Daily Saints

Saint Gregory Barbarigo

Profile

Gregory was the son of a Venetian senator. He was educated at the University of Padua. He was a civil and canon lawyer. He worked on the negotiations for the Peace of Westphalia that ended the Thirty Years’ War on 24 October 1648; one of his co-workers was archbishop Fabio Chigi, the future Pope Alexander VII. He was ordained on 21 December 1655. He was a domestic prelate to Pope Alexander VII. He was a referendary of the Tribunals of the Apostolic Signature of Justice and of Grace. He became the Bishop of Bergamo, Italy on 9 July 1657. He was elevated as Cardinal on 5 April 1660 and the Bishop of Padua, Italy on 24 March 1664. He was part of the conclave of 1667 that chose Pope Clement IX and part of the conclave of 1676 that chose Blessed Pope Innocent XI. He supervised Catholic teaching in Rome, Italy for three years. He was part of the conclave of 1689 that chose Pope Alexander VIII and the conclave of 1691 that chose Pope Innocent XII. He was noted as a distinguished churchman and leading citizen whose charities were on a princely scale. He worked for unity of the Latin and Orthodox Churches.

Born

  • 16 September 1625 at Venice, Italy as Gregorio Giovanni Gasparo Barbarigo

Died

  • 18 June 1697 at Padua, Italy of natural causes
  • buried in the cathedral of Padua

Beatified

  • 6 July 1761 by Pope Clement XIII

Canonized

  • 26 May 1960 by Blessed Pope John XXIII

Patronage

  • Bergamo, Italy, diocese of

Source: https://catholicsaints.info/saint-gregory-barbarigo/

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Saint Herve

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Son of the bard Hyvarnion, Herve was born blind. His father died when he was an infant. His mother, Rivanone, became an anchoress, and the boy was entrusted to the care of his uncles and a renowned holy man with whom he stayed until his teenage years. He lived for a while as a hermit and bard, then joined a monastic school at Plouvien, France which had been founded by his uncle. He was an abbot at Plouvien. He migrated with part of his community to found a new house in Lanhouarneau. He was a singer, minstrel, teacher, and a miracle worker. One of the most popular saints in Brittany, he figures in the area’s folklore. He was reported to have a special ministry of healing animals, and to have a domesticated wolf as a companion. Legend says that the wolf killed and ate the ox that Herve used to plow his fields; Herve then preached such a moving sermon the wolf repented his ways, moved to Herve’s hermitage, and ploughed Herve’s fields in place of the ox.

Born

  • Guimiliau, Brittany, France or unknown location in Wales (sources vary)

Died

  • c.556 to c.575 (sources vary) of natural causes
    interred at Lanhouarneau, Brittany, France

Canonized

  • Pre-Congregation

Patronage

  • against eye disease
  • against eye problems
  • blind people
  • in France
    – Brest
    – Plouvien

Representation

  • blind man being led by a wolf

Source: https://catholicsaints.info/saint-herve/

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Saint Lutgardis

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A pretty girl with a fondness for clothes and no apparent religious vocation, Lutgardis was sent to the Black Benedictine convent near Saint Trond at age 12 because her dowry had been lost in a failed business venture, and there was thus little chance for a life as a normal, married lay woman. In her late teens, Lutgardis received a vision of Christ showing her His wounds, and in 1194 at age 20 she became a Benedictine nun with a true vocation. She had visions of Christ while in prayer, experienced ecstasies, levitated, and dripped blood from forehead and hair when enraptured by the Passion. She was chosen as prioress of her community in 1205, but she repeatedly refused to be abbess.

The Benedictine order was not strict enough for Lutgardis, and on the advice of her friend Saint Christina the Astonishing, in 1208 she joined the Cistercians at Aywieres (near Brussels in modern Belgium) where she lived for her remaining 30 years. She displayed the gifts of healing, prophecy, spiritual wisdom, and was an inspired teacher on the Gospels. Blind for the last eleven years of her life, she treated the affliction as a gift – it reduced the distraction of the outside world. In one of her last visions, Christ told her when she was to die; she spent the time remaining in prayer for the conversion of sinners.

Born

  • 1182 at Tongres, Limburg, Belgium

Died

  • 16 June 1246 at Aywieres (modern Awirs), Belgium of natural causes, just as night office began on the Saturday night following Feast of the Holy Trinity
  • relics transferred to Ittre, Belgium on 4 December 1796 to avoid destruction in the French Revolution

Patronage

  • birth
  • blind people
  • blindness
  • childbirth
  • disabled people
  • handicapped people
  • physically challenged people
  • Belgium
  • in Belgium
    – Flanders
    – Tongeren

Representation

  • woman with Christ showing her His wounded side
  • blind Cistercian abbess
  • Cistercian nun being blinded by the Heart of Jesus
  • Cistercian to whom Christ extends his hand from the cross
  • woman in attendance when Christ shows his Heart to the Father

Source: https://catholicsaints.info/saint-lutgardis/

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Saint Luigi Maria Palazzolo

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Luigi Maria was the youngest of eight boys, born to Octavius and Theresa Antoine Palazzolo; his father died when he was about 10 years old. He was ordained a priest in the diocese of Bergamo, Italy on 23 June 1850. As a parish priest, he would occasionally encounter children who were abandoned or orphaned and living on their own; he would take them in and care for them until he could get them placed somewhere caring and safe. He founded the Little House of Divine Providence to care for neglected children, and the Work of Saint Dorothy. home to care for abandoned girls. He founded the Brothers of the Sacred Family, a congregation that died out in 1928. With Venerable Maria Teresa Gabrieli, he founded the Sisters of the Poor (Poverelle Sisters; Palazzolo Institute) on 22 May 1869 to care for and educate neglected girls; the Sisters received papal approval from Pope Pius X on 25 May 1912, and continue their good work today in Brazil, Burkina Faso, Congo, Italy, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Malawi, Peru and Switzerland. He founded an orphanage in Traona, Italy on 4 October 1872. Due to respiratory problems, Father Luigi had to sleep sitting up during the last year or so of his life.

Born

  • 10 December 1827 in Bergamo, Kingdom of Lombardy-Venetia (in modern Italy)

Died

  • in the early hours of 15 June 1886 in Bergamo, Italy of natural causes
  • he died murmuring the name “Jesus Christ” over and over
  • buried in the cemetery of San Giorgio in Bergamo
  • re-interred at the mother-house of the Poverelle Sisters, Via San Bernardino 56, Bergamo, on 4 January 1904

Venerated

  • 7 July 1962 by Pope John XXIII (decree of heroic virtues)

Beatified

  • 19 March 1963 by Pope John XXIII
  • beatification recognition celebrated in the Basilica of Saint Peter in Rome, Italy
  • one of the beatification miracles involved the healing of a young Sardinian woman with peritonitis and tuberculosis on the afternoon of 21 July 1956 when she had a vision of Father Luigi asking her to get out of bed and go to church to thank God for her cure
  • another beatification miracle involved the 1959 healing of a 65 year old woman from a severe head injury that left her comatose; the cure followed the family praying for the intercession of Father Luigi

Canonized

  • 15 May 2022 by Pope Francis
  • the canonization miracle involved the healing of Sister Gianmarisa Perani, who had joined the Poverelle Sisters in 1950; in November 2015 was rushed into emergency surgery, experienced complications, lapsed into a coma, and two months later was declared to be terminal; the Sisters prayed for her, she soon after recovered, and is alive and well today
  • Decree on a Miracle by Blessed Aloysius Maria Palazzolo, Priest Founder of the Institute of Sisters of the Poor v.d. “Suore delle Poverelle – Istituto Palazzolo” (1827-1866)

Patronage

  • Sisters of the Poor

Source: https://catholicsaints.info/saint-luigi-maria-palazzolo/

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Saint Protus of Aquileia

Profile

Protus was a tutor and a catechist to Saints Cantius, Cantian and Cantianilla of Aquileia. To escape the persecutions of Diocletian, he moved with the family to Aquileia, Italy. However, the authorities there quickly ordered them to sacrifice to idols; they refused. He was a martyr.

Died

  • beheaded in 304 at Aquae-Gradatae (modern San Canzian d’Isonzo) just outside Aquileia, Italy

Canonized

  • Pre-Congregation

Patronage

  • children
  • Aquileia, Italy

Source: https://catholicsaints.info/saint-protus-of-aquileia/

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Saint Anthony of Padua, Priest and Doctor of the Church

1195–1231; Patron Saint of amputees, animals, mail, horses, expectant mothers, fishermen, harvests, lost articles, boatmen, and travelers, as well as the elderly, oppressed, poor, and starving; Canonized by Pope Gregory IX on 30 May 1232; Declared the Evangelizing Doctor of the Church by Pope Pius XII in 1946

Saint Anthony of Padua is one of the most revered saints within the Catholic Church. He was born in Lisbon, Portugal and was given the name Fernando Martins de Bulhões. His parents were wealthy nobility who provided a good education for him as a youth, most likely at the Cathedral school in Lisbon. At the age of fifteen, Fernando decided to enter religious life and joined the Canons Regular of St. Augustine, not far from his home. During his two years with the canons, he excelled in his studies and prayer. However, being so close to his home led to frequent visits from family and friends, prompting Fernando to desire greater solitude to more deeply embrace his vocation. He moved to Coimbra, just over 100 miles south of Lisbon, to join the Santa Cruz Monastery. At Santa Cruz, Fernando enjoyed nine years of excellent formation, studying, praying, and growing in virtue. After completing his formation in 1220, Fernando was ordained a priest.

During his nine years of formation in Coimbra, a small group from the newly-founded Franciscan Order took up residence nearby in a hut dedicated to Saint Anthony of Egypt. Fernando came to know these friars and was impressed by their simplicity, poverty, humility, and radical dedication to Christ. The Franciscans, founded by Saint Francis of Assisi only eleven years prior to their arrival in Coimbra, were a new and rapidly growing order within the Church. They were traveling preachers, relying upon divine providence rather than the income produced by large estates. They owned nothing except for the single piece of clothing they wore.

One day, news reached Coimbra that five Franciscan missionaries had been martyred in Morocco by Muslims. The King of Portugal ransomed their bodies, which were then brought back in a solemn procession to Coimbra for burial. The courage of these martyrs, coupled with the witness of their fellow friars, so impressed Fernando that he requested and received permission to leave the Canons Regular and join the Franciscans. He took the name Anthony after Saint Anthony of Egypt, the patron of the friars’ house in Coimbra.

Desiring to emulate these five martyrs, Father Anthony sailed to Morocco to preach to the Muslims. However, he soon fell seriously ill and required medical attention, prompting his return journey to Portugal. A storm blew his ship off course, resulting in a landing in Sicily instead. Shortly after Father Anthony recovered from his illness, Saint Francis called the famous “Chapter of Mats” in Assisi. Most of the Franciscan Friars attended, including one of their newest members, Father Anthony.

In 1209, Saint Francis founded his order with twelve members. By 1221, the number of Franciscan friars had grown to about 5,000. Such rapid growth brought not only zeal and enthusiasm, but also growing pains, divisions, and the need for clarity. At the General Chapter of Mats, Saint Francis resigned as the head of the order, turning leadership over to those he felt were more qualified. He preferred a life of greater humility, poverty, simplicity, and prayer. It was at that Chapter that Father Anthony and Brother Francis likely met for the first time. Shortly afterwards, Father Anthony was assigned to the hermitage of Monte Paola in Forli.

Anthony’s initial time in Forli was spent in solitude, study, and prayer. One day, due to confusion between the Dominicans and Franciscans, no one was assigned to preach at a first Mass in the local church. At the last minute, Father Anthony reluctantly agreed to preach. His sermon left the congregation in awe of his exceptional gift for preaching, his profound knowledge of the Sacred Scriptures, and his depth of holiness. From then on, Father Anthony became a well-known and sought-after preacher, changing many lives with his humble, down-to-earth, yet theologically profound preaching. He drew on the storehouse of wisdom from ancient saints but never presented himself in a proud or arrogant manner. His allegorical method of preaching sought to bring out the symbolic and hidden meanings of the text in a way that connected with people. His preaching and humble wisdom even caught the attention of Saint Francis, who was concerned about higher education for the friars, fearing that advanced studies could lead to pride and undermine the order’s mission. In Father Anthony, however, Francis found someone he could trust and put him in charge of the theological training of the friars preparing for ordination.

Father Anthony continued to preach far and wide for the next several years until his death at the age of thirty-five. One day, he was even invited to preach to the pope and the cardinals. During that sermon, Father Anthony was given the gift of tongues, enabling everyone present to understand him in his native language. Pope Gregory IX was so impressed with Anthony’s insight into Scripture that he referred to him as the “Ark of the Testament.” The pope asked Father Anthony to compose sermons for Sundays and feast days of the liturgical year, which he did in the form of outlines and commentaries on the Scriptures. It is those sermons that later led to him being named a Doctor of the Church with the unique title of “Evangelizing Doctor.”

Many other legends surround Father Anthony’s preaching and miracles. He is said to have preached to fish one day when the heretical townspeople had rejected him. When they saw the fish sticking their heads out of the water to listen attentively, the people converted. For this reason, he is often called the “Hammer of Heretics.” He is known as the patron saint of lost items because one day a friar stole a Gospel book from Father Anthony and when Father Anthony prayed for its return, the friar was so convicted in his heart that he returned it and repented.

Saint Anthony is often depicted holding the Child Jesus, a portrayal inspired by an account of a friar who reportedly saw Anthony in deep prayer, conversing with the Christ Child. Sacred Scripture is also frequently featured in art as a symbol of his profound knowledge of Scripture. Lilies, signifying his poverty and chastity, are present in many depictions.

Although Saint Anthony lived just thirty-five years, God used him in powerful ways. His life bears testament to the idea that the quality of life supersedes its length. “Quality” of life can only be attained through grace, and Saint Anthony received an abundance of grace in his life. It’s worth reflecting on the importance of seeking as much holiness as possible in life. Too often, we pursue longevity rather than holiness. However, many of the great saints, including Saint Anthony, lived on this earth for only a brief period. As we honor this great saint, remember that God wants you to spend whatever time you have left on earth dedicated to growing in holiness and serving His holy will. Doing so will imbue your life with a quality that far surpasses mere longevity.

Source: https://mycatholic.life/saints/saints-of-the-liturgical-year/june-13–st-antony-of-padua/

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Saint Odulph of Utrecht

Profile

Odulph was French nobility. He was a pious and studious youth. He was an Augustinian priest and a curate of Oresscoth in Brabant. He worked with Saint Frederick of Utrecht to evangelize the Frisons. He was canon of the cathedral at Utrecht, Netherlands where he worked to set a good example of prayer and fasting to laymen. He founded the Augustinian monastery at Stavoren.

Born

  • Brabant (in modern Belgium)

Died

  • c.855 of natural causes
  • relics stolen in 1034
  • relics turned up in London, England, and were interred at Evesham Abbey

Canonized

  • Pre-Congregation

Patronage

  • Borgloon, Belgium
  • Evesham, England
  • Stavoren, Netherlands
  • Utrecht, Netherlands

Source: https://catholicsaints.info/saint-odulph-of-utrecht/ 

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Saint Barnabas the Apostle

Early First Century–c. 61; Patron Saint of Cyprus, Antioch, and peacekeeping missions; Invoked against hailstorms; Pre-Congregation canonization

Saint Barnabas, originally named Joseph, was born on the isle of Cyprus and was a Jew of the tribe of Levi (see Acts 4:36). Nothing else is known about his early life. During Jesus’ public ministry, Joseph became His fervent follower and might have been one of the seventy-two disciples whom Jesus sent out on a mission (see Luke 10:1–24). After Pentecost, as the Church in Jerusalem began to grow, the Apostles changed Joseph’s name to Barnabas, which means “son of encouragement.” His name change might have occurred because Barnabas supported the Church when he “sold a piece of property that he owned, then brought the money and put it at the feet of the apostles” (Acts 4:37). This is the first mention of Barnabas in the New Testament.

Three years later, after Saint Paul had undergone his conversion to the Christian faith and spent three years fasting and praying in Arabia, he traveled to Jerusalem to consult with the Apostles. The Apostles and the Christian community were at first hesitant to receive him, for they were aware of the persecutions he had issued against the Church. Barnabas, however, “brought him to the apostles, and he reported to them how on the way he had seen the Lord and that he had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had spoken out boldly in the name of Jesus” (Acts 9:27). After spending a short period of time in Jerusalem, Saint Paul returned to his hometown of Tarsus to avoid persecution. He remained in Tarsus for the next several years.

During that time, some of the Christians who left Jerusalem after the martyrdom of Saint Stephen traveled north to Antioch in Syria, where many Greek Gentiles lived. In Antioch, the Greek-speaking Christians began to preach the Word of God to the Gentiles. As a result, many of the Gentiles converted and accepted the faith. When the Apostles in Jerusalem heard about this, they sent Barnabas to minister to these new converts. Barnabas was so impressed that he went to find Saint Paul in Tarsus and brought him back to Antioch to help share the Good News. It was there, in Antioch, that the word “Christian” was first used, perhaps because the new converts were Gentiles who converted not to the Jewish faith, but directly to Christ.

After a year in Antioch, Paul and Barnabas returned to Jerusalem on a relief mission to assist those suffering from a famine. They brought with them money that was raised among the Christians in Antioch. After returning to Antioch, the Holy Spirit revealed to the Christian community that Paul and Barnabas were to be “set apart” for a special mission. The two were then ordained as bishops and sent forth on a mission, bringing with them Barnabas’ relative, John Mark, the Gospel writer. Over the next year, they traveled to Seleucia, Cyprus, Salamis, Paphos, Perga of Pamphylia, Antioch of Pisidia, Lystra, Derbe, Iconium, and back to Antioch, Syria. During this journey, they won many converts; some Greeks even tried to worship the two as gods. They also encountered opposition, including an unsuccessful attempt to kill Paul by stoning. The two later returned to Jerusalem to help settle disputes about Gentile converts before being sent off on another mission. Before the second journey, Barnabas and Paul disagreed about John Mark’s involvement in the mission, since John Mark had previously abandoned them for an unknown reason while in Pamphylia. The disagreement was so severe that Paul and Barnabas parted ways. Barnabas took John Mark with him to Cyprus, and Paul took Silas with him to Syria and Cilicia.

Nothing else is known for certain about Barnabas’ missionary activity with John Mark in Cyprus. Based on Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians and his letter to the Colossians, the disagreement the two had over John Mark did not have any lasting effect on their friendship. Even John Mark is later affectionately mentioned by Paul.

The only source we have that details Barnabas’ martyrdom comes from the fifth century, which makes its historicity uncertain. According to that tradition, Barnabas was preaching the Gospel around the year 61 and was arrested, dragged out of the city, and either burned to death or stoned. One tradition states that John Mark found his remains and buried them.

Another legend holds that in the year 478, Saint Barnabas appeared to the Archbishop of Cyprus and revealed the location of his burial to him. Archbishop Anthemios then found Saint Barnabas’ body incorrupt, holding the Gospel of Matthew. The Roman emperor then erected a church at the site and buried Saint Barnabas there. Though the church was later lost to history, excavations of the site have found a tomb believed to be that of Saint Barnabas. Saint Barnabas is the patron saint of Cyprus because he was the first missionary bishop on that island.

As we honor this great apostolic bishop, ponder the impact his ministry has had over time. Although the number of converts during his lifetime might have only been in the hundreds or thousands, the effect those converts had on subsequent generations multiplied over and over again. Saint Barnabas traveled, preached, baptized, celebrated the sacraments, and founded many Christian communities. He endured rejection, hardship, violence, and martyrdom, but he pressed on. His fervor stemmed from knowing his Lord, not only through his firsthand witness of Jesus’ ministry but also through his life of prayer and his reception of the Holy Spirit. Try to see his mission as one similar to yours. You, too, are called to zealously preach the Gospel to others. Do not hesitate to do so, no matter the cost. Pray that God uses you as He wills, and offer yourself to His service in imitation of this holy Apostle.

Source: https://mycatholic.life/saints/saints-of-the-liturgical-year/june-11—saint-barnabas-the-apostle/

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Martyrs of the Hulks of Rochefort

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In 1790 the French Revolutionary authorities passed a law requiring priests to swear allegience to the civil constitution, which would effectively remove them from the authority of, and allegience to, Rome. Many refused, and in 1791 the government began deporting them to French Guyana. 827 priests and religious were imprisoned on hulks (old ships no longer sea-worthy and used for storage, jails, hospitals, etc.) at Rochefort, France to await exile, most on the Deux-Associés and the Washington which had previously been used to house slaves or prisoners. There they were basically ignored to death as there was little provision for food and water, less for sanitation, and none at all for medical help. 542 of the prisoners died there.

The survivors were freed on 12 February 1795 and allowed to return to their homes. Many of them wrote about their time on the hulks, and many of them wrote about the faith and ministry of those who had died. 64 of them have been positively identified and confirmed to have died as martyrs, dying for their faith –

  • Blessed Antoine Auriel
  • Blessed Antoine Bannassat
  • Blessed Augustin-Joseph Desgardin
  • Blessed Barthélemy Jarrige de La Morelie de Biars
  • Blessed Charles-Antoine-Nicolas Ancel
  • Blessed Charles-Arnould Hanus
  • Blessed Charles-René Collas du Bignon
  • Blessed Claude Beguignot
  • Blessed Claude Dumonet
  • Blessed Claude Laplace
  • Blessed Claude Richard
  • Blessed Claude-Barnabé Laurent de Mascloux
  • Blessed Claude-Joseph Jouffret de Bonnefont
  • Blessed Élie Leymarie de Laroche
  • Blessed Florent Dumontet de Cardaillac
  • Blessed François d’Oudinot de la Boissière
  • Blessed François François
  • Blessed François Hunot
  • Blessed François Mayaudon
  • Blessed Gabriel Pergaud
  • Blessed Georges-Edme René
  • Blessed Gervais-Protais Brunel
  • Blessed Jacques Gagnot
  • Blessed Jacques Lombardie
  • Blessed Jacques Retouret
  • Blessed Jacques-Morelle Dupas
  • Blessed Jean Baptiste Guillaume
  • Blessed Jean Bourdon
  • Blessed Jean Hunot
  • Blessed Jean Mopinot
  • Blessed Jean-Baptiste de Bruxelles
  • Blessed Jean-Baptiste Duverneuil
  • Blessed Jean-Baptiste Laborie du Vivier
  • Blessed Jean-Baptiste Menestrel
  • Blessed Jean-Baptiste Souzy
  • Blessed Jean-Baptiste-Ignace-Pierre Vernoy de Montjournal
  • Blessed Jean-Baptiste-Xavier Loir
  • Blessed Jean-François Jarrige de la Morelie de Breuil
  • Blessed Jean-Georges Rehm
  • Blessed Jean-Nicolas Cordier
  • Blessed Joseph Imbert
  • Blessed Joseph Juge de Saint-Martin
  • Blessed Joseph Marchandon
  • Blessed Lazare Tiersot
  • Blessed Louis-Armand-Joseph Adam
  • Blessed Louis-François Lebrun
  • Blessed Louis-Wulphy Huppy
  • Blessed Marcel-Gaucher Labiche de Reignefort
  • Blessed Michel-Bernard Marchand
  • Blessed Michel-Louis Brulard
  • Blessed Nicolas Savouret
  • Blessed Nicolas Tabouillot
  • Blessed Noël-Hilaire Le Conte
  • Blessed Paul-Jean Charles
  • Blessed Philippe Papon
  • Blessed Pierre Gabilhaud
  • Blessed Pierre Jarrige de la Morelie de Puyredon
  • Blessed Pierre-Joseph le Groing de la Romagère
  • Blessed Pierre-Michel Noël
  • Blessed Pierre-Sulpice-Christophe Faverge
  • Blessed Pierre-Yrieix Labrouhe de Laborderie
  • Blessed Raymond Petiniaud de Jourgnac
  • Blessed Scipion-Jérôme Brigeat Lambert
  • Blessed Sébastien-Loup Hunot

Died

  • between 19 May 1794 and 23 February 1795 aboard prison ships docked at Rochefort, Charente-Maritime, France

Venerated

  • 2 July 1994 by Pope John Paul II (decree of martyrdom)

Beatified

  • 1 October 1995 by Pope John Paul II

Source: https://catholicsaints.info/martyrs-of-the-hulks-of-rochefort/?lcp_page0=2#lcp_instance_0

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Saint Ephrem, Deacon and Doctor

c. 306–373; Patron Saint of spiritual directors and spiritual leaders; Pre-Congregation canonization; Declared a Doctor of the Church by Pope Benedict XV in 1920

Ephrem was born in the town of Nisibis, near Syria’s border with present-day Turkey. At the time of Ephrem’s birth, Nisibis was part of the Roman Empire. Nisibis was a diverse city of Syrians, Arameans, Arabs, Greeks, Jews, Parthians, Romans, and Iranians. Among the religious beliefs were Judaism, Christianity, and polytheism. Aramaic was commonly spoken, and to a lesser extent, Greek and Latin.

When Ephrem was just a boy, Emperor Constantine the Great issued the Edict of Milan, legalizing Christianity throughout the empire. Ephrem likely learned the faith from his mother at an early age. Stories from his youth, however, suggest that even though he was raised in the Christian faith, he failed to practice it. One story relates that one day when Ephrem was walking through a field and saw a cow, he decided to have fun by throwing rocks at it, forcing the beast to run. Ephrem pursued the cow, pelting it all the more until the poor animal died. When Ephrem later encountered the cow’s owner, he denied ever seeing the animal. He would come to regret his double sin.

Some months later, Ephrem was spending time with a friend who was a shepherd. After the shepherd had too much to drink, he lost the sheep to thieves or wolves. As a result, the shepherd and Ephrem were arrested and imprisoned on the charge that they stole the sheep. Within that prison, something life-changing took place. An angel was sent to chastise Ephrem, explaining that even though he was innocent of the crime against the sheep, he was not innocent of other crimes, such as the death of the cow. The angel’s holy rebukes did wonders in Ephrem’s soul, and he was filled with remorse and repentance as he came face-to-face with Divine Justice. By God’s grace, when the sorrowful Ephrem was released from prison after two months, he vowed to turn his life around.

Some time after his release, Ephrem consulted with the local bishop-monk, Saint James of Nisibis, seeking spiritual direction. Bishop James took Ephrem under his wing and began to teach him in his school, mentoring him in the ways of monastic life. At that time, Syrian monasticism was different from the monastic life that was developing in Egypt. In Egypt, monks would escape into the wilderness, seeking silence and solitude from the Roman Empire and society, so that they could focus exclusively on God. Saint Anthony of the Desert is among the most renowned of these desert fathers. In northern Syria, where Ephrem lived, those who sought out the monastic life did so within the community of believers. They lived as ascetics, doing penance and praying devoutly, but they also remained servants of the local church, serving the community and addressing their needs. This is the life that Ephrem undertook after vowing to live in poverty and celibacy.  As a hermit, he spent time in the solitude of caves and in the wilderness. Within the community, he performed good works.

Over the next forty to fifty years, Ephrem studied under Bishop James and lived an ascetic life of prayer, penance, and service. He used his many gifts for the glory of God. Ephrem’s enduring legacy is his writings. He was a prolific writer of hymns, poems, biblical commentaries, and homilies. It is believed that during his lifetime, he composed as many as 400 hymns and 3,000 poems that were tools for catechetics and worship. They were rich in imagery, theologically precise, insightful, melodic, and covered important topics such as the Incarnation, the Blessed Virgin Mary, the sacraments, and the purpose of the Christian life. His hymns and poems were also apologetical, meaning, a defense of the faith. At that time, numerous heresies abounded, and some heretics sought to push their beliefs on others by composing hymns, since a hymn was easily remembered. Ephrem took the same approach, only with orthodox poems and hymns that sought to dispel the heresies’ errors. Ephrem’s gifts of artistically presenting the deep truths of the faith led many over the centuries to refer to him as the “Harp of the Holy Spirit.” 

Around the year 350, Ephrem’s mentor, Bishop James, formally opened the School of Nisibis, which became an important center for education within the Syriac church. Ephrem assisted the bishop, becoming a respected and influential teacher.

In 363, Roman Emperor Jovian lost a battle to the Persians and had to surrender the Roman town of Nisibis. All Christians were expelled from Nisibis. Ephrem settled in the town of Edessa, about 125 miles to the west, a flourishing Christian city. In Edessa, Ephrem continued to teach, write, and serve the community in any way he could. He founded a school there, which became another important Christian center for learning. In Edessa, Ephrem became known as the saint of daily living because he often came out of his solitude to teach people how to live the faith in a practical way. At some point, he was ordained a deacon, and as a deacon, he became a true servant of others. When famine hit Edessa, he helped distribute food to the poor. When a plague struck, he cared for the sick. During a plague in 373, Ephrem contracted the disease and became a martyr of charity.

Though Saint Ephrem died in the fourth century, he was declared a Doctor of the Church in 1920 by Pope Benedict XV. Saint Ephrem is the only Syrian Doctor of the Church and is not only highly revered in the Eastern Catholic Church but in the Orthodox Church as well. It might be that the 1920 declaration was done in part as a way of further bridging the gap between the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church.

As we honor this great saint, ponder especially the powerful effect that music has upon the human person. What types of songs do you listen to? Consider following the example of Saint Ephrem by filling your mind with hymns that give praise and glory to God and do so in a clear and theologically rich way. Such a habit will certainly help you grow in holiness.

Source: https://mycatholic.life/saints/saints-of-the-liturgical-year/june-9—saint-ephrem-deacon-and-doctor/

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