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Saintly Priests Awaiting Sponsors (Page 4)
Consider Sponsoring One of These Priests or Another!
Blessed Innocenzo da Berzo (19 March 1844 - 3 March 1890) Consider Sponsoring Blessed Innocenzo da Berzo in Chapel of 1000 Priests
Born Giovanni Scalvinoni in Niardo, Italy, Blessed Innocenzo was the son of farm workers. Always shy, he nevertheless had great mercy for the poor, giving generously to those who asked even though his family was poor itself. In 1861, his uncle sent him to college where he received high grades, then entered the diocesan seminary. After being ordained a priest, he held some diocesan positions but could not retain them due to his excessive shyness. During his stint as confessor and director of a primary school, he felt the need for solitude, prayer, and penance so he entered the Order of Friars Minor and took the name of Innocenzo when he took his solemn vows in 1878. Thereafter he had a few short assignments of preaching the spiritual exercises, but he spent the majority of his time in intense prayer and abandonment, living out his motto of "do good and disappear." Innocenzo had a deep devotion to the Blessed Sacrament, spending much time in prayer before the Tabernacle. He also had a strong devotion to Christ Crucified and encouraged his penitents to make the Way of the Cross with love and attention. When he died at the age of 45, many people thought him a saint.
Saint Cajetan (1 October 1480 - 7 August 1547) Consider sponsoring Saint Cajetan in Chapel of 1000 Priests
Born to a high noble family in the Veneto region, Italy, Cajetan lost his father to death while an infant. His mother raised Cajetan with a deep faith, and he went on to study law, receiving a dual degree in civil and canon law. He worked as a diplomat for the Pope until the Pope's death and then, three years later, was ordained a priest. Upon his mother's death in 1522, he returned to Vicenza where he founded a hospital for those with incurable illnesses. The following year, he founded a hospice in Venice. He tried to lead people to a spiritual healing, as well as physical. To foster his own spiritual growth, he joined the Oratory of Divine Love where he hoped to form a group that would combine the prayerfulness and mindfulness of monastic life with active ministry. In 1524, the Pope established a new Order, the Theatines, which Cajetan joined. In 1527, after being beaten by enemies of the Church, Cajetan and the others in his Order escaped to Venice where he helped Saint Jerome Emiliani establish a lay congregation to assist orphans. Before he died, Cajetan founded a bank to loan to the poor without the high interest rate of usurers.
Saint Polycarp (69 AD - 159 AD) -- Consider sponsoring Saint Polycarp in Chapel of 1000 Priests
Born in Izmir, Turkey, Saint Polycarp was converted to the Christian faith by Saint John the Evangelist, the "disciple whom Jesus loved." Polycarp became John's disciple, but he also met other apostles and additional first followers of Christ. Well instructed in the faith, Polycarp was ordained a priest and then consecrated, by John the Apostle, as Bishop of Smyrna, Greece. Saint Irenaeus wrote of Polycarp, "It is yet present to my mind with what gravity he everywhere came in and went out; what was the sanctity of his deportment, the majesty of his countenance; and what were his holy exhortations to the people. I seem to hear him now relate how he conversed with John and many others who had seen Jesus Christ, the words he had heard from their mouths." When he was eighty-six, Polycarp, refusing to blaspheme Christ, was martyred for being a Christian.
Saint Ignatius of Antioch (born? - died c 116 AD) Consider sponsoring Saint Ignatius of Antioch in Chapel of 1000 Priests
We know little about Ignatius' life. Born in Syria, Ignatius, according to traditions, was one of the children whom Jesus blessed. However, there is no proof. Ignatius converted to Christianity while young. Along with Saint Polycarp, Ignatius was a disciple of Saint John the Apostle. He was ordained a priest and eventually, at the direction of Saint Peter the apostle, was ordained Bishop of Antioch, Turkey. For his writings and faith, the people called him Theophorus (God bearer). We know his beliefs from letters which he wrote about the Church, about the faith, the sacraments, and bishops. A tradition states that he was one of the children whom Jesus blessed, but there is no proof. Ignatius was condemned to death for his faith, but instead of being killed in Antioch, he was taken, with ten soldiers to accompany him, as prisoner to Rome. The soldiers seem to have allowed him to meet with large numbers of Christians on the way and to write six letters to certain churches and one to Saint Polycarp. Knowing in advance how he was going to die, Ignatius was thrown to the lions in the Colosseum.
Saint Anthony Mary Claret (23 December 1807 - 24 October 1870) Consider sponsoring Saint Anthony Mary Claret in Chapel of 1000 Priests
Born in Barcelona, Spain, to a weaver and his wife, Anthony Mary Claret became a weaver at the age of 12 but recognized a religious vocation when he was in his twenties. Ordained a diocesan priest on June 13 (Feast of St. Anthony of Padua), Anthony Mary became a sought-after preacher and confessor just as was Anthony of Padua. He founded the Congregation of the Missionary Sons of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (the Claretians), approved by the Pope in 1865, and also founded a great religious library at Barcelona. In 1849, he was appointed Archbishop of Santiago, Cuba, where he initiated huge reforms in the Church, the education and health care of the poor, and the morals of the people. With a woman religious, he jointly founded the first religious Order for women in Cuba. He visited jails and hospitals, defended the oppressed, and denounced racism. For a would be assassin, he obtained a commuted sentence. Recalled by the Queen to be her personal confessor, he continued his work with the poor, the arts, writing, and preaching. When the Queen was exiled to France, Anthony Mary went as well where he began preaching, writing, and hearing confessions in Paris. By his life's end, he had written 144 books, over 100 printed works, and drew up rules for several women's religious communities. In addition, many mystical phenomena are associated with him.
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Saint Gregory Nazianzen (c. 329 - 25 January 390) Consider sponsoring Saint Gregory Nazianzen in Chapel of 1000 Priests.
Born to wealthy Greek parents in Cappadocia (now Turkey), Gregory, after a home education, went on to study advanced rhetoric and philosophy. After surviving a violent storm at sea, Gregory kept his vow to dedicate his life to God's service. Never could he have foreseen that service. In his life, Gregory was made bishop in one diocese and then coadjutor in another. He combatted the heresy Arianism and survived an attempt on his life because of his preaching. While he would rather have lived in solitude and prayer, he was thrust into church and political upheavals, which caused him to write theological discourses. A trained orator and philosopher, he shaped the doctrines of Trinitarian theology. At the end of a busy life filled with controversary and some opposition, Gregory's failing health enabled him to retire, so to speak, to his family estate where he continued writing not only treatises but also poetry. He is named a Doctor of the Church for his extensive theological instruction.
Saint Boniface (c 675 - 5 June 754) Consider sponsoring Saint Boniface in Chapel of 1000 Priests
Born Wynfreth (Winfred) in Exeter, England, Saint Boniface is considered the Apostle to the Germans. Against his prosperous family's wishes, he entered monastic life as Benedictine monk. He taught in the abbey school and was ordained a priest at the age of 30. Well educated and the author of a Latin grammar, he embarked in 716 on a missionary expedition to northwestern Europe. After instruction on evangelizing those who had not heard of Christ, he went to Rome where the Pope renamed him Boniface after an early martyr and appointed him bishop for Germania. One of his first acts was to chop down a tree considered to be holy by the people. When Boniface was not harmed by the gods, the people listened to his instruction about Christ and became Christian. Consecrated archbishop by the Pope, Boniface expanded his work in the religious and secular realm, founding abbeys and dealing with political leaders and nobles. He was killed by robbers, after telling his armed comrades to lay down their arms as our Lord told us to repay evil with good.
Saint Brendan the Navigator (c 484 AD - c 577 AD) Consider Sponsoring Saint Brendan in Chapel of 1000 Priests
The approximate dates of Saint Brendan's birth and death, and some anecdotes of his life, are found in Irish annals and genealogies. Born in County Kerry in Munster, Ireland, Brendan received his main education from Saint Finnian of Clonard and is considered one of the twelve apostles of Ireland. When he was 26 years old, Brendan was ordained a priest. Thereafter, he founded several monasteries, reaching many locations by boat and having some fantastic adventures. Part of his legend tells of a seven-year sailing trip in search of the Garden of Eden. Setting out with sixteen monks, he sailed the Atlantic from 512 - 530, eventually reaching, what his sailors thought, was the Promised Land for Saints. After a brief stay there, the boats moved on. Brendan founded many monasteries throughout this and other voyages. Fearing that devotees would try to claim his relics, he arranged that, upon his death, his body be transported secretly in a luggage cart to the monastery which he founded in Clonfert. He was interred in Clonfert Cathedral.
Blessed Reginald of Orleans (1183 - early February 1220) Consider sponsoring Blessed Reginald in Chapel of 1000 Priests
Born in Orleans, France, Reginald studied canon law at the University of Paris. Brilliant, holy, possessed of a great love for the Blessed Mother, Reginald was made dean of the Cathedral Chapter in Orleans. During a trip to the Holy Land, he had to pass through Rome where he encountered Dominic Guzman who had just founded an order of mendicant, preaching friars. The Order was everything Reginald was seeking, and he was invested in the habit. Shortly after, he fell deathly ill. As he was dying, the Blessed Mother, accompanied by Saint Cecilia and Saint Catherine of Alexandria, appeared to him. Mary anointed him, saying, "I anoint your feet with holy oil to make them ready to spread the gospel of peace." She then presented Reginald with a body sized scapular which became the habit of the Dominican Order. After completing his overseas journey to the Holy Land, Reginald returned to Bologna whose citizens converted in huge numbers due to Reginald's preaching and austere life. Then he went to Paris where he continued the preaching. Conversions abounded. Here, however, he fell ill and died. The people at once acclaimed him a saint.
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Blessed Alfredo Idefoso Scheuster, O.S.B. (18 January 1880 - 30 August 1954) Consider Sponsoring Blessed Alfredo Idefoso Scheuster in Chapel of 1000 Priests
The life of Blessed Alfredo Idefoso Scheuster shows that even saints can err on their judgments but that they also have the humility to admit it. Born in Rome to a Bavarian tailor and his wife, Alfredo was kidnapped briefly as a child but was returned to his family. In 1898, he joined the Benedictine Order where he took the name Idefoso. Ordained in 1904, Alfredo earned both a doctorate in theology and one in philosophy. In 1908, he was elected novice master of a Benedictine abbey and then, in 1918, abbot. He held other offices in his Order and in the papal government. In 1929, Alfredo was named archbishop of Milan. During his tenure, he ordained 1265 priests and 22 bishops. Acting on his conviction that all Christians were to be holy, he emphasized catechetics and promoted the Catholic Action movement. When the fascists took over, Alfredo at first thought they would be open to conversion, but Germany's invasion of Austria and their regime's racial views caused him to change his mind. He attempted to convert the dictator Mussolini and urged him to make peace with God and his fellow men, but Mussolini refused. Alfredo spoke out against totalitarianism and communism and the link to fascism. When he died of heart failure, the people of his diocese attended his funeral with great admiration and respect.
Saint Joseph Calasanz (11 September 1557 - 25 August 1648) Consider sponsoring Saint Joseph Calasanz in Chapel of 1000 Priests
Born in the Kingdom of Aragon, Spain, Joseph was the youngest of a minor nobleman's eight children. Educated by his family, Joseph incurred his father's displeasure when he wanted to become a priest. However, opposition subsided when Joseph became deathly ill. When Joseph recovered, his father relented and Joseph, having already passed the necessary classwork, was ordained a priest in 1583. He held various offices and worked with the poor in Spain until moving to Rome in 1592. There he hoped to further his priestly studies and receive some financial assistance. What captured his attention, however, were the huge number of neglected, homeless children, many of them orphans. With the help of a pastor who provided school rooms, and two other supportive priests, Joseph gathered the street children and began what was the first free public school in Europe. With financial help, the school grew to 1000 pupils. Joseph and his assistants laid the foundation of what would become the Order of Pious Schools or Piarists, whose fundamental precepts Joseph wrote. The Order and number of schools expanded until a priest, headmaster of one of the schools and son of a powerful lawyer, was caught sexually abusing his students. The Pope suppressed the Order in 1646, and Joseph died two years later. The next pope cleared the name of the Pious Order and reinstated it.
Saint Januarius (c. 12 April 272 - c. 19 September 305) Consider sponsoring Saint Januarius in Chapel of 1000 Priests.
Born into a rich family of Benevento, Italy, Januarius became a priest at the age of 15 and Bishop of Naples at the age of 20. During an 18-month persecution by the emperor Diocletian, Januarius hid fellow Christians to keep them from being caught. He also visited Christian prisoners and was apprehended while visiting a deacon whom he had met during his priestly studies. He and the other prisoners were condemned to be thrown to wild bears in the amphitheater at Pozzuoli, but officials changed the sentence to beheading. One legend states that this happened because the bears would not attack the prisoners. Another account says that the officials feared a public uprising should the holy Christians be desecrated by wild beasts. Legend states that a pious woman Eusebia saved a vial of Januarius' blood which liquifies a few times per year and which is kept in a reliquary in a Naples church dedicated to the saint.
Saint Vincent Ferrer (23 January 1350 - 5 April 1419) Consider sponsoring Saint Vincent Ferrer in Chapel of 1000 Priests
Son of a Spanish notary from Palamos, Vincent was spiritual from his youth, fasting on Wednesdays and Fridays and distributing alms to the poor. When 8 years old, he began classical studies and, at 14, began to study theology and philosophy. When 18, he entered the Order of Preachers and overcame temptations to leave by practicing prayer and penance. Vincent committed Sacred Scripture to memory and wrote a spiritual treatise before being ordained in 1389. Earning a doctorate in theology, he traveled for over twenty years to various countries, preaching the Gospel and converting many. Although an intellectual, Vincent was gifted with the ability to speak complex truths in easily understood ways. His preaching converted not only the lax but also many Jewish people whose synagogues he consecrated into churches. This, as well as some other political differences, one involving the rightful pope and another the king of Aragon, complicated his later life. During these times, he managed to retain his gentleness and faith.
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Saint Victorinus of Pettau (birth date unknown - died 303-304 AD) Consider sponsoring Saint Victorinus in Chapel of 1000 Priests
Victorinus was an early Christian writer about the year 270 who was martyred in the persecutions under the emperor Diocletian. Probably born in Roman Greece, Victorinus spoke Greek more fluently than Latin. As Bishop of the city of Petteau (now Ptuj in Slovenia), Victorinus was the first theologian to use Latin for explaining Scripture. Most of his works are of this explanatory nature. Victorinus composed commentaries on various works of the Bible including Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Isaiah, Ezekiel, Habakkuk, Ecclesiastes, the Song of Songs, Matthew, and the Apocalypse of John (Revelation). He also wrote against heresy. Yet only two of his works still survive. According to Saint Jerome, Victorinus died as a martyr in 304.
Saint Victricius of Rouen (born c 330 AD - died c 407 AD) Consider sponsoring Saint Victricius of Rouen in Chapel of 1000 Priests
Gallic by birth and the son of a Roman legionnaire, Victricius became a solider also. He served in many military locations around Gaul. When he learned the truth about Jesus and His message of peace, Victricius refused to stay in the military. For this he was flogged and sentenced to be executed, but somehow he escaped, taking the Christian message to areas of the Netherlands and adjacent France. In time Victricius was ordained a priest and then the bishop of Rouen (Normandy, France). The Pope defended him when he was accused of heresy and honored his trust in him by entrusting him with an important Church document which was the first system of Biblical interpretation. He also traveled abroad to help resolve doctrinal issues. When he received saints' relics as a gift from Saint Ambrose of Milan, Victricius wrote a sermon in honor of their arrival
Saint Berard of Carbio (Birthdate unknown - died 16 January 1220) Consider sponsoring Saint Berard of Carbio in Chapel of 1000 Priests
Born into a noble family of Umbria, Italy, Berard met Francis of Assisi and his friars and was received into their newly founded Order in 1213. At some point, he had learned Arabic and spoke it so well that he could preach as eloquently in Arabic as in his native language. Thus, when Francis, in 1219, wished to send some of his followers to convert the Muslims, Berard was a natural choice. Along with two other priests and two lay brothers, Berard set out for Seville, arriving by way of Portugal. When the friars arrived in the Kingdom of Morocco, they immediately began preaching which upset the Muslims. Twice the king attempted to have them expelled and taken to Christian lands, but they kept returning. When it became obvious that they would not go away, they were arrested and imprisoned. When they would not abandon their faith, the king himself beheaded them, thus creating the first Franciscan martyrs. Their remains were sent back to Portugal where their presence played a role in inspiring a young Augustinian priest to join the Franciscans. That priest became known as Saint Anthony of Padua.
Saint Willibrod (c. 658 - 7 November 739) Consider Sponsoring Saint Willibrod in Chapel of 1000 Priests
Born to a Saxon family in Northumbria (now Northern England and Southern Scotland), Willibrod's father became a convert to Christianity, entrusted Willbrod to be reared and educated at an abbey, and then became a religious hermit. Willibrod himself became a Benedictine monk. After receiving a thorough education, Willibrod and eleven companions were sent as missionaries to Christianize the people living along the coast of the North Sea, an area known as Frisia. Twice Willibrod traveled to Rome to obtain the Pope's guidance and blessing for this mission. On his second visit, the Pope consecrated Willbrod as Bishop of the Frisians. Willibrod returned to the area to preach and establish churches and monasteries. With the exception of a brief time when Willibrod had to flee because a new king began killing Christians and burning churches, Willibrod remained in Frisia, active until his death.
Saint Isaac Jogues (10 January 1607 - 18 October 1646) Consider sponsoring Saint Isaac Jogues in Chapel of 1000 Priests
Born into the established middle class, Isaac Jogues started to attend Jesuit schools at the age of ten and entered the novitiate of the Jesuit order when he was seventeen. After completing the necessary studies, he was ordained a priest in 1636. Soon after, he was sent as a missionary to New France, present day Quebec. There he was assigned as priest to the Huron and Algonquin tribes who were allies of the French. Other missionaries had preceded him, but they were met with resistance until the Oibjwe tribe accepted them. In 1632, Jacques and a group of Christian Hurons were ambushed by a war party from the Mohawk nation who tortured the prisoners and who were especially incensed when Isaac tried to comfort a fellow prisoner. The Mohawks beat Isaac with sticks, tore out his fingernails, and gnawed off the tips of his fingers. The Mohawk then marched the prisoners to villages where they were mocked and tortured, one village after the other. Throughout this captivity, Isaac heard confessions of the other prisoners, baptized, and comforted them. A French representative was unsuccessful at having the captives released but did obtain a promise that their lives be spared. As an overworked, underfed and poorly clothed slave, Isaac continued to pray, work, evangelize, and perform works of charity. After escaping to France, Isaac returned to New France in 1646 as French ambassador to the Mohawk. The Mohawks mistrusted Isaac and the other ambassadors and martyred them in October.
Blessed Moisés Lira Serafin (16 September 1893 - 25 June 1950) Consider sponsoring Blessed Moisés Lira Serafin in Chapel of 1000 Priests
Born in Puebla, Mexico, Moises suffered the death of his mother when he was five years old. His father had difficulty finding work and the family moved often. Humble and pious, Moises entered the seminary. In 1922, was ordained a priest in the Order the Missionaries of the Holy Spirit. During the Cristero Rebellion, when churches were closed, Moises celebrated Mass secretly and took Communion to the sick. Always taking the last place, while remaining joyful and kind, his motto was, "It is necessary to be very small to be a great saint." Moises fulfilled various priestly duties including administration in his congregation and in the Church, giving special care and attention to children, especially those with troubled childhoods. In 1934, he founded Congregation of the Missionaries of Charity of Mary Immaculate to "make visible the goodness of Jesus by caring for the needs of humanity . . . through education, catechetics, and health care." Fr, Moises is the patron saint of the unborn for prayers to him healed an unborn child of a fatal condition, the miracle used for his beatification.
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Saint Caesarius of Arles (born 468-470 - 27 August 542) Consider sponsoring Caesarius of Arles in Chapel of 1000 Priests
Born in eastern France, Caesarius' strong faith alienated him from his family. Leaving home at the age of 17, Caesarius studied under a bishop and then entered a monastery where his austerity led to a decline of health while his academic ability gained him recognition. Although he learned to temper his zeal with prudence, Caesarius remained austere all his life. Ordained a priest and then a bishop, he was courageous and unworldly yet kind. A popular preacher and strong administrator, Caesarius was acclaimed for his faith, fervor, and orthodoxy. As he dealt mainly with moral issues in his sermons, so he encouraged the clergy to do the same. He invited the laity to join in the Divine Office, to study Scripture, and to ask questions regarding his sermons. He became well known for his charity to the poor and ill and for redeeming captives and prisoners. By middle age, Caesarius was the most distinguished theologian of his time. He combatted heresy and enemies of the Church, was an accomplished author, wrote the first rule of religious life for women, and took part in important Church councils. Over 250 of his sermons have survived.
Saint Stanislaus Papczyński (18 May 1631 - 17 September 1701) Consider sponsoring Saint Stanislaus Papczyński in Chapel of 1000 Priests
Born in southern Poland to a village blacksmith and bailiff, Jan Papczyński persisted in his schooling and entered a Jesuit college at the age of fifteen. In his early twenties, he joined the Piarist Order where he received the religious name of Stanislaus of Jesus and Mary. In 1661, he was ordained a priest. In addition to doing menial tasks, Stanislaus taught college rhetoric and became a sought after preacher. Because he tried to live more austerely than others in the Order, he ran into difficulties and left the Order in 1670 to consecrate himself to Jesus and Mary in an Order he wished to found, the Marian Clerics of the Immaculate Conception. He spent the rest of his life developing the Order, writing, preaching, and serving the poor. In 1699, the pope approved the young institute and allowed its members to take solemn vows, under the French Rule of the Ten Virtues of the Blessed Virgin Mary. After Stanislaus' death, the Order was permitted to move away from Franciscan oversight and stand on its own. Today the Congregation of the Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception is in nineteen countries. The Congregation spreads devotion to the Blessed Mother, pray for the souls in Purgatory, and engages in a variety of apostolic work.
Saint John Eudes (14 November 1601 - 19 August 1680) Consider sponsoring Saint John Eudes in Chapel of 1000 Priests
Son of a surgeon in north-western France, John, at the age of 14, took a private vow to remain chaste. Although he studied under the Jesuits, he joined the Oratorians and was ordained a priest in 1625. During plagues in 1627 and 1631, John voluntarily cared for plaque victims, administering the sacraments and giving the dead a proper burial. So as not to infect his colleagues, he lived in a cask in a field. In 1633, John began preaching missions which often lasted several weeks to several months. This led to his leaving the Oratorians to found an Order dedicated to educating priests and preaching parish missions. Called "the prodigy of his age," John was sought after as a confessor as well as a preacher. John founded several seminaries and promoted devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. He founded an Order for penitent former prostitutes as well as a religious order for laity. His writings and liturgies are part of current Church worship on the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary.
Saint Symeon the New Theologian (949 - 12 March 1022) Consider sponsoring Saint Symeon the New Theologian in Chapel of 1000 Priests.
Born into the Byzantine nobility in what is now Turkey, Symeon received a traditional education. At the age of fourteen, he met a monk named Symeon the Studite who convinced him to give his life to prayer and penance. At the age of twenty-seven, Symeon was able to follow this advice. At the age of thirty, he became abbot of a monastery where he was ordained a priest and where his holiness fostered many vocations. Symeon encouraged people to seek and experience God's grace, to practice contemplative prayer, to live simply in purity of heart, and to place oneself under a spiritual director for advancement in the spiritual life. After serving as abbot for twenty five years, he retired to a hermitage. Symeon encountered opposition and even exile from both political authorities and fellow monks, the former objecting to some of his teachings and to his promotion of veneration for Symeon the Studite, and some of his fellow monks for expecting them to be as disciplined in the spiritual life as he was.
Saint Ciarán of Clonmacnoise (Ciarán the Younger) (c. 516 - 549) Consider sponsoring Saint Ciarán of Clonmacnoise in Chapel of 1000 Priests
Born in Ireland to a carpenter and charcoal maker and his wife, Ciarán herded cattle as youth. He was educated by Saint Finian and became a teacher himself. Saint Columba said of Ciarán that "He was a lamp, blazing with the light of wisdom." Saint Enda continued Ciarán's education, ordained him a priest, and advised him to build a church and monastery in central Ireland. He traveled around, eevn living in a cave in Scotland for a time, then built a monastery at Clonmacnoise and settled there, working on the buildings himself. Seven months later, he contracted the plague. "Leave my bones on the hillside," he told his followers. "Preserve my spirit, not my relics."
Saint Chromatius (4th century to 406/407) Consider sponsoring Saint Chromatius in Chapel of 1000 Priests
Apparently born at Aquileia, Chromatius lost his father while still an infant and was raised by his mother and his numerous siblings. Ordained a priest in 381, he became bishop of Aquileia in 388. ?A celebrated bishop of his time, Chromatius corresponded with many notable Church leaders. He encouraged Saint Ambrose to write critical texts explaining Scripture. He suggested to Saint Jerome that he translate Scripture and write commentaries on it, and he also financed Jerome's efforts. When Jerome and Saint Tyrannius Rufinus were arguing over the doctrines of a questionable theologian, Chromatius attempted to make peace between the two saints. He advised Rufinus not to respond to Jerome, whose letters could be fiery, but instead to devote himself to new literary works including the translation of an ecclesiastical history written by Saint Eusebius. Chromatius himself wrote, and we have today 18 treatises and 38 sermons.
Saint Andrew Andrew Dũng-Lạc (1795 - 21 December 1839) Consider sponsoring Saint Andrew Dũng-Lạc in Chapel of 1000 Priests
Born Trần An Dũng in Vietnam, Andrew took his name (Anrê Dũng) at his baptism. He was ordained a priest of 15 March 1823. In 1833, a brutal persecution of Christians re-commenced. Those who refused to renounce their faith were killed. During this persecution, Andrew changed his name to Lac to avoid capture and so is known as Andrew Dũng Lac (Anrê Dũng Lạc). The ruse worked only for a short time. Eventually Andrew was captured and put to death.
Blessed Bonaventure of Potenza (4 January 1651 - 26 October 1711) Consider sponsoring Blessed Bonaventure of Potenza in Chapel of 1000 Priests
Born to poor but holy parents in Potenza, Italy, Antonio Carlo Gerardo Lavanca learned Latin from a pious priest and entered the Conventual Franciscans at the age of 15 where he was given the name Bonaventure. After his profession, he resumed his studies but with less devotional fervor. His superiors sent him to Amalfi where a spiritual director trained Bonaventure in humility, obedience, and denial of carnal desires. Soon he excelled in these virtues. When ordained a priest. Bonaventure's humble, simple sermons combined with his prayer, mortification, and charity won many converts. Sometimes a single word effected spiritual change. Bonaventure served as novice master, praying for the novices and inculcating in them humility and obedience. When an epidemic broke out, Bonaventure offered himself as he tended the victims and administered the sacraments to them. Through his prayers, many were miraculously cured, food was multiplied, and future events were foretold. After being a model religious for 45 years, Bonaventure contracted gangrene. When dying from this, he asked pardon for his many faults and infractions of the Rule, kissed the feet of Christ on the crucifix, and peacefully died.
