Bl Aaron of Cracow St Abraham the Patriarch St Alfanus of Salerno St Andronicus of Antioch St Athanasia of Antioch Bl Bernard of Rodez St Demetrius of Alexandria St Deusdedit of Montecassino St Domninus St Dorotheus of Alexandria
St Eleutherius St Geminus St Gislenus St Goswin Bl Gunther St Lambert St Publia St Rusticus St Sabinus of the Lavedan St Valerius
Martyrs of Laodicea – Three Christians Martyred together in Laodicea but no other information about them has survived but their names – Didymus, Diodorus and Diomedes. They Died in Laodicea, Syria.
St John Leonardi (1541-1609) (Optional Memorial) Priest, Founder of the Clerks Regular of the Mother of God of Lucca, wherein he assumed the name of “Giovanni of the Mother of God”, Confessor, Reformer, Apostle of the Holy Eucharist and Eucharistic Adoration, Marian devotee. Biography here: https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2017/10/09/saint-of-the-day-9-october-st-john-leonardi-1541-1609/
Bl Aaron of Cracow St Abraham the Patriarch St Alfanus of Salerno St Andronicus of Antioch St Athanasia of Antioch Bl Bernard of Rodez St Demetrius of Alexandria St Deusdedit of Montecassino St Domninus St Dorotheus of Alexandria St Donnino of Città di Castello (Died 610) Lay Hermit St Eleutherius St Geminus St Gislenus St Goswin Bl Gunther
St Publia St Rusticus St Sabinus of the Lavedan St Valerius — Martyrs of the Spanish Civil War – Martyrs of Astoria – (9 saints): Also known as Martyrs of Turon: A group of Brothers of the Christian Schools and a Passionist priest martyred in the persecutions during the Spanish Civil War. They are – • Aniceto Adolfo • Augusto Andrés • Benito de Jesús • Benjamín Julián • Cirilo Bertrán • Inocencio de la Immaculada • Julián Alfredo • Marciano José • Victoriano Pío They were martyred on 9 October 1934 in Turón, Spain and Canonised on 21 November 1999 by St Pope John Paul II. — Martyrs of Laodicea – (3 saints): Three Christians martyred together in Laodicea, but no other information about them has survived but their names – Didymus, Diodorus and Diomedes. They were martyred in Laodicea, Syria.
One Minute Reflection – 9 October – Friday of the Twenty Seventh Week in Ordinary Time, Readings: Galatians 3:7-14, Psalms 111:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, Luke 11: 15-26 and the Memorial of Saint Denis of Paris (Died c 258) and Companions, the First Bishop of Paris, Martyr
“When an unclean spirit goes out of someone, it roams through arid regions searching for rest but, finding none, it says, ‘I shall return to my home from which I came…” – Luke 11:24
REFLECTION – “The unclean spirit dwelt in us before we believed, before we came to Christ when our soul was still committing fornication against God and was with it’s lovers, the demons. Afterward it said, “I will return to my first husband” and came to Christ, who “created” it from the beginning “in his image.” Necessarily, the adulterous spirit gave up his place when it saw the legitimate husband. Christ received us and our house has been “cleansed” from it’s former sins. It has been “furnished” with the furnishing of the sacraments of the faithful that they who have been initiated know. This house does not deserve to have Christ as it’s resident immediately, unless it’s life and conduct are so holy, pure and incapable of being defiled, that it deserves to be the “temple of God.” It should not still be a house but a temple in which God dwells. If it neglects the grace that was received and entangles itself in secular affairs, immediately, that unclean spirit returns and claims the vacant house for itself. “It brings with it seven other spirits more wicked,” so that it may not be able again to be expelled “and the last state of that kind of person is worse than the first.” It would be more tolerable, that the soul would not have returned to it’s first husband once it became a prostitute, than having gone back after confession, to her husband, to have become an adulteress again. There is no “fellowship,” as the apostle says, “between the temple of God and idols,” no “agreement between Christ and Belial.” – Origen of Alexandria (c 185-253) (Homilies on Exodus, 8)
PRAYER – Lord God, You sent St Denis and his companions to proclaim Your glory to the nations and gave them the fortitude to die for Your sake. Help us, by their exmple, to meet with a like indifference, the triumphs and afflictions this world has to offer. We make our prayer through Christ our Lord, one God with You and the Holy Spirit, now and for all eternity, amen.
Saint of the Day – 9 October – Saint Denis of Paris (Died c 258) and Companions, the First Bishop of Paris, Martyr, Missionary, Confessor. St Denis was Bishop of Paris (then Lutetia) in the third century and, together with his companions the Priest Rusticus and Deacon Eleutherius, was Martyred for his faith by decapitation. He is also known as Denis of France, Dennis, Denys, Dionysius. Patronages – against frenzy, against headaches, against hydrophobia or rabies, against strife, France, Paris, possessed people. The feast of Saint Denis was added to the Roman Calendar in the year 1568 by Pope Pius V, although it had been celebrated since at least the year 800. St Denis was for a time, confused with the writer St Dionysuis the Areopagite, now called Pseudo-Dionysius.
Denis is the most famous cephalophore in Christianiaty (a cephalophore [from the Greek for “head-carrier”] is a saint who is generally depicted carrying their own severed head. The decapitated Bishop picked up his head and walked several miles while preaching a sermon on repentance.
St Gregory of Tours states that Denis was Bishop of the Paris and was Martyred by being beheaded by a sword. The earliest document giving an account of his life and Martyrdom, the “Passio SS. Dionysii Rustici et Eleutherii” dates from c 600, is mistakenly attributed to the poet Venantius Fortunatus and is legendary.
Nevertheless, it appears from the Passio that Denis was sent from Italy to convert Gaul in the third century, forging a link with the “apostles to the Gauls” reputed to have been sent out with six other Missionary Bishops under the direction of Pope Fabian. There Denis was appointed first Bishop of Paris. The persecutions under Emperor Decius had all but dissolved the small Christian community at Lutetia (Paris). Denis, with his inseparable companions Rusticus and Eleutherius, who were Martyred with him, settled on the Île de la Cité in the River Seine. Roman Paris lay on the higher ground of the Left Bank, away from the river.
Saint Denis and his miraculous neck, shining like a light-bulb, seconds after his decapitation, as portrayed in a painting in the Pantheon
Denis and his companions were so effective in converting people that the pagan priests became alarmed over their loss of followers. At their instigation, the Roman Governor arrested the Missionaries. After a long imprisonment, Denis and two of his clergy were executed by beheading on the highest hill in Paris (now Montmartre), which was likely to have been a druidic holy place.
The Martyrdom of Denis and his companions is popularly believed to have given the site its current name, derived from the Latin Mons Martyrum “The Martyrs’ Mountain.”
After he was decapitated, Denis picked his head up and walked several miles from the summit of the hill, preaching a sermon on repentance the entire way, making him the most renowned cephalophores in hagiology. Of the many accounts of this Martyrdom, this is noted in detail in the Golden Legend and in Butler’s Lives Of The Saints.
The site where he stopped preaching and actually died was marked by a small shrine that developed into the Saint Denis Cathedral Basilica, which became the burial place for the Kings of France.
The Cathedral Basilica of St Denis
Montmartre’s heritage pays tribute in it’s own way to Saint Denis and you will find many famous landmarks commemorating the saint around the hill. You can marvel at the statue of Saint Denis, holding his head in the quiet square Suzanne Buisson. Or even walk in his steps on rue Mont-Saint Denis), which is said to follow the same route the Saint took after being decapitated.
The beautiful Rue du St Denis, as seen by painter Utrillo in 1910Saint Denis, holding his head in the quiet square Suzanne Buisson, Montmartre
Since at least the ninth century, the legends of Dionysius the Areopagite and Denis of Paris have often been confused. Around 814, Louis the Pious brought certain writings attributed to Dionysius the Areopagite to France and since then it became common among the French legendary writers to argue that Denis of Paris was the same Dionysius who was a famous convert and disciple of Saint Paul.
Our Lady of Good Help (1859) USA – 9 October: “I am the Queen of Heaven who prays for the conversion of sinners.” Such is the way the Mother of God introduced herself to a twenty-eight-year-old Belgian immigrant, Adele Brise, on 9 October 1859. The pious young woman was on her eleven mile walk home to Robinsonville (now Champion), Wisconsin, after attending Mass in Bay Settlement. Adele was travelling at the time with two companions, her sister and another woman, as well as a male guardian who was working for the Holy Cross Fathers at the Settlement. Our Lady had appeared earlier to Adele the day before and, again, that same morning at the same spot but she had not spoken. Her companions did not see or hear anything. The young woman was told by Heaven’s Queen that she must pray for the conversion of sinners and warn them, for if they do not convert, her Son was going to punish them. She was told to gather together the children in this remote area and teach them the truths they must know for their salvation; teach them the catechism; teach them how to bless themselves with the Sign of the Cross; and teach them how to approach the sacraments. Our Lady ended by telling Adele, whose faith was strong but simple, to fear nothing and be confident in her help. For the next thirty-seven years of her life, until her death in 1896, Sister Adele Brise was faithful to this mission.
Bl Aaron of Cracow St Abraham the Patriarch St Alfanus of Salerno St Andronicus of Antioch St Athanasia of Antioch Bl Bernard of Rodez St Demetrius of Alexandria St Deusdedit of Montecassino St Domninus St Dorotheus of Alexandria St Donnino of Città di Castello St Eleutherius St Geminus St Gislenus St Goswin Bl Gunther
St Lambert St Louis Bertrand OP (1526-1581) Biography: https://anastpaul.com/2018/10/09/saint-of-the-day-9-october-st-louis-bertrand-o-p-1526-1581-apostle-of-south-america/ St Publia St Rusticus St Sabinus of the Lavedan St Valerius — Martyrs of the Spanish Civil War – Martyrs of Astoria – (9 saints): Also known as Martyrs of Turon: A group of Brothers of the Christian Schools and a Passionist priest martyred in the persecutions during the Spanish Civil War. They are – • Aniceto Adolfo • Augusto Andrés • Benito de Jesús • Benjamín Julián • Cirilo Bertrán • Inocencio de la Immaculada • Julián Alfredo • Marciano José • Victoriano Pío They were martyred on 9 October 1934 in Turón, Spain and Canonised on 21 November 1999 by St Pope John Paul II. — Martyrs of Laodicea – (3 saints): Three Christians martyred together in Laodicea, but no other information about them has survived but their names – Didymus, Diodorus and Diomedes. They were martyred in Laodicea, Syria.
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