St. Eadbert, May 6

[Katherine I Rabenstein]

+ Edbert (Eadbert) of Lindisfarne, OSB B (RM)
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Died 698. When St. Cuthbert (f.d. March 20), bishop of Lindisfarne, died
in 687, he was succeeded by St. Edbert. Edbert, wrote the venerable
Bede, was a man noted for his knowledge of the Scriptures and for his
obedience to God's commandments, and especially for his generosity. Bede
tells us that Saint Edbert every year "obeyed the law of the Old
Testament by giving one tenth of all his cattle, his crops, his fruit,
and his clothing to the poor."

Eleven years after Cuthbert's death, his coffin was opened and the body
was found to be incorrupt. Edbert caused a new coffin to be made for the
saint's remains. He kissed the clothing that had covered the saint's
body and then ordered that new garments be put on the saint. The coffin,
he said, must be given a place of honor. And he instructed his monks to
leave a space under it for his own grave.

Edbert imitated his predecessor in other acts of godliness, spending 40
days in solitary meditation twice annually, and building fine churches
for the worship of God. He lies, like Cuthbert, in Durham Cathedral, for
the bodies of both saints were carried there after many years of being
moved around to escape the marauders from Scandinavia (Benedictines,
Bentley).

Other Saints Honored May 6
=================================
+ = celebrated liturgically

Blessed Antony Middleton and Edward Jones MM (AC)
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Died 1590; beatified in 1929. Antony Middleton was born at Middleton
Tyas, Yorkshire, England, and educated for the secular priesthood at
Rheims, France. Edward Jones was born in the diocese of St. Asaph,
Wales, and educated at Douai. He labored as a missionary priest in
England from 1635 until his death. Both were hanged, drawn, and
quartered at Clerkenwell, London, for being priests (Benedictines).

Benedicta of Rome V (RM)
-----------------------------------------------
6th century. Benedicta was a nun of the convent founded in Rome by St.
Galla (f.d. October 5), of whom St. Gregory the Great narrates that her
death was foretold to her by St. Peter in a vision (Benedictines).

Blessed Bonizella Piccolomini, Widow (PC)
-----------------------------------------------
Died 1300. When Naddo Piccolomini died, his Sienese wife Bonizella
devoted herself and all her wealth to the service of the poor in the
district of Belvederio, Italy (Benedictines).

+ Evodius of Antioch BM (RM)
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Died c. 64-67. Evodius is traditionally conceived as one of the 72
disciples commissioned by Jesus. Tradition has him ordained and
consecrated bishop of Antioch by one of the Apostles, probably Peter, who
it is said he succeeded. It is believed that Evodius was the first
person to use the word 'Christian' (Benedictines, Delaney).

Heliodorus, Venustus & Comp. MM (RM)
-----------------------------------------------
3rd century. Heliodurus and Venustus were among a group of 77 martyrs
who suffered under Diocletian. Heliodorus and seven others died in
Africa; St. Ambrose (December 7) claims the rest of them for Milan--I'm
not sure why they are lumped together in one entry of the martyrology
(Benedictines).

Lucius of Cyrene B (RM)
-----------------------------------------------
1st century. St. Lucius was one of the 'prophets and doctors' in the
church at Antioch when Paul and Barnabas were consecrated for their
apostolate (Acts 13:1). It is said that he was from 'Cyrene,' which is
the source of the tradition that he was the first bishop of the city in
the Ptolemais (Africa) (Benedictines).

+ Petronax of Monte Cassino, OSB Abbot (AC)
-----------------------------------------------
Born at Brescia, Lombardy, Italy; died c. 747. Just as the English monks
suffered the depredations of marauders from Scandinavia, so the monastery
of Monte Cassino had been grievously ruined when Lombards invaded that
part of Italy in 581. Scarcely a stone stood on another in 717 when
Petronax was induced by Pope Gregory II (f.d. February 11) to visit the
fallen monastery with the view of restoring cenobitical life there.

Petronax found a few hermits there and determined to raise Monte Cassino
to its old glory. From Pope Zachary he obtained the rule of the
monastery, written in St. Benedict's own hand. The pope also gave him
the monastery's old measure for bread and wine. Before Petronax died,
Benedict's monastery on Monte Cassino was reborn, it old vigor restored.
St. Willibald (f.d. June 6), bishop of Eichstaett, and St. Sturmius of
Fulda (f.d. December 17) were both monks under Petronax, the 'second
founder of Monte Cassino' (Benedictines, Bentley).

Protogenes of Syria B (RM)
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4th century. Protogenes, a priest, was banished by the Arian Emperor
Valens. He was recalled under Theodosius and consecrated bishop of
Carrhae, Syria (Benedictines).

Blessed Prudentia Castori, OSA V (PC)
-----------------------------------------------
Died 1492. Blessed Prudentia joined the hermits of St. Augustine at
Milan and later became abbess-founder of a new convent at Como, where she
died (Benedictines).

Theodotus of Cyprus B (RM)
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Died c. 325. Bishop Theodotus of Cyrenia, Cyprus, suffered a long term
of imprisonment under Lucinius (Benedictines).

Sources:
========

Benedictine Monks of St. Augustine Abbey, Ramsgate. (1947). The
book of saints: A dictionary of servants of God canonized
by the Catholic Church extracted from the Roman and other
martyrologies. NY: Macmillan.

Benedictine Monks of St. Augustine Abbey, Ramsgate. (1966). The
book of saints: A dictionary of persons canonized or
beatified by the Catholic Church. NY: Thomas Y. Crowell.

Bentley, J. (1986). A calendar of saints: The lives of the
principal saints of the Christian year, NY: Facts on File.

Delaney, J. J. (1983). Pocket dictionary of saints, NY:
Doubleday Image.
-----
Kathy R.
krab...@juno.com