Listen Live
Pause
Sorry, no results.
Please try another keyword
Elizabeth was born the daughter of the King of Hungary in the year of Our Lord 1207. Her mother’s sister was St. Hedwig of Silesia. At the age of four she was betrothed to Louis of Thuringia, who was only a few years older, and Elizabeth was sent to the Thuringian court to be brought up in her future husband’s culture. Though she suffered some persecution from her husband’s family, Louis himself was kind and pious, often surnamed “the Saint” though he was never canonized. The two married happily, with Louis gladly enabling Elizabeth’s many acts of penance and charity, and they had three children before Louis’s tragic death on crusade to the Holy Land at the young age of twenty-seven. Under the demanding guidance of her strict confessor, Fr. Conrad, Elizabeth left the court, vowed to never remarry, and distributed her wealth to the poor, before joining the young Third Order of St. Francis and devoting herself to caring for the sick. Worn out by her ceaseless mortifications and works of charity, Elizabeth died at just twenty-four years of age, in the year of Our Lord 1231. Fr. Conrad zealously promoted her cause, which was confirmed by many miracles, and “the greatest woman of the German Middle Ages” was canonized just four years after her death.
AT Marburg, in Germany, the demise of St. Elizabeth, widow, daughter of Andrew, king of Hungary, of the Third Order of St. Francis. After a life passed in the performance of pious works, she went to heaven, having a reputation for miracles.
The same day, the birthday [into heaven] of St. Pontian, pope and martyr, who, with the priest Hippolytus, was transported to Sardinia, by the emperor Alexander, and there, being scourged to death with rods, consummated his martyrdom. His body was conveyed to Rome by the blessed pope Fabian, and buried in the cemetery of Callistus.
At Samaria, the holy prophet Abdias.
At Rome, on the Appian road, the birthday [into heaven] of St. Maximus, priest and martyr, who suffered in the persecution of Valerian, and was buried near St. Xystus.
At Caesarea, in Cappadocia, St. Barlaam, martyr, who, though unpolished and ignorant, yet armed with the wisdom of Christ, overcame the tyrant, and, by the constancy of his faith, subdued fire itself. On his birthday [into heaven], St. Basil the Great delivered a celebrated discourse.
At Ecijo, the blessed bishop Crispinus, who obtained the glory of martyrdom by decapitation.
At Vienne, the holy martyrs Severinus, Exuperius and Felician. Their bodies, after the lapse of many years, were found through their own revelation, and being taken up with due honors by the bishop, clergy and people of that city, were buried with becoming solemnity.
The same day, St. Faustus, deacon of Alexandria, who was. first banished with St. Denis, in the persecution of Valerian; later, in the persecution of Diocletian, being far advanced in age, he consummated his martyrdom by the sword.
In Isauria, the martyrdom of Saint Azas and his military companions, to the number of one hundred and fifty, under the emperor Diocletian and the tribune Aquilinus.
℣. And elsewhere many other holy martyrs, confessors, and holy virgins.
℟. Thanks be to God.