New at the #Vatican: Palestinian Liberation Organization –> State of Palestine.— Religion NewsService (@RNS) May 13, 2015

New at the #Vatican: Palestinian Liberation Organization –> State of Palestine. http://t.co/SrWiGbJt6t pic.twitter.com/lAQiupoTcg

— Religion NewsService (@RNS) May 13, 2015

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Vatican decision to recognize Palestine upsets Israeli government, Jewish advocacy groups – Religion News Service

JERUSALEM (RNS) The Vatican’s decision to recognize Palestine as a sovereign state on Wednesday (May 13) angered Israeli officials.

The move comes four days before the first-ever canonization of two Palestinian nuns and it solidifies the standing of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who is scheduled to meet with Pope Francis at the Vatican on Saturday.

Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Emmanuel Nahshon told The Times of Israel that the government is “disappointed by the decision. We believe that such a decision is not conducive to bringing the Palestinians back to the negotiating table.”

Israel insists that for the Palestinians to achieve statehood, they must first end their armed struggle against Israel and recognize its right to exist as the homeland of the Jewish people.

Although the treaty codifies the Holy See’s relations with the Palestinian Authority, the Vatican has already referred to the “State of Palestine” in some official documents, including the official program handed out during Pope Francis’ Holy Land pilgrimage last year.

In recent years, the Vatican has stepped up its efforts to support Palestinian Christians in East Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza as their numbers have dwindled due to emigration spurred by wars and economic hardships.

A majority of Christians in the Holy Land — including Israel — are either ethnic Palestinians or live alongside them in the same towns and villages. Sisters Maria Baouardy and Mary Alphonsine Danil Ghattas, who were both Christian Arabs, are due to be canonized by Pope Francis on Sunday.

William Shomali, the auxiliary bishop of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, said the Vatican’s announcement “was not a surprise” because “the pope called President Abbas the president of the State of Palestine” during his 2014 pilgrimage to the Holy Land.

But David Harris, executive director of the AJC, the leading global Jewish advocacy organization, said the decision was “regrettable“ and “counterproductive to all who seek true peace between Israel and the Palestinians.”

“We are fully cognizant of the pope’s goodwill and desire to be a voice for peaceful coexistence, which is best served, we believe, by encouraging a resumption of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, rather than unilateral gestures outside the framework of the negotiating table,” Harris concluded.

Abraham H. Foxman, national director of the Anti-Defamation League, said the action was “premature” and would “undermine the only real solution to the decades-old conflict, which is engaging in direct negotiations.”

YS/MG END CHABIN

Categories: Institutions, Politics

Tags: AJC, Foreign Ministry, Israel, Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, Palestine, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Vatican

via Vatican decision to recognize Palestine upsets Israeli government, Jewish advocacy groups – Religion News Service.

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today’s holiday: The Game of St. Evermaire

The Game of St. Evermaire

The Spel van Sint Evermarus, or the Game of St. Evermaire, is a dramatic reenactment of the slaying of eight pilgrims in Rousson (Rutten), Belgium, on their way to the Holy Land in 699. This event is portrayed by the townspeople of Rousson each year on the first day of May in the meadow near the Chapel of St. Evermaire. Following a procession around the casket believed to contain the saint’s bones, costumed villagers representing St. Evermaire and his companions are attacked by 50 “brigands” led by Hacco, the legendary assailant. By the end of the drama, the saint and the seven pilgrims lie dead. More… Discuss

Theodosius the Great (Cenobiarch) Sfantul Teodosie cel Mare)

Theodosius the Great (Cenobiarch)

Theodosius the Great (Cenobiarch) – 11th century mosaic in the Nea Moni Monastery (Greece)

The Venerable Saint Theodosius the Great, also Theodosius the Cenobiarch lived during the fifth-sixth centuries (423 AD – 529 AD), and was the founder and organizer of the cenobitic way of monastic life.^{[note 1]} The monastery that he founded in 476 AD became known as the “Monastery of St. Theodosius“, and includes his tomb.^{[note 2]} His feast day is on January 11.

Life

Saint Theodosius was born in the province of Cappadocia in the village of Mogarissus. His parents Proheresius and Eulogia were very devout.

Endowed with a splendid voice, he zealously toiled at church reading and singing. St Theodosius prayed fervently that the Lord would guide him on the way to salvation. In his early years he visited the Holy Land and met with St Symeon the Stylite (September 1), who blessed him and predicted future pastoral service for him.

Yearning for the solitary life, Saint Theodosius settled in Palestine into a desolate cave, in which, according to Tradition, the three Magi had spent the night, having come to worship the Savior after His Nativity. He lived there for thirty years in great abstinence and unceasing prayer. People flocked to the ascetic, wishing to live under his guidance.

When the cave could no longer hold all the monks, St Theodosius prayed that the Lord Himself would indicate a place for the monks to live. Taking a censer with cold charcoal and incense, the monk started walking into the desert. At a certain spot the charcoal ignited by itself and the incense smoke began to rise. Here the monk established the first cenobitic monastery, or Lavra (meaning “broad” or “populous”).

It was around this time that Theodosius’ friend and countryman Sabbas the Sanctified was appointed Archimandrite of all the isolated monks in Palestine, by Patriarch Sallustius of Jerusalem (486-493). Therefore Theodosius was made the leader of all those monks who lived in community, and this was the origin of his being called “the Cenobiarch”, which translates as chief of those living a life in common.

Monastery of St. Theodosius

Soon the Lavra of St Theodosius became renowned, and up to 700 monks gathered at it. According to the final testament of St Theodosius, the Lavra rendered service to neighbor, gave aid to the poor and provided shelter for wanderers. There was a communal table for all, communal property, communal penance, communal labor, communal patience and, not too rare, communal hunger. Theodosius was an exalted model of life to all the monks; an example in labor, prayer, fasting, watchfulness and in all Christian virtues.

St Theodosius was extremely compassionate. Once, when there was a famine in Palestine and a multitude of people gathered at the monastery, he gave orders to allow everyone into the monastery enclosure. His disciples were annoyed, knowing that the monastery did not have the means to feed all those who had come. But when they went into the bakery, they saw that through the prayers of the abba, it was filled with bread. This miracle was repeated every time St Theodosius wanted to help the destitute.

At the monastery, St Theodosius built a home for taking in strangers, separate infirmaries for monks and laymen, and also a shelter for the dying.

Seeing that people from various lands gathered at the Lavra, the saint arranged for services and hymns to be offered to God in the various languages: Greek, Georgian and Armenian. However when all were gathered to receive the Holy Mysteries in the large church, the divine services were chanted in Greek.

Opponent of Monophysitism

During the reign of the Byzantine Emperor Anastasius (491-518) there arose the heresy of Eutychius and Severus, which recognized neither the sacraments nor the clergy. The emperor accepted the false teaching, and the Orthodox began to suffer persecution. St Theodosius stood firmly in defense of Orthodoxy and wrote a letter to the emperor on behalf of the monks, in which they denounced him and refuted the heresy with the teachings of the Ecumenical Councils. He affirmed moreover, that the desert-dwellers and monks would firmly support the Orthodox teaching. The emperor showed restraint for a short while, but then he renewed his persecution of the Orthodox. The holy Elder then showed great zeal for the truth. Leaving the monastery, he came to Jerusalem and in the church, he stood at the high place and cried out for all to hear: “Whoever does not honor the four Ecumenical Councils, let him be anathema!” For this bold deed the monk was sent to prison, but soon returned after the death of the emperor.

Miracles

St Theodosius accomplished many healings and other miracles during his life. God granted him the gift of working miracles by which he was able to heal the sick, to appear from a distance, to tame wild beasts, to discern the future and to cause bread and wheat to multiply. Prayer was on his lips day and night.

Through his prayers he once destroyed the locusts devastating the fields in Palestine. Also by his intercession, soldiers were saved from death, and he also saved those perishing in shipwrecks and those lost in the desert.

Once, the saint gave orders to strike the semandron (a piece of wood hit with a mallet), so that the brethren would gather at prayer. He told them, “The wrath of God draws near the East.” After several days it became known that a strong earthquake had destroyed the city of Antioch at the very hour when the saint had summoned the brethren to prayer.

Death

Before his death, St Theodosius summoned to him three beloved bishops and revealed to them that he would soon depart to the Lord. After three days, he died peacefully at the age of 105, in 529 AD. The saint’s body was buried with reverence in his first cell, the cave in which he lived at the beginning of his ascetic deeds.

Hymns

Troparion – Tone 8
By a flood of tears you made the desert fertile,
and your longing for God brought forth fruits in abundance.
By the radiance of miracles you illumined the whole universe!
Our Father Theodosius, pray to Christ God to save our souls!

Kontakion – Tone 8
Planted in the courts of your Lord, you blossomed beautifully with virtue,
and increased your children in the desert, showering them with streams of
your tears, O chief shepherd of the divine flock of God.
Therefore, we cry to you: “Rejoice, Father Theodosius.”

Gallery

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  Monastery of Saint Theodosius the Cenobiarch, Holy Land

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  Monastery of Saint Theodosius the Cenobiarch, Holy Land

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  The burial crypt of Monastery of Saint Theodosius the Great, Holy Land

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Teodosie cel Mare (Cenobiarch) – 11 mozaicul din secolul în Mănăstirea Moni Nea (Grecia)
Venerabilul Sfântul Teodosie cel Mare, aussi Teodosie Cenobiarch a trăit în timpul cincea – sasea secolele (423 AD – 529 d.Hr.). Și fondator și organizator a fost a modului de obște monahală de viață [nota 1] Manastirea a fondat de asta în 476 AD exista devenu Cunoscut sub numele de “Mănăstirea Sf. Teodosie,” și include mormântul lui. [nota 2] Prăznuirea sa se la 11 ianuarie.

Saint Teodosie sa născut în provincia Cappadocia în orașul Mogarissus. Rudele lui Proheresius și Eulogia au fost foarte devotat.

Dotat cu o voce splendidă, a trudit cu zel la lectură biserică și cântând. St Teodosie sa rugat cu fervoare que la Domnul l-ar Ghid pe drumul spre mântuire. În primii ani a vizitat Țara Sfântă și aduce cu Sf Simeon Stâlpnicul (1 septembrie), care îl și viitorul Serviciu previzibilă pastorală Pentru el binecuvântat.

Dorinta pentru viața solitară, Sf. Teodosie–au stabilit în Palestina într-o peșteră pustie, în qui, selon la tradiție, trei magi a petrecut noaptea, după ce a ajuns să se închine Mântuitorului După Nașterea Domnului Său. El a trăit timp de treizeci de ani în mare abstinență și rugăciune neîncetată. Oamenii s-au înghesuit la ascet, dorința de a trăi sub îndrumarea Lui.

Când pestera de-a lungul nr putut ține toți călugării, Sf Teodosie sa rugat que la Domnul Însuși ar indica indicație are loc pentru călugări să trăiască. Având o cădelniță cu cărbune rece și tămâie, călugărul a început de mers pe jos în deșert. La un loc sigur cărbune aprins de la sine și fumul de tămâie a început să crească. Aici călugărul Infiintata prima obște aur mănăstire Lavra (însemnând “larg” sau “populat”).

Acesta a fost momentul în care Teodosie jurul acestui “prieten și Countryman Sava cel Sfintit a fost numit Arhimandritul a tuturor călugărilor izolate din Palestina, prin Sallustius Patriarhul Ierusalimului (486-493). Prin urmare, Teodosie a fost făcută liderul tuturor celor care au trăit în comunitate călugări, iar aceasta a fost de origine de fiul fiind alb numit expirat “Cenobiarch” qui se traduce ca șef celor care trăiesc o viață în comun.
Manastirea Sf. Teodosie de

Curând Lavra Sfântului Teodosie est devenu renumit, și până la 700 de călugări au adunat la el. Selon testamentul final al Sf Teodosie, Lavra prestate serviciile la vecin, dat ajutor la adăpost săraci și Asigurarea pentru Wanderers. Nu a fost o masă comună pentru toți, proprietate comunală, penitență comunale, Muncii comunale, răbdare comunale, și, foame comunale nu prea rare. Teodosie a fost un model de înaltă a vieții pentru toți călugării; un exemplu în Muncii, rugăciune, post, veghere și în toate virtuțile creștine.

St Teodosie a fost extrem de plin de compasiune. Odată, când a existat o foamete în Palestina și o mulțime de oameni adunați la mănăstire, a dat ordin să permită tuturor în incintă mănăstirii. Ucenicii lui au fost contrariat, Știind que la mănăstire Despre nu–avea mijloace gruparea să se hrănească pe toți cei care au venit. Scopul Când au intrat în brutăria, au vazut ca prin rugăciunile Abba, acesta a fost umplut cu pâine. A fost aceasta minune a repetat de fiecare dată Sf Teodosie a vrut să ajute nevoiași.

La mănăstire, Sf Teodosie construit o casă pentru a lua în străini, infirmerii separate, pentru călugări și laici, precum și aussi un adăpost pentru moarte.

Văzând că oamenii din diferite țări au adunat la Lavra, sfântul amenajat pentru servicii și imnuri a fi oferite lui Dumnezeu în diferite limbi: Greacă, georgiene și armene. Oricum, când toate s-au adunat recevoir Sfintele Taine în biserică mai larg, serviciile divine Au fost cântată în greacă.
Adversar de monofizitismului

În timpul domniei împăratului bizantin Anastasie (491-518) Acolo propuneri erezia lui Eutihie și Sever, qui reconnu Nici clerul, nici sacramentele. Împăratul a acceptat învățătura falsă, iar ortodocșii au început să sufere Prigoana. St Teodosie a stat sudate ferm în apărarea Ortodoxiei și a scris o scrisoare către împărat la facilitatea de numele călugărilor, în qui El și a respins-au denunțat erezia cu învățăturile Sinoadelor Ecumenice. El a afirmat în plus, que Le desert–locuitori și călugări Vreti sudate de sprijin ferm învățătura ortodoxă. Împăratul arătat reținere pentru o scurtă perioadă de timp, poartă Apoi, el reînnoită persecuție Lui a ortodocșilor. Sfântul Bătrân Atunci dat dovadă de multă râvnă pentru adevăr. Lăsând mănăstire, el cam la Ierusalim și în biserică, el sa ridicat la ridicat și a strigat pentru toți să audă: “! Cine nu cinstește pe Sinoadele Ecumenice cuptor, să fie anatema” Pentru aceasta fapta îndrăzneț călugăr leur Envoi la închisoare, pentru a întors imediat partener după moartea împăratului.
Minunile

St Teodosie Realizat Multe vindecări și miracole –Alte pandantiv viața Lui. Desigur L pe Dumnezeu darul de minuni prin qui a fost ble pentru a vindeca pe bolnavi, să apară de la o distanță, pentru a îmblânzi fiarele sălbatice, pentru a discerne viitor și în pâine și grâu pentru a se multiplica. Rugăciunea a fost în ziua Lui buzele și noapte.

Prin rugăciunile sale, el a distrus odată lăcustele devastatoare câmpurile din Palestina. De asemenea, prin mijlocirea lui au fost soldați salvat de la moarte, iar el a salvat aussi Cei care pier în epave și cele pierdute în deșert.

Odată, sfântul a dat ordin să lovească semandron (o bucată de lemn lovit cu un ciocan), astfel încât que la frații se adunau la rugăciune. El le-a spus, “Mânia lui Dumnezeu se apropie Est.” După câteva zile, exista devenu cunoscut faptul că un cutremur puternic a distrus orașul HAD Antiohia chiar ora la care Sfânt ia chemat frații la rugăciune.
moarte

Înainte de moartea sa, Sf Teodosie chemat la el trei episcopi iubiți și le-a descoperit că va abate de curând la Domnul. După trei zile, a murit liniștită la vârsta de 105, în 529 AD. Corpul sfântului îngropat cu respect a fost în prima sa celulă, peștera în Qui a trăit la începutul de fiul fapte ascetice.
Imnurile

Tropar – Tone 8
Printr-o potop de lacrimi aveti si voi deșert fertil,
și dorul pentru Dumnezeu brought roade din abundență.
Prin strălucirea miracolelor ai luminat întregul univers!
Tatăl nostru Teodosie, roagă-te lui Hristos Dumnezeu să mântuiască sufletele noastre!

Condac – Tone 8
Plantate în instanțele Domnului vostru, vă înflorit frumos cu virtute,
Creșterea și copiii voștri în deșert, dușurile cu fluxuri de ele
lacrimile tale, O, șef păstor al turmei lui Dumnezeu divin.
De aceea, noi strigăm la tine: “Bucură-te, Părinte Teodosie.”

 

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Saint of the Day for Tuesday, December 9th, 2014: St. Juan Diego

Saint of the Day for Tuesday, December 9th, 2014

St. Juan Diego

Juan Diego was born in 1474 in the calpulli or ward of Tlayacac in Cuauhtitlan, which was established in 1168 by Nahua tribesmen and conquered by the Aztec lord Axayacatl in 1467; and was located 20 … continue reading

More Saints of the Day

St. Juan Diego St. Balda St. Budoc St. Cyprian St. Ethelgiva St. Gorgonia St. Julian of Apamea St. Leocadia

Martyrs of Samosata Martyrs of Saragossa St. Peter St. Peter Fourier St. Proculus of Verona St. Restitutus St. Valeria of Limoges

TODAY’S SAINT – MAY 16: St. Simon Stock

St. Simon Stock

Facts

Feastday: May 16

Although little is known about Simon Stock’s early life, legend has it that the name Stock, meaning “tree trunk,” derives from the fact that, beginning at age twelve, he lived as a hermit in a hollow tree trunk of an oak tree. It is also believed that, as a young man, he went on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land where he joined a group of Carmelites with whom he later returned to Europe. Simon Stock founded many Carmelite Communities, especially in University towns such as Cambridge, Oxford, Paris, and Bologna, and he helped to change the Carmelites from a hermit Order to one of mendicant friars. In 1254 he was elected Superior-General of his Order at London. Simon Stock’s lasting fame came from an apparition he had in Cambridge, England, on July 16, 1251, at a time when the Carmelite Order was being oppressed. In it the Virgin Mary appeared to him holding the brown scapular in one hand. Her words were: “Receive, my beloved son, this scapular of thy Order; it is the special sign of my favor, which I have obtained for thee and for thy children of Mount Carmel. He who dies clothed with this habit shall be preserved from eternal fire. It is the badge of salvation, a shield in time of danger, and a pledge of special peace and protection.” The scapular (from the Latin, scapula, meaning “shoulder blade”) consists of two pieces of cloth, one worn on the chest, and the other on the back, which were connected by straps or strings passing over the shoulders. In certain Orders, monks and nuns wear scapulars that reach from the shoulders almost to the ground as outer garments. Lay persons usually wear scapulars underneath their clothing; these consist of two pieces of material only a few inches square. There are elaborate rules governing the wearing of the scapular: although it may be worn by any Catholic, even an infant, the investiture must be done by a priest. And the scapular must be worn in the proper manner; if an individual neglects to wear it for a time, the benefits are forfeited. The Catholic Church has approved eighteen different kinds of scapulars of which the best known is the woolen brown scapular, or the Scapular of Mount Carmel, that the Virgin Mary bestowed on Simon Stock. His feast day is May 16th.

May 16

St. Adam St. Brendan St. Ubald Baldassini St. Andrew Bobola St. John Nepomucene St. Simon Stock St. Abdas St. Annobert St. Carantac St. Domnolus St. Felix & Gennadius St. Fidouls St. Forannan St. Germerius St. Hilary St. Honoratus of Amiens St. Peregrinus of Terni St. Peregrinus of Auxerre St. Honoratus of Amiens St. Abdas of Susa

Tale of two Easters: Holy Land Catholics, Orthodox to celebrate as one

Tale of two Easters: Holy Land Catholics, Orthodox to celebrate as one

Christian pilgrims carry palm branches during the traditional Palm Sunday procession last year on the Mount of Olives overlooking the Old City of Jerusalem. (CNS/Debbie Hill)

By Judith Sudilovsky
Catholic News Service

JERUSALEM (CNS) — Ghassan Rafidi, 53, remembers enjoying celebrating Easter twice as a child in his village of Jifna. 

“We had two times to celebrate and two vacations. My father’s family gave us gifts on the Greek Orthodox date, and my mother’s family on the Catholic,” said Rafidi, the son of a Catholic mother and a Greek Orthodox father. 

But today the Christian community has shrunk, and it is important that the celebrations be united, he said. Employers honor vacation on only one of the celebrations, putting pressure on families to decide which to celebrate, he said. 

“The Muslims always ask us how many Jesuses do we have,” he said. 

There are many families like Rafidi’s, both in Israel and the Palestinian territories, with members belonging to the Catholic, Greek Orthodox and Protestant churches.

For the past 15 years, Catholic parishes throughout the Palestinian territories and many in Israel have been celebrating Easter on the Greek Orthodox date. Now, following a directive from the Assembly of Catholic Ordinaries of the Holy Land, within two years all Eastern Catholics and the Latin Patriarchate in the Holy Land will officially adopt the Greek Orthodox Julian calendar date.

The Latin Patriarchate calls the move a “decisive step toward ecumenism.” The official directive will take place after completion of the decree and approval by the Vatican.

“The main reason for the unification of the Easter celebration is for members of the same family, village and parish to be able to have one celebration, and one calendar, and to show the unity and enjoy the unity. We want to give a good example of unity to our non-Christian neighbors,” said the Latin Patriarchate chancellor, Auxiliary Bishop William Shomali.

The Latin-rite diocese of the Holy Land includes Israel, the Palestinian territories and Cyprus. Parishes in Jerusalem and the Bethlehem, West Bank, area will be exempt this year because of the Status Quo, the 1852 agreement that preserved the division of ownership and responsibilities of various Christian holy sites. The parish in Tel Aviv has also received an exemption for this year since there are many foreign workers who are members of the parish.

The Greek Orthodox Church follows the Julian calendar and did not adopt the Gregorian calendar, which was implemented by Pope Gregory XIII in 1582 to correct a miscalculation in the rotation of the earth. 

Next year, Easter falls on the same day according to both calendars, so the change by decree will only be adopted in 2015.

The spirit of the holiday is lost if it is celebrated on separate dates, said Father Raed Abusahlia of Holy Family Parish in Ramallah, West Bank. Easter in the Eastern church is all of Holy Week, starting with Palm Sunday, and includes special prayers during the week, he said.

“The liturgy is very beautiful if done together as a family. It can’t be spiritual if it is only part of the family,” he said. During the week following Easter there are traditional holiday family visits as well, he added.

Father Ilario Antoniazzi of St. Anthony Parish in Rameh, Israel, has been celebrating Easter with the Greek Orthodox for 15 years; he said the date is not important. 

“The most important thing is to be together on the feast, to give a good example of our love and to show that we are united in our love,” he said.

In the northern Israeli port city of Haifa, the change did not come easily for some parishioners, said Father Agapios Abu Saada of St. Elijah Melkite Catholic Cathedral, who has been pivotal in pushing for unifying the celebration.

“My experience in seeking solidarity … was not a smooth one,” he said. “The decision was not unified even within the same congregation.” 

He said those initially opposed to the idea were swayed by the joint religious processions during Holy Week.

“Unifying the feast is a vivid Christian testimony in a multicultural and multireligious society,” he said. “Christians in the Holy Land are a minority that keeps dividing itself to inner minorities within the minority, creating diverse subcommunities … which deteriorate the goal of Christians as one unrestricted community living in a multicultural and multireligious society.”

Father Abusahlia said some of his parishioners are “a little bit disturbed” because the Greek Orthodox Easter comes so late this year: May 5. 

“In the past years, we celebrated it together or with a difference of one week, so they didn’t feel it. Now it is very late, with a difference of 35 days. But we will celebrate together, it is good and important,” said he said.

The change also involves celebrating Lent and the period between Easter and Pentecost, said Bishop Shomali.

“Christmas is just Christmas and Epiphany, but when we unify the calendar (on Easter) we are unifying 90 days of the year. It is important,” he said.

He said he would be happy to see the unified celebration adopted universally by all Christians.

“The solution is to fix one Sunday in April as the date,” he said.

Bishop Shomali said although the Catholics did not ask the Greek Orthodox Church to celebrate Christmas according to the Gregorian calendar, he expects they will do so to unite Christians for that feast.

END

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TODAY’S SAINT: Bl. Charles the Good (Feastday: March 2)

Bl. Charles the Good

 

Feastday: March 2
1083 – 1127

In 1086, St. Canute, King of Denmark and father of Blessed Charles the Good, was slain in St. Alban’s Church, Odence. Charles who was only a few years old was taken by his mother to the court of Robert, Count of Flanders, his maternal grandfather. When he grew up, he became a knight and accompanied Robert in a crusade to the Holy Land where he distinguished himself; on their return, Charles also fought against the English with his uncle. On Robert’s death, his son Baldwin succeeded him and designated Charles as the heir. At the same time, he arranged for Charles’ marriage to the daughter of the Count of Clermont. During Baldwin’s rule, Charles was closely associated with him, and the people came to have a high regard for his wise and beneficent ways as well as his personal holiness. At Baldwin’s death, in 1119, the people made his cousin their ruler.  Charles ruled his people with wisdom, diligence, and compassion; he made sure that times of truce were respected and fought against black marketeers who horded food and were waiting to sell it at astronomical prices to the people. This encouraged their undying wrath and one day in 1127 as Charles was praying in the Church of St. Donatian they set upon him and killed him.Blessed Charles the Good  feast day is March 2nd.