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August 24

 

Saint of the day:
Saint Bartholomew


Patron Saint of bookbinders; butchers; Florentine cheese and salt merchants;  leather workers; neurological diseases; plasterers; shoemakers; curriers; tanners; trappers; twitching; whiteners; Armenia 

Saint Bartholomew’s Story

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In the New Testament, Bartholomew is mentioned only in the lists of the apostles. Some scholars identify him with Nathanael, a man of Cana in Galilee who was summoned to Jesus by Philip. Jesus paid him a great compliment: “Here is a true Israelite. There is no duplicity in him” (John 1:47b). When Nathanael asked how Jesus knew him, Jesus said, “I saw you under the fig tree” (John 1:48b). Whatever amazing revelation this involved, it brought Nathanael to exclaim, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel” (John 1:49b). But Jesus countered with, “Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than this” (John 1:50b).

Nathanael did see greater things. He was one of those to whom Jesus appeared on the shore of the Sea of Tiberias after his resurrection (see John 21:1-14). They had been fishing all night without success. In the morning, they saw someone standing on the shore though no one knew it was Jesus. He told them to cast their net again, and they made so great a catch that they could not haul the net in. Then John cried out to Peter, “It is the Lord.”

When they brought the boat to shore, they found a fire burning, with some fish laid on it and some bread. Jesus asked them to bring some of the fish they had caught, and invited them to come and eat their meal. John relates that although they knew it was Jesus, none of the apostles presumed to inquire who he was. This, John notes, was the third time Jesus appeared to the apostles.

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https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-bartholomew/

http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=390

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bartholomew_the_Apostle

http://onedayinitaly.com/milan-cathedral-statue-of-st-bartholomew-flayed-alive/

 

Prayer:
 

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Visit:

 

St Bartholomew

(Relics: Rome, Italy; Benevento, Italy; Lipari, Sicily; Frankfurt, Germany)

According to the Roman Martyrology St Bartholomew suffered martyrdom in the Roman province of Armenia. It is recorded that he was first skinned alive and then put to death by decapitation. Five centuries later and half-way across the Mediterranean his relics were found in Lipari, Sicily. Most likely they arrived here through normal means; however, a pious tradition contends that this transfer occurred miraculously. This tradition claims that the sarcophagus of St Bartholomew was thrown into the sea by infidels. It then floated upon the water until it finally and miraculously came to the shores of the tiny island of Lipari. Regardless, how the relics arrived they remained on this island until the middle of the 9th century. At this time they were transferred to Benevento, Italy and then in the latter part of the 10th century they were brought to Rome by the Holy Roman Emperor, Otto III, where they were interred in the church of San Bartolomeo all’Isola on Tiber Island. This final transfer, however, is contested by the city of Benevento which continues to claim possession of the true relics of St Bartholomew.

 

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San Bartolomeo all'Isola (St Bartholomew on the Island)

Piazza San Bartolomeo, Tiber Island

Rome, Italy

*Relics of St Bartholomew rest within the red porphyry basin that supports the main altar.

*Enshrined in each of the side altars are relics of recent martyrs from around the world.

*An arm of St Adalbert (d. 997) is currently enshrined in the chapel to the left of the main sanctuary.

It rests within a little metal box placed under the altar of this chapel.

*This church also housed the relics of St Paulinus of Nola (d. 431) for about

1000 years until they were transferred to the Italian city of Nola in 1909.

 

Cattedrale di San Bartolomeo (St Bartholomew’s Cathedral)

Via del Concordato

Lipari, Sicily, Italy

*A relic of the thumb of St Bartholomew rests within a silver arm reliquary in this church.
This relic is exposed for veneration during feast days of the saint.


Frankfurter Dom (Frankfurt Cathedral)

Domplatz 1

60313 Frankfurt, Germany

*The skull of St Bartholomew is venerated within this church. It rests within a Gothic reliquary located on the eastern wall of the right transept.

Small wooden statues of Joachim, Cleopas, and Zebedee adorn the sides of this reliquary.


Basilica di San Bartolomeo (St Bartholomew’s Basilica)

Piazza Federico Torre

Benevento, Italy

*As noted above the tradition in Benevento holds that the relics of St Bartholomew remain within this church.

An exhibit near the front of the church portrays a recent analysis of these relics and provides support for this claim.

Also a monument upon the side-wall recalls the 2001 declaration by St John Paul II which reopened the cult of St Bartholomew in this church.

*The relics of St Bartholomew rest within a porphyry urn below the main altar. An additional bone fragment is placed within a bust of the saint.

Twice a year, on August 24th and October 25th, the city celebrates his feast.

 

Canterbury Cathedral

CT1 2EH, Canterbury, United Kingdom

*In the 11th century an arm of St Bartholomew was gifted to this church.  

However, this relic does not exist here today.

*The body of St Anselm (d. 1109) originally rested in this church; however, with the closing of this monastery

by the orders of King Henry VIII his relics were lost. Nevertheless, the memory of

St Anselm continues within the chapel dedicated to him on the right side of the nave.

*For centuries this church also housed the tomb St Thomas Becket (d. 1170)

until its destruction in 1538. Some of his relics, however, still exist throughout the world.

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Festival:

Lipari, Italy

Saint Bartholomew (San Barolomeo) Festival featuring fireworks!

 

Recipe

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We are celebrating with Armenian recipes because our Saint was from Armenia.

 

Armenian Eggplant Rolls

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Ingredients:

  • 2 medium eggplant (the longer and thinner, the better!)

  • 8 cloves garlic, minced

  • olive oil, as needed 

  • salt to taste
     

For the Filling:

  • 4 cups grated carrot (I like them finely grated, some people prefer them larger)

  • 1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped

  • 1/3 cup walnuts, finely chopped

  • 4 cloves garlic, minced

  • about 3/4 cup sour cream 

  • salt to taste
     

Directions:

  1. Mix all of the filling ingredients together using only enough sour cream to moisten the mixture so that it sticks together. Refrigerate until ready to use.

  2. Prepare the eggplant by cutting off the stem-end, and cutting it length-wise into strips about 1/4-inch (or thinner) thick.

  3. Heat olive oil and a clove of minced garlic in large skillet over medium-high heat, using just enough to coat the pan. Eggplant absorbs a lot of oil, so only use what is necessary to prevent the eggplant from sticking to the pan.

  4. Fry the eggplant strips on both sides in the garlic-oil, until golden brown. Replenish oil and garlic as needed. Salt each eggplant strip after cooking.

  5. Put 2-3 tablespoons of filling on one end of the eggplant strip, and roll, wrapping the eggplant around the carrot filling. Repeat with each cooked strip.

  6. These are great served immediately, but I love them best straight from the fridge the next day!

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Armenian Manti
 

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 packs of ready made wonton squares (4″x4″)

  • 2 1/2 lbs fresh ground meat (I use half turkey, half beef, use anything you like)

  • 1 medium – large onion

  • 1-2 cloves of garlic

  • 1/2-1 tsp ground black pepper

  • 1 tsp crushed chili flakes

  • 1/3 tsp cayenne (leave out if you don’t want spicy taste)

  • 1/4 cup water, room temp.

  • Dried or fresh parsley to your choice

  • You will also need non stick baking spray and 1-2 tbs oil to grease the pan


For the Tomato Sauce:

  • 1 can (15 oz/425 grams) tomato sauce

  • 1/2 salt ( taste the salt and add more if needed)

  • 1/2 ground black pepper

  • 1/3 tsp cumin

  • 1/2 red chili flakes

  • 1 garlic clove, minced

  • 2 tbs olive oil
     

Directions:

  1. Making the filling

  2. Preheat the oven to 425°F/ 200°C, grease and prepare the baking pan

  3. In a food processor (or you can just add everything to the meat, and mix) combine;

  4. Water, salt, coarsely chopped onions, garlic, spices, pulse a few seconds to incorporate

  5. Add the mixture to ground meat and mix well, if meat texture is too thick add a bit more water to make it softer

  6. Place a full teaspoon of that meat filling onto the wonton dough, wet the sides and stick together shaping it like a boat

  7. Place onto the greased pan, and repeat until done

  8. Bake 20-25 minutes or until golden color

  9. Remove from the oven and add 1/2 boiling water or broth

  10. Place back and bake another 10-15 minutes or until the water evaporates

  11. To make the tomato sauce ,simply mix all the ingredients together and bring it to a boil

  12. Serve Manti hot with plain yogurt and tomato sauce

  13. Note*: Manti recipe is served with garlic yogurt, I put the garlic in meat and tomato sauce so that the flavor and taste of garlic is not too strong
    You can always serve it the traditional way by adding garlic to the yogurt and not to the meat/ sauce
     

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Armenian Grilled Vegetable Salad
Serves about 8 to 10 as a side
 

Ingredients:
 

  • 2 medium eggplants

  • 2 green bell peppers

  • 2 red bell peppers

  • 2 tomatoes, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces

  • 1/2 large onion, peeled, cut into thirds lengthwise
    and thinly sliced crosswise

  • 3/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

  • 1/3 cup lemon juice

  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

  • 1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt, or to taste

  • 1 tablespoon paprika

  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper


Directions:
 

  1. Pinch cayenne pepper or other hot pepper, if desired

  2. Grill the eggplants and bell peppers, turning occasionally and piercing the eggplants as needed to let steam escape, until all of the skin is blackened. The vegetables should be cooked through and tender.

  3. Place the hot grilled vegetables in a large plastic bag and twist it closed. Let them sit for a few minutes in the plastic bag to steam. This will help the skin peel off much more easily. Peel the eggplants and peppers (it helps to have a small bowl of cold water nearby to rinse off your fingers as necessary).

  4. Remove the stems from the eggplants and the stems and seeds from the peppers and chop everything into a 1/4-to-1/2-inch dice. Transfer all the chopped grilled vegetables to a large bowl.

  5. To the bowl, add the remaining ingredients and stir well. Adjust seasoning as needed and then serve at room temperature or cold. ​

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