Saint Raymond of Penafort

SAINT RAYMOND OF PENAFORT

Born: 1175 AD

Died: 1275 AD

Canonized: 1601 by Clement VIII

Major Shrine: Cathedral of BarcelonaSpain

Feast Day: January 23rd

Patronage: Canon Lawyers and all Lawyers

Saint Raymond was born, into a wealthy family related to the royal family of Aragon, in BarcelonaSpain. The year was 1175. He was educated, at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Barcelona where he later taught philosophy. He left Spain in 1210 to study law at Bologna where he became a doctor of canon and civil law and a successful lawyer in 1216. He occupied a first chair of canon law in the university for three years.

The Bologna city senate hoped to retain him in the city by presenting him with special rewards for his work. He did not remain, however, because Pope Honorius III asked him to return to Spain to tutor King James I of Aragon

Saint Raymond was attracted to the Dominican Order by the preaching of Blessed Reginald, Prior of the Dominicans of Bologna. He received the habit in the Dominican convent of Barcelona in 1222. During his novitiate,

Saint Raymond asked a penance for his past vanities while teaching. He was ordered to write a book on cases of conscience for the guidance of confessors and moralists. This book entitled, THE SUMMA OF PENTENTIAL CASES, was the first guide of this kind to be complied. His work was praised by Pope Clement VIII.

In 1229 Pope Gregory IX sent the Cardinal of Sabina, John of Abbeville, to Spain to convoke the princes of the region and encourage them to continue the valiant fight against the Moors. During the Middle Ages, “Moor” became a common term to refer to the Muslims of Spain and North Africa. Today, even though it is old and inaccurate, because it lumps Muslims and non-Muslims and Africans in one group, the word “Moor” is sometimes used, but with a decidedly negative reference.

The Cardinal invited Saint Raymond, who had been his theologian, to be his assistant. Saint Raymond would enter a city, preach the crusade to the people, and hear confessions in order to prepare the public for the arrival of the Cardinal. Then the Cardinal would come to bless the crusade and grant the Papal indulgences for it. The word “crusades” often brings frightful images of war and death, but in the Middle Ages, people who joined the “crusades” thought of themselves as missionaries spreading the Good News of Jesus Christ.When the Cardinal of Sabina, John of Abbeville, returned to Rome, he reported to the Pope the great merits of Saint Raymond.

Pope Gregory IX gave Saint Raymond the job of ordering and codifying the canon laws of the Church. It was an immense work since he had to rewrite and condense decrees that had been accumulating for centuries and which were contained in some twelve or fourteen collections already existing. Completed in 1234, the work remained the most authoritative compilation within the body of canon law until 1917, when a new code was published.

The Pope announced the new publication in a Bull directed to the doctors and students of Paris and Bologna and commanded that the work of Saint Raymond alone should be considered authoritative and should alone be used in the schools. After the completion of this great work, the Pope appointed him Archbishop of Tarragona, but the saint declined the honor.

He returned to his monastery in Barcelona, but was not allowed to remain long in seclusion, as he was elected General of the Dominican Order in 1238. During his tenure in office he published a revised edition of the Dominican Constitution. He resigned after only two years as the Superior General.

At the requests of various bishops, Saint Raymond set out the ceremonial to be followed when Bishops visited diocesan churches. The ritual that is seen now in the ceremonies in the churches did not exist when the church was young and developing. Saint Raymond played a major role in establishing some order for all to follow. This was done under the authority of the Pope and in obedience to his commands.

Saint Raymond assisted in the founding of the Order of Our Lady of Mercy or the Mercedarians as they are often called, for the redemption of captives. The Order was established because of a heavenly revelation made simultaneously to King James I of Aragon, Saint Raymond of Penafort and St. Peter Nolasco. During this time there were many Jews and Muslims in Spain and Saint was called to work hard to convert them. Besides rescuing Christians from the Muslims, the Mercedarians cared for the sick in hospitals.

To inaugurate the new Order, the King with his court and the Magistrates of the City Barcelona assisted at a solemn ceremony in the Cathedral of the Holy Cross. Bishop Berengarius said the Holy Mass and Saint Raymond delivered the sermon in which he described the triple heavenly revelation ordering the founding of the new order. At the Ofertory the King and Saint Raymond presented St. Peter Nolasco to the Bishop as its first superior and he received the new habit from the Bishop. In his turn, St. Peter received thirteen nobles as the first members of the newly-born order. When the Mass ended, the Monarch processed out with St. Peter and his monks to his palace, where he had reserved a wing of it to be their first Monastery. Saint Raymond never ceased his work in spreading the Order of the Mercedarians until the end of his life.

In another revelation from God, Saint Raymond was given to know that God wanted the conversion of the Muslims and Jews who were numerous in Spain. From then on he made special efforts to achieve this aim. He ordered both Arabic and Hebrew to be studied and taught in the higher schools conducted by Dominicans. Saint Raymond taught Hebrew and Arabic to missionaries because he thought it was important to preach to Jews in Hebrew and to Muslims in Arabic. He also established missionary schools to foster this practice.

Saint Raymond died, possibly at 100 years old, in 1275. Requests for his canonization began immediately after his death, but were not heeded until 1601. Saint Raymond was finally canonized by Pope Clement in 1601.

RESOURCES: