- Raymond Nonnatus
Infobox Saint
name=Saint Raymond Nonnatus
birth_date=1204
death_date=death date|1240|8|31|mf=y
feast_day=August 31
venerated_in=Roman Catholic Church
imagesize=250px
caption=
birth_place=La Portella , Comarca ofSegrià ,Catalonia ,Kingdom of Aragon
death_place=Cardona ,Province of Barcelona ,Catalonia ,Kingdom of Aragon
titles=Confessor
beatified_date=
beatified_place=
beatified_by=
canonized_date=1657
canonized_place=Rome
canonized_by=Pope Alexander VII
attributes=
patronage=Baitoa ,Dominican Republic ;childbirth ; children; expectant mothers; falsely accused people; fever; infants; midwives; newborn babies;obstetrician s; pregnant women
major_shrine=
suppressed_date=
issues=Saint Raymond Nonnatus ( _ca. Sant Ramon Nonat, _es. San Ramón Nonato, _fr. Saint Raymond Nonnat, _mt. San Rajmondo Nonnato) (1204—1240) was a
saint fromCatalonia inSpain . His surname ( _la. Nonnatus, "not born") is derived from the fact that he was born byCaesarean section (his mother died duringchildbirth ). He is thePatron Saint ofchildbirth , midwives,children , and pregnant women.Life
Born at
La Portella , in theDiocese of Urgell , he became a member of theMercedarian Order , founded to ransom Christian captives of theMoors ofNorth Africa , he was ordained priest in 1222 and later becamemaster-general of the order. He traveled to North Africa and is said to have surrendered himself as ahostage when his money ran out.He suffered in captivity. A legend states that the Moors bored a hole through his lips with a hot iron, and
padlock ed his mouth to prevent him from preaching. He was ransomed by his order and in 1239 returned toSpain .Upon his return to Spain,
Pope Gregory IX nominated him Cardinal; but his new dignity effected no difference in his humble manner of living. ["Lives of the Saints, For Every Day of the Year, edited by Rev. Hugo Hoever, S.O.Cist., Ph.D., New York: Catholic Book Publishing Co., June 1, 1955, p. 344] The Pope, desirous of having him near his person, summoned him toRome . St Raymond set out on his journey, but arriving atCardona , six miles fromBarcelona , he was seized with a violent fever and began to prepare himself for death, which occurred onAugust 31 ,1240 . ["Lives of the Saints, For Every Day of the Year," p. 344] Many miracles were attributed to him before and after his death.Places named in honor of St Raymond
Saint-Raymond, Quebec , inCanada , San Ramón de la Nueva Orán, inArgentina , andSão Raimundo Nonato and theRoman Catholic Diocese of São Raimundo Nonato (Raymundianus), inBrazil , are named after him.Veneration
His feast day is on
August 31 . ["Martyrologium Romanum" (Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 2001 ISBN 88-209-7210-7)] Because of his limited importance worldwide, his liturgical celebration is no longer included among those to be "necessarily" commemorated wherever theRoman Rite is celebrated, ["Calendarium Romanum" (Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 1969), p. 137] but, since he is included in theRoman Martyrology forAugust 31 , Mass and theLiturgy of the Hours "may" be recited in his honor on that day as before. Traditional Roman Catholics continue to celebrate thefeast day of "St Raymond Nonnatus, Confessor" onAugust 31 .References
ources
*Elizabeth Hallam (ed.), "Saints: Who They Are and How They Help You" (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1994), p. 33.
*"Lives of the Saints, For Every Day of the Year, edited by Rev. Hugo Hoever, S.O.Cist., Ph.D., New York: Catholic Book Publishing Co., June 1, 1955, p. 344External links
* [http://saints.sqpn.com/saintr09.htm Patron Saints Index: "Saint Raymond Nonnatus"]
* [http://www.santiebeati.it/dettaglio/68300 Santi e beati: "San Raimondo Nonnato"] It icon
* [http://www.traditioninaction.org/SOD/j144sd_RaymondNonnatus_8-31.shtml The Saint of the Day: "St Raymond Nonnatus," August 31]
* [http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=314 Catholic Online - Saints & Angels: "St Raymond Nonnatus"]
*CathEncy|wstitle=St. Raymond Nonnatus
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