From: rich <
richarra@gmail.com>
December 12th - St. Corentin (Cury)
Died c. 490 (though some claim him for the 6th century); a second
feast day on May 1 is probably in honour of his translation. There may
be some confusion between Corentinus, first bishop of Cornouaille
(Quimper), Brittany, and the saintly founder and patron of Cury
(Corentin) on Lizard Island of Cornwall (died 401?) whose feast is
also today, and whose cultus spread throughout southwestern England
and Wales. This second was a hermit at the foot of Mount Menehont in Devonshire, who preached with great success and is said to have died
there. They may be two people or one; however, in 1890, a fresco was
discovered at Breage (the mother-church of Lizard), which depicts
Saint Corentin/Cury in a cope and mitre with the pastoral staff of a
bishop. Beside him is a fish, from which he was reputed to have cut
and eaten one slice each day, without any diminution in the size of
the fish.
The complete story of St Corentin's Fish
St Corentin was first Bishop of Quimper in Brittany, and lived in a
hermit's cell at the top of the mountain of Saint-Come. Near by
bubbled a spring which had for its lone inhabitant a fish. How
Corentin first discovered the little fish's disposition, as well as
his ability to provide him with a daily meal is not told. We are only
assured that every day Corentin went to the basin into which the
spring flowed, put his hand into the water, drew out of it the fish,
sliced from him a cutlet sufficient for his day's food, and then
placed him back in the water.
As his performance continued for years, the truth is not to be doubted
that the fish was daily healed of his wound, and his flesh entirely
restored.
One day the King came hunting in the vicinity, as was the wont of
kings, and, as also seems to have been their habit, he with a single
retainer was either lost--or else he strayed or stole away from the
rest of his party. On this occasion, the retainer happened to be the
King's cook. When both King and cook arrived at Corentin's cell they
were hungry, and the hermit was obliged to cut an unusually large
slice of his fish to feed his two guests.
Even so King Gallo's cook sneered at sight of the slender portion, but
he fried it--and as he fried, it increased and increased until it
filled the pan, and proved more than sufficient for all three--King,
cook, and Saint.
When the rest of the party, after a long search for their King, arrived
on the spot and were told of the miraculous animal, they trooped to
the basin to have a look at him. There he was, frolicking in the
water, with not even a scar where he had so lately been wounded. The
retinue were greatly interested, and one, bolder than the rest, taking
out his hunting knife, and performing the operation which had been
described to him, carved a substantial piece out of the back of the
fish. All were aghast at what then happened, for the fish, far from
taking the performance as a matter of course, wriggled feebly back
into the water, lay on his side gasping, and looked as if he were
about to die.
Corentin was hastily summoned, and when he arrived quickly uttered a
prayer, healed his friend, and bade him depart from the basin before
any other heedless knave attracted by rumours of the miracle should
make further experiments upon him.
But Corentin did not subsequently go hungry on this account, for King
Gallo, impressed by the occurrence, made him a gift of all the rich
forest of Plou-Vaudiern and the hunting-lodge standing in it, which
the Saint enjoyed for the rest of his days.
The story that unites the two claims that Corentin was a Celtic hermit
who retired to the forest of Plomodiern, where he lived in solitude
for several years. After the death of Marcellus, who had subscribed to
the first council of Tours, and the several other British bishops who
migrated to Brittany, new pastors were needed for the British in
Armorica who were familiar with the language and customs. Thus,
Corentin was recruited and consecrated bishop by Saint Martin of Tours
((f.d. November 11), who had been dead for some time). It is said that
Count Grallo I of Cornouaille (died c. 445) gave his palace at Quimper
to serve as the home and cathedral of the new bishop. An ancient cross
stands near his church. Corentin participated in the council of Angers
in 453 and signed the canons under the name Charaton. He was said to
have been a friend of Guennole (?).
Corentin's relics were translated to Marmoutier at Tours in 878 to
protect them from destruction at the hands of the Normans (Attwater 2, Benedictines, Coulson, Encyclopaedia, Farmer, Husenbeth).
Saint Quote :
But above all preserve peace of heart. This is more valuable than any
treasure. In order to preserve it there is nothing more useful than
renouncing your own will and substituting for it the will of the
Divine Heart. In this way His will can carry out for us whatever
contributes to His glory, and we will be happy to be His subjects and
to trust entirely in Him.
--Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque
Bible Quote:
=C2 And when he had made, as it were, a scourge of little cords, he drove
them all out of the temple, the sheep also and the oxen, and the money
of the changers he poured out, and the tables he overthrew. 16 And to
them that sold doves he said: Take these things hence, and make not
the house of my Father a house of traffic.=C2 (John 2:15-16)
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Short Prayers
Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us.
My loving Jesus, out of the grateful love I bear Thee and to make
reparation for my unfaithfulness to grace, I give Thee my heart, and I consecrate myself wholly to Thee, and with Thy help I purpose never to
sin again.
Grant, we beseech Thee, Almighty God, that we, who, glorifying in the
most Sacred Heart of Thy Beloved Son, cherish within us the especial
benefits of that love, may be equally gladdened both by their action
and by their fruit. Through the same Christ Our Lord. Amen.
--- NewsGate v1.0 gamma 2
* Origin: News Gate @ Net396 -Huntsville, AL - USA (1:396/4)