St. Dympna, Virgin and Martyr.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXII, Issue 19, 12 May 1904, Page 81

St. Dympna, Virgin and Martyr.

St. Dymipna was the daughter of an Irish chieftain. Having vowed her virginity to Gkyd, she fled to Belgium to escape the snares to which she saw herself exposed at home. She was followed, however, and put to death by those to whom her virtue hajd rendered her hateful. St. Brendan, Abbot. St. Breudain was a native of Irertand ana* a disciple of St. Finian. Passing into England he established there two monasteries. On his return to Ireland he contm'uted the same good work, and founded, among others, the famous abbey of Cionfert. He died in 57.8, in the 94th year of his age. According to a legend, accepted by some historians, St. Brendan voyaged to America, and landed in the neighborhood of the present State of Virginia. St. John Nepomucene, Maartyr. St. .John Nepomuceae, patron of Bohemia, was born at Nepomuk between 1340-50. Having become priest, he refused three bishoprics arid accepted only a canonicate oB Prague. Refusing to reveal to King Wenceslaus the secret of confession of Queen Joajie, his wiie, whose fidelity the King suspected, he was thrown into prison, then drowned in the Moldau, Majch 20, J393. Ho was canonised by Pope Benedict XIII. in 1729. St. Venantius, Martyr. St. Venan'this, Who was born near Ancona, Italy, was beheaded for tihe faith during the persecution of Decius in 250. St. Bernardin of Siena. St. Bernardin of Siena was a Franciscan religious. He was a famous preacher of penance. He cohducted missions in nearly all the cities of Italy, anld the effects which his sermons everywhere produced are said to have been overwhelming. He was surnamed ' The Trumpet of Heaven,' "The Evangelical Preacher.' Octave. The eight days assignen for the celebration of a feast are called the Octave During this time is repeated every day a part of the office of the feast, as the hymns, antiphons, or versos, wit<h one or several lessons referring to the subject Oh tihe eighth day the Octave, properly speaking, the office is more solemn than that of the preceding days. Generally the most solemn feasts, like Christmas, Easter, Pentecost, CorPus Christi, the feast of the patron saint, are accompanied by an Octave. Vigil The day that immediately precedes a feast is called a \iinl because in ajneient times the faithful assembled in the churches on tbe eve of the solemnities, and passed therein a "part of the night in praising God by singing psaJlms and reading Holy Scripture. Several abuses having crept into these nocturnal assemblies, the Church suppressed them, with the exception of tihe vigil of Christmas. The office commenced generally about nine o'Clock in tihe evening and ended about one o'clopk in the morning The Church has instituted the fast of the \ igil oi certain great feasts, in order that detaching ourselves through penance and mortification, from the inordinate love which we have for our body, we may elevate ourselves miore easily to spiritual aufcl divine things, and celebrate more worthily the great mysteries of religion. If the vigil of a fieasti falls on a Sunday, as, according to the apostolic constitutions, it is not permitted to fast ob this day, because it is a day of rejoicing, the fast is advanced a/nd kept on Saturday. Some vigils are celebrated without fasting, like tihat of tihe Eioip'hany and of the Ascension ; the reason why the Church has not prescribed fasting on these days, is because it appears incompatible with the joy with <vhich the birth and resurrection of Christ inspire us.