October VII

St. Mark, Pope, C.

See the Pontifical published by Anastasius ap. Muratori inter Italiarum Rerum scriptores, t. 3, p. 112; also Baron. ad an. 336; Bosius and Aringhi, l. 2, c. 15.

a. d. 336.

St. Mark was by birth a Roman, and served God with such fervor among the clergy of that church, that, advancing continually in severe humility and the knowledge and sense of his own weakness and imperfections, he strove every day to surpass himself in the fervor of his charity and zeal, and in the exercise of all virtues. The persecution ceased in the West upon the abdication of Dioclesian and Maximian, in the beginning of the year 305; but was revived for a short time by Maxentius in 312. St. Mark abated nothing of his watchfulness, but endeavored rather to redouble his zeal during the peace of the church; knowing that if men sometimes cease openly to persecute the faithful, the devil never allows them any truce, and his snares are generally most to be feared in the time of a calm. The saint contributed very much to advance the service of God during the pontificate of St. Sylvester; after whose demise he was himself placed in the apostolic chair on the 18th of January, 336. He held that dignity only eight months and twenty days, dying on the 7th of October following. According to the Pontifical published by Anastasius, he built two churches, one on the Ardeatine Way, where he was afterwards buried; another within the walls, near the capitol. He was interred in the Ardeatine Way, in the cemetery of Balbina, a holy martyr buried there. It was originally called of Prtextatus, probably from some illustrious person of that name, and was situate without the Ardeatine gate, not far from the cemetery of Calixtus, on the Appian Way. St. Mark had very much beautified and adorned this burial-place, out of respect to the martyrs there interred; and he being buried there, it from that time bore his name. Pope Damasus, in his epitaph, extols his extraordinary disinterestedness and contempt of all earthly things, and his remarkable spirit of prayer, by which he drew down on the people abundant spiritual blessings. His name occurs in the Liberian Calendar, compiled soon alter his death, and in all other Martyrologies of the Western church. A church bore his name in Home in the fifth century. His remains were translated into it by the order of Gregory VII. The pontificals mention that the church was repaired by Adrian I., Gregory IV., and Paul II. This last pope built near it a palace, which was the summer residence of the popes till Sixtus V. preferred the Quirinal hill, or Monte Cavallo.

It was by constant watchfulness over themselves, by assiduous self-denial, and humble prayer, that all the saints triumphed over their spiritual enemies. They never laid down their arms. A Christian ought to be afraid of no enemy more than himself, whom he carries always about with him, and whom he is not able to flee from. He therefore never ceases to cry out to God: Who will preserve me from falling through myself! Not my own strength. Unless thou, O Lord, art my light and support, I watch in vain.

SS. Sergius And Bacchus, MM.

These two glorious martyrs are mentioned with great distinction by Theodoret, John Mosch in the Spiritual Meadow, Evagrius, St. Gregory of Tours, Bede, and other ancient Martyrologists. They were illustrious officers in the army, and suffered with great constancy cruel torments and a glorious death under Maximian: the theatre of their triumph was Rasaphe in Syria, in the diocese of Hierapolis. Their tomb at Rasaphe was famous for miracles in the year 431,¹ when Alexander, bishop of Hierapolis, built there a stately church in their honor. Out of respect for their relics, Justinian caused this town to be fortified, called it Sergiopolis, and made it the metropolis of the province. He also built many churches in their honor in several provinces of the East. They are the titular saints of a church in Rome, which has been famous at least ever since the seventh century, as appears from Anastasius; nevertheless, no authentic acts of their martyrdom have reached us. Two other churches in Rome Lear their name: one called ad montes belongs to the Russian college, and possesses a portion of their relics brought from Syria in the crusades: as does the cathedral of St. Vitus at Prague, by the gift of the emperor Charles IV., in 1354. See Tillemont, t. 5, p. 491.

SS. Marcellus And Apuleius, MM., At Rome

Famous in ancient Martyrologies, honored with a mass in pope Gelasius’s Sacramentary published by cardinal Thomasius. The emperor Lewis II. in 872, received their relics from the pope, which his wife Angilberga bestowed on the nunnery which she founded at Placentia in Italy, in which city these martyrs are honored with singular devotion.

St. Justina Of Padua, V. M.

She suffered at Padua in the persecution of Dioclesian, about the year 304, or, according to some, in that of Nero. Fortunatus ranks her among the most illustrious holy virgins, whose sanctity and triumph have adorned and edified the church, saying that her name makes Padua illustrious, as Euphemia Chalcedon, and Eulalia the city Emerita. And in his poem on the life of St. Martin, he bids those who visit Padua, there to kiss the sacred sepulchre of the blessed Justina, on the walls of which they will see the actions of St. Martin represented in figures or paintings.¹ A church was built at Padua, in her honor, about the middle of the fifth age, by Opilio, prefect of the prtorium, who was consul in 453.² Her precious remains, concealed in the irruptions of Attila, who destroyed Aquileia and Padua in the middle of the fifth century, were found in 1177, and are kept with great veneration in the famous church which bears her name. It was most elegantly and sumptuously rebuilt in 1501, and, with the adjoining Benedictin monastery, (to which it belongs,) is one of the most finished models of building of that nature in the world. A reformation of the Benedictin order was settled in this house in 1417, which was propagated in many parts of Italy under the name of the Congregation of St. Justina of Padua. The great monastery of Mount Cassino, head of the whole order of St. Bennet, having acceded to this reformed Congregation, it was made the chief house thereof by pope Julius II., and the jurisdiction of president, or general, was transferred by him from St. Justina’s to the abbot of Mount Cassino; from which time this is called the Congregation of Mount Cassino, and is divided into seven provinces. The great monastery of St. Justina may be said to be the second in rank. St. Justina is, after St. Mark, the second patroness of the commonwealth of Venice, and her image is stamped on the coin. Near the tomb of St. Justina, in the cemetery, were found the relics of several other martyrs, who are said in her acts and those of St. Prosdecimus, first bishop of Padua, and other such monuments, to have suffered with her. The relics of St. Justina were placed in a shrine or chest under the high altar of the new church, in 1502. When the new choir was built these were translated with the utmost solemnity into a sumptuous vault under the new high altar, in 1627. Another famous church of St. Justina stands in the city of Venice, formerly collegiate, now in the hands of nuns. The senate makes to it the most solemn procession on the 7th of October, in thanksgiving for the victory of Lepante, gained over the Turks on that day, which is her festival. See Tillemont, Hist. de la Persec. de Diocles. art. 55. t. 5. p. 140. Helyot, &c.

St. Osith, V.

She was born at Quarendon, and was daughter of Frewald, a Mercian prince, and niece to Editha, to whom belonged the town and manor of Ailesbury, where she was brought up with her pious aunt. Osith was married young to a king of the East-Angles; but the same day obtained his consent to live always a virgin. That king confirming her in her religious purpose, bestowed on her the manor of Chick, in which she built a monastery. She had governed this house many years with great sanctity, when she was crowned with martyrdom in the inroads of Hinguar and Hubba, the barbarous Danish leaders, being beheaded for her constancy in her faith and virtue, about the year 870; for fear of the Danish pirates, her body, after some time, was removed to Ailesbury. and remained there forty-six years; after which it was brought back to Chick, or Chich, in Essex, near Colchester which place was for some time called St. Osithe’s, as Camden takes notice. A great abbey of regular canons was erected here under her invocation, which continued to the dissolution, famous for the relics, and honored with many miracles. See Tanner’s Notitia Monastica, in folio; William of Malmesbury, l. 2, de Pontific.; and principally her life by Vere, a canon of St. Osithe’s, in Leland’s Itinerary, vol. 8, p. 41, and in Malbrancq, in MSS. suorum, t. 1, quoted by Ericus Pantoppidanus, in the life of St. Ositha, in his Gesta Danorum extra Daniam, Hafni, 1740, in 4to., t. 2, sect. 1, NAK 12, pp. 40, 41, 42. See also Alford, Annal. t. 1.

¹ See Lupus in Conc. Ephes., pp. 232, 279, 299.

¹ Fortunatus Carm. 4, l. 8, et l. 4, de vita S. Martini, sub finem.

² Ughelli, t. 5, p. 298; Cavacius, l. 1, de Cœnobio Patavino S. Justinæ, Sertorius Ursatus de Rebus Patavinis, Muratori, &c.

 Butler, A., The Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs and Other Principal Saints (New York 1903) IV, 86-89.