  339 
"  Apollonia  .  .  .99 
"  Apollonius  "  the  Apol- 
ogist "  .198  et  seq. 
"  Asaph  .  .  .  .66 
"  Asterius  .  .  .  467 
"  Athanasius  23,  222,  et  seq. 
"  Augustine  of  England 

259  et  seq. 
"  Augustine     of     Hippo 

146,  156,  384  et  seq. 
"  Auscarius      .        .        .104 
"  Austin,  see  .St.  Augus- 
tine of  Hippo 
"  Auxentius       "  of       the 
Mount,"  see  St.  Stephen 
"  Avus,  see  St.  Euginius 
"  Bademus       .         .         .188 
"  Balbina         .       .        .  352 


St.   Barbatus    or     Barbas 

107  et  seq. 

"  Barnabas,  Apostle  .  286 
"  Barr  ....  425 
"  Barr,  see  St.  Finian 
"  Barsabias  .  «  .  4$8 
"  Bartholomew  .  .  379 
"  Basil  the  Great  .  129,  289 
"  Basilissa  .  .  60,  196 
"  Bathildes,  Queen  of 

France  .  .  86, 475 
"  Becan  .  ..  .  .  183 
"  Bede,  Historian  261  et  seq. 
"  Bees  ....  491 
"  Benedict  142  et  seq.,  439 
"  Benedict  of  Anian  .  102 
"  Benedict  XL,  Pope  .  320 
"  Benedict  Biscop  63, 447 
"  Bennet,  see  St.  Benedict 

Biscop 

"  Benezet  .  .  .194 
"  Benjamin  .  170  et  seq. 
"  Bernard  of  Menthon  .  291 
"  Bernard  of  Clairvaux 

373  et  seq. 

"  Bernardino  of  Siena  .  252 
"  Bertille  .  .  .  475 
"  Bibiana  ...  7 
"  Blasius  or  Blase  .  .  93 
"  Bonaventure  .  .  328 
"  Boniface,  Apostle  of 

Germany       .        .     27,  271 
"  Borromeo,  see  St.  Charles 
"  Brendan         .        .     19,  243 
"  Brice,  see  St.  Britius 
"  Bride,    see  St.   Bridget 
of  Ireland 


550 


SAINTS    AND    FESTIVALS 


St.  Bridget  of  Ireland  89,  140 
"  Bridget  of  Sweden  339,  442 
"  Britius  .  .  .  .485 
"  Bruno,  Apostle  of 

Russia          .        .        .  294 
"  Bruno  of  Segni      .        .  332 
"  Bruno,  Founder  of  Car- 
thusian Monks     .        .  440 
"  Caesarius       .         .         .471 
"  Caimach  of  Archaboe  .  283 
"  Caius,  Pope  .        .        .  207 
"  Callistus        .        .        .  450 
"  Calixtus,  see  St.  Callistus 
Canonization     of     Saints, 

56,  275 
St.  Casimir,      Prince       of 

Poland  .        .        .124 

"  Catharine  of  Alex- 
andria .  .  498  et  seq. 
"  Catharine  of  Siena  2 1 8  et  seq. 
"  Ceadda,  see  St.  Chad 
"  Cecilia  .  .  494  et  seq. 
"  Celestine,  Pope  .  .184 
"  Chad  ....  122 
"  Charles  Borromeo  .  474 
"  Chromatius.  .  .  364 
"  Chrysogonus.  .  .  196 
"  Chrysostom .  .  .26 
"  Chrysostom.  .  .  89 
"  Chrysostom  (John)  29,  82 
"  Chysostomus,  see  St. 

Chrysostom 
"  Clara,  see  St.  Clare 
"  Clare    .        .        365  et  seq. 
"  Clare  of  Assisi      .         .  438 
"  Clement  of  Alexandria 

114 


St.  Clement,  Pope  495  et  seq. 
"  Cletus,  Pope  .  .214 
"  Clotilda  .  .  .399 
"  Clotildis  .  .  .269 
'*  Cloud  ....  399 
"  Colette  .  .  .126 
"  Columba  19,  140,  279  et  seq. 
"  Columba,  His  Death  .  286 
"  Columkille  "  the 

Younger "  .  .  .19 
"  Comgall  .  .  .282 
"  Conon  .  .  .  .82 
"  Conrad  .  499  et  seq. 
"  Crescius  .  .  .  304 
"  Crispin  ....  462 
"  Crispianian  .  .  .  462 
"  Cunegunda  or  Cune- 

gundes  .  .122,  123 
"  Cuthbert  .  .  .  142 
"  Cuthbert  .  .  394-5 
"  Cyprian  .  .  .411 
"  Cyprian  .  .  .425 
"  Cyriacus  .  .  .  361 
"  Cyril  .  .  .  .83 
"  Cyril  of  Jerusalem  .  140 
"  Cyril,  Missionary  .  .  32 
"  Daniel  the  Stylite  .  .18 
"  David  ....  340 
"  David  of  Wales  120  et  seq. 
"  Deel,  see  St.  Deicolus 
"  Deicolus  .  .  .73 
"  Delphina  .  .  .  426 
"  Deogratias  .  .  144,  5 
"  Denis  ....  443 
"  Dennis.  ...  7 
"  Didymus  .  .  .  216 
"  Dionysius  .  .  .23 


GENERAL     INDEX 


St.  Dionysius  "  the^Areopa- 

gite  "  ...  437 

"  Dionysius,  see  St.  Denis 
"  Dominic       .        355  et  seq. 
"  Dorotheus    .        .        .  402 
"  Drugo,  see  St.  Druon 
"  Druon  ....  197 
"  Dunstan       .     143,  201,  247 
"  Dunstan,  Legends  of       249 
"  Ebba,  see  St.  Aebba 
"  Edmund        .         .         .  487 
"  Edmund,  King  of  East 

Angles  .        .        .  492 

"  Edward  the   Confessor 

448  et  seq. 

"  Edward,  King'of  Eng- 
land ....  140 
"  Edward,  Translation  of  295 
"  Egbert  .-  .  .477 
"  Eleuthenus  .  .  .  344 
"  Eleutherius  .  .  .  398 
"  Eligius  6 

"  Elizabeth  of  Hungary  .  491 
"  Elizabeth  of  Portugal  .  321 
"  Elphege  .  .  .  200 
"  Elzear ....  426 
"  Ephrem  .  .  .  322 
"  Epiphanius  .  .  .  420 
"  Ere  ....  243 
"  Erconwald  .  .  .  446 
"  Ethelbert  .  .  .251 
"  Ethelburge  .  .  .  446 
"  Etheldreda  .  .  298,  454 
"  Eugenius  .  .  .  327 
"  Euginius  .  .  .  457 
"  Eulalia  ...  17 
"  Eusebius  .  .  .  368 


Another  St.  Eusebius  .  368 
St.  Eusebius  of  Samosata  296 
"  Eusebius  of  Vercelli  .  23 
"  Eustathius  .  .  .  331 
"  Euthymius  .  .  .  n 
"  Eutychian  .  .  .  207 
"  Evaristus,  Pope  .  .  463 
"  Evurchus,  see  Evurtius 
"  Evurtius  .  .  .  398 
"  Fabian,  Pope  .  .  74 
"  Faith  ....  440 
"  Felan,  see  St.  Fillan 
"  Felicitas'  Sons  .  .  323 
"  Felix  ....  252 
"  Felix  I.,  Pope  ,  .  264 
"  Ferdinand  III.,  King  of 

Castile  and  Leon  .  264 

"  Fidelis  .        .         .210 

"  Fillan    .        .        .        .59 
"  Finan,  see  St.  Finian 
"  Finbarr,  see  St.  Barr 
"  Finian  .         .        .         .     19 
"  Finian  ....  409 
"  Flavia  Domitilla  .         .  238 
"  Flavian         .         .        .   106 
"  Foelan,  see  St.  Fillan 
"  Francis  of  Assisi 

68,  365,  437 
"  Francis  Borgia 

444  et  seq.,  485 

"  Francis  di  Girolamo      .  237 
"  Francis      of     Paula, 

Founder  of  the  Minims  173 
"  Francis  of  Sales  84,  376 
"  Francis  "  the  Seraphic"  412 
"  Francis  Xavier  8,  184,  347 
"  Frideswide  ,  .  .  457 


552 


SAINTS   AND    FESTIVALS 


St.  Frumentius  . 
"  Gabriel . 
"  Gall       . 
"  Gamaliel 
"  Gamaliel 
"  Gelasinus 
"  Genevieve 
"  George  . 
''  Germanus 


463-4 
.  146,  430 

•  453 
.  41 
.  355 
.  383 
51  et  seq. 
.  207 
.  262 


*'  Gildas  the  Historian  .  86 
"  Gildas  the  Wise  .  .  85 
"  Giles  .  391  et  seq. 

"  Godeschalc  .  .  .  274 
"  Gontran  .  .  .  149 
"  Gorgonius  .  .  .  402 
"  Gregory  II.,  Pope  .  103 
"  Gregory  X.,  Pope  .  105 
"  Gregory  I.,  the  Great, 

Pope  .  .  35,  131, 259 
"  Gregory  Nazianzen  .  235 
"  Gregory  of  Nyssa  .  129 
"  Grimald  .  .  .321 
"  Gudula  .  .  58  et  seq. 
"  Guthlac  .  .  .190 
"  Hedwiges  .  .  .  454 
"  Helen  .  .  .  .48 
"  Helena,  Empress 

224,  370  et  seq. 
".  Henry  ....  134 
"  Henry  of  Germany, 

King  of  Rome  .  .123 
"  Hermenegild  .  .193 
"  Hilary  .  .  .  .66 
"  Hilary  of  Aries  .  .  229 
"  Hild,  see  St.  Hilda 
"  Hilda  .  .  .  101,  490 
"  Hippolytus  .  .  363,  367 


St.  Hippolytus   .        , 
"  Hliba,  see  St.  David 
"  Homobonus  .        . 
"  Honoratus 
"  Hubert  .        .        . 
"  Hugh  of  Grenoble 


.  377 

484,  5 
i 

.473 
.  172 

488,  9 
.  369 
.  62 


"  Hugh  of  Lincoln 
"  Hyacinth        . 
"  Hyginus,  Pope 

"  Ignatius        .        .  .32 

"  Ignatius  of  Antioch  .     88 

"  Ignatius  Loyola        184,  346 

"  Innocent  I.,  Pope  .  .  344 

"  Irenasus  of  Lyons  .  305 

"  Irenasus  of  Sirmium  .  145 

Sant  Isabel  de  Pez,  see  St  . 
Elizabeth  of  Portugal 

St.  Isidore  .        .        .  .156 

"  Itha,  or  Ita    .        .  .  243 

"  James  the  Great    .  .    42 

"  James  Intercisus  .      2 

"  James  the  Less      .  .  220 

"  James  Major         .  .  340 

"  James  of  Nisibis    .  .  324 

"  James  of  Sclavonia  .  204 
"  Jane  Frances  de  Chantal 

375-6 

"  Jane,  Queen  of  France  93 
"  Januarius  .  .  108,  415 
"  Jerom  .  .  57,  67,  430 
"  Joachim  ,  .  342,  400 
"  Joan,  see  St.  Jane, 

Queen  of  France 
"  John  the  Baptist  .        .    43 
"  John  the_Baptist,  Decol- 

lation of         .        .        .  386 
"  John  of  Beverly    .        .  231 


GENERAL    INDEX 


553 


St.  John  Climacus      .        .169 
"  John     Chrysostom,  see 

Chrysostom 

"  John  of  the  Cross  .  497 
"  John  of  Egypt  .  .  148 
"  John  the  Evangelist 

41,  229 

"  John  Francis  Regis  .  292 
"  John  of  God.  .  .127 
"  John  Gualbert  .  .  324 
"  John  Joseph  of  the 

Cross  ....  125 
"  John  Lateran  .  .  479 
"  John  at  Latin  Gate  .  230 
"  John  of  Matha  .  .  98 
"  John  Nepomucen  .  .  241 
"  John,  Pope  .  .  .261 
"  John  of  Rome,  Martyr  .  302 
"  John  of  Sahagun  .  .  287 
"  John  the  Silent  .  .  239 
"  Joseph  Barsabas  .  .  336 
"  Joseph  Calasanctus  .  383 
"  Joseph,  Husband  of  V. 

Mary  .  .  .  .141 
"  Joseph,  His  Marriage  .  141 
"  Jude  ....  465 
"  Julia  ....  254 
"  Julian  .  .  .  .  60 
"  Julian  of  Cilicia  .  .137 
"  Juliana  .  .  .  294 
"  Julitta  .  '.  .  •  .  345 
"  Julius  I.,  Pope  .  -191 
"  Justina  .  .  .  425 
"  Justina  of  Padua  and 

Venice  .        .         .441 

"  Justus  .  .  .  .  481 
"  Kenerin,  see  St.  Kiaran 


St.  Kentigern  .  65  et  seq. 
"  Kiaran.  .  i24etseq. 
"  Kiaran  ....  19 
"  Ladislas  I.,  King  of 

Hungary  .  .  .  304 
"  Lambert  of  Leige  .  474 
"  Largus  ....  361 
"  Laurence 

21,  41,  78,  354,  361  et  seq. 
"  Laurence  of  Dublin  485-6 
"  Laurence  Justinian  .  397 
"  Laynez,  Second  General 

of  Jesuits  .  .  .  446 
"  Leander  .  .  .117 
"  Leo  IV.,  Pope  .  .  332 
"  Leocadia  .  .  .17 
"  Leonard  .  .  .  476 
"  Lewis  Bertrand  .  443-4 
"  Liberatus  .  .  .  370 
"  Lioba  ...  .  427 
"  Louis  IX.,  King  of 

France  .        .  328,  381 

*     Loyola,  see  St.  Ignatius 

Loyola 

St.  Lucia  .  .  .  .20 
"  Lucian  ....  468 
"  Lucian  of  Antioch  .  57 
"  Lucian  of  Beauvais  .  58 
"  Lucifer  of  Cagliari  .  23 
"  Lucius  ....  456 
"  Lucius,  Pope  .  .  352 
"  Lucy,  see  St.  Lucia 
"  Ludger ....  147 
"  Luke,  Evangelist  .  455-6 
SS.  Machabees,  The  Seven  350 
St.  Mallou,  see  St.  Malo 
"  Malo  ,  ..  .  .  487 


554   SAINTS   AND    FESTIVALS 


St.  Mammertus  .  .  236 
"  Marcellianus  .  .  293 
"  Marcellinus,  Pope  .  214 
"  Marcellus,  Pope  .  .  68 
"  Marcus  .  .  .  293 
"  Margaret  .  .  334-5 
"  Margaret  of  Cortona  .  112 
"  Margaret,  Queen  of 

Scotland        .        .  286, 488 
"  Mark,      Apostle      and 

Evangelist  .        .212 

"  Mark  of  Greece  .  .167 
"  Mark,  Pope  .  .441 

"  Martha  .  .  .  345 
"  Martin,  Pope  483  et  seq. 
"  Martin  of  Tours 

7,  316,  409,  481  et  seq. 
"  Mary  of  Egypt  .  186-7 
"  Mary  Egyptica,  see  St. 

Mary  of  Egypt 
"  Mary,  Niece  of  St.  Abra- 
ham     .        .         .        .136 
"  Mary  Magdalene          .  337 
"  Mathildas,  see  St.  Maud 
"  Matthew,  Apostle    and 

Evangelist  417  et  seq. 

"  Matthias       .         .        .114 
"  Maud,  Queen  of  Ger- 
many   ....  134 
"  Maurice        .        .        .  420 
"  Maximus  i 

"  Maximus  .  • .  .  47 
"  Maximus  of  Provence  278 
"  Maximus  of  Turin  .  302 
"  Maximus  .  .  .  362 
"  Melchiades,  Pope  17,  48 
"  Marcellinus,  Pope  .  68 


St.  Methodius    .         .     34,  422 

"  Michael  and  All  Angels  428 

"  Michael,  Apparition  of   234 

"  Modwina     .        .        .317 

"  Monica         .         .  228, 384 

"  Mungo,  or  Kentigern  .     66 

"  Narcissus     .        .        .  466 

"  Nemesion     .        .        .27 

"  Nereus         .        .        .  238 

"  Nicasius       .                 .     22 

"  Nicephorus           .        .133 

"  Nicetas         .        .       407-8 

"  Nicholas  of  Myra  1 1  et  seq. 

"  Nicodemus            .  354,  355 

"  Nicodemus           .        .  407 

"  Ninian          .        409  et  seq. 

"  Norbert        .        .        .  273 

"  Nunelo         .        459  et  seq. 

"  Odilo            .         .     50,  472 

"  Olmypias     .        .        .25 

"  Olon,  see  St.  Odilo 

"  Onesimus    .        .        .105 

"  Optatus        .        .        .271 

"  Owen  ....      7 

"  Palladius      .         .    184,  318 

"  Pamphillus   .        .         .  267 

"  Pancras        .        .        .  237 

"  Pantaenus     .        .        .  319 

"  Patrick 

138  et  seq.,  184,  257 

"  Patrus,  see  St.  Peter 

"  Paul,  Apostle        .         .  310 

"  Paul,  of  the  Cross        .  303 

"  Paul,  First  Hermit        .     67 

"  Paul  of  Rome,  Martyr    302 

"  Paulinus       .        .        .  297 

"  Pelagia         .        .         .  442 


GENERAL     INDEX 


555 


St.  Perpetua  .  »  .127 
"  Peter,  Apostle  308  et  seq. 
"  Peter  ad  Vincula  .  351 
"  Peter  Gonzales  .  .195 
"  Peter  Nolaseo  .  .  99 
"  Peter  of  Pisa  .  .  268 
"  Petronilla  .  .  .265 
"  Phillip,  Apostle  .  .  220 
"  Philip  Beniti  or  Benize  377 
"  Philip  Neri  .  .  261 

"  Philogonius  .         .     28 

"  Phocas         .        .        .  315 
"  Piran,  see  St.  Kiaran 
"  Pius  I.,  Pope        .        .  323 
"  Pius,  Pope  .  198,  200 

"  Placidus  .  .  .  439 
"  Polycarp  .  .  81,  164 
"  Pothinus  .  .  .  269 
"  Prassede  .  .  .250 
"  Praxedis  .  .  .  336 
"  Prisca  .  .  .  .72 
"  Proclus  .  .  .  369 
"  Proclus  of  Constanti- 
nople .  .  461 
"  Procopius  .  .  .321 
"  Procopius,  King  of  Bo- 
hemia ....  321 
"  Prosper  of  Aquitain  .  302 
"  Provennilus  .  .415 
"  Ptolemy  .  .  .  456 
"  Pudens  .  .  .  250 
"  Pudenziana  .  .250 
"  Pulcehria  .  .  .  403 
"  Quintin  .  .  .  468 
"  Quirinus  .  .  .  270 
"  Raphael  .  .  430,  462 
"  Raymund  .  78  et  seq. 


St.  Raymund  Nonnatus 

388  et  seq. 

"  Regis,  John  Francis  .  292 
"  Remigius  434  et  seq.  489 
"  Restituta  .  .  .  244 
"  Richard  .  .  .176 
"  Richard,  Anglo-Saxon 

King     ....    27 
"  Robert  of  Molesme 

217  et  seq. 

"  Romanus  of  Muscovy .    340 
"  Romanus,  Roman  Sol- 
dier     ....  361 
"  Romaric       .  .16 

"  Romaricus,       see      St. 

Romaric 

"  Romuald  .  96  et  seq. 
"  Rose  di  Lima  .  .  388 
"  Sabas  .  .  .  407 

"   Sadoth         .        .        .109 
"  Sales,  Francis  of          .     84 
Santiago,    see    St.  James 

Major 

St.  Saturninus  of  Toulon  .  4 
"  Scholastica  .  .  .100 
"  Sebas  .  10 

"  Sebastian  .  .  .75 
"  Servulus  .  .  -35 
"  Sigefride  .  .  104-5 
"  Silverius,  Pope  .  .  296 
"  Simeon,  see  St.  Simon 
"  Simeon  Stylites  .  18,  53 
"  Simeon  Stylites  the 

Younger       .        .        .  394 
"  Simon  .         .        .  107 

"  Simon  Stylites,  see  St. 
Simeon  Stylites 


556     SAINTS   AND    FESTIVALS 


St.  Simon  Zelotus  .  .  465 
"  Sinaragdus  .  ,  .361 
"  Sixtus  I.,  Pope  .  .183 
"  Sixtus  II.,  Pope  .  359,  362 
"  Sixtus  III.,  Pope  .  .  149 
"  Sixtus  IV.,  Pope  .  .  69 
"  Sosius  .  .  .  415 

"  Soter,  Pope  .  .  206 
"  Stanislas  Kostka  .  .  485 
"  Stephen  of  Citeaux  .  200 
"  Stephen  of  Hungary  393-4 
"  Stephen,  Invention  of 

Relics  of  ...  353 
"  Stephen,  Pope  .  .  352 
"  Stephen,  Proto-martyr 

40,  41 

"  Stephen  the  Younger  2,  3 
"  Swithin  .  .  .  328 
"  Sylvester  .  .48 

"  Teresa  450  et  seq.,  497 
"  Thaddaeus  .  .  465 

"  Theau  ...  7 
"  Thecla  372,  422  et  seq. 
"  Theobald  .  .  .313 
"  Theodora  .  .  .216 
"  Theodora  .  ,  .  352 
"  Theodora,  Empress  of 

the  East  .  .  .  101 
"  Theodore  .  .  .  414 
"  Theodoret  460  et  seq. 

•'  Theodosius .         .         .62 
"  Theresa,  see  St.  Teresa 
"  Thilchildes  .         .  476 

"  Thomas  the  Almoner  413 
"  Thomas  of  Aquino  .  126 
"  Thomas  a  Becket  45  et  seq. 
"  Thomas  Cantelupe  .  436 


St.  Thomas     D  i  d  y  m  u  s, 

Apostle  .  .29  et  seq. 
"  Tiburtius  .  .  .  364 
"  Tigernach  .  .  .182 
"  Timothy  .  .  .  372 
"  Timothy  of  Ephesus  .  79 
"  Titus  ....  53 
"  Tranquillinus  .  .  364 
"  Uriel  .  .  .  .430 
"  Ursula  and  Eleven 

Thousand  Virgins  .  458 
"  Valentine  .  .  .103 
"  Valeria  .  .  .  293 
"  Vedast  .  .  .96 
"  Veronica  Guiliani  .  322 
"  Veronica  of  Milan  64  et  seq. 
"  Victor,  Pope  .  .  344 
"  Victorinus  .  .  .  472 
"  Vincent  .  77  et  seq. 
"  Vincent  of  Lerins  .  255 
"  Vincent  de  Paul  .  .  333 
"  Vindemial  .  .  .  327 
"  Vitalis  .  .  .  293 
"  Vitus  .  .  .  290-1 
"  Walburga  .  .  26,  27 
"  Wereburg  .  .  .92 
"  Wilfrid  .  122,  447,  477 
"  Willehad  .  .  .478 
"  Willferder,  see  St. Wilfrid 
"  William  of  Bourges  .  61 
"  William  of  York  .  278 
"  Willibald  .  26,  27,  320 
"  Willibrord  .  .  .  477 
"  Winebald  ...  26 
"  Wulstan  .  73  et  seq. 
Xavier,  see  St.  Francis 
Xavier 


GENERAL     INDEX 


557 


St.  Xystus,  see  St.    Sixtus 

II.,  Pope. 

"  Yvo      ....  252 

"  Zeno     .        .        .        .191 

"  Zenobius      .        .        .  458 

"  Zephrinus,  Pope   .        .  382 

"  Zosimus        .        .        187-8 

Sapor  II.,  King  of  Persia  .  170 

Sapor  III.,  King  of  Persia    170 

Sapor's  Persecutions 

1 88  et  seq.  362 
Saturday  before     Septua- 

gesima  .        .        .96 

Saturnalia,  Roman     36  et  seq. 
Schism  of  Diosconis          .  41 5 
Schools  and  Colleges  Mon- 
astic 

School  at  Acqs,  Franciscan  333 

"        of  Berytus    .        ,  267 

"        at  Charteaux          .  441 

"        "   Evesham  .         .  487 

"        of    Gratinian    and 

Felin  SS.       .        ,        .  474 

"        of  Ireland      .        .  235 

"        at  Mogbile    .    280,  410 

"        Magnum  Monaste- 

rium  of  St.  Ninian         .  409 

Scotland's  First  Missionary  280 

September          .        .        .  391 

Septuagesima  Sunday        .     97 

Seven  Brothers,  Martyrs    .  323 

Seven  Martyrs,  Samosata  .     17 

Seven  Sleepers,  The  .  343 

Sevigne",  Mme.  de      .        .375 

Sexagesima  Sunday  .     97 

Shamrock,  The          .  139,  257 


Sibyls,  The.  Their  connec- 
tion with   the   Church 
and      Functions    and 
names         .       416  et  seq. 
Simnel  Cakes     .        .        .  144 
Sixtus  IV.,  Pope        .        .174 
Society  of  Jesus        9,  347,  445 
Strathfillan,  Scotland          .     59 
Styles  of   date    Old    and 

New  (Introductory)      XII 
Symbols    .         .        .        .192 
"     of  Apostles        .        305-6 
"    of  Evangelists 

202  et  seq. 

"    "  St.  Mark        .        .  213 
"    "  The  Trinity  257  et  seq. 


Thebean  Legion,  The 

420  et  seq. 

Theobald,  Archbishop    of 
Canterbury          .        .     45 

Theobald      (Gregory    X.) 
Pope  ....  105 

Theodebert,  King   of  Aus- 
trasia .        .        ,        -473 

Theodora,  Empress    .        .  296 

Theodorus,  Doctrines  and 

Writings      .        .         .  462 

Theodosius,  Emperor    178,  386 

Theophilis          .        .        .  466 

Thundering    Legion,    The 

127  et  seq. 

Tomb  of  Edward  the  Con- 
fessor         .        449  et  seq. 

Transfiguration,  The  .        .  358 


558    SAINTS   AND    FESTIVALS 


Translation,  Relics  of  Ed- 
ward the  Confessor    .  448 
Tre  Fontane,  Rome          .  312 
Triads,  The        .        .        .121 
Trinity  Sunday          .        .256 
Trinity,  The      .         257  et  seq. 
Tudivald,  King    of  South- 
ern Picts      .        .        .  410 
Turgot,  Confessor  of  Queen 

Margaret  of  Scotland    488 
Twelfth  Day     ...     54 

U 

Urban,  President  of  Pales- 
tine    ....  372 
Ursuline  Nuns  .        .  459 

V 

Valens,    Emperor    of    the 

East  ....  407 
Valeses,  Emperor  .  ,  386 
Vatican,  The  .  .  .  489 
Venus,  Temple  of  .  .  226 
Veronica,  (St)  and  our  Sa- 
viour .  .  .  .65 
Vera  Iconica,  The  .  .  65 
Vespasius,  Roman  Em- 

peror.        .        .        .339 
Victor,  Roman  Soldier,  of 

Marseilles    .         .        .  336 
Victor,  Roman  Soldier  and 

Martyr        .        .        .422 

Victorinus,  Rhetorician      .  431 

Vigil  of  Agnes  (St)  ,  Eve  .     75 

"     "  All  Saints      467  et  seq. 

"    "  Ascension,  The     .  242 

"    "  Laurence  (St)        .  361 


Virgin,  Assumption  of  the 

Blessed        .        .  368,  etc. 
"    Nativity  of  the  Blessed 

400 
"    Presentation  of    the 

Blessed        .        .        .  493 
"    Purification    of     the 

Blessed        .        .        .90 
"    Visitation      of      the 

Blessed  .  .  .315 
Visigoths,  The  '  .  .118 
Vulgate,  The  .  .  .  430 

W 

Well,  Anthony's  (St.)  .  71 
Well  Dressing  .  .  .  232 
Westminster  Abbey  448  et  seq. 
Whitikind,  Duke  .  .  479 
Whit-Sunday  .  .  .  245 
William  of  Malmsbury, 

Historian  .  .  .  202 
William  (Rufus),  King  of 

England  .  206, 488 

Winchester,  The  City  of  .  328 
Wise  Men,  Adoration  of  the  55 
Wool-comb  .  .  -93 
Wulphere,  King  of  Mercia  92 


X 

Xerophagie,  The 
Xistus,  See  Sixtus 


.158 


Yule          ....    40 

Z 

Zeno,  Emperor          .        .  240 


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