Today, 19 April, is the feast of ...
Expeditus, martyr (no date): It is thought that this saint never
existed. However, the stories of how his cult came into existence are
more interesting than his alleged life. The best story is that the
origin of this devotion started in the early part of this century when a
packing-case containing a *corpo santo* was sent from the catacombs of
Rome to a community of nuns in Paris. The date of its dispatch was
indicated next to the word "spedito" (Italian for "sent"),
but the recipients mistook this for the name of the martyr and set to
work in "great haste" to propagate his cult.
Last year Bill East addded:
There are several other non-existent saints whose name derives from
a linguistic misunderstanding. St Amphibalus - the word means a cloak;
and St Aldate - simply the Old Gate, near which, in Oxford, stands the
Church of St Aldate's.
Ursmar, abbot and bishop (713): Abbot of Lobbes abbey.
Geroldus, hermit (978)
Alphege, archbishop of Canterbury, martyr (1012): As a young man he
entered the monastery of Deerhurst in Gloucestershire. Afterwards he
withdrew to a deserted place near Bath to live as a hermit. Eventually
he became abbot of the monastery at Bath. As an abbot Alphege never
tolerated the slightest relaxation of the rule since he believed that a
small concession could undermine the regular observance of a religious
house. Thus, he used to say that it was better for a man to remain
in the world than for him to become an imperfect monk.
Leo IX, pope (1054)
Bernard the Penitent (1182): Not much is known of this penitent who was
born in the diocese of Maguelone in Provence. He participated in a
protest that resulted in the death of an unpopular governor. Dressed as
a penitent and leaded with heavy iron fetters he undertook a number of
pilgrimages. Three times, he visited Jerusalem and once he went as far
as India to implore the intercession of St Thomas.
Conrad of Ascoli, Franciscan friar (1289): Conrad was only a boy when he
knelt before a peasant lad called Jerome Masci and greeted him as
destined to become pope. The prophecy was fulfilled when Jerome became
Pope Nicholas IV. Conrad and Jerome became fast friends. Together they
entered the Franciscan order and they also received their doctorates at
Perugia on the same day. Conrad eventually became a missionary and was
sent to Libya.
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Dr Carolyn Muessig
Department of Theology and Religious Studies
University of Bristol
Bristol BS8 1TB
UK
phone: +44(0)117-928-8168
fax: +44(0)117-929-7850
e-mail: [log in to unmask]
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