ALL SAINTS CELEBRATED IN MARCH
Saints celebrated on the 7th of March
 |
| A page of one of Fortunatus Hueber's Saints' books, "Stammenbuch..." (1693) |
While Saint Benedict was instituting his rule on Mount Cassino, this holy abbot's contemporary Equitius was trying with all zeal to settle pious religious the region of Valeria, which lies between ancient Umbria, Picenum and Campania. These holy men would then spend their lives in prayer and manual labour, scattered throughout the countryside and in the woods. Their spiritual father often visited them to teach them; he also sought, wherever and however he could, to encourage them to better love and serve God.
Since he was only a layman, however, his conduct was universally disapproved of and he was accused of presuming to carry out ecclesiastical official functions. The pope defended our saint and forbade further troubles. Pope Gregory I became his biographer and testified to his godly life with glorious praise. Saint Equitius died around the year 540. His relics were taken to Aquila to the church of Saint Laurence (Laurentius). In Aquila, he is venerated on August 11, on which day the Roman Martyrology* features this saint. (Mart. I. 649.)
(Information from Stadler's Complete Encyclopedia of Saints, Volume 2, Augsburg, 1861, p. 76)
*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 Equitius 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.
➡️ More information about Saint Equitius
Sources of these articles (in the original German): books.google.co.uk, de-academic.com, zeno.org, openlibrary.org
Comments
Post a Comment