Devotion to Our Lady |
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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 July 15th taken from the entry for the day from the Roman Martyrology At Bamberg, the holy Emperor St. Henry II (972-1029). He and his wife Cunegunda preserved perpetual virginity and chastity. He brought St. Stephen, king of Hungary, and nearly all his kingdom, to believe in and to receive the Faith of Christ.
At Porto, in Italy, the heavenly birthday of the holy martyrs Eutropius, and the sisters Zosima and Bonosa. At Carthage, blessed Catulinus, deacon, whose glories were proclaimed by St. Augustine in a sermon to his people, and the Saints Januarius, Florentius, Julia and Justa, martyrs, who were entombed in the church of St. Faustus. At Alexandria, the holy martyrs Philip, Zeno, Narseus, and ten little children. In the island of Tenedos, St. Abudemius, a martyr, who suffered under Diocletian. At Sebaste, St. Antiochus, a physician, who was beheaded under the governor Hadrian. On seeing milk flowing from his wounds instead of blood, Cyriacus, his executioner, was converted to Christ and himself endured martyrdom. At Pavia, in the year 243, holy martyr St. Felix, bishop of that see. At Nisibis, the heavenly birthday of St. James, bishop of that city, a man celebrated for great holiness, miracles and his learning. He was one of those who confessed the Faith during the persecution of the Emperor Galerius Maximian. At the Council of Nicaea, in the year 325, he condemned the perverse heresy of Arius in opposing the definition that our Lord Christ is homousius―that is, of one Being with the Father. It was also owing to his prayers, and those of bishop Alexander, that Arius received, at Constantinople, the due reward of his iniquity, when his bowels gushed out. At Naples, in Campania, St. Athanasius, bishop of that city, who suffered much from his wicked and ungodly nephew Sergius, by whom he was driven from his see. In the year 872, consumed with afflictions and worn out with sorrow, he departed for Heaven at Veroli, in the time of Charles the Bald. At Palermo, the finding of the body of St. Rosalie, virgin of Palermo. She was of the family of Charlemagne, and was born at Palermo in 1130 and died in 1160. Being miraculously discovered by revelation from God, in the time of the Sovereign Pontiff, Urban VIII, it delivered Sicily from the plague in the year of the Jubilee. |
JULY 15TH
The Martyr of the Day ST. ANTIOCHUS OF SULCIS Martyred in the Second Century, around the year 127 ALL THE DAYS OF EACH MONTH OF THE YEAR FROM THE ROMAN MARTYROLOGY
| January | February | March | April | May | June | | July | August | September | October | November | December | St. Antiochus of Sulcis was an early Christian martyr of Sardinia, who was martyred around 127 AD. The island and town of Sant’Antioco are named after him.
Antiochus, a native of Cappadocian Sebastea, was the brother of the holy Martyr Platon (feast day November 18th), and he was a physician. He came from a region of North Africa, Mauritania, which today corresponds to the current Morocco in Algeria. At that time it was a Roman province during the reign of Hadrian and Christians were persecuted. Antiochus was a doctor who he believed and professed Christ’s word so he had no choice but to emigrate. He was forced to embark on a journey of luck that brought him into the Sardinian coast. The Emperor Hadrian was not particularly bad, but at that time there were too many riots in North Africa and to quell the riots he decided to put the saint in a boat along with a centurion named Cyriacus and reached Sulcis, a Roman city. Antiochus was condemned to work the mines on the island that now bears his name. The island, inhospitable and isolated during this period, was named Plumbaria at the time, after its source of lead (plumbum). He had converted many people in Cappadocia and Galatia to the Christian religion, and was therefore tortured and sent into exile by the authorities. The pagans learned that he was a Christian, and they brought him to trial and subjected him to fierce tortures. Thrown into boiling water, the saint remained unharmed. He was then given over to be eaten by wild beasts, but they did not harm him. Instead, the beasts lay peacefully at his feet. Through the prayers of the martyr many miracles were worked and the idols crumbled into dust. The pagans then beheaded St Antiochus. Witnessing the terrible treatment of the innocent saint and upon seeing milk flowing from his wounds instead of blood, Cyriacus, his executioner, was converted to Christ. He confessed his Faith in Christ before everyone and was also beheaded. They buried the martyrs side by side. Some say he was martyred in Sardinia rather than Sebaste. |