ALL SAINTS CELEBRATED IN FEBRUARY
Saints celebrated on the 4th of February
SAINT OBITIUS, PENITENT
Saint Obitius is commemorated on February 4 [and December 6]. This holy penitent lived in Brescia when cruel civil wars ravaged the fair plains of Upper Italy. The cities of Bergamo and Brescia were engaged in bloody border disputes, the former receiving support from Cremona, the latter from Milan.
A battle on the Oglio (Ollius) ended in favour of the Brescians. The knight Obitius, with many others, was plunged into the river, but was kept alive by special divine help. Many drowned.
Pulled out of the river by his fellow-citizens, he dozed off, exhausted, and saw in his sleep multitudes of souls fall into hell - as dense as the flakes of a violent snowstorm. He was shocked at the sight of their manifold and terrible torments.
Under God's merciful guidance, this dream became the occasion for his conversion. From then on he began a very pious life and after his death he was buried at the church of Saint Juliet, where his tomb was glorified by miracles.
(Information from Stadler's Complete Encyclopedia of Saints, Volume 4, Augsburg, 1875, p. 597-98)
Stadler's Complete Encyclopedia of Saints - Sources and Abbreviations
PRAYER:
Grant, we beseech you, almighty God, that the venerable feast of Saint Obitius 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.
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