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Bartolomeu dos Mártires
Fernandes 1514-1590 He was born in Lisbon,
Portugal, on 3 May 1514. He was named dos Mártires after the Church of Our Lady of the
Martyrs where he was baptized. He entered the Dominican Order in 1528 and made
his perpetual
profession on 20 November 1529. Having completed his philosophical and
theological studies brilliantly, in 1538 he began teaching philosophy in the
college of St Dominic of Lisbon, and then in 1540 theology in the college of
Batalha for 11 years. At Evora he became the royal tutor and preacher. In 1558 Queen Catherine of
Portugal presented him as her candidate for the Archbishopric of Braga, and Pope
Paul IV confirmed this appointment despite the reluctance of Bartolomeu himself.
He accepted out of obedience to his provincial, Ven. Luis of Granada. In
September 1559, he was consecrated in the church of St Dominic in Lisbon. On 4 October 1559, he
began his apostolic mission in his vast Archdiocese maintaining his austere life
style and devoting himself to the good of his priests and people. The
outstanding features of his ministry were his pastoral visits; his commitment to
evangelization which led him to draft a Catechism of Christian doctrine and
spiritual practices (15th edition in 1962); his deep care for the culture
and holiness of the clergy which led him to set up schools of moral theology for them in many parts
of the archdiocese; and his doctrinal writings. In all, he produced about 32
literary works. Among them the Stimulus Pastorum (22 editions) deserves
mention as still being valid. It was given to the Fathers of the First and Second Vatican
Councils. From 1561 to 1563 he attended the Council of Trent, urging the reform of the Church from
the highest dignitaries. His teaching and example had a noteworthy influence on
the decisions taken. Pius IV and St Charles Borromeo, with whom he was friendly,
often asked and followed his advice. To put the Council's directives into
practice, the Archbishop organized a Diocesan Synod in 1564 and the Provincial
Council of Braga in 1566. In 1571 he began building the seminary in Campo Vinha.
After repeated requests to resign from his pastoral office, his resignation was
accepted in 1582, when he retired to the Dominican convent of the Holy Cross in
Viana do Castelo. He died there on 16 July 1590, recognized and acclaimed by the
people with the title, Holy Archbishop, father of the poor and of the sick.
His tomb is venerated in the old Dominican Church of Viana do Castelo. Source:
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