Agathangelus & Cassian’s Martyrdom for Unity – Aug 07 – Homily – Fr John Lawrence

 

Fr John Lawrence gives the homily at Bloomington, IN, on Aug 07, 2024, on the lives of Bls. Agathangelus and Cassian, Capuchin martyrs, sacrificed their lives while striving to reunite the Ethiopian Church with the Pope, ultimately leading to their beatification.

Blessed Agathangelus and Blessed Cassian, both Capuchin missionaries and martyrs, devoted their lives to reuniting the Ethiopian Church with the Pope. Born in France, Agathangelus became a Capuchin and, after ordination, worked as a preacher before embarking on a mission to the Holy Land, where he succeeded in converting several Eastern Orthodox bishops to Catholicism. He was later sent to Egypt, where he worked to reunite the Copts with the Catholic Church. Blessed Cassian, who also joined the Capuchins at a young age, followed a similar path and joined Agathangelus in Egypt with the goal of reuniting the Ethiopian Church with Rome.

Their mission faced opposition due to the long-standing theological differences stemming from the Council of Chalcedon in 451, which defined that Christ has two natures, divine and human, while the Copts held a Monophysite belief that Christ has only a single nature. Despite gaining the trust of some local leaders, including the Coptic Patriarch, they were eventually betrayed by a man named Pierre Léon, who incited suspicion against them. The missionaries were falsely accused of being spies and were condemned to death by the Ethiopian emperor. They were hanged and then stoned, remaining steadfast in their Catholic faith until the end. Their martyrdom had a lasting impact, eventually leading to their beatification in 1905.

00:00 – Introduction to Capuchin Martyrs
00:16 – Mission to Reunite Ethiopian Church
00:31 – Early Life of Agathangelos
01:41 – Missionary Work in Aleppo and Syria
02:47 – Blessed Cassian's Early Years
04:01 – Mission in Egypt and Language Study
07:10 – Arrest and Martyrdom in Ethiopia
09:16 – Legacy and Beatification

Ave Maria!

Mass: Bls. Agathangelus and Cassian - Opt Mem
Readings: Wednesday in the 18th Week in Ordinary Time - http://usccb.org/bible/readings/080724.cfm
1st: jer 31:1-7
Resp: jer 31:10-13
Gsp: mat 15:21-28

More on the Readings: https://airmaria.com/r?m=692&r=907

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