ST VIRGILIUS, BISHOP OF ARLES - 10 OCTOBER

 

ALL SAINTS CELEBRATED IN OCTOBER

Saints celebrated on the 10th of October

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SAINT VIRGILIUS, BISHOP OF ARLES

Saint Virgilius, commemorated on October 10 and 19, as well as March 5, was initially abbot of the

Saint Symphorian monastery  in Autun. His investiture and residence at the monastery in Lérins are uncertain. As prelate, he succeeded 

Saint Honoratus, unless Licerius was his immediate predecessor. It is not entirely clear when he ascended to the episcopal see of Arles. When Saint Gregory the Great became pope in 590, Virgilius had already held his office for a few years. Even during his lifetime, Gregory called him a holy man, adorned with all virtues, and placed the bishops in the realm of King Childebert II under his see. The missionaries who traveled to England were especially commended by the pope to his protection. Indeed, Saint Virgilius was such an extraordinary man that he himself was considered a miracle (portentum). He built and restored churches, improved the revenues and morals of the clergy, and cared for the people like a father. The double celebration in Arles and Lérins, incidentally, led the Bollandists* to question whether there might have been two bishops of the same name living in Arles, one of whom had served as abbot in Lérins and the other in Autun. His year of death has not yet been precisely determined. 

Butler* (III. 379) places it in 610, while earlier scholars reckon that he went to his eternal reward c. 595. It is certain that he was still alive around 601, while in 610 his successor, Florian, was already leading the episcopal church of Arras. His feast day was celebrated on March 5 in Fréjus and Lérins, and currently on October 10 in Arles, Aïr, and Embrun. (Mart. I. 399-404.)

(Information from Stadler's Complete Encyclopedia of Saints, Volume 5, Augsburg, 1882, p.736)

*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 Virgilius 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.

Sources of these articles (in the original German): books.google.co.uk, de-academic.com, zeno.org, openlibrary.org