ST PETRUS THOMAS, BISHOP

ST PETRUS THOMAS, BISHOP - 8 JANUARY

SAINT PETRUS THOMAS, CARMELITE AND BISHOP

Saint Petrus Thomas' Carmelite feast day is on January 8. Elsewhere, he is also commemorated on January 6 or January 28.

HUMBLE BEGINNINGS

St Petrus Thomas was born in Perigord, France, in 1305 to parents so poor that they were unable even to support him and his only sister. Both had to meet their daily needs by begging. All the more, the boy driven to learn something useful, and he soon got so far that he could earn his living by teaching younger boys. From there he came to Agen, where he studied grammar, logic, and dialectics. In his twentieth year the local Carmelite prior sent him to Lectour in Gascony to teach grammar and logic to the youngsters there.

HE BECAME A CARMELITE

In 1354 he became bishop of Patti and Lipari in Sicily. As a papal legate, he strove for unity and peace with the Eastern Church. In 1363 he became Archbishop of Crete and a year later Latin Patriarch of Constantinople. He died in Famagusta on Cyprus in 1366. The veneration of the saint was confirmed by Pope Paul V in 1609 and by Pope Urban VIII in 1628.

AN UNUSUAL WAY OF PREACHING

St Petrus Thomas, most of all, enjoyed eating, working and praying with his confreres. His sermons were so rich in content, well thought-out and moving that the corresponding effects were often visible immediately after he had left the pulpit. Nevertheless, according to the judgment of the experts, his lectures often lacked the proper dignity, namely when he made his audience laugh by means of humourous bits he inserted into his sermons. But usually the laughter was followed by bitter tears, which were only tempered by the gentle consolation which he poured into the hearts of the penitent. As a confessor, he led countless sinners on the path of repentance and improvement.

Source: Stadler's Complete Encyclopedia of Saints, 1858

PRAYER:

Gracious God, in your concern for your people, you filled Saint Peter Thomas, Bishop, with tireless zeal for peace and unity among Christians. Let us live according to his example and, through his intercession, grant us fidelity in faith and zeal for peace. (Carmelite prayer)

WELCOME

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