ST LAURENT IMBERT, BISHOP AND MARTYR - 21 SEPTEMBER

 

ALL SAINTS CELEBRATED IN SEPTEMBER

Saints celebrated on the 21st 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 LAURENT IMBERT, BISHOP AND MARTYR 

Laurent-Joseph-Marius Imbert was born on March 23, 1796. He is sometimes called Laurent-Marie-Joseph Imbert and affectionately known in Korea as Bishop Imbert Bum. 

He was appointed by Pope Gregory XVI in August 1836 when first Bishop Barthélemy Bruguière died in Manchuria.

On September 21, 1839 he was beheaded at Saenamt’o, Korea, for his Catholic faith. It is estimated that 8,000 to 10,000 were killed for their faith in 19th-century Korea - the Korean Martyrs. 103 of them, including Bishop Imbert, were canonised by the Catholic Church as saints on May 6, 1984. 

His feast day is September 21, and he is also venerated with the rest of the 103 Korean martyrs on September 20. (Information from Wikipedia)