MEMORIAL OF SAINT THOMAS OF VILLANOVA, BISHOP OF VALENCIA; SAINT MAURICE AND THE THEBAN LEGION, SOLDIERS AND MARTYRS; SAINT EMMERAMMUS, BISHOP AND SAINT IGNATIUS OF SANTHIA, PRIEST ~ FEAST SEPTEMBER 22ND: Today, we celebrate the Memorial of Saint Thomas of Villanova, Bishop of Valencia; Saint Maurice and the Theban Legion, Soldiers and Martyrs; Saint Emmerammus, Bishop and Saint Ignatius of Santhia, Priest. Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and the Saints on this feast day, we humbly pray for the safety and well-being of those in the military. We pray for the sick and dying, especially those who are mentally and physically ill, arthritis and those suffering from cancers and other terminal diseases. We pray for the souls in Purgatory and the repose of the souls of the faithful departed. We pray for all widows and widowers. We pray for the poor and needy, 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 THOMAS OF VILLANOVA, BISHOP OF VALENCIA: Saint Thomas of Villanova, was a 16th century Spanish Augustinian monk and archbishop who lived a life of austerity in order to provide for the spiritual and material needs of his people. Born Thomas Garcia during 1488 in the Spanish region of Castile, in the town of Villanova de los Infantes. St.Thomas was raised to take after the faith and charitable works of his parents Alphonsus and Lucia. His father, a mill worker, regularly distributed food and provisions to the poor, as did his mother. Generous and devout from an early age, their son was also intellectually gifted, beginning his studies at the University of Alcala at age 16. Within ten years he had become a professor of philosophy at that same university, where he taught for two years before being offered a more prestigious position at the University of Salamanca. St. Thomas, however, chose not to continue his academic career. After his father’s death, he had determined to leave much of his inheritance to the poor and sick rather than retaining it himself. At age 28, after much deliberation, St. Thomas embraced a life of chastity, poverty, and religious obedience with his entry into the monastic Order of St. Augustine. St. Thomas made his first vows as an Augustinian in 1517 and was ordained a priest in 1518. He taught theology within his order and became renowned for his eloquent and effective preaching in the churches of Salamanca. This led to his appointment as a court preacher and adviser to the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V.
Presented with the prospect of being named an archbishop, St. Thomas initially declined and instead continued his work within the Order of St. Augustine, during a period that saw its expansion across the sea to Mexico. In August of 1544, however, he was ordered by his religious superiors to accept his appointment as the Archbishop of Valencia. St. Thomas arrived wearing the same well-worn monastic habit that he had worn for several years and would continue wearing for years to come. Given a donation to decorate his residence, he funnelled the money to a hospital in need of repair. After his installation, he visited local prisons and ordered changes to be made in response to their inhumane conditions. While continuing his life of monastic asceticism, the archbishop, St. Thomas worked to improve the spiritual lives and living conditions of the faithful. He gave special attention to the needs of the poor, feeding and sheltering them in his own residence. During the same period he worked to promote education, restore religious orthodoxy, and reform the lifestyles of clergy and laypersons. After 11 years leading the Archdiocese of Valencia, St. Thomas of Villanova succumbed to a heart condition at the end of a Mass held in his home on September 8, 1555. He is said to have died on the floor rather than in his bed, which he insisted on offering to a poor man who had come to his house. Pope Alexander VII canonized him in 1658. Saint Thomas of Villanova is the Patron Saint of Villanova University.
Saint Thomas of Villanova, Bishop ~ Pray for us 🙏
SAINT MAURICE AND THE THEBAN LEGION, SOLDIERS AND MARTYRS: Saint Maurice and Companions, called the Theban Legion (also known as the Martyrs of Agaunum), were Christian soldiers who were massacred in Switzerland because they refused to offer sacrifices to pagan gods. St. Maurice was an officer in the Theban Legion, a unit in the army of the Emperor Maximian Herculius. This Legion, from Upper Egypt, was entirely Christian, and when Maximian ordered his soldiers at Octodurum (now called Martigny, Switzerland) to sacrifice to the gods as a way of ensuring victory in battle, Maurice and two other officers led the Theban Legion in refusing, and the legion withdrew to Agaunum (now St.-Maurice, in the Swiss Canton of Valais). With Maurice encouraging the legionnaires to remain constant, even after the Emperor had the legion decimated (every tenth man killed), the legionnaires answered, “We have arms in our hands, but we do not resist because we would rather die innocent than live by any sin.” Maximian ordered the rest of his army to kill the Christian legionnaires. The Theban legion numbered about 6,600 men, but the actual number killed remains unclear. Others were martyred for refusing to share in the spoils of the legionnaires. St. Eucherius, a fifth-century bishop of Lyons, noted that many miracles took place at the shrine of these martyrs. They are buried under the Basilica of St.-Maurice-en-Valais in Switzerland. Patron Saint against gout; against cramping; against arthritis; Alpine troops; armies; Austria; clothmakers; dyers; infantrymen; Piedmont, Italy; Sardinia; soldiers; swordsmiths; weavers.
Saint Maurice and the Theban Legion, Soldiers and Martyrs ~ Pray for us 🙏
SAINT EMMERAMMUS, BISHOP: St. Emmerammus lived in the 7th century and is known to have preached the Gospel in Poitiers as a missionary (and possibly even Bishop). He then decided to bring the faith to the pagans in Germany and Bavaria. When he got there, he was asked by Duke Theodo to minister to his subjects in Regensberg. The Saint remained there three years, leading to conversion of a goodly number. Then Emmerammus decided to make a pilgrimage to Rome. As the story goes, Uta, the daughter of the Duke, was expecting a child out of wedlock. Uta named Emmerammus as the father. When Duke Theodo and his son Lantpert learned of Uta’s pregnancy, Lantpert went after the man of God. Lantpert caught up with him and apparently treated him very badly. Although the Saint escaped from going back, he died from his injuries when he reached Feldkirchen, about the year 690. The Revised Martyrology states that St. Emmerammus was “slain for Christ’s sake”, and the Church regards him as a Bishop even though his name does not appear on the episcopal lists of any See.
PRAYER: Lord, through St. Emmeramus, Your Bishop, You brought those who had no faith out of darkness into the light of Truth. By his intercession, keep us strong in our faith and steadfast in the hope of the Gospel he preached. Amen 🙏
SAINT IGNATIUS OF SANTHIA, PRIEST: St. Ignatius of Santhia (1686-1770) was born in Italy to an upper-class family. He received his early education from a devout priest, a relative of his mother, who inspired him to join the priesthood. He studied philosophy and theology, and after his ordination served as a diocesan priest for six years. St. Ignatius earned a reputation as an excellent preacher of retreats and missions, and he had a promising future within the diocese. His family and parishioners were surprised and disappointed when he decided to join the Capuchin Franciscans in Turin as a poor, humble friar. However, St. Ignatius flourished in the poverty and simplicity of the Franciscan way of life. He became well-known for his wisdom and sanctity, and many people from all walks of life came to him for confession and spiritual direction. He had a great devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary and prayed the rosary faithfully. He served God with humble obedience and inspired this virtue in the Franciscan novices over whom he had charge. He spent his last years on a sickbed where he continued to hear confessions and give direction to his visitors. St. Ignatius of Santhia’s feast day is September 22nd.
Saint Ignatius of Santhia, Priest ~ Pray for us 🙏