Catholic saints in the British Isles. Everything you wanted to know about the saints of the Catholic Church
Throughout Western Europe, the situation with Roman Catholic saints is the same: on average, 85% of total number saints revered by Roman Catholics or lived in various parts Africa, of Eastern Europe and Asia and have always been revered by the Orthodox, or lived until 1054 - the year of the great schism.Most of the rest of the saints revered by Catholics, who can be considered "purely Catholic saints", lived between 1054 and 1200. Only about 5% of the saints recognized by the Catholic Church lived after 1200. The answer is quite obvious: after 1054, the source of holiness, that is, communion with the Holy Spirit, became outside Orthodox Church dry out quickly. For, according to the new Catholic teaching, the Holy Spirit has now become, as it were, "dependent" on the Pope. According to this ideology, the Holy Spirit does not come directly from God, but, in view of the physical absence of the Son of God on Earth, from the Bishop of Rome - allegedly appointed by God Himself as His "viceroy".
Since then, holiness in Western Europe has largely come to mean closeness to the popes of Rome, who completely took over the canonization of saints, not allowing the Churches of certain countries, bishops, or dioceses to participate in this process. This "suppression of the action of the Holy Spirit" becomes even more evident when we examine the lives of purely Catholic "saints", many of whom were subsequently rejected as frauds by the Catholic Church itself.
Characteristic examples of which "saints" the Catholic Church venerated can be found in the British Isles, where shortly after the introduction of Catholicism, xenophobic and politically motivated "glorification" already took place. As, for example, the unofficial veneration, fueled by anti-Semitism, of several children from the prosperous eastern counties of England, allegedly killed by Jews: William of Norwich (1132-1144; Catholics honored his memory on March 26), Robert of Bury St. Edmunds (1171-1181; he was venerated March 25), Harold of Gloucester († 1168; memorial day in the Catholic Church on March 25) and Hugh of Lincoln (1246-1255; he was unofficially honored on July 27). Or, the unofficial and xenophobic veneration of two other "saints", this time killed by French pirates on the southern shores of England, is Simon of Atherfield, who was probably a hermit (although, according to other sources, he was simply killed by his wife) , martyred on the Isle of Wight in 1211 (now the town of Etherfield Farm on the Isle of Wight; he was locally venerated on March 21), and the monk Thomas of Hales, who labored in the monastery of St. Martin in Dover, Kent, and was killed in 1295 (his local veneration - August 2).
Saints of the Isles
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In the first millennium, known as the "age of the saints", when the only form Christianity in the British Isles was Orthodox Christianity, in these lands a huge number of saints shone. In England alone, apart from the numerous saints in Celtic Cornwall and the martyrs of the first centuries, in more than four and a half centuries (from the coming of St. Augustine in 597 to the Norman conquest) no less than 300 saints shone.
In the Celtic lands, that is, in Ireland, Wales, Cornwall, Scotland and on a number of islands, such as the Hebrides, Skye, Man, Guernsey, Jersey and many others, huge role in establishing Orthodox Christianity played by Egyptian monasticism. In these lands, every city and village had its own local heavenly patron, and for about 650 years, thousands of saints, known as the "Thebaid of Saints", shone there.
In the second millennium, at the beginning of which the British Isles fell victim to the newly invented Catholic ideology through the Norman conquest funded by the Pope, there were negligible few revered "saints". These saints include 40 Catholic martyrs executed by Protestants in the 16th and XVII centuries, the most famous of which, perhaps, is the statesman and humanist writer Thomas More (1478-1535; commemorated in the Catholic Church on June 22, canonized in 1935). These martyrs were recently canonized by the Pope in 1970.
But even if we take these saints into account, the total number of Catholic “saints” who appeared over the 2nd millennium does not exceed 2% of the total number of saints who shone in these lands over the past 650 years of the 1st millennium. Although those 40 Catholics sincerely and sometimes even very tragically sacrificed their lives for the sake of their faith, they did it while professing the Catholic faith, and none of them died for the Orthodox faith of Christ.
It should also not be forgotten that not only were 300 Catholics victimized by Protestants and died at the behest of the Protestant government, but about the same number of Protestants were victims of Catholics who died at the behest of the Catholic government, especially under Queen Mary I Tudor (1553-1558), known as "Bloody Mary" We see that just as Protestants killed Catholics, so Catholics killed Protestants. In other words, we are dealing here with politics, and not with martyrdom in the Orthodox sense.
It is striking that, starting from the 17th century, in the British Isles we see only one Catholic saint - the most recently glorified Cardinal John Henry Newman (1801-1890; commemorated in the Catholic Church on October 9) - a Catholic (and first Anglican) philosopher and theologian. If we do not take into account Newman and those 40 Catholic martyrs, since they suffered political reasons, it turns out that for the entire 2nd millennium, only about 40 Catholic "saints" were revealed on these islands, that is, less than 1% of the number of saints who shone here for 600 years of the 1st millennium. So, in each of the four countries on our islands, the following number of Catholic "saints" appeared:
Wales - 0,
Ireland - 3,
Scotland - 7,
England - 33.
Thus, if we do not count a few Welsh among the Catholic martyrs who suffered during the Protestant Reformation, then it turns out that poor Wales did not produce a single Catholic saint! And if we check who these remaining approximately 40 Catholic “saints” (not martyrs) are and who they were by nationality, then we will come to even more important findings.
Ireland
In the first millennium, thousands of Orthodox saints shone in Ireland, especially between 450 and 850, before the Viking raids, and most of them were venerated locally. The Catholic Church in Ireland, however, gave birth to only three "saints", and all of them lived in the XII century: these are the bishops of Kelsius, Malachy and Christian.
The first of these "saints" is Kelsius (also Kels, Kellach), Archbishop of Armas (from 1105 to 1129, commemorated in the Catholic Church on April 7). Elected archbishop "by inheritance" in a very young age and being a layman, Kelsius is known to us mainly from the life of Malachi as a reformer. He traveled all over Ireland, collecting taxes and asserting the headship of Armagh in the Irish Church. Kelsius propagated new papal reforms, reorganized the dioceses, and with the taxes he collected rebuilt his main cathedral in a new style. In 1111, he led the Church Council in Rat Bresaille, whose decisions were then perceived negatively by many. This archbishop tried to make the Irish Church look like the Church Western Europe of that period, destroying the old Orthodox Celtic traditions and ancient Orthodox liturgical practices.
Malachi, Archbishop of Armas (c. 1094 - 1148; commemorated in the Catholic Church on November 3), was an Irish church leader who destroyed the old piety and holiness of the "Isle of Saints", as Ireland was traditionally called; he "reformed" its Church and introduced the new heretical teaching of Pope Gregory VII Hildebrand. According to this new revolutionary teaching, instead of Christ, the Pope of Rome becomes the head of the Church, and the Holy Spirit acts on Earth through the vicars of Christ, that is, the popes. Malachi changed Orthodox liturgy Celts and from 1121 systematically introduced Roman Catholicism in the country, then known as the "Gregorian reform". It is noteworthy that he later went to Rome to continue studying this heresy, and ended his days in the monastery of Clairvaux, in present-day France, where he labored along with another “holy” Catholic church leader, Bernard of Clairvaux.
The third of the Irish Catholic "saints" we have named, Christian, Bishop of Lismore († 1186; commemorated in the Catholic Church on March 18), was a disciple of Malachi, a papal legate and also closely associated with the preacher of the blood-soaked crusaders - Bernard of Clairvaux. Thus, all three (and Malachi and Christian were, moreover, trained abroad) took an active part in the destruction of the Orthodox heritage of Ireland. In fact, their “holiness” comes down to their administrative abilities, thanks to which they introduced Roman Catholicism into the country. Of course, they can in no way be venerated as saints in Orthodox sense this word.
Scotland
The first Scottish “saint”, or rather “saint”, after the Great Schism, was Margaret, Queen of Scots (1045/46-1093; commemorated in the Catholic Church on November 16), who married the Scottish King Malcolm III. It was to her, who was under the strong influence of the Norman conquerors and usurpers in England, that the introduction of Catholicism in Scotland belongs.Although Margarita was of English origin, she was brought up and trained abroad, and she was only 8 years old when the great schism took place. Margarita "reformed" the Church in Scotland, established on the island of Iona with its centuries-old Orthodox heritage a new Roman Catholic monastery; she was canonized by the pope in 1249. Her son, David of Scotland (c. 1085 - 1153; commemorated in the Catholic Church on May 24), also revered by the Catholic Church as a saint, continued his mother's policy of planting papism in the country. Although David himself was pious, he introduced a new Norman feudal system in Scotland, abandoning the primordially Celtic system of communal (clan) land tenure that had taken root here before.
Let's talk about two more "Scottish" post-schism saints, who were not Scots at all by origin, but in spirit they are closer to Orthodoxy. Both are associated with the Orkney Islands. This is Magnus, Earl of Orkney (c. 1075 - 1116, commemorated in the Catholic Church on April 16), and his nephew Rognvald (Ronald). Magnus (in Greek - Maxim) was a repentant pirate ("Viking"), who abandoned the lifestyle of a warrior, preferring to read the Psalter. He accepted Christianity. Magnus is considered a martyr because, being a Christian, he was killed for political reasons. In this he resembles the Russian "passion-bearers". The relics of Magna rest in the cathedral city of Kirkwall in the Orkney Islands to this day. Rognvald (1100 - 1158/1159; commemorated in the Catholic Church on August 20), also Earl of Orkney, was a devout Christian. He started building cathedral in Kirkwall, but was killed in the Caithness region of Scotland, after which his veneration began to grow.Now let us mention three "saints" who were indeed Scots in origin. The first of them is William of Perth († 1201; commemorated in the Catholic Church on May 23). Wilhelm, a pious fisherman who cared for the poor, was murdered in Rochester, England, after a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, where he was locally venerated. Next, we will name Adam, Bishop of Caithness († 1222; he was unofficially venerated on September 15). For purely political reasons, he doubled the tithe, for which he was killed by his angry flock. Adam was never officially venerated even in the Catholic Church, which was cruel to the killers and their families. After Adam was Gilbert, Bishop of Caithness († 1245; commemorated in the Catholic Church on April 1). The son of a feudal lord, Gilbert was famous primarily as an administrator, which can hardly serve as a criterion for holiness.
England
33 English Catholic saints, or rather, Catholic saints, or lived in different parts England, or former English by origin, can be divided into several categories:
Those who have not gone far from Orthodox piety,
Norman administrators and lawyers,
- "mystics".
Those who have not gone far from Orthodox piety
In addition to Magn and Rognvald from the Orkney Islands, there were other - English - ascetics who lived and died shortly after the Norman conquest, retaining elements of the old pre-Schismatic and pre-Schismatic piety. It is intuitively felt that they are closer to Orthodoxy than other purely Catholic saints. Very interesting is Waldef (also Waltheof; † 1076), Earl of Northampton and Huntingdon. He, the last Anglo-Saxon earl, fought against the Norman invaders in 1066 and later again at York. In 1075, he once again rebelled against Norman tyranny, but for this he was beheaded and has since been revered by the English people as a saint (unofficial memorial day - May 31).Immediately after the Great Schism, there also lived the Catholic Saint Eskil († c. 1080; commemorated in the Catholic Church on June 12), an English or Anglo-Danish missionary bishop who worked in Sweden. A relative of the Apostle of Sweden, St. Siegfried, Eskil, like him, was martyred in Sweden by pagans.
Other remarkable figures who, it seems to us, to a large extent preserved the spirit of holiness and unity of ancient England, include Henry from the island of Cocket (+ 1127; commemorated in the Catholic Church on January 16). He was born in Denmark, and led an ascetic life in England on Cocket Island near Tynemouth - this island was associated with St. Cuthbert of Lindisfarne (+ 687; Comm. 20 March / 2 April). Like the great Saint Cuthbert, Henry led a hermit life on this island and gave instructions to all who came to him in the spiritual life.
Wulfric of Hazelbury in Somerset (c. 1080 - 1154; unofficial memorial day February 20) was also an ascetic and hermit, famous for his gift of clairvoyance, like Henry and Godric. Christina of Markjat (c. 1097 - c. 1161; commemorated in the Catholic Church on December 5), miraculously escaping from the Norman bishop Ralph Flambard, who tried to seduce her, chose hermitage near St. Albans, Hertfordshire. The ascetic, like others, was famous for the gift of clairvoyance, and many believers flocked to her for spiritual advice.
Approximately the same ascetic was the hermit Godric of Fincheil (c. 1065/1069 - 1170; unofficial memorial day - May 21). He was born in Norfolk, was a trader, merchant, traveled abroad and eventually became a ship's captain. Godric made a pilgrimage to Rome and the Holy Land. Returning to his homeland in England, he, inspired by the example of St. Cuthbert (after visiting the island of Lindisfarne), began to lead a hermit life in the north-east of the country. In time, Godric settled permanently in Finchail, near Durham. He led an ascetic life, constantly repenting of his past sins. The hermit wore a thick beard, loved and protected animals (according to legend, he was the patron saint of deer and even allowed snakes to bask near his fire), wrote hymns in honor of Holy Mother of God and St. Nicholas, which he himself set to music. These hymns have survived to this day. Godric was deeply revered in the North East of England.Norman administrators and legalists
Of these, the first to mention is the semi-Norman Edward the Confessor (1003-1066; commemorated in the Catholic Church on October 13), King of England. Even before 1066, he invited the Normans to England to build the first Norman castles - he hired them to build Westminster Abbey, in which his remains remain to this day and are revered by Catholics as holy relics. Edward was canonized in 1161 for political reasons when the Norman rulers thought he might be a fitting symbol for the then-Normanized England. Although for many English patriots he is rather not a saint, but a traitor, who easily offered his country to the half-barbarian Duke of Normandy William, a bastard, and thereby hastened the conquest and occupation of England, which continues to this day.
The Normans needed good administrators to govern a country they themselves had reduced to near-ruin. Some of them were subsequently proclaimed saints. Of these, Wulfstan, Bishop of Worcester (c. 1008-1095; commemorated in the Catholic Church on January 19), is the only English Orthodox bishop who was allowed to continue his ministry after the Norman Conquest by King William. It should be noted that he was ordained bishop before the Norman conquest by papal legates and with the approval of Edward the Confessor. As a bishop, Wulfstan diligently spread the practice of compulsory priestly celibacy, which was completely new for England, immediately submitted to the conquerors of the country and even defended them from English patriots. He was canonized in 1203. Like Edward the Confessor, Wulfstan was also regarded by many as a traitor to England.The heretic Anselm (1033-1109, commemorated in the Catholic Church on April 21), an Italian by birth, was appointed Archbishop of Canterbury by the Normans. He is primarily known as a philosopher and the "father of scholasticism". In particular, he wrote The Book of the Procession of the Holy Spirit, Against the Greeks, in defense of the filioque heresy. Anselm enforced priestly celibacy in the English Church and tried to take control of the Churches in Wales, Ireland and Scotland. Anselm may have been canonized in 1165.
The Norman aristocrat Osmund († 1099; commemorated in the Catholic Church on December 4), Bishop of Salisbury, was a typical Norman bureaucrat. He, in particular, is the founder of the so-called Sarum liturgical rite, which was very popular in England. Osmund was canonized for purely political reasons only in 1456.
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Henry of Finland († 1156; commemorated in the Catholic Church on January 19) - an English missionary who left for Finland and baptized the Finns into Roman Catholicism after their defeat by the Swedes. Heinrich was killed by a Finn whom he baptized. The glorification of this missionary was also seen by many as a purely political action. For centuries, Henry was the patron of the cathedral in the city of Turku.
Thomas (also Thomas) Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury (1118-1170; commemorated in the Catholic Church on December 29), is perhaps the most famous English Catholic saint. Coming from a wealthy Norman family, Beckett studied in Italy and France. Since Becket was a brilliant secular organizer, King Henry II appointed him Archbishop of Canterbury as well. But here Beckett showed his stubbornness and tactlessness, trying to interfere in public affairs, which was part of the Catholic ideology. For this he was exiled to France for six years. However, the archbishop continued to interfere in English politics later, for which, at the behest of the king, he was killed right in Canterbury Cathedral.
Hugh, Bishop of Lincoln (c. 1140 - 1200, commemorated in the Catholic Church on November 16), was French by birth; he came to England when he was 35 years old. He was a learned man and an excellent organizer, famous for always standing up for justice. Hugh was glorified in 1220.
Edmund Rich of Abingdon, Archbishop of Canterbury (1175-1240; Comm. 16 November) was the son of a wealthy merchant. Studied at Oxford and Paris. A real "pioneer of scholasticism", Edmund, as an archbishop, showed himself to be an excellent administrator and writer. He died in France and was canonized in the Catholic Church in 1246.
Richard, Bishop of Chichester in West Sussex (1197-1253; Comm. 3 April), studied at Oxford, Paris, Bologna and Orleans. A student of Edmund of Canterbury, Richard was an expert in canon law and an excellent administrator, tried to promote priestly celibacy and preached Crusades. This academician was canonized in 1262.
Finally, let's name Thomas Cantelupe, Bishop of Hereford (1218-1282, commemorated in the Catholic Church on October 2). He came from an influential Norman family, studied in Paris and Oxford, and became an energetic administrator. Tired of constant litigation, Thomas died in 1282; was canonized in 1320. His remains are still in the shrine of Hereford Cathedral.
"Mystics"
As a reaction to the fact that the papal state has become completely secular, pursuing its endless lawsuits, many believers, not satisfied with this, began to look for "real spirituality" somewhere on the side. Unfortunately, being outside the Orthodox Church, they could not acquire the spirit of sobriety and moderation inherent in it. They began to found various Catholic monastic orders, erroneously hoping in this way to return to the "simple Church".One of the most popular orders of that time was the Order of the Cistercians. Many of these people were quite sincere in their spiritual quest, but still far from true spirituality; in their aspirations they turn out to be close to the Protestants. They can even be called "the first charismatics." They practiced personal emotional experience that arouses the imagination (fantasy), which led to various kinds"visions", cultivated self-exaltation, which is based on the movements of the psyche, and not spiritual experience. This trend especially spread in Flanders and Italy (Francis of Assisi and others).
Individuals of this school such as Richard Roll of Hempole in South Yorkshire (c. 1290 - 1349; studied at Oxford, abandoned scholastic disputes and decided to live in simplicity and study the Holy Scriptures; spiritual writer, translator of the Bible and hermit; day memory in the Church of England - January 20) or Julian of Norwich from Norfolk (1342 - after 1416; revered by many of her contemporaries, a hermit and mystic, a famous spiritual writer, patron of the parish in Norwich; her unofficial memorial day - May 13), were never officially canonized, but some were recognized as saints of the Catholic Church.
These include, for example, Stephen Harding († 1134; commemorated in the Catholic Church on April 17). He was a native of southwest England, but most He lived his life as a Cistercian monk in France. Stephen became the third abbot of the Cistercian monastery at Citeaux and proved to be an excellent administrator. Glorified in 1623. He is also revered in Hungary.
Gilbert of Sempringham of Lincolnshire (1083-1189; Comm. 4 February) was the son of a Norman knight and also closely associated with the Cistercians. Gilbert founded his own monastic order in England, named in his honor the Gilbertine (the only English Catholic monastic order), and founded 13 monasteries. He was canonized in 1202.
Robert of Newminster (c. 1100 - 1159, commemorated in the Catholic Church on June 7) from Northumberland was also rector of the local Cistercian monastery, located in the present city of Morpeth. He studied in Paris, then returned to England and became famous for his mystical visions. His veneration was local.
Waldef of Melrose, Scottish Borders (also Waltheof; c. 1100 - 1160; commemorated in the Catholic Church on August 3) was born into an aristocratic family and was raised at the Scottish royal court. He also served as a Cistercian abbot. It was said about Waldef that he had Eucharistic visions, was simple, modest and kind person. Not officially canonized.
Eilred of Rivaud Priory, North Yorkshire (1110 - 1167; Comm. 12 January) was perhaps the most famous English Cistercian. In his youth, he, like Waldef, lived at the royal court of Scotland, and then became abbot of the monastery of Rivaud in the north of England. Ailred is famous throughout the country as a historian, writer and preacher (in particular, he owns one of the versions of the life of St. Ninian, one of the greatest preachers Orthodox faith in Scotland at the beginning of the 5th century). Ailred was a great humanist; like Waldef, he is not officially canonized.
Other prayer books of that time include Walter of Kovik (now within the city of Exeter) in Devon (12th century). Although little is known about Walter's life, he was locally venerated as a saint. He may have been born in Norwich and led an ascetic life in the monastery of Kovik, founded around 1144 and dependent on the Norman monastery of Beck. Walter once had a vision of hellish torment, and after that he dressed only in a goatskin until the end of his days and lived in complete abstinence. Margaret of Hulme in Norfolk († 1170; comm. 22 March), of whose life little has been preserved, was locally venerated as a martyr (buried at St. John's Church, Howeton, Norfolk). Margaret of England († 1192; commemorated in the Catholic Church on February 3) was born in Hungary, her mother, an Englishwoman, was related to Thomas of Canterbury. As a Cistercian nun, Marguerite lived first in the Holy Land and then in France. Robert of Knarsborough (1160-1218; commemorated in the Catholic Church on September 24) from North Yorkshire entered the Cistercian monastery of Newminster, but soon decided to lead a solitary hermit life in a cave on the site of the present city of Narsborough on the banks of the River Nidd. Many flocked to Robert for spiritual advice and consolation, his cave has been preserved. Robert was locally venerated as a saint, but there was no official canonization.Simon Stock († 1245?; commemorated in the Catholic Church on May 16) was one of the first priors of the Carmelite order in England. It is also associated with Oxford and Cambridge. Simon reposed in Bordeaux, France. He was not formally canonized, but his veneration was confirmed in 1564. Today, Simon Stock is particularly venerated in the village of Aylesbury, Kent, where some of his relics, which are revered by Catholics, may be kept. John (John) of Bridlington (c. 1320 - 1379; commemorated in the Catholic Church on October 21) studied at Oxford, and later was a strict but merciful prior of his monastery in Bridlington, East Riding of Yorkshire. He was credited with performing many miracles. Canonized as a saint of the Catholic Church in 1401. John is also revered in his native village of Twing in the East Riding of Yorkshire.
There is no holiness outside the Church, because the Church is the Body of Christ; the Holy Spirit, Who proceeds from God the Father, acts in it. Without the Church, there is no Holy Spirit - the source of holiness, therefore outside of it it is impossible to acquire the spirit of inner holiness. However, many human virtues can be seen there, although these virtues appear from a purely external "imitation of Christ", which is so beloved by Roman Catholicism. Thus, outside the Church of Christ one can find examples of varying degrees of piety, sincerity and righteousness.
However, as can be seen from the examples above, there were very few saints in the West during the Middle Ages. Some of them were not recognized as saints even by the Catholic Church, and some were subsequently rejected by this Church. Others, however, cannot in any way be recognized as saints in the Orthodox sense of the word. But there is a small group of saints, who lived mainly shortly after the schism, who managed to maintain their Orthodox roots and are interesting examples of godliness and righteousness. Note that these saints did not live thanks to, but rather in spite of, the official "church", which, for that matter, tried to suppress them.
We can only marvel at what great figures they could become if they remained in unity with the holy Church. Of these saints, we would note Waldef († 1076), Eskil († c. 1080), Henry from the island of Koket († 1127), Wulfrik from Hazelbury (c. 1080 -1154), Christina from Markyat (c. 1097 - c. 1161) and Godric of Fincheil (c. 1065/1069 -1170), who died more than 100 years after the Norman conquest. After them, as we think, the living source of Orthodox holiness dried up. Such was the fruit of the new ideology of that time, which cut off the people from the Church of God.
The word "catholic" ("universal") indicates, firstly, the mission of this church, which is addressed to the whole human race, and, secondly, the fact that the members of the church are representatives of the whole world. Saints of the Old Testament times, who foresaw the coming of Christ the Savior according to Divine Revelation, predicted future events and proclaimed to the people of Israel the will of God. Jesus chose twelve chief disciples or apostles for his church. The Church, according to Scripture, is the "body of Christ" and is one single body of believers both in heaven and on earth. Thus, there is only one true Church, not several. The initial leadership of the church is attributed to, and after it, to the bishops, who are called popes. Christians who base their lives and ministry solely on the canonical Bible. They are distinguished by active missionary activity, including among other Christian denominations.Roman Catholic Church hierarchy
The Roman Catholic Church throughout history has rich history church positions. There are only three holy orders: deacon, presbyter and bishop. But over the centuries, various honorary degrees of office have appeared. The order of precedence is as follows:
Supreme Archbishops
Accoliths
Ministerates
In the days of early Christianity, there was no rule in the church about the obligatory celibacy of clergy. A married man could become not only a deacon or priest, but also a bishop. True, after taking the dignity, it was no longer possible to marry. This rule is strictly observed even now in both Catholicism and Orthodoxy. Later, with the advent of monasteries, all monks began to take vows of celibacy. Ascetic renunciation of various beliefs from worldly life with the maximum restriction of external relations and removal to live in desert places. People who are persecuted and/or have died for denying, preaching, or refusing to renounce their religious or secular views. A special face of saints in Christianity. Initially, those who openly professed Christian faith during the persecution, he himself was persecuted, but did not suffer martyrdom. A special face of saints in Christianity, which has in various Christian churches different meaning. In a broad sense, blessed is anyone who enjoys the vision of God and communes with Him (blissful vision).D For Catholics, a saint is one who fully responds to God's call to be what he designed and created a fragment of his love for humanity in the present. The Catholic faith teaches that God has a certain idea for each person, and assigns to each a certain place in the community of believers. So there are no unique features holiness in Catholic theology, but each has a special holiness to discover and realize. A saint for the Catholic faith can and should be anyone, without the need for special abilities or abilities. The spectrum of saints recognized by the church is very wide, and those who, in faith, have been singled out by God, such as the founders of religious orders or the great reformers of the Church, stand out in particular. The saint is offered as a model for all believers and people of good will, not so much for what he did or said, but for the fact that he is ready to obey and serve God, having accepted in faith that he was supposed to direct life through the Holy Spirit person. For the Catholic Church, therefore, first of all the attitude of obedience to God and love of neighbor must be applied, which each saint did in reality differently.
After his death, after judgment in heaven, the saint or saint will live forever in full communion with God and will continue to fully participate in all the undertakings of God in the world of people created by him. In fact, from communion with God, it becomes possible for a saint to be an intercessor of life, which is a privileged channel of love from God to those who still, says the Church, live on an earthly pilgrimage. This communion in the Creed of the Church is called the communion of saints, or the communion of holy things. This truth of faith assumes that all those who are Christians are living or dead. are in the body of Christ, which is the Church. Thus, the happiness, joy and love that the body receives, from a spiritual point of view, benefits the whole body.
In the Catholic religion, devotion to this or that saint is shown by veneration and not worship, which is possible only for God and which cannot be granted to any other being, no matter how great he is. One of oldest examples veneration of saints: in Capernaum (Palestine), during excavations in 1968, the city of Simon Peter was discovered (according to the Gospels). Beneath the floor of a church dedicated to the Apostle Peter from the 5th century (the oldest known in Palestine), archaeologists have unearthed a building that was indisputably the home of Peter. This is a poor dwelling, similar to all the others that surround it, with the exception of one feature: the walls are covered with frescoes and graffiti (in Greek, in Syriac, Aramaic, in Latin) with appeals to Peter, asking for protection. It has been established that the house has been converted into a sacred place since the first century: this house is therefore considered the oldest " christian church"This testifies that before the year 100 after the birth of Christ, the people revered not only Jesus, but also his disciples, called "holy" patrons, were "canonized".
The History of the Saints.
In the early days of Christianity, the term "saint" was a generic term for any Christian, as "sanctified" or "consecrated", and not just because he was sanctified by God through baptism and then designated by the Catholic Church. Saints in those days were then all the followers of Christ (the apostles and disciples): people are physically and spiritually alive, striving to follow Christ and scriptures. Paul of Tarsus, for example, points out in his letter to the Ephesians "to the saints who are in Ephesus," but at the same time he makes a distinction with a "true apostle" or a saint who is able to work "miracles" and show his power. Later, this term began to be applied mainly to Christians killed and tortured for their faith in Christ, that is, "martyrs", in order to distinguish them from those who, in order not to suffer from torture, renounced their faith in Christ. The cult of martyrs was reproduced from the cult of the dead: Augustine (354-430 A.D., theologian) already pointed out that more than praying for a dead martyr, it was necessary that this martyr pray for the living.
Subsequently, the promoter of the cult of martyrs was Pope Damasus I (305-384 AD), who - after the end of the persecution of Christians - ordered the restoration of the catacombs and the identification of the graves of the saints. With the end of the persecution, the martyrs were united with the so-called preachers, that is, persons who, not being martyrs, professed their Christian faith for life. Among the first saints, not martyrs, they mention St. Martin of Tours (316-397 AD, Bishop of Hungary and France). Gradually, the number of saints grows and they begin to be classified into groups: immaculate virgins, theologians of the Church, holy teachers, martyrs and so on.
In the Middle Ages, saints began to appear who were capable of performing a certain power of intercession for specific problems - as a rule, for health reasons, this is how the custom of patronage was born. Among the holy helpers, we can mention St. Blaise, who was consulted for diseases of the throat, St. Agatha in diseases of the mammary gland, St. Apolinaria for toothaches and St. Lucia with poor eyesight. With the increase in devotion to the saints, abuses also increased: the search for the relics of the most revered saints often led to commercial fraud and real wars between cities for their possession. Possession of a relic or "relics" essentially led to an increase in the prestige of the city, an increase in pilgrims, and thus to an increase in wealth, which increased during this period. Violations committed in relation to the cult of saints were one of the reasons for the Protestant schism. At the Council of Trento, the Catholic Church introduces a law to curb deceit and restore the spiritual meaning of the veneration of saints.
In the 20th century, after the Second Vatican Council and especially by Pope John Paul II, the meaning of holiness is interpreted in a broader and more modern way than it was before: before the title "holy" or "holy" was assigned exclusively to people who have dedicated their lives to the service of the Catholic religion in a sanctified life, that is, priests, bishops and nuns. Subsequently, this title was awarded to several secular saints, whether they were married or not. Therefore, the spouses Luigi Beltrame Quattrocchi and Maria Corsini were canonized, or the layman Piergiorgio Frassati was beatified. In the Catholic view, as clearly expressed after the Second Vatican Council and in the Dogmatic Constitution Lumen Gentium, holiness is possible in all aspects of life, whether priest or layman; in fact, every person is called to holiness, that is, he can unite his earthly existence with God's will.
A special place in the Catholic Church is occupied by the veneration of saints - persons who, as Christians believe, are endowed by God for their faith with the ability to act as helpers and work miracles. There is an opinion that a life full of self-denial is equal in holiness to martyrdom. True, today the actions and behavior of some canonized people would be considered, to put it mildly, shocking. .
1. ...kept her rotting flesh in a vase
Saint Lidwina was born around 1380 in Schiedam, Holland. When she was 16, Lidwina fell while skating and eventually developed a mysterious condition that left her in chronic pain, hypersensitivity to light, and partial paralysis. She has spent most of her life in bed, only able to move her left arm. According to a document written by the city elders of Schiedam, Lidwina also had ulcers all over her body. Eventually, her flesh began to rot and fall off in chunks.
But, surprisingly, these pieces of flesh exuded a wonderful sweet smell, and her parents kept them at home in a vase. Lidwina considered her suffering a gift from God and eventually began to heal the suffering. Some historians suspect that Lidwina suffered from multiple sclerosis and severe bedsores, which resulted from her paralysis and was unable to move.
2. ...ate scabs
Saint Angela of Foligno lived in 13th century Italy and became well known for her mercy and piety. Before she died, Angela dictated her memoirs, in which she described how she once washed the feet of a leper and then drank this dirty water: “We drank the water that was used for washing. The sweetness that we felt at the same time was so great that it was felt all the way home ... and when the scab from the leper's wound got stuck in my throat, I tried to swallow it. My conscience would not let me spit it out, just as if I had received Holy Communion.”
3. ... drank pus
Catherine of Siena is one of the most famous medieval saints, famous for her charity and wisdom. She was also known for fasting from the very beginning. early age. By the time she was 25, she could no longer bear food. Her confessor, Raymond of Capuan, literally ordered her to eat, but Catherine insisted that even the smallest piece causes her severe pain.
They wrote about her that if she ate a piece of cheese or salad, washed down with large sips of water, she began to feel terrible pain and rushed around the room, trying to make herself vomit (while she sometimes vomited blood). However, there have been exceptions to food intolerance. Catherine told Raymond of Capua that she had eaten the pus that oozed from the body of a dying woman she was nursing. At the same time, she stated that "never in my life have I tasted food and drink sweeter or more refined."
4. ... licked ulcers
Saint Mary Magdalene De'Pazzi was born in Florence around 1566 and still in adolescence went to the Carmelite monastery. She soon became known for mortifying her flesh with whips, dripping hot wax on her body, and jumping naked into thorn bushes.
De'Pazzi was also known as a wonderful healer. She licked the open wounds of leprosy patients and skin diseases. In another case, she sucked larvae from infected wounds with her mouth. As a result, she developed an infection of the gums and all her teeth fell out. The saint died at the age of 37.
5. ...ate lice
The 15th century Italian noblewoman Catherine of Genoa decided to dedicate herself to good deeds after seeing a bloodied crucifixion of Christ. Soon all the sick and destitute fell in love with her. However, apparently, Catherine could hardly endure the spectacle of the victims of the plague. To strengthen herself spiritually, she began to drink the pus from their wounds and also eat the lice that her patients were infected with. Thanks to such fearless actions, in 1737 she was recognized as a saint.
6. ...burned her genitals with fat
From an early age, Francesca Romana yearned to become a nun, but her father forced her to marry a wealthy man at the age of 13. This caused a terrible depression in the woman, but her mental health was restored after she had a vision of Saint Alexy. She even became an obedient wife, until her husband was slaughtered by the Neapolitans.
Francesca was determined to remain spiritually chaste. Before having sex with her husband, she heated pork fat and burned her genitals, in order to provide herself with severe pain throughout the sexual intercourse. She was also known for beating herself until she bled. Francesca was canonized by the church in 1608.
7. ... pushed worms up his leg
Simeon the Stylite was a Syrian saint in the 6th century who became famous for his ascetic lifestyle. His most famous act was that Simeon lived on top of a pillar for 30 years. The rope he had tied around his leg to keep from falling had cut deep into his flesh over time.
The wound was stinking and oozing with worms, but Simeon refused to remove the rope. Instead, he collected the maggots that fell out of the wound and pushed them back into the wound, saying, "Eat what God has sent you."
8. ...tortured herself with a stag beetle
Ite (or Ita) was the abbess of Cillidy in Ireland during the fifth century. She became known for her long fasts and ascetic lifestyle. It was also alleged that she held a large stag beetle, which she applied to her body to torture her with its huge jaws. Like many early saints, Ite was unofficially canonized by the local bishop.
9. ... fed mosquitoes
Self-sacrifice was clearly in trend. The most famous act of Saint Macarius is considered to be the incident that occurred after he instinctively killed a mosquito that had bitten him. He was so filled with regret for killing a living being that he decided to atone for his guilt and went to a swamp that was infested with flies and mosquitoes.
He lived there naked for six months, allowing insects to constantly bite him. By the time he returned, his entire body was covered with a mass of bites and sores, and Macarius was recognized only by his voice.
10. ...ate spiders
In the 17th century, Saint Veronica Giuliani was known for her acts of humility. For example, she kept rotting fish in her cell and often smelled and tasted them. As a result, she allegedly began to appreciate the taste of fresh fish even more after that. When Veronica got stigmata, the church became interested in her. A Jesuit named Father Crivelli was sent to test her humility.
Crivelli ordered Veronica to leave her cell and live in an abandoned closet that was full of spiders and insects. At the same time, she had to clean the floor of the toilet with her tongue. To his surprise, Veronica licked clean not only the floor, but also the walls, and also "swallowed all the spiders and cobwebs." The Jesuit was convinced, and Veronica was canonized in 1839.
Source: listverse.com
16.04.2015
It can be said that the ministers of the Catholic Church thought of everything in advance, since among the characters of the Bible one can easily find those who could become the patron of different people, professions and much more. For example, if we take librarians, then they can find three saints at once who patronize them - these are St. Jerome, Catherine of Alexandria and Lawrence. It should also be noted that it also happens that one saint could be the patron of several professions.
Among them, Catherine of Alexandria, who is considered a martyr, and the church says that she is an assistant and patroness of women, lawyers, archivists, and many others, can be noted. It doesn’t matter what profession a person has, how many family members he has or how old he is, the main thing is that you can find a saint who can be asked to help. All this applies to Catholic saints.
famous catholic saints
Here is some list of Catholic saints who are revered and are patrons different professions in modern world. In addition, many of their birthdays are celebrated as a public holiday in predominantly Catholic countries. The first and one of the most famous on this list was Saint Cornelius, who is called the Calmifier. In 251, Pope Cornelius was on the throne of the pope, and he did not want to be there, he was brought by force. He had to become a presbyter, but Cornelius understood that his appearance on the throne could be considered a death sentence for him. At that time, a split in the church could occur, and massacres against Christians took place in Rome. Cornelius had to be on the throne for several years, but then he was executed. On many icons it can be seen with the image of a battle horn. Many believe that those who turn to this saint will be able to recover from earache, seizures or epilepsy. The day of Saint Cornelius is considered September 16 of each year.
Another famous person St. Valentine is considered, who was not only a priest, but also devoted himself to medicine. He long years was an assistant to the martyrs who were in places of detention, although it was they who 
severely beaten afterwards and beheaded. Saint Valentine has become the patron saint of love, and is considered the patron of a happy marriage. Not many people know that Valentine turned out to be the patron of workers who breed bees. According to legend, anyone who turns to this saint can get rid of the plague or epilepsy. On the icons it can be seen surrounded by birds and roses. Every year, Catholics around the world, as well as lovers, celebrate the date on February 14, which refers to St. Valentine's Day.
Many may have heard, others know that there is such a saint as Andrian of Nicomedia, his day is celebrated on September 8th. Adrian's professional career got off to a very interesting start. He was accepted into the elite detachment of the army of Rome, under the command of Emperor Maximinus. Adrian decided to see with his own eyes how the persecution of Christians goes, so he decided that he would participate in a young movement that officials hate. But everything in his life changed when he wanted to be baptized, he was caught and executed early in the morning, after which the body was quartered and set on fire. Adrian had a faithful wife who was able to save his hand, which she took out of the fire. Now Saint Adrian is considered the patron saint of the military, and all those who relate to military affairs.
Lesser known patron saints
Saint Maruf was among the Catholic saints after his good deeds, in addition, he managed to heal the sick who suffered from incurable diseases. Maruf managed to become an influential person at the court of Izdegerd, who was the Persian ruler. He was able to heal the ruler from a severe headache, and his son from being defeated by demons, which helped the future saint to intensify the development of the Christian movement in places where fire worshipers lived. Bishop Marouf faced many conspiracies at the time of his work, they attempted on him, but everything that was directed against him failed. In addition, in his youth he managed to take out the remains of the martyrs, whom he later buried in Tagrita, where he himself was buried in the future. Saint Maruf's Day is celebrated on December 4th.
Known in the Catholic world, Saint Clotilde was born in 475 AD in the family of a clergyman. The girl was the daughter of the ruler of Burgundy. When Clotilde grew up, her father died suddenly, after which she was married to King Clovis. All her life she had to meet intrigues, starting with the death of her father, which is still considered mysterious, and ending with the death of her grandchildren. Her most important action and merit is that Clotilde was able to convert Clovis to Christianity. But she failed to raise children in the world, as they began to fight for the throne in adulthood. Therefore, Clotilde decided to move to Tours, where she lived until her death. Clotilde spent all her time helping and caring for sick people, helping the poor and doing good deeds. After her death, she was buried in the capital of France in the abbey of Sainte-Genevieve, where the relics of the saint are also located. Celebrate the day of Saint Clotilna in the summer, June 3.
Saint Elegy and Saint Joan
Catholics around the world celebrate December 1st as the day of Saint Elegy, who was a great blacksmith and a very talented person. In his youth, he was an assistant master in Limoges, after which he studied blacksmithing, and worked as a master in the mint, was personally appointed to the position by King Chlothar the second.
Elegy led a very pious life, constantly helping the poor. When he was fifty-three years old, he was appointed Bishop of Flanders. His main talent was in design, and after receiving such a position, he managed to build St. Paul's Basilica. Many Catholics know that Saint Elegy became the patron saint of a large number professions related to metallurgy. According to rumors, the bishop was able to rein in a recalcitrant horse by cutting off its leg to make a horseshoe, and then returning the leg to its place. In addition, Elegy patronizes drivers and many others related to motor transport.
In the summer, Catholics celebrate another day, this is the day of Saint Jeanne de Chantal, who was born in 1572. He was born in a family from Burgundy, but when the girl was one and a half years old, her mother died. At the age of 20 years 
the girl was married off, and Baron de Chantal became her chosen one, to whom she bore six children. Eight years after his marriage, the Baron died while hunting in the forest. She had to live in big house, where her father-in-law also lived, which was difficult to endure because of his bad temper. Saint Jeanne spent a lot of time in prayer, after which, in a dream, a man came to her, who turned out to be Francis of Sales. She had to become a follower of this saint, after which the woman opened the Order of Our Lady. In a few years, up to 70 monasteries and parishes will be opened for all willing women who were denied entry in other monasteries.
Each saint is revered enough, and some Catholics try to celebrate the days of those who are treated not only with sympathy, but also with trust.
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