Denis of the Nativity

Denis of the Nativity
Denis of the Nativity
Pierre Berthelot

A devotional image of Bl. Denis and Bl. Redemptus
(Denis on the left)
Priest and martyr
Born 12 December 1600
in Honfleur, France
Died 29 November 1638(1638-11-29) (aged 37)
on the Malay peninsula
Honored in Roman Catholic Church
Beatified 10 June 1900 by Pope Leo XIII
Feast 29 November

Blessed Denis (also, Dionysius) of the Nativity, O.C.D. (born Pierre Berthelot; 12 December 1600 – 29 November 1638)[1] was a French sailor and cartographer for the king of Portugal, who later became a Discalced Carmelite missionary. He was killed by Muslims in Malay, and beatified by Pope Leo XIII.

Contents

Life

Pierre Berthelot was born in Honfleur, Normandy, the second son of Pierre Berthelot, a ship's captain and master surgeon, and Fleurie Berthelot (née Morin).[2] His contemporaries described him as "a handsome, stocky man, blond and fair-skinned, an adventuresome and high-spirited person, with an inquisitive and active mind".[3]

Berthelot's first sea voyage was at the age of twelve, and when he was 19 years old, he embarked on a vessel called L'Espérance, bound for the Far East.[4] The ship was captured by a Dutch vessel in competition for the spice trade. It was at this time that Berthelot made a religious conversion. He managed to escape and sought refuge with the Portuguese in Malacca.[4]

In service with the Portuguese, Berthelot was knighted for bravery and earned an appointment as pilot-in-chief and cosmographer to the king of Portugal.[4] He gained some fame as a cartographer, and his map of the archipelago of Sumatra is still preserved in the British Museum.[5] Though a career with the Portuguese navy was available to him, he chose to join the Order of Discalced Carmelites in Goa, taking the name of Brother Denis of the Nativity.[6]

He was ordained on 24 August 1638,[7] and straightaway embarked on a missionary journey to the sultan of Aceh, accompanying Francisco Sousa de Castro, an ambassador from Portugal. In Aceh, all the members of the mission were trapped and arrested.[4] Refusing to deny their faith, the missionaries were martyred one by one. Brother Denis and his confrère, Brother Redemptus of the Cross (né Tomás Rodrigues da Cunha), were led to a desolate spot on the seashore, where Redemptus' throat was slit open.[5] Brother Denis, a crucifix in his hands, received a fatal blow from a scimitar.[4][5] Only the ambassador, Soza de Castro, was released, his family having provided a large ransom.[6]

Veneration

“ Deus, qui mirabilis dispositione beatos Dionysium et Redemptum per maris pericula ad palmam martyrii perduxisti: eorum intercessione concede; ut, inter mundanas varietates et sæcularia desideria, fideles usque ad mortem in confessione tui nominis maneamus. Per Dominum. Amen.

O God, Who in Thy wondrous providence, didst lead blessed Denis and Redemptus through the perils of the sea to the palm of martyrdom, grant through their intercession that in the midst of earthly vicissitudes and worldly desires we may remain steadfast even unto death in the confession of Thy name. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

 ”

—Collect of Mass for November 29 (Feast of Denis of the Nativity and Redemptus of the Cross), according to the Missal of the Discalced Carmelites (1925)[8]

Denis of the Nativity was beatified on 10 June 1900 by Pope Leo XIII, together with his companion, Blessed Redemptus. Their feast day in the Roman Catholic calendar is November 29.[4]

References

  1. ^ Guénin, Eugène (1903). La route de l'Inde. Paris: Librairie Hachette. p. 250. http://books.google.com/books?id=3Eo_AAAAYAAJ&pg=PA250#v=onepage&q&f=false.  (French)
  2. ^ Guénin, p. 250
  3. ^ Rohrbach, Peter-Thomas (1966). Journey to Carith: The Story of the Carmelite Order. New York: Doubleday & Co. 
  4. ^ a b c d e f "Bienheureux Pierre Berthelot". Nominis. l'Eglise Catholique en France. http://nominis.cef.fr/contenus/saint/9411/Bienheureux-Pierre-Berthelot.html. Retrieved 10 April 2010.  (French)
  5. ^ a b c Rohrbach
  6. ^ a b Guénin, p. 251
  7. ^ Macca, Valentine. "Dionysius of the Nativity". CARMELNET. http://carmelnet.org/biographies/DionysiusRedemptus.pdf. Retrieved 10 April 2010. 
  8. ^ Proprium Massarum ordinis Carmelitarum Discalceatorum. Machelen, Belgium: H. Dessain. 1925. p. 5. http://bronxvilleocds.x10hosting.com/propmis6x9.pdf.  (Latin)

Bibliography

  • Bréard, Charles (1889). Histoire de Pierre Berthelot, pilote et cosmographe du roi de Portugal aux Indes orientales, Carme déchaussé. Paris.  (French)

External links


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