Historical Events in Church Annals for June 12:

• 403 A.D.
• Death of Saint Epiphanius of Salamis, bishop and abbot, noted for his spiritual wisdom and understanding of Scripture. He was the authority of his time on the Blessed Virgin Mary and taught the primacy of Peter among the Apostles. He was a staunch defender of the faith against Origenism and encountered many tiffs with fellow prelates over this. He died on his way back to Salamis after defending Saint John Chrysostom in Constantinople.

• 1003 A.D.
• Death of Pope Sylvester II, the 139th successor of Peter who ushered the Church into the second millennium. He tried to repress debauchery and it was this French-born pontiff who introduced the use of Arabic numbers.

• 1191 A.D.
• Richard I - the Coeur de Lion (the Lionhearted), a great defender of the Church in England solidifies his claim by marrying Lady Berengaria of Navarre.

• 1250 A.D.
• Saint Louis IX, King of France arrives at Acre in Ptolemais enroute from Egypt.

• 1349 A.D.
• The Catholic church in Shaftsbury, England elects their fourth new vicar in days after the three previous had all died from the Bubonic Plague - known as the "Black Death."

• 1364 A.D.
• The Jagiellonian University, second oldest in central Europe and where Pope John Paul II would both attend in 1937 and return to teach in 1954, is endowed in Krakow, Poland.

• 1539 A.D.
• The Spanish explorer Hernando DeSoto, who had discovered Cuba for Spain and the Church, embarks from that tiny island in search of the seven Cities of Gold he had heard so many legends of. With a band of Franciscans, Dominicans and Carmelites, DeSoto and his men would not reach the so-called seven cities of gold but rather the Mississippi River and the faith would be brought to middle America through his efforts.

• 1588 A.D.
• The Day of the Barricades in Paris, France when the Huguenots would usurp the crown forcing Catholic King Henry III to flee and placing on the throne Henry IV who had been excommunicated by the "iron pope" Pope Sixtus V in 1585. Because of Rome's persistance, the faith in France would be saved and the Hugenots driven from the land.

Historical Events in Church Annals for June 13:

• 1028 A.D.
• Death of Saint Euthymius, son of Saint John the Iberian who were both born in Georgia, Russia. With his father, Euthymius, known as "the enlightener" or "the illuminator," helped his father build monasteries on Mt. Athos for the Iberian monks and succeeded his father as abbot. He died on his way back from Constantinople when he was thrown from his mule along the steep mountain path leading to Athos.

• 1191 A.D.
• Richard the Lionhearted (Coeur de Lion) and his crusaders, aided by King Guy of Jerusalem, attack the infidels on Cyprus.

• 1231 A.D.
• Death of Saint Anthony, priest and Doctor of the Church in Padua, Italy at the early age of only 36. He would be canonized one year later by Pope Gregory IX. He was officially proclaimed an Evangelical Doctor by Pope Pius XII. For more, see DAILY LITURGY

• 1798 A.D.
• Founding of San Luis Rey Mission in San Diego's North County of which is now Oceanside. It is the largest and king of the celebrated California missions network that stretches from southern California to Northern California along the coast as established by Venerable Padre Junipero Serra.

• 1940 A.D.
• Pope Pius XII issues his third encyclical Saeculo exeunte octavo intended for the Bishops of Portugal and its colonies on the eighth centenary of Portugal's independence.

• 1999 A.D.
• During his marathon papal journey to his homeland of Poland, Pope John Paul II beatifies 108 Polish martyrs as well as Blessed Edmund Bojanowski and Blessed Regina Protmann.

June 12-13, 2000
volume 11, no. 107
MILLENNIUM MILESTONES

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