THE ORDER OF FRIARS MINOR

...successful in reciting verses and possessed such a faithful memory that he could promptly recite the twelve books of the Aeneid The epic poem by the Roman poet Virgil. without a prompter. To his literary pursuits, he added (what is most important) a holiness of life. His works were published in Cologne by Joannes Birckmann in the year 1568, and enlarged editions were issued at the same place by the widow of that same Birckmann in 1575. See also the entry for Theodorus Smising.

ADAM OF WODEHAM, named after the town of Woodham in the diocese of Winchester, County of Southampton in England. He was once a disciple of William of Ockham and eventually became a Doctor of Sacred Theology at Oxford and a public professor in many friaries of his Order. Many outsiders and secular people frequently gathered to hear him speak. John Major A Scottish philosopher and historian (1467–1550). (in book 4 of The Deeds of the Scots, chapter 2) declares him the equal of his master Ockham in erudition. His fame spread so widely that he was rightly counted among the most learned men of his time. He wrote:

Commentaries on the Song of Songs, in one book.
PostilsShort commentaries or explanatory notes on scripture. on Ecclesiasticus, in one book.
On the SentencesThe "Sentences" of Peter Lombard was the standard theology textbook of the Middle Ages; many scholars wrote commentaries on it. of the Master, in four books.
Eleven Determinations, in one book: "Whether the Prophetic office exists."
The Opinions of the Oxford Council, in one book: seven opinions are presented.
On the Penitentiary Court of the Brothers, in one book: on the absolution of crime or sin.
Against Richard Wetherset, in one book.

He died in the year 1338 and was buried at Babwell near Bury.

ADRIAN HOFSTADE, of Louvain, a theologian and an outstanding preacher, exceptionally well-versed in the ancient Fathers of the Church. He was quick with both speech and pen. Franciscus Swertius A Belgian historian and author. relates that he very often heard him "thundering" from the pulpit with great admiration. Having been appointed to replace Father Bartholomew of Middelburg, he first served in Utrecht, then in Amsterdam, Louvain, Cologne, Antwerp, Brussels, and finally Maastricht, where he inspired the greatest admiration with his sermons. During his exile in Cologne, he was a lecturer in Sacred Scripture, but previously he had been a lecturer in Theology at Louvain; he had a massive following not only of his fellow brothers but also of many secular people, even while Cardinal Bellarmine Robert Bellarmine, one of the most important figures in the Catholic Counter-Reformation. was teaching his Controversies there at the same time. He served twice as GuardianThe superior or head of a Franciscan friary. in Louvain and elsewhere. After his death, the following were published through the care and diligence of the Franciscan Henricus Sedulius:

Sixty-nine Eucharistic Sermons, published at the expense of the noble Henry Vanetten, Prefect of military provisions, printed by Trognæsius in Antwerp in 1608, and in Cologne and other places.
On the Apostles' Creed, in 12 books, and on Saint Paul’s Epistle to the Romans, in 1 book. These are preserved as manuscripts in the archives of the province of Lower Germany.
An Explanation of the Decalogue and the Catechism is expected to be published soon. He died in Maastricht and was buried in the noble Chapel of the Blessed Virgin, to the right of the altar, with this epitaph:

Hofstade lies here in this sacred place, O Francis, one of your
Number, known everywhere by great men.
The power of his intellect was felt throughout Brabant
And by the noble people of the Dutch soil.
Louvain gave him birth; then as a minister of the word
And an exceptional lecturer, it listened to him in awe.
Hidden in this tomb, finally broken by many labors,
May he live in the citadel of the heavenly sky.

ADRIAN HUBERTI, of Antwerp, a member of the Regular Observance. He served twice as Secretary of the province of Lower Germany and as Guardian of many friaries. He is now the Promoter of the business of the Belgian and annexed provinces in the Roman Court. He published in Flemish:
A Manual for the direction of certain confraternities. Mechelen, printed by Henricus Jaye, 1625.
The Minor Works of Gummarus à Quercu regarding the Order of the Annunciades and its founders; he oversaw the printing and added certain parts. See the entry for Gummarus à Quercu.
The Life of Blessed Joan of Valois in 24 copperplate engravings; he published this and described the same in twenty-four chapters in Latin and Flemish.
The Life of Gabriel of Saint Mary, the confessor of Joan; he expressed this with the same number of images and chapters.
The History of the origin, progress, and glory of the miraculous image of the Blessed Virgin Mary of the "Short Woods," commonly called Cortenbosch, in the diocese of Liège, 1642.

GILES OF SAINT AMBROSE, often a DefinitorAn administrative official who assists the leader of a religious province. of the English province of the Stricter Observance and for a long time a missionary in England. He translated from Spanish into English:
The Golden Meditations of Blessed Peter of Alcantara.
The Life of the same Author. Brussels, 1632.

GILES OF ASSISI, the third disciple of Saint Francis, a truly heavenly man imbued with heavenly doctrine. He left spiritual instructions and pious praises of the virtues to posterity, which we promised (in our Annals for the year 1262, number 3) to publish among other minor works of the Friars. As he was diligent in the reading and meditation of the Holy Scriptures, he progressed so much that almost every word he spoke seemed pregnant with meaning; he used to bring forth the most soul-healing things kindly and with a certain charm. All his sayings could be called very sharp apophthegms A concise, pithy saying or maxim.. Thus he wrote:
On the counseling of souls.
On faith.
On love.
On humility.
On patience.
On contempt for the world.
On chastity.
On temptation.
On penance.
On useful and useless knowledge.
On fear.
On prayer.
On good and not-good words.
On perseverance.
On Religion.
On obedience.
On contemplation.
On the way of salvation and perfection.
On spiritual caution and its consideration.
And on Preachers of the divine word.
Several of his short works appeared under the title Golden Words in Antwerp, 1534, and elsewhere.
We have described his wonderful life in the first and second volumes of our Annals, and at the year...