Is Simon of Cyrene a Catholic Saint?

[robbmiller]

Was Simon of Cyrene ever canonized? If so, when? If not, why?

I notice there was a St. Simon of Cyrene parish in the St. Louis Archdiocese yet I cannot seem to find any other information.

 

[revejj2000]

robbmiller:

Was Simon of Cyrene ever canonized? If so, when? If not, why?

I notice there was a St. Simon of Cyrene parish in the St. Louis Archdiocese yet I cannot seem to find any other information.

Many of the early Saints of the first three centuries and probably later ones, where not canonized by a formal Church procedure or by the way we now canonize saints, in the last 300 years. Many were acclaimed saints by the people. All the holy people in Sacred Scripture were acclaimed by the Church to be saints. That would include Mary, Joseph, the Apostles, the Evangelists, etc.

I could not find anything that mentions Simon of Cyrene as a saint of the Church. It may be that all we know about him is what was mentioned in Sacred Scripture and the Church may not have felt that he be honored as a canonized Saint, either by proclamation (the Early Church) or by the formal canonization process (the Modern Church). However, if he is a holy person in Heaven, he is a saint whether canonized or not. That is why we celebrate All Saints Day to remember all the Saints/saints.

Fr. Bro.

 

[robbmiller]

Thank you for your reply. If there is no record of his sainthood, how is it that a Catholic Parish could be named after him?

St Simon of Cyrene Parish
5076 Durant Ave
Saint Louis, MO 63115
Phone: (314) 385-0068 Fax: (314) 385-5339
A Parish of The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St Louis MO

 

[robbmiller]

Is the diocese in error?

 

[Agricola]

Robbmiller,

It may be relevant to your inquiry, or it may not, but both of Simon of Cyrene’s sons, Alexander and Rufus, were known to be Christians. There probably isn’t enough information on his life to canonize him, even if he is a saint. Perhaps, if someone were to do some research, and some miracles were attributed to him, we may yet see his name among the saints’.

Personally, I have always been fond of Simon of Cyrene. I don’t know why. Was it that he was a simple farmer who stumbled upon the greatest event in history and then played a heroic part in it? Could be…

God bless,

Agricola

 

[dizzy_dave]

Simon of Cyrene helped Jesus to carry his cross. I tried to look him up on the internet and in a Saint book I have and couldn’t find anything. Is he a Saint recognized by our Catholic Church? When I did an internet search I was getting results of him being a Saint but in the Episcipal faith. Veronica is a Saint in our Church (wiping the face of Christ), so I’m not sure why Simon of Cyrene wouldn’t be. Does anyone know how I can find out?

 

[dizzy_dave]

I just started another post on this subject today (11-11-2006).

I’d like to know if it would be wrong to ask his intercession or not. Since we don’t know if he is a saint or not or in heaven or not. I have a very big cross that I need help to carry.

 

[DailyBread]

People ask JPII for prayers, why not him? That’s how we get canonization with prayers being answered. And even if he is not, I am sure God would not fault you, but I have an excellent feeling he is because his sons went on to become outstanding christians themselves and a good father who met Christ could be very helpful in that area!

 

[Joe_Monahan]

vatican.va/news_services/liturgy/2006/via_crucis/en/station_05.html

Tradition declares Simon to have been Black, as Cyrene is in North Africa, and veneration of him is strong in Black Catholic and Anglican communities.

From
The Rural Life Prayerbook of the National Catholic Rural Life Conference

A PRAYER TO SIMON OF CYRENE

GOOD Saint, tradition says that you were a farmer. If so, you knew what it meant to work hard in the fields day after day. You carried your cross of labor patiently, without complaint or grumbling. You were grateful to the Lord of the harvest when He blessed your work with abundant crops. And you did not lose your trust in Him when He limited His blessings, giving you
only a small return for your labors.

And our good Lord blessed you, choosing you personally to help Him carry His cross to Calvary.

Dear Saint, teach us to realize that we too can carry the cross of Christ. Teach us to unite our labors and sufferings with the labors and sufferings of our Lord Jesus Christ, offering what we do in union with Him to God, the Father of us all. In this way we can gain great graces for ourselves and for the whole world.

Teach us, too, good Simon, to bring up our children according to God’s laws, as you did Yours Help us to be satisfied with our lot, in the assuring knowledge that the toil of the farmer is needed for the good of the nation and the world, and in itself is noble and honorable. Amen.

Joe

 

[aaso]

Cyrene may have been in Libya, but I doubt he was African or black. According to my reading St Simon was part of a Jewish diaspora into North Africa around the time of Christ.

Simon is not a traditional Berber or Tuareg name, which was the dominant ethic group in that region at that time. In addition to Jews, there were many Romans settling in North Africa too, including Alexandria. There likely weren’t many cross-cultural relationships during this era, so I suspect Simon was fully Jewish.