Saints celebrated on the 23rd of May
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 WILLIAM OF ROCHESTER, MARTYR
(Saint William of Perth) Saint William was a martyr, born at Perth; he died about 1201. Practically all that is known of this martyr comes from the “Nova legenda Anglie”, and that is little.
HE DEVOTED HIMSELF TO THE SERVICE OF GOD
In youth he had been somewhat wild, but on reaching manhood he devoted himself wholly to the service of God. A baker by trade, he was accustomed to set aside every tenth loaf for the poor.
HE ADOPTED AN ABANDONED BOY
He went to Mass daily, and one morning, before it was light, found on the threshold of the church an abandoned child, whom he adopted and to whom he taught his trade.
Later he took a vow to visit the Holy Places, and, having received the consecrated wallet and staff, set out with his adopted son, whose name is given as “Cockermay Doucri”, which is said to be Scots for “David the Foundling”.
HIS MARTYRDOM
They stayed three days at Rochester, and purposed to proceed next day to Canterbury, but instead David wilfully misled his benefactor and, with robbery in view, felled him with a blow on the head and cut his throat.
A MIRACLE
The body was discovered by a mad woman, who plaited a garland of flowers and placed it first on the head of the corpse and then her own, whereupon the madness left her.
HIS CANONISATION
On learning her tale the monks of Rochester carried the body to the cathedral and there buried it. In 1256 the Bishop of Rochester, Lawrence de S. Martino, obtained the canonisation of St William by Pope Alexander IV.
CROWDS OF PILGRIMS
A beginning was at once made with his shrine, which was situated in the northeast transept, and attracted crowds of pilgrims. At the same time a small chapel was built at the place of the murder, which was thereafter called Palmersdene. Remains of this chapel are still to be seen near the present St William’s Hospital, on the road leading by Horsted Farm to Maidstone.
AN INDULGENCE
On 18 and 19 February, 1300, King Edward I gave two donations of seven shillings to the shrine. On November 29, 1399, Pope Boniface IX granted an indulgence to those who visited and gave alms to the shrine on certain specified days.
St William is represented in a wall-painting, which was discovered in 1883 in Frindsbury church, near Rochester, which is supposed to have been painted about 1256-1266. His feast is kept on May 23.
(From Catholic Encyclopedia, 1913)
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