THOMAS ELIA (Hélye) of Biville, Blessed. - Priest, b. at Biville (Manche) in 1187, son of Elias and Matilda, d. in the castle of Vauville on 19 Oct. 1257.

He studied in Paris and, having been ordained a priest, distinguished himself as a preacher and confessor, in the spirit of prayer and penance, and in assisting the sick. Almoner of King St. Louis IX, he devoted the night to prayer and the day to the needs of his neighbor. He was favored with the spirit of prophecy and the gift of miracles. After his death the people began to venerate him. In 1833 a confraternity under his name was still flourishing. His cult was approved only in 1860, although the process for his canonization had already been begun in 1261.

Bibliography4 works

BIBL.: Acta SS. Octobris, VIII, Brussels 1853, pp. 592-622; Confirmatione cultus ab immemorabili tempore praestiti, Rome 1859; L. de Pontoumant, Vie du B. T. Hélye de Biville, suivie d'un poème du XIIe s. publié par la première fois, Cherbourg 1868; C. Louis, Vie du B. T. Hélye, missionnaire, ibid. 1903 (cf. review by Van Orroy, in Anal. boll., 22 (1903), p. 502).

Felice da Mareto

@incollection{ec12_tommaso_elia_helye_di_biville, author = {Felice da Mareto}, title = {Tommaso Elia (Hélye) di Biville, beato}, booktitle = {Enciclopedia Cattolica}, volume = {XII}, pages = {299}, note = {Cited by column}, publisher = {Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico}, address = {Città del Vaticano}, year = {1954}, url = {https://azioneromana.com/article/tommaso-elia-helye-di-biville-beato} }

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Thomas Elia (Hélye) of Biville, Blessed

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