Bls. Avertanus and Romaeus

The parents of Avertanus, of Limoges, France, were at first averse to their son’s intention of entering religious life, dreading to be separated from him. But he reassured them, “I am not forsaking you…I have you engraved in my heart and soul.” At this, his parents gave their consent, and he humbly kissed their feet. Avertanus entered the Carmelite Order, becoming a lay brother, content with the lowliest tasks. His rich prayer life was marked by frequent ecstasies. In the dead of night he would crawl on his hands and knees to the top of a nearby hill to pray there until dawn. Avertanus obtained permission to make a pilgrimage to Rome with a fellow Carmelite brother, Romaeus. But before reaching Rome, Avertanus contracted the plague, spending his final hours in a hospital near Lucca, Italy. On his deathbed, he prayed, “Come, sweet Jesus, with your infinite mercy; help this soul devoted to you.” In response to his plea, he experienced a luminous vision of Christ and the Blessed Mother, in which Christ said to him, “Come, beloved soul…into the rest of your Savior.” Shortly after Avertanus’ death, Romaeus also died of the plague.