SAINT DENIS , BISHOP AND COMPANIONS, MARTYRS; SAINT JOHN LEONARDI, PRIEST St. Denis was the Bishop of Paris around the year 275, yet little is known of his life. St. Gregory of Tours reports that Pope Fabian sent St. Denis and his companions, the priest Rusticus and the deacon Eleutherius, to present day Paris to re-establish the Church of Gaul. The men built a church on an island in the Seine and converted many pagans. Their success incited the governor Sisinnius, who had the men captured and killed. A shrine and later, a great basilica were built over their graves. They were celebrated in verse by the Christian poet, Venantius. St. John Leonardi was born in 1541 in Lucca, Italy. When he was 17, his father sent him to train as a pharmacist. He was ordained a priest and served in hospitals and prisons, attracting many helpers. He later collaborated with St. Philip Neri and St. Joseph Calasanz. In 1596, Clement VIII appointed him Commissary Apostolic and sent him to reform some religious communities. St. John Leonardi inspired many by his preaching, which emphasized the teachings and reforms of the Council of Trent. He died in 1609. In 1621, his followers formed the Order of Clerics Regular of the Mother of God. He was canonized by Pius IX in 1861
Posted on: Thu, 09 Oct 2014 02:10:26 +0000