Father John of Orgaña

ON BLESSED FATHER JOHN OF ORGAÑA,

ABBOT OF BELLPUIG IN CATALONIA, OF THE PREMONSTRATENSIAN ORDER.

Father John of Orgaña, Abbot of Bellpuig in Catalonia, of the Premonstratensian Order (B.)

[1] John Chrysostom vander Sterre, in the Natalia of the Saints of the Premonstratensian Order, on this day has these words: "April 8. Elogium in the Natalia of the Saints of the Premonstratensian Order. In the cloister of the Blessed Mary of Bellpuig, in the diocese of Urgell in Catalonia, of the Blessed Father John of Orgaña, Abbot of the same Church, of the Premonstratensian Order: whose life as it shone with examples of extraordinary sanctity, so his sacred Relics are often adorned with illustrious miracles."

On which day the same Chrysostom in his Notes, not yet printed, thus writes.

[2] What we here call Bellipodium, below in the public Instrument of Jerome Biosquet, is called Pulchripodium, and is a cloister sacred to the divine Virgin Mother: which although in the Catalog of cloisters, which is appended to the Optics of Servatius de Lairvelz, it is numbered in the Circary of Gascony; yet it is situated in the kingdom of Catalonia, the seventh milestone from Barcelona, Where Bellpuig is situated in Spain, as rightly in the Premonstratensian Chronicle Miraeus, when to the year of Christ 1170 he treats of the Premonstratensian cloisters in Spain. It is however called in Catalan, not, as he thinks, Belpontz, but Belpuche: and exists in the Vicariate of Balaguer in the diocese of Urgell: so that it is strange that the ancient Catalogs of the cloisters of the Order refer it to the diocese of Lérida: so the catalog of Lairvelz and of Averbode, which is appended to the Chronicle of Miraeus: unless however we should wish to say, that what was once comprehended within the limits of the Bishopric of Lérida, is now contained in the diocese of Urgell.

[3] At what time Blessed Father John of Orgaña flourished, I have not yet been able to learn from Spain. The Reverend Father Brother Michael Maldonatus, well-deserving Subprior of the cloister of St Norbert of Madrid, often treated with me concerning the same by letters, His many miracles and also Procurator general of the Spanish Congregation of the Premonstratensian Order, and asked that I publish him among the other men illustrious in sanctity from our Order: who about the same writes thus: "This Saint is called Blessed Brother Orgaña, who is in the cloister of Bellpuig Avellanas: and is a Saint, who there is venerated with great veneration, and works great miracles." Elsewhere however in this way: "This Saint, religious of our Order, called Orgaña: who is well known in the Aragonese land, on account of many miracles." Thus about this Blessed one Maldonatus. Still among mortals perseveres the sweet fragrance of virtues and sanctity, which, while placed among men, this blessed Father, as the odor of a full field which the Lord has blessed, breathed out with the grace of the divine spirit inspiring.

[4] The Relics of this holy Father were long ago elevated,

and enclosed in a wooden chest within a stone cenotaph, customarily preserved above the altar of the cloister of Bellpuig, the people visit there with great devotion and concourse: who experience the present help of God in their needs, by the intervention of this blessed Abbot, many times. They are accustomed however with happy success to implore the divine clemency through the suffrage of this Saint, when, in great dryness and sterility of the earth, they labor with want of rains. Recently in the year 1622 the very Reverend Father Brother Bernard Langor, Abbot of Bellpuig, with very many distinguished and reverend men present, and in the presence of witnesses and of the public notary by royal authority Jerome Biosquet, caused a solemn visitation and inspection of the said sacred Relics to be instituted: and at the instance of the Oeconomus and Syndic of the said Convent was made a public instrument, which through the Reverend Father Michael Maldonatus, a man most zealous for illustrating the Order, was communicated to me, and which we have thought should be subjoined here to the reader from the very autograph and original, as far as was permitted, faithfully described word for word.

[5] public instrument "In the name of God let all know: that for the praise and glory of almighty God, and the most blessed Virgin Mary his Mother, and of the whole triumphant Church, these things which follow, handed down to posterity for the perpetual memory of the matter, are written and fortified with authentic faith and are understood to be so. Whence it is that on the eighth day of the month of April, in the year from the Nativity of the Lord 1622; in the presence and with the summoning, requisition and request of me Jerome Biosquet, by Royal authority public Notary, citizen of Balaguer, subscribed, and also in the presence as witnesses of the very Reverend Lords Michael Aster, of the town of Ovis in the Archpresbyterate of Agerona; John Farros, of the city of Balaguer, and Jacob Guillalmet, Rector of the town of Camarasa, of the diocese of Urgell; all Priests: with the very Reverend Lord Brother Bernard Langor, by grace of God and the Apostolic See Abbot of the Monastery and convent of the Blessed Mary of Pulchripodium Avellanarum, of the diocese of Urgell, and established in the vicariate of the city of Balaguer, personally constituted, at the instance of the Oeconomus and Syndic of the said convent, in the presence of several most distinguished men, and especially the venerable John Carrovet Prior, Michael Claverol, Francis Gordo, Silvester Farrero, conventual Brothers of the said monastery, and the venerable Priest John Calbera Rector of Blancafort; then also in the presence of the illustrious John Alzina, most vigilant Governor and general Procurator of the said monastery and Abbacy; Francis Joli most consulted Doctor of both laws of the said city of Balaguer, and very many other honest persons, in the territory and chapel of the Blessed Mary of old Pulchripodium, in the territory of Villanueva de las Avellanas, in the district called de Camu, at which chapel or little shrine the aforesaid religious Priests and other men, gathering in crowds, had flowed together with this intention,

that by the solemnities of the Masses, which had been most devoutly performed there, and by other pious and humble prayers, which there to God the Best and Greatest they had poured out as suppliants, the suitable rain (for the lack of which the aforesaid peoples were suffering extremely and most miserably) he might deign to bestow and propitiously grant, and so clemently avert the scourges of his wrath, which for their sins they had merited. After therefore the celebration of such sacrifices and prayers poured out, was made a visual and ocular inspection of a certain wooden chest, placed in a stone cenotaph on the altar of the said Shrine: in which chest, oblong four or five palms, were found certain bones, which by most ancient tradition and public fame of those peoples and the surrounding ones, are said to have been and to be of the cadaver or body of Brother and Father Orgaña, monk of the said convent and of the Premonstratensian Order: who in the time of his life shone and beamed forth with such glory of virtues, sanctity and religion,

that he turned the minds of all into admiration of him. Nor did God permit such a shining brilliance of this illustrious Sanctity to lie hidden; nay rather the odor and fame of his religion and sanctity so emanated through all those neighboring places up to these times, and has been spread abroad, that there are no men, who in their tribulations and labors and especially in the time of the sterility of water, do not implore his help, and by his intercession do not obtain from God the Best and Greatest the salutary effect of their petitions. Concerning and upon all and each of which things, there as is premised done, said, carried out, and followed, forthwith the said very Reverend Lord Abbot in the said name petitioned and required that one and several similar public instruments be made, and given to him and to others whom it shall concern, handed over and delivered, by me the said and undersigned Notary. Which were done in the territory of Villanueva de las Avellanas in the district called de Camu, on the day, month, year and place aforesaid, with me the said and undersigned Notary present and the witnesses, of whom above, present, to the premises respectively called, asked, and specially assumed, as is above contained."

[6] There was subjoined the sign of the said Jerome Biosquet Notary: Authority of the Notary. concerning whose authority and honesty what is to be held; it is clear from the testimony of the Vicar of Balaguer written below. "To the magnificent and circumspect men, all and each, Ecclesiastical and Secular Officials, exercising jurisdiction anywhere, we, John Baptista de Pons Domicellus, for his Imperial and Royal Majesty Vicar of the City and Vicariate of Balaguer, make known by the tenor of these, that Jerome Biosquet, who received, closed, and subscribed this Instrument, is a public Notary citizen of Balaguer created by royal authority, and is a man of good fame, honest life and conversation, and to the instruments received by him and his substitutes, closed and subscribed however with his own hand and sign, as is the above-written instrument, full faith is given in judgment and outside. In faith of which we have commanded an instrument to be exhibited by another of the scribes of our court, strengthened with the seal of our said court. Given in the city of Balaguer on the 13th day of the month of January, in the year from the nativity of the Lord 1623. Seen by John Baptista de Pons, the aforesaid Vicar. And below. By command of the said Lord Vicar dispatched, by me Matthew Armengol, by royal authority public Notary, citizen of Balaguer and scribe of its court." There was here impressed the seal of the said court.

[7] Thus far Chrysostom vander Sterre, to whom we add the elogium edited by John le Page in book 2 of the Premonstratensian Bibliotheca, page 506, in these words: Elogium from Le Page. "Appendix of the life of Blessed John of Orgaña, Abbot of the cloister of Blessed Mary of Bellpuig in Catalonia… Blessed John of Orgaña, Spanish, Abbot of the cloister of Blessed Mary of Bellpuig at Villanueva of the Premonstratensian Order, of the diocese of Urgell in Catalonia, as the spirit of knowledge and piety advanced him to great perfection of life, and his life shone with many examples of extraordinary sanctity, so his sacred pledges even now are often adorned with illustrious miracles. About to receive the reward of his labors, on the eighth day of April he happily migrated to heaven." The same also with the title of Blessed is referred to by Ludolph Craywinckel in the Legend of the Saints and Blessed of the Premonstratensian Order.