Holy Spirit Roman Catholic Church

The Roman Martyrology commemorates on this date St. John Matera (also known as John Pulsano) (1070-1139). St. John was a native of Matera, Italy and in his childhood longed to become a hermit. As a young man, he worked for a time as a shepherd in the service of a monastery. His exceptional austerity, however, was so irksome to the less fervent monks that he soon had to leave. Thereafter he journeyed from place to place as he strove to carry out God's will for him. At one point, acting upon a vision of Saint Peter he had experienced, John rebuilt a dilapidated church dedicated to the saint. Later, he traveled to Bari, where he preached with great efficacy. Certain individuals, motivated perhaps by jealousy, attacked the popular preacher with false charges of heresy, but he was in the end totally cleared of their accusations. Eventually John founded a Benedictine monastery at Pulsano and became its first abbot.

The Church celebrates the Optional Memorial of St. Romuald (951-1027) who was born in Ravenna of a noble family. He was the founder of the Camaldolese monks--one of the Italian branches of the Benedictines--in which the eremitical life is combined with life in community. He died in 1027, after a life of prayer and rigorous penance.

Today the Roman Martyrology commemorates St. Gregory Barbarigo (1625-1697), canonized by Pope St. John XXIII in 1960. He was the Bishop of Bergamo and of Padua. St. Gregory was noted as a distinguished churchman and leading citizen whose charities were on a princely scale. He worked for unity of the Latin and Orthodox Churches.