#Jesuit Martyr

[portraitsofsaints]

Saint Edmund Arrowsmith

1585-1628

Feast Day: August 28

Saint Edmund Arrowsmith, born Brian Arrowsmith, but preferred his confirmation name Edmund was a Jesuit martyr. His family suffered steadfastly for their Catholic faith through the anti-Catholic period in England. His parents were arrested when Edmund was a child. He never saw them again. In 1605, he left England and became a priest in Douai, Belgium, and returned in 1612 to serve for 15 years in Lancashire. In 1622, he was arrested for being a priest, only to be pardoned by King James I. He became a Jesuit after he completed the Ignatian Spiritual Exercises in 1624. Once again he was betrayed as a priest in 1628 and hanged and quartered. His last words were, “Bone Jesu” (O good Jesus). He’s one of the 40 Martyrs of England and Wales.

Prints, plaques & holy cards available for purchase here: (website)

[cruger2984]

THE DESCRIPTION OF SAINT PAUL MIKI AND 26 COMPANIONS Feast Day: February 6

"I am not from the Philippines. I am a Japanese and a Jesuit Brother… Having arrived at this moment of my existence, I believe that no one of you thinks I want to hide the truth. That is why I have to declare to you that there is no other way of salvation than the one followed by Christians. Since this way teaches me to forgive my enemies and all who have offended me. I willingly forgive the king and all those who have desired my death. And I pray that they will obtain the desire of Christian baptism." -St. Paul Miki

The first martyr of Japan, Paul Miki was born to a wealthy Japanese family circa 1562 in Settsu, Osaka Prefecture in Kansai region. At a young age, he entered the Society of Jesus and preached the Gospel successfully.

The church had been implanted in Japan fifty years earlier, and counted over 200,000 Christians. In 1588, the Emperor claimed that he was 'God,' and ordered all Christian missionaries to leave the country within six months. Some of them obeyed, but Paul and many others remained secretly behind.

In 1597, Paul was discovered and arrested along with twenty-five companions. They endured tortures and derision through several towns, with their left ears cut off, before being taken to Nagasaki. After making their confession, they were fastened to their crosses, with iron collars around their necks.

Their valor and bravery were wonderful to behold. They gave thanks to God by singing Psalms 25 and repeating: 'Into your hands, Lord, I entrust my life.'

Standing in the noblest pulpit of the cross, Paul said to the people: 'I am a Japanese by birth, and a Jesuit by vocation. I am dying for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I do gladly pardon the Emperor, and all who have sought my death. I beg them to seek baptism and be Christians themselves.'

Then, four executioners unsheathed their spears and killed all of them in a short time. Their faces were serene, while they kept repeating: 'Jesus, Mary!'

On June 8, 1862, Pope Pius IX canonized him and his twenty-five companions.

[ave-immaculata]

[jamesgraybooksellerworld]

Five Jesuit martyrs. 1679

849J. Caldwell, John, (1628-1679 ), Gawen, John, (1640-1679 ), Turner, Anthony, (1628 /9-1679) ,Barrow, William, — (1610-1679),. Whitbread, Thomas, (1618-1679), Barrow, William, (1610-1679.), John Fenwick (1628–1679) The true speeches of Thomas Whitebread, Provincial of the Jesuits in England, William Harcourt, pretended Rector of London, John Fenwick, Procurator for the Jesuits in England, John…

[thepastisalreadywritten]

SAINT OF THE DAY (October 19)

Also known as Canadian Martyrs; Isaac Jogues and Companions; Jesuit Martyrs of North America; Martyrs of New France.

The eight North American martyrs, also known as the Candian Martyrs, the Jesuit Martyrs of North America or the Martyrs of France, included six priests and two lay brothers.

They were heroic members of the Society of Jesus who were martyred in North America in order to bring the Faith that is necessary for salvation to the Huron, the Iroquois, and the Mohawk Indians.

Five of the eight North American martyrs were put to death in what is now Canada, and three of them in New York State.

There is a shrine to the United States' martyrs at Auriesville in New York, and there is a shrine to the Canadian martyrs at Fort Saint Mary near Midland, Ontario.

The names of the eight North American martyrs are:

Saint Rene Goupil, a lay brother martyred in 1642 in New York State;

Saint Isaac Jogues, a priest;

Saint John de Lalande, a lay brother, martyred in 1646 in New York State;

Saint Anthony Daniel, a priest, martyred in Canada in 1648;

Saint John de Brebeuf;

Saint Charles Garnier;

Saint Noel Chabanel, Saint Gabriel Lalemant, all priests, and all martyred in Canada in 1649.

Saint Isaac Jogues, after thirteen months' imprisonment by the Mohawks, had several fingers cut off of his hand.

He went back to Europe but returned again to North America where he was killed by tomahawk blows at Ossernenon, now called Auriesville, in New York State.

Saint John de Brebeuf declared before he died, "I have a strong desire to suffer for Jesus Christ."

He was tortured terribly and a burning torch was put into his mouth, which strangled him.

Saint Rene Goupil, thirty-five, was the youngest of the martyrs. He cried "Jesus, Jesus, Jesus!" as he died.

Saint Noel Chabanel was thirty-six, and Saint Isaac Jogues and Saint Gabriel Lalemant were thirty-nine.

The oldest of the eight North American martyrs, Saint John de Brebeuf, was fifty-six when the Indians killed him.

Pope Pius XI beatified them on 21 June 1925 and canonized on 29 June 1930.

Their memorial is on October 19 and September 26 in Canada.

[henk-heijmans]

Jesuit priests hear confessions from catholic pilgrims at the Martyr’s Shrine, near Midland, Ontario, Canada, 1955 - by Berni Schoenfields (1922 - 1999), American

[transmutationisms]

came across a post by astriiformes (astriiformes(.)tumblr(.)com/post/742882591316803584/hi-i-just-learned-about-the-scientific-revolution) that objected to Kuhn's theory of scientific revolution on the basis that they felt it leant in to the "great men of history" model. I never understood it this way, but I haven't read the book—I thought it was more about explaining the lag between accumulation of evidence that goes against the current paradigm and full paradigm shift. thoughts?

kuhn's model of 'paradigm shifts' is certainly prone to inviting 'great man' explanations of scientific developments. i would even go further, and say that this is due to a fundamental issue in kuhn's methodology, which is a tendency toward idealist analysis that fails to consider material and sociological factors. astriiformes points out that these days, kuhn is more popular with economists and political scientists than with practicing historians of science; this is true and not a coincidence.

astriiformes also walks through a valuable line of objection to kuhn, which is that the scientists we tend to credit with having made singlehanded discoveries were in fact usually embedded in vibrant scientific communities and ongoing debates, and were influenced by their contemporaries as well as their intellectual forebears. this is all true. another critical angle to interrogate here, and one where the Great Man often pops up again, is in kuhn's version of how scientific ideas are actually adopted: in other words, how he considers a 'paradigm shift' to actually occur, even once we assume the idea in question has already been formulated. let me chuck a few case studies at you because it's easier than talking in generalities.

for much of the 20th century, the 'standard story' of galileo's trial and imprisonment was that, having dared to become a lone voice defending heliocentrism, he was made a martyr to truth by the church, which was threatened on theological grounds. however, in the last several decades historians of science have studied much more seriously the patronage networks of renaissance italy: the structure of funding and epistemological authority whereby a scientist like galileo secured money, university or court positions, and respect by gaining mutually beneficial relationships with various nobles and other wealthy people. galileo had defended heliocentrism prior to the church's crackdown on him and his work; so had certain other astronomers. although it's true the church had theological objections to what galileo was saying, they were pretty much forced to tolerate him as long as he had sufficient patronage protection: wealthy, powerful people using their social clout to defend him. but this fragile truce was shattered when galileo lost the support of certain of his patrons, particularly some jesuits, in the early 1630s and thus became a much more vulnerable target of church censorship. it was only at this point that the church placed him on trial and then eventually under house arrest, and forced to recant.

evolutionary ('transmutationist') ideas were not new by the time darwin published the 'origin' in 1859. most french biologists at this time supported some variant of transmutationist ideas, and even in britain, transmutation of species had long been hotly discussed in the edinburgh medical schools in particular. the challenge for the wealthier london gentleman-naturalist set was that transmutationism had previously been associated with radical, materialist, atheist politics (this was precisely what appealed for many in edinburgh), and although evolutionary ideas had circulated in the wider reading public, these had typically been carefully framed to remain compatible with dominant anglican morals (eg, robert chambers's 'vestiges' of 1844). so, why were charles darwin's ideas accepted where others had been suppressed, ignored, or mired in controversy? a few reasons: again, a strong patronage network and powerful social connections (familial and personal); also, darwin very consciously avoided talking about human descent in 1859 (he did not do so until 1871's 'descent of man', which remains less widely read to this day) and avoided open avowal of materialism or atheism in his published works. furthermore, despite what lay histories may suggest nowadays, darwin's ideas were not embraced immediately or uncritically. they circulated piecemeal, with the help of 'popularisers' like haeckel and th huxley whose teachings often varied pretty widely from what darwin actually said or thought. and, prior to the 'modern synthesis' unifying 'darwinian' evolution with mendelian genetics, one of the most common objections to darwin's ideas was that he had provided proof of no actual mechanism of heredity, which resulted in a retrospectively fascinating period of anglo and french scientific writing between about 1890–1940 that often circulated the claim that darwin had been proven embarrassingly wrong, and it was jean-baptiste lamarck who had instead been vindicated by the biologists of the middle victorian era.

louis pasteur has historically been credited with ushering out the last vestiges of 'miasmatic' and 'environmentalist' theories of disease in france, and replacing them with good solid bacteriology. this is simply a misrepresentation of scientific beliefs among the lay public, technical experts like public health officials, and even working scientists under the third republic. because hygienists and sanitation engineers had spent much of the 19th century creating professional prestige for themselves as managers of the insalubrious environmental factors plaguing particularly the urban poor, you can imagine they were not generally thrilled at the proposition that someone had actually confirmed the existence of a microscopic 'germ' of disease, a foreign entity that could be studied and eradicated by a laboratory scientist with entirely different credentials and training. so, as it became clear that the actual eradication part was still a challenge, and that disease risk did not strike all people or demographics equally, french hygienists by and large simply altered their rhetoric a little. yes, germs existed—in fact, clearly, these were what the hygienists had been protecting people from all along by encouraging cleaner air, open spaces, gymnastic exercise, &c! this is the root of what's now known in the historical literature as the 'sanitary-bacteriological synthesis'—not an overturning of an old 'environmentalist' paradigm for a modern bacteriological one, but rather a melding of the two that enfolded pasteur's and koch's discoveries whilst still shoring up the professional authority of the hygienists and sanitarians.

in all three of these cases you can see how a strictly kuhnian analysis of 'paradigm shifts' over-emphasises the role of the Great Man (here in his guise as Genius Scientist) because it overlooks critical factors like the social and professional networks that actually allow knowledge to spread, and the professional and pecuniary interests that motivate people, consciously or not, when they evaluate new theories or ideas. galileo did not suffer from 'failing' to spark a paradigm shift, any more than darwin singlehandedly succeeded; their ideas circulated, mutated, and provoked on the strength of relationships as much as pure cerebral Theory. pasteur's claims likely could not have achieved the renown they did, had they not been helped along by hygienists who saw in them a change to re-form and reinforce their own profession and authority.

kuhn's work was an important departure from earlier positivist, largely teleological histories of science: the 'paradigm shift' allowed people to talk about massive and notable changes in science without having to accede to a model that assumed constant, linear progress. in this sense, much of today's history of science (still a comparatively immature and evolving field!) belongs to a citational lineage that will eventually pop up with kuhn's name. but, methodologically, kuhn leaves a lot to be desired, because his analysis is generally founded in an intellectual history that configures Science as a world of disembodied ideas unburdened by social, material, and economic considerations and practices.

[scotianostra]

On 9th December 1688 serious rioting started in Edinburgh, it eventually spread across Scotland.

A lot of sources state the 10th, but the riots started on the 9th.

It became known as the Holyrood Riot, but in reality, the riots in general were anti-Catholic, the original name being where they began.

It all kicked off because King James VII had a baby son. Having become king on the death of his brother, Charles II, in 1685, James survived the rebellions by the Duke of Monmouth and the Earl of Argyll, both of whom paid with their heads for their insurrection.

No doubt emboldened by his success, James had proclaimed tolerance of religion, especially his own Roman Catholicism which led him to establish a Jesuit academy in the Palace of Holyroodhouse in 1686. The following year many Christians in Scotland’s established Kirk welcomed the king’s intervention, the Declaration of Indulgence, which meant they could have their own places of worship, but James also continued with the persecution of the Covenanters who refused to recognise his absolute monarchy, and “The Divine Right”

A 26-year-old minister, James Renwick, became the last of the Covenanter Martyrs when he disowned James VII’s royal authority and was hanged in the Grassmarket in Edinburgh on February 17, 1688. In any case the vast majority of the clergy and the people opposed any measure of tolerance towards Catholics which James had tried to impose by the “divine right” of kings after both the English and Scottish Parliaments rejected his measures.

James also began to put his fellow Catholics into positions of authority and Protestants could only hope that James, by then in his mid-50s, would soon die as his appointed heir was his daughter from his first marriage, Mary, a Protestant married to the very Protestant Prince William of Orange, the leader of the Dutch Republic.

On June 10, 1688, those hopes of a Protestant succession were dashed when James’s Catholic wife Mary of Modena gave birth to a son, James Francis Edward Stuart, who was baptised a Catholic.

Just five days after the new heir’s birth, seven bishops of the Church of England were put on trial for asking to be excused from reading from the pulpit James VII’s latest version of the Declaration of Indulgence. They included the Archbishop of Canterbury, William Sancroft.

Widespread anti-Catholic riots took place in England and Scotland during the trial which ended with the Seven Bishops being cleared. Senior Protestant politicians faced with a Catholic dynasty decided to invite William and Mary to take the throne and thus the so-called Glorious or Bloodless Revolution took place in November, 1688. It was neither Glorious nor Bloodless – as the Battle of Killiecrankie would show a few months later – but that’s how William’s spin doctors portrayed it.

James went into exile in France but to make sure he went, the Edinburgh Mob gathered on December 9 and 10, 1688, determined that the so-called “Jesuit threat” of Roman Catholicism would not return to Scotland.

On December 9, a mob began to gather and the following morning the Town Council rushed out a proclamation ordering children and servants to stay indoors.

Remarkably, we have an eye-witness account of the events in Edinburgh that day, preserved in the National Library of Scotland, produced by Alexander Adamson, then a divinity student in the capital, and one of the rioters.

“…The next morning [Monday 10th December 1688] by ten the [Edinburgh] Town Council sat, and about eleven in the forenoon emitted a proclamation: discharging tumults and requiring masters of families to keep their children and servants within doors; but it was no sooner read than it was torn: the officers and drummers being severely beat in several places of the city. They were forced to return to their masters to tell how they were treated.

All continued quiet till twilight when the mob began to gather. The first appearance they made was about the Cowgatehead, from thence going to the Grassmarket where they provided themselves with staves and torches. They come up the West Bow and enter a drummer’s house in the Castlehill whence they took two drums, one of which they broke before they passed the weighhouse, so down the street they come beating with their drum, till past the Nether Bow and in the Canongate head they made a stop, seeing the guard drawing out at the Canongate Tolbooth and sent one to enquire what the matter was. The Captain replied it was to put respect upon them. They answered they would have none of his respect and required he might call in his guards immediately…..”

Adamson himself was one of the wounded but he found out later that the mob broke into the Abbey and did fearsome damage, including desecrating royal tombs, removing pictures, written records, and the Abbey’s gold and silver vessels which were burned.

Other Catholics and their clergy were attacked elsewhere in Scotland, but the riots soon died down when William and Mary had arrived in London.

[sessayyys-corner]

GOMBURZA (2023) - MMFF REVIEW

“Vivan Los Filipinos. Mabuhay ang mga Filipino.”

This film is the story of the three martyr priests. Three Filipinos who were part of the native community who were once under Spanish colonial rule and oppression. If you have been updated, or have been listening in your elementary Philippine history classes, it’s GOMBURZA, not MAJOHA. 

Despite it being produced by Jesuit Communications, the film was able to execute (No pun intended) a factual depiction on a turning point of Philippine history without overused emphasis of religion. It was able to capture how the Catholic faith was used as an instrument of oppression during the Spanish colonial period (This was especially ironic considering how return of the religious orders, including the Jesuits, were the reason for the silencing of the secularization movement). What also impressed me is that almost every single detail in the movie, even in the dialogue, came from actual events in history. It is evident that enough research was made to make this film as accurate as possible.

The film’s cinematography was able to capture life during the period whether it was amongst the Filipino liberals, the Spanish priests, the Governor-Generals, or even the three main characters in our story. With every other scenes of the film shifting from light to dark atmospheres, this symbolized the reality of Spanish colonization — warmth, acceptance, and friendship amongst fellow Filipinos; and ruthlessness, inhumanity, and oppression from the Spaniards (and even traitors). Adding emphasis to GomBurZa’s (2023) cinematography is its sound design. Just by feeling the cinema floor rumbling and the deeply-voiced voiceover in the film’s ending segment, this film can come to a point where it deserves its own IMAX screening.

Dante Rivero and Cedrick Juan showcase over-the-top stellar performances as Padre Mariano Gomez (played by Rivero) and Padre Jose Burgos (played by Juan). Both actors have embodied their roles, not only due to the fact that they, especially Juan, share a slight resemblance with the real life Mariano Gomez and Jose Burgos. It is also because that they were able to portray their emotions from having a friendly conversation, to later condemning their unfair arrest, trial, and death.

Pepe Diokno's time and effort in conducting research and including every important detail in the production is evident in the whole film itself, as it was not only ACTUALLY based on true events, but was able to evoke emotion and outrage, just like how the Filipinos of the 1870s did at the time.

With all of this said, GomBurZa (2023) is not only a history lesson, but also an immersion into the Spanish colonial rule and the lives of the three priests. Being a history nerd and a cinephile who has since learned the names of the three martyr priests as a little girl in elementary, I can definitely say that this was one of the only film experiences where I had witnessed the breaking of the fourth wall. The whole time I was in the cinema, it felt like I was part of their conversation, like I was a witness to their lives and execution.

What also added to this experience was that I watched the film on Rizal Day, and what better way to commemorate our national hero's contribution to Philippine independence than to learn about where it all started? Like what I always preached to my family:

Without GomBurZa, there will be no Jose Rizal. Without Jose Rizal, there would be no Andres Bonifacio. Without all of them, the Philippines and the Filipino would not exist.

GomBurZa (2023) is a cathartic experience that is definitely for the family. This film is a testament to the importance of appreciating and learning our history. Hopefully it serves as a reminder of our collective past, national identity, and the importance of our freedom.

[Metro Manila Film Festival 2023]

(my film review of "GomBurZa" is also available on letterboxd!)

[camisoledadparis]

Jesuit priests hear confessions from catholic pilgrims at the Martyr’s Shrine, near Midland, Ontario, Canada, 1955 - by Berni Schoenfields (1922 - 1999), American

[portraitsofsaints]

Saint Edmund Arrowsmith

1585-1628

Feast Day: August 28

Saint Edmund Arrowsmith, born Brian Arrowsmith, but preferred his confirmation name Edmund was a Jesuit martyr. His family suffered steadfastly for their Catholic faith through the anti-Catholic period in England. His parents were arrested when Edmund was a child. He never saw them again. In 1605, he left England and became a priest in Douai, Belgium, and returned in 1612 to serve for 15 years in Lancashire. In 1622, he was arrested for being a priest, only to be pardoned by King James I. He became a Jesuit after he completed the Ignatian Spiritual Exercises in 1624. Once again he was betrayed as a priest in 1628 and hanged and quartered. His last words were, “Bone Jesu” (O good Jesus). He’s one of the 40 Martyrs of England and Wales.

Prints, plaques & holy cards available for purchase here: (website)

[cruger2984]

THE DESCRIPTION OF THE NORTH AMERICAN MARTYRS Feast Day: October 19

The eight North American martyrs, also known as the Candian Martyrs, the Jesuit martyrs of North America or the Martyrs of France, included six priests and two lay brothers. They were heroic members of the Society of Jesus who were martyred in North America in order to bring the Faith that is necessary for salvation to the Huron, the Iroquois and the Mohawk Indians.

Five of the eight North American martyrs were put to death in what is now Canada, and three of them in New York State. There is a shrine to the United States' martyrs at Auriesville in New York, and there is a shrine to the Canadian martyrs at Fort Saint Mary near Midland, Ontario.

The names of the eight North American martyrs are:

St. René Goupil, a lay brother martyred in 1642 in New York State.

St. Isaac Jogues, a priest.

St. Jean de Lalande, a lay brother, martyred in 1646 in New York State.

St. Antoine Daniel, a priest, martyred in Canada in 1648.

St. Jean de Brébeuf, St. Charles Garnier, St. Noël Chabanel and St. Gabriel Lalemant, all priests, and all martyred in Canada in 1649.

Isaac Jogues, after thirteen months' imprisonment by the Mohawks, had several fingers cut off of his hand. He went back to Europe, but returned again to North America and was killed by tomahawk blows at Ossernenon, now called Auriesville, in New York State.

Jean de Brébeuf declared before he died, "I have a strong desire to suffer for Jesus Christ."

He was tortured terribly, and a burning torch was put into his mouth, which strangled him.

René Goupil, thirty-five, was the youngest of the martyrs, and cried "Jesus, Jesus, Jesus!" as he died. Noël Chabanel was thirty-six, and Isaac Jogues and Gabriel Lalemant were thirty-nine. The oldest of the eight North American martyrs, Jean de Brébeuf, was fifty-six when the Indians killed him.

They were canonized June 29 of 1930 by Pope Pius XI. Their memorial is October 19, and September 26 in Canada.

Source: Catholic News Agency

[whencyclopedia]

In Search of Japan's Hidden Christians: A Story of Suppression, Secrecy and Survival

“In Search of Japan’s Hidden Christians” documents the arrival, flourishing, stifling, and eventual prohibition of the Christian faith in Japan's Edo period. It was survived only through those known as “Kakure Kirishitans” (Hidden Christians), whose secret ceremonies and home-grown rituals persevere even today.

Dougill writes about the history of Christianity in Japan writ large, before focusing more precisely on the history of Hidden Christians and their existence today. There is much for both the casual reader and the academic to enjoy here, as the author interweaves his own perspectives and experiences (particularly those he had while traveling in Japan to research the topic) into the narrative. Dougill leaves little room for interpretation as he explains his thoughts and emotions throughout the book, which may sometimes conflict with the reader’s own. As such, the book reads as more a journey of the author's understanding of the topic, factually and emotionally, rather than the work of an impartial academic who seeks nothing but the cold truth without a hint of bias.

Chapters One and Two chart the arrival of the first Jesuit missionaries, the difficulties they initially faced, and the eventual conversion of some Japanese people. Chapter Three shows the reader that the Christian faith experienced some significant success in its early days, as the missionaries found favour with then Shogun Oda Nobunaga. However, in Chapter Four, we see a shift as the Christian faith that was spreading throughout the nation was seen as a potential threat by the new shogun, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and expulsion edicts were put in place. Chapters Five and Six are about the intensification of the prohibition of the faith, as well as persecution, including the crucifixion of the 26 Martyrs at Nagasaki.

Then, in Chapters Seven and Eight, the Shimabara Rebellion is explained, as well as some of the circumstances that came about after the incident such as how the Christians would attempt to hide their religious symbols in plain sight. Chapter Nine is dedicated to Endo Shusaku and his widely-known work Silence, which leads into Chapter Ten, where the history of the faith in Japan is harboured and sometimes transformed by Japanese thought in the Goto Islands, off Kyushu. Chapter Eleven explains the Dutch connection in Nagasaki and how some of the first Hidden Christians started to emerge into public view as the country began to open itself up to the world after its period of isolationism. Finally, Chapter Twelve explains the Protestant and Catholic connections to the country a bit more and reveals to the reader that the Hidden Christians of Japan were more akin to a Japanese folk religion rather than the Christianity that first arrived on their shores. Additionally, the book includes a short bibliography, as well as many images of what Dougill writes throughout the book which helps to lend a sense of realism to what can sometimes feel like an otherwordly topic.

While Dougill, who currently teaches British Culture at Ryukoku University in Kyoto, at times shows a limited understanding of Christian doctrine, the discerning reader might be able to find what the author misses through his discourse. Regardless, this book is a fascinating tale of hope amongst harrowing circumstances and the determination of the human spirit, and anyone who seeks to learn more about this little-known part of Japan’s history should see this book as a window into a much larger world.

For those wishing to look further into this topic, Ann M. Harrington's Japan's Hidden Christians (1993) which, written from a Catholic point of view, focuses more on the beliefs of Hidden Christians may be of interest. Some more contemporary analyses are Kirk Sandvig's Hidden Christians in Japan: Breaking the Silence (2019) and Christal Whelan's documentary Otaiya: Japan's Hidden Christians. Finally, The Beginning of Heaven and Earth: The Sacred Book of Japan's Hidden Christians, written by Hidden Christians during their years of persecution and edited and translated by Christal Whelan, would give the reader an insight into the beliefs that these particular Christians held and regale the reader with Bible stories with intrinsically Japanese themes.

Continue reading...

[thepastisalreadywritten]

SAINTS OF THE DAY (October 19)

Also known as Canadian Martyrs; Isaac Jogues and Companions; Jesuit Martyrs of North America; Martyrs of New France.

The eight North American martyrs, also known as the Canadian Martyrs, the Jesuit Martyrs of North America or the Martyrs of France, included six priests and two lay brothers.

They were heroic members of the Society of Jesus who were martyred in North America in order to bring the Faith that is necessary for salvation to the Huron, the Iroquois, and the Mohawk Indians.

Five of the eight North American martyrs were put to death in what is now Canada and three of them in New York State.

There is a shrine to the United States' martyrs at Auriesville in New York, and there is a shrine to the Canadian martyrs at Fort Saint Mary near Midland, Ontario.

The names of the eight North American martyrs are:

Saint Rene Goupil, a lay brother martyred in 1642 in New York State; Saint Isaac Jogues, a priest; Saint John de Lalande, a lay brother, martyred in 1646 in New York State;

Saint Anthony Daniel, a priest, martyred in Canada in 1648;

Saint John de Brebeuf, Saint Charles Garnier, Saint Noel Chabanel, and Saint Gabriel Lalemant, all priests and all martyred in Canada in 1649.

Saint Isaac Jogues, after thirteen months' imprisonment by the Mohawks, had several fingers cut off of his hand.

He went back to Europe, but returned again to North America and was killed by tomahawk blows at Ossernenon, now called Auriesville, in New York State.

Saint John de Brebeuf declared before he died, "I have a strong desire to suffer for Jesus Christ."

He was tortured terribly, and a burning torch was put into his mouth, which strangled him.

Saint Rene Goupil, thirty-five, was the youngest of the martyrs and cried "Jesus, Jesus, Jesus!" as he died.

Saint Noel Chabanel was thirty-six; Saint Isaac Jogues and Saint Gabriel Lalemant were thirty-nine.

The oldest of the eight North American martyrs, Saint John de Brebeuf, was fifty-six when the Indians killed him.

They were canonized by Pope Pius XI on 29 June 1930. Their memorial is held on October 19 and September 26 in Canada.

[lawrenceop]

Hodie!

HOMILY for the 3rd Sunday (C)

Neh 8:2-6, 8-10; Ps 18; 1 Cor 12:12-30; Luke 1:1-4, 4:14-21

I wonder if anyone else here is an expert in procrastination? As Bursar of the priory, I know that some of my brothers, like me, suffer from this, putting off for weeks the reconciliation of our monthly credit card statements. Or perhaps, in the more serious realm of the spiritual life we can be like St Augustine who once prayed for the virtue of chastity but “not yet”. Often we put off until tomorrow, or another day, or next Lent what in fact we need to give our attention and energies to today, for the good of our soul, for the sake of our relationship with God and also one another. 

There is in fact a saint, popular around Turin, called St Expeditus, a 4th-century Roman legionary who was martyred under Diocletian, and he is the patron saint of procrastinators (as well as students and people facing legal and financial difficulties). An Italian friend of mine gave me a silver cross inscribed with the word “Hodie”, which is Latin for ‘Today’, and he explained that it’s said that when St Expeditus was wanting to become a Christian the devil appeared to him in the form of a crow, and it seemed to say “Cras” which means “tomorrow”. The saint then held out a cross, saying “Hodie” and so the crow fled. So, the ‘Hodie’ cross became a symbol of St Expeditus and his victory over the devil. 

If we think about it, for us temporal creatures, who have no control over the future, nor any certain knowledge of what is to come, tomorrow does not have any reality. We can hope, of course, and we can legitimately have certain expectations for tomorrow, but we have no certainty; tomorrow isn’t real. What is real is now, today. God, who is not bound by time and who is Pure Act is, therefore, the eternal Now. And as our lives move from the past into the present, into the Now; from yesterday into Today, so we enter from potentiality into the Pure Act of being and goodness that is God. We stand in his presence now, today, so let us be open today, now, to his grace. For the present moment, now, today, is pregnant with God’s grace, full of his gifts which enable us to  do his will; to act, to be, to choose the good, to choose to obey God and his commands, and so to empower us for virtue. 

The 17th-century French Jesuit Jean Pierre de Caussade called this the “sacrament of the present moment”, in which we discern now, today, what God asks of us as his disciples, and how we should act, what we should do now, today so as to become more united to God and his will. Hence he says: “The present moment is ever filled with infinite treasures; it contains more than you have the capacity to hold. Faith is the measure. Believe, and it will be done to you accordingly. Love also is the measure. The more the heart loves, the more it desires; and the more it desires, so much the more it will receive. The will of God presents itself to us at each moment as an immense ocean that no human heart can fathom; but what the heart can receive from this ocean is equal to the measure of our faith, confidence and love… When the will of God is made known to a soul… then under all circumstances the soul experiences a great happiness in this coming of God, and enjoys it the more, the more it has learnt to abandon itself at every moment to God’s most adorable will.” 

Hence the readings of today’s Mass highlight two moments in which God’s will is made known to his people, which brings joy and consolation to them. Firstly Ezra reads from the book of the Law, and the people respond as if God is present speaking, acting, teaching them. Hence the people are told “Today is holy to the Lord”, that is to say that God is present and active now, today, and he guides us through the Scriptures. And so, it is in each present moment that we can seek the Lord, seek his strength and grace and knowledge to do what is right and good by listening to his Word, reading the Bible, and we shall find our joy in this. This is what is meant by “Eat the fat and drink sweet wine… And do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength”, for we are to be fattened by God’s grace, and to taste the goodness of his revelation and wisdom in the Scriptures which are like sweet wine. And then in the Gospel, Jesus, having recalled the wonders that are done by the Messianic Servant in Isaiah, says: “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” And it is to us that he speaks directly: Today, now, in your life, Christ, the eternal Word is present; present in the eternal Now of the present moment, especially whenever you read or hear the Gospel and contemplate divine Truth. Thus Origen said: “If scripture is true, it was not only to the Jewish congregations of his own generation that our Lord spoke. He still speaks to us assembled here today… Here too in this synagogue, that is, in this present assembly, you can at this very moment fix your eyes upon your Saviour if you wish. Whenever you direct your inward gaze toward wisdom and truth and the contemplation of God’s only Son, then your eyes are fixed upon Jesus.”

Since 2019, Pope Francis has set aside this Sunday, the 3rd Sunday of Ordinary Time, as ‘Word of God’ Sunday. In doing so, we are being reminded to turn to the Scriptures daily, and to seek God’s will and God’s wisdom for our present moments. For today God has a word for us, today he comes to us to speak to our hearts, and today he reveals his will to us. “Your words, O Lord, are spirit and life”, we said, and so let us be sure to turn to God’s Word, to the Scriptures, today, and day after day. Hodie! Today, let us seek the Lord’s will and act upon it by his grace. Today, let us turn to him and away from the crowing of the devil! Today, let us embrace the victory of the Cross like St Expeditus. Hence, as we friars sing every morning, in the Invitatory psalm (95): “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.” Amen.

[silvestromedia]

Saints of the day August 01

Bl. Thomas Welbourne, 1605 A.D. English martyr. Born in Hutton Bushel, Yorkshire, he worked as a schoolmaster until his arrest for preaching the Catholic faith. He was arrested and condemned with Blesseds John Fuithering and William Brown. He was hanged, drawn, and quartered at York. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Welbourne

The Blessed Martyrs of Nowogródek, also known as the Eleven Nuns of Nowogródek or Sister Stella and Companions were a group of Roman Catholic nuns from the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth killed by the Gestapo in August 1943 in present-day Belarus.Aug 1 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martyrs_of_Nowogr%C3%B3dek#:~:text=The%20Martyrs%20of%20Nowogr%C3%B3dek%2C%20also,Gestapo%20in%20August%201943%20in

St. Almedha, sixth century. Virgin and martyr also called Aled or Filuned. The Welsh tradition reports that Almedha was the daughter of King Brychan. Having taken a vow of virginity and dedicated to Christ, Almedha fled from her father's royal residence to escape marriage to the prince of a neighboring kingdom. She went to three Welsh villages - Llandrew, Llanfillo, and Llechfaen - but the people turned her away, despite her promise warning that dreadful thing calamities would befall anyone who denied her sanctuary. Almedha reached Brecon, where she took up residence in a small hut, but the king arrived and demanded her return. When she refused him, he beheaded her. Tradition states that a spring of water appeared on the site of her murder. The three villages that refused her were visited by disasters. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Eluned#:~:text=Saint%20Eluned%20(Welsh%3A%20Eiliwedd%3B,Tennyson's%20Gareth%20and%20Lynette.%22.

St. Dominic Van Honh Dieu, Roman Catholic Dominican Priest and Martyr. A native of Vietnam. He was martyred at the age of sixty-seven. Feastday Aug. 1

St. Sofia, Eastern allegory explaining the cult of Divine Wisdom, Faith, Hope, and Charity were the daughters of Wisdom (known as Sofia in the Roman Martyrology on September 30th), a widow in Rome. The daughters suffered martyrdom during Hadrian's persecution of Christians: Faith, twelve, was scourged and went unharmed when boiling pitch was poured on her, was beheaded; Hope, ten, and Charity, nine, were also beheaded after emerging unscathed, from a furnace; and Wisdom died three days later while praying at their graves. Feast day - August 1st. https://www.st-sophia.com/about/saint

St. Ethelwold. Bishop of Winchester, England, called “the Father of Monks.” Born in that city, he was ordained by St. Alphege the Bald. In 943, he joined the Benedictines at Glastonbury under St. Dunstan. He became the abbot of Abingdon in 955 and bishop in 963. Ethelwold worked with Sts. Dunstan and Oswald of York in bringing about a monastic revival after the Danish invasions. He also expelled the canons of Winchester, replacing them with monks. Ethelwold founded or restored the abbeys of Ely, Chertsey, Milton Abbas, Newminster, Peterborough, and Thorney. He authored Regularis Concordia, a monastic decree based on the Benedictine Rule, and his school of illumination at Winchester was famed. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%86thelwold_of_Winchester

St. Peregrinus, 643 A.D. Irish or Scottish hermit. Peregrinus was originally a pilgrim who, on his way home from a pilgrimage to Jerusalem and the holy places, chose to become a hermit in the area around Modena, Italy. He remained there for the rest of his life. https://www.bartleby.com/210/8/015.html

St. Rioch, 480 A.D. Bishop Abbot of lnisboffin, Ireland. He was a nephew of St. Patrick and the brother of Sts. Mel and two others, Melchu and Muinis. They were the sons of Conis and St. Darerca. Rioch was a missionary bishop.

ST PETER FABER, JESUIT,A roommate of Ignatius of Loyola and Francis Xavier from their university days, this gentle guide of souls was a master at giving the Spiritual Exercises. He allowed himself to be spent for the Lord and his Church, helping the Jesuits to become established all over Europe. His feast day is August 1. St Peter Faber, Jesuit - Information on the Saint of the Day - Vatican News https://www.vaticannews.va/en/saints/08/01/st-peter-faber--jesuit.html

ST. ALPHONSUS MARIA DE’ LIGUORI, ST. ALPHONSUS MARIA DE’ LIGUORI, BISHOP AND DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH, FOUNDER OF THE CONGREGATION OF THE MOST HOLY REDEEMER https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alphonsus_Liguori

STS. SEVEN BROTHERS MACCABEI