Old Stuff

The Fifteenth Day of August

The Assumption of the Most Holy Virgin Mary, Mother of God. A totum duplex feast of the first class with a solemn octave.

At Cracow in Poland, the birthday of St. Hyacinth, confessor, of the Order of Preachers, whom the Sovereign Pontiff Clement VIII canonized. His feast is kept on August 17,

At Albareale in Hungary, St. Stephen, King of Hungary. He was adorned with divine virtues, and was the first to convert the Hungarians to the faith of Christ. He was received into heaven by the Virgin Mother of God on the very day of her Assumption. His feast is kept, by an ordinance of Pope Innocent XI, on September 2, on which day the strongly-fortified city of Buda, by the aid of the holy King, was recaptured by the Christian army.

At Rome, on the Appian Way, St. Tarsicius, acolyte. The heathens detected him bearing the Sacrament of the Body of Christ, and asked what it was that he carried. But he deemed it an unworthy thing to cast pearls before swine, and was therefore attacked by them for a long time with clubs and stones, until he died. When his body was searched, the sacrilegious assailants could find nothing of Christ's Sacrament in his hands or among his clothing. The Christians gathered up the body of the martyr, and buried it with honor in the cemetery of Callistus.

At Tagaste in Africa, St. Alipius, bishop. He had formerly been a disciple of St. Augustine, and afterwards his fellow-convert. He was also his colleague in the pastoral office, his zealous fellow-worker in his contest against the heretics, and lastly his associate in heavenly glory.

At Soissons in Gaul, St. Arnulf, bishop and confessor.

At Rome, the holy Polish confessor St. Stanislaus Kostka, a novice of the Society of Jesus. He was made perfect in a short time, and is everywhere renowned for his angelic innocence of life. He was numbered among the saints by the Sovereign Pontiff, Benedict XIII.

V. And elsewhere many other holy martyrs, confessors, and holy virgins.

R. Thanks be to God.

Posted by billw at August 15, 2002 05:29 AM | TrackBack