#Doyle risen 1 full

'Why did you not tell my mother that we were coming, Father Luke? Why did you not wait until you had her command?' If it should prove that there is no place for you, then there is always a welcome among the brethren of Saint Nicephorus.' The abbot turned away his face to avoid those questioning eyes. 'Are you sure, Father Luke, that my mother will indeed be glad to see me?' The boy looked wistfully up into the old man's face.

'Yes, Leon, your mother the Empress Theodora and her husband the great Justinian dwell in yonder palace.' The boy looked at it with fixed attention. But now, Leon, if you follow the line of buildings past the great church, you will see a long row of pillars fronting the sea. Round yonder green point is the Golden Horn, where the merchant ships are moored. As to the red galleys they are indeed as large as any, for they are the Imperial ships of war, which come forth from the harbour of Theodosius. 'Be wary, Leon, and speak less loudly, for until we have seen your mother we should keep ourselves secret. The old man, who was the abbot of the monastery of Saint Nicephorus in Antioch, laid his hand upon the boy's shoulder. Surely, your holiness, they are the greatest of all ships in the world.' 'Look at the great red ships which sail out from yonder harbour. The other was an elderly man, gaunt- faced and grey-bearded, whose stern features were lit up by a smile as he observed the excitement and interest with which his young companion viewed the beautiful distant city and the many vessels which thronged the narrow strait.

#Doyle risen 1 full

The one was a very beautiful boy, ten or twelve years of age, swarthy, clear-cut, with dark, curling hair and vivacious black eyes, full of intelligence and of the joy of living. In the prow of the small vessel were two travellers of singular appearance. Seen against a cloudless sky, it was the city of a dream-too delicate, too airily lovely for earth. Tier above tier it rose, white and glittering, a hundred brazen roofs and gilded statues gleaming in the sun, with high over all the magnificent shining cupola of Saint Sophia. As the brig rounded these, the great city burst suddenly upon their sight, and a murmur of admiration and wonder rose from the crowded deck. In front of them, the Prince's Islands, rising as green as emeralds out of the deep sapphire blue of the Sea of Marmora, obscured for the moment the view of the capital. On the right, as they sped up the narrow strait, there stretched the Asiatic shore, sprinkled with white villages and with numerous villas peeping out from the woods which adorned it.

The day was fine and the breeze light, so that the passengers in their holiday mood were able to enjoy without a qualm the many objects of interest which marked the approach to the greatest and most beautiful capital in the world. On the morning in question, which was that of the feast of Saint George, the vessel was crowded with excursionists who were bound for the great city in order to take part in the religious and festive celebrations which marked the festival of the Megalo-martyr, one of the most choice occasions in the whole vast hagiology of the Eastern Church. He is the patron of the elderly, expectant mothers, fishermen, lost articles and oppressed people, as well as many cities and towns.In the spring of the year 528, a small brig used to run as a passenger boat between Chalcedon on the Asiatic shore and Constantinople. He is frequently portrayed with the infant Jesus, as well as with a lily. For he tells us plainly, ‘Just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.’” He was proclaimed a Doctor of the Church in 1946 and is one of our most beloved saints. It is to him that we open when we give aid, when we give ourselves to those in need. He wrote, “Today Christ stands at the door and knocks in the person of his poor. He converted so many people through his preaching and works of mercy that he was called the Hammer of the Heretics and the Wonder Worker.

He was a gifted speaker and spent much of his time travelling, evangelizing, preaching and teaching through Italy and France. He entered the Franciscan Order and was ordained a priest. Saint Anthony of Padua was born into a wealthy family but sacrificed all to serve the Lord.