t. St. John
employed Sophronius and John Moschus in reducing to the faith the
Severians and other heretics. Observing that many amused themselves
without the church, during part of the divine office, which was then of
a very considerable length, he followed them out, and seated himself
among them, saying, "My children, the shepherd must be with his flock."
This action, which covered them with confusion, prevented their being
guilty of that irreverence any more. As he was one day going to church,
he was accosted on the way by a woman who demanded justice against her
son-in-law that had injured her. The woman being ordered by some
standers-by to wait the patriarch's return from church, he overhearing
them, said, "How can I hope that God will hear my prayer, if I put off
the petition of this woman?" Nor did he stir from the place till he had
redressed the grievance complained of.

Nicetas, the governor, persuaded the saint to accompany him to
Constantinople, to pay a visit to the emperor. St. John was admonished
from heaven, while he was on his way, at Rhodes, that his death drew
near, and said to Nicetas, "You invite me to the emperor of the earth;
but the King of heaven calls me to himself." He therefore sailed for
Cyprus, and soon after died happily at Amathus, about the year of our
Lord 619, in the sixty-fourth of his age, and tenth of his patriarchal
dignity. His body was afterwards carried to Constantinople, where it was
kept a long time. The Turkish emperor made a present of it to Matthias,
king of Hungary, which he deposited in his chapel at Buda. In 1530 it
was translated to Tall, near Presbourg; and, in 1632, to the cathedral
itself of Presbourg, where, according to Bollandus, it still remains.
The Greeks honor this saint on the 11th of November, the day of his
death; but the Roman Martyrology on the 23d of January, the day marked
for the translation of his relics. His life, written by his two vicars,
Sophronius and Moschus, is lost; but we have that by Leontius, bishop of
Naplouse in Cyprus, from the relation of the saint's clergy, commended
in the seventh general council. It is published more correct by Rosweide
and Bollandus. We have another life of this saint, conformable to the
former, given us by Metaphrastes. See Le Quien, Oriens Christi, t. 2, p.
446.

ST. EMERENTIA, V.M.

SHE suffered about the year 304, and is named in the Martyrologies under
the name of St. Jerom, Bede, and others. She is said in he