Feast of St. Odilia: Virgin and Martyr. St. Odilia, The patroness of the Crosier Order, intercedes for those suffering with ailments of the eyes and other bodily afflications. In the fourth century, Odilia, the daughter of powerful ruler of Britannia, went to her martyrdom n Cologne, Germany. Seeking a place to practice her Christian faith, she was met by cruel barbarians, at the gates of Cologne, where her life-story ends; she met with death. In 1287, St. Odilia appeared to John Novelan of Eppa, a Crosier brother living in Paris. She told him that God had appointed her Patron Saint and Protectress of the Order of The Holy Cross (the Crosier). She also informed Br. John where her relics coukd be found and urged him to unearth the. Br. John asked permission of his superiors, but was refused. Persistent in her request, St. Odilia appeared to Br. John on two more occasions. Finally the Prior consented and ordered a Crosier priest, Fr. Louis, to accompany Br. John in this endeavor. When the two reached Cologne, they had little trouble finding the relics of St. Odilia under a pear tree in the garden of a man named Arnulph. Joyfully, they informed the archbishop who set out personally to witness their findings. St. Odilia instructed Br. John to take her relics to the Crosier Motherhouse in Huy, Belgium. Miraculously, both at Cologne and on the road to Huy, various cures took place – cures from blindness, paralysis, and other bodily infirmities. During the time of the French Revolution in 1797, the Crosier house at Huy was destroyed. However, the relics of St. Odilia were brought to the parish church of Kerniel, Belgium, for safekeeping. In 1949 the relics were returned to the Crosier and thereafter, some of St. Odilia’s bone fragments were brought to Onamia-Minnesota, now home of the National Shrine of St. Odilia.
Posted on: Fri, 18 Jul 2014 15:11:22 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015