St. Bertin was educated at the Abbey of Luxeuil, France known for its strict adherence to the Rule of Saint Columban, a Rule known for its austerity. Though he was not a novice, Bertin felt called to follow the Rule with the monks at the abbey; when grown, he took the cowl. In 639, Bertin and two other monks, Mommelinus and Ebertram, joined Saint Omer in evangelizing the people in...

Pope Boniface I died 4 September 422 and was Pope from 28 December 418 to his death in 422. His election was disputed by the supporters of Eulalius, until the dispute was settled by the Emperor. Boniface was active maintaining church discipline and he restored certain privileges to the metropolitan sees of Narbonne and Vienne, exempting them from any subjection to the primacy of Arles. He was...

Phoebe was a first-century Christian woman mentioned by the Apostle Paul in his Epistle to the Romans, verses 16:1-2. A notable woman in the church of Cenchreae, she was trusted by Paul to deliver his letter to the Romans. Paul refers to her both as a deacon and as a helper or patron of many. This is the only place in the New Testament where a woman is specifically referred to with these two...

The Martyrs of September are a group of 191 martyrs who died in the French Revolution. They were imprisoned in the Abbey of St-Germain-des-Prés, Hôtel des Carmes in the rue de Rennes, Prison de la Force, and Seminaire de Saint-Firmin in Paris, France by the Legislative Assembly for refusing to take the oath to support the civil constitution of the clergy. This act placed priests under the...

Today the Church celebrates two of the judges from the Book of Judges in the Hebrew Scriptures or Old Testament, Abdon and Izban. Ibzan appears in the Hebrew Bible as the tenth of the Judges of Israel. Very little is said about him, except the following: “And after him [i.e. Jephthah], Ibzan of Bethlehem judged Israel. And he had thirty sons, whom he sent abroad, and took in thirty...