Saint Donatus of Muenstereifel

Infobox Saint
name= Saint Donatus
birth_date=ca. 140
death_date=173?
feast_day= August 7; June 30
venerated_in= Roman Catholic Church


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birth_place= Rome
death_place=
titles= Martyr
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attributes= Roman armor; lighning bolt; martyr's palm; grapevine
patronage= lightning; fire; storms; bakers; Budapest;
major_shrine= Bad Münstereifel, Germany
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Saint Donatus of Muenstereifel is a saint whose relics are found in the Jesuit church in Bad Muenstereifel. He is widely venerated in the Rhine valley region of Germany and the Low Countries, and he is a patron saint of Buda and of protection against lightning. His relics were transferred to Muenster Eifel in the 17th century from the Catacombs of Rome, where he had been originally buried.

Legend

Saint Donatus is said to be a 2nd century Roman soldier and martyr. His parents were named Faustus and Flaminia. When Faustus was deathly ill, his wife Flaminia sought the intercession of Saint Gervasius, who assured her that her husband would recover and beget a son. This came to pass, and Flaminia named the boy Donatus, which means "gift". She educated him in the Christian faith. At the age of 17, he enlisted in the famed 12th Legion "Fulminatrix", i.e., the "Thundering Legion". He rapidly rose through the ranks and soon became a personal bodyguard to the emperor, Marcus Aurelius.

In the year 173 the 12th Legion was engaged in the Marcomannic Wars in Moravia along the Danube frontier. According to the contemporary writer Dio Cassius, part of the legion was surrounded and nearly overwhelmed when it was miraculously saved by a divine thunderstorm. Cassius attributed the thunderstorm to the invocation of Mercurius by Aurelius' Egyptian sorcerer, Arnuphis, but Tertullian and other Christian writers ascribed the miracle to the prayers of the many Christians in that Legion. Later legend credited Donatus as the leader of the Christians' prayers. After the miracle, Donatus gave thanks to God, and he was martyred by the emperor.

He was buried by his mother in the Catacombs of Saint Agnes. Over the centuries, access to the catacombs was lost. In 1646, the catacombs were re-opened, and the relics of Donatus and many other saints were re-discovered. Pope Innocent X bequeathed Donatus's relics to the Jesuit church in Muenster Eifel, and they were carried in procession from Rome to the Rhineland. On June 30, 1652 the relics were at St. Martin's church in Euskirchen as a Jesuit priest, Fr. Heerde, was saying mass in the morning. With the conclusion of benediction, lightning struck the church and lit the altar and the priest on fire. He immediately invoked the aid of Saint Donatus and was miraculously restored unharmed. This miracle spread the fame of the Roman martyr throughout the region.

Some writers comment on the alliteration between the Latin name "Donatus" and the German title "Donner", which means "Thunderer".

Veneration

Saint Donatus is a patron against lightning strikes. His cultus is closely linked to that of Saint Florian, who is the protector against May frost. The two together are often invoked to protect the wine harvest, particularly in Hungary. Although he is not in the Roman Martyrology, he shares a feast day with his namesake, Saint Donatus of Arezzo, on August 7th. He is also commonly venerated on June 30th, the anniversary of his miracle in Euskirchen. There is an annual fair in his honor in Euskirchen on the 2nd Sunday of May. The Archdiocese of Cologne sponsors an annual pilgrimage to Bad Muenstereifel on the 2nd Sunday of July. In Hungary, his protection for the vintage is asked on August 7th. He is depicted in art wearing Roman armor, and armed with a thunderbolt. He is often shown holding a martyr's palm or a grapevine.

Churches, Shrines, and Relics

* St. Donatus church in Bad Muenstereifel,
* Amberg, Aschach, Diocese of Regensburg
* St. Donatus Church in Brand, Aachen
* Church of St. Donat in Carinthia
* Arsdorf, Rambrouch, Luxembourg
* Wormeldange, Luxembourg
* Beidweiler, Luxembourg
* Neumünster Abbey, Luxembourg City
* St. Michael, Bütgenbach, Belgium
* St. Martin, Euskirchen, Germany
* Wawern, Bitburg-Prüm, Germany
* Oberthal, Saarland
* St. John in Baindt, Germany
* Saint Donatus Church in St. Donatus, Iowa, a Luxembourger settlement south of Dubuque, Iowa

References

* [http://vinagora.hu/egyeb/hirek.php?hir=79&id=0&l=2 Hungarian site]
* [http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donatus_(Heiliger) German wikipedia article]
* [http://www.euskirchen.de/index.php?id=1566 St. Martin's Church, Euskirchen] - site of the miracle in 1652.
* [http://www.euskirchen.de/index.php?id=1451 Donatus May-fair in Stadt Euskirchen]
* [http://www.kirche-im-bistum-aachen.de/kiba/dcms/traeger/2/pfarre-st-donatus-brand/Gottesdienstordnung.html St. Donatus church in Brand] , Aachen