ST ALPINUS, BISHOP - 7 SEPTEMBER

 

ALL SAINTS CELEBRATED IN SEPTEMBER

Saints celebrated on the 7th of September

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 ALPINUS, BISHOP 

Saint Alpinus was born in Baye (Baja) in the area of ​​Chalons on the Marne to noble and very Christian parents, and carefully instructed both in virtue and in the sciences, in which he had St Lupus of Troyes as a teacher. 

A STUDENT OF ST LUPUS OF TROYES

It is not clear whether he followed his teacher to England to help eradicate the errors of the Pelagians there; but it is certain that during his absence he was elected bishop of Chalons by the clergy and the people. 

HE FULFILLED ALL HIS DUTIES EVEN IN THE MOST DIFFICULT TIMES

As bishop he fulfilled all his duties even in the most difficult times with the loyalty of a saint, and this was especially the case when the Hun king Attila approached with his hordes and threatened to devastate the plain of Chalons. 

HIS RELICS

He died on September 7 in the second half of the 5th century in his place of birth. In 860 his body was transferred to the Church of St Andrew, which was situated outside the walls of the city of Chalons, only to be included in its perimeter at a later stage in history. This church was named "St-Alpin." Later the relics of the saint were moved once more, this time to the cathedral, where they are kept in a silver coffin.

(Information from Stadler's Complete Encyclopedia of Saints, 1858)