[Robert Drobot]

Commemorating † The Feast of Bishop Saint Alexander, Doctor of the Church, Patriarch of Alexandria † Saint Alexander was made Patriarch of Alexandria A.D. 313. He was a disciple of the Patriarch of Alexandria Saint Peter the Martyr, and had heard the warnings the great Bishop made in prison about the deacon Arius. Saint Alexander led an untiring battle against this heretic, preparing the way for Saint Athanasius. Arius was a tall man of a grave imposing appearance. He attracted confidence by his amiable manner and agreeable conversation. He lived austerely, assumed a penitent air, and showed an apparent zeal for religion. With a broad but superficial knowledge of profane literature and the ecclesiastical sciences, he was a subtle and persuasive dialectician. However, under this exterior show of virtue was a man of melancholy, turbulence, ambition and a taste for novelties. After he was ordained priest and charged with teaching Scriptures, he could not contain his vanity and titled himself illustrious. After the death of Saint Achillas, Bishop of Alexandria, Arius aspired to his see. When Saint Alexander was chosen for it, Arius became his enemy. It was about this time that Arius began to teach his bad doctrine and recruit followers. Saint Alexander, concerned about the spreading of this heresy and finding Arius obstinate and incorrigible, excommunicated him from the Diocese of Alexandria. The heretic went to Palestine where he received the support of various bishops, especially Eusebius of Nicomedia. There he began a campaign of intrigues against his adversaries. The Council of Nicaea A.D. 325 condemned Arius and his doctrines. In that famous assembly of Bishops, one of the high luminaries was Saint Alexander. Saint Athanasius, who had accompanied Saint Alexander, was also present as a deacon. Saint Alexander returned to Alexandria, where he died several years later, after naming Saint Athanasius as his successor. Having dedicated his life to gloriously fighting in defense of the Church, he delivered his soul to the Lord A.D. 328. Comments of Professor Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira : It is noteworthy that this selection speaks more about Arius than Saint Alexander. The description of the heresiarch is well done, because all the psychological facets are coherent and portray the typical hypocrite of that time who pretended to be a pious religious. Today many modern people have a favorable view of e a Bishop with a modern car, perhaps a sports car, or a Bishop who takes on a communist look in order to give the impression that he is favorable to the poor. In that time the heretics used to assume conservative airs. Arius was a tall figure with an imposing air – I am reminded of some Eastern schismatic priests with their strong physiques, beards, vigorous airs, and those hard black hats. Further, he had an amiable presence, and was well versed in Scriptures and the sacred sciences. But deep down he was steaming with ambition and excesses. Here you see the hypocrite. In epochs when good prevails, the hypocritical pays tribute to good. This appearance of sanctity made the combat of Saint Alexander against Arius more difficult. Arius fooled many people. We will see this type of evil with the Antichrist, who will also appear to be a saint. In such cases, the one who attacks such pseudo-saints look like a bad man. This resource to hypocrisy inverts everything: the evil looks good and vice-versa. So, many people would have thought that Saint Alexander was bad because he was attacking Arius, which made for a very difficult fight. Saint Alexander had to fight hard to condemn Arius and expel him from Alexandria. Arius ended by becoming Archbishop of Constantinople. He died during a procession going to the Cathedral supposedly to be readmitted to communion to the Church. It was an extraordinary death where his stomach exploded, and his intestines and organs spilled out. Saint Alexander was the opposite of Arius. He had been preceded by Saint Achillas and his secretary was Saint Athanasius. The great Saint Athanasius was so anti-Arian that even when all the other Bishops and even a Pope became Arians, he stood alone defending orthodoxy. The persecution he suffered was so difficult that for a while he had to hide himself in the sepulcher of his parents and live there. So we can see the growing chain of saints: St Achillas who was succeeded by Saint Alexander, who was more than the former. Then Saint Alexander was succeeded by Saint Athanasius, who was greater still in the fight against Arianism. We can see that Divine Providence prepared a kind of genealogy of saints in the See of Alexandria that was completed with the incomparable Saint Athanasius who gave the Church the final victory against Arianism. These actions of Divine Providence have an extraordinary architectonic beauty, which is the most beautiful thing in History. God so arranges that one saint should succeed another, one good movement generates another. Even if at times it can appear that the good cause is defeated, it ends as victorious through the prayers and intercession of Our Lady. We can learn a good lesson from the life of Saint Alexander and the fight against Arianism. That is, we should not be fooled by the appearance of sanctity of many religious progressivists and their success in some pious milieus. Also, we should not become discouraged when these same people call us proud and lacking charity because we maintain a position consistent with Catholic principles. This kind of accusation should not bother us. Just as Our Lady made the apostolate of Saint Achillas, Saint Alexander and Saint Athanasius fruitful amidst the difficult battles and persecution the good cause suffered, so also will she make our apostolate grow, and give us the necessary means to establish her Reign. Let us ask Saint Alexander to help us in this fight . Α ☧ Ω

[Robert Drobot]

CALENDAR of the SAINTS Anno Dómini 26 February 2012 Ceiling Paintings of Balilihan Roman Catholic church "....and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb. ~ ~ Apocalypse Α ☧ Ω Bishop Saint Agricola of Nevers, France Bishop of Nevers, France from A.D. 570 to 594. Α ☧ Ω Saint Alexander of Alexandria, Egypt Known as a pious youth. Bishop of Alexandria, Egypt in 313. Worked against Arianism, and excommunicated Arius when he preached in the area around Alexandria. Key figure in the Council of Nicaea in 325. Patriarch of Alexandria. Doctor of the Church. Α ☧ Ω Bishop Saint Andrew of Florence, Italy Named in the Book of Saints, by the Monks of Ramsgate Α ☧ Ω Saint Cyriacus Maria Sancha y Hervás Bishop Saint Dionysius of Augsburg, Germany, Martyr First bishop of Augsburg, Germany. Both baptized into the faith and later consecrated as bishop by Saint Narcissus. Martyred A.D. 303, in the persecutions of Diocletian. Α ☧ Ω Bishop Saint Faustinian of Bologna, Italy Fourth century bishop of Bologna, Italy. A great administrator, he re-organized the diocese, and fought Arianism. Α ☧ Ω Saint Felix Α ☧ Ω Bishop Saint Fortunatus of Bologna. Italy Second bishop of Bologna. Italy. who suffered during the persecution of co-Emperor Diocletian but survived. He was an ardent foe of the Arian heresy. Α ☧ Ω Saint Inger Saint Irene Raised a pagan. At about 14 years of age, she witnessed a mob abusing Saint Porphyrius for his faith. The violence sickened her, and she came to his rescue, causing enough trouble that the pagans left him alone. He recovered and converted her to Christianity. Α ☧ Ω Blessed Isabella of France Daughter of Blanche of Castile. Only sister of Saint Louis IX. Declined a marriage offer from the German emperor in order to found a Poor Clare convent at Longchamps near Paris, France where she lived as a nun, though without taking vows. Α ☧ Ω Saint Leo of Saint-Bertin Α ☧ Ω Saint Mechthild of Sponheim Α ☧ Ω Saint Nestor of Magydos Saint Papias and Companions, Martyrs All One of four shepherds, with Conon, Claudian, and Diodorus, executed in Pamphylia, Asia Minor, during the persecutions of Emperor Trajanus Decius. Α ☧ Ω Sister Saint Paula of Saint Joseph of Calasanz Daughter of Ramon and Vicenta Fornes Montal. Raised in a large and pious family in a small seaside village. Her father died when Paula was 10 years old. She worked as a seamstress and lace-maker, and helped raise her siblings, then helped in her parish to care for other children. At age thirty, still single and devoting herself privately to God, she and her friend Inez Busquets opened a school in Gerona to provide a good education mixed with spiritual guidance. The school was such a success that she was able to found a college A.D. May 1842, and another school A.D. 1846. To staff and manage the schools, she founded the Daughters of Mary ( Pious School Sisters ) on 2 February 1847, and took the name Paula of Saint Joseph of Calasanz. Saint Paula served as the leader of the congregation, receiving approval from Pope Blessed Pius IX in 1860. The schools have now functioning on four continents. Α ☧ Ω Saint Piedad Ortiz Real Α ☧ Ω Bishop Saint Porphyrius of Gaza Born to wealth. Hermit in the desert of Skete, Egypt. Hermit in Palestine on the bank of the Jordan River. Reluctant bishop of Gaza, he took to this assignment with great zeal and devotion. He converted almost all of his diocese, and nearly eliminated paganism in it. Α ☧ Ω Blessed Robert Drury, Martyr Studied at the English College, Rheims, France A.D. 1588, and the English College, Valladolid, Spain A.D. 1590. Ordained at Valladolid A.D. 1593. Returned to England A.D. 1593 to minister to covert Catholics around London, England. One of the signers of the loyal address A.D. 31 January 1603 which acknowledged the queen as lawful sovereign on earth, but maintained their loyalty in religious matters to the Pope. When James I came to the throne, the king required them to sign a new oath which acknowledged his authority over spiritual matters. Robert refused, and was arrested A.D. 1606 for the crime of being a priest. He was offered his freedom if he would sign the oath; he declined. For his devotion to the Vicar of Christ on Earth Blessed Robert Drury was hanged, drawn, and quartered A.D. 26 February 1607 at Tyburn, London England. Α ☧ Ω Saint Sebastian of Posjekhonje Α ☧ Ω Saint Ulric of Obermarchtal Α ☧ Ω Saint Victor the Hermit Born to nobility and raised in a pious, well-educated family. Priest. Hermit at Arcis-sur-Aube in the Champagne region of France. His life and wisdom caused many pagans to convert to Catholicism. Saint Bernard of Clairvaux composed an Office and several hymns about him. Α ☧ Ω