Saint John of Sordi

God visits those who are dear to Him through tribulations. Trials were not lacking for John of Sordi. He first lost his mother, who, to his great consolation, died in the odor of sanctity. Shortly after, he had to lament the evils of the Church which was, in 1139, torn by the schism of Octavian, Cardinal of Saint Cecilia. He took care that the people of Cremona would not let themselves be seduced by the innovator, and, to appease the wrath of God, he obtained that expiatory processions be made throughout the city . Frederick Barbaros Frédéric Barberousse Emperor whose hand was requested for Rosana by an officer. sa, protector of Octavian, irritated by the conduct of John of Sordi, exiled him from Cremona. The Saint submitted: he withdrew into solitude while waiting for the storm to pass, and there, he gave himself more than ever to prayer and mortification.

Honors came to find him in his retreat. At the request of the clergy and the people, he was appointed to the episcopal see of Mantua. He resisted for a long time, then was finally compelled to bow before the formal order of the Pope. He occupied himself with the government of his diocese with the activity and zeal of a good Shepherd. He began by preaching by example, then he ensured that his priests led a life worthy of the holiness of their state; he gave wise regulations in order to repress abuses and to make public vices disappear. His life was that of a religious. A friend of poverty, he retraced its image in his clothing, in his food, and in his furnishings. All the money that came into his hands went into works of mercy. Meanwhile, setbacks had broken the pride of Barbarossa and softened his ch aracter. In Barberousse Emperor whose hand was requested for Rosana by an officer. 1177, he reconciled with the legitimate Pope Alexander III, to the great jo y of the Chur Alexandre III Pope who proceeded with the canonization of Bertrand in Toulouse. ch, and especially to the great joy of the Bishop of Mantua. He wrote to the Sovereign Pontiff to express all his gladness and to congratulate him on this happy event; at the same time, he asked him for the reinstatement of Bishop Graziodoro, who had abandoned his see to follow the Antipope and was repentant. The Pope yielded to the prayers of the Saint and returned Mantua to the penitent bishop; as for John of Sordi, he gave him the bishopric of Vicenza, which Vicence City where John was bishop and where he suffered martyrdom. had become vacant by the death of the incumbent. He was in Vicenza what he had been in Mantua. Vices found in him an inflexible adversary, yet one full of gentle charity; the clergy was the object of his incessant solicitude; the afflicted, the poor, and the unfortunate found in him a father and a consoler. His people, edified by his holy and austere life, never ceased to praise him and venerated him like an angel.

The death of the holy Bishop was the result of a vendetta. In the 13th century, bishops, in order to increase their revenues to provide for the miseries of the time or to secure protectors against the exactions of a multitude of petty tyrants, would lease out a portion of their church's property. The lands of the castle of Malo, belonging to the church of Vicenza, had been leased to a certain Pietro, who ha d even Piétro Farmer at the castle of Malo and assassin of Bishop Jean. tually stopped paying rent, began to regard himself as the true owner, and acted accordingly. The Bishop claimed the rights of his church; he did so with gentleness and long-suffering, then, seeing that he was making no progress, he excommunicated the usurper. This punishment, far from bringing the culprit to his senses, exasperated him; he formed a plan to assassinate the Bishop, and carried it out on March 16, 1181.

At the news of this crime, the entire c ity of Vicence City where John was bishop and where he suffered martyrdom. Vicenza was in mourning and tears. The irritated inhabitants wanted to take prompt vengeance on the murderer: they ran to his house, which they delivered to the flames. Pietro managed to escape, and it was never known what became of him. The Bishop's body was buried in his cathedral and later placed in a marble mausoleum. Saint John of Sordi had long been honored as a Saint when, in 1824, Leo XII approved his cult.

Divi ne colle Léon XII Pope who proceeded with the beatification of Julian. ction of the lives of Saints.