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 May 9th
taken from the entry for the day
from the Roman Martyrology

At Nazianzus, in Cappadocia, St. Gregory, Archbishop of Constantinople, who on account of his wonderful teaching of the things of God is surnamed the Theologian, who set up again the Catholic faith at Constantinople when it had fallen, and stilled the swelling waves of heresy.

At Rome, St. Hermes, of whom the Apostle St. Paul maketh mention in his Epistle to the Romans. He made a worthy offering of himself, and being made acceptable as a sacrifice to God, he departed hence to the Kingdom of Heaven, famous for good works.

In Persia, 310 holy martyrs.

At Cagli, on the Flaminian Way, suffered St. Gerontius, Bishop of Cervia.

At Vendome, in the third century, deceased, the holy confessor St. Beatus.

At Constantinople is commemorated the translation of the bodies of the holy Apostle St. Andrew, and of the holy Evangelist St. Luke, out of the Peloponnesos, and of that of St. Timothy, the disciple of the blessed Apostle St. Paul, out of Ephesos. The body of St. Andrew was carried to Amalfi a long while after, and godly multitudes of the faithful there gather to do it reverence. At the grave thereof is secreted a liquid for the healing of diseases.

There is also commemorated at Rome the translation of the body of the holy priest St. Jerome, Doctor of the Church, from Bethlehem of Juda into the cathedral church of St Mary-by-the-Manger, commonly called St. Mary the Greater.

Also there is commemorated at Bari, in Apulia, the translation thither of the body of the holy bishop St. Nicholas, from his see at Myra, a city of Lycia.

May 9th
The Martyr of the Day

ST. GERONTIUS

Martyred in the Sixth Century, around the year 501

The first known Bishop of Cervia is Gerontius. He was returning with Viticanus, Bishop of Cagli, from the Roman council held in 501 to treat accusations made against Pope Symmachus, when he was assaulted and killed by bandits on the Via Flaminia at Cagli, near Ancona. The account of his life says “heretics”, perhaps Goths, or more probably Heruli, of the army of Odoacer. His relics are venerated at Cagli.