S. Bartholomæi Apostoli

The Twenty-Fifth of August

At Carthage, Saint Louis IX, King of the Franks and Confessor, renowned for holiness of life and the glory of miracles, whose bones were afterwards translated to Paris.
At Rome, the birthday of Saint Joseph Calasanz, Priest and Confessor, distinguished for innocence of life and miracles; who, to educate youth in piety and learning, founded the Order of Poor Clerics Regular of the Mother of God of the Pious Schools. Pope Pius XII, Supreme Pontiff, appointed him heavenly Patron before God the Father of all popular Christian schools everywhere. His feast, however, is kept on the Twenty-Seventh of August.
Likewise at Rome, the holy Martyrs Eusebius, Pontian, Vincent, and Peregrinus; who, under the Emperor Commodus, were first lifted on the rack and stretched with sinews, then beaten with clubs, with flames applied to their sides; and, since they persevered most faithfully in praising Christ, were put to death with leaded whips until they gave up the spirit.
At Rome, furthermore, the birthday of the blessed Deacon Nemesius and of his daughter, the Virgin Lucilla; who, since they could in no way be turned away from the faith of Christ, were beheaded by command of the Emperor Valerian. Their bodies, buried by the blessed Pope Stephen, were afterwards more honorably entombed by the blessed Pope Sixtus II on the Appian Way, on the Thirty-First of October; Pope Gregory V transferred them to the diaconia of Santa Maria Nova, together with the holy Symphronius, Olympius the Tribune, his wife Exsuperia, and their son Theodulus; all of whom, converted through the work of Symphronius and baptized by that holy Pope Stephen, had been crowned with martyrdom. The bodies of these same Saints, having been found there under Pope Gregory XIII, Supreme Pontiff, were placed more honorably beneath the altar of the same church on the Eighth of December.
Likewise at Rome, Saint Genesius, Martyr, who was first a mime under paganism and, while mocking the Christian Mysteries in the theatre before the Emperor Diocletian, was suddenly inspired by God, converted to the faith, and baptized. Immediately, by the Emperor's command, he was most cruelly beaten with clubs, then hung on the rack, tormented with the prolonged laceration of iron claws, and also burned with torches; and at last, when he persisted in the faith of Christ, saying: "There is no King but Christ, for whom, though I be slain a thousand times, you will not be able to take him from my lips, nor from my heart" — he merited the palm of martyrdom by the cutting off of his head.
At Arles, in Gaul, the blessed Genesius likewise, who, while serving as a notary and refusing to transcribe the impious edicts by which Christians were ordered to be punished, cast the tablets into the public street and testified that he was a Christian; he was seized and beheaded, and thus received the glory of martyrdom, baptized in his own blood.
In Syria, Saint Julian, Martyr.
At Tarragona, in Spain, Saint Maginus, Martyr.
At Italica, in Spain, Saint Gerontius, Bishop, who, in the time of the Apostles, preached the Gospel in that province, and, after many labors, fell asleep in prison.
At Constantinople, Saint Mennas, Bishop.
At Utrecht, Saint Gregory, Bishop.
Near Mons Faliscus, in Etruria, Saint Thomas, Confessor, who was Bishop of the Church of Hereford in England.
At Naples, in Campania, Saint Patricia, Virgin.