Today, 22 May, is the feast of ...
* Castus and Aemilius, martyrs (250) - according to Butler, Augustine
preached a sermon on their feast, and said that 'they fell like St
Peter, through presuming too much on their own strength'; this sounds
like a condemnation rather than praise
* Quiteria, virgin and martyr (fifth century?) - invoked against the
bite of mad dogs; depicted with a dog on a leash
* Romanus (c. 550) - as an old monk, helped initiate the young Benedict
to the solitary life
* Julia, martyr (sixth century?) - supposedly martyred in Corsica by
Saracen pirates, but a legend says she was a slave of a pagan merchant
who visited the governor of Corsica; this governor tried to get her to
convert from Christianity, and crucified her when she refused
* Aigulf or Ayoul, bishop of Bourges (836) - became bishop after having
lived as a hermit; when he felt his death approaching, he returned to
his old hermitage, where he died
* Umilta da Faenza, widow (1310) - a preaching nun; dictated treatises
in Latin, a language she never studied. Catherine Mooney, Virginia
Commonwealth University, is a leading expert on Umilta. Unfortunately
she is not on this list. If you would like more information on Umilta
see http://members.aol.com/juliansite/Juliansite.htm
* Rita of Cascia, widow (1457) - her body has remained incorrupt
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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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