Blessed Peter of Luxembourg

Memorial: 4 July
Profile: Son of Guy of Luxembourg, count of Ligny, Belgium. Orphaned at age four. Raised in Paris. Canon at Notre Dame, Chartres, and Cambrai. Arch-deacon of Dreux, France. Held for a while in his early teens by the English as hostage for the return of his brother. Bishop of Metz, France in 1384 at age fourteen. Created cardinal of San Georgio, Velabro in 1386 at age sixteen by decree of anti-pope Clement VII, he used armed troops to take possession of his see, fighting against the forces of Pope Urban VI.

A noted reformer of his diocese, known for his personal austerity and penance, his prayer life, and genuine piety. He was driven from Metz and joined Clement in Avignon where he died, still in his teens. Thrown into the politics of the state and of the Church during a period of schism; Peter was wholly unequipped for it, being a child, and a simple one at that. He chose the wrong side in the dispute over the papacy, but was immediately recognized for his personal holiness.
Born: 1369 in Lorraine, France
Died: 1387 at the Carthusian monastery, Villeneuve, France
Beatified: 1527
Canonized: pending
Representation: presenting a donor to the Virgin; presenting before the crucifix; young cardinal with a shield bearing a rampant lion nearby
Additional Information: For All The Saints, by Katherine Rabenstein
Catholic Online
Web Gallery of Art
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