St. Peter Chanel, April 28
Kathy Rabenstein
+ Peter Louis Mary Chanel, Priest M (AC)
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Born at Cluet, near Belley, France, in 1803; died on Futuna, Oceania, in
April 28, 1841; canonized in 1954.
Peter Chanel was a model pupil, model vicar, model parish priest, and
model missionary. He began life as a shepherd to his father's sheep.
The Abbot Trompier of the parish of Cras, however, recognized the
intelligence and devoutness of the young boy and obtained permission to
have Peter attend the small school he had started. Peter performed well
and went on to the seminary.
After his ordination in 1827, he was given the parish of Crozet, which
had earned a bad reputation. Over three years, his attendance to the
sick gained the confidence of the parishioners and brought about a
spiritual revival.
In 1831, wishing to become a missionary, the peasant's son was one of
the first to join the missionary Society of Mary which was formed at
Lyons, France, in 1822, but taught another five years in the seminary of
Belley. In 1836, the Marists received papal approval, and Peter was sent
with a small band of missionaries to New Hebrides in the Pacific. With a
lay-brother and an English layman, Thomas Boog, Peter went to the
Islands of Futuna, under French sovereignty near Fiji, where cannibalism
had only recently been forbidden by the local ruler, Niuliki.
The missionaries gained the confidence of the people by attending the
sick, learning the language, and beginning to teach. The chieftain Niuliki
became jealous of their influence, however, and was further angered
when his own son said he wished to be baptized. Three years after his
arrival, when his companions were away, Peter was attacked by a band
of warriors who killed him with a club and cut up his body with their
hatchets.
His martyrdom served his cause, however, for within a few months the
island was Christianized. When called upon to justify his conversion,
one of Chanel's catechumens had said of him, "He loves us. He does
what he teaches. He forgives his enemies. His teaching is good."
Because he was the first martyr of the South Seas, Peter Chanel is the
patron of Oceania (Attwater, Benedictines, Bentley, Delaney,
Encyclopedia, White).
Other Saints Honored April 28
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+ = celebrated liturgically
Blessed Adalbero of Augsburg, OSB B (PC)
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Died 909. Adalbero belonged to the family of the counts of Dillingen, and
was uncle to St. Ulric (f.d. July 4). He became a monk in 850 and
afterwards was successively abbot of Ellwangen, abbot-restorer of
Lorsch, and bishop of Augsburg (after 887). Adalbero also served as
chief adviser of Arnulf of Bavaria, tutor to his son Louis, and regent of
the Empire during the latter's childhood. He was well-versed in science
and the arts, especially in music (Benedictines).
Aphrodisius, Caralippus, Agapitus & Eusebius MM (RM)
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1st century. A French legend, now universally rejected, makes this
Aphrodisius an Egyptian who sheltered the Holy Family during their flight
into Egypt. He is alleged to have been martyred with the other three in
Languedoc. Their story is related by St. Gregory the Great
(Benedictines).
Artemius of Sens B (AC)
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Born in Sens, France; died 609. Artemius became bishop of Sens. He
admitted to public penance a Spaniard named Baldus (Bond; f.d. October
29), whom he trained to be a great saint (Benedictines).
+ Cronan of Roscrea, Abbot (AC)
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Born in Munster, Ireland; died c. 626. Cronan was a monk and maker of
monks. He is patron of Roscrea, one of the several monasteries that he
founded (Benedictines, Encyclopedia, Gill).
+ Cyril of Turov B ()
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I can find nothing on him.
Gerard the Pilgrim (AC)
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Died c. 639 (?). Gerard was one of four English pilgrims--the other three
were Ardwine, Bernard, and Hugh--who died at Galinaro in souther Italy.
Many scholars doubt their historicity (Benedictines).
Blessed Gerard of Bourgogne, OSB Cist. Abbot (PC)
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Died 1172. Gerard followed St. Fastred (f.d. April 21) as abbot of the
Cistercian monastery of Cambron (Benedictines).
+ Louis Mary Grignon de Montfort (RM)
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Born in Montfort (near Rennes), Brittany, on January 31, 1673; died at
Saint-Laurent-sur-Sevre, France, on April 28, 1716; beatified in 1888;
canonized by Pope Pius XII in 1947.
Louis' parents were poor, hard-working people who raised eight
children, the oldest of whom was Louis. In the normal course of events,
Louis would have learned a trade and helped to educate his siblings, but
early in his life his mother recognized that he was destined for the
priesthood. At the pleading of her and his teacher, he was allowed to
begin his studies. Some charitable people provided the funds for his
education.
As a very young child, Louis had organized Rosary societies, preached
sermons, told stories of the saints, and led the Rosary with groups of
neighborhood children. He was particularly devoted to Our Lady, and he
took her name in confirmation. As a student with the Jesuits at Rennes,
he continued his devotions; he joined the sodality, and became an
exemplary member. When he had completed his studies, he left for Paris
to enter the seminary. He walked the 130 miles in the rain, sleeping in
haystacks and under bridges, and, on arriving in Paris, he entered a
poverty-stricken seminary in which the students had scarcely enough to
eat. On the verge of ordination, his funds were withdrawn by his
benefactor, and it looked as though Louis would have to return home.
He was taken in by a kindly priest, however.
Louis was ordained in 1700, and, after saying his first Mass in the Lady
Chapel of St. Sulpice, he was sent as chaplain to a hospital in Poitiers
where mismanagement and quarreling were a tradition. He endeared
himself to the patients, and he angered the managers of the hospital
when he reorganized the staff. Consequently, he was sent away, but
not before he had laid the foundation of what was later to be a religious
congregation of women known as the Institute of the Daughters of Divine
Wisdom at Poitiers, to nurse the sick poor and conduct free schools.
This rebuff was not the first Louis had to suffer; in the seminary, his
superiors had exhausted themselves in trying his patience--making him
seem to be a fool. All his life he was to meet the same stubborn
opposition to everything he tried to do. Many of the clergy, even some of
the bishops, were infected with Jansenism, and they fought him secretly
and openly. In his work giving missions, his moving from one place to
another was occasioned as often by the persecution of his enemies as it
was by the need of his apostolate. Going to Rome, he begged Pope
Clement XI to be sent on the foreign missions, but he was refused and
sent back to Brittany, France, as missionary apostolic. He returned in his
usual spirit of buoyant obedience, even though he knew that several
bishops had already forbidden him to set foot in their dioceses.
For the rest of his life, Louis gave flamboyant missions in country
parishes, some of which had been without the care of a priest for
generations. Ruined churches were repaired, marriages rectified,
children baptized and instructed, and Catholicity rebuilt. He joined the
third order of Dominicans, and everywhere he went, he established the
Rosary devotion. People who came to his missions out of curiosity,
remained, and his preaching did much to renew religion in France.
His enemies were as busy as he was, however. They gave false
reports to the bishops, drove him from place to place, and, in one case,
succeeded in poisoning him. The poison was not fatal, and it had an
unforeseen result. While he recuperated from its evil effects, he wrote
_True devotion to the Blessed Virgin_, which he himself prophesied
would be hidden away by the malice of men and the devil. After nearly
200 years, the manuscript was rescued from its hiding place, and, only a
few years ago, it was given the publicity that it deserved.
In 1715, Louis founded a second religious congregation to train helpers in
his forceful methods of preaching called the Missionaries of the
Company of Mary (Attwater, Benedictines, Delaney, Dorcy,
Encyclopedia).
Luchesius (Luchesio, Lucius) of Umbria (AC)
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Born near Poggibonsi, Umbria, Italy; died 1260. Luchesius, a miserly
grocer, money changer, and corn merchant, who may have been the
first Franciscan tertiary. About 1221, St. Francis of Assisi (f.d. October
4) relieved of him wicked practices by enlisting him in the Third Order
along with his wife Blessed Bonadonna. Thereafter the couple spend
their lives in almsdeeds and penance (Benedictines, Encyclopedia).
Mark of Galilee BM (RM)
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Died 92. St. Mark is said to have been a Galilean by descent and the first
missionary bishop and martyr in the province of the Marsi (Abruzzi) in
Italy (Benedictines).
+ Pamphilus of Sulona B (RM)
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Died c. 700. Bishop Pamphilus of Sulmona (a see alter joined to that of
Valva) and Cofinium, in the Abruzzi, was accused to Pope Sergius of
Arian practices, chiefly, it seems because of his singing Mass before
daybreak on Sundays--but he completely vindicated himself
(Benedictines).
Patrick, Acatius, Menander & Polyenus MM (RM)
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Date unknown. A group of martyrs in Prusa (Broussa), Bithynia.
Patrick's _acta_ are considered authentic. The names of the others have
been added in the early calendars (Benedictines).
Blessed Paul Khoan, Peter Hieu, & John Baptist Thauh MM (AC)
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Died 1840; beatified in 1900. Paul Khoan was a native or Tonkin, and a
priest attached to the Paris Foreign Missions Society for 40 years. He
was in prison for two years before he was beheaded.
Peter Hieu and John Baptist Thauh were also natives of Tonkin and
catechists attached to the society. They were beheaded with Khoan
(Benedictines).
+ Pollio of Pannonia M (RM)
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Died c. 304. St. Pollio was a lector of the Church of Cybalae in Pannonia
(Hungary), who was burnt alive under Diocletian (Benedictines).
Probe and Germaine VV MM
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4th century. These two were Irish virgins who refused marriage and
were found near Laon, then murdered (Encyclopedia).
Prudentius of Tarazona B (RM)
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Born in Armentia, Alava, Spain; died in Tarazona, Spain, after 700. After
having been a hermit for some years, Prudentius was ordained a priest
and became bishop of Tarazona (not Tarragona) in Aragon. He is the
patron of that diocese (Benedictines).
+ Theodora and Didymus MM (RM)
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Died 304. A pious fiction tells of Theodora, a beautiful young girl in
Alexandria, who was arrested and sentenced to live in a house of
prostitution for refusing to sacrifice to pagan gods during the persecution
of Emperor Diocletian. Didymus, a fellow Christian, helped her escape by
exchanging clothes with her. It was a brilliant idea, properly executed,
but when the trickery was discovered, Didymus was arrested and
sentenced to death. Theodora returned to the city from hiding, hoping to
secure the release of Didymus by surrendering her own life. But so
great was the fury of the prefect that he ordered both of them to be
killed.
Another version says that Theodora fell dead when she was rescued
by Didymus; when Didymus's act was discovered, he was beheaded.
Sometimes Didymus is portrayed as a pagan converted by her purity in
the brothel (Benedictines, Delaney, Encyclopedia).
+ Valeria of Milan M (RM)
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1st century? Allegedly, Valeria was the mother of SS. Gervase and
Protase (f.d. June 19) and wife of St. Vitalis (below); however, she
appears to be a fictitious character (Benedictines).
In art, St. Valeria is depicted with her sons, Gervasius and Protasius,
and her husband St. Vitalis of Milan (below). She may be shown being
beaten with clubs for refusing to sacrifice to pagan gods. She is
venerated in Milan (Roeder).
+ Vitalis of Milan M
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1st century? There are two 2nd century saints called Vitalis, but the one
who is commemorated today was a rich man who lived in Milan, Italy. He
was happily married to St. Valeria (above) with at least two fine children,
SS. Gervase and Protase (f.d. June 19). His only crime was that he
became a Christian. Another martyr was to be executed in Ravenna and
Vitalis stood by him, urging him not to lose his faith in the face of this final
trial. The authorities were enraged. They stretched Vitalis on a rack and
then buried him alive.
His wife, too, was attacked by vicious pagans and died of her wounds
just outside Milan when Marcus Aurelius was emperor. Because their
_acta_ are spurious, their cults have supposedly been discontinued;
however, I still find their names on the revised calendar. A conundrum
(Benedictines, Bentley, Encyclopedia).
In art, St. Vitalis is portrayed with stones in his lap, seated between his
two sons, Gervasius and Protasius, who each hold a stone. He may
also be shown (1) buried alive in a pit; (2) stoned; (3) with a whirlbat; or
(4) as a young layman with two sons (Roeder).
Sources:
========
Attwater, D. (1983). The penguin dictionary of saints, NY:
Penguin Books.
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.
Dorcy, M. J., OP. (1964). Saint Dominic's family: Lives
and legends. Dubuque, IA: Priory Press.
Encyclopedia of Catholic saints, April. (1966).
Philadelphia: Chilton Books.
Gill, F. C. (1958). The glorious company: Lives of great
Christians for daily devotion, vol. I. London:
Epworth Press.
Roeder, H. (1956). Saints and their attributes, Chicago: Henry
Regnery.
White, K. E. (1992). Guide to the saints, NY: Ivy Books.
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Kathy R.
krab...@ana.org