ST LIBORIUS, BISHOP - 23 JULY

ALL SAINTS CELEBRATED IN JULY

Saints celebrated on the 23rd of July

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 LIBORIUS, BISHOP

Saint Liborius, born in Gaul, was bishop of Le Mans for nearly fifty years. A contemporary and friend of St Martin of Tours, he built many churches and celebrated the Eucharist with outstanding piety and dignity. The true Faith flourished during his Episcopate. St Liborius ordained 217 priests, 186 deacons and 93 sub deacons and other clergy. He passed to his eternal reward on July 23, 397. 

HIS RELICS WERE TRANSLATED

In 836, the relics of St Liborius were transferred from Le Mans, France, to Paderborn, Germany. This followed the founding of the city of Paderborn in 799, by Pope Leo III and Charlemagne. Since it had no saint of its own, and Le Mans had two - St Julius, the first bishop of Le Mans, was lying right beside Liborius in the cathedral crypt -  Bishop Aldrich of Le Mans sent St Liborius' relics to Bishop Badurad of Paderborn. 

THE MEANING OF THE PEACOCK

St Liborius is depicted as a bishop with a peacock, because it is related that a peacock led the procession of his remains from Le Mans to Paderborn. He may be carrying small stones on a book.

RELIEF FROM BLADDER STONES

In 1267, Archbishop Werner von Eppstein was the first to find relief from his stones, but as word spread, stone-sufferers came from all over, and miraculous cures through his intercession took place and take place to this day. Therefore St Liborius is invoked particularly against bladder, kidney and gall stones, colic, and fever.