ST RUFUS, BISHOP - 12 NOVEMBER

 

ALL SAINTS CELEBRATED IN NOVEMBER

Saints celebrated on the 12th of November 

Prayer to the Angels and the Saints

Heavenly Father, in praising Your Angels and Saints we praise Your glory, for by honouring them we honour You, their Creator. Their splendour shows us Your greatness, which infinitely surpasses that of all creation.

In Your loving providence, You saw fit to send Your Angels to watch over us. Grant that we may always be under their protection and one day enjoy their company in heaven.

Heavenly Father, You are glorified in Your Saints, for their glory is the crowning of Your gifts. You provide an example for us by their lives on earth, You give us their friendship by our communion with them, You grant us strength and protection through their prayer for the Church, and You spur us on to victory over evil and the prize of eternal glory by this great company of witnesses.

Grant that we who aspire to take part in their joy may be filled with the Spirit that blessed their lives, so that, after sharing their faith on earth, we may also experience their peace in heaven. Amen.

ST RUFUS OF AVIGNON, BISHOP

According to the tradition of the Church of Avignon, this Saint Rufus, who in French is also called St Roux, was one of the two sons of Simon of Cyrene, who was forced to carry the cross after the Lord. [Mark 15:21 - Simon's sons were called Rufus and Alexander].

ONE OF SIMON OF CYRENE'S SONS

In the same way it is believed that he is the one who was described in the letter to the Romans as the outstanding assistant of St Paul. 

FIRST BISHOP OF AVIGNON

He then travelled with this apostle to Spain, where he founded the Church of Tortosa. Accompanied by the apostle Paulus Sergius, he crossed the Pyrenees, helped him found the church at Narbonne, and lastly preached the Gospel in and around Avignon. The calendar of regular canons also states that he first established the institute of regular clerics in France. The Roman Martyrology calls him the first bishop of Avignon. He passed away around the year A.D. 90.

(Information from Stadler's Complete Encyclopedia of Saints, 1858 - 🎨 Rufus' father Simon of Cyrene helps our Lord Jesus to carry the cross)