St. Germanus of Auxerre
Name: St. Germanus of Auxerre
Date: 30 July
Germanus, according to appearances, was not of outstanding piety during his youth, though ofnoble birth; his forebears were lords of the county of Auxerre in Gaul in the 5th century. Hestudied eloquence and civil law in Rome, and practiced law there with distinction. He married aRoman noblewoman and became known to the emperor Honorius, who made him general of theimperial troops for his native province. Returning then to Auxerre, he indulged his passion for hunting, and when advised by SaintAmator, the bishop of Auxerre, that his habits were not edifying, paid no attention to theadmonition. But God made known to this holy bishop his forthcoming death, and that Germanuswas destined to succeed him. Saint Amator therefore went to see the Prefect of Gaul and askedhis permission to have this soldier as a member of his clergy; and the permission was granted. Hethen tonsured Germanus and clothed him with the ecclesiastical habit, taking him by surpriseduring an assembly of the faithful, and informing him there that he was destined to be hissuccessor. Germanus dared not resist, fearing to oppose the Will of God. He was consecratedsoon afterwards, in the year 418. He immediately became another man, and making over his lands to the Church, he adopted a lifeof humble penance. He rapidly attained high perfection, and the gift of miracles was given him. He attempted to conceal it, but it became known when he obliged the demon, during a publicexorcism, to reveal the place where stolen money was concealed. Afterwards there was never atime when all the roads leading to his residence were not filled with crowds of sick persons,waiting to address the bishop and beg his assistance. Many possessed persons were alsodelivered. Invariably his modesty caused him to attribute the multiplying prodigies to the relics ofSaints which he wore around his neck, or to the sign of the Cross, or to the holy water hesometimes used, or to oil which he blessed. The furious demons tormented him with temptationsand terrifying apparitions, but found themselves powerless to disturb his peace. At that time the Pelagian heresy was laying waste the British Isles, and Germanus was chosen by the reigning Pontiff to go and deliver the Britons from the snare of Satan. With Saint Lupus hepreached in the fields and highways throughout the land. Eventually he met the heretics face toface in a public conference, where each party was given an opportunity to speak. When theheretics had defended their position, the two holy bishops answered with such force that theiradversaries were reduced to silence, and the faithful rejoiced in the triumph of the Catholic faith. He also led the British people to their famous alleluia victory over the Saxons. Germanus visited England a second time to combat the Pelagian heresy which was still sowing its errors. On this visit he established public schools in Great Britain, which afterwards alleviated theignorance of the people and preserved them from error. He ordained priests and established anarchbishop, and many Saints were formed in the schools which his successors continued to found. After pursuing his good works on behalf of the peoples of both his adopted and his native land, hedied while in Italy, where he had succeeded in appeasing the anger of the emperor against somerebels in Britain. Miracles had accompanied him all along the route of his journey. His holy deathoccurred at Ravenna in the year 450, the 31st of his episcopal office. |
