The Martyrology of the Monastery of the Ascension Introduction History of Martyrologies The Martyrology is an official liturgical book of the Catholic Church. The official Latin version of the Martyrology contains a short liturgical service the daily reading of the Martyrology’s list of saints for each day. The oldest surviving martyologies are the lists of martyrs and bishops from the fourth-century Roman Church. The martyrology wrongly attributed to St. Jerome was written in Ital in the second half of the fifth century, but all the surviving versions of it come from Gaul. It is a simple martyrology, which lists the name of the saint and the date and place of death of the saint. Historical martyrologies give a brief history of the saints. In the eighth and ninth centuries, St. Bede, Rhabanus Maurus, and Usuard all wrote historical martyrologies. The Roman Martyrology, based primarily on Usuard’s, was first published in 1583, and the edition of 1584 was made normative in the Roman rite by Gregory XIII. The post-Vatican II revision appeared first in 2001. A revision that corrected typographical errors and added 117 people canonized by Pope John Paul II between 2001 and 2004, appeared in 2005.1 The Purpose and Principles of This Martyology The primary purpose of this martyrology is to provide an historically accurate text for liturgical use at the monastery, where each day after noon prayer it is customary to read the martyrology for the following day. Some things in this martyrology are specific to the Monastery of the Ascension: namesdays of the members of the community, anniversaries of members of the community who have died, a few references to specific events or saints of local interest. However, on the whole, the martyrology reflects a catholic interest in the history of the church and her saints. The Roman Martyrology of 2004 contains about 7000 saints, and has about twelve short entries for each day of the year, in addition to entries for movable feasts such as Easter. This martyrology, by contrast, aims to give three to five saints for each day, with enough accurate historical information to identify the saints and their significance. Listening to it or reading it each day should lead to a richer appreciation of the history of the church and of the communion of saints. Saints who are known only by name, date, and place of death, and not usually included. 1 See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martyrology. This article provides links to an online version of the 1956 revision of the official 1914 edition of the Roman Martyrology and to the Latin rubrics and historical introduction of that 1956 revision. For a printed version see The Roman Martyrology, ed. J. B. O’Connell (Westminster, MD: Newman, 1962). An introduction to all facets of hagiography and martyrologies can be found in Jacques Dubois, O.S.B., and Jean-Loup Lemaitre, Sources et méthodes de l’hagiographie médiévale (Paris: Cerf, 1993). Some saints are shrouded in legend,2 and in some cases even their historical existence can be questioned. The latter are left out here, or the reasons for including them are indicated, and an effort is made to distinguish historical fact from imaginative elaborations on the facts. In selecting which saints to include the following principles have been followed: (1) There should be a balance among saints from different eras: patristic, medieval, modern and contemporary; (2) A balance between men and women, lay people, religious, and clergy, and different geographical areas is to be sought. (3) However, preference will be given to monastic saints, particularly those who followed the Rule of Saint Benedict. (4) Moreover, an effort has been made to include all the saints from North America, amid a general tendency to favor saints from the British Isles (this tendency is due both to the interests of the author and English origin of the primary source used in gathering information). Sources of Information The primary source of information regarding the saints included in this martyrology is Butler’s Lives of the Saints, New Full Edition, ed. Paul David Hugh Farmer and Paul Burns, 12 volumes and Supplement, vol. 1 [=beatification and canonizations, 1999-2003] (London: Burns & Oates, Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 1995- 2005).3 Also important for information and facts was the official liturgical text: Martyrologium Romanum. Edition typica. Vatican City: Typis Vaticanis, 2001. [The 2005 revision added more than 150 saints to those included in this edition, and further beatifications and canonizations are occurring almost monthly. See www.vatican.va/news_services/liturgy/saints. Two sources were helpful for information on Benedictine saints, memorable dates of interest to the monks of the Monastery of the Ascension, and for dates when the 2 Legenda is Latin for “things to be read.” In the second nocturn of the night office (what is now called vigils or the office of readings, but in the years before Vatican II was called Matins) it was customary to read the legenda (life story) of the saint of the day. Many of these were a mixture of edifying tales and historical facts; hence, the word “legends.” “Legends” can be charming and edifying, and often contain profound truths. However, they can contain historical facts, they are not historical narratives in the modern sense. Hence, there was an irreverent saying, which the post-Vatican II revision of the Liturgy of the Hours rendered obsolete: “He lies like a second nocturn.” 3 The author has tried not to plagiarize the wording of the entries in this invaluable source, but he has spent so much time with it that at points its wording has certainly entered into his text. feastdays of a few saints are celebrated at the monastery on dates different from those in the Roman liturgical calendar: Ordo 2007 for the Swiss-American Congregation of the Benedictine Federation (St. Meinrad: Abbey Press, [2006]). Martyrology, 2 vols., derived from Mt. Angel Abbey and in use at the Monastery of the Ascension until 2007 [type script, with hand-written annotations] Two reliable compendia of information on the saints were occasionally consulted to verify dates and facts: Dictionary of the Saints, ed. John J. Delaney (Garden City, NJ: Doubleday, 1980) Oxford Dictionary of the Saints, 5th ed., ed. David Farmer (New York: Oxford, 2003). To help assure that there were no omissions of significant saints the contents of this martyrology were checked against the calendar of saints in The Glenstal Book of Prayer (Collegeville: Liturgical Press, 2001) and the entries for each day of the year in Sarah Gallick, The Big Book of Women Saints (San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 2007). Movable Feasts The Solemnity of the Epiphany, on which the church commemorates the threefold manifestation of our great God and Savopr, Jesus Christ: the adoration of the magi, His baptism by John in the Jordan River, and the miracle at the wedding feast at Cana, where he changed water into wine. (On the First Sunday after January 1) The Feast of the Baptism of our Lord Jesus Christ, on which he was wondrously declared to be the well-beloved Son of God, the waters were sanctified, humankind was purified, and the earth rejoiced. (On the Sunday after January 1 or on the Monday after the Sunday on which the Epiphany is celebrated:) Ash Wednesday, the day of ashes and the beginning of the most holy time of Lent. Behold there are coming days of penance to remedy sins, and to save souls; behold the acceptable time, when we ascend to the holy mountain of the Passover. The First Sunday of Lent, on which following the example of Our Lord Jesus Christ, we begin the venerable sacrament of the annual Lenten observance. Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord, when Our Lord Jesus Christ, in accord with the prophecy of Zechariah, seated upon the colt of an ass, entered Jerusalem, and a crowd met him with palm branches. Holy Thursday, The Supper of the Lord, when Christ Jesus, the day before he was crucified for our salvation, handed to his disciples the mysteries of his Body and Blood which they were to celebrate. (Do not read proper listing for the current day). Good Friday and Holy Saturday. (The Martyrology is not read on these days.) Easter Sunday, the Solemnity of the Solemnities, the Christian Passover, the Resurrection of Our Savior Jesus Christ according to the flesh. The Ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ, when forty days after his resurrection he was elevated to heaven while his disciples looked on, and now sits at the right hand of the Father until he will come in glory to judge the living and the dead. (This feast is usually transferred to the Seventh Sunday after Easter). Pentecost, which concludes the fifty-day holy season of Lent. On this day we commemorate both the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the apostles at Jerusalem, the first beginnings of the Church, and the start of the apostolic mission to all tribes, tongues, peoples and nations. Trinity Sunday, the Sunday after Pentecost, on which we venerate the one God in three Persons and the Trinity in Unity. Corpus Christi, The Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ, the medicine of immortality and the pledge of the Resurrection. (This feast is usually transferred to the second Sunday after Pentecost). The Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, who, meek and humble heart, raised up on the cross, became a fountain of life and love, from which all peoples drink.(On the Friday after the Second Sunday after Pentecost). The Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, who keeping alive the memory of the mysteries of salvation performed by her Son, awaits their completion in Christ.