European cartridge

The cartridge of Europe

The patrons of Europe are a group of saints in the Roman Catholic Church who have been declared patron saints for the continent of Europe . These meanwhile six saints are supposed to represent the cultural foundations of Europe, its national and spiritual diversity, its turmoil and its overcoming through faith and to intercede with God . In addition, they should represent inspiring role models.

The first saint to be made the patron saint of Europe was Benedict of Nursia , in 1964 by Pope Paul VI. Pope John Paul II added Cyril and Methodius in 1980 , Catherine of Siena , Birgitta of Sweden and Teresia Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein) in 1999 .

In the liturgical calendars of the dioceses in Europe, the memorial days of these saints have the status of a feast .

• St. Benedict of Nursia
  father of western monasticism. His rule of the order ( Regula Benedicti ) became not only the basis of the Benedictine order, but also of the whole western monasticism . This made Benedict the builder of the Christian West. Died on March 21, 547 in Montecassino, the monastery he founded and the cradle of the Benedictine order. July 11th is the day of transfer of his remains after Fleury ( St.-Benoît-sur-Loire ).
  Holidays: July 11th and March 21st

• Hll. Cyril and Methodius
  messengers of faith among the Slavs. Cyril was a monk, Methodius a bishop . They introduced the use of the Slavic language in the liturgy and used special characters (origin of the Slavic script). Cyril died on February 14, 869, Methodius on April 6, 885.
  Feast day: The common feast day of Cyril and Methodius is February 14, both in the Catholic, Protestant and Anglican churches. Orthodox feast days are also February 14th (Cyril) and May 11th (together with Methodius).

• St. Catherine of Siena
  Virgo Consecrata , Doctor of the Church , member of the Third Order of the Dominicans . She strove for peace among her fellow citizens and for the renewal of religious life, was an adviser in the spiritual as well as in the secular area and promoted the return of the Popes from Avignon to Rome. Died on April 29, 1380 in Rome.
  Feast day: April 29th

• St. Birgitta of Sweden
  mother, mystic , founder of the Order of the Redeemer (Birgitten). She was highly regarded for her piety and charity. She spent the last 24 years of her life in Rome, where she became an advisor to princes and popes. Died July 23, 1373; Grave in Vadstena (Sweden).
  Festival day: July 23

• St. Teresia Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein)
  philosopher, suffragette, carmelite , martyr . She was born to Jewish parents in 1891, studied philosophy, and received her doctorate with honors. In 1922 she was baptized into the Catholic Church, worked as a teacher at Catholic girls' educational institutions and in 1933 joined the Cologne Carmel of Peace . Her move to the Dutch Carmel in Echt in 1938 could not protect her. On August 2nd, 1942, she was arrested by the National Socialists in the Netherlands and probably murdered on August 9th in Auschwitz-Birkenau.
  Feast day: August 9th

literature

• Stefan Blanz, Hildegard Hageböck: European cartridge. eos, St. Ottilien 2013, ISBN 978-3-8306-7631-7 .