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 November 21st
taken from the entry for the day
from the Roman Martyrology

St. Rufus, touching whom the holy Apostle Paul writeth unto the Romans.

At Rome, the holy martyrs St. Celsus and St. Clement.

At Ostia, the holy martyrs St. Demetrius and St. Honorius.

At Rheims, in the year 1192, the holy martyr St. Albert, bishop of Liege, who was slain for defending the freedom of the Church.

In Spain, the holy martyrs St. Honorius, St. Eutychius, and St. Stephen.

In Pamphylia, under the governor Aetius, in the persecution under the Emperor Aurelian, the holy martyr St. Heliodorus, by whom his very torturers were converted to the Faith for the which cause they were drowned in the sea.

At Rome, the holy pope St. Gelasius, famous for his teaching and holiness.

At Verona, the holy confessor St. Maurus, bishop of that see.

At the monastery of Bobbio, the death of the holy abbot St. Columbanus, the founder of many monasteries, and the Father of many monks, who passed away to the Lord in a good old age, illumined with many graces.

NOVEMBER 21st
The Martyr of the Day

ST. ALBERT OF LIEGE

Martyred in the Twelfth Century, around the year 1192

Albert de Louvain (1166—1192) was a cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church and the Prince-Bishop of Liège. He was canonized as a saint on August 9th, 1613. Albert de Louvain was born in 1166 as the second of two sons to Duke Godfrey III, Count of Leuven, and his first wife Margareta van Limburg. He was the brother of Henry I, Duke of Brabant.

Albert was educated at the cathedral school of Saint-Lambert in Liège. In 1187, when news of the fall of Jerusalem reached Liege, Albert resigned his offices, took the cross, and had himself knighted. The following year Cardinal Henry of Albano, restored his ecclesiastical status.

In 1188, he became the Archdeacon of Liège and later received the subdiaconate in 1191. That same year he was elected Bishop of Liège and despite the fact that he had not reached the canonical age of 30, his appointment was widely approved. Gilbert of Mons, chancellor of Count Baldwin V of Hainaut, who attended the election, along with other princes and nobles, described the proceedings as a power struggle between Albert's brother Henry and Baldwin.[

Albert's appointment was opposed by Baldwin, who had a second group of canons elect his own relative, Albert de Rethel. Albert de Rethel was the uncle of the Emperor's wife Constance. As the election appeared to be in dispute, the Emperor supported Lothar of Hochstaden, provost of the church of St Cassius in Bonn and brother of Count Dietrich of Hochstaden.

Albert took the matter to Rome and appealed to Pope Celestine III. In May, 1192, Pope Celestine III made Albert a cardinal, and ordained him in Rome as a deacon on May 30th, 1192. He was then ordained to the priesthood on September 19th, 1192, by Cardinal Guillaume de Champagne. He received episcopal consecration the next day and celebrated his first Mass on September 21st, in the Reims Cathedral.

Albert met three German knights in 1192, who persuaded him to ride on horseback with them outside of Reims. Outside of the city they attacked Albert with their swords and struck him on the head, which crushed his skull and caused him to fall, where they made sure they killed him prior to making an escape.

The immediate reaction to the murder was an uprising of the princes of Lower Lorraine led by the dukes of Brabant and Limburg, brother and uncle respectively of the slain bishop. They formed a group that eventually came to include the archbishops of Cologne and Mainz and other princes, and laid waste the territory of Dietrich of Hochstaden. Faced with the hostility of the people of Leige, Bishop-elect Lothar fled to the imperial court. He was excommunicated by Pope Celestine. The assassins, including one Otto of Barenste, fled to the imperial court, where Henry seems to have taken no particular action against them. Historians are divided as to the part the Emperor may or may not have played in planning the murder of the Bishop Albert.

The reputation of the holiness of Albert de Louvain soon spread after his death and was hailed as a martyr, thus, leading to the opening of his cause for canonization. Pope Paul V canonized him on August 9th, 1613 and instituted his feast day as the date of his death. His body reposed at Rheims until 1921, when they were moved to Brussels.