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Today, 27 November, is the feast of ... * Barlaam and Josaphat (?) - in a vita once attributed to St John Damascene, story is told of how the ascetic Barlaam converted the young prince Josaphat and eventually his father, king Abenner; all three left the world and lived as hermits - this vita appears to be a borrowing of the legend of Siddartha Buddha * James Intercisus, martyr (c. 421) - executed by having his fingers, then his toes, then his arms, then his legs cut off, and then having his thighs ripped out of his hips; throughout this process, James Intercisus (= 'chopped-to-pieces') praised God (that is, until his head was chopped off) - possibly the inspiration of a character in the film *Monty Python and the Holy Grail* * Secundinus or Sechnall, bishop (447) - one of three 'seniores' sent from Gaul to assist St Patrick; noted as a composer of hymns * Maximus, bishop of Riez (c. 460) - second abbot of Lerins, he tried to avoid becoming bishop of Riez in Provence by escaping in a boat, but failed in the attempt; lived like a monk even after he became bishop * Cungar, abbot (sixth century) - founded a monastery in a marshy place near Yatton, Somerset, now known as Congresbury; according to a Breton tradition, he died at Saint-Congard in Morbihan * Fergus, bishop (eighth century?) - he left Ireland for Scotland, where he founded three churches in honour of St Patrick * Virgil, bishop of Salzburg (784) - he left Ireland on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, but did not make it past Bavaria; apostle of the Slovenes - supposedly he was once denounced (by St Boniface) for teaching that beneath the earth there exists another world and other men and also a sun and moon * Bernardino da Fossa (1503) - refused bishopric of L'Aquila in order to live a simpe friar 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] %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%