August IX

St. Romanus, M.

He was a soldier in Rome at the time of the martyrdom of St. Laurence. Seeing the joy and constancy with which that holy martyr suffered his torments, he was moved to embrace the faith, and addressing himself to St. Laurence, was instructed and baptized by him in prison. Confessing aloud what he had done, he was arraigned, condemned, and beheaded, the day before the martyrdom of St. Laurence. Thus he arrived at his crown before his guide and master. The body of St. Romanus was first buried on the road to Tibur, but his remains were translated to Lucca, where they are kept under the high altar of a beautiful church which bears his name. St. Romanus is mentioned on this day in the Antiphonary of St. Gregory, and in ancient Martyrologies.

The example of the martyrs and other primitive saints, by the powerful grace of God, had not less force in converting infidels than the most evident miracles. St. Justin observed to the heathens that many of them by living among Christians, and seeing their virtue, if they did not embrace the faith, at least were worked into a change of manners, were become meek and affable, from being overbearing, violent, and passionate; and by seeing the patience, constancy, and contempt of the world which the Christians practised, had learned themselves some degree of those virtues.¹ Thus are we bound to glorify God by our lives, and Christ commands that our good works shine before men. St. Clement of Alexandria² tells us that it was the usual saying of the apostle St. Matthias, “the faithful sins if his neighbor sins.” Such ought to be the zeal of every one to instruct and edify his neighbor by word and example. But woe to us on whose hearts no edifying examples or instructions, even of saints, make any impression! And still a more dreadful woe to us who by our lukewarmness and scandalous lives are to others an odor not of life, but of death, and draw the reproaches of infidels on our holy religion and its divine author!

St. Nathy or David, Priest

patron of the diocess of achonry, anciently called achad, in ireland

St. Finian, bishop of Clonard, built this church in 530, and gave it to his disciple Nathy, called also Dathy, which in Irish signifies David, a man of great sanctity. He is surnamed Comrah and Cruimthir. The former, Harris thinks, bears the sense of consecrated or elected. Cruimthir signifies in old Irish a priest, the same as sagart in modern Irish. In St. Finian’s life he is only styled priest; but in St. Fechin’s, prelate or abbot. Harris thinks he was raised to the episcopal dignity; but Colgan, with all ancient annals, calls him only priest, though this church was made a bishop’s see soon after his time. In the Annals of Ireland the bishops of Achonry are often styled of Luigny or Leny, from the little province or barony in which Achonry is situated. The church is dedicated in memory of St. Nathy, and his festival is celebrated on the 9th of August. See Colgan in MSS. on this day, and Ware, p. 658.

St. Fedlimid or Felimy, Bishop of Kilmore, C.

He lived in the sixth century, and is said to have been brother to St. Dermod,* abbot of Iniscloghran. He died on the 9th of August, and seems the same whom the registry of Clogher styles bishop of Cluain or Clunes, near Lough-Erne, and says he was buried there near St. Tigernagh, first bishop of that see. These two brothers were contemporary with St. Kiaran of Clonmacnois, who died in 549, and with St. Senan, who died in 544. St. Fedlimid was bishop of Kilmore, which name signifies greet church or cell, though the bishopric was only fixed at Kilmore in the great church of St. Fedlimid there (which was before only parochial, but is now the cathedral), by the confirmation of pope Nicholas V., in 1454, and is often styled Brefiniensis or Triburnensis, because it was before settled at Brefiny or Brefne, and afterward at Triburna, now an obscure village. St. Fedlimid’s festival is kept with great solemnity throughout this diocess with an octave and indulgence. See Colgan in MSS., ad 2 Aug., and Ware, p. 226.

¹ St. Justin., Apol. 1 (ol. 2), p. 127.

² Strom. l. 1, p. 748.

* This Dermod is called by Colgan (Act. Sanct. p. 51) Naoimb Dhiarmuit, i. e., Dermod the Just, of Holy. Iniscloghran is an island in Lough-ree in the river Shannon between Connaught and the county of Longford.

 Butler, A. (1903). The Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs and Other Principal Saints (Vol. 3, pp. 342–343). New York: P. J. Kenedy.