MEMORIAL OF SAINT CELINE, MOTHER OF SAINT REMIGIUS; SAINT URSULA AND COMPANIONS, MARTYRS AND SAINT HILARION (HILARY), HERMIT ~ FEAST DAY – OCTOBER 21ST: Today, we celebrate the Memorial of Saint Celine, Mother of Saint Remigius; Saints Ursula and Companions, Martyrs and Saint Hilarion (Hilary), Hermit. Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and the Saints on this feast day, we humbly pray for God’s Divine Grace and Mercy upon us all. We pray for the success, safety, and well-being of all our children, students, teachers and educators. We pray for the sick and dying, especially those who are mentally and physically ill and those suffering from cancers and other terminal diseases. We pray for peace, love, and unity in our marriages, our families, and our world. We pray for the poor, the needy and the most vulnerable. We pray for the souls in Purgatory and the repose of the souls of the faithful departed. We pray for all widows and widowers. 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 CELINE, MOTHER OF SAINT REMIGIUS: St. Celine is best known as the mother of two Saints: St. Principius, Bishop of Soissons, and St. Remigius, Bishop of Rheims at the time of the conversion of the people of Gaul under Clovis. Very few details about her life are known. About 438, at an advanced age, St. Celine miraculously gave birth to St. Remigius. Immediately after giving birth, about 438, she also gave sight to the hermit, Montanus, who had three times foretold the birth of the saintly Bishop. She lived a holy life of prayer and doing good works and assiduous prayer. She died attaining the rewards of heaven about the year 458. She was buried near Lyons. probably at Cerny, where she had lived. Unfortunately her relics were destroyed during the French Revolution.
PRAYER: God, You inspired St. Celine to strive for perfect charity and so attain Your Kingdom at the end of her pilgrimage on earth. Strengthen us through her intercession that we may advance rejoicing in the way of love. Amen 🙏
SAINT URSULA AND COMPANIONS, MARTYRS: The historical evidence of St. Ursula’s life has been lost in the mist of time. However, the relationship between Angela and Ursula is strong, and led to Angela placing her Company under the patronage of St Ursula. She wanted her companions to be imbued with the Spirit of Ursula. As legend tells us Ursula, was the daughter of a Christian king living in Britain in the 4th Century. She grew into a young woman of deep faith. The king of a larger more powerful kingdom asked for her hand in marriage for his son. Fearful of the superior strength of the other king’s army she agreed, however, she asked for some time before the marriage took place. With great confidence she requested that the marriage would not take place until “her husband to be” converted to Christianity and that they undertake a pilgrimage to the Holy Land and Rome. Then on their return they would marry. Eager to have her as his bride the prince agreed to her requests. Ursula together with her entourage of maidens, companions and “her husband to be” began their pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Strong winds blew them off course and they eventually arrived in Cologne. While Ursula and her companions were in Cologne she had a dream that they would be martyred on their return. Undaunted by this dream she prepared her companions and together they faced their death with great courage, conviction and faith.
A basilica was built in Cologne dedicated to virgin martyrs as far back as the 3rd century. It was rebuilt in the middle ages by Clematius. This is fact. Many and varied legends of Ursula exist, and much of this information is conjectural. “What is fact is that in the far off past, in a known place, virgins chose to suffer death rather than be false to their love of Christ.” (Teresa Ledochowska, osu Angela Merici and the Company of St Ursula). Patron Saint of Catholic education (especially of girls); Cologne, Germany; educators; holy death; schoolchildren; students; teachers; Ursuline order.
Saint Ursula and Companions, Martyrs ~ Pray for us 🙏
SAINT HILARION (HILARY), HERMIT: St. Hilarion was born at Tabatha near Gaza, Palestine, in the year 291. His pagan parents sent him, while still a youth, to study at Alexandria. He was remarkable for his diligence and good manners, and he shortly became a convert to Christianity, making great progress in faith and charity. He was zealous in visiting churches, in fasting and prayer, in scorning all earthly joys and pleasures. Lured by the fame of St. Anthony, Egypt’s illustrious hermit, he entered the desert and for two months remained his disciple. While absent, his parents died. Now Hilarion gave all he had to the poor, and although hardly fifteen years old (306), he returned to the desert, built a little hut scarcely large enough to accommodate himself, and slept on the bare ground.
Most of his time was spent in reading and in meditating upon holy Scripture. A few figs and a little soup from herbs sufficed for his nourishment, but this he never took before the setting of the sun. Because of his mortifications and humility, he triumphed over fierce assaults by the evil one and healed many who were possessed. After founding numerous hermitages (he had two thousand followers) and working countless miracles, he became ill at the age of eighty. In his last agony he encouraged himself by saying: “Go thither, my soul, why do you fear? Why do you tremble? Seventy years you have served Christ, and now you fear death?” The day of Hilarion’s death is given as October 21, 371. His grave is on the island of Cyprus. St. Jerome wrote the life of the holy hermit twenty years after his death.
Saint Hilarion, Hermit ~ Pray for us 🙏