Friday, May 21, 2010

Today's Saint (May 21): Yves, or Ives

Saint Yves (1253 - 1303) was born at Kermartin, Brittany, the son of Helori, lord of Kermartin and Azo du Kenquis.


He studied civil law at the University of Paris and canon law at Orléans.

Yves was appointed ecclesiastical judge of the archdeanery of Rennes in 1280 while he was also studying scripture, and later was ordained and joined the Franciscan Tertiaries.

When necessary for true justice and charity to prevail, it is said that he stopped being a judge and became a lawyer, and as this popular saying about him puts it, he must have been a very unique and special lawyer -

Sanctus Yvo erat Brito,
Advocatus et non latro,
Res miranda populo.

(translated "Saint Ives was a Breton, a lawyer and not a thief, and that is a remarkable thing in people's eyes.")

As one hagiographical source put it, "He is a patron of lawyers, though not, it is said, their model."

A true Franciscan tertiary, he dressed simply in coarse burlap and was a poor penitent who tirelessly cared for the unfortunate of his time.

Saint Ives is noted and contained in the Anglican Missal's "Supplement to the Proper of Saints," where the prayer for his mass, gives us a succinct petition to God concerning Saint Yves and his example for us moderns -

"O God, who madest the blessed lawyer Yves to be thine own minister and advocate for the stablishment of a godly justice amongst thy people and for the defense of the poor: give us, we beseech thee, a charity like unto his; whereby after his example we may administer on earth the law of the kingdom of heaven; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen."
- page S32, People's Anglican Missal