medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
Today (31. October, all Hallows' eve) is the feast day of:
Quentin (?) A historical figure but with highly fictionalized biography,
Quentin seems to have been a Roman who evangelized in the district around
Amiens. He was martyred at the town now called St Quentin. Various
accounts say he was either a bishop or a soldier. In art he is shown with
a roasting spit.
Bega of St. Bees (7th cent.) Bega (or Bee, or Begh) was, according to
legend, a young Irish woman who was threatened with marriage and instead
fled the island. She founded a monastery in Cumbria at what is now known
as St. Bees Head.
Foillan (d. c. 655) Foillan was a brother of Sts. Fursey and Ultan, and
went with them from Ireland to England. He became abbot of a monastery at
Burgh Castle, from which he helped evangelize East Anglia. But after F's
monastery was destroyed in a raid by Penda of Mercia (who appears in a
really surprising number of stories of saints), F. went on to Belgium,
where he founded the monastery of Fosses and served as spiritual director
at Nivelles. As if that weren't enough for any one saint's career, he then
was fortunate enough to be killed by robbers, so is venerated as a martyr.
Arnulf of Novalese (d. c. 840) A monk of Novalese (in the Piedmont),
Arnulf was killed in a Muslim raid.
Wolfgang of Regensburg (d. 994) The Swabian Wolfgang became a monk at
Einsiedeln, where he headed the monastery school and also did missionary
work among the Magyars. He was made bishop of Regensburg in 972. He was a
noted monastic reformer, among other work uncoupling the monastery of St.
Emmeram from the bishopric (before his time the bishop of the city also
served as abbot at St. Emmeram's) and introducing the important reformer
Ramwold as new abbot. W. also was a notable caregiver to the poor of his
diocese and improved ecclesiastical education and discipline. He was
canonized in 1052.
Christopher of Romandiola (blessed) (d. 1272) Christopher was a parish
priest at Romandiola (near Cesena, Italy). He was an early disciple of St.
Francis, and ended up taking the new order to Gascony. He died, apparently
as a centenarian, at Cahors.
Thomas Bellacci (blessed) (d. 1447) Thomas was a Florentine. He became a
Franciscan lay brother at Fiesole and in time went on to introduce reform
to the Franciscan houses of Corsica and southern Italy, besides fighting
the Fraticelli in Tuscany. In his old age he went to preach in Syria, but
although he had a close call did not succeed in being martyred.
Dr. Phyllis G. Jestice
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