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Felix (Catalan Feliu, Spanish Félix)
Deacon and martyr, with bishop Cucuphas, killed at Girona in Spanish Catalonia, in 304.
Felix is a Spanish saint, said to have been born at Scillium. He was martyred at Girona after traveling with Cucuphas from Carthage to Spain as a missionary.
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Januarius, Vincentius, Magnus, Stephanus, Felicissimus, and Agapitus
Deacons and martyrs, with their bishop Sixtus II, seized and beheaded at Rome during the persecution of Emperor Valerian, on 6 August 258.
Shortly before the election of Sixtus II (on 31 August 257), the emperor Valerian issued his first edict of persecution, which made it binding on all Christians to participate in the Roman cult of pagan gods and forbade them to assemble in cemeteries, threatening with exile or death those who disobeyed the order. For almost a year Sixtus managed to perform his duties as bishop without being molested. In the first days of August 258, Valerian ordered all bishops, presbyters, and deacons put to death.
On 6 August bishop Sixtus gathered his people in one of the lesser-known cemeteries, of Prætextatus, on the left side of the Appian Way, nearly opposite the cemetery of St Callistus. While seated on his chair addressing them, he was suddenly seized by a band of soldiers. He was brought before a tribunal to receive his sentence and then led back to the cemetery for execution by beheading. Four deacons, Januarius, Vincentius, Magnus, and Stephanus, were apprehended with Sixtus and beheaded with him at the same cemetery. Three other deacons were seized. Felicissimus and Agapitus suffered martyrdom on the same day. Laurence was martyred four days later [10 August].
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Cyriacus
Deacon and martyr, with companions, beheaded at Rome, in 303.
Born of a noble family, Cyriacus became a Christian and gave his wealth to the poor. He was ordained a deacon at Rome by bishop Marcellinus. Diocletian was emperor, assisted by Maximian, his favorite. Maximian decided to build a beautiful palace for the emperor, with magnificent baths, and to make the Christians work at the construction. Among the new slaves were old men and presbyters. The labor was hard and the food scanty. A Roman nobleman desired to relieve the sufferings of these laborers and sent four Christians with alms and encouragements, Cyriacus, Sisinius, Largus, and Smaragdus. They pursued their charities at the risk of their lives, and they worked vigorously alongside those who were growing very weak.
When Maximian heard of it, he ordered the beheading of Sisinius and an old man he had helped. Cyriacus was well known to Diocletian, who was fond of him. Suddenly Diocletian’s daughter became possessed by a demon, and she announced that only Cyriacus could deliver her. Diocletian sent for him, and he cured her. She became a Christian like her mother, Serena. A short time later the daughter of the king of Persia also became possessed, and cried out like Diocletian’s daughter that she could be delivered only by Cyriacus, who was in Rome. A message was sent to Diocletian, who asked his wife to persuade the deacon to go to Persia. He went with his two remaining Christian companions, and again he cast out the demon, thus bringing about the conversion of the king, his family, and four hundred persons, whom he baptized.
The three confessors returned to Rome, having refused all compensation for their services, saying that they had received the gifts of God freely and wished to share them freely. Maximian, hearing of their return in 303, had them seized, imprisoned, tortured, and finally beheaded with twenty other Christians. Their bodies were buried near the place of their execution on the Salarian Way but later were removed to the city. An abbey in France, at Altorf in Alsace, possesses relics of Cyriacus and bears his name.
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Laurence of Rome (Latin Laurentius, “laurelled”)
Archdeacon and martyr at Rome, supposedly roasted on a gridiron but probably beheaded, on 10 August 258.
Laurence or Lawrence (c. 225-258) was one of the seven deacons of ancient Rome who were martyred under the persecution of Emperor Valerian I in the year 258. The Acts of Laurence were lost by the time of Augustine, one of whose sermons on St Laurence (Sermo 302, de Sancto Laurent.) admits that his narration was gained from tradition instead of reciting the Acts as was his preferred custom. Such early legends made Laurence a native of Huesca (Roman Osca) in Hispania Tarraconensis who had received religious instruction from Archdeacon Sixtus in Rome. After Sixtus was elected bishop on 31 August 257, he ordained Laurence a deacon and placed him in charge of the administration of church goods and care for the poor. For this duty, he is regarded as one of the first archivists and treasurers of the church and is the patron of librarians.
In the persecutions under Valerian, numerous presbyters and bishops were put to death, while Christians belonging to the nobility or the senate were deprived of their goods and exiled. Sixtus II was one of the first victims, beheaded on 6 August 258. A legend cited by Ambrose of Milan says that Laurence met Sixtus on his way to execution, and is reported to have said: “Father, where are you going without your son? Holy priest, where are you hurrying to without your deacon? You have never offered sacrifice without an attendant. Are you displeased with me, my father? Have you found me unworthy? Prove, then, whether you have chosen a fitting servant. To him to whom you have trusted the distribution of the Savior’s blood, to him whom you have granted fellowship in the partaking of the Sacraments, why do you refuse this person a part in your death?” [Laurence may have said simply: “Father, don’t leave me! We shared the blood of Christ. Let’s share each other’s blood.”] Sixtus answered: “I am not leaving you or forsaking you. Greater struggles yet await you. We old men have to undergo an easier fight; a more glorious triumph over the Tyrant awaits you, young man. Don’t cry; after three days you will follow me.” Modern scholars tend to read this moving encounter as a literary invention. Augustine connects Laurence with the cup of the mass: “For in that church, you see, as you have regularly been told, he performed the office of deacon; it was there that he administered the sacred cup of Christ’s blood.”
After the death of Sixtus, the prefect of Rome demanded that Laurence turn over the riches of the church. Ambrose is the earliest source for the tale that Laurence asked for three days to gather together the wealth. Laurence worked swiftly to distribute as much church property to the poor as possible, so as to prevent its being seized by the prefect. [According to legend, among the treasures entrusted to Laurence for safe-keeping was the cup from which Jesus and the apostles drank at the Last Supper. Laurence was able to spirit this away to Huesca in Spain, to his parents, with a letter and a supposed inventory. He entrusted the cup to a friend he knew would travel back to Spain, his home country. While the cup’s exact journey through the centuries is disputed, it is generally accepted that it was sent by his family to a monastery for preservation and veneration. Historical records indicate that this cup has been venerated and preserved by a number of monks and monasteries through the ages. Today the cup is in a special chapel in the cathedral of Valencia, in the region of Laurence’s birth and early life.]
On the third day, at the head of a small delegation, he presented himself to the prefect. When ordered to give up the treasures of the church, he presented the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the suffering, and said that these were the true treasures of the church. One account records him declaring to the prefect, “The church is truly rich, far richer than your emperor.” This act of defiance led to his martyrdom. It is said that Laurence was burned on a gridiron or “grilled” to death. According to legend, at the point of death he exclaimed, “I am done on this side! Turn me over and eat.” (More likely, he was beheaded like his bishop and fellow deacons.)
By tradition, Laurence was sentenced at San Lorenzo in Miranda, martyred at San Lorenzo in Panisperna, and buried in the Via Tiburtina in the Catacomb of Cyriaca by Hippolytus and Justinus, a presbyter. Constantine I is said to have built a small oratory in honor of the martyr, which was a station on the itineraries of the graves of the Roman martyrs by the seventh century. Pope Damasus I rebuilt or repaired the church, now known as San Lorenzo fuori le Mura, while the minor basilica of San Lorenzo in Panisperna was built over the place of his martyrdom. The gridiron of the martyrdom was placed by Pope Paschal II in the church of San Lorenzo in Lucina. One of the early sources for the martyrdom of Saint Laurence was the description by Aurelius Prudentius Clemens in his Peristephanon, Hymn II.
In western art Laurence is usually depicted holding a gridiron and wearing a dalmatic. In icons he is vested as an Orthodox deacon, sometimes shown with a gridiron, sometimes holding a church building in his left hand and a censer in his right.
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Euplus
Archdeacon of Catania in Sicily and martyr, racked and killed for having a copy of the gospels, during the persecution of Diocletian, beheaded in 304.
Always carrying the gospels with him, Euplus preached constantly to the pagans about Christ. Once, while he read and explained the gospel to the gathered crowd, the authorities arrested him and took him to the governor of Catania, Calvisianus. Euplus confessed himself a Christian and denounced the impiety of idol-worship. For this, the authorities sentenced him to torture. They threw the injured saint into prison, where he remained in prayer for seven days. The Lord made a spring of water flow into the prison for the martyr to quench his thirst.
Brought to trial a second time, strengthened, and rejoicing, he again confessed his faith in Christ and denounced the torturer for spilling the blood of innocent Christians. The judge commanded that his ears be torn off, and that he be beheaded. When they led Euclus to execution, they hung the gospels around his neck. Having asked time for prayer, the archdeacon began to read and explain the gospel to the people, and many of the pagans believed in Christ. The soldiers beheaded him with a sword. His holy relics are in the village of Vico della Batonia, near Naples.
Theodor
Deacon and martyr, monk of the Monastery of the Caves near Kiev in the Ukraine, killed with monk Basil in 1088.
Theodor distributed his riches to the poor, went to the monastery, and settled into the Varangian Cave, adjoining the Caves of St Theodosius. He lives here many years in strict temperance. When the devil aroused sorrow in him for giving away his possessions, Basil comforted him: “I implore you, brother Theodor, do not forget the reward. If you want to have possessions, take everything that is mine.” Theodor repented and dearly loved Basil, with whom he lived in the cell.
Once, Basil was on an errand outside the monastery for three months. The devil, having assumed his form, appeared to Theodor and indicated that there was a treasure hidden somewhere in the cave by robbers. The monk still wanted to leave the monastery to buy possessions to live in the world. When Basil returned, the demonic illusion disappeared. From that time, Theodor started to be more attentive to himself. In order not to be distracted by idle thoughts during moments of inactivity, he set up a millstone, and by night he ground grain. Thus, by long and zealous ascetic action he freed himself from the passion of avarice.
A report reached Prince Mstislav Svyatopolkovich that Theodor had found much treasure in the cave. He summoned the monk to him and commanded him to show him the spot where the valuables were hidden. Theodor told the prince that indeed he had once seen gold and precious vessels in the cave, but fearing temptation, he and Basil had buried the treasure, and God took from him the memory of where it was hidden. Not believing Theodor, the prince gave orders to torture him to death. The guards beat Theodor so much that his hair-shirt was wet with blood, and then they suspended him head-downwards, lighting a fire beneath him. In a drunken condition the prince commanded them to torture Basil also, and then to kill him with an arrow. Dying, Basil threw the arrow at the feet of Prince Mstislav and predicted that he himself would soon be mortally wounded by it.
The prophecy was fulfilled on 15 July 1099 during an internecine war with David Igorevich. On the wall of the Vladimir fortress, Prince Mstislav was suddenly struck in the chest by an arrow through an opening in the timbers, and on the following night he died. Recognizing his own arrow, the prince said: “I die because of the monastic martyrs Basil and Theodor.”
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Titus
Deacon and martyr, put to death by a soldier during the sack of Rome by the Visigoths, while distributing alms to the poor, in 410.
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Boniface
Deacon and martyr, with companion monks in North Africa, killed by Arians in 483.
The other martyrs were: abbot Liberatus, subdeacons Servus and Rusticus, monks Rogatus and Septimus, and Maximus, a child educated in the monastery. All were martyred under the Arian King Huneric.
James the Deacon
Italian monk who accompanied Paulinus on his mission to Northumbria, died late 7th c.
James accompanied Paulinus of York on his mission to the court of King Edwin of Deira in 625 with Edwin’s bride Æthelburh, sister of King Eadbald of Kent. After the death of Edwin in battle at Hatfield against Penda of Mercia and Caedwalla in 632, Paulinus fled to Kent, leaving James, “the one heroic figure in the Roman mission,” in Northumbria. Bede writes that James lived in a village near Catterick, which “bears his name to this day.” He reports that James undertook missionary work in the area and lived to a great age. James was present at the Synod of Whitby in Bede’s account of events there. Bede tells us that after this, and the return of Roman customs, James, as a trained singing master in the Roman and Kentish style, taught many people plainsong or Gregorian chant in the Roman manner. It has been suggested that James was Bede’s informant for the life of Edwin, the works of Paulinus, and perhaps for the Synod of Whitby, which would place his death some years after the birth of Bede in about 672.
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Geert Groote (also Gerrit or Gerhard Groet, in Latin Gerardus Magnus)
Deacon, preacher, monastic founder, and victim of the plague, in 1384.
Geert Groote was born in 1340 in Deventer in the diocese of Utrecht, where his father held a good civic position. He studied at Aachen, then went to the University of Paris when only fifteen. Here he studied scholastic philosophy and theology at the Sorbonne under a pupil of William of Occam, from whom he imbibed the nominalist conception of philosophy; in addition he studied canon law, medicine, astronomy, and even magic, and apparently some Hebrew. After a brilliant course he graduated in 1358. He pursued his studies still further in Cologne. In 1366 he visited the papal court at Avignon. About this time he was appointed to a canonry in Utrecht and to another in Aachen, and the life of the brilliant young scholar was rapidly becoming luxurious, secular, and selfish, when a great spiritual change passed over him which resulted in a final renunciation of every worldly enjoyment.
This conversion, in 1374, appears to have been due partly to the effects of a dangerous illness and partly to the influence of Henry de Calcar, the learned and pious prior of the Carthusian monastery at Munnikhuizen near Arnhem, who had remonstrated with him on the vanity of his life. About 1376 Gerhard retired to this monastery and there spent three years in meditation, prayer, and study, without, however, becoming a Carthusian. In 1379, having received ordination as a deacon, he became a missionary preacher throughout the diocese of Utrecht.
The success which followed his labors not only in the town of Utrecht, but also in Zwolle, Deventer, Kampen, Amsterdam, Haarlem, Gouda, Leiden, Delft, Zutphen, and elsewhere, was immense. According to Thomas à Kempis, the people left their business and their meals to hear his sermons, so that the churches could not hold the crowds that flocked together wherever he came. The bishop of Utrecht supported him warmly, and got him to preach against concubinage in the presence of the clergy assembled in synod.
His impartial censures, which he directed not only against the prevailing sins of the laity, but also against heresy, simony, avarice, and impurity among the secular and regular clergy, provoked the hostility of the clergy, and accusations of heterodoxy were brought against him. It was in vain that Groote emitted a Publica Protestatio, in which he declared that Jesus was the great subject of his discourses, that in all of them he believed himself to be in harmony with Catholic doctrine, and that he willingly subjected them to the candid judgment of the Roman Church. The bishop was induced to issue an edict which prohibited from preaching all who were not in priest’s orders, and an appeal to Urban VI was without effect. There is a difficulty as to the date of this prohibition; either it was only a few months before Groote’s death, or else it must have been removed by the bishop, for Groote seems to have preached in public in the last year of his life.
At some period (perhaps 1381, perhaps earlier) he paid a visit of some days’ duration to the famous mystic John Ruysbroeck, prior of the Augustinian canons at Groenendaal near Brussels. At this visit was formed Groote’s attraction for the rule and life of the Augustinian canons which was destined to bear such notable fruit. At the close of his life he was asked by some of the clerics who attached themselves to him to form them into a religious order and Groote resolved that they should be canons regular of St Augustine. No time was lost in the effort to carry out the project, but Groote died before a foundation could be made. In 1387 however, a site was secured at Windesheim, some 20 miles north of Deventer, and here was established the monastery that became the cradle of the Windesheim congregation of canons regular embracing in course of time nearly one hundred houses, and leading the way in the series of reforms undertaken during the 15th century by all the religious orders in Germany. The initiation of this movement was the great achievement of Groote’s life; he lived to preside over the birth and first days of his other creation, the society of Brethren of the Common Life. He died of the plague at Deventer in 1384, at the age of 44.
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Archelaus
Deacon and martyr, with bishop Quiriacus of Ostia, presbyter Maximus, and others, martyred at Ostia (harbor city of ancient Rome) during the reign of Emperor Claudius II Gothicus (268-270).
The Acts of the Martyrs at Ostia on the Tiber tell the story of a girl of royal descent named Chryse in Greek and Aurea in Latin, or Goldie. Under the orders of Claudius, they were persecuted and martyred by the vicarius urbis (city governor) named Ulpius Romulus.
First the men were killed. The Acts record:
“Then Romulus said: ‘These men should die.’ And he ordered that Quiriacus the bishop, the holy Maximus the presbyter, Archelaus the deacon, and all the soldiers be beheaded near the arch [of Caracalla] in front of the theatre. He ordered that their bodies be thrown into the sea. The blessed Eusebius collected the bodies, hiding them near the seashore, in the fields, and burying them near Rome in the necropolis of the Via Ostiensis. He secretly buried Taurinus and Herculanus in Portus Romae. He put the blessed Theodorus the tribune to rest in his own mausoleum, and collected all the others, and put them to rest near the bodies of the holy Quiriacus the bishop and Maximus the presbyter.”
Five days later Chryse was tortured and thrown into the sea to drown. Her body was washed ashore, and on 24 August it was buried on her estate outside Ostia.
From the Latin translation of an ancient Greek manuscript in the Vatican, published by Simone de Magistris in 1795. There is also an ancient Latin version of the same story, with slight differences (Acta Sanctorum, Augustus IV, 757 ff.).
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Nemesius
Deacon and martyr, with his daughter Lucilla, beheaded at Rome under Valerian, in 257.
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