December 16 Blessed Cherubin Testa of Avigliana Cherubin, an only son, was born in Avigliana (Torino), Italy, in 1451, where

he entered the Augustinian Order at the age of twenty. He died eight years later, on 17 December, 1479, barely eight months after his ordination as a priest. Cherubin was distinguished by the spirit of obedience, purity of life, and devotion to the passion of Christ. To this day Blessed Cherubin is still very alive in Avigliana and the surrounding area. His mortal remains are displayed for the veneration of the faithful in the parish of Saints John and Peter in Avigliana (Torino), Italy. Blessed Cherubin's feast is celebrated by the Augustinian Family on 16 December. Rotelle, John, Book of Augustinian Saints, Augustinian Press 2000

December 11 Blessed Martin of Saint Nicholas and Melchior of Saint Augustine

Blessed Martin and Blessed Melchior gave their lives to spread the gospel of Jesus. Martin Lumberas was born in Zaragosa, Spain, in 1598 and Melchior Sanchez in Granada the following year. Before he joined the Recollect Congregation of the Augustinian Order at the age of twenty, Martin suffered the death of his brothers -- one killed while trying to establish peace between two enemies, the other an Augustinian -- and that of his sisters, one a Carmelite who died with a reputation for sanctity. In 1622 he left for the missions in the Philippines. Melchior, orphaned at an early age, received the Recollect habit of the Augustinian Order at the age of eighteen and set sail for the Philippine mission in 1621. Both friars arrived at the monastery of Saint Nicholas in Manila after their ordination in Mexico City. In the Philippines, among other duties, Martin was master of novices, and Melchior was engaged in the apostolate of preaching. In July 1632, in response to a request of two missionary confreres imprisoned in Japan, they asked to be sent to that country to care for persecuted Christians who had been forced into hiding. They arrived in September of that same year and began to minister in the hills surrounding Nagasaki, until some of the very men who had helped them reach Japan reported them to the officials. Having undergone various forms of torture, there were burned at the stake on 11 December 1632. Martin and Mechior were beatified by Pope John Paul II on 26 March 1989. The Augustinian Family celebrates their feast on 11 December. Rotelle, John, Book of Augustinian Saints, Augustinian Press 2000

November 29 Blessed Frederick of Regensburg

Blessed Frederick was known for his dedication to prayer, and for his humility and love of the eucharist. Frederick was born of middle class parents in Regensburg (Bavaria), Germany, and entered the Augustinian Monastery of Saint Nicholas in that city as a lay brother. Saint Nicholas' was the most important community of the Bavarian Province at the time, and hosted the general chapter of 1290 of the Augustinian Order, at which the first Constitution of the Augustinians was promulgated. Frederick served the community principally as a carpenter and woodcutter, activities in which he demonstrated tireless concern for the needs of the monastery and his brothers. Well-known to his confreres were his love for prayer, his humility, charity, and devotion toward the blessed sacrament. Frederick died in Regensburg on 29 November 1329. Devotion toward this generous and humble lay brother continued uninterrupted and, by 1481, information concerning miracles attributed to his intercession were collated. He was beatified on 12 May 1909 by Pope Pius X. Unfortunately, very little factual information exists concerning Frederick's life. However legends about him dating from the sixteenth century were written by the prior at Regensburg who was also a chronicler of the Augustinian Order. These were inspired by paintings representing scenes from the life of Frederick which an earlier prior of Regensburg had commissioned for Frederick's tomb in 1481. The Augustinian Family celebrates Frederick's memorial on 29 November. Rotelle, John, Book of Augustinian Saints, Augustinian Press 2000 Blessed Frederick of Regensburg, Collegio Santa Monica, Rome, Italy.

November 7 Blessed Gratia of Kotor Blessed Gratia of Kotor distinguished himself by his humility, work, spirit of penitence, and love of the Eucharist. The second half of the fourteenth century saw the emergence of a great spirit of reform in the Augustinian Order as well as in many other religious congregations. Friars committed to an enthusiastic observance of religious life in perfect fidelity to the Rule and Constitutions shunning every abuse and opportunity for compromise. They were authorized to live in specially designated "observant" communities under the immediate authority of the prior general and his appointed vicar. Eleven distinct congregations of observant monasteries were formed during this period. Gratia entered one of these congregations, centered at Monte Orotne, near Padua, in 1468 Gratia was born in 1438 in the town of Mulla near Kotor (Cattaro) on the Dalmation coast in former Yugoslavia. Fifteen years earlier Kotor had submitted to Venetian rule and became a busy and prosperous seaport. Gratia was a sailor whose work brought him to Venice where, on a certain occasion, he was so deeply moved by the preaching of the Augustinian friar, Simon of Camerino, a distinguished speaker and leader of the Augustinian Observant Movement, that he decided to join the Augustinian Order as a lay brother. He was thirty years old. In his forty years of religious life Gratia distinguished himself by his virtues and love of the Eucharist. After many years at Monte Ortone, where he devoted his time an energy to the service of his brethren, principally in the monastery garden, he was transferred to the monastery of San Cristoforo near Venice, where he died on 8 November 1508. Four centuries later he is still venerated by his countymen in Kotor, and especially in his hometown of Mulla, where his body has been kept in the parish church since 1810. In 1889 Pope Leo XIII beatified Gratia.

The Augustinian Family celebrates his memorial on 7 November. Rotelle, John, Book of Augustinian Saints, Augustinian Press 2000 To see another web page on Blessed Gratia click here

October 31 Blessed James of Cerqueto, O.S.A.

James, who was born in Cerqueto around 1284, became an Augustinian in the monastery of Perugia, Italy. Tradition tells us that he was a religious of "regular observance, strict abstinence, diligent prayer, and spotless virginity." He died in Perugia on 17 April 1367 in his eighties while praying before the altar of the Virgin. His body was transferred from the church of St. Augustine in Perugia to his native town , Cerqueto, in 1956. His memory is celebrated by the Augustinian Family on 31 October. Rotelle, John, Book of Augustinian Saints, Augustinian Press 2000

October 29 Blessed Peter of Gubbio, O.S.A.

Peter, of the noble Ghigenzi family was born in the first half of the thirteenth century. He studied law first in Italy and then in Paris. At the age of forty he joined the Augustinians of his hometown who had come to Gubbio from the hermitage of Brettino (Fano). As a friar he won the respect of his confreres and was entrusted with various duties of responsibility. He was sent by the prior general to visit the monasteries of France where he left a deep impression for his zeal and holiness of life. He is described by the Anonymous Florentine, a writer of the fifteenth century, as "a man of great patience and prayer, who ended his life in the peace of the Lord and is renowned for many miracles." He died sometime between 1306 and 1322 and was venerated from the time of his death. His remains are preserved in the Church of St. Augustine in Gubbio. Blessed Peter's feast in celebrated by the Augustinian Family on 29 October. Rotelle, John, Book of Augustinian Saints, Augustinian Press 2000 Peter of Gubbio, Church of Saint Augustine, Rome, Italy

October 25 St. John Stone, O.S.A.

Nothing whatsoever is known of John's early life, education, or activities in the Order, though it is conjectured that he joined the Augustinians at Canterbury since this is the place of his death. His story then, is essentially that of his martyrdom. On 3 November 1534 the English Parliament issued the Act of Supremacy, declaring Henry VIII supreme head of the Church in England. In December 1538, Richard Ingworth, a former Dominican and the official emissary of Thomas Cromwell, appeared at Canterbury to close the houses of the mendicant friars there and obtain the written assent of each community's members to the above-mentioned Act. The friaries of the Franciscans and Dominicans were surrendered without difficulty. When, on 14 December, Richard appeared at the monastery of the Austin Friars, John alone among his brothers refused to sign, and spoke in clear terms of his objections to the king's claims over the Church. John was immediately separated from his confreres in order to forestall his influence over them and was urged eventually with threats to alter his position. When he persisted in his refusal he was brought to London so that Cromwell himself might pressure him to change his view. He was imprisoned for a year in the tower of London where he remained adamant. It was while here that John had a religious experience which was recorded by the Catholic apologist and biographer, Nicholas Harpsfield: "John Stone was invested with the crown of martyrdom at Canterbury. But before that, having poured forth prayers in prison to God and having fasted continuously for three days, he heard a voice, though he saw no one, which addressed him by name and bade him to be of good heart and not to hesitate to suffer death with constancy for the belief which he had professed. From this afterwards he gained such eagerness and strength as never to allow himself by persuasion or terror to be drawn from his purpose. These facts I learned from a sober and trustworthy man who is still living, to whom Stone himself revealed them."

On October 1539, John was sent to be tried at Canterbury. The sentence was handed down on 6 December and within several weeks, probably two days after Christmas, he was hanged, drawn, and quartered at a place called the Dungeon, now known as Dane John. Because he was a traitor to the king, his head and his quartered body were exhibited at the city gates. John Stone was beatified on 9 December 1886 by Leo XIII and was canonized, along with thirty-nine other English martyrs of the Reformation, by Paul VI on 25 December 1970. The Augustinian Family celebrates his memory on 25 October. Rotelle, John, Book of Augustinian Saints, Augustinian Press 2000 John Stone with Henery VIII and Pope Clement VII by Mario Ferrari, Rome, Italy

October 23 Blessed John the Good

Blessed John the Good or Bono, as he is referred to at times, was born in Mantua about the year 1168. When he had reached the age of sixteen, he left his widowed mother to become a traveling entertainer. In 1209 he became seriously ill and vowed to reform his ways and do penance if God would spare his life. After his recovery he began to live as a solitary, and from 1210 until his death in 1249 he chose a remote hermitage in Butriolo, near Cesena in northern Italy as his dwelling. Eventually, as his reputation for holiness and simplicity of life became known, others wished to join him and, in time, these followers formed themselves into a congregation bearing John's name (Zanbonini). John, nonetheless, continued to live alone in his Spartan hermitage, practicing austere penances, and engaged in intimate conversation with God. His contemplative lifestyle did not separate him altogether from others, however. He frequently preached to those who sought him out, winning many over to a more devout practice of the faith. He also established an association for lay people known as the "Brothers and Sisters of Penitence," quite possibly the first Third Order found by any of the Mendicant Orders.

John was admired by his disciples as a humble, kind, and charitable man, filled with deep respect for bishops and the pope, as well as reverence for the office of the priesthood, even when it was occupied by those who abused their position. He cultivated great devotion to Mary, in whose honor he and his community built and dedicated a church. John always remained a layman and was apparently illiterate. He was gifted, however with a good memory and practical judgment, which became evident in his management of his community's affairs and his role as an arbiter between rival towns. About the year 1238, when he was seventy years old, John relinquished the government of his community to devote himself to an even more intense

contemplative life. Foreseeing that death, he and some disciples went to Mantua in early October 1249 where he occupied a hermitage known as Sant'Agnese in Porto. There he died on 16 October 1249 and was buried in the adjoining church. In 1251 his body was placed in a marble tomb. Five investigations by church authorities between that year and 1798 verified that his body remained incorrupt. On 17 June 1251, Innocent IV ordered that the process for his canonization be initiated. While this was done, the same pontiff's death three years later and other unknown factors caused an interruption of the cause until 1483 when he was beatified by Sixtus IV. Later appeals by the Augustinians and the Duke of Mantua for Blessed John's canonization met with no success. His feast is observed by the Augustinian Family on 23 October. Rotelle, John, Book of Augustinian Saints, Augustinian Press 2000 Blessed John the Good by Mario Ferrari, Rome, Italy.

October 23 Saint William the Hermit

Though little is known of Saint William's early life, it is reputed that he was born in France of a noble family. After having made several pilgrimages to Spain, Rome, and the Holy Land, he attempted to reform some groups of hermits in Tuscany. When these efforts failed, he withdrew to a hermitage in the region of Malavalle, near Castiglione della Pescala in Grosseto, to live a life of prayer and penance. His example attracted a sole disciple, Albert, who has left a description of his master's life of asceticism, sometimes called the "Rule of Saint William." William died on 10 February 1157. His canonization by Innocent III in 1202 drew many pilgrims to visit hi s tomb, some of whom remained in Malaville in order to follow the way of life of this saintly hermit. In time those disciples evolved into the Order of Saint William and spread widely in France, Belgium, Germany, and Hungary. In 1215, following the decrees o the Lateran Council, they adopted the Rule of Saint Benedict, but in 1256 they were among the groups summoned by Alexander IV to unite with the Order of Saint Augustine in the Grand Union. Though the greater number of Williamites withdrew from the Union within several months, ten of their foundations remained Augustinian. The Augustinian Family celebrates his feast on 23 October. Rotelle, John, Book of Augustinian Saints, Augustinian Press 2000 Saint William the Hermit by Mario Ferrari, Rome, Italy

October 20 St. Magdalene of Nagasaki, O.S.A.

Magdalene was born and grew up during a period of open and undisguised hostility toward religion. Persecution was manifest to all. The types of "imaginative and original" torture used by the opponents of the faith show very clearly the hatred in the hearts of those who ruled. Her parents, who are described by historians as "most virtuous and noble Christians," were martyred about the year 1620, when their daughter was in her early adolescence. The first Augustinians who arrived in Japan in 1623 were members of the Augustinian Order's observant movement: Fathers Francis of Jesus and Vincent of Saint Anthony. As an active and enthusiastic Christian, Magdalene made contact with them and though communication was difficult, she worked with them as an interpreter and later as a catechist. From the start she found herself well disposed to Augustinian spirituality, characterized as it is by the search for God, interiority, and the living of faith in communion with others. In their work of evangelization the missionaries emphasized the promotion of religious associations and gave special attention to the Augustinian Third Order. However, it was quite difficult for Christians to live their faith publicly. To approach the missionaries for doctrinal and religious nourishment was risky for themselves as well as the friars. Following the example of many other Christians in similar difficulties, Magdalene took refuge in the hills and dedicated herself to baptizing converts and sustaining those who has grown weak in their faith. The persecution made necessary all sorts of subterfuge, but Magdalene did not lose heart. She knew what she wanted and did not hold back in spite of the dangers: she asked to be accepted formally into the Augustinian Order. Her mind and heart were already Augustinian; in 1625, Father Francis admitted her into the Third Order of Saint Augustine. In 1632 the Augustinian friars, who had been her spiritual counselors, were burned alive. This holocaust was recognized and solemnly proclaimed by Pope

Pius IX in 1876. Magdalene kept alive the memory of these friars, and with it grew her own desire for martyrdom. Now her counselors in the struggle were two other Augustinians, Fathers Melchior of Saint Augustine and Martin of Saint Nicholas, who continued to nourish her spirit on the ideals and practices of Augustinian spirituality. When these two friars were also put to death, she turned to Father Jordan of Saint Stephen, a Dominican who own profession was based on the Rule of St. Augustine. Magdalene's concern for her vocation and her wish to love completely the life of the evangelical counsels led to her decision to enter a novitiate with a community of Dominican sisters. But before she could make her profession, religious persecution broke out once again. It was no time for the fainthearted. A strong faith burned in her soul and the gospel allowed for no half measures. The brave spirit and conviction of this Augustinian tertiary moved her to go voluntarily to the jailers and declare herself a follower of Jesus Christ. There were threats, tortures, promises of exposure to public scorn, taunts, ridicule all the usual procedures in such cases. But Magdalene had a clear knowledge of her faith and of the obligation which she had freely taken on. Attired in her Augustinian habit, she reached the end of her martyrdom on 16 October 1634, after thirteen days of torture, suspended upside down in a pit of offal. After death her body was burned and her ashes scattered in the bay of Nagasaki. Three hundred and forty-seven years later, on 18 February 1981, in the city of Manila, Pope John Paul II honored Magdalene with the title of Blessed. Then on 18 October 1987, World Mission Day, she was solemnly canonized in Rome by the same Holy Father. Proclaimed with Saint Magdalene was a large number of martyrs from the Land of the Rising Sun, of various nationalities and states of life and of different religious orders. The life of Magdalene, martyr of Japan, honored for the firmness and courage of her faith, is a song in praise of heroism. To live the gospel as she did with fervent resolve, in a clear, complete, and radical way, without failing or yielding is the heritage of great souls. The memory of Saint Magdalene of Nagasaki is celebrated by the Augustinian family on 20 October. Rotelle, John, Book of Augustinian Saints, Augustinian Press 2000 Saint Magdalene of Nagasaki by Adriano Ambrosioni