Today, September 25th, we celebrate the feast day of Saint Dalmatius Moner, religious; Saint Aurelia, virgin; Saint Sergius, monk; and Our Lady of Mercy of Reus (la Mare de Déu de la Misericòrdia de Reus).


Saint Dalmatius Moner, Religious

Born in 1291 in Santa Coloma de Farners, he entered the Order of Preachers at a young age. During his early years, he lived in various friaries where he carried out duties of formation and preaching. A man of deep contemplative life, he especially cherished solitude and avoided those who approached him drawn by his reputation for holiness.

He first retired to Sainte-Baume in Provence and later returned to Girona, where he lived as a hermit in a cave in the garden of the convent of Sant Domènec. There he led a life of prayer and extreme penance, without abandoning service to his community: he served as a preacher, sacristan, and novice master. His reputation for holiness and the miracles attributed to him attracted many people seeking his counsel. He died in Girona on September 24th, 1341, and his cult was confirmed in 1721.


Saint Aurelia, Virgin

According to an ancient medieval tradition, Aurelia and her sister Neomisia were born in Asia Minor and, moved by their devotion, went on pilgrimage to the Holy Land and Rome. They were attacked by Saracens on the Via Latina, but a severe storm scattered their pursuers, allowing the two sisters to continue their journey. They settled near Anagni, where they dedicated themselves to prayer, penance, and helping the poor, the elderly, and the sick.


Saint Sergius, Monk

Born in 1314 in Rostov, northeast of Moscow, under the name Bartholomew, he retired with his brother Stephen to a wooded area near Radonezh to live in solitude and prayer following the death of their parents. There they built a small church dedicated to the Holy Trinity, and shortly after, Bartholomew took the monastic habit and the name Sergius. Other monks gathered around him, giving rise to a monastery of which he was appointed abbot.

Despite being the founder and hegumen (abbot) of the community, he was distinguished by his humility and continued doing the simplest chores: cutting firewood, carrying water, baking bread, and mending the monks' clothes. The Trinity Monastery became an important center of monastic life, and his disciples founded numerous monastic communities in northern Russia, which over time became urban centers. Sergius also exerted a great spiritual influence on Russian society of his time. He died on September 25th, 1392, and is one of the most venerated saints in the Russian Church.


Our Lady of Mercy of Reus

The veneration in Reus for Our Lady of Mercy originates from the tradition of the Virgin Mary appearing to the young shepherdess Isabel Besora in 1592. According to tradition, the Virgin asked her to announce to the town that the plague afflicting it would cease, an event interpreted as a sign of her protection. In gratitude, the people of Reus built a sanctuary at the site of the apparition, which is the origin of the current Shrine of Misericòrdia. She was solemnly crowned in 1904.