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    Today is the Feast of Saint Martin of Tours, Bishop of the late fourth century. Tomorrow we commemorate the Feast of Saint Josaphat, bishop and religious who was martyred in Russia in the seventeenth century. For the readings, liturgies, meditations, and profile on these saints, click on DAILY LITURGY.

Thursday November 11:
Feast of Saint Martin of Tours, Bishop

White vestments

First Reading: Wisdom 7: 22-30; 8: 1
Psalms: Psalm 119: 89-91, 130, 135, 175
Gospel Reading: Luke 17: 20-25

   Born the son of a Roman officer and pagan parents in Hungary around the year 319, Saint Martin of Tours became the epitome of the Good Samaritan throughout his life, beginning at the age of 15. Having been educated at Pavia, Italy, Martin followed his father's footsteps when he enlisted in the Roman army as an imperial guard. On one cold day, the legend relates, he came upon a barely-clothed beggar who was shivering. As people passed him by, ignoring his pleas, Martin felt compassion. Having no money, only his weapons and his long red army-issued cloak, Martin drew his sword and slashed the cloak in half, giving the poor man the cloak to warm him. As he slept that night, Martin had a vision in his dreams of Jesus Christ who was wrapped in the half cloak Martin had bestowed on the beggar. It was a confirmation of Christ's words in Matthew 25:35-40 specifically the last verse, "Amen I say to you, as long as you did for one of these, the least of My brethren, you did it for Me." The dream had such a profound effect on Martin that he immediately sought out the Christians for catechumenism. Constantine had passed the Edict of Milan and Christians were now free to openly profess their faith. After six years as a catachumen, Martin was baptized and traded his commission in the army for the minor order of exorcist by Saint Hilary of Poitiers. After Hilary was exiled, Martin went back to his Hungarian homeland, where, through his example he converted his pagan mother. After Hilary was allowed to return to Poitiers in France, Martin left Hungary to rejoin Hilary there as his disciple. Martin was ordained and became a hermit on land that would eventually become the monastery of Liguge - the first ever monastery in France that was reinstated by the Benedictines in 1852 and still exists today. Martin gained the reputation of being a miracle worker after he had brought a catechumen back to life. He became so popular that the people of Tours demanded he become their bishop when the vacancy came. In 371 he was selected Bishop of Tours and dedicated his episcopate to evangelization. Four years later he founded the monastery at Marmoutiers where vocations multiplied, providing many priest-monks for the region and beyond. He was an excellent diplomat and administrator, convincing representatives of the Roman Empire in the west that the Church should have the same guidelines and freedom in France that Constantine afforded Holy Mother Church in Rome. His austere lifestyle was a bone of contention among other bishops and priests who fought his attempts to instill this way of life on them. While at a country parish trying to quell the division among the clergy, he died in 397 at the age of 78. His efforts and the seeds of faith he planted in French soil nourished France for centuries where Tours became the focal point of monastic life. He was one of the most well-beloved bishops of the 4th Century and has always been one of France's favorite saints so much so that in the autumn, when the leaves begin to fall, they call it "St. Martin's summer" for that is the time the people drink the new wine that has been harvested and wine represents the fruit of Christian virtue which Martin personified.

Friday November 12:
Feast of Saint Josaphat, Bishop, Religious and Martyr

Red vestments

First Reading: Wisdom 12: 1-9
Psalms: Psalm 19: 2-5
Gospel Reading: Luke 17: 26-37

     In 1580, during the papacy of Pope Gregory XIII- author of the Gregorian Calendar, Saint Josaphat was born as John Kuncevic to an Orthodox family in Vladimir, Poland. Though he was born into the Greek Orthodox Church and a Pole, he became a member of the Uniate Ruthenian Church in Vilna, Lithuania. In the 16th and 17th Centuries the Ruthenian followers were divided into three sects - the Catholic or Latin Church in total union with Rome, the Orthodox Greek Church which answered to the Patriarch of Constantinople and Moscow, and the Greek Uniate Church which the Polish people had discarded because of the lengthy liturgy and the ignorant clergy who were allowed to marry. In a word, respect was non-existent for the latter hierarchy. The Roman Catholic Church had become strong in Poland, but had failed to make headway into Lithuania or Russia, but a synod held by the Ruthenian Church in 1595 opted to be reunited with the Church of Rome pending approval by Pope Clement VIII. So excited with this proposition was John that he became a Basilian monk at the age of 24 at Holy Trinity Monastery at Vilna and was given the religious name of Josaphat. Along with a friend and fellow monk Jozef Rutski, he worked long and hard on bringing reform to the Basilians in anticipation of union with Rome. At the age of 37 Josaphat released an extensive thesis in the Slavic language on the natural roots of unity of the Ukranian Church with the Church of Rome. Through his efforts he started a Basilian monastery that was totally in union with the Catholic Church. When his friend Jozef became metropolitan of Kiev, Josaphat became archimandrite of the monastery which was the same as abbot in the Roman Church, before being appointed in 1617 Archbishop of Polotsk on the eastern border of Lithuania next to western Russia. Because of the state of disrepair in his new diocese and the strong opposition to Rome, Josaphat knew in his heart his mission was to reach out to the Ruthenians and convince them the Catholic Church was the true faith. He carried this out through synods, seminars, and catechesis studies. When some priests rebelled, he exacted sanctions on clergy who were not following the true teachings. This naturally caused dissension and resentment and many of the misguided clergy stirred up opposition to Josaphat, spreading fear among the Ruthenians that if the Latin rite were introduced into their land they would lose everything from their culture to their property. This caused the Ruthenians to rally against Josaphat. It turned to outright hatred when, in 1621 the Byzantine Patriarch of Jerusalem traveled to the Ukraine to consecrate a metropolitan and a handful of Orthodox bishops in the Ruthenian Church. This action further eroded support for Josaphat and the plotters, led by antiarchbishop Metetius Smotritsky, sought to seal his fate by stirring fear in the populace at a time when Poland was being threatened by the Turks from the South and Sweden to the north. In addition, Poland was cautious of coming to Josaphat's aid because Josphat, though in total union with Rome, still insisted on keeping the Byzantine rites and customs in the Ukranian Church as opposed to the Latin rite in Poland. To quell the opposition Josaphat decided to go to Vitebsk, Russia which was then known as "White Russia" and where he had first become an auxilary bishop, to meet face to face with his enemies in hopes of a peaceful dialog. However this was thwarted when a priest named Elias harassed Josaphat and was locked up. The people demanded Elias' release and as they assembled taunts of kill Josaphat rose to a fever pitch. As Josaphat held out his hands to quiet the crowd and speak reasonably to the maddening mob, they stormed the platform and began beating him. As the frenzied mob of Ruthenians roared its approval, one man cleared a path and leveled his rifle at Josaphat killing the saint instantly. They then dispatched of his body by hurling it into the Dvina River. Thus this Eastern saint became a martyred victim of the cruel persecution by the Slav-Ruthenian Church in Russia in 1623. Nearly 250 years later Pope Pius IX canonized Josaphat as the first Eastern saint to formally be canonized in such a process. The efforts begun by Josaphat are being carried out today by Pope John Paul II in uniting the Orthodox Churches with Rome and the Uniate Churches such as the Ukranian Rite and Byzantine Rite which are in union with the Pope, yet maintain an eastern culture in their liturgy and language.

   Today is the 582nd anniversary of the election of Pope Martin V as the 206th successor of Peter. The selection of Cardinal Oddo Colonna also ended the Great Schism by way of the Council of Constance which deposed two antipopes and accepted the resignation of Pope Gregroy XII. His fourteen year pontificate from November 11, 1417 to February 20, 1431 signaled the beginning of the Renaissance in Italy. He opened the "Holy Door" at the Lateran for the first time ever in the second millennium and Pope John Paul II will open the "Holy Door" at St. Peter's for the last time in the second millennium on Christmas Eve this year. For other pertinent events throughout the centuries that are memorable in Church history today, click on MILLENNIUM MILESTONES AND MEMORIES

Historical Events in Church Annals for November 11:

Feast of Saint Martin of Tours

537 A.D.


Death of Pope Saint Silverius, 58th successor of Peter who died a martyr, being assassinated on the island of Ponza where he had been exiled by Belisarius, the captain of the Byzantine army of the Emperor Justinian who had captured Rome during Silverius' pontificate which lasted one and a half years. Justinian demanded that Silverius renounce the papacy. All this added to the growing schism between east and west.

1215 A.D.


Pope Innocent III opens the 12th Ecumenical Council, also called Lateran IV, in Rome in which the council planned a crusade, issued decrees on annual Communion, reinforced their condemnation of the Albigensian heresy and passed reforms.

1417 A.D.


Cardinal Oddo Colonna is elected Pope Martin V, 206th successor of Peter. He would celebrate the 5th Holy Year and for the first time a "Holy Door" is opened in the Basilica of St. John Lateran. He was a great patron of the arts and during his papacy the Renaissance would begin to flourish.

SIMPLY SHEEN:

The graces of sympathy

    They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but the words of Bishop Fulton J. Sheen have been known to launch a thousand images in one's mind, one of the ways this late luminary did so much to evangelize the faith. Because of the urgency of the times and because few there are today who possess the wisdom, simplicity and insight than the late Archbishop who touched millions, we are bringing you daily gems from his writings. The good bishop makes it so simple that we have dubbed this daily series: "SIMPLY SHEEN".

"Suffering may be sent to us because we have been too narrow and selfish in our view of it, and also to prepare us for our work in helping others in trouble. The widow can sympathize with the widow; the poor show most kindness to the poor. The experience of the prostration of a great illness enables a person to understand and help sick people. Sorrow can thus become a talent to be used for the good of others by being invested in sympathy."

   With the messages completed, you can now order the book that contains ALL the messages. This much-anticipated 224-page book of ALL the messages to the world imparted to the Hidden Flower of the Immaculate Heart from the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary is a lasting gift that will inspire you in your faith, and all God asks of us. You can acquire your own handsome, coffee-table top copy of "I SOLEMNLY TELL YOU..." containing all 632 messages or the THE HIDDEN WAY containing 100 inspirational Meditative Lessons from Our Lord and Our Lady on Church Doctrine by clicking on "I SOLEMNLY TELL YOU..." or THE HIDDEN WAY or both books at BOOKS

The clarion sounds as a wake-up call to Catholics as we provide a review of all past articles on the Church today

    Like our other feature series, we present installments 1 through 105 of this series which is a set blueprint for Catholics everywhere to take up the banner of truth in defending Christ's One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church as we prepare for this glorious event - the second coming of Christ and the Reign of the Sacred Heart, the Second Pentecost, the Era of the Eucharistic Presence, the Advent of Peace. To read any of the over one-hundred previous installments in this long on-going series, click on the Archives ofWHERE IS HOLY MOTHER CHURCH HEADING AS WE NEAR THE MILLENNIUM?

Pope tired but not ill as he proves during appearance on St. Peter's Balcony after canceled Wednesday Audience

    The Holy Father, totally exhausted from his grueling five day trip to India and Georgia which ran the gamut of emotions and temperatures, canceled his scheduled Wednesday Papal Audience but dispelled all rumors that he is sick by appearing to pilgrims in the afternoon, addressing them briefly and blessing them from the balcony. The Vatican felt it was necessary to refute rumors spread in the Italian press that the Pope was sicker than the Holy See had let on. His appearance proved them wrong. After another day or two of rest, he will resume his regular activities this weekend. For more, click on Pope healthy but exhausted

    VATICAN (CWNews.com) -- The regular Wednesday public audience by Pope John Paul II was cancelled on November 10, in order to allow the Pontiff extra time to recover his energy after his trip to India and Georgia. But the Holy Father did appear on his balcony to greet pilgrims later in the day, disproving new rumors that he was in precarious health.

    Speaking softly, the Pope said that he was grateful to the government authorities in India and Georgia who had made his trip possible, and offered special thanks to the Georgian Orthodox Patriarch Ilia II for his "cordiality." He promised a thorough report on his "interesting trip" at his next weekly audience.

    The Pope's quick public appearance appeared to be a response to reports circulated in the Italian press, suggesting that the Holy Father's health had taken a dramatic turn for the worse during his trip November 5- 8. After the Pope was observed to be shivering noticeably for several hours after being briefly exposed to a cold rain in Tbilisi, Georgia, Italian journalists reported that he seemed "tired, weak, and in pain." But Vatican officials-- while acknowledging that the Pope's physical strength is diminishing-- insisted that he remains energetic and intellectually alert, and that the attacks of shivering were a response to fatigue and the sharp change in climate between India and Georgia.

Scandinavian Lutherans to honor Saint Bridget of Sweden at Vatican on Saturday

    The first fruits of the Catholic-Lutheran pact signed two weeks ago in Germany will manifest themself Saturday at the Vatican when the Lutheran primates of Sweden and Finland will join Pope John Paul II in a special ecumenical prayer service. It will also be the occasion of the unveiling of a statue of Saint Bridget of Sweden in an alcove of St. Peter's Basilica. St. Bridget, along with Saint Catherine of Siena and Saint Edith Stein were recently named Patroness of Europe. Bridget's heritage will be celebrated with the king and queen of Sweden in attendance along with other Catholic and Lutheran dignitaries. For more, click on The Swedish connection.

    VATICAN (CWNews.com) -- Following up on the signing of a historic joint document on justification, Catholics and Lutherans will join in the celebration of Vespers in St. Peter's Basilica on Saturday, November 13, with Pope John Paul II presiding along with Lutheran primates from Sweden and Finland.

    For the occasion-- with the king and queen of Sweden also on hand-- Pope John Paul will unveil a new statue of St. Brigitte of Sweden, whom he recently proclaimed as co-patron of the European continent. The statue will be placed in an alcove inside St. Peter's Basilica.

    The ecumenical prayer service will be preceded by a seminar in which Catholic and Lutheran scholars will offer their thoughts on the topic: St. Brigitte and the Holy Year. Cardinal Edward Cassidy, the president of the Pontifical Council for Christian Unity, and Lutheran Archbishop John Vikstrom of Finland will be among the contributors.

Process for Mother Teresa's Beatification is accelerating

    The flood of testimony and reported miracles attributed to Mother Teresa, are truly accelerating the process for her beatification, much further along than anyone could imagine. The fact there is so much documentation makes it possible that her Beatification could come as soon as 2000 if medical and scientific experts verify at least one of the four certain miracles attributed to the intercession of this beloved "Saint of the gutters" who died in October 1997. For more, click on How soon will Mother Teresa's be called Blessed? .

    ROME, NOV 9 (ZENIT).- Mother Teresa's beatification process is advancing at great speed, following the opening of the cause, which took place thanks to the Pope's decision to make an exception to the existing norm of waiting at least 5 years before beginning a cause for beatification. At present, a commission of experts is studying four alleged miracles attributed to Mother Teresa's intercession. In addition, the Vice-Postulator of the cause is hearing the testimony of more than 100 persons who knew Mother Teresa, and who are cooperating in the reconstruction of her life.

    "The ten passports that we have found belonging to Mother Teresa serve as a precious guide for the final steps towards her beatification cause," Fr. Biran Qolodiejhuq explained. After India, the countries the founder of the Missionaries of Charity visited most often were the United States and Italy.

    In so far as the miracles are concerned, the priest clarified that the diocesan committee established by the Bishop of Calcutta is receiving reports of miracles from all over the world. In particular, special attention is being given to four cases, which in the first instance appear to be especially convincing, and which will be subjected to examination by medical and scientific commissions. ZE99110810

Congress passes resolution to investigate abortion industry's trafficking in preborn body parts

    Suspecting a vast network of the abortuaries and third parties selling body parts of advanced fetuses, the United States House of Representatives passed by a majority voice vote a resolution Tuesday in which a thorough investigation will be conducted to uncover the horror of these reported atrocities which has become a million-dollar business in the abortion industry. Many pro-life congressmen feel this is the main crux of why pro-aborts have fought the ban on late-term abortions so vehemently because it's all about money. For more, click on Million dollar business at the expense of the unborn.

    WASHINGTON, DC (CWNews.com) - The US House of Representatives passed a non-binding resolution on Tuesday calling for an investigation into whether companies are trafficking in baby parts for medical research obtained through abortion.

    The resolution, which passed by a voice vote, referred to recent media reports that abortion clinics and third-party supply companies were selling the remains of aborted unborn children, including "$50 for eyes, $150 for lungs and hearts and $999 for an eight-week brain." The resolution's sponsor, Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Colorado, said: "Unfortunately, entrepreneurs appear to have found a profitable niche within the abortion industry and have begun to traffic in the body parts of aborted babies."

    In 1993, Congress lifted a ban on federally funded research using fetal tissue, but made it a felony to purchase or sell that tissue for a profit. Pro-life groups have said that the companies trafficking in these body parts prefer the controversial partial-birth abortion method because it keeps most of the body intact and procures children near full-term.

    The resolution's sponsors said they hope the investigation will be followed by further action by Congress next year.

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November 11, 1999 volume 10, no. 214  DAILY CATHOLIC