Daniel and Companions
Encyclopedia
Saint Daniel and Companions (died October 10, 1227) are venerated as martyr
s by the Catholic Church. They were Friars Minor who died at Ceuta
.
The martyrdom of St. Berard
and his companions in 1219 had inflamed many of the Religious of the Order of Friars Minor with the desire of preaching the Gospel
in non-Christian lands; and in 1227, the year following St. Francis's death, six religious of Tuscany
, Agnellus (Agnello), Samuel, Donulus, Leo, Hugolinus (Ugolino), and Nicholas, petitioned Brother Elias of Cortona
, then vicar-general of the Order, for permission to preach the Gospel to the Muslims of Morocco
.
The six missionaries went first to Spain
, where they were joined by Daniel, Minister Provincial of Calabria
, who became their superior. They set sail from Spain and on 20 September reached the coast of Africa
, where they remained for a few days in a small village inhabited mostly by Christian merchants just beyond the walls of the Saracen city of Ceuta.
Finally, very early on Sunday morning, they entered the city, and immediately began to preach the Gospel and to denounce Islam
. They were soon apprehended and brought before the sultan who, thinking that they were mad, ordered them to be cast into prison. Here they remained until the following Sunday when they were again brought before the sultan, who, by promises and threats, endeavoured in vain to make them deny the Christian religion. They were all condemned to death. Each one approached Daniel, the superior, to ask his blessing and permission to die for Christ. They were all beheaded
. St. Daniel and his companions were canonized by Leo X in 1516.
Their feast is kept in the Franciscan Order on the thirteenth of October.
Martyr
A martyr is somebody who suffers persecution and death for refusing to renounce, or accept, a belief or cause, usually religious.-Meaning:...
s by the Catholic Church. They were Friars Minor who died at Ceuta
Ceuta
Ceuta is an autonomous city of Spain and an exclave located on the north coast of North Africa surrounded by Morocco. Separated from the Iberian peninsula by the Strait of Gibraltar, Ceuta lies on the border of the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. Ceuta along with the other Spanish...
.
The martyrdom of St. Berard
Berard of Carbio
Saint Berard of Carbio is a thirteenth century saint and martyr. He was born into a noble family of Leopardi, and was a native of Carbio in Umbria, a province of Italy. He and Saints Peter, Otho, Accursius, and Adjutus are venerated as the Franciscan Protomartyrs.-Life:Berard was received into the...
and his companions in 1219 had inflamed many of the Religious of the Order of Friars Minor with the desire of preaching the Gospel
Gospel
A gospel is an account, often written, that describes the life of Jesus of Nazareth. In a more general sense the term "gospel" may refer to the good news message of the New Testament. It is primarily used in reference to the four canonical gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John...
in non-Christian lands; and in 1227, the year following St. Francis's death, six religious of Tuscany
Tuscany
Tuscany is a region in Italy. It has an area of about 23,000 square kilometres and a population of about 3.75 million inhabitants. The regional capital is Florence ....
, Agnellus (Agnello), Samuel, Donulus, Leo, Hugolinus (Ugolino), and Nicholas, petitioned Brother Elias of Cortona
Elias of Cortona
Elias of Cortona was born, it is said, at Bevilia near Assisi, ca. 1180; he died at Cortona, 22 April 1253. He was among the first to join St. Francis of Assisi in his newly founded Order of Friars Minor....
, then vicar-general of the Order, for permission to preach the Gospel to the Muslims of Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
.
The six missionaries went first to Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, where they were joined by Daniel, Minister Provincial of Calabria
Calabria
Calabria , in antiquity known as Bruttium, is a region in southern Italy, south of Naples, located at the "toe" of the Italian Peninsula. The capital city of Calabria is Catanzaro....
, who became their superior. They set sail from Spain and on 20 September reached the coast of Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
, where they remained for a few days in a small village inhabited mostly by Christian merchants just beyond the walls of the Saracen city of Ceuta.
Finally, very early on Sunday morning, they entered the city, and immediately began to preach the Gospel and to denounce Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
. They were soon apprehended and brought before the sultan who, thinking that they were mad, ordered them to be cast into prison. Here they remained until the following Sunday when they were again brought before the sultan, who, by promises and threats, endeavoured in vain to make them deny the Christian religion. They were all condemned to death. Each one approached Daniel, the superior, to ask his blessing and permission to die for Christ. They were all beheaded
Decapitation
Decapitation is the separation of the head from the body. Beheading typically refers to the act of intentional decapitation, e.g., as a means of murder or execution; it may be accomplished, for example, with an axe, sword, knife, wire, or by other more sophisticated means such as a guillotine...
. St. Daniel and his companions were canonized by Leo X in 1516.
Their feast is kept in the Franciscan Order on the thirteenth of October.
External links
- Daniel and Companions at the Catholic EncyclopediaCatholic EncyclopediaThe Catholic Encyclopedia, also referred to as the Old Catholic Encyclopedia and the Original Catholic Encyclopedia, is an English-language encyclopedia published in the United States. The first volume appeared in March 1907 and the last three volumes appeared in 1912, followed by a master index...