Jmj

Today, April 1, 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. Berhard (French, bishop, d. 644)
Sts. Caidoc and Fricor (Irish, missionaries in France, 7th century)
St. Catherine Thomas of Palma [Catalina Tomás] (Spanish, orphan, Augustinian nun, mystic, d. 1574 [canonized 1930])
St. Cellach of Armagh (Irish, abbot, archbishop, 9th century)
St. Dodolin of Vienne (French, bishop, 7th century)
Bl. Gerard of Sassoferrato (Italian, Camaldolese monk, parish priest, d. 1367)
St. Gilbert of Caithness (Scottish, nobleman, bishop, d. 1245)
St. Hugh of Grenoble (French, bishop for 52 years, Benedictine monk during temporary retirement, d. 1132)
St. Hugh of Bonnevaux (French, nephew of St. Hugh of Grenoble, Cistercian abbot, d. 1194)
St. Jacqueline (Roman, orphan, hermitess in Greece and Sicily, d. 1220)
St. Leuconus (French, bishop, d. 666)
Bl. Ludovico Pavoni (Italian, priest, founder of Brothers of Mary Immaculate, d. 1849 [beatified 2001])
St. Macarius the Wonder-Worker [baptized Christopher] (Constantinopolitan [Turkish], abbot, c. 830)
St. Marcella (French, shepherdess)
St. Melito of Sardis (Lydian [Turkish], bishop, c. 180)
Bl. Nicholas of Neti (Sicilian, Cistercian monk, c. 1220)
Sts. Quintian and Irenaeus (Armenian, early martyrs)
St. Tewdric (Welsh, prince, hermit, 5th or 6th century)
St. Theodora (Roman, martyred in 132)
St. Venantius of Spalato (Dalmatian [Croatian], bishop, martyred c. 255)
Sts. Victor and Stephen (Egyptian, early martyrs)
St. Walaricus of Leucone (French, peasant shepherd, Benedictine abbot, c. 622)

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), April 03, 2002

Answers

-- (_@_._), April 03, 2002.

Jmj

On April 1, 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. Berhard of Amiens (French, bishop, d. 644)
Sts. Caidoc and Fricor of Centula (Irish, missionaries in France, 7th century)
St. Catherine Thomas of Palma [Catalina Tomás] (Spanish, orphan, Augustinian nun, mystic, d. 1574 [canonized 1930])
St. Cellach of Armagh (Irish, abbot, archbishop, 9th century)
St. Dodolin of Vienne (French, bishop, 7th century)
Bl. Gerard of Sassoferrato [Gerardo] (Italian, Camaldolese monk, parish priest, d. 1367)
St. Gilbert of Caithness (Scottish, nobleman, bishop, d. 1245)
St. Hugh of Bonnevaux [Hugues] (French, nephew of St. Hugh of Grenoble, Cistercian abbot, d. 1194)
St. Hugh of Grenoble [Hugues] (French, bishop for 52 years, Benedictine monk during temporary retirement, d. 1132)
St. Jacqueline of Rome [Giacolina] (Italian, orphan, hermitess in Greece and Sicily, d. 1220)
Bl. John Bretton of West Bretton [also known as Britton] (English, layman, martyred at about age 69 under Elizabeth I in 1598 [beatified 1987])
St. Leuconus of Troyes (French, bishop, d. 666)
Bl. Ludwig Pavoni of Brescia [Lodovico] (Italian, priest, founder of Brothers of Mary Immaculate, d. 1849 [beatified 2001])
St. Macarius the Wonder-Worker of Constantinople [baptized Christopher] (from Asia Minor [Turkish], abbot, c. 830)
St. Marcella of Auvergne (French, shepherdess)
St. Melito of Sardis (Lydian [Turkish], bishop, c. 180)
Bl. Nicholas of Neti [Niccola] (Sicilian, Cistercian monk, c. 1220)
Sts. Quintian and Irenaeus (Armenian, early martyrs)
St. Tewdric of Glamorgan (Welsh, prince, hermit, 5th or 6th century)
St. Theodora of Rome (Italian, martyred in 132)
St. Venantius of Spalato (Dalmatian [Croatian], bishop, martyred c. 255)
Sts. Victor and Stephen (Egyptian, early martyrs)
St. Walaricus of Leucone (French, peasant shepherd, Benedictine abbot, c. 622)

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), April 02, 2003.

HUGH OF BONNEVAUX Nephew of Saint Hugh of Grenoble. Cistercian Bendictine monk at Mezieres. Abbot of Leoncel in 1163. Monk at Bonnevaux in 1169. Noted for powers of divination, and as an exorcist. Mediated the conflict between Alexander III and Barbarossa in 1177.

JFG, what's up with Hugh of Bonnevaux having the powers of divination? I looked up divination in the dictionary and it says:the art or practice that seeks to foresee or foretell future events or discover hidden knowledge by the interpetation of omens or by the aid of supernatural powers. It sounds a little spooky to me! Can you shed more light on this saint and his powers?

Thanks & God Bless!

-- Choas (Choas@ivillage.com), April 03, 2003.

Jmj
Hello, Choas.

I know where you came across that phrase ("Noted for powers of divination ..."). I feel confident in reassuring you that St. Hugh of Bonnevaux was not involved in the serious sin of "divination." I think that the author of that phrase used a careless term (or perhaps an inaccurate translation from the French).
I trust, instead the following phrase, taken from a different site about the saints: "Hugh possessed singular powers of discernment and exorcism ..."

God bless you.
John

-- J. F. Gecik (jfgecik@hotmail.com), April 04, 2003.

Thanks JFG for the clarification.

Yes, discernment is a much better definition when referring to a saint.

Peace & Love

-- Choas (Coas@nomail.com), April 07, 2003.