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medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture Today (7. July) is the feast day of: Pantaenus (d. c. 200) Pantaenus was a Stoic philosopher, perhaps born in Sicily. He became the head of the Alexandrian catechetical school, building it into a leading center of learning. Eusebius tells that P. was a missionary in India---or maybe Ethiopia, and that there he met Christians who said they had received Matthew's gospel in Hebrew from the hands of St. Bartholemew. Palladius (d. 432) Palladius was a Roman deacon, in 431 consecrated as a bishop by Celestine I and sent to Ireland to minister to the Christian communities there. He seems to have made some converts, but soon left Ireland to preach to the Picts. Felix of Nantes (d. 582) Felix was a nobleman of Aquitaine, named bishop of Nantes in 549 (upon which his wife entered a convent, leaving him free for episcopal stuff). He was known for care of the poor and for building a new cathedral. Hedda (d. 705) Hedda was a monk, probably of Whitby, who became bishop of the West Saxons, centered first at Dorchester and then Winchester. He was a royal councillor, endowed Malmesbury, and held office thirty years. Euphrosyne (Eudokia) (d. 1407) In 1367 this Russian princess married the Muscovite grand prince Dmitri Donskoi. She built churches, followed ascetic practices (like wrapping herself in chains during Lent), and after she had finished raising her five sons retired to a convent, where she took the religious name Euphrosyne. A modern saint: Peter To Rot (blessed) (d. 1945) Peter was a Melanesian, son of a village chief who had been one of the first Catholics in the region. When the Japanese invaded the region and imprisoned all the missionaries, P. was left to take on the task of spiritual direction in the area (he was married, with three children, by the way). The Japanese went on to ban Christian worship in 1942; P. resisted, was imprisoned, and soon poisoned. He was beatified in 1995. ********************************************************************** To join the list, send the message: join medieval-religion YOUR NAME to: [log in to unmask] To send a message to the list, address it to: [log in to unmask] To leave the list, send the message: leave medieval-religion to: [log in to unmask] In order to report problems or to contact the list's owners, write to: [log in to unmask] For further information, visit our web site: http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/medieval-religion.html