Saint of the Day – 27 February – Saint Baldomerus of Saint Just (Died c650) SubDeacon, Lay Brother, Blacksmith. Born in Ouvacou Auditiac, near Lyon in France and died in Lyon in c650. Patronages – of Blacksmiths, Lyon, France and Nuremberg, Germany. Also known as – Baldomerus of Lyons, Baldimerus… Baldomer… Baldomero… Baudemer… Galmier…Garmier… Germier… Gaumier… Geaumier… Waldimer… Waldimerus…
Baldomerus was born in the village of Ouvacou Auditiac, near Lugdunum , now Lyon which was then part of the County of Forez . Already as a young man he practiced the trade of a Blacksmith.
He lived poorly himself, nevertheless, his care and attention was always concerned with the poor, whom he continually assisted as much as he could. In the absence of anything else, sometimes he even gave them his work tools.
He was devoted to prayer, meditation and reading the Holy Scriptures and his favourite phrase was: “Always thanks be to God.” He had a very cheerful and lively character. One day he met the Abbot Viventius (who later became the Bishop of Lyon), who, in fact, had visited the village particularly to meet our Saint as he had been attracted by the fame of sanctity that had already spread around Baldomerus. The Abbot wanted him to become a Monk in his Monastery of Saint Just in Lyon. Baldomerus immediately left his forge and followed him.
Bishop Gaudry (Ganderic) consecrated him as SubDeacon, overriding Baldomerus’ objections based on his feeling of unworthiness. He wanted to remain a lowly Lay Brother but he was able to continue to practice his craft – a much-needed art, even today but especially in the days of horses and wagons.
After a life of prayers, fasting and sacrifices, he died around the middle of the 7th Century, between 642 and 660
He was buried by the Bishop of Lyon, Viventius II in the Church of the Monastery of Saint-Just. His Relics were immediately the object of great veneration by the people, until the 16th Century, when they were dispersed and burned by the Huguenots. Of them, only one arm was saved which had previously been detached from the body and taken to the Church of Saint-Galmier (Baldomerus), a Town in the Loire which bears his name and is famous for its Badoit
table water. ..
AnaStpaul 