medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
Today (5. January) is the feast day of:
Apollinaris Syncletica (?) A cute story tells that Apollinaris
Syncletica was the daughter of an emperor. She ran away from home
disguised as a man and lived as a hermit in the desert. She was
accused of sexual misconduct and taken before her father, to whom she
revealed her identity and then went back to the desert.
Syncletica (d. 400) Syncletica was an Alexandrian. She refused to
marry (although both rich and---of course--beautiful) and when her
parents died gave her inheritance to the poor. She and her blind
sister became recluses on a kinsman's estate.
Simeon Stylites (d. 459) Simeon was a Cilician who became a monk but
annoyed his fellow monks so much with his excessive asceticism that
they kicked him out. He then became a hermit, but attracted too many
tourists. So in 423 he decided to live on top of a 10-foot pillar.
He spent the rest of his life living on higher and higher
pillars---the last was 60 feet high. He became an extremely
influential holy man, crowds gathering to hear his sermons, emperors
asking for advice, etc.
Convoyon (d. 868) The Breton Convoyon became a deacon at Vannes. He
went on from there to be a hermit and in 831 founded a monastery at
Redon, over which he became abbot. He was driven from his monastery
by vikings.
Dorotheus the Younger (11th cent.) Dorotheus was a noble of
Trebizond. He ran away from home at the age of 12 to escape an
arranged marriage and became a monk in Pontus. He founded a
monastery at Khiliokomos. D. was well known for his ecstasies,
prophecies, and miracles.
Gerlac (d. c. 1170) Gerlac was a native of Holland. He started his
adulthood as a fighter, but when his wife died he went on pilgrimage
to Rome and took to nursing the sick and doing penance. He became a
hermit on his estate near Valkenburg.
A modern saint: John Neumann (d. 1860) John was born in Bohemia,
attended seminary, but couldn't be ordained in his homeland because
of a priest surplus. So he went to the U.S. in 1836. He was
ordained and worked as a "missionary" especially to German-speaking
Catholics in upstate New York. In 1840 he joined the Redemptorist
order. In 1852 he became fourth bishop of Philadelphia. He was very
active in the cause of Catholic education. JN was canonized in 1977.
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