ST DONATUS OF MÜNSTEREIFEL, MARTYR - 7 AUGUST

 

ALL SAINTS CELEBRATED IN AUGUST

Saints celebrated on the 7th of August

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 DONATUS OF MÜNSTEREIFEL, MARTYR

St Donatus of Münstereifel died a martyr c. 173. His relics were translated to this German city in the 17th century from the Catacombs of Rome, where he had been originally buried.

A PATRON AGAINST LIGHTNING

St Donatus is a patron against lightning strikes. His cultus is closely linked to that of St Florian, who is the protector against May frost. The two together are often invoked to protect the wine harvest, particularly in Hungary. 

THE PRIEST REMAINED UNHARMED

Although he is not in the Roman Martyrology, he shares a feast day with his namesake, St Donatus of Arezzo, on August 7. He is also commonly venerated on June 30, the anniversary of his miracle in Euskirchen. During the 17th century, a priest who was set alight by lightning called on St Donatus to pray for him, whereupon the former remained unharmed.

AN ANNUAL PILGRIMAGE

There is an annual fair in his honour in Euskirchen on the 2nd Sunday of May. The Archdiocese of Cologne sponsors an annual pilgrimage to Bad Münstereifel on the 2nd Sunday of July. 

He is depicted in art wearing Roman armour, and armed with a thunderbolt. He is often shown holding a martyr's palm or a grapevine.

(Information from Wikipedia -

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donatus_of_Muenstereifel)