St. Irenasus, one of the earliest and most renowned Fathers of the Church, was born in Asia, and placed under the charge of Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna, a disciple of St. John, the Evangelist. Under this holy teacher, Irenasus made such progress in virtue and sacred science, that he was by him ordained priest and sent to Lyons, in France, to preach the Gospel of Christ to the heathens, and to assist the persecuted Christians. On his arrival after a most tedious voyage, he began at once to discharge the duties of his function with truly apostolic zeal. To the heathens he preached the Gospel of the Lord, and bore testimony to it with many miracles; hence almost all, who had not yet embraced Christianity, became believers in the true God. The Christians, who had to surfer persecution, he encouraged to remain constant in their faith in the midst of their tortures. After the persecution of the faithful had somewhat subsided, Photinus, Bishop of Lyons, sent him to Rome, to get the solution of several questions and doubts which the Christians of that city had addressed to Eleutherius, who at that period was Pope. The latter received Irenaeus with great joy, as he had been informed of his zeal, and gave him the answers to all questions and doubts. On this occasion, Ireneus watched carefully all the ceremonies which were performed at Rome, and acquainted himself with the ancient traditions which had been left there by the Apostles, that he might be able to introduce them at Lyons.

Meanwhile the holy bishop Photinus, received the crown of Martyrdom at Lyons, and Irenaeus, on his return, was chosen to fill the vacant See. Having taken upon himself this heavy and dangerous burden, he employed all his efforts to gather his flock, which, partly discouraged by long persecutions, had dispersed hither and thither. He encouraged the despondent, strengthened the wavering, raised the fallen, consoled the sorrowful, instructed the ignorant, and comforted the needy, both by words and deeds. After having thus, in every way, bettered the condition of his Church, he sent several excellent and zealous priests to the neighboring cities and villages, charging them to convert the inhabitants, who were idolaters, to the faith of Christ, which, to the salvation of numberless souls, was happily effected.

Satan, unable to bear the success of the holy bishop's endeavors, sent the two notorious arch-heretics, Marcion and Valentine, into the neighborhood of Lyons, to sow the seeds of their heresy among the newly converted. The Saint, however, manifested no less watchfulness in protecting the faithful, than solicitude in converting the heathens. He not only disclosed and refuted, in his sermons, the falsehood of the doctrines which were disseminated by these heretics, but he also used the pen against them, and wrote several learned books, in which he placed the truth of the apostolic faith and the errors of heresy so clearly before the eyes of every one, that no heretics dared further to disturb the peace of his flock with their wicked doctrines. The faithful were strengthened to such a degree in their belief by these works, that, in a persecution which took place later, they preferred to sacrifice their lives, rather than depart in the least from the precepts of their Church.

The heroic constancy of so many Christians has been most justly ascribed to the indefatigable zeal of Irenaeus. It was also the result of his endeavors, that several bishops, who had forsaken the Pope, returned to him, and that others remained obedient to the holy Father. Victor, the holy Pope, had decided that the Christians should not celebrate Easter on the same day as the Jews; but, according to a verbal direction of St. Peter, on a Sunday. Many bishops in the East had adopted a different rule for the celebration of the feast, and would not alter it. Irenaeus exhorted all, in several letters, to be obedient to the Church at Rome, as the mother and instructress of all the other Churches. The high esteem in which the holiness and erudition of Irenasus was held by every one, was the cause that almost all the refractory Bishops submitted to the judgment of the Pope.

After this and many more labors of St. Irenaeus for the Church of Christ and for the salvation of souls, a new persecution of the Christians arose in the reign of the Emperor Severus. So many were executed in Lyons, that according to the language of St. Gregory, Bishop of Tours, the streets were overflowed with blood. And among those who thus testified with their lives to Christ's teachings, was also St Irenaeus. He taught by his example what he had so often preached to his fold, namely, to suffer the most cruel martyrdom rather than abandon the true faith. The body of this Saint was buried by Zachary, a Priest, and was always kept in great honor, until the year 1562, when Lyons was besieged and taken by the Huguenots. They tore the holy relics out of the tomb where they rested and threw them into a well, while they cast the head, after treating it most indecently, into a pit. The head was, however, found after some time and publicly exposed to receive due honor.

To this short life of St. Irenaeus we will add a few words concerning the holy Bishop Benno, who is recorded in the Roman Martyrology on the 16th day of this month. He was born at Hildesheim, in the year 1010. His parents were Frederic of Bultenberg and Bezela, a very pious woman. Under the direction of Wiger, who was in charge of the celebrated Church of St. Michael, Benno was instructed most perfectly, not only in the Christian religion, but also in the liberal arts. When he had arrived at manhood, his father desired him to perpetuate their noble name by marriage, but Benno evinced more inclination for a religious life, and after the death of his father, entered a Benedictine monastery. In this school of virtue he became such a model of sanctity, that, after a few years, he was elected successor of the late Abbot; but resigned the dignity after three months, desiring to serve God in more quiet retirement. His tranquillity, however, was much sooner disturbed than he had anticipated; for, in accordance with the Emperor's request, Pope Leo IX. made him Provost of the College at Gosslar, and afterwards, in the 56th year of his age, bishop of Meissen. He filled that see during forty years in such a manner, that he gained the reputation of great holiness. He visited his entire diocese every year, preached in every place and thereby greatly benefited his flock.

Besides this, he brought the Vandals, who had remained in France, and had been badly instructed in the Christian faith, from their errors, to perfect submission to all the articles of the faith of the Catholic Church. He earned still greater praise by the invincible fortitude he manifested when Henry IV. persecuted Pope Gregory VII. and endeavored to raise all the bishops against him. Benno, fearing God more than the Emperor, defended the just cause of the Pope, and fearlessly forbade the Margrave of Meissen to enter into the Church, as he and the Emperor, with all their followers, were excommunicated by the Pope. After this, he set out on his journey to the Council convoked by the Pope; but threw the keys of his church into the Elbe, that they might not fall into the hands of the excommunicated. The Emperor had him taken prisoner on his return, but only for a short time. The day he was set free, a large fish was caught in the Elbe, in which the keys were found which the Saint had thrown into the water. Greatly rejoicing over this event, the holy bishop acquitted himself of his sacred charge with renewed zeal.

He benefited his flock greatly by his unwearied endeavors, and was greatly esteemed, not only on account of his holy life, but also on account of the many miracles which he wrought by the grace of the Almighty. Among other things, it is said that he walked over the Elbe without wetting his feet; that, to refresh the laborers in the field, he changed water into wine; and at another time, he caused a spring of fresh water to break forth out of the ground. He was also seen at two different and widely separated places at the same time, and also restored health to many invalids. When he was in the 40th year of his sacred office, he felt the approach of death, and having prepared himself most carefully to appear before God, he exhorted all near him to continue in the right path; and while praying, closed his eyes to the light of this world to open them in heaven.

After his death, more miracles were wrought by his intercession than during his life-time. These continued until the time of Charles V., who requested the Apostolic See to canonize the holy Bishop. This ceremony was performed by Pope Adrian VI., with the usual solemnities. Martin Luther, who felt that the miracles and holiness of Benno refuted his doctrines, wrote a sacreligious book under the title: "Against the new idol and old devil, who is to be exalted at Meissen." The maligant slanderer did not, howerer, gain his end. The holy relics were duly honored by all the faithful, as long as the Catholic religion was tolerated at Meissen. But when John, the last Catholic Bishop of the city, feared that the heretics might dishonor them, he transported them, at the request of Duke Albert, to Munich, where they are venerated at this day in the Church of Our Lady. Many volumes have been filled with the relations of the benefits which God has bestowed upon those who asked the intercession of Saint Benno.

Our two Bishops lived in the Catholic Church, in that Church which is called Roman, or Papal. Their lives are an incontestible proof of it: in it they gained salvation. They died in this Church and went to everlasting peace. Of not a single man, from the time of Christ until now, who died out of the pale of the Catholic Church, can it be proved that he died holy and saved his soul. May this convince you that the Catholic Church alone is the true Church of Christ. Alone, I say; for there is only one true Church of Christ, as there is only one true God, one true Christ, one true faith. This only true Church is the Catholic Church, as Christ our Lord has founded that, and no other Church. It is further an undeniable fact that she was the first Christian Church, which recognizes no other founder but Christ. She has the infallible marks of the true Church, as she is one, holy, Catholic and apostolic. No other Church on the face of the earth can give this evidence of herself. Hence the Catholic Church alone is the true Church. To say, that she was at first the true Church, but ceased to be so, because she had fallen into error and superstition, makes Christ a liar; for, He has said that the gates of hell should not prevail against the Church He would build. (Matth. xvi.) If, therefore, the Catholic Church was, according to the non-catholics, at first the true Church, then she must still be the same, and remain so until the end of time.

What is to be concluded from this? That we can be saved only in the Catholic Church: an important truth, which we ought to imprint deeply into our innermost heart! Whoever is a member of this Church, may well give thanks to God for the grace, and remain in it. Whoever is not one of her children, should follow St. Augustine, who says: "They ought to come to the true Church of Christ that is, to the Catholic Mother." For, the words of St. Cyprian are and will remain true: "As, at the time of the flood, no man could be saved except in the Ark of Noah; so also we cannot be saved except in the pale of the true Church."

Towards the end of the second century when gnostic sects endeavoured to undermine the basis of the Christian religion, God raised up St. Irenaeus to oppose them. "He granted him the grace to destroy the heresies by the truth of his doctrine" (Collect).

Succeeding St. Pothinus in the See of Lyons in 177, St. Irenaeus "preached in season and out of season" as St. Paul prescribes (Epistle) and constituted himself defender of Christ (Gospel) and of His Spouse. "The Church," he declares, "disseminated throughout the world, to the extremities of the earth, professes the faith she has received from the apostles, who themselves received it from the Son of God." This Church has its centre at Rome. "With her, every church must be in agreement because of her primacy: for through the succession of Roman pontiffs the apostolic tradition of the Church has come down to us."

An ardent apologist, St. Irenaeus was also a profound theologian. He has been called the father of the Catholic theology and the golden link binding the spirit of the Gospel to the doctrine of the Fathers. With his ears still full of the last echoes of apostolic teaching (Alleluia), he was the first to write a reasoned summary of our faith. His treatise: "False doctrine unmasked and refuted" also called "Against heresies" gave the death blow to the gnostic heresy.

St. Jerome gives him the glorious title of Martyr. He died, as is believed, during the persecution of Septimus Severus in 202. Benedict XV extended his feast to the universal Church.

Oh! what a crown is thine, most noble Pontiff! Man must needs confess himself utterly unable to count the pearls with which it is adorned. For in the arena where thou didst win it, a whole people were thy fellow combatants; and as each martyr, one by one, ascended to his throne in heaven, he proclaimed thy glory, for he owed his crown to thee. Before this, full five and twenty years, the blood of Blandina and her companions had been shed, and, thanks to thee, had produced a hundredfold. Thy toilsome care had brought that fruitful seed to germinate from out the empurpled soil that had received it, in the early days of Christianity, and now the once small colony of the Faithful, scattered in its midst, had become the very city itself. Formerly the amphitheatre was spacious enough for the effusion of the martyrs' blood; but now the sacred stream must flow in torrents along the streets and squares: Oh! glad day that made Lyons become Rome's rival and the holy city of the Gauls!

The sons of those that died with thee have ever remained faithful to Jesus Christ; do thou, together with Mary whose position and dignity thou didst so admirably expound to their fathers, and with the Precursor of the Man-God who so fully shares their love, protect them against every scourge whether of body or of soul. Spare France; drive far from her, yea this second time, the invasion of a false philosophy, which is attempting now-a-days to revive the aberrations of Gnosticism. Cause truth once more to shine upon the eyes of so many whom heresy, under these multiform disguises, holds in separation from the one Fold. O Irenaeus, maintain Christians in that peace which alone deserves the name: keep ever pure the minds and hearts of those whom error, as yet, has not sullied. Prepare us now to celebrate befittingly the two glorious Apostles Peter and Paul, and the powerful principality of the Mother of all the Churches!

"The very fashioning of the world shows forth Him who founded it; its formation hints at Him who made it; the world declares Him who so arranged it. And this tradition the Church throughout the world has received from the Apostles."--St. Irenaeus


"The Church sown throughout the world, spread even to the bounds of the earth, received both from the Apostles and from their disciples that faith which believes in the Passion, Resurrection from the dead, and Ascension into heaven--in His flesh--of Jesus Christ our Lord."--St. Irenaeus

"For the Church of Christ, watchful guardian that she is, and defender of the dogmas deposited with her, never changes anything, never diminishes anything, never adds anything to them; but with all diligence she treats the ancient documents faithfully and wisely; if they really are of ancient origin and if the faith of the Fathers has transmitted them, she strives to investigate and explain them in such a way that the ancient dogmas of heavenly doctrine will be made evident and clear, but will retain their full, integral, and proper nature, and will grow only within their own genus - that is, within the same dogma, in the same sense and the same meaning." (Pope Pius IX, "Ineffabilis Deus", 1854 A.D.)