St Angelus, O.Carm.

[You can click on the picture for a much larger version with far greater detail.]

From The Inn two years ago:

St Angelus was one of the earliest recognized saints of the Carmelite Order. As this paragraph on his life indicates, the details of his medieval biographies seem to have been greatly exaggerated. All of the versions indicate that he was of Jewish extraction and converted many Jews to Catholicism during his religious life. He was murdered by a nobleman he was attempting to reform. The illustration above shows him kneeling before Our Lady, the sword of his murderer still in his chest.

The old collect for his feast:

O Lord, let Thy people glorify Thee by honouring the Blessed Angelus, Thy Priest and Martyr, and through his intercession, may they deserve to be led by Thee. Through Christ Our Lord. Amen.


Plebs tua te, Domine, beati Angeli sacerdotis et Martyris tui glorificatione sanctificet : et eodem intercedente te mereatur habere rectorem. Per Dominum nostrum. Amen.

The old second nocturn for his feast relates the story of his meeting with St Dominic and St Francis:

Upon his arrival in Rome he was recognized by the holy men Francis and Dominic, who held him in honor, and admitted him to their friendship. He foretold to Saint Francis that he would receive the stigmata, and received from him in return the announcement of his own future martyrdom.

Alas, the three saints don't seem to have left a notarized account of their meeting so our brethren in the History Dept discount its existence.

The story of St Angelus's martyrdom still seems to be permissible, though:

Angelus went at length to Licata, where he strove to turn a notorious sinner from public incest. For this, and because he had obliged the sister of this man to do public penance, the Saint was stabbed by him five times with a dagger, in the midst of an assembly of people. Thereupon, falling on his knees, he prayed for his persecutor and for the people. While he was saying the psalm, "In Thee, O Lord, have I hoped," when he had reached the words "Into Thy hands," Heaven called him to receive his threefold crown, and he gave up his soul under the form of a pure white dove. A brilliant light which shone upon the body, heavenly songs, and an odor of marvellous sweetness did honor to the Martyr's death.