ST FAUSTUS OF RIEZ, BISHOP - 28 SEPTEMBER

 

ALL SAINTS CELEBRATED IN SEPTEMBER

Saints celebrated on the 28th 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 FAUSTUS OF RIEZ, BISHOP

Saint Faustus was born at the beginning of the fifth century. He turned to eloquence and philosophy at an early age. He then came to Gaul and settled in the Lerins monastery. 

Here he found himself the midst of excellent religious who were very strict in observing the monastic way of life. 

In 433 or 434 he was elected abbot of the monastery. In 452 when he became Bishop of Riez (Alebece Rejorum Apollinarium, also Regium) in Provence. 

As such he attended the Council held in Rome under Pope Hilarus [Hilary] in 462, and seems to have represented the Gallic episcopate there with Auxanius.

He wrote several tracts, e.g. B. to refute Monophysite errors, then against the Arians and Macedonians.

He had to go into exile because of some piece he had written against the Arians. He is mentioned once more as Bishop in 484. It is said of him that he also lived a lot in rough wastelands, often visited his monastery in Lerins, did much good to strangers and prisoners, and buried the poor at his own expense. He seems to have entered his eternal rest at the age of 90, perhaps around 490 or 493. 

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