From: rich <richarra@gmail.com>

December 5th - St. Nicetius of Trier

A Bishop of Trier, born in the latter part of the fifth century, exact
date unknown; died in 563 or more probably 566. Saint Nicetius was the
most important bishop of the ancient See of Trier, in the era when,
after the disorders of the Migrations, Frankish supremacy began in
what had been Roman Gaul. Considerable detail of the life of this
vigorous and zealous bishop is known from various sources, from
letters written either by or to him, from two poems of Venantius
Fortunatus (Poem., Lib. III, ix, X, ed. Leo, in Mon. Germ. Hist.:
Auct. antiq., IV (1881), Pt. I, 63-64 sq.) and above all from the statement=
s
of his pupil Aredius, later Abbot of Limoges, which have been preserved by Gregory of Tours (De vitis Patrum, xvii; De Gloria Confessorum,
xciii-xciv). Nicetius came from a Gallo-Roman family; his home was
apparently in Auvergne. The Nicetius mentioned by Sidonius Apollinaris
(Epist. VIII, vi) may have been a relative. From his youth he devoted
himself to religious life and entered a monastery, where he developed
so rapidly in the exercise of Christian virtue and in sacred learning
that he was made abbot. It was while abbot that King Theodoric I
(511-34) learned to know and esteem him, Nicetius often remonstrating
with him on account of his wrong-doing without, however, any loss of
favour. After the death of Bishop Aprunculus of Trier, an embassy of
the clergy and citizens of Trier came to the royal court to elect a
new bishop. They desired Saint Gallus, but the king refused his
consent. They then selected Abbot Nicetius, whose election was
confirmed by Theodoric. About 527 Nicetius set out as the new bishop
for Trier, accompanied by an escort sent by the king, and while on the
journey had opportunity to make known his firmness in the
administration of his office.

Trier had suffered terribly during the disorders of the Migrations.
One of the first cares of the new bishop was to rebuild the cathedral
church, the restoration of which is mentioned by the poet Venantius
Fortunatus. Arch=C3=A6ological research has shown, in the cathedral of
Trier, the existence of mason-work belonging to the Frankish period
which may belong to this reconstruction by Nicetius. A fortified
castle (castellum) with a chapel built by him on the river Moselle is
also mentioned by the same poet (Poem., Lib. III, n. xii). The saintly
bishop devoted himself with great zeal to his pastoral duty. He
preached daily, opposed vigorously the numerous evils in the moral
life both of the higher classes and of the common people, and in so
doing did not spare the king and his courtiers. Disregarding threats,
he steadfastly fulfilled his duty. On account of his misdeeds he
excommunicated King Clotaire I (511-61), who for some time was sole
ruler of the Frankish dominions; in return the king exiled the
determined bishop (560). The king died, however, in the following
year, and his son and successor Sigebert, the ruler of Austrasia
(561-75), allowed Nicetius to return home. Nicetius took part in
several synods of the Frankish bishops: the synod of Clermont (535),
of Orl=C3=A9ans (549), the second synod of Clermont (549), the synod of
Toul (550) at which he presided, and the synod of Paris (555).

Nicetius corresponded with ecclesiastical dignitaries of high rank in
distant places. Letters are extant that were written to him by Abbot
Florianus of Romain-Mo=C3=BBtier (Canton of Vaud, Switzerland), by Bishop
Rufus of Octodurum (now Martigny, in the Canton of Valais,
Switzerland), and by Archbishop Mappinius of Reims. The general
interests of the Church did not escape his watchful care. He wrote an
urgent letter to Emperor Justinian of Constantinople in regard to the
emperor's position in the controversies arising from Monophysitism.
Another letter that has been preserved is to Clodosvinda, wife of the
Lombard King Alboin, in which he exhorts this princess to do
everything possible to bring her husband over to the Catholic faith.
In his personal life the saintly bishop was very ascetic and
self-mortifying; he fasted frequently, and while the priests and
clerics who lived with him were at their evening meal he would go,
concealed by a hooded cloak, to pray in the churches of the city. He
founded a school of his own for the training of the clergy. The best
known of his pupils is the later Abbot of Limoges, Aredius, who was
the authority of Gregory of Tours for the latter's biographical
account of Nicetius. Nicetius was buried in the church of St. Maximin
at Trier. His feast is celebrated at Trier on 1 October; in the Roman Martyrology his name is placed under 5 December. The genuineness of
two treatises ascribed to him is doubtful: "De Vigiliis servorum Dei"
and "De Psalmodi=C3=A6 Bono".

http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11053a.htm


Saint Quote:
If we wish to make any progress in the service of God we
must begin every day of our life with new eagerness. We must keep
ourselves in the presence of God as much as possible and have no other
view or end in all our actions but the divine honor.
--St. Charles Borromeo

Bible Quote:
For as the body is one and hath many members; and all the
members of the body, whereas they are many, yet are one body: So also
is Christ. For in one Spirit were we all baptized into one body,
whether Jews or Gentiles, whether bond or free: and in one Spirit we
have all been made to drink. [1 Co 12:12-13] DRB


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Short Prayers

My loving Jesus, out of the grateful love I bear Thee and to make
reparation for my unfaithfulness to grace, I give Thee my heart, and I consecrate myself wholly to Thee, and with Thy help I purpose never to
sin again.

Grant, we beseech Thee, Almighty God, that we, who, glorifying in the
most Sacred Heart of Thy Beloved Son, cherish within us the especial
benefits of that love, may be equally gladdened both by their action
and by their fruit. Through the same Christ Our Lord. Amen.

Jesus, king and center of all hearts, through the advent of Thy
kingdom grant us peace.

--- NewsGate v1.0 gamma 2
* Origin: News Gate @ Net396 -Huntsville, AL - USA (1:396/4)