St Bartholomew of the Martyrs was chosen as one of the Patrons of World Youth Day (WYD) Lisbon 2023, for having a devoted  life to Jesus Christ and His  Church. To get to know him better, here are 10 interesting facts about his life:  

1.

Bartolomeu Fernandes Vale was born in the parish of Mártires, in Lisbon, on May 3rd, 1514. Hewas baptised in the baptismal font that is today in the Church of Nossa Senhora dos Mártires. Coming from a humble family, Bartolomeu remained faithful to his origins and soon felt God's call to a more perfect life.   

2.

At the age of 14, on St Martin's Day, he went to the convent of São Domingos de Benfica, where he said to the priest: "Father, I seek work and little affection  bores me. To escape from those affections,  that I have plenty, and to try the work that I desire and which I know is necessary for my salvation, I seek the religious life. I am not afraid of that and  I am not frightened by greater ones, either, because there is no weak body where the heart is strong".   

3.

He joined the Dominican Order on November 11th, 1528 as Friar Bartholomew of the Martyrs, in honour of the parish where he was born. In 1551 he was in Salamanca where he obtained a Master's degree in Theology, receiving a laud: "sufficiency of doctrine and dexterity of ingenuity". Between 1557 and 1558 he was Prior of the Convent of St Dominic of Benfica in Lisbon.   

4.

He was appointed Archbishop of Braga by Pope Paul IV on January 27th, 1559 and ordained bishop onSeptember 3rd in the Church of São Domingos de Benfica, beginning his work in that vast archdiocese on October 4th.   

5.

He was committed to the evangelisation of both clergy and laics by preparing  a Catechism of Christian Doctrine and a book of Spiritual Practices which was published 15 times. His concern for culture and the sanctification of the clergy led him to give  classes in Moral Theology in different  parts of his diocese and to write Christian documents of great importance.  

6.

As Primate of Spain, he took part in the Council of Trent, where he excelled for his  knowledge and zeal for the renewal of the Church, instructing all by his holiness. According to the Council he is referred to "a learned and most religious Prelate" and "a man of great holiness and religion", whom St Charles Borromeo he had "taken as an example to imitate". Several historians refer to Bartholomew of the Martyrs as "the greatest figure of the Council".  

7.

OnFebruary 23rd, 1582, he resigned his archbishopric and retired to the Dominican Convent of the Holy Cross in Viana do Castelo.   

8.

He died on July 16th, 1590 in the Convent of Santa Cruz, recognised and acclaimed by the people as "Holy Archbishop, father of the poor and the sick". His tomb is venerated in the Dominican church in Viana do Castelo.   

9.

For his virtues, he was already considered a saint by clergy and laity. The process of recognising his sainthood began when they noted the deep veneration the people had for him and the countless graces obtained from God through him.  

10.

He was declared venerable on March 23rd, 1845 by Pope Gregory XVI and beatified by Pope John Paul II on November 4th, 2002, who established his liturgical feast on July 18th. OnJuly 6th, 2019, Pope Francis announced that he had decided to canonise Blessed Don Bartolomeu dos Mártires through the process of  equipolence, with the solemn reading of the respective Decree taking place in the Cathedral of Braga on November 10th of that year.   

Recently, in the Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Christus vivit, Pope Francis recalled that "the heart of the Church is also full of young saints, who gave their lives for Christ, many of them even to the point of martyrdom", having also emphasised that "they are magnificent reflections of the young Christ, who shine to stimulate us and to wakes up us from our  somnolence".