Jmj

Today, March 29, we members of the Catholic Church family honor, in a special way, the following friends of God -- saints whose souls are now in heaven:

Sts. Armogastes, Saturus, and Archinimus (North African, royal officials, tortured by Arian Vandals c. 460)
St. Berthold of Mt. Carmel (French, priest, crusader, founder and superior of Order of Mt. Carmel [Carmelites], hermit, c. 1195)
St. Mark and Cyril of Heliopolis (Lebanese, bishop and deacon, martyred c. 362)
Bl. Diemut of Wessobrunn (Bavarian, Benedictine hermitess, c. 1130)
St. Eustace of Luxeuil (French, abbot of 600 holy monks, d. 625)
St. Firminus of Viviers (French, bishop, 6th century)
St. Gery of Sens (French, bishop, d. 711)
St. Gundleus of Newport (Welsh, chieftain, hermit in England, c. 500)
St. Gwaladys [also known as Gladys] (Welsh, wife of St. Gundleus, hermitess, 5th century)
Bl. Hugh of Vaucelles (French, Cistercian monk, d. 1239)
Bl. Jane Mary de Maillé [Jeanne Marie] (French, widow, Franciscan tertiary, d. 1414)
Sts. Jonas and Barachisius (Persian, two brothers, tortured incredibly and martyred [one crushed, one choked on burning pitch] by pagan king in 327)
St. Lasar (Irish, nun, 6th century)
St. Ludolf of Ratzeburg (German, Norbertine canon, bishop, d. 1250)
St. Mark of Arethusa (Syrian, bishop, martyred c. 362)
Sts. Pastor, Victorinus, and five companions (from Asia Minor [Turkish], martyred c. 311)
St. Rupert of Salzburg (Irish or French?, Benedictine monk, missionary, bishop in Germany, died in Austria c. 720)
St. Secundus of Asti (Italian, patrician, military officer, martyred by beheading in 119)

If you have anything to share about these holy people, please reply now -- biographical episodes, prayers through their intercession, the fact that one is your patron saint -- whatever moves you. If you are interested in one of these saints and want to find out more about him/her, please ask. Information is sometimes available on the Internet.

All you holy men and women, saints of God, pray for us.
God bless you.
John


-- J. F. Gecik (jfgecik@hotmail.com), March 30, 2002

Answers

-- (_@_._), March 30, 2002.

Jmj

On March 29, we members of the Catholic Church family honor, in a special way, the following friends of God -- saints and blesseds whose souls are now in heaven:

Sts. Armogastes and Saturus of Carthage, and St. Archinimus of Mascula (North African, royal officials, tortured by Arian Vandals c. 460)
St. Berthold of Mt. Carmel (French, priest, crusader, founder and superior of Order of Mt. Carmel [Carmelites], hermit, c. 1195)
St. Mark and Cyril of Heliopolis (Lebanese, bishop and deacon, martyred c. 362)
Bl. Diemut of Wessobrunn (Bavarian, Benedictine hermitess, c. 1130)
St. Eustace of Luxeuil (French, abbot of 600 holy monks, d. 625)
St. Firminus of Viviers (French, bishop, 6th century)
St. Gery of Sens (French, bishop, d. 711)
St. Gundleus of Newport (Welsh, chieftain, hermit in England, c. 500)
St. Gwaladys of Brecknock [also known as Gladys] (Welsh, wife of St. Gundleus, hermitess, 5th century)
Bl. Hugh of Vaucelles [Hugues] (French, Cistercian monk, d. 1239)
Bl. Joan Mary de Maillé of Tours [Jeanne Marie] (French, widow, Franciscan tertiary, d. 1414)
Sts. Jonas and Barachisius of Beth-Asa and nine companions (Persian, two brothers and others, tortured incredibly and martyred [one crushed, one choked on burning pitch] by pagan king in 327)
St. Lasar of Clonard (Irish, nun, 6th century)
St. Ludolf of Ratzeburg (German, Norbertine canon, bishop, d. 1250)
St. Mark of Arethusa (Syrian, bishop, martyred c. 362)
Sts. Pastor, Victorinus, and five companions, of Nicomedia (from Asia Minor [Turkish], martyred c. 311)
St. Rupert of Salzburg (Irish or French?, Benedictine monk, missionary, bishop in Germany, died in Austria c. 720)
St. Secundus of Asti (Italian, patrician, military officer, martyred by beheading in 119)

If you have anything to share about these holy people, please reply now -- biographical episodes, prayers through their intercession, the fact that one is your patron -- whatever moves you. If you are interested in one of these saints or blesseds and want to find out more about him/her, please ask. Information is sometimes available on the Internet.

All you holy men and women, saints of God, pray for us.
God bless you.
John

-- J. F. Gecik (jfgecik@hotmail.com), March 29, 2003.

March 29th - Rupert of Salzburg, OSB B (RM)

(also known as Hrodbert, Robert, Rupprecht)

Died in Salzburg, Austria, on March 27, c. 710-720; feast day formerly March 27; feast of the translation of his relics is kept in Bavaria and Austria on September 25. There have been varying opinions as to where Rupert was born and when (with variations of 100 years). While more reliable sources make him a Frankish nobleman, others, including Colgan insist he was an Irishman with the Gaelic name Robertach. From his youth he was renowned for his learning, extraordinary virtues, austerity, and charity that sought to impoverish himself to enrich the poor. People came from remote provinces to receive his advice. He would remove all their doubts and scruples, comfort the afflicted, cure the sick, and heal the disorders of souls. His virtuous life led to him being consecrated bishop of Worms, Germany, from where he began his missionary work in southern Bavaria and Austria. (One version says he was expelled by the pagans at Worms, others that he was simply a zealous, evangelical Christian.)

Rupert traveled to Regensburg (Ratisbon) with a small company about 697, perhaps with credentials from the French King Childebert III, or because Duke Theodo of Bavaria had heard of his reputation for miracles and invited him. They went to Duke Theodo, whose permission they needed to proceed. While Theodo was not a Christian, his sister, Bagintrude, is said to have been one. He agreed to listen to their preaching and was converted and baptized. Many of the leading men and women of the land followed the duke's example and embraced Christianity, which had been preached there 200 years earlier by Saint Severinus of Noricum.

Instead of knocking down pagan temples, as many missionaries did, Rupert preferred to consecrate them as Christian churches. For example, those at Regensburg and Altötting were soon altered for Christian services. (It is said that the statue of the Blessed Mother at Altötting was brought there from Ireland by an Irishman named Rupert.) Where there was no suitable temple to adapt, churches were built, and Regensburg became primarily Christian. God confirmed Rupert's preaching by many miracles. Soon the missionary work met with such success that many more helpers from Franconia were needed to meet the spiritual needs of Rupert's converts.

The group continued down the Danube, converting still more. After Ratisbon, the capital, the next seat of his labors was Laureacum, now called Lorch, where he healed several diseases by prayer, and won many other souls to Christ. But in neither of these flourishing towns did Rupert establish his bishopric. He made the old, fallen-down town of Juvavum, given to him by the duke of Bavaria, his headquarters. The town was restored and he named it Salzburg (Salt Fortress). There with the help of his companions Saints Virgilius, Chuniald, and Gislar, Rupert founded Saint Peter's church and monastery with a school along the lines of the Irish monasteries.

He made a trip home to gather twelve more recruits. His sister, Saint Ermentrudis, entered a convent he founded at Nonnberg (setting for The Sound of Music) and became its first abbess. He did much to foster the operation of the salt mines. Rupert, the first archbishop of Salzburg, is considered to be the Apostle of Bavaria and Austria. He died on Easter Day after having said Mass and preached the Good News. Thereafter, he became so renowned that countries such as Ireland claimed him as a native son and celebrate his memory liturgically. The Duchy of Salzburg cast his likeness with that of the Saint Virgilius on the coin of the realm called a rubentaler (Attwater, Attwater2, Benedictines, Bentley, D'Arcy, Encyclopedia, Farmer, Gougaud, Husenbeth, Kenney, Walsh, White).

Rupert's emblem in art is a barrel of salt, because of his association with the reopening of the salt mines. He may be shown holding a basket of eggs; baptizing Duke Theodo(re) of Bavaria; or with Saint Virgilius of Salzburg (Farmer, Roeder, White).

<><><><> Other Martyrs of the Faith

At Heliopolis in Lebanon, St. Cyril, deacon and martyr, at the time of Julian the Apostate. His body was ripped open and his liver plucked out by Gentiles who, like wild beasts, devoured it.

In Persia, the holy monks and martyrs Jonas and Barachisius, who were brothers. In the reign of Sapor, King of Persia, Jonas was squeezed in a vise until his bones were broken; then he was cut in two. Barachisius was choked to death by having boiling pitch poured down his throat.

At Nicomedia, the suffering of the holy martyrs Pastor, Victorinus, and their companions.

In Africa, the holy confessors Armogastes, a count, Masculas, an actor, and Saturus, procurator of the king's household. At the time of the Vandal persecution under Genseric the Arian King, they suffered many severe tortures and insults for the confession of the truth, and thus completed the course of their glorious strife.

In the city of Asti (in Italy), St. Secundus, martyr.

In the monastery of Luxeuil in Gaul, the death of the Abbot St. Eustasius, a disciple of St. Columban. He was the spiritual father of almost six hundred monks. Noteworthy for holiness of life, he was distinguished by his miracles.

<><><><> A Prayer for Priests

O Jesus, Eternal Priest; keep all Your priests within the shelter of Your Sacred Heart, where none may harm them. Keep unstained their anointed hands which daily touch Your Sacred Body. Keep unsullied their lips purpled with Your Precious Blood. Keep pure and unearthly their hearts sealed with the sublime marks of Your glorious priesthood. Let Your holy love surround them and shield them from the world's contagion.

Bless their labors with abundant fruit, and may the souls to whom they have ministered to be their joy and consolation and in Heaven their beautiful and everlasting crown.

O Mary, Queen of the clergy, pray for us; obtain for us many holy priests. - Amen.

-- Richard Miller (trudie.miller@cox.net), March 29, 2003.