ALL SAINTS CELEBRATED IN APRIL
Saints celebrated on the 8th of April
Blessed Julian of Saint Augustine (Julianus a S. Augustino) was, as detailed in Hub. Men.*, a Franciscan lay brother. The son of a French knight, he first saw the light of day in Spain. Even as a boy he was very pious; at the age of 18 he entered the Order of Saint Francis at the Observant Monastery of Saint Mary of Salceda, which was in Castile and belonged to the province of Saint Joseph.
Probably to test his virtue all the more, God allowed him to be to be dismissed by the monastery. So he built himself a hut of branches near the monastery and lived as a hermit with great austerity. Every day he was handed a little food by the monastery, queuing up for it along the many poor of the area.
Finally, Julian was accepted by the same monastery once again and, after completing his novitiate, made his profession as a lay brother with great joy. Now he led a very holy and austere life until his blessed death. At what age he died is stated in none of the sources, but he seems to have reached at least 50 years of age. He died on April 8, 1606 at Alcala de Henares (Complutum) at the monastery of Saint Didacus and was immediately venerated as a saint. The Lord glorified him before and after his death with miraculous signs, so that King Philip III of Spain, the clergy of Toledo, the Academy of Alcala and the whole Franciscan Order asked Pope Paul V for Julian's canonisation. Leo XII then issued the Bull of Beatification Bull on May 6, 1825. His feast is celebrated on April 8, the anniversary of his death.
(Information from Stadler's Complete Encyclopedia of Saints, Volume 3, Augsburg, 1869, p. 535)
*A hagiography source used by the authors
Stadler's Complete Encyclopedia of Saints - Sources and Abbreviations
PRAYER:
Grant, we beseech you, almighty God, that the venerable feast of the blessed Julian 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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