THE SERVANTS OF GOD FREDERICK BACHSTEIN AND COMANIONS

THE SERVANTS OF GOD FREDERICK BACHSTEIN AND COMANIONS
Martyrs


St. Mary of the Snow convent at Prague was founded by Emperor Rudolph II in 1607 and entrusted to the care of Franciscan friars. The hope was the friars would be true to the tradition of their forebears and oppose with zeal and power the growing spirit of immorality and indifference to God in Bohemia and lead the people back to the right path.

The friars immediately began to preach by word and deed and to refute heresy. The Hussites and Calvanists enraged by the success of the friars waited for an opportune time to rid themselves of the Franciscan community. On February 15, 1611, an angry mob armed with deadly weapons stormed the church and began desecrating the Eucharist, crucifixes and holy images, robed the church of sacred vessels and demolished the altars. The mob then forced their way into the convent and proceeded to shoot, stab, club, crush and hack to pieces the holy men. In all 14 were massacred during the bloody three hour period.



After three days devout Catholics ventured into the church and convent and wrapped the precious remains in canvas and secretly buried them in the transept. Five years later the remains were exhumed and found to be wholly incorrupt and the wounds still bleeding and fresh. Te remains were interred in the Chapel of St. Michael the Archangel where they continue to be glorified by many miracles.

February 23