Your Daily Martyr

YOUR DAILY MARTYR
Living With The Daily Martyrology of the Church

“Can you drink the chalice that I shall drink? … My chalice indeed you shall drink!” (Matthew 20:22-23).

GENERAL INTRODUCTION

"The Roman Martyrology is an official and accredited record, on the pages of which are set forth in simple and brief, but impressive words, the glorious deeds of the Soldiers of Christ in all ages of the Church ; of the illustrious Heroes and Heroines of the Cross, whom her solemn verdict has beatified or canonized" (Taken from the "Introduction" from The Roman Martyrology).

The Roman Martyrology is, like the Roman Missal and the Roman Breviary, an official liturgical book of the Catholic Church. It provides an extensive but not exhaustive list of the saints recognized by the Church. The Roman Martyrology was first published in 1583 by Pope Gregory XIII, who in the year before had decreed the revision of the calendar that is called, after him, the Gregorian Calendar. A second edition was published in the same year. The third edition was made obligatory wherever the Roman Rite was in use.

In 1630 Pope Urban VIII ordered a new edition. 1748 saw the appearance of a revised edition by Pope Benedict XIV, who personally worked on the corrections: he suppressed some names, such as those of Clement of Alexandria and Sulpicius Severus, but kept others that had been objected to, such as that of Pope Siricius. Since then, the Martyrology has remained essentially unchanged, save for the addition of new saints canonized during the intervening years.

THE HONOR ROLL OF MARTYRS
for June 12th
taken from the entry for the day
from the Roman Martyrology

At Salamanca, in Spain, the holy confessor St. John of San Fagondez, of the Order of Hermits of St. Augustine, famous for his zeal for the Faith, the holiness of his life, and his wonderful works.

At Rome, upon the Aurelian Way, the holy soldiers St. Basilides, St. Cyrinus, St. Nabor, and St. Nazarius, all martyrs, who were thrust into prison under Aurelius the Prefect, in the persecution under Diocletian and Maximian, because of their Christian profession, and after they had been torn with armed scourges, were beheaded.

At Nice, in Bithynia, the holy martyr St. Antonina, who in the same persecution was, by the order of Priscillian the President, beaten with clubs, hung upon the rack, torn in the sides, burnt with fire, and at last slain with the sword.

In Thrace, in the fourth century, St. Olympius, bishop of Enos, who was thrust out of his see by the Arians and died a Confessor.

At Rome, in the Vatican Basilica, in the year 816, the holy Pope St. Leo VI, whose eyes and tongue were torn out by wicked men, in the year 799, but wonderfully given back to him by God.

In Cilicia, St. Amphion, bishop of Nicomedia, who was an eminent Confessor in the time of the Emperor Galerius Maximian.

In Egypt, towards the beginning of the fifth century, the holy hermit St. Onuphrius, who lived in the great desert for sixty years and passed to Heaven illustrious for great, mighty, and worthy deeds his famous acts were written by the Abbot Paphnutius.

June 12th
The Martyr of the Day

ST. ESKILL

Martyred in the Elventh Century, around the year 1069

St. Eskill was an Englishman by birth; but, so long as the Catholic religion flourished in the northern kingdoms of Europe, he was honored in that part of the universe as one of the most illustrious martyrs of the Gospel of Christ. St. Anscharius, archbishop of Bremen, having by his zealous labors laid the foundation of a numerous church in Sweden, was obliged to return into Germany.

After his departure the Swedes returned to their pagan superstition, and expelled Simon, whom St. Anscharius had left bishop of that church. The news of this apostasy afflicted extremely the servants of God, who inhabited the northern provinces of England, and St. Sigefride, archbishop of York, resolved to undertake a mission in person to rescue so many souls that were running upon the very brink of perdition.

Eskill, his kinsman, desirous to have a share in this laborious and dangerous enterprise, accompanied him there, and behaved in that country with so much zeal and prudence that, at the request of the king and people, St. Sigefride, before his return to England, consecrated Eskill bishop, at a place called Nordhan’s Kogh.

By his zealous labors, which were supported by the example of his apostolic life, the church was exceedingly propagated, till good King Ingon was slain by the infidels, and the wicked Sweno, surnamed the Bloody, placed on the throne. Upon this revolution they revived their most impious and barbarous superstitions, with which they celebrated a most solemn festival at a place called Strengis.

St. Eskill’s zeal was enkindled at such abominations, and attended by several of his clergy and of the faithful, he hastened to the place of the sacrilegious assembly. There he strongly exhorted the idolaters to renounce their impious worship. Finding them deaf to his remonstrances, he addressed his prayers to the Almighty, beseeching Him by some visible sign to give evidence that He alone was the true God. Instantly a violent storm of hail, thunder, and rain fell upon the spot, and destroyed the altar and sacrifices.

This prodigy the infidels ascribed to art or magic, with which they charged the saint, and, by the king’s orders, they stoned him to death. His sacred body was buried in the spot upon which he suffered martyrdom, and soon after a church was built there, in which his sacred remains were exposed to the veneration of the faithful, and were honored with miracles. He glorified God by martyrdom in the eleventh century. His festival was formerly kept on this day in Sweden, Poland, and other northern countries.