Jmj

Today, December 27, we members of the Catholic Church family honor, in a special way, the following friends of God -- saints whose souls are now in heaven:

St. John bar Zebedee [John the Evangelist, John the Divine, John the Theologian, the Beloved Disciple, a "Son of Thunder"] (Galilean Israelite, apostle of Jesus, witness at Calvary, guardian of Our Lady, virgin, author of fourth gospel, author of three epistles, possible author of the Book of Revelation, exile on Patmos, died probably in Ephesus [modern Turkey] c. 101 [last apostle to die, only non-martyr], my patron saint)
Bl. Adelheidis of Tennenbach (German, Cistercian nun, d. 1273)
Bl. Bonaventure Tolomei (Italian, Dominican friar, cared for plague victims, d. 1348)
St. Fabiola (Roman, wealthy widow, cared for sick poor, d. 399)
Bl. Hesso of Beinwil (German, Benedictine abbot, d. 1133)
St. John Stone (English, erudite theologian, Augustinian priest, martyred [drawn, hanged, quartered] in 1538 or 1539 [canonized 1970])
St. Maximus of Alexandria (Egyptian, bishop, d. 282)
St. Nicarete of Constantinople (from Asia Minor [Turkish], virgin, c. 405)
Sts. Theodore and Theophanes of Kerak ["The Graptoi (branded)"] (Moabite [Jordanian], biological brothers, monks in Jerusalem [later priest and archbishop], tortured and branded by iconoclasts, died c. 841 [Theodore, martyred] and 845 [Theophanes] in Asia Minor [Turkey])
Bl. Walto of Wessobrünn [also known as Balto] (Bavarian, Benedictine abbot, miracle worker, d. 1156)

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), December 27, 2001

Answers

[In Greek, the following text was cut by iconoclasts, over a two-day period, into the foreheads of the brothers Graptoi]:

"These men have appeared at Jerusalem as vessels full of the iniquity of superstitious error, and were driven thence for their crimes. Having fled to Constantinople, they forsook not their impiety. Wherefore they have been banished from thence and thus stigmatized on their faces."

-- (_@_._), December 27, 2001.

Jmj

On December 27, 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:

St. John son of Zebedee of Galilee [Yohanan bar Zebedi] [also called John the Evangelist, John the Divine, John the Theologian, the Beloved Disciple, and one of the "Sons of Thunder"] (Israelite, apostle of Jesus, witness at Calvary, guardian of Our Lady, virgin, author of fourth gospel, author of three epistles, possible author of the Book of Revelation, exile on Patmos, died probably in Ephesus [modern Turkey] c. 101 [last apostle to die, only non-martyr])

Bl. Adelaide of Tennenbach [Adelheidis] (German, Cistercian nun, d. 1273)
Bl. Bonaventure Tolomei of Siena [Bonaventura] [baptized Giovanni (John)] (Italian, Dominican friar, cared for plague victims, d. 1348)
St. Fabiola of Rome (Italian, wealthy widow, cared for sick poor, d. 399)
Bl. Hesso of Beinwil (German, Benedictine abbot, d. 1133)
St. John Stone of Canterbury (English, erudite theologian, Augustinian priest, martyred [drawn, hanged, quartered] under Henry VIII in 1539 [canonized 1970])
St. Maximus of Alexandria (Egyptian, bishop, d. 282)
St. Nicarete of Constantinople (from Asia Minor [Turkish], virgin, c. 405)
Sts. Theodore and Theophanes of Kerak ["The Graptoi (branded)"] (Moabite [Jordanian], biological brothers, monks in Jerusalem [later priest and archbishop], tortured and branded by iconoclasts, died c. 841 [Theodore, martyred] and 845 [Theophanes] in Asia Minor [Turkey])
Bl. Walto of Wessobrünn [also known as Balto] (Bavarian, Benedictine abbot, miracle worker, d. 1156)

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), December 24, 2003.