Saints celebrated on the 1st of May
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| A page of one of Fortunatus Hueber's Saints' books, "Stammenbuch..." (1693) |
Saint Marculf (Marculphus, Helerius) was born in Bayeux c. A.D. 490. His parents were rich and respected people, who allowed him to take care of the poor and needy in their house and to feed them - even as a child. The boy did this for love for God, to whom he raised his innocent hands every day with childlike simplicity, and vowed to dedicate every day of his life to Him.
He became a priest, and as such a zealous and popular preacher, and it is said that he spoke particularly often of the obligations imposed on us by receiving Holy Baptism. Saint Possessor, Bishop of Coutances, ordained him (c. 520). He gave him (according to Gall. Chr. IX. 243) the task to preach in the entire diocese.
Gradually, however, the desire for greater seclusion arose in him. Therefore he built a hermitage in Nanteuil (Nantum) with his parents' fortune, where like-minded people soon gathered around him. One day, while he was staying on an island, where the Vive flows into the sea, the devil appeared to him in the form of a woman to test his chastity. The Sign of the Cross was enough to unmask the apparition and throw the adversary into the sea.
King Childebert bestowed riches on Nanteuil. The saint is also said to have founded a monastery on the island of Jersey. That is why his pupils also called him Saint Helerius, from which the eponymous town of St Helier on this island takes its name. When he died, Saint Lautus (Saint Lo), bishop of Coutances, buried him at Nanteuil (c. 558). A hundred years later, his remains were solemnly raised by Archbishop Audoenus (French: Ouen). The miracles which took place on that occasion bore witness that the saint was not dead, but truly lived in eternal bliss.
Around the middle of the ninth century (according to the Bollandists around this year 906) his mortal remains were transferred to Mantes on the Seine (Medunta) and from here to Corbigny (Corbiniacum), where a church was built in his honour during Charles the Simple's lifetime. The place is in the diocese of Laon, to the southeast of this city. It became custom for French kings, after their coronation in Reims (where Saint Marculf's relics were kept since 1101), to attend a nine-day devotion. Marculf's disciple Domardus also rests at Reims. Marculf's festival is celebrated on May 1, July 7 and October 2. His funeral took place on May 2. Ferrarius* places his feast day on April 28, other sources call him Abbas Bajocassinensis (of Bayeux), commemorated on September 22.
(Information from Stadler's Complete Encyclopedia of Saints, Volume 4, Augsburg, 1875, pp. 108-09)
*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 Saint Marculf 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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