Ordinary Time: June 10th
Wednesday of the Tenth Week of Ordinary Time
Other Commemorations: St. Landericus, Bishop (RM); Bl. Bogumilus, Bishop (RM) ; Other Titles: St. Landry
» Enjoy our Liturgical Seasons series of e-books!
St. Landericus was the Bishop of Paris from 650 to his death. He is best remembered as the founder of the first hospital in Paris.
According to the 1962 Missal of St. John XXIII the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite, today is the feast of St. Margaret of Scotland. In the Ordinary Form her feast is celebrated on November 16.
St. Landericus of Paris or St. Landry
St. Landericus was a sincere and dedicated servant of God who had great love for the poor and the lowly. He became bishop of Paris in 650 A.D., in the Frankish kingdom (formally Gaul) during the reign of Clovis II and served as bishop until 656 A.D. (some records show until his death in 661).
He was a very earnest and devout man, distinguished especially by his great love of the poor and by his charity during the famine of 651 A.D. To relieve them, he sold not only his personal possessions but also some of the vessels and furniture of the church.
He became increasingly aware that the sick and poor of disease were not really cared for. The custom then was to house the sick in little hotels dependent on the inconsistent care from charitable persons. The saint had the idea to gather the sick under one roof in order to improve their treatment and reduce the risks of contagion, at a time when epidemics were fairly frequent. He founded in 651 the city's first real hospital, dedicated to St. Christopher. It was erected near Notre-Dame on the site of the dwelling place of Erchinoaldus, mayor of the palace In time. After the saint died the name was changed to the now-famous Hotel-Dieu (Hostel of God). This is the oldest hospital in the world still in operation.
Before becoming bishop, Landry had acted as referendary at the Merovingian court. It was he who instructed a monk named Marcolfus to write the Formulae, a collection of formulas used for a variety of legal issues.
St. Landry was also responsible for the Benedictines' setup of the Abbey of Saint-Denis. In 653 AD, he signed, along with 24 other bishops, the famous foundation charter granted by King Clovis to the Abbey (Privilege of Clovis III), exempting it from episcopal jurisdiction. Clovis was the husband of Saint Bathilde, who in those years fostered the founding of numerous monasteries.
He is also credited with having built the Parisian church of Saint-Germain l'Auxerrois, which later became the main parish of the royalty of France. He died around 656 and was buried in this church, where there is a chapel dedicated to him. His relics, except two bones given to the parish of Saint Landry in 1408, are kept in a silver shrine. He is honored with an office in the new Paris Breviary. During the French Revolution, as happened with the bodies of several other saints, the revolutionary fury caused the dispersion of most of his relics.
—Adapted from Daily Compass
Highlights and Things To Do:
- Find out more about the Abbey of Saint-Denis.
- Read more about St. Landry:
- Do a virtual tour of Saint-Germain l'Auxerrois.
- There is a statue of St. Landry, behind the altar of the Church of St. Landry in Opelousas, Louisiana. He is depicted as a bishop, distributing food.
- See more about the Merovingians.
- You can view the original document of Privilege of Clovis III that was granted to the Abbey of Saint-Denis. It is housed in the Musee de L'Histoire de France, Paris, France.
Bl. Bogumilus of Gniezno
Bogumilus was born to the Polish nobility, and the twin brother of Boguphalus. He studied in Paris, France and was ordained a priest. He served at Holy Trinity parish in Dobrow, Poland, a church that he built himself. He had a great dedication to the Blessed Virgin Mary, and loved solitude.
His uncle, the Archbishop of Gniezno, made him the chancellor of Gniezno. Bogumilus later succeededed his uncle as Archbishop of Gniezno in 1167. During his time as archbishop he founded a Cistercian abbey at Koronowo. Through the five years of his episcopacy, he was opposed by his own clergy for his insistence on strict adherance to the clerical discipline and simple lifestyle. He resigned his see in 1172 and became a Camaldolese hermit at Uniedow, Poland for the last decade of his life. He died in 1204.
His cult began immediately after his death, especially in eastern Poland, however the formal process of beatification didn't begin until 1625...and stalled until 1908. Finally Pope Pius XI beatified Bogumilus on May 27, 1925.
—Adapted from CatholicSaints.info
Symbols and Representation: a bishop either having a vision of the Blessed Virgin Mary, holding a fish or walking on the surface of a stream or river.
Patronage: archdiocese of Gniezno, Poland (given by Pope Paul VI)
Highlights and Things To Do:
- Find out more at CatholicSaints.info
- Find out more about the Camaldolese hermits, which were founded by St. Romuald, and are a division of the Benedictines.
- His relics are in the Collegiate Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Uniejów, Poland.