September 30 -- today's saints and blesseds

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Jmj

On September 30, 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. Jerome of Strido (Dalmatian [from part of what is now Croatia], convert at 18, hermit priest in Syria and Bethlehem, prolific writer, secretary to pope, translated Bible into Latin [Vulgate] over 30 years, Doctor and Father of the Church, died at about age 72 in 419)

Bl. Conrad of Urach [Konrad] (German, Cisterician abbot in Belgium, cardinal bishop of Porto and Santa Rufina in Italy, Cistercian superior general, papal legate, combated Albigensian heretics in France, preached crusade in Germany, died in Italy at about age 47 in 1227)
St. Enghenedl (Welsh, 7th century)
Bl. Frederick Albert of Turin [Federico] (Italian, priest, founded Congregation of the Vincentian Sisters of Mary Immaculate [Albertines], died at age 55 in 1876 [beatified 1984])
St. Gregory the Illuminator of Ashtishat (Armenian, bishop, died at about age 75 in 332)
St. Honoratus of Rome (Italian, Benedictine monk, missionary in Britain, bishop of Lincoln, archbishop of Canterbury, d. 653)
St. Laurus of Brittany (Welsh, abbot in France, 7th century)
St. Leopardus (slave, martyred in Rome in 362)
St. Midan of Anglesey (Welsh, missionary, d. 610)
St. Simon of Crépy (French, nobleman, monk, died in Rome at age 36 in 1082)
Sts. Tancred, Torthred, and Tova, of Thorney (Danish, hermits, martyred in 870)
Sts. Ursus and Victor (soldiers, martyred in Egypt in 286)

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. Additional 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), September 30, 2004

Answers

[St. Jerome, writing in 406 A.D., on one aspect of the Communion of Saints that has been attacked by many of our separated brethren:]

"You say in your book that while we live we are able to pray for each other, but afterwards when we have died, the prayer of no person for another can be heard. ... But if the apostles and martyrs while still in the body can pray for others, at a time when they ought still be solicitous about themselves, how much more will they do so after their crowns, victories, and triumphs?" --- (from "Against Vigilantius")

-- ("jfgecik@hotmail.com), September 30, 2004.


[Note: I am copying the following (indented) message from the old, obsolete "saints" thread for this day of the year, so that the old thread can later be deleted. JFG]


St Jerome was one mean, ornery SOB (and I don't mean a dyslexic Benedictine). Although one would be hard pressed to consider him "perfect", he is also considered a saint. I have a framed color- printed version of a famous El Greco painting of St. Jerome, anachronistically dressed in cardinal's robes, on the wall of my bedroom.

As an amateur student of the Bible I also am interested in the history of interpretation and interpreters. I have been attracted and repulsed by St. Jerome who probably lived from 331-420 (there is some uncertainly on the date of his birth). Undoubtedly the best scripture scholar of his time he is considered one of the Doctors of the Church. He is best known for his work on the Latin Vulgate. He also had the famous saying from the prologue of his commentary on Isaiah, included in the Vatican II Constitution on Divine Revelation (DEI VERBUM), that "Ignorance of the scriptures is ignorance of Christ".

Despite his brilliance and faith, he had a number of troublesome features including being quite cantankerous, vicious, and abusive to those who disagreed with him. Unless you were in his [current] circle of intimate friends and students, you could be subject to some nasty abuse. Even former friends were susceptible.

One of my scripture professors once jokingly(?) commented that Jerome being "canonized" proves that all scripture exegetes must automatically get to heaven, despite anything else. I remembered from reading in the history of the transmission of the biblical text that Jerome had referred to some opponents who criticized some of his work in correcting the Old Latin Gospels into the Vulgate as "two- legged [jack]asses".

I took from one of my bookshelves the "standard" English book on Jerome which I had read years ago: J.N.D. Kelly, JEROME: HIS LIFE, WRITINGS AND CONTROVERSIES (New York: Harper+Row, 1975). Just skimming quickly through it I found numerous examples of Jerome's abusive language in addition to the above mentioned "two-legged asses".

A former close friend, Rufinus, with whom Jerome had had a falling-out was called "the Scorpion", "the many-headed sea serpent", and the "Grunting Pig". Pelagius, a British monk, with whom Jerome and Augustine (and many others) had strong disagreements on theological views was called "a dolt weighed down with Scots porridge". I could have found more examples even in Kelly's book but these suffice to show that Jerome could be quite nasty at times.

Although this abusive side of the saint may not be the side to emulate, perhaps St. Jerome could be adopted as one of the patron saints of this list since we, unfortunately, follow his ancient example in our language too often.

-- Edward Pothier -- September 30, 2002.



-- ("jfgecik@hotmail.com), September 30, 2004.

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