St. Vivian, December 2
Kathy Rabenstein
+ Viviana (Bibiana, Vibiana, Vivian) VM (RM)
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4th century? A church existed on the Esquiline Hill in Rome in the fifth
century to honor St. Bibiana, and is said by _Liber Pontificalis_ to have
been dedicated by Pope St. Simplicius (died 483; f.d. March 10) and to
have contained her body. That is all that is really known about St.
Viviana: she was an actual virgin martyred at Rome--even the date is
uncertain. Her _Acta_ are a medieval romance, much read and admired
throughout Europe, especially in Germany and Spain, as is witnessed by
the great number of churches dedicated in her honor.
She is part of the legendary cycle that groups a number of saints, real or
imaginary (some of each), around the fictitious story of a priest called
Pimenius or Pigmenius (f.d. March 24), which in turn is related to the
legend of SS John and Paul (f.d. June 26), and of SS Priscus, Priscillian
and Benedict (f.d. January 4).
During the time of Julian the Apostate, Apronianus, governor of Rome in
363, lost an eye in an accident and decided to blame the Christians for
this. An ex-prefect of the city named Flavian (f.d. December 22) and his
wife Dafrosa (f.d. January 4) were among those unjustly punished for
this. Flavian's face was horribly branded as a slave with a red-hot piece
of metal and he was exiled to the small village of Acquapendente in
Tuscany, where he died in prayer. When he succumbed, his wife was
taken outside the city and beheaded.
These two Christian martyrs had two daughters, Viviana and Demetria
(f.d. June 21). All their goods were now confiscated by Apronianus.
For five months the two girls lived in terrible poverty, but their faith did
not waver. Apronianus came to visit them, supposing that they would
have by this time renounced Christ. Angered at their constancy, he
summoned them to trial. In court Demetria spoke first. She boldly
professed Christianity. Then she fell down dead mysteriously.
A pagan woman named Rufina took the other girl into her home,
instructed by the governor to make her forsake her Christian beliefs. But
nothing could disturb Viviana's composure. Apronianus sentenced her
to be executed cruelly, ordering that the soldiers tie the saint to a pillar
and scourge her with lead-loaded whips (Attwater, Benedictines,
Bentley, Delaney, Encyclopedia, White).
St. Viviana is always represented as a maiden with a column and a
martyr's palm. Sometimes the picture will show her (1) scourged at the
column; (2) with a dagger; or (3) holding a branch of a tree. She is
especially venerated in Germany and Spain.
Invoked against cramp, epilepsy, headache, and the results of
intemperance (Roeder).
Other Saints Honored December 2
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+ = celebrated liturgically
Anicianus B
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4th century. Second bishop of Rouen (Encyclopedia).
+ Chromatius of Aquileia B (RM)
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Died c. 406. St. Chromatius was a priest who participated in the 381
Synod of Aquileia, which denounced Arianism. He was elected bishop
of Aquileia (near Venice) in 388. St. Jerome (f.d. September 30), his
friend (yes, Jerome had a few of them <g>), dedicated several books to
him and called him the "most holy and learned of the bishops of Aquileia."
St. Chromatius encouraged Rufinus, whom he had baptized, to translate
Eusebius's _Ecclesiastical History_, and helped finance Jerome's
translation of the Bible. Chromatius was unsuccessful in attempts to
reconcile Jerome and Rufinus (well, not that many friends <g>), was a
supporter of St. John Chrysostom (f.d. September 13), was widely
regarded as an outstanding scholar and prelate, and wrote several
scriptural commentaries of which we still possess part of his
commentary on St. Matthew (Benedictines, Delaney, Encyclopedia).
Eusebius, Marcellus, Aurelia, Pontian & Companions MM (RM)
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Died c. 259. Roman martyrs under Valerian, who are called "the Greek
martyrs." Eusebius, a priest; Marcellus, his deacon; Neon (10 years old)
and Mary (13 years old) were beheaded; Martana was killed with her
daughter Valeria; Adria and Friar Hippolytus scourged to death; Paulina
died in the torture chamber; and Maximus was thrown into the Tiber. No
details are available about the others (Benedictines, Encyclopedia).
Evasius of Brescia B (RM)
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Date unknown. First bishop of Brescia (Benedictines).
Bl. John Armero, OP (PC)
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Died 1566. A Dominican lay brother at Baeza, Spain, who was directed
by his superiors to take Holy Orders. His two great interests in life were
study and prayer before the Blessed Sacrament (Benedictines).
Lupus of Verona B (RM)
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Date unknown; in fact, the only things known about him are his name and
that he was a bishop of Verona, Italy (Benedictines).
Nonnus (RM)
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Died c. 458. A monk of Tabennisi in Egypt, promoted in 448 to the see of
Edessa. He labored with great success among the Arabians around
Heliopolis (Baalbeck). In legend he is the bishop who heard the first
confession of St. Pelagia (f.d. October 8), which may or may not be a
pious fiction (Benedictines, Encyclopedia).
Bl. Oderisius of Monte Cassino, OSB, Cardinal (AC)
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Died 1105. A son of the noble family of de'Marsi, in the diocese of Marsi,
he was educated at Monte Cassino, where he became a Benedictine. In
1059 he was made a cardinal deacon of St. Agatha and shortly
thereafter, cardinal priest of St. Cyriacus in Termis. Finally, in 1087 he
succeeded Bl. Victor III as abbot of Monte Cassino. He was a poet and
patron of scholars and the mediator between the crusaders and the
Greek emperor Alexius (Benedictines).
Bl. Richalm (Richard) of Schontal, OSB Cist., Abbot (AC)
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Died 1219. Cistercian abbot of Schoenthal (Speciosa Vallis) in
Wuertemberg (Benedictines).
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.
Encyclopedia of Catholic saints, December. (1966).
Philadelphia: Chilton Books.
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