Antoni Guerra le jeune (1666-1711). Saint Elmo, 1701, huile sur toile, 199 x 134, Perpignan, Musée Hyacinthe-Rigaud. En bas de la toile : à gauche "St Telm", à droite 1701 & des armoiries; au revers, avant restauration : Antonius Guerra. Don du tribunal de commerce (ancienne Loge de Mer) à la ville de Perpignan en 1852. - https://pop.culture.gouv.fr/notice/joconde/M0491000288
Bienheureux Pierre
Gonzalès
Surnommé saint Elme, frère prêcheur (+ 1246)
Pierre Gonzalès est né en 1190 à Astorga. Chanoine, il entre ensuite chez les
Dominicains. Il remporte un grand succès comme prédicateur et de nombreuses
conversions s'en suivent. Il réforme la Cour de Ferdinand III. Il évangélise
les pauvres et les matelots, va jusque sur leurs bateaux. Il meurt le 15 avril
1246.
Béatifié par Innocent IV
Invoqué par les mariniers sous le nom de Saint Elme ou Saint Telme.
(Elme serait une déformation d'Erasme.)
Au 14 avril du martyrologe romain: À Tuy en Galice, l’an 1246, le bienheureux
Pierre Gonzalez, appelé Telme par les marins, prêtre de l’Ordre des Prêcheurs.
Il devint aussi humble qu’il avait recherché la gloire et se dépensa pour venir
en aide aux miséreux, surtout aux marins et pêcheurs.
Martyrologe romain
SOURCE : http://nominis.cef.fr/contenus/saint/985/Bienheureux-Pierre-Gonzales.html
Luís António
Bernes (1865–1936), Milagre do Corpo Santo, 1908, Óleo sobre tela, Capela de Nossa Senhora da Conceição e do Corpo Santo, Câmara de
Lobos, Ilha da Madeira.
Dominicain
(1190-1246)
Pierre Gonzalez naquit, l'an 1190, dans la ville d'Astorga, en Espagne, d'une
famille distinguée. Son oncle, évêque de Palencia, charmé de ses talents, le
pourvut d'un canonicat et le fit ensuite nommer doyen du Chapitre de sa
cathédrale.
Le jour de sa prise de possession, Gonzalez, naturellement vaniteux, voulut
traverser la ville sur un cheval superbement paré. C'est là que la Providence
l'attendait: sa vanité se repaissait des applaudissements de la foule, quand le
cheval se cabra, renversant dans la boue l'orgueilleux cavalier, au milieu des
huées de la populace. Cette humiliation fut un coup de la grâce. Pierre se
releva tout confus, et dit à haute voix: "Puisque le monde se moque de
moi, je me moquerai de lui à mon tour." Il tint parole.
Dans la solitude, le jeûne et la prière, il dompta son orgueil et devint un
modèle de pénitence et d'humilité. Décidé à rompre entièrement avec le siècle,
il se démit de sa dignité pour se faire humble enfant de Saint-Dominique et
employer ses talents à gagner des âmes au Ciel.
Il passait la plus grande partie des nuits à méditer, à prier, à étudier, et
consacrait le jour à instruire les fidèles. Les libertins fondaient en larmes à
ses sermons, et venaient à ses pieds avouer leurs désordres: il fut
l'instrument d'une multitude de conversions.
Le roi d'Espagne Ferdinand III voulut attacher Gonzalez à sa personne et
l'emmener partout avec lui, même à la guerre. Le saint religieux profita de la
confiance du prince pour procurer la gloire de Dieu et il vint à bout de réformer
bien des désordres, vivant toujours à la cour ou dans les camps, avec la même
austérité et la même régularité que dans le cloître.
Quelques seigneurs licencieux résolurent de le perdre et gagnèrent à prix
d'argent une courtisane pour le séduire. Gonzalez, comprenant les intentions de
la malheureuse, allume un grand feu et se place au milieu, enveloppé de son
manteau. A la vue de ce prodige, la misérable tombe à genoux et se convertit
sincèrement; les seigneurs qui l'avaient gagnée en firent autant.
Cependant, malgré toutes les sollicitations du roi, Gonzalez quitta la cour:
ayant assez fait pour les grands, il aspirait à instruire et à consoler les
pauvres habitants des campagnes. Il passa le reste de sa vie à les évangéliser,
avec un incroyable succès: les montagnes les plus escarpées, les lieux les plus
inaccessibles, la grossièreté ou l'ignorance des populations enflammaient sa
charité; des miracles accompagnaient ses paroles et leur faisaient porter de
merveilleux fruits, surtout parmi les marins espagnols.
Un jour qu'il prêchait, le démon souleva un orage épouvantable, et la foule
s'enfuyait déjà cherchant un abri, quand Gonzalez, par un grand signe de Croix,
divisa les nuages, de sorte qu'il ne tomba pas une goutte d'eau. Il délivra
très souvent par miracle des matelots qui avaient imploré son secours dans le
danger.
Pierre Gonzalez connaissant, par révélation, sa fin prochaine, voulut se
retirer à Compostelle, pour y mourir entre les bras de ses frères en religion;
mais il tomba gravement malade à Tuy où il prêchait le carême, et y mourut le
jour de Pâques, l'an 1246, à l'âge de cinquante-six ans. Ses reliques reposent
dans la cathédrale de cette localité.
Saint Pierre Gonzalez, connu en Espagne sous le nom de saint Elme, est
représenté marchant sur les eaux et tenant une flamme. Cette flamme désigne le
feu de saint Elme. Il est quelquefois représenté avec cette flamme sur le
front. Il est le patron des marins.
Réf.: Frères des Écoles Chrétiennes, Vie des Saints, 1932, p. 164-165 ;
Abbé L. Jaud, Vie des Saints pour tous les jours de l'année, Tours, Mame,
1950.
SOURCE : http://magnificat.ca/cal/fr/saints/saint_pierre_gonzalez.html
San Telmo en Sevilla flanqueado por San Fernando, a la izquierda, y San Hermenegildo, a la derecha. Parte superior de la entrada principal del Palacio de San Telmo de Sevilla.
.jpg)
Estatua
de San Telmo. Palacio de San Telmo. Sevilla, Andalucía, España.
SAINT PIERRE GONZALEZ,
Dominicain
(1190-1246)
Saint Pierre Gonzalez était Espagnol ; il vint au monde l'an 1190. Nommé
chanoine et bientôt doyen du chapitre d'Astorga, il était tout entier absorbé
par des pensées de vaine gloire.
Une grande humiliation le fit rentrer en lui-même : au jour même de son
installation dans sa charge, son cheval, faisant un faux pas, le jeta dans la
boue, aux grands éclats de rire de la foule : « Puisque le monde se moque de
moi, je me moquerai de lui à mon tour, » s'écria Gonzalez, et peu après il
entrait chez les Dominicains.
Après avoir fait son noviciat et ses études, à l'édification de tous ses
frères, il remplit avec un zèle infatigable les deux ministères de la
prédication et de la confession. Rien ne pouvait le retenir quand il s'agissait
de travailler au salut du prochain : il quittait tout, l'étude, le repos, le
boire, le manger, et volait à la conquête des âmes.
Partout où il passait, il prêchait la pénitence, et la foule se précipitait sur
son chemin pour recueillir les paroles de suavité qui sortaient de sa bouche.
Appelé à la cour de Saint Ferdinand, il s'appliqua à la rendre chrétienne ; ses
exemples donnaient à sa parole une grande autorité, car au milieu de la
magnificence qui l'entourait, il vivait avec la même austérité que dans le
cloître.
Quelques seigneurs licencieux résolurent de le perdre et gagnèrent à prix d'argent
une courtisane, pour le séduire. Gonzalez, comprenant les intentions de la
malheureuse femme, allume un grand feu et se place au milieu, enveloppé de son
manteau.
A la vue du prodige, la misérable tombe à genoux et se convertit sincèrement ;
les seigneurs qui l'avaient gagnée en firent autant. Bientôt Gonzalez quitta la
cour; il se fit l'apôtre des campagnes et l'apôtre des matelots dans les villes
maritimes.
Un jour qu'il prêchait, le démon souleva un orage épouvantable, et la foule
s'enfuyait déjà cherchant un abri, quand Gonzalez, par un grand signe de croix,
divisa les nuages, de sorte qu'il ne tomba pas une goutte d'eau.
Gonzalez, averti de sa mort prochaine, continua ses prédications jusqu'aux
derniers jours de sa vie, et rendit doucement son âme au SEIGNEUR, en l'année
1246.
Saint Pierre Gonzalez, connu en Espagne sous le nom de Saint Elme, est
représenté marchant sur les eaux et tenant une flamme. Cette flamme désigne le
feu de Saint Elme. Il est quelquefois représenté avec cette flamme sur le
front. Il est le patron des marins.
Pratique. Croyez, dans les épreuves, que DIEU fait tout pour votre plus grand
bien.
SOURCE : http://je-n-oeucume-guere.blogspot.ca/2011/04/15-avril-saint-paterne-eveque-de-vannes.html
Retablo
mayor clasicista (1636) de la iglesia de San Pedro de Frómista (Palencia)
Saint Pierre
Gonzalez ou Elme
Pierre Gonzalez est né à Astorga, en Espagne, en 1190. Ses parents étaient
riches. Il fut élevé par son oncle maternel qui était évêque et qui lui donna
d'emblée plus de goût pour les honneurs que pour la sainteté.
Très jeune, il le fit chanoine de son église puis doyen du chapitre.
Lorsqu'il fut promu doyen, notre jeune Pierre Gonzalez se crût obligé
d'organiser une somptueuse cérémonie pendant laquelle il pavoisa effrontément.
C'était le jour de Noël.
Avant d'entrer dans l'église pour y prendre officiellement la charge de doyen,
il processionna longuement, se pavanant sur un cheval richement harnaché. Mais
son cheval faisant un faux pas, patatras, le prétentieux tomba piteusement dans
la boue et autres saletés. Tout le monde se mit à rire et à huer à qui mieux
mieux.
La honte ! Pierre Gonzalez se releva, et dit tout haut : "puisque le monde
se moque de moi, je me moquerai de lui à mon tour."
Du coup, il entra chez les Dominicains.
Là, petit à petit, il se calma. Gagnant en savoir et en humilité il devint un
orateur de première force.
Notez qu'il est difficile d'être humble pour les orateurs de première force.
Les Petits Bollandistes le présentent comme un parfait imitateur de saint
Dominique. Je ne sais pas si, comme son grand modèle, Pierre Gonzalez passait
entre les gouttes d'eau de pluie, mais en tous cas, il n'est pas passé à côté
de la réputation.
Il s'était fait une réputation d'éminente sainteté, et sa célébrité vint aux
oreilles du roi Ferdinand II qui voulut avoir Pierre Gonzalez à ses côtés.
C'est que Ferdinand de Castille voulait vaincre les Arabes qui occupaient la
majeure partie de l'Espagne. Pierre Gonzalez qui était si près de Dieu ne pouvait
être que de bon conseil.
Le roi devait lui avoir donné bien du pouvoir, ce qui permit à notre saint de
réformer l'armée et la cour. Or, l'austérité et les réprimandes n'étaient pas
du goût de tout le monde. Il se fit des ennemis.
Les gens de la cour payèrent très cher une jolie femme afin de le séduire et le
faire tomber dans la fornication.
Elle demanda à le voir puis joua les pénitentes en faisant semblant de pleurer
tout en désirant se confesser.
Quand elle senti que le fruit mûrissait, elle dévoila son désir intense de
séduction. Mais Pierre Gonzalez en avait vu d'autres. Il lui demanda quelques
instants pour aller préparer une chambre afin de la mieux recevoir. Il alluma
un grand feu dans la grande cheminée puis se jeta dans le feu avec son manteau.
Le feu de le toucha pas. De là, il appela la séductrice qui, en voyant ce
miracle s'évanouit. En reprenant connaissance, elle se convertit puis embrassa
une vie faite toute de piété religieuse et de pénitence.
Grâce aux conseils de Pierre Gonzalez qui l'accompagnait toujours dans ses
campagnes, Ferdinand II eut de grandes victoires sur les Arabes. En 1236 il
reprit Cordoue et transforma la grande mosquée en église cathédrale.
Peu après, Pierre Gonzalez quitta la cour et partit prêcher vers Compostelle.
Il parcourait les campagnes pour convertir les paysans mais il avait une
prédilection pour les matelots avec lesquels il passait beaucoup de son temps.
Il fit construire un pont sur le Minho, à Ribadavia. Pendant la construction,
il eut du mal à nourrir tous les ouvriers. Il s'approcha alors de la rivière et
commanda aux poissons qui vinrent en masse s'offrir pour être mangé.
Étrange comme les poissons aiment écouter les grands orateurs de première force
! C'est déjà arrivé à saint Antoine de Padoue avec les poissons de la mer.
Un jour que Pierre Gonzalez prêchait à Bayonne de Galice, Un orage épouvantable
éclata. L'assemblée songeait à s'enfuir mais Pierre Gonzalez les rassura et fit
taire l'orage par sa prière. Tous les environs étaient inondés mais, là où il
parlait, il faisait sec.
Vers l'année 1240, alors qu'il prêchait dans un monastère de Bénédictins, il
eut la révélation de sa mort prochaine. Il mourut le jour de Pâques à Tuy.
Comme il avait beaucoup prêché aux matelots et aux gens de mer, dans les petits
villages de la côte de Galice, les marins espagnols l'ont pris pour patron. Ils
l'appellent vulgairement saint Elme ou Telme. On pense qu'il s'agit d'un avatar
d'Erasme (un martyr du 4ème siècle qu'on invoquait avant Pierre Gonzalez.
Erasme serait devenu Ermo ou Elmo)
Du côté de la Galice, on raconte qu'on l'a vu souvent au milieu de la tempête,
au sommet des mâts, aux extrémités des vergues. Il tient dans sa main une
chandelle allumée de couleur verte. Après son apparition, la mer redevenait calme.
Qu'en aurait pensé Alfred Jarry ?
Il est souvent représenté marchant sur les eaux et tenant la flamme qui désigne
le feu de saint Elme.
On l'invoque aussi contre les tremblements de terre.
SOURCE : http://carmina-carmina.com/carmina/Mytholosaints/gonzalez.htm
.jpg)
Anónimo,
San Telmo, circa 1550, óleo sobre tabla, Museo
de Bellas Artes de Sevilla. Procedente de la Universidad Literaria de Sevilla.
Also
known as
Elm
Elmo
Erasmus
Pedro
Pietro
Telm
Telmo
Profile
Castilian nobility
who mis-spent a worldly youth. Educated by his uncle, the bishop of Astorga, Spain. Priest,
primarily as a step to high office. Obtained special papal dispensation
to become Canon of
Palencia when he was officially still too young. During a grand Christmas
Day entrance into the city, his horse was
spooked by the noise of the crowds. It threw him in all his finery onto a
dung-heap, much to the delight of the citizens who knew his was a political,
not a spiritual appointment.
Dazed, filthy,
humiliated, and with the undeniable understanding that his parishioners thought
he was a hack, he withdrew from the world for a period of prayer and
meditation. It worked. He had a true conversion experience and spent the rest
of his life making up for his lost youth and the mockery he made of his
position. Joined the Dominicans.
Family and friends tried to draw him back to his old life and their planned
pursuit of position, but he responded, “If you love me, follow me! If you
cannot follow me, forget me!”
Confessor and court chaplain to King Saint Ferdinand III
of Castile.
Against the opposition of more worldly courtiers,
he reformed court life
around the king.
Worked for the Crusade against
the Moors,
accompanied Ferdinand into
the battlefields, and then worked for humane treatment of Moorish prisoners.
A favourite of the king,
Peter feared the honours and easy life would lead him to a return to his
previous ways, so he left the court and evangelized to shepherds in
the hills, along the waterfronts, and among Spanish and Portugese sailors who
still venerate him and consider him their special patron,
blending his story with that of Saint Elmo,
and calling upon him for protection in the face of bad weather.
Legend says that when he
lacked food for those in his charge, he would kneel and pray by
a river; fish would
leap onto the banks.
Born
15 April 1246 at
Saintiago de Compostela, Tui, Spain
buried in
the cathedral at
Tuy, Spain
1254 by Pope Innocent
IV
13 December 1741 by Pope Benedict
XIV (cultus
confirmed)
—
Almighty God, you
bestowed the singular help of Blessed Peter on those in peril from the sea. By
the help of his prayers may the light of your grace shine forth in all the
storms of this life and enable us to find the harbor of everlasting salvation.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with
you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. – General Calendar of the Order of Preachers
Dominican holding
a blue candle or
a candle with a blue flame
Dominican lying
on his cloak which
is spread over hot coals
Dominican holding fire in
his bare hands
Dominican catching fish with
his bare hands
Dominican beside
the ocean, often holding or otherwise protecting a ship
Additional
Information
Book
of Saints, by the Monks of
Ramsgate
Lives
of the Saints, by Father Alban
Butler
Saints
of the Day, by Katherine Rabenstein
books
Our Sunday Visitor’s Encyclopedia of Saints
Saints
and Their Attributes, by Helen Roeder
Some Patron Saints, by
Padraic Gregory
other
sites in english
1001 Patron Saints and Their Feast Days, Australian
Catholic Truth Society
images
video
webseiten
auf deutsch
fonti
in italiano
nettsteder
i norsk
MLA
Citation
“Saint Peter
Gonzales“. CatholicSaints.Info. 16 June 2024. Web. 9 September 2025.
<https://catholicsaints.info/saint-peter-gonzales/>
SOURCE : https://catholicsaints.info/saint-peter-gonzales/
Tuy
- Capilla de San Telmo
Book of Saints –
Peter Gonzalez
Article
(Elmo) (Saint)
(April
15) (13th
century) A Spanish Dominican Saint,
famous for his humility of heart and for the reforms he effected in the Court of King Ferdinand
III. When Cordova was
recovered from the Moors, his prayers and influence obtained kindly treatment
for its Mohammedan inhabitants. He laboured much in seaports and among sailors.
Seafaring men in Spain look
up to Blessed Peter
as their special Protector. By some misunderstanding, they have come to invoke
him as Saint Elmo,
the name of the far more ancient Saint, Saint Erasmus,
the once recognised Patron
Saint of seamen. Blessed Peter died A.D. 1240.
MLA
Citation
Monks of Ramsgate. “Peter
Gonzalez”. Book of Saints, 1921. CatholicSaints.Info.
10 October 2016. Web. 9 September 2025. <https://catholicsaints.info/book-of-saints-peter-gonzalez/>
SOURCE : https://catholicsaints.info/book-of-saints-peter-gonzalez/
Buenos
Aires - kościół św. Pedro Gonzáleza Telmo
Buenos
Aires - St. Pedro González Telmo church
Buenos
Aires - Iglesia de San Pedro González Telmo
Peter Gonzalez, OP (AC)
(also known as Elmo-Erasmus, Telmo)
Born at Astorga, Leon, Spain, c. 1190; died April 14, 1246; beatified by Pope
Innocent IV in 1254; cultus approved by Benedict XIV in 1741 for the veneration
of the whole Order of Preachers. The patron saint of sailors, especially in
Portugal and Spain, is popularly invoked as Saint Elmo or Telmo.
The parents of Peter Gonzales were wealthy and apparently expected their son to
become a priest so that he might in time obtain some rank. It was a period in
history when this sort of thing was a trial to the Church, and Peter's worldly
youth was only one of many examples. He was educated by his uncle, the bishop
of Astorga, who invested him with a canonry at Palencia and deanery when he was
still quite young.
Full of pride, for a special Bull had been procured so that he might obtain the
deanery while he was under age, he resolved to be installed with great pomp,
and for his state entry into Astorga chose Christmas Day when the streets were
likely to be crowded. He wanted to impress his flock with his fine clothes and
vivid personality.
He paraded through the town on horseback, magnificently equipped, but in the
noise and excitement the animal reared and threw him upon a dungheap. The
Spanish people, who have a fine sense of comedy, responded with loud gusts of
laughter. Picking himself up in shame, he cried: "If the world mocks me,
henceforth, I will mock the world." Covered with filth and confusion,
Peter withdrew to clean up and ponder his sins.
Surprisingly enough, when his wounded feelings had healed, Peter reformed his
pointless life and immediately entered the Dominican monastery at Palencia. He
was never to forget to weep for his sins, and his life was spent in prayer and
penance to offset the wasted years of his youth.
Peter's friends did not allow this to happen without protest. They had been
amused by his accident, but not converted by it as he was, and they did their
best to talk him into leaving religious life and returning to the luxurious
world he had left behind. It was probably a serious temptation to the young
man, for it is not easy to reform overnight. But he did not turn back. Instead,
he said to his friends, "If you love me, follow me! If you cannot follow
me, forget me!" He became, by close application to the rule, one of the
shining exemplars of this difficult way of life.
After his studies were completed, Peter entered into his apostolate. It was to
take him into places where his worldly background would be a help rather than a
hindrance, for he could well understand the temptations and troubles of worldly
people. He was first of all a military chaplain with the royal army. He also
began to preach in the region. He did not talk about trivia, his sermons drew
large crowds. The recitation of the Psalms was his most constant prayer.
The fame of his piety and zeal spread throughout Spain and reached the ears of
King Saint Ferdinand of Castile, who sent for him and attached him to his court
as chaplain and as his confessor. Appalled by its licentiousness, Gonzales
immediately set about reforming it, which so displeased the younger courtiers
that they tried to corrupt him; but he was proof against all temptations and
won the confidence of the saintly king.
Peter did much to foster the crusade against the Moors. When Ferdinand finally
acted, Peter accompanied him on his expedition against the Moors. Upon the
capture of Cordova and Seville, Peter used his influence and authority on the
side of the vanquished and was instrumental in reducing rape and bloodshed. He
also took over the Moorish mosques and converted them into Christian churches.
He was showered with favors by the king, who had the utmost confidence in him.
Fearing honors, however, Peter quit the king's service upon his return to
Spain. Instead, moved by compassion, he lived among the poor peasants and
sought to evangelize them. Although he was met everywhere with ignorance and
brutality, his work proved efficacious. He penetrated the wildest and most
inaccessible areas, seeking out the peasants in villages and the shepherds in
the mountains of the Asturias. His preaching brought about reconciliation
between neighbors and between men and God. He gave reassurance to the dismayed
and the perplexed.
Most of the anecdotes of his life come from this period, and they have to do
with miracles that he worked for these people. At his prayer, storms ceased,
droughts were ended, bottles were refilled with wine, bread was found in the
wilderness. The bridge that he built across the swift river Minho made his name
famous throughout Spain, and it existed up until recent times. During the time
he was directing work on this bridge, he used to call the fish to come and be
caught; it was a way of helping to feed the workers.
He visited also the seaports of Galicia--boarding ships and preaching on their
open decks. He had a great liking for sailors, and is often portrayed in the
habit of his Order, holding a blue candle which symbolized Saint Elmo's fire,
the blue electrical discharge which sometimes appears in thunder storms at the
mast- heads of ships, and which was supposed to be a sign that the vessel was
under the saint's protection. (The name of Saint Elmo is of earlier origin.
Peter Gonzales, in the popular devotion of the sailors of the Mediterranean,
has replaced the name and memory of the older saints associated with the sea,
particularly the 4th century Saint Erasmus.)
He retired finally to Tuy in a state of extreme exhaustion. During Lent he
preached each day in the cathedral, on Palm Sunday he foretold his death, and
on the Sunday after Easter, he died at Santiago de Compostella. Bishop Luke of
Tuy, his great admirer and friend, attended him to his last breath and buried
him honorably in his cathedral. In his last will, the bishop gave directions
for his own body to be laid near Peter's remains, which were placed in a silver
shrine and honored with many miracles (Benedictines, Delaney, Dorcy,
Encyclopedia, Gill, Husenbeth).
In art, Saint Peter is a
Dominican lying on his cloak on hot coals. He may also be portrayed holding
fire in his hand or catching fish with his bare hands (Roeder).
SOURCE : http://www.saintpatrickdc.org/ss/0414.shtml#bene
.jpg)
St. Peter Gonzalez
Popularly known as St.
Elmo, b. in 1190 at Astorga, Spain; d. 15 April,
1246, at Tuy. He
was educated by
his uncle, Bishop of Astorga, who gave him
when very young a canonry.
Later he entered the Dominican
Order and became a renowned preacher; crowds gathered to hear him and
numberless conversions were the result of his efforts. He accompanied Ferdinand
III of Leon on
his expeditions against the Moors, but his ambition was to
preach to the poor. He devoted the remainder of his life to the instruction and
conversion of the ignorant and
of the mariners in Galicia and along the coast of Spain. He lies buried in
the cathedral of Tuy and was beatified in 1254
by Innocent IV.
St. Elmo's fire is a pale
electrical discharge sometimes seen on stormy nights on the tips of spires,
about the decks and rigging of ships, in the shape of a ball or brush, singly
or in pairs, particularly at the mastheads and yardarms. The mariners believed
them to be the souls of
the departed, whence they are also called corposant (corpo santo). The ancients
called them Helena fire when seen singly, and Castor and Pollux when in pairs.
[Note: Despite the
common epithet "Saint," Peter Gonzalez (or Gonzales) was never
formally canonized,
although his cult was confirmed in 1741 by Pope Benedict XIV. The
diminutive "Elmo" (or "Telmo") belongs properly to the
martyr-bishop St. Erasmus (d. c. 303), one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers, of
whose name "Elmo" is a contraction. However, as St. Erasmus is the
patron of sailors generally and Peter Gonzalez of Spanish and Portuguese
sailors, they have both been popularly invoked as "St. Elmo."]
Sources
BUTLER, Lives of the
Saints; HARRIS, The Dioscuri in Christian Legends (London, 1903); DRESSEL,
Lehrbuch der Physik (Freiburg, 1895).
Mershman,
Francis. "St. Peter Gonzalez." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol.
11. New York: Robert Appleton
Company, 1911. <http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11768b.htm>.
Transcription. This
article was transcribed for New Advent by Herman F. Holbrook. O Saint Peter,
and all ye holy Priests and Levites, pray for us.
Ecclesiastical
approbation. Nihil Obstat. February 1, 1911. Remy Lafort, S.T.D.,
Censor. Imprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York.
Copyright © 2023 by Kevin Knight.
Dedicated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
SOURCE : https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11768b.htm
S.
Pedro Gonçalves Telmo, sobre o frontão interrompido da Igreja de Massarelos
Bl. Peter Gonzales
Feastday: April 14
Patron: of sailors
Birth: 1190
Death: 1246
Peter Gonzales, also
known as St. Elmo or St. Telmo, was born to a Castilian family of
nobility. He was educated by his uncle, the Bishop of
Astorga, named canon of
the local cathedral, famous for his penances and mortifications, joined the
Dominican Order, preached and made chaplain of
the court of King St. Ferdinand III. He converted and influenced the soldiers
of his country, evangelized, and died on Easter Sunday. He was
canonized by Pope Benedict XIV in 1741. Peter evangelized throughout his
country and all along the coast. He had a special fondness for sailors. He used
to visit them aboard their ships, preaching the Gospel and praying for their
needs. His feast day is
April 14th.
SOURCE : https://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=779
Ermita de San Telmo, Puerto de la Cruz, Santa Cruz de Tenerife Province, Canary Islands, Spain. Roman Catholic Diocese of San Cristóbal de La Laguna
.jpg)
Ermita de San Telmo, Puerto de la Cruz, Santa Cruz de Tenerife Province, Canary Islands, Spain. Roman Catholic Diocese of San Cristóbal de La Laguna
.jpg)
Ermita de San Telmo, Puerto de la Cruz, Santa Cruz de Tenerife Province, Canary Islands, Spain. Roman Catholic Diocese of San Cristóbal de La Laguna
Ermita
de San Telmo, Puerto de la Cruz, Santa Cruz de Tenerife
Province, Canary Islands, Spain. Roman
Catholic Diocese of San Cristóbal de La Laguna
Ermita de San Telmo, Puerto de la Cruz, Santa Cruz de Tenerife Province, Canary Islands, Spain. Roman Catholic Diocese of San Cristóbal de La Laguna
Interior of the Ermita de San Telmo (Puerto de la Cruz)
Altar der Ermita San Telmo in Puerto de la Cruz
St. Peter Gonzalez
Feastday: April 14
Patron: of sailors
Birth: 1190
Death: 1246
Beatified: 1254, Rome by Pope Innocent IV
Canonized: December 13, 1741, Rome by Pope Benedict XIV
Dominican protector of
captives and sailors. Born in Astorga, Spain, he entered the Dominicans and
became the chaplain and confessor of
King St. Ferdinand of Castile. He preached a campaign against the Moors, and
then cared for the captured Muslims. He also cared for sailors, who dubbed him
Thelmo, after St. Elmo.
SOURCE : https://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=5368
San
Telmo (Pedro González Telmo), patrón dos mareantes, na Basílica de Santa María
a Maior de Pontevedra.
SAINT PETER GONZALEZ,
April 14th
Public humiliation led
Peter Gonzalez to a true conversion experience and set him on the road to
sainthood.
Peter was born into a
noble family in Castile, Spain, in 1190, and he became a priest as a step to
high office. One Christmas Day, during a grand entrance into the city before
all the townspeople, the young priest was thrown off of his horse and onto a
dung-heap.
Embarrassed and knowing
that his parishioners thought he was a fake, Peter withdrew from the world for
a period of prayer and meditation. During this time, he had a conversion and
spent the rest of his life making up for his lost youth. He joined the
Dominicans and shunned those who tried to convince him to return to his old
ways, saying: "If you love me, follow me! If you cannot follow me, forget
me!"
He served as the
confessor and court chaplain to King Saint Ferdinand III of Castile, and
reformed court life. He also worked for the crusade against the Moors, went
into the battlefields, and worked for humane treatment of Moorish prisoners.
Fearing that the honors
and easy life offered by the king’s court would lead him to return to his
previous ways, he left the court and evangelized to shepherds and
sailors.
He died in 1246 and was
canonized in 1741.
SOURCE : https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/st-peter-gonzalez-436
Procesión do Corpus Christi en Pontevedra
Saints and
Saintly Dominicans – 14 April
Blessed Peter
Gonzales, called “Telmo,” Confessor, O.P.
One Christmas Day,
Blessed Gonzales, desirous of attracting admiration, was riding through the
streets of Palencia on a magnificently decorated horse, accompanied by his dissipated
friends, when he was thrown from his horse into the mud. At this sight, the
admiration of the bystanders was changed into mockery. But God, Who had thus
humbled his pride, raised him up by the same humiliation. He felt suddenly
enlightened as to the nothingness of all earthly things, he rendered to the
world contempt for contempt, and, led by an interior voice, he entered without
delay into our Order, to which he was attracted by the perfume of its poor,
mortified, apostolic and edifying life. His was not a mere passing conversion
due to sudden impulse; he applied himself to lead a new life, he studied day
and night in the Holy Scriptures, and became a great apostle. During his
missions he never left a house where he had been received without having heard
the confessions of all who lived in it – father, mother, children and servants.
During his life he delivered some sailors from a tempest when they invoked him.
From that time he has been regarded as the patron of mariners and countless
travellers, vessels, ports and towns have experienced his protection. Many
confraternities, especially in seaport towns, have been erected in his honor
and enriched with indulgences. (1246)
Prayer
It is necessary that our
feelings should suffer, in order that our souls may receive the fruit of life:
that is the law. – Saint Catherine
of Siena
Practice
When you have committed a
fault in the presence of others, instead of being discouraged, say with David:
“It is good for me, O Lord, that Thou has humbled me” – Psalm 118
– taken from the
book Saints
and Saintly Dominicans, by Blessed Hyacinthe-Marie
Cormier, O.P.
SOURCE : https://catholicsaints.info/saints-and-saintly-dominicans-14-april/
Blessed Peter Gonzalez,
C.O.P.
(also known as
Elmo-Erasmus, Telmo)
Memorial Day: April 14th
Profile
The parents of Peter
Gonzales were wealthy and apparently expected their son to become a priest so
that he might in time obtain some rank. It was a period in history when this
sort of thing was a trial to the Church, and Peter's worldly youth was only one
of many examples. He was educated by his uncle, the bishop of Astorga, who
invested him with a canonry at Palencia and deanery when he was still quite
young.
Full of pride, for a
special Bull had been procured so that he might obtain the deanery while he was
under age, he resolved to be installed with great pomp, and for his state entry
into Astorga chose Christmas Day when the streets were likely to be crowded. He
wanted to impress his flock with his fine clothes and vivid personality.
He paraded through the
town on horseback, magnificently equipped, but in the noise and excitement the
animal reared and threw him upon a dungheap. The Spanish people, who have a
fine sense of comedy, responded with loud gusts of laughter. Picking himself up
in shame, he cried: "If the world mocks me, henceforth, I will mock the
world." Covered with filth and confusion, Peter withdrew to clean up and
ponder his sins.
Surprisingly enough, when
his wounded feelings had healed, Peter reformed his pointless life and
immediately entered the Dominican monastery at Palencia. He was never to forget
to weep for his sins, and his life was spent in prayer and penance to offset
the wasted years of his youth.
Peter's friends did not
allow this to happen without protest. They had been amused by his accident, but
not converted by it as he was, and they did their best to talk him into leaving
religious life and returning to the luxurious world he had left behind. It was
probably a serious temptation to the young man, for it is not easy to reform
overnight. But he did not turn back. Instead, he said to his friends, "If
you love me, follow me! If you cannot follow me, forget me!" He became, by
close application to the rule, one of the shining exemplars of this difficult
way of life.
After his studies were
completed, Peter entered into his apostolate. It was to take him into places
where his worldly background would be a help rather than a hindrance, for he
could well understand the temptations and troubles of worldly people. He was
first of all a military chaplain with the royal army. He also began to preach
in the region. He did not talk about trivia, his sermons drew large crowds. The
recitation of the Psalms was his most constant prayer.
The fame of his piety and
zeal spread throughout Spain and reached the ears of King Saint Ferdinand of
Castile, who sent for him and attached him to his court as chaplain and as his
confessor. Appalled by its licentiousness, Gonzales immediately set about
reforming it, which so displeased the younger courtiers that they tried to
corrupt him; but he was proof against all temptations and won the confidence of
the saintly king.
Peter did much to foster
the crusade against the Moors. When Ferdinand finally acted, Peter accompanied
him on his expedition against the Moors. Upon the capture of Cordova and
Seville, Peter used his influence and authority on the side of the vanquished
and was instrumental in reducing rape and bloodshed. He also took over the
Moorish mosques and converted them into Christian churches.
He was showered with
favors by the king, who had the utmost confidence in him. Fearing honors,
however, Peter quit the king's service upon his return to Spain. Instead, moved
by compassion, he lived among the poor peasants and sought to evangelize them.
Although he was met everywhere with ignorance and brutality, his work proved
efficacious. He penetrated the wildest and most inaccessible areas, seeking out
the peasants in villages and the shepherds in the mountains of the Asturias.
His preaching brought about reconciliation between neighbors and between men
and God. He gave reassurance to the dismayed and the perplexed.
Most of the anecdotes of
his life come from this period, and they have to do with miracles that he
worked for these people. At his prayer, storms ceased, droughts were ended,
bottles were refilled with wine, bread was found in the wilderness. The bridge
that he built across the swift river Minho made his name famous throughout
Spain, and it existed up until recent times. During the time he was directing
work on this bridge, he used to call the fish to come and be caught; it was a
way of helping to feed the workers.
He visited also the
seaports of Galicia--boarding ships and preaching on their open decks. He had a
great liking for sailors, and is often portrayed in the habit of his Order,
holding a blue candle which symbolized Saint Elmo's fire, the blue electrical
discharge which sometimes appears in thunder storms at the mast- heads of
ships, and which was supposed to be a sign that the vessel was under the
saint's protection. (The name of Saint Elmo is of earlier origin. Peter
Gonzales, in the popular devotion of the sailors of the Mediterranean, has
replaced the name and memory of the older saints associated with the sea,
particularly the 4th century Saint Erasmus.)
He retired finally to Tuy
in a state of extreme exhaustion. During Lent he preached each day in the
cathedral, on Palm Sunday he foretold his death, and on the Sunday after
Easter, he died at Santiago de Compostella. Bishop Luke of Tuy, his great
admirer and friend, attended him to his last breath and buried him honorably in
his cathedral. In his last will, the bishop gave directions for his own body to
be laid near Peter's remains, which were placed in a silver shrine and honored
with many miracles (Benedictines, Delaney, Dorcy, Encyclopedia, Gill,
Husenbeth).
Born: 1190 at
Astorga, Spain
Died: April 15,1246
at Saintiago de Compostela, Tuy; buried in the cathedral at Tuy
Beatified: 1254 by
Pope Innocent IV
Canonized: December 13, 1741 by Pope Benedict XIV (cultus confirmed)
Representation: Dominican holding a blue candle or a candle with a blue
flame; Dominican lying on his cloak which is spread over hot coals; Dominican
holding fire in his bare hands; Dominican catching fish with his bare hands;
Dominican beside the ocean, often holding or otherwise protecting a ship
Prayers
Almighty God, you
bestowed the singular help of Blessed Peter on those in peril from the sea. By
the help of his prayers may the light of your grace shine forth in all the
storms of this life and enable us to find the harbor of everlasting salvation.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with
you and the Holy Ghost, one God, for ever and ever. - General Calendar of
the Order of Preachers
SOURCE : http://www.willingshepherds.org/Dominican%20Saints%20II.html
XVIth-century
painting of the Blessed Peter González, by Alejo Fernández, in the Alcázar of Seville
San Telmo o San Pedro González Telmo, patrón de los marineros. Esta representación corresponde a un retablo que se encuentra en el Alcázar de Sevilla.
April 15
St. Peter Gonzales,
Confessor
A.D. 1246.
From Bzovius ad an. 1246;
the monuments collected by the Bollandists on the 14th of April, t. 2. p. 389.
See F. Touron, Hommes Illustr. t. 1, p. 49.
[Commonly called St.
Telm, or Elm, patron of mariners.] THE BEST historians place the
birth of St. Peter Gonzales, (in Latin, Gonsalvus,) in the year 1190, at
Astorga, in the kingdom of Leon, in Spain, where he was descended of an
illustrious family. His wonderful progress in his studies, showed him to be
endowed with an extraordinary quickness of parts, and he embraced an
ecclesiastical state, though at that time a stranger to the spirit of
disengagement and humility which ought essentially to accompany it. His uncle,
the bishop of Astorga, charmed with his capacity, preferred him to a canonry,
and shortly after to the deanery of his chapter. The young dean, free indeed
from vice, but full of the spirit of the world, took possession of his dignity
with great pomp, but in the midst of his pride, happened, by a false step of
his prancing horse, to fall into a sink. This was the moment in which God was
pleased to strike his heart. This humiliation made the young gentleman enter
into himself, and with remorse to condemn his own vanity, and fondness of
applause, which deserved a much worse disgrace.—Opening his heart to these
sentiments of grace, without taking advice from flesh and blood, he retired to
Palencia, to learn the will of God in solitude, fasting, and prayer. To fight
against pride and self-love, he laboured strenuously to put off the old man by
mortification and humility, and became quickly a new man in Christ,
recollected, penitent, meek, and humble. The better to secure his victory over
the world and himself, he entered the austere Order of St. Dominick. The world
pursued him into his retreat. Its wise men left no stone unturned to make him
return to his dignity: but he was guided by better lights, and baffled all
their suggestions. Having made his vows, and strengthened his soul in the
spirit of humility and penance, by the exercises of holy retirement and
obedience, he was ordered by his superiors to employ his talents in the
ministry of the divine word, to which he consecrated the remainder of his life,
to the great advantage of innumerable souls. After he had passed the best part
of the night in holy meditations, or in singing the praises of God, he spent
the whole day in instructing the faithful: his words, always animated with a
burning charity, and supported by example, produced in his hearers the perfect
sentiments with which he endeavoured to inspire them. The greatest libertines
melted into tears at his sermons, and cast themselves at his feet in a spirit
of compunction and penance. The number of conversions which God wrought by his
ministry in the kingdom of Leon and Castille, especially in the diocess of
Palencia, made King Ferdinand III., though always taken up in his wars with the
Saracens, desirous to see him; and so much was he taken with the man of God,
that he would have him always near his person, both in the court and in the
field. He would have him always be present at his discourses, whether made to
the generals, courtiers, or soldiers; and the holy man, by his prayers and
exhortations, reformed the corrupt manners both of the troops and court. His
example gave the greatest weight to his words; for he lived in the court as he
would have done in a cloister, with the same austerities, the same
recollection, the same practices of humility, and other virtues. Yet some
slaves of pleasure hardened themselves against his zeal, and occasioned him
many sufferings. A courtesan was told by some of the nobility, that, if she
heard Gonzales preach, she would change her life. She impudently answered: “If
I had the liberty to speak to him in private, he could no more resist my charms
than so many others.” The lords, out of a malicious curiosity, promised her a
great sum if she could draw him into sin. She went to the saint, and, that she
might speak to him alone, said, she wanted to consult him on a secret affair of
importance.—When others were gone out, she fell on her knees, and, shedding
forced tears, pretended she desired to change her life, and began to make a
sham confession to him of her sins, but had nothing else in view than to
ensnare the servant of God, and at last, throwing off all disguise, said all
the devil prompted her in order to seduce him. But her artifices only served to
make his triumph the more glorious. Stepping into another room, where there was
a fire, and wrapping himself in his cloak, he threw himself upon the burning
coals, and then called upon her to come, and see where he waited for her. She,
amazed to see him not burn, cast herself on the ground, confessing her crimes
aloud, and suddenly became a true penitent, as they did also who had employed
her. The saint accompanied Ferdinand, king of Leon and Castille, in all his
expeditions against the Moors, particularly in the siege and taking of Cordova,
in 1236, which, from the year 718, had ever been the chief seat of the Moorish
dominions in Spain. Gonzales had a great share in the conquests and temporal
advantages of this prince, by his prudent counsels and prayers, and by the good
order which he prevailed with the officers and soldiers to observe. The
conquest of Cordova opened a new field to the zeal of Gonzales. He moderated the
ardour of the conquerors, saved the honour of the virgins and the lives of many
enemies, and purified the mosques, converting them into churches: in all which
he was seconded by King Ferdinand III. surnamed the Saint. The great mosque of
Cordova, the most famous of all Spain, became the cathedral church: and whereas
the Moors, when they conquered Compostella, two hundred and sixty years before,
had carried away the bells and ornaments on the backs of Christians, and placed
them in this mosque, King Ferdinand compelled the infidels to carry
them back themselves in the same manner to Compostella.
Gonzales burned with so
ardent a desire to preach the great truths of our holy religion to the poor and
the peasants, that no entreaties or solicitations could retain him any longer
at court. Galicia, and the rest of the coast, were the chief theatres of his
pious labours, the latter years of his life. Neither mountains, nor places of
the most difficult access in Asturia, and other parts, nor the ignorance and brutality
of the people, could daunt his courage. Under these fatigues, prayer was his
refreshment. He appeared every where as a new apostle. But the success of his
ministry was the most surprising in the diocess of Compostella and Tuy, in
which also he wrought many miracles. At Bayona in Galicia, the number of his
auditors having obliged him to preach in a great plain, in the open fields, and
a violent storm arising with wind, thunder, and lightning, his whole audience
began to be very uneasy, and thought to prevent the worst by flying. The holy
preacher prevailed upon them to stay, and by prayer appeased the tempest. All
places round about them were deluged; but not a drop fell on the auditory. The
saint had a particular zeal to instruct the poor in the country, and the
sailors, whom he sought on their vessels, and among whom he finished his mortal
course. He foretold his death on Palm-Sunday, and desiring to die in the arms
of his brethren at Compostella, set out from Tuy thither, but, growing worse on
the road, returned to the former place on foot; so unwilling was he to remit
anything in his penitential life. Luke, the famous bishop of Tuy, his great
admirer and friend, attended him to his last breath; buried him honourably in
his cathedral, and in his last will gave directions for his own body to be laid
near the remains of this servant of God. They are now exposed to public
veneration, in the same church, in a magnificent silver shrine, and have been
honoured with many miracles. Some place his death on the 15th, and others on
the 14th of April, in 1246. Pope Innocent IV. beatified him eight years after
in 1254, and granted an office to his Order in Spain, which was extended to the
city of Tuy, though he has not been solemnly canonized. Pope Benedict XIV. approved
his office for the whole Order of St. Dominick. The Spanish and Portuguese
mariners invoke his intercession in storms, and by it have often received
sensible marks of the divine succour. They call him corruptly St. Telm, or
Elmo, which Papebroke and Baillet derive originally from St. Erasmus, who was
implored, anciently, as a patron by sailors, in the Mediterranean
If we look into the lives
of all holy preachers and pastors, especially that of our Divine model, the
Prince of pastors and Saint of saints, we shall find the essential spirit of
this state is that of interior recollection and devotion, by which the soul is
constantly united to God. This is only learned by an apprenticeship of
retirement, and is founded in rooted habits of humility, compunction and
prayer. Great learning is indeed necessary for the discharge of the pastoral
duties; but this, and all exterior talents, must be directed and made spiritual
by the interior spirit and intention, or they will be pernicious to the pastor,
if not also to those whom he ought to direct. For fear of the dangers and abuse
of human qualifications, some have chosen in some measure to despise them,
hoping thus more securely to find God in solitude, penance, and contemplation.
This cannot be allowed to those who are destined to share in pastoral
functions. But for such to place any confidence in human industry or abilities
would be still a far more fatal disorder. It is from true interior charity,
zeal, compunction, devotion, and humility, that they must derive all their
power, and be made instrumental in promoting the divine honour, and the
sanctification of souls.—The pastor must be interiorly filled with the spirit
of God and his pure love, that this holy disposition may animate all he says or
does exteriorly. To entertain this interior spirit, self-denial, humility,
perfect obedience, a contempt of the world, assiduous prayer, and constant
recollection, must be his perpetual study. Those clergymen who pass their lives
in dissipation, and whose thoughts and hearts are always wandering abroad, are
undoubtedly strangers to the essential spirit of their state.
Rev. Alban
Butler (1711–73). Volume IV: April. The Lives of the
Saints. 1866.
SOURCE : http://www.bartleby.com/210/4/151.html
San Pietro Gonzales
(detto S. Telmo) Domenicano
Astorga, Spagna, 1190 -
Santiago de Compostella, 15 aprile 1246
Della nobile famiglia
spagnola di Frómista, già molto giovane fu canonico della cattedrale di
Palencia. Ma proprio la vita sfarzosa, che egli univa al disimpegno dei suoi
uffici ecclesiastici, nei piani di Dio doveva condurlo al ravvedimento: a causa
di una ridicola caduta da cavallo che provocò le risate degli astanti, Pietro
avvertì l'inconsistenza e la vanità del successo mondano e desiderando una vita
austera entrò nell'Ordine. Fu confessore di Ferdinando III di Castiglia e
infaticabile apostolo tra i marinai che lo invocano come loro protettore con il
nome di s. Telmo. Morì a Tuy in Spagna, nella cui cattedrale riposa il suo
corpo.
Martirologio Romano: A
Túy nella Galizia in Spagna, beato Pietro González, detto Telmo, sacerdote
dell’Ordine dei Predicatori, che, divenuto tanto umile quanto in passato era
stato desideroso di gloria, si adoperò nel dare aiuto ai poveri, specialmente
marinai e pescatori.
Pietro Gonzales è invocato dai marinai come loro specialissimo protettore col nome di Sant’Telmo. Le antiche cronache dicono che forse Telmo fu il suo cognome. Fu conquistato dalla grazia in un modo singolare. Nipote del Vescovo di Palencia, ancora giovane divenne Decano del Capitolo, ma non avendo posto il fondamento di una vera pietà, accecato dal fumo degli onori, non pensò altro che a circondarsi di lusso, di passatempi e di amici. Un giorno mentre se ne andava con molto sussiego su di una sfarzosa cavalcatura, il cavallo, con una mossa improvvisa, lo gettò in una nera pozzanghera, tra le risate dei circostanti. In un baleno, illuminato da Dio, comprese la vanità di tutte le vanità e, seguendo la divina ispirazione, si fece Frate Predicatore. All’orgoglio e al lusso contrappose la povertà eroica e una verace umiltà. Ebbe, come il suo Padre Domenico, la sete delle anime, e fu un instancabile predicatore. Non lasciava mai una casa o un luogo senza avervi riconciliate tutte le anime a Dio. Turbe di popolo lo seguivano come attirati da una forza misteriosa. Spinto dalla carità, ideò e costruì, in modo quasi miracoloso, un bel ponte sul fiume Minho presso Ribadavia dove vi lavorarono, in spirito di penitenza, un gran numero di operai da lui convertiti. Per rifocillare tanti uomini, a volte, chiamava a riva i pesci, che docili si lasciavano prendere da lui. Ferdinando Terzo di Castiglia, dettò il Santo, nelle spedizioni contro i Mori, lo volle con sé quale angelo tutelare. Morì a Tuy il 14 aprile 1246. Il suo corpo è conservato in una speciale cappella della locale cattedrale. Papa Benedetto XIV il 13 dicembre 1741 ha confermato il culto.
Autore: Franco Mariani
SOURCE : http://www.santiebeati.it/dettaglio/49575
.jpg)
Procesión de San Telmo. Tui (Galicia, España), 29 de abril de 2019.
.jpg)
.jpg)
Procesión de San Telmo. Tui (Galicia, España), 29 de abril de 2019.
Den salige Peter González
(«San Telmo») (~1180-1246)
Minnedag:
14. april
Skytshelgen for marinen
og sjøfolk (Spania og Portugal); mot uvær og jordskjelv; i havsnød
Den salige Peter González
(sp: Pedro) ble født rundt 1180 (i alle fall før 1190) i Frómista nord for
Palencia i Léon i Spania. Han kom fra en adelig og velstående kastiljansk
familie og levde et verdslig liv i tråd med skikken blant adelen den gangen. Han
fikk sin utdannelse av sin onkel, biskopen av Astorga, som utnevnte ham til
kannik ved katedralen i Palencia mens han ennå egentlig var for ung til å få et
slikt embete. Han var full av stolthet, for en spesiell bulle var sikret slik
at han kunne motta prosteembetet selv om han egentlig ikke var gammel nok, og
han bestemte seg for å bli innsatt med stor pomp og prakt. For sitt inntog i
Astorga valgte han juledag, da gatene sannsynligvis var fullpakket. Han ønsket
å imponere sin flokk med fine klær og en levende personlighet.
På juledag paraderte
Peter gjennom byen på hesteryggen i praktfulle klær, men bråket og spenningen
ble for mye for hesten, så dyret rygget og kastet ham av i en gjødselhaug.
Folket svarte med et latterbrøl. Peter reiste seg i skam og ropte: «Hvis verden
spotter meg, skal jeg spotte verden». Skitten og forvirret trakk han seg
tilbake for å slikke sine sår. Forbausende nok fikk hendelsen ham til å tenke
på det forgjengelige i verdslig pomp og prakt, og deretter reformerte han sitt
unyttige liv og sa fra seg kannikembetet. Etter noen måneders eneboerliv i en
vill ødemark trådte han inn hos dominikanerne (Ordo Fratrum Praedicatorum –
OP) i deres hus i Palencia. Siden skulle han alltid gråte for sine synder, og
hans liv ble tilbrakt i bønn og bot for å oppveie de bortkastede årene i
ungdommen.
Men Peters venner tillot
ikke at dette hendte uten protester. De hadde moret seg over hans uhell, men de
ble ikke omvendt av det slik som han ble, og de gjorde sitt beste for å prøve å
overtale ham til å forlate ordenslivet og vende tilbake til den luksuriøse
verden han hadde lagt bak seg. Det var trolig en alvorlig fristelse for den
unge mannen, men han ga ikke etter, i stedet sa han til dem: «Hvis dere er glad
i meg, så følg meg. Hvis dere ikke kan følge meg, så glem meg».
Etter studiene ble Peter
først militærkapellan i den kongelige hæren. Han begynte også å forkynne i
regionen, og han ble berømt for sine prekener og trakk store folkemengder.
Resitasjonen av salmene var hans vanligste bønn. Hans berømmelse spredte seg
over hele Spania og nådde også den hellige kong Ferdinand III av
Léon og Castilla (1198-1252), som utnevnte ham til hoffkapellan og skriftefar.
Deretter arbeidet Peter for å reformere hoffet til tross for stor motstand. Han
gjorde mye for å få i stand et korstog mot maurerne (muslimene i Spania), og da
kong Ferdinand endelig handlet, fulgte Peter ham på ekspedisjonene mot
maurerne. Han overtalte også seierherrene til å være storsinnet overfor den
slagne fienden etter at Córdoba og Sevilla var erobret. Han tok også over
mauriske moskeer og gjorde dem om til kirker.
Deretter forlot han
hoffet for å forkynne blant bøndene i Galicia i Nord-Spania og langs kysten, og
han trakk store folkemengder. Han oppsøkte de villeste og mest utilgjengelige
områdene, oppsøkte bøndene i landsbyene og gjeterne i fjellene i Asturias. Hans
forkynnelse forårsaket forsoning mellom naboer og mellom mennesker og Gud.
Mange av anekdotene om ham stammer fra denne tiden. Ved hans bønner stoppet
stormer og tørke, flasker ble fylt igjen med vin og brød ble funnet i
villmarken. Broen som han bygde over den ville elven Minho, gjorde hans navn
berømt over hele Spania, og den sto helt til moderne tid. Den tiden han ledet
arbeidet på broen, pleide han å lokke på fisken til å komme og bli fanget – det
var en måte å hjelpe til med å fø arbeiderne.
Peter trakk seg til slutt
fullstendig utslitt tilbake til Tuy sør for Santiago de Compostela i Galicia,
ved grensen til Portugal. I fasten 1246 prekte han hver dag i katedralen, på
palmesøndag forutsa han sin død, og søndag etter påske, den 14. april 1246,
døde han i Tuy. Biskop Lukas av Tuy, hans store beundrer og venn, var hos ham
da han døde og gravla ham med all heder i sin katedral. I sitt testamente ga
biskopen beskjed om at hans eget legeme skulle legges nær Peters jordiske
rester, som ble plassert i et sølvskrin og beæret med mange mirakler. På
1500-tallet ble det bygd en stor kirke over hans grav, og hans kult ble oppmuntret
av innvilgelsen av pavelige privilegier.
Peter kalles gjerne
«hellig», men han er aldri formelt helligkåret. Noen kilder sier at han ble
saligkåret i 1254 av pave Innocent IV (1243-54), men saligkåringen skjedde
først den 13. desember 1741 ved at hans kult ble stadfestet av pave Benedikt
XIV (1740-58). Hans minnedag er dødsdagen 14. april.
Peter var spesielt
opptatt av sjøfolkenes ve og vel, som knapt hadde mulighet til kirkebesøk. Han
besøkte havnene i Galicia, gikk om bord i skip og prekte på dekkene og hørte
deres skriftemål. Han er skytshelgen for spanske og portugisiske sjømenn, som
anroper ham som «den hellige Telmo (Elmo)». Dette skyldes imidlertid en
forveksling med den hellige martyrbiskopen Erasmus (d.
ca 303), som først ble forkortet til Ermo og deretter til Elmo. Han er
skytshelgen for sjøfolk generelt.
St. Elms-ild er en blek
(blå) elektrisk utladning som på stormfulle netter kan ses i mastetoppene,
rundt dekket og riggen på skip under storm og ble antatt å vise at skipet var
under helgenens beskyttelse. Fenomenet er i virkeligheten en korona av varm,
ionisert gass som omgir høyreiste objekter som fungerer som strømledere under
stormer. Lyset ble også kalt corposant eller corpuzanto (corpo
santo = «hellig legeme»). De gamle kalte dem «Helena-ild» når det var en
flamme og «Castor og Pollux» når de var i par (Castor og Pollux var sønner av
Zevs, én udødelig og én ikke).
Peter avbildes ofte i
dominikansk ordensdrakt med et blått talglys eller et lys med en blå flamme som
symboliserte St. Elms-ilden, Han avbildes også som dominikaner som ligger på
sin kappe på glødende kull, som holder en ild i sine hender eller han fanger
fisk med hendene. Attributter er skip, anker, fakkel og bok.
Peter González står på en
liste over helgener1 som
har det til felles at det ble sagt at det fra deres graver eller relikvier
strømmet ut olje til visse tider.2 Disse
helgenene ble gjerne kalt på gresk Myroblýtes («myrrautgytere»).
1 Catholic
Encyclopedia: Oil of Saints
2 Acta
Sanctorum, april, II, s 393
Kilder:
Attwater/Cumming, Butler (II), Benedictines, Delaney, Bunson,
Schauber/Schindler, Index99, KIR, CE, CSO, Patron Saints SQPN, Bautz,
Heiligenlexikon, santiebeati.it, en.wikipedia.org, juliettewood.com -
Kompilasjon og oversettelse: p. Per Einar Odden -
Opprettet: 2000-06-09 01:41 - - Sist oppdatert: 2008-04-08 11:32
Linken er kopiert til
utklippstavlen!
SOURCE : https://www.katolsk.no/biografier/historisk/pgonzale
San
Telmo, Collections of the San Telmo Museoa
Petrus Gonzáles
spanischer Name: Pedro
Beiname: der Bekenner
auch: Elmo, Telmo
Gedenktag katholisch: 14. April
Hochfest im Bistum Tui-Vigo: Montag der zweiten Osterwoche
nicht gebotener Gedenktag im Dominikanerorden
nicht gebotener Gedenktag im Bistum Palencia: 15. April
Name bedeutet: der
Fels (griech. - latein.)
Priester, Ordensmann
* 9. März 1190 (?) in Frómista bei Palencia in Spanien
† 15. April 1246 in Tuy / Tui in
Spanien
Petrus entstammte
spanischem Adel und führte ein prunkvolles Leben. Nach dem Studium in Palencia ernannte
ihn der Ortsbischof, sein Onkel, dort zum Domdechanten; damit konnte er sein
aufwändiges Leben weiterführen: so ritt er auf prächtig geschmücktem Pferd
Beifall heischend durch die Straßen, bis das Pferd eines Tages scheute, ihn in
den Straßenschmutz abwarf und das Volk hämisch lachte. Petrus zog sich einige
Monate in eine Einsiedelei zurück und trat dann nach dieser Zeit der Einkehr
1220 dem Dominikanerorden im
Kloster St. Paul in Palencia bei, wurde Prediger und Beichtvater des
Königs Ferdinand
III. von Kastilien.
Petrus bewog König Ferdinand
III. zum Feldzug gegen die Mauren in Andalusien und
begleitete ihn bei der Eroberung von Córdoba und Sevilla:
in den eroberten Städten weihte er die Moscheen zu Kirchen. Nach der Rückkehr
ging er nach Asturien und Galicien und
besuchte auch die entlegenste Orte, um dort zu predigen und sich der Armen
anzunehmen. Besonders widmete er sich dort den Seeleuten , die sonst kaum eine
Kirche aufsuchen konnten, besuchte sie auf ihren Schiffen und verkündete ihnen
dort das Evangelium. In Guimarães bei Braga in Portugal war er dann Prior
im Kloster
São Domingos der Dominikaner;
dort zählte Gundisalvus
Amaranthus zu seinen Mönchen.
Petrus starb während
einer seiner Missionsreisen und wurde an seinem Todesort Tui beigesetzt, sein
Grab ist in der dortigen Kathedrale.
Berichtet wird von zahllosen Wundern, die seiner Fürsprache zu verdanken sind.
In der Kirche
San Pedro in seinem Geburtsort Frómista wird eine Reliquie bewahrt.
Weil auch der Märtyrer Erasmus /
Elmo als Patron der Seeleute verehrt wurde, ergab sich im Laufe der
Verehrung von Petrus eine Übertragung von dessen Namen.
Kanonisation: Petrus'
Verehrung wurde 1741 durch Papst Benedikt XIV. anerkannt.
Attribute: Schiff, Anker
Patron von Frómista und Tui;
der Marine und der Seeleute; gegen Unwetter, Erdbeben und Seenot; des Bistums
Tui-Vigo
Die Kirche San Pedro in Frómista ist täglich von 10 Uhr bis 13.30 Uhr und von 16 Uhr bis 19.30 Uhr zur Besichtigung geöffnet. (2015)
Die ehemalige Königsburg, der Alcázar in
Córdoba, ist täglich von 9 Uhr bis 20.30 Uhr geöffnet, im Sommer auch länger,
der Eintritt beträgt 7 €.
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Autor: Joachim
Schäfer - zuletzt aktualisiert am 11.02.2024
Quellen:
• Vera Schauber, Hanns Michael Schindler: Heilige und Patrone im Jahreslauf. Pattloch, München 2001
• Lexikon für Theologie und Kirche, begr. von Michael Buchberger. Hrsg. von Walter Kasper, 3., völlig neu bearb. Aufl., Bd. 8. Herder, Freiburg im Breisgau 1999
• http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pedro_Gonz%C3%A1lez_Telmo - abgerufen am
20.07.2023
korrekt zitieren: Joachim Schäfer: Artikel Petrus Gonzáles, aus dem Ökumenischen Heiligenlexikon - https://www.heiligenlexikon.de/BiographienP/Petrus_Gonzales_Elmo.htm, abgerufen am 9. 9. 2025
Die Deutsche Nationalbibliothek verzeichnet das Ökumenische
Heiligenlexikon in der Deutschen Nationalbibliografie; detaillierte
bibliografische Daten sind im Internet über https://d-nb.info/1175439177 und https://d-nb.info/969828497 abrufbar.
SOURCE : https://www.heiligenlexikon.de/BiographienP/Petrus_Gonzales_Elmo.htm
San
Telmo na igrexa de San Caetano de Santiago de Compostela
San Telmo
Telmo, San. Pedro González. Frómista (Palencia), c. 1190 – Tuy (Pontevedra), c. 1246. Dominico (OP), asceta, confesor real, predicador, santo.
Biografía
Una de las familias
nobles que había en Frómista en el siglo xii eran los Gundisalvi. Es decir, los
descendientes de González, cristianos viejos y cumplidores y con una buena
posición económica. En esa familia nació Pedro González. No se conoce con exactitud
la fecha de nacimiento. Teniendo en cuenta otros datos que aparecen en su vida,
lo más lógico es que se produjera hacia 1190. Su educación comenzaría en la
propia familia aprendiendo las primeras letras, las oraciones y los primeros
rudimentos de la fe cristiana.
Dada la condición y
posibilidades de su familia, es casi seguro que tuviera un preceptor
particular. Esa formación se completaría en la escuela monástica de los
benedictinos. Allí estudiaría la Gramática, Dialéctica y Retórica, y a
continuación la Aritmética, Geometría, Astronomía y Música. Concluidos esos
estudios, el alumno con cualidades era considerado apto para estudiar en
centros superiores.
Le enviaron a la recién
constituida Universidad de Palencia, tanto por su fama, su proximidad geográfica,
como porque el obispo de la ciudad, Tello Téllez de Meneses, era tío suyo. En
ese tiempo ya se enseñaba allí la Teología. El alumno que aprobaba los estudios
quedaba capacitado para enseñar y ejercer cargos eclesiásticos y con poder para
resolver litigios. La formación estaba orientada principalmente hacia el
ministerio pastoral. Sus conocimientos de Biblia, Teología y Leyes le
capacitaban para ejercer en la iglesia Catedral, donde trabajó con otros
clérigos y llegó a canónigo. Quiso celebrar su nombramiento con una gran
fiesta. Con sus mejores ropas y montado en un caballo ricamente enjaezado quiso
recorrer la ciudad. El caballo se desbocó y le derribó en un lodazal. Oyó
burlas y comentarios jocosos. Esto le ayudó a reconsiderar su vida y a darle un
nuevo rumbo.
Decidió entrar en la
recién fundada Orden de Predicadores.
Ya existía el Convento de
San Pablo de Palencia, fundado por el mismo santo Domingo en 1219. Fue una
decisión personal y meditada. Era un hombre con una buena posición eclesiástica
y con un futuro prometedor. Conocía la vida y el ideal de los frailes. Podía
haber elegido otro camino. Sin duda se sintió atraído por la pobreza
evangélica, el rezo solemne en comunidad, el estudio constante de la verdad
revelada y luego predicada frecuentemente al pueblo, aun en forma itinerante.
Le atraía y estaba preparado. No faltó quien le quiso disuadir desaconsejando
el cambio.
Un día, hacia 1220, se
presentó a la puerta del convento pidiendo ser admitido en la comunidad. Los
frailes le recibieron con alegría e ilusión. Le conocían.
Desde el principio se
adaptó perfectamente a las reglas de la vida religiosa cumpliéndolas con
escrupulosidad.
Superó la prueba del
noviciado e hizo la profesión religiosa. Se propuso imitar a santo Domingo,
especialmente en la oración y la predicación allí donde sus superiores le
enviasen. Nacía así el predicador itinerante que fue durante toda su vida.
Pasados cuatro o cinco años, salió de la ciudad para predicar en otras partes.
Recorrió la diócesis de Palencia y otras de Castilla, León, Navarra, País
Vasco, Aragón y Cataluña. Quedan testimonios de su paso por ellas en los
conventos de la Orden. Predicaba en ambientes populares y en otros más
reducidos y selectos. Los temas de predicación eran los normales de la época,
una mezcla de cuestiones apocalípticas y adoctrinamiento moral de los oyentes
para lograr el arrepentimiento y alentar a la práctica de las virtudes
cristianas, temer y amar a Dios. Tenía dotes especiales para llegar al corazón
de sus oyentes.
Su fama llegó hasta la
Corte del rey Fernando III. Quiso que le acompañara en sus campañas de
reconquista en Andalucía como confesor suyo y para el servicio religioso y
pastoral de sus soldados. Era una guerra alentada y bendecida por los Papas,
que concedieron indulgencias de cruzada. Creían cumplir así la voluntad de
Dios. El Rey esperaba que sus sermones mejoraran cristianamente y enardecieran
a su ejército y que sus devotas oraciones ayudaran a conseguir la victoria. Los
oyentes eran distintos y bastante más difíciles de convertir y mejorar que los
que había tenido hasta entonces. Había soldados bien dispuestos que le tenían
por un santo y seguían sus consejos y otros más disolutos para quienes el
fraile devoto era un pesado objeto de sus bromas y chanzas. Durante el tiempo
que sirvió al Ejército tuvo que sufrir con paciencia muchas murmuraciones y
falsos testimonios, especialmente por parte de algunos nobles, que llegaron a
tenderle una trampa, en la que no cayó, con una mujer pública. No cayó en ella.
La campaña militar fue
larga. Hubo muchos momentos de relajación y desaliento. El ambiente castrense
no le gustaba. Cumplió lo mejor que pudo con sus obligaciones acatando la
voluntad de sus superiores religiosos y civiles. No es extraño que internamente
desease abandonar aquel ambiente. Tuvo que esperar hasta que acabó aquella
campaña.
Cuando las conquistas de
Jaén y Córdoba estuvieron consolidadas, dejó la vida castrense para dedicarse
otra vez a las misiones populares. La etapa siguiente sería en Asturias,
Galicia y norte de Portugal.
En Galicia se identificó
plenamente con el carácter del pueblo gallego. Especialmente allí dejó el
recuerdo imborrable de su predicación, de sus virtudes y de sus milagros. Es la
etapa más fecunda y mejor conocida de su vida.
Santiago de Compostela
era ya un concurridísimo centro de peregrinación y por ello un sitio ideal para
el ministerio de la predicación a nacionales y extranjeros.
Una respetable tradición
incluye a santo Domingo entre los peregrinos y no desaprovechó la ocasión para
fundar allí el Convento de Bonaval, después llamado de Santo Domingo.
Evidentemente, san Telmo fue enviado allí por los superiores. Se presupone que
había quedado libre de su compromiso con el Rey y el Ejército. El convento era
el centro de su acción apostólicas. Sus compañeros en aquel tiempo fueron fray
Pedro de las Marinas y fray Miguel González, ambos con fama de santos por
aquellos lugares.
Era costumbre que fuesen
frailes experimentados. En las temporadas largas de predicación se albergaban
en los hospitales para pobres y peregrinos o en las casas de los sacerdotes con
cura de almas. En una de esas casas ocurrió una anécdota curiosa y un milagro.
Él y su compañero llegaron a ella agotados y sedientos y pidieron algo de
beber. El ama les dijo que sólo había en casa un poco de vino, pero que el
párroco le había advertido muy seriamente de que no se lo diese absolutamente a
nadie, por lo que pudiera pasar. Replicó el santo que Dios proveería. El ama
les dio el vino encomendándose a Dios y se ausentó de casa temiendo la reacción
del cura. Cuando volvió el sacerdote, pidió un trago de su vino. A1 ver el
frasco se admiró de que estuviese lleno y de un vino muy bueno. Quiso saber lo
sucedido. Se lo explicó el ama, tras lo cual fue a buscar al santo para
ofrecerle su casa.
Hospedado en la casa de
un sacerdote de un pueblo de Lugo, sufrió la misma tentación que en Andalucía,
esta vez con una criada de la casa, que entró en su cuarto y le pidió que la
dejase dormir allí. El santo, con serenidad, extendió carbones encendidos por
la habitación y se acostó pidiéndola que hiciera lo mismo; ella escapó
aterrorizada y contó lo sucedido.
Todos estos hechos
acrecentaban su fama. El santoral de Tuy hace de él una clara descripción:
cuerpo no muy grande, agradable a la vista, elegante, atractivo, de
conversación agradable y tan equilibrado que se hacía querer de todos.
En Galicia apareció en su
madurez todo lo que el santo llevaba de peregrino y predicador itinerante.
Después de sus sermones
dedicaba todo el tiempo necesario para oír las confesiones de los pecadores
arrepentidos y darles consejos más personales según sus circunstancias. Poco a
poco se fue alejando de Santiago en dirección Sur. Sin proponérselo
conscientemente, su destino final era la diócesis y ciudad de Tuy.
Siguiendo el curso de río
Miño llegó hasta Rivadavia.
En el pueblo de Castrelo
fue donde adquirió fama de constructor de puentes. Sus habitantes tenían un
grave problema con las inundaciones del Miño. Era muy peligroso pasar de una
parte a otra para realizar sus trabajos. Varias personas habían muerto
ahogadas, por lo que se propuso construirles un puente seguro.
Escribió al rey Fernando
III pidiéndole ayuda.
El Rey envió cartas a los
nobles solicitando cooperación económica, sin que, según parece, la ayuda fuera
demasiado generosa. El santo siguió adelante con el proyecto. Era una obra de
envergadura y tenía que ser muy sólida por las características del terreno.
Organizó a todos los habitantes y pusieron manos a la obra. Buscaron y
acarrearon la piedra necesaria y otros materiales de construcción. E1 santo
también trabajaba llevando piedras y mezclando la cal y la arena.
Para la tradición popular
el puente es obra de Dios, de san Telmo, de la ayuda de los nobles, del trabajo
de los más humildes y de la generosidad de los peces pues cuenta el libro de la
leyenda de la ciudad de Tuy, y lo corroboraron testigos, que los peces se
ofrecían al santo y a su compañero cuando la pesca escaseaba.
A pesar de estas tareas,
san Telmo no desatendía su actividad apostólica ni su ascetismo. Predicaba a
los trabajadores y por la noche se retiraba a alguna gruta para descansar un
poco y hacer penitencia y oración.
El lugar que más
frecuentaba era un monte abrupto cercano al puente. Dos grandes rocas formaban
una especie de cueva, y allí edificó una pequeña ermita.
Cuando se terminó el
puente, el santo se encaminó hacia Tuy. Fue el momento en que se adentró en
tierras portuguesas. Llegó hasta Guimaraes y se hospedó en una casa hospital,
como lo habían hecho otros dominicos que habían llegado hasta allí. Desplegó
una gran actividad apostólica llegando hasta Braga, Oporto, Viana y Camiñas.
Por fin se dirigió hacia
Tuy como nuevo centro de su actividad apostólica. Llevaba el mismo celo y mucha
más experiencia y madurez. Allí se incrementó su fama de profeta y hombre de
Dios. Evangelizaba en toda la región. En una de esas correrías sucedió otro
hecho milagroso. Un sacerdote de Bayona, muy amigo suyo, le hizo saber que
estaba muy enfermo y que deseaba verle. Buscó al otro fraile y se hizo
acompañar de un joven seglar. Aunque era tarde, se pusieron en camino sin haber
comido. Sus compañeros comenzaron a sentir hambre. Al fin el joven comentó en
voz baja, lejos del santo, que el buen hombre anciano no se preocupaba por
comer y no le preocupaba que ellos estuviesen hambrientos. E1 santo se detuvo y
les esperó. Cuando llegaron a su altura le dijo al joven: “Ya que tienes
hambre, ve detrás de aquella roca y encontrarás comida para hoy”. Encontraron
un jarro de vino y unos panes muy blancos. Comieron. El santo les mandó dejar
las sobras detrás de la misma piedra.
Comenzaron a caminar de
nuevo, pero picados de la curiosidad se volvieron a mirar detrás de la piedra.
Las sobras no estaban allí.
San Telmo se detuvo algún
tiempo a predicar en Bayona y sus alrededores. Acudía muchísima gente a sus
sermones. Comenzó otra vez a construir puentes. En el de la Ramallosa se
produjo un milagro. Estaba predicando a los trabajadores cuando estalló una
gran tormenta. Los oyentes comenzaron a retirarse y buscar algún refugio. El
santo les mandó que se quedasen allí tranquilos, pues Dios haría que no
sufrieran ningún daño. Hizo la señal de la cruz en dirección a la tormenta, las
nubes se separaron y apareció el sol donde ellos estaban. La tormenta siguió
lejos de ellos.
El hecho tuvo una gran
repercusión.
Comenzaron a fallarle las
fuerzas. Predicando la Cuaresma en los alrededores de Bayona pidió que no le siguieran
los ancianos, los enfermos y los débiles.
Anunció también que su
muerte estaba cercana y pidió que le encomendasen a Dios después de su muerte.
Marchó hacia Tuy y su salud empeoró con unas fiebres malignas. Quiso ir a morir
al Convento de Santiago. Se puso en camino, pero empeoró y tuvo que volver a
Tuy. Se alojó en casa de un amigo, donde murió, hacia el año 1246. Llevaron su
cuerpo en procesión, presidida por el obispo, a la Catedral y allí le dieron
sepultura.
Galicia vive mirando al
mar y muchos gallegos trabajan y trabajaban en él. El santo se preocupó siempre
de sus necesidades espirituales y temporales. Había vivido entre ellos largo
tiempo y no es extraño, por tanto, que confiasen en él como patrono de las gentes
del mar con el nombre de san Telmo. Dos hechos milagrosos serían el fundamento
de ese patronazgo. Seis testigos fiables de la villa de Valençia declararon en
el proceso que habían oído a sus padres y abuelos contar que, estando el santo
en Tuy, no había barco en el río Miño para pasar a Valençia. El santo pasaba a
la gente poniendo su capa sobre el río tantas veces como hiciera falta. Y luego
se la ponía completamente seca.
En la tradición
portuguesa aparece otro hecho. Los marineros de una compañía portuguesa se
presentan ante los nobles del rey Fernando III preguntando por fray Pedro
González, que asistía a las tropas, pues les había salvado de un naufragio
cierto asegurándoles que llegarían a salvo a su destino. Llevaban bastimento al
ejército que combatía en Andalucía. Aseguraban que le habían visto y oído en la
nave con su hábito, y que con su palabra había calmado la tempestad.
Al regresar a Lisboa,
contaron el hecho a todo el mundo. Ese patronazgo se extendió pronto al norte
de España, Portugal y luego a América.
El culto popular comenzó en seguida alimentado por los hechos milagrosos que empezaron a ocurrir en su tumba y con quienes se encomendaban a él. Empezó en su sepulcro y se propagó rápidamente, sobre todo en las regiones donde había predicado. La confirmación oficial llegó mucho más tarde, después de un voluminoso proceso, aprobado el 13 de diciembre de 1741 por el papa Benedicto XIV.
Fuentes
Archivo de la Catedral de
Tuy, Legenda B. Petri Confessoris, Ordinis Praedicatorum; Archivo de la
Congregación de Ritos, Trasunto público del proceso (Processus 3258).
Bibliografía
V. Justiniano
Antist, La vida de San Pedro González Telmo abogado de navegantes,
Valencia, 1587
F. Pineda, Historia
de la vida, virtudes y milagros de San Pedro González Telmo, Sevilla, 1716
Positio super dubium an
sententia Episcopi Tudensi pro culto publico ab immemorabili tempore praedicto
Beato [...], Roma, 1741
E. Flórez, España
Sagrada, vol. XXIII, Madrid, Imprenta de José Rodríguez, 1767, págs. 131-176 y
245‑289
M. Amado, Epítome de
la vida de San Pedro González Telmo, Madrid, 1829
P. Álvarez, Santos,
Bienaventurados, Venerables de la Orden de Predicadores, vol. I, Vergara, El
Santísimo Rosario, 1920
Año Cristiano, vol. II,
Madrid, Biblioteca de Autores Cristianos, 1959, págs. 93‑105
C. Palomo, “González,
Pedro”, en Q. Aldea Vaquero, T. Marín Martínez y J. Vives Gatell (dirs.), Diccionario
de Historia Eclesiástica de España, vol. II, Madrid, Instituto Enrique
Flórez, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, 1972, pág. 1032
J. Gómez Sobrino,
“Documentos sobre San Telmo existentes en el Archivo de la Catedral de Tui”, en
VV. AA., Actas do II encontro sobre Historia Dominicana, vol. I, Porto,
1984, págs. 317-326
B. González
Domínguez, Biografía ascética de San Pedro González Telmo, Tuy, Cofradía
de San Telmo, 1985 (2.ª ed.)
L. Galmés, San Telmo,
Salamanca, San Esteban, 1991.
Autor/es
Teodoro González García,
OP
SOURCE : https://historia-hispanica.rah.es/biografias/43122-san-telmo
Anónimo
Sevillano, San Telmo, 1908, Museo de Bellas Artes de Sevilla, s. XVI, depósito
de la Universidad Literaria de Sevilla
Beato Pedro González
Telmo
Breve historia
Pedro nace en Frómista
(Palencia), a finales del s. XII. Era ya deán de la catedral de Palencia cuando
—según se cuenta— caminando un día en rico alazán por la ciudad, tuvo una caída
ante el regocijo de los que lo vieron. Confundido en su arrogancia, cambia
radicalmente de orientación y renunciando a las vanidades en que vivía, pide en
el convento de Palencia el habito de la Orden. Tuvo un gran “espíritu de fe y
de oración y de celo apostólico. (Vidas de bs frailes, V, 9, 2) Fue consejero
del rey Fernando III el Santo y se dedicó en su misión apostólica a ayudar a
los necesitados y de un modo muy especial en Galicia y Portugal a la atención
de los marineros. La gran devoción a él de los marineros, con el nombre de «San
Telmo», se debe a que una tormenta se calmó a la invocación de su nombre. Murió
en Tuy (Pontevedra) el 14 de abril de 1246 y su cuerpo se venera en capilla
especial en su catedral. Su culto inmemorial fue confirmado por Benedicto XIV
el 13 de diciembre e 1741.
Liturgia de las Horas
Del Común de pastores o
santos consagrados a la misericordia.
Oficio de lectura
Segunda lectura
De la Carta circular del
MO beato Juan de Vercelli
(Cap. gen. 1273, MOPH 5,
Romae 1900, pp. 91-92)
La misión del predicador
Meditad sobre el mismo
nombre que saludable. mente se os ha puesto: Predicadores, para que,
fundándonos ya en un nombre tan digno de alabanza, nos acomodemos a lo que ese
nombre significa. Debemos absolutamente ser testigos de la verdad, haciendo de
mensajeros de Cristo, de modo que nuestro testimonio sea excepcionalmente
auténtico, de forma que no se nos pueda reprochar por qué y con qué derecho,
siendo indignos de la misión que se nos confió, osamos presentarnos como
testigos de Dios con nuestra palabra.
Por tanto, debemos
dedicarnos con solicitud al estudio de la Palabra de Dios, como nos piden las
constituciones de nuestra Orden, y el amor al estudio cada día debe renacer en
nuestro corazón con mayor entusiasmo. Debemos asimilar siempre con mayor
esfuerzo el contenido de nuestras lecturas, de modo que nos vayan formando con
profundidad en nuestro modo de vida para que así, aun viviendo en un mundo
lleno de oscuridad, podamos iluminar con la luz dé nuestra propia vida.
Debemos estar preparados
a dar justificación dé muestra fe y nuestra esperanza que Dios ha infundido en
nosotros y sin nosotros, a cuantos están buscando y nos piden esta respuesta
(1Pe 3, 15). Debemos estar dispuestos en este campo para enseñar a los
ignorantes, devolver al buen camino a los descarriados, promover la paz,
corregir a los que viven insensibles en el pecado y consolar a los que sufren,
actuando con todos todo lo que cada día se exige a los predicadores de la
verdad.
Se debe también tener una
obediencia generosa, mando como modelo de ella a Cristo, ante lo que él nos ha
prometido, pues Cristo quiso en todo cumplir no su propia voluntad sino la del
Padre. (Lc 22, 42) Viviendo nosotros así, el enemigo no encontrara nada en
nosotros, pues quien no tiene nada como propio ni interior ni exteriormente y
es hijo de la verdadera obediencia, que no actita con decisiones personales,
éste no se verá privado del premio prometido a la hora de la definitiva
retribución.
Para obtener cosas tan
necesarias debemos ayudamos con una oración fiel, humilde y devota; fervorosa
en su asiduidad y perfumada con la pureza de una recta intención.
Haciendo esto ocuparemos
el tiempo con utilidad y tendrán verdadero alimento las aspiraciones de nuestro
corazón. Sobre todo, actuando así, el Redentor estar presente en los que hablan
de él. Solo así desaparecerán las frivolidades, se dejara de lado una vida
disipada y de este modo será edificado el prójimo. Por ultimo, así se obtendrán
siempre mejores resultados y Dios será alabado.
Responsorio Cf. 1 Tm 4, 2; Hch 26, 20
R. Proclama la palabra, insiste a tiempo y a destiempo, reprende, reprocha, exhorta * Con toda paciencia y deseo de instruir. (T.P. Aleluya.)
V. Predicó al pueblo la penitencia y la reconciliación con Dios. * Con
toda paciencia y deseo de instruir. (T.P. Aleluya.)
Laudes
Benedictus, ant. El
se puso en pie, increpo a los vientos y al lago y vino una gran calma. Y les
dijo: ‘Cobardes! ;Qué poca fe! Ellos se preguntaban admirados. ¢Quién es éste?
;Hasta el viento y el agua le obedecen! (T.P. Aleluya.)
O bien, especialmente con
canto: ant. ¡Señor, sálvanos que nos hundimos! Mándalo tu, Dios, y se hará
una gran calma.
Oración
Oh Dios, que por el bienaventurado Pedro ayudas de modo especial a los que
corren peligro en el mar; concédenos, por su intercesión, que brille siempre la
luz de tu gracia como faro en las tormentas de nuestra vida para que podamos
arribar a] puerto de la salvación eterna. Por nuestro Señor Jesucristo.
Vísperas
Magnificat, ant. Jesús
recorría todas las ciudades aldeas, anunciando el Evangelio del Reino y curando
todas las enfermedades y todas las dolencias. (T.P. Aleluya.)
O bien, especialmente con
canto: ant. Llama a los jornaleros y págales el jornal, dice el
Señor.
La oración como en
Laudes.
SOURCE : https://www.op.org.ar/blog/2021/04/14/beato-pedro-gonzalez-telmo/
Le Chemin de Saint Jacques - FESTAS PATRONAIS DE SAN TELMO : https://www.caminodesantiago.gal/fr/recurso/-/recurso/FI-PO-000018/festas-patronais-de-san-telmo
