MEMORIAL OF SAINT REGINA, VIRGIN AND MARTYR AND SAINT CLOUD (CLODOALD), PRIEST ~ FEAST DAY: SEPTEMBER 7TH: Today, we celebrate the Memorial of Saint Regina, Virgin and Martyr and Saint Cloud (Clodoald), Priest. Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and the Saints on this feast day, we humbly pray for all victims of abuse and torture. We pray for the sick and dying, especially those suffering from cancers and other terminal diseases. We pray for the poor and needy and for peace, love, and unity in our marriages, our families and our world. And we continue to pray for our Holy Father, the Bishops, the Clergy, for vocations to the priesthood and religious life, for the Church, for persecuted christians, for the conversion of sinners, and Christians all over the world…. Amen🙏
SAINT REGINA (REINE), VIRGIN AND MARTYR: St. Regina (d. 286 A.D.) was born in the 3rd century to pagan parents in Alise, France, formerly a large ancient town called Alesia, famous for the siege which Caesar laid to it, where two hundred years earlier Vercingetorix had fought so valiantly against Caesar, now a small village in the diocese of Autun in Burgundy. St. Regina’s mother died at childbirth and her father was a prominent man who was a pagan. St. Regina’s father hired a Christian nurse to raise St. Regina. While St. Regina was quite young the nurse secretly baptized St. Regina and raised her in the Christian faith. St. Regina became more and more religious as she grew older and her embrace of Christianity became evident. When her father learned that she had been baptized, he disowned her. St. Regina then went to live with her Christian nurse and worked in the fields to earn money. They lived in poverty, and St. Regina tended sheep to help support the household. While working, she meditated on the love and mercy of God. This solitude allowed her time to pray and meditate on the lives of the Saints.
When Regina was 15 years old, the prefect of Gaul, a Roman proconsul named Olybrius noticed Regina and became determined to marry her. He discovered that she was of noble race and of the Christian Faith. He became greatly disturbed and was unhappy that she was a Christian. Olybrius asked her to renounce her faith in order to save her life and secure a prosperous marriage with him. He tried to convince her to deny her faith but she not only refused but proclaimed her faith even louder. St. Regina staunchly refused to deny her faith, having already taken a vow of virginity to Christ. For her defiance she was cast into prison while Olybrius went to ward off the incursions of the barbarians. She was chained to the walls of the cell with an iron belt. Hoping that her resolve would gradually weaken, Olybrius visited her in prison and asked her once more to renounce her faith. St. Regina’s determination only increased with time, and she again refused to deny her faith. Olybrius, angered, had her severely tortured with her body being whipped and scourged, burned, and raked. Finally she was beheaded and she went forth to meet her heavenly Bridegroom. She died in the year 286. A.D. Many were converted after seeing a solitary dove hover over her during the torture. After her death many miracles were attributed to her relics. The relics of St. Regina are enshrined and kept with great devotion in the neighboring Abbey of Flavigni, a league distant, whither they were translated in 864, and where they have been rendered famous by miracles and pilgrimages, of which a history is published by two monks of that abbey. According to tradition, St. Regina’s martyrdom happened in the persecution of Decius, in 251, or under Maximian Herecleus in 286, as different Martyrologies disagree. She is honored in many ancient Martyrologies. St. Regina is honored as a martyr for the faith. She’s depicted as experiencing the torments of martyrdom; or as receiving spiritual consolation in prison by a vision of a dove on a luminous cross. St. Regina is the Patron Saint of poor people, against poverty, shepherdesses, and for abuse and torture victims. Her feast day is September 7th.
PRAYER: Lord God, You showered heavenly gifts on St. Regina. Help us to imitate her virtues during our earthly life and enjoy eternal happiness with her in heaven. Amen 🙏
SAINT CLOUD (CLODOALD), PRIEST: Saint Clodoald (522 – c. 560), better known as St. Cloud was born in 522 and is the first and most illustrious Saint among the princes of the royal family of the first race in France. He was a grandson of King Clovis of the Franks and the youngest son of King Clodomir of Orleans, the eldest son of St. Clotilda. St. Cloud was scarce three years old when his father was killed in Burgundy; but he and his brothers were raised in Paris by their grandmother St. Clotilda, Queen of the Franks who loved them extremely. Their ambitious uncles divided the kingdom of Orleans between them. St. Cloud was one of three brothers, all of whom were targeted for assassination by their uncle, Clotaire I. Two of his brothers, Theodoald and Gunther, were slain at the ages of ten and nine respectively by their uncle Clotaire, king of the Franks from 558-561. St. Clodoald, eight survived by escaping to Provence France. St. Clodoald renounced the world and all claims to the throne and devoted himself to the service of God in a monastic state. He lived as a studious hermit and disciple of Saint Severinus of Noricum, a holy recluse who lived near Paris, from whose hands he received the monastic habit.
Wishing to live unknown to the world, he withdrew secretly into Provence, but his hermitage being made public. Visited by many for counsel and healing, St. Clodoald in effect gained nothing by keeping himself remote from society. He therefore returned to Paris, where he was received with joy. At the people’s request, he was ordained a priest by Bishop Eusebius of Paris in 551, and served the church for some time in the functions of the sacred ministry. Afterward St. Cloud retired to and established a holy place at Nogent-sur-Seine, known as St. Cloud, two leagues below Paris, where he built a monastery that is now a collegiate church of canons regular called Saint Cloud wherein his relics are kept. Here he assembled many pious men, who fled out of the world for fear of losing their souls in it. St. Cloud was regarded by them as their superior, and he animated them to all virtue both by word and example. He was indefatigable in instructing and exhorting the people of the neighboring country, and piously ended his days. St. Cloud remained and died at Nogent in about the year 560, and the major part of his relics remain still in the parochial church of the village. The village hosting his tomb was renamed Saint Cloud accordingly. He’s the Patron Saint against carbuncles; nail makers; Diocese of Saint Cloud, Minnesota; France.
Saint Cloud (Clodoald), Priest ~ Pray for us 🙏