ST JOHN, BISHOP OF VALENCE - 26 APRIL

 

ALL SAINTS CELEBRATED IN APRIL

Saints celebrated on the 26th of April

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.

SAINT JOHN, BISHOP OF VALENCE 

Saint John of Valence, Bishop, was born in the diocese of Lyon, France. John became a priest and a canon of the Lyon cathedral. 

HIS PILGRIMAGE TO SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA

He resolved to enter Cîteaux but decided to substitute a pilgrimage to the shrine of Santiago de Compostela. On his return he had a dream in which Christ complained: "He ought to be Mine, not as a pilgrim, but as a dweller in My house." 

THE MONASTERY OF BONNEVAUX

John then entered Cîteaux (1114) and in 1118 was sent to found the monastery of Bonnevaux (Bona Vallis) on the Loire, from which he established four daughter-houses. 

HE ALLEVIATED THE SUFFERINGS OF WIDOWS AND ORPHANS

In 1141 John was elected Bishop of Valence, where, while maintaining a rigorous way of life for himself, he actively alleviated the sufferings of widows, orphans, and the poor, and in other ways promoted social justice. He died at Valence on March 21, 1146.

His cultus was confirmed in 1901.

Source: https://www.encyclopedia.com/religion/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/john-valence-st

PRAYER:

Grant, we beseech you, almighty God, that the venerable feast of John, your blessed bishop, may increase our devotion and promote our salvation. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen.