The Venerable Denis the Carthusian

His brothers, however, did not allow him to remain always locked in his cell; they made him procurator of the house. While he held this office, he converted a distinguished Jew, who, out of gratitude to his catechist, took the name Denis of Denis, a name his descendants in Roermond have kept ever since. He also made other important conversions while he lived in the world. His reputation led Cardinal of Cusa, legate of the Holy S ee in Germany, t cardinal de Cusa Cardinal and legate of the Holy See who sought the help of Denis. o bring him to his side for the service of the Church. Denis, unable to decline, used this opportunity to work on the reform of various convents of men and women. He also frequently offered salutary remonstrances to bishops and ecclesiastics. He even became a peacemaker in public troubles, and appeased a troublesome war between the Duke of Guelders, Arnold, and his son Adolph, who had rebelled against him.

The humble Carthusian withdrew, as soon as possible, into his former retreat at Roerm ond; and Ruremonde Location of the Charterhouse where Denis lived and died. although his fasts, his vigils, and his stubbornness in work caused him various infirmities, he did not relax any of his ascetic exercises or his studies. He made his patience admired in the diversity of the ailments that afflicted his body. These ailments, besides those that occurred to him from day to day, and which passed, were paralysis, a hernia, along with kidney stones and nephritic colic, and incurable ulcers on his legs. These trials served marvelously to purify and perfect his virtue: they also showed what the weakest and most disgraced of men can do when God sustains him. They made him foresee from afar the death for which he had prepared himself all his life. He died on the twelfth day of March in the year 1471, at the age of sixty-nine: he had spent forty-eight of them with the Carthusians.

The martyrologies of the Low Countries, France, and Germany speak of Denis the Carthusian as a man of blessed memory and great holiness. His memory was honored with a religious cult at the Grande Chartr euse, in the dioc Grande Chartreuse Place of retreat for Geoffroy in 1114. ese of Grenoble, where some of his relics were displayed alongside those of other Saints. Henri Cuyckius, the second bishop Henri Cuyckius Second bishop of Roermond who worked for his canonization. of Roermond, proposed to work toward his canonization, and provisionally designated an altar in his honor in the Carthusian church; but in order to protect this liberty from censure, he also dedicated it under the name of Saint Denis the Areopagite. His bones were found the followin saint Denis l'Aréopagite First bishop of Paris and martyr, disciple of Saint Paul. g year (1668), and were placed very decently behind the altar, until permission could be obtained from the Holy See to expose them for public veneration. It is an honor of which he has always been judged very worthy, but which the Church has not yet confirmed.

The martyrologies of the Low Countries, France, and Germany speak of Denis the Carthusian as a man of blessed memory and great holiness. His memory was honored with a religious cult at the Grande Chartreuse, in the diocese of Grenoble, where some of his relics were displayed alongside those of other Saints. Henri Cuyckius, the second bishop of Roermond, proposed to work toward his canonization and provisionally designated an altar in his honor in the Carthusian church; but in order to protect this liberty from censure, he also dedicated it under the name of Saint Denis the Areopagite. His bones were found the following year (1668) and were placed very decently behind the altar, until permission could be obtained from the Holy See to expose them for public veneration. It is an honor of which he has always been judged very worthy, but which the Church has not yet confirmed.