augustinian saints

7/31/2019 Augustinian Saints

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December 16Blessed Cherubin Testa of Avigliana

Cherubin, an only son, was born in Avigliana (Torino), Italy, in 1451,

where he entered the Augustinian Order at the age of twenty. He diedeight years later, on 17 December, 1479, barely eight months after hisordination as a priest.

Cherubin was distinguished by the spirit of obedience, purity of life, anddevotion to the passion of Christ. To this day Blessed Cherubin is stillvery alive in Avigliana and the surrounding area. His mortal remains aredisplayed for the veneration of the faithful in the parish of Saints Johnand Peter in Avigliana (Torino), Italy.

Blessed Cherubin's feast is celebrated by the Augustinian Family on 16December.

Rotelle, John, Book of Augustinian Saints, Augustinian Press 2000


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December 11Blessed Martin of Saint Nicholas and Melchior of Saint Augustine

Blessed Martin and Blessed Melchior gave

their lives to spread the gospel of Jesus.

Martin Lumberas was born in Zaragosa,Spain, in 1598 and Melchior Sanchez inGranada the following year.

Before he joined the RecollectCongregation of the Augustinian Order atthe age of twenty, Martin suffered the deathof his brothers -- one killed while trying toestablish peace between two enemies, theother an Augustinian -- and that of hissisters, one a Carmelite who died with areputation for sanctity. In 1622 he left for

the missions in the Philippines.

Melchior, orphaned at an early age, received the Recollect habit of theAugustinian Order at the age of eighteen and set sail for the Philippine missionin 1621. Both friars arrived at the monastery of Saint Nicholas in Manila after their ordination in Mexico City. In the Philippines, among other duties, Martinwas master of novices, and Melchior was engaged in the apostolate of

preaching. In July 1632, in response to a request of two missionary confreres

imprisoned in Japan, they asked to be sent to that country to care for persecutedChristians who had been forced into hiding. They arrived in September of thatsame year and began to minister in the hills surrounding Nagasaki, until some of the very men who had helped them reach Japan reported them to the officials.Having undergone various forms of torture, there were burned at the stake on 11December 1632.

Martin and Mechior were beatified by Pope John Paul II on 26 March 1989. The

Augustinian Family celebrates their feast on 11 December.



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November 7Blessed Gratia of Kotor

Blessed Gratia of Kotor distinguished himself by

his humility, work, spirit of penitence, and loveof the Eucharist.

The second half of the fourteenth century sawthe emergence of a great spirit of reform in theAugustinian Order as well as in many other religious congregations. Friars committed to anenthusiastic observance of religious life in

perfect fidelity to the Rule and Constitutionsshunning every abuse and opportunity for compromise. They were authorized to live inspecially designated "observant" communities

under the immediate authority of the prior general and his appointed vicar.Eleven distinct congregations of observant monasteries were formed during this

period. Gratia entered one of these congregations, centered at Monte Orotne,

near Padua, in 1468

Gratia was born in 1438 in the town of Mulla near Kotor (Cattaro) on theDalmation coast in former Yugoslavia. Fifteen years earlier Kotor had submittedto Venetian rule and became a busy and prosperous seaport. Gratia was a sailor whose work brought him to Venice where, on a certain occasion, he was sodeeply moved by the preaching of the Augustinian friar, Simon of Camerino, adistinguished speaker and leader of the Augustinian Observant Movement, thathe decided to join the Augustinian Order as a lay brother. He was thirty yearsold. In his forty years of religious life Gratia distinguished himself by his virtuesand love of the Eucharist.

After many years at Monte Ortone, where he devoted his time an energy to theservice of his brethren, principally in the monastery garden, he was transferredto the monastery of San Cristoforo near Venice, where he died on 8 November

1508.

Four centuries later he is still venerated by his countymen in Kotor, andespecially in his hometown of Mulla, where his body has been kept in the parishchurch since 1810. In 1889 Pope Leo XIII beatified Gratia.


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The Augustinian Family celebrates his memorial on 7 November.

Rotelle, John, Book of Augustinian Saints, Augustinian Press 2000To see another web page on Blessed Gratia click here

October 31Blessed James of Cerqueto, O.S.A.

James, who was born in Cerqueto around 1284, became an Augustinian in themonastery of Perugia, Italy. Tradition tells us that he was a religious of "regular observance, strict abstinence, diligent prayer, and spotless virginity."

He died in Perugia on 17 April 1367 in his eighties while praying before thealtar of the Virgin. His body was transferred from the church of St. Augustine in

Perugia to his native town , Cerqueto, in 1956.

His memory is celebrated by the Augustinian Family on 31 October.



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October 29Blessed Peter of Gubbio, O.S.A.

Peter, of the noble Ghigenzi family was born in the

first half of the thirteenth century. He studied lawfirst in Italy and then in Paris. At the age of forty he

joined the Augustinians of his hometown who hadcome to Gubbio from the hermitage of Brettino(Fano). As a friar he won the respect of hisconfreres and was entrusted with various duties of responsibility. He was sent by the prior general tovisit the monasteries of France where he left a deepimpression for his zeal and holiness of life. He isdescribed by the Anonymous Florentine, a writer of the fifteenth century, as "a man of great patienceand prayer, who ended his life in the peace of the

Lord and is renowned for many miracles."

He died sometime between 1306 and 1322 and was venerated from the time of

his death. His remains are preserved in the Church of St. Augustine in Gubbio.

Blessed Peter's feast in celebrated by the Augustinian Family on 29 October.

Rotelle, John, Book of Augustinian Saints, Augustinian Press 2000Peter of Gubbio, Church of Saint Augustine, Rome, Italy


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October 25St. John Stone, O.S.A.

Nothing whatsoever is known of John's early life,

education, or activities in the Order, though it isconjectured that he joined the Augustinians atCanterbury since this is the place of his death.His story then, is essentially that of hismartyrdom.

On 3 November 1534 the English Parliamentissued the Act of Supremacy, declaring HenryVIII supreme head of the Church in England. InDecember 1538, Richard Ingworth, a former Dominican and the official emissary of ThomasCromwell, appeared at Canterbury to close thehouses of the mendicant friars there and obtainthe written assent of each community's members

to the above-mentioned Act. The friaries of the Franciscans and Dominicans

were surrendered without difficulty. When, on 14 December, Richard appearedat the monastery of the Austin Friars, John alone among his brothers refused tosign, and spoke in clear terms of his objections to the king's claims over theChurch. John was immediately separated from his confreres in order to forestallhis influence over them and was urged eventually with threats to alter his

position. When he persisted in his refusal he was brought to London so thatCromwell himself might pressure him to change his view. He was imprisonedfor a year in the tower of London where he remained adamant. It was while herethat John had a religious experience which was recorded by the Catholicapologist and biographer, Nicholas Harpsfield:

"John Stone was invested with the crown of martyrdom at Canterbury. But before that, having poured forth prayers in prison to God and having fastedcontinuously for three days, he heard a voice, though he saw no one, whichaddressed him by name and bade him to be of good heart and not to hesitate to

suffer death with constancy for the belief which he had professed. From thisafterwards he gained such eagerness and strength as never to allow himself by

persuasion or terror to be drawn from his purpose. These facts I learned from asober and trustworthy man who is still living, to whom Stone himself revealedthem."


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On October 1539, John was sent to be tried at Canterbury. The sentence washanded down on 6 December and within several weeks, probably two days after Christmas, he was hanged, drawn, and quartered at a place called the Dungeon,now known as Dane John. Because he was a traitor to the king, his head and his

quartered body were exhibited at the city gates.

John Stone was beatified on 9 December 1886 by Leo XIII and was canonized,along with thirty-nine other English martyrs of the Reformation, by Paul VI on25 December 1970.

The Augustinian Family celebrates his memory on 25 October.

Rotelle, John, Book of Augustinian Saints, Augustinian Press 2000John Stone with Henery VIII and Pope Clement VII by Mario Ferrari, Rome,Italy


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October 23Blessed John the Good

Blessed John the Good or Bono, as he isreferred to at times, was born in Mantuaabout the year 1168. When he had reachedthe age of sixteen, he left his widowedmother to become a traveling entertainer. In1209 he became seriously ill and vowed toreform his ways and do penance if Godwould spare his life. After his recovery he

began to live as a solitary, and from 1210until his death in 1249 he chose a remotehermitage in Butriolo, near Cesena innorthern Italy as his dwelling. Eventually,

as his reputation for holiness and simplicity of life became known, otherswished to join him and, in time, these followers formed themselves into acongregation bearing John's name (Zanbonini).

John, nonetheless, continued to live alone in his Spartan hermitage, practicingaustere penances, and engaged in intimate conversation with God. Hiscontemplative lifestyle did not separate him altogether from others, however. Hefrequently preached to those who sought him out, winning many over to a moredevout practice of the faith. He also established an association for lay peopleknown as the "Brothers and Sisters of Penitence," quite possibly the first ThirdOrder found by any of the Mendicant Orders.

John was admired by his disciples as a humble, kind, and charitable man, filledwith deep respect for bishops and the pope, as well as reverence for the office of the priesthood, even when it was occupied by those who abused their position.He cultivated great devotion to Mary, in whose honor he and his community

built and dedicated a church. John always remained a layman and was

apparently illiterate. He was gifted, however with a good memory and practical judgment, which became evident in his management of his community's affairsand his role as an arbiter between rival towns.

About the year 1238, when he was seventy years old, John relinquished thegovernment of his community to devote himself to an even more intense


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contemplative life. Foreseeing that death, he and some disciples went to Mantuain early October 1249 where he occupied a hermitage known as Sant'Agnese inPorto. There he died on 16 October 1249 and was buried in the adjoiningchurch. In 1251 his body was placed in a marble tomb. Five investigations by

church authorities between that year and 1798 verified that his body remainedincorrupt. On 17 June 1251, Innocent IV ordered that the process for hiscanonization be initiated. While this was done, the same pontiff's death threeyears later and other unknown factors caused an interruption of the cause until1483 when he was beatified by Sixtus IV. Later appeals by the Augustinians andthe Duke of Mantua for Blessed John's canonization met with no success.

His feast is observed by the Augustinian Family on 23 October.

Rotelle, John, Book of Augustinian Saints, Augustinian Press 2000Blessed John the Good by Mario Ferrari, Rome, Italy.


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October 23Saint William the Hermit

Though little is known of Saint

William's early life, it is reputedthat he was born in France of anoble family. After having madeseveral pilgrimages to Spain,Rome, and the Holy Land, heattempted to reform somegroups of hermits in Tuscany.When these efforts failed, hewithdrew to a hermitage in theregion of Malavalle, near

Castiglione della Pescala in Grosseto, to live a life of prayer and penance. Hisexample attracted a sole disciple, Albert, who has left a description of hismaster's life of asceticism, sometimes called the "Rule of Saint William."

William died on 10 February 1157. His canonization by Innocent III in 1202

drew many pilgrims to visit hi s tomb, some of whom remained in Malaville inorder to follow the way of life of this saintly hermit. In time those disciplesevolved into the Order of Saint William and spread widely in France, Belgium,Germany, and Hungary. In 1215, following the decrees o the Lateran Council,they adopted the Rule of Saint Benedict, but in 1256 they were among thegroups summoned by Alexander IV to unite with the Order of Saint Augustinein the Grand Union. Though the greater number of Williamites withdrew fromthe Union within several months, ten of their foundations remained Augustinian.

The Augustinian Family celebrates his feast on 23 October.

Rotelle, John, Book of Augustinian Saints, Augustinian Press 2000Saint William the Hermit by Mario Ferrari, Rome, Italy


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October 20St. Magdalene of Nagasaki, O.S.A.

Magdalene was born and grew up during a period of

open and undisguised hostility toward religion.Persecution was manifest to all. The types of "imaginative and original" torture used by theopponents of the faith show very clearly the hatred inthe hearts of those who ruled.

Her parents, who are described by historians as "mostvirtuous and noble Christians," were martyred aboutthe year 1620, when their daughter was in her earlyadolescence. The first Augustinians who arrived inJapan in 1623 were members of the AugustinianOrder's observant movement: Fathers Francis of Jesusand Vincent of Saint Anthony. As an active andenthusiastic Christian, Magdalene made contact withthem and though communication was difficult, she

worked with them as an interpreter and later as acatechist. From the start she found herself well disposed to Augustinianspirituality, characterized as it is by the search for God, interiority, and the livingof faith in communion with others.

In their work of evangelization the missionaries emphasized the promotion of religious associations and gave special attention to the Augustinian Third Order.However, it was quite difficult for Christians to live their faith publicly. Toapproach the missionaries for doctrinal and religious nourishment was risky for themselves as well as the friars. Following the example of many other Christiansin similar difficulties, Magdalene took refuge in the hills and dedicated herself to baptizing converts and sustaining those who has grown weak in their faith.

The persecution made necessary all sorts of subterfuge, but Magdalene did notlose heart. She knew what she wanted and did not hold back in spite of the

dangers: she asked to be accepted formally into the Augustinian Order. Her mind and heart were already Augustinian; in 1625, Father Francis admitted her into the Third Order of Saint Augustine.

In 1632 the Augustinian friars, who had been her spiritual counselors, were burned alive. This holocaust was recognized and solemnly proclaimed by Pope


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Pius IX in 1876. Magdalene kept alive the memory of these friars, and with itgrew her own desire for martyrdom. Now her counselors in the struggle weretwo other Augustinians, Fathers Melchior of Saint Augustine and Martin of Saint Nicholas, who continued to nourish her spirit on the ideals and practices of

Augustinian spirituality. When these two friars were also put to death, sheturned to Father Jordan of Saint Stephen, a Dominican who own profession was based on the Rule of St. Augustine.

Magdalene's concern for her vocation and her wish to love completely the life of the evangelical counsels led to her decision to enter a novitiate with acommunity of Dominican sisters. But before she could make her profession,religious persecution broke out once again. It was no time for the fainthearted. Astrong faith burned in her soul and the gospel allowed for no half measures.

The brave spirit and conviction of this Augustinian tertiary moved her to govoluntarily to the jailers and declare herself a follower of Jesus Christ. Therewere threats, tortures, promises of exposure to public scorn, taunts, ridicule allthe usual procedures in such cases. But Magdalene had a clear knowledge of her faith and of the obligation which she had freely taken on. Attired in her

Augustinian habit, she reached the end of her martyrdom on 16 October 1634,after thirteen days of torture, suspended upside down in a pit of offal. After death her body was burned and her ashes scattered in the bay of Nagasaki.

Three hundred and forty-seven years later, on 18 February 1981, in the city of Manila, Pope John Paul II honored Magdalene with the title of Blessed. Then on18 October 1987, World Mission Day, she was solemnly canonized in Rome bythe same Holy Father. Proclaimed with Saint Magdalene was a large number of martyrs from the Land of the Rising Sun, of various nationalities and states of life and of different religious orders. The life of Magdalene, martyr of Japan,honored for the firmness and courage of her faith, is a song in praise of heroism.To live the gospel as she did with fervent resolve, in a clear, complete, andradical way, without failing or yielding is the heritage of great souls.

The memory of Saint Magdalene of Nagasaki is celebrated by the Augustinian

family on 20 October.

Rotelle, John, Book of Augustinian Saints, Augustinian Press 2000Saint Magdalene of Nagasaki by Adriano Ambrosioni

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