St. Thomas of Villanueva

Feastday: September 22

1488 – 1555

St. Thomas of Villanueva was born at Fuentellana, Castile, Spain. He was the son of a miller. He studied at the University of Alcala, earned a licentiate in theology and became a professor there at the age of twenty-six. He declined the chair of philosophy at the university of Salamanca and instead entered the Order of St Augustine at Salamanca in 1516.

Ordained in 1520, he served as prior of several houses in Salamanca, Burgos, and Valladolid, as provincial and then court chaplain to Holy Roman Emperor Charles V. During his time as provincial of Castile, he dispatched the first Augustinian missionaries to the New World. They subsequently helped evangelize the area of modern Mexico. He was offered but declined the see of Granada, but accepted appointment as archbishop of Valencia in 1544.

Read Full Post »

St. Maurice

Feastday: September 22

St Maurice is refered in a legend about one of the worst holocaust of ancient times. Maurice was an officer of the Theban Legion of Emperor Maximian Herculius’s army, which was composed of Christians from Upper Egypt. They were asked to assist in putting down an uprising. However when they arrived, they were asked to sacrifice to their gods.

Maurice and his fellow legionnaires refused to sacrifice to the gods as ordered by the Emperor to insure victory over rebelling Bagaudae. When they refused to obey repeated orders to do so and withdrew from the army near Lake Geneva, Maximian had the entire Legion of over six thousand men put to death.

To the end they were encouraged in their constancy by Maurice and two fellow officers, Exuperius and Candidus. Also executed was Victor, who refused to accept any of the belongings of the dead soldiers. Among the troops who were charged with executing this slaughter there were several non-Christians who refused to take part and had been executed as well.

In a follow-up action, other Christians put to death were Ursus and another Victor at Solothurin; Alexander at Bergamo; Octavius, Innocent, Adventor, and Solutar at Turin; and Gereon at Cologne.

Their story was told by St. Eucherius, who became Bishop of Lyons about 434, but scholars doubt that an entire Legion was massacred; but there is no doubt that Maurice and some of his comrades did suffer martyrdom at Agaunum.

Their feast day is September 22nd.

 

 

 

Read Full Post »