January 8th | Feast
Peter Thomas was a true Carmelite, not only in his relationship to Mary as the Queen and Decor Carmeli, but also in the way he lived his life according to the customs of the Order. However, his special commitment and concern was primarily for the unity of Christians. He constantly strove for reconciliation between the Church of Rome and the Orthodox Christians who had separated from the See of Peter in 1054. He developed an intensive apostolic activity as a peacemaker and defender of the popes. He always preached reconciliation. Miracles and extraordinary signs accompanied his eventful life.
A fresco created in 1880 by the Munich painter Max Fürst in the Carmelite church in Straubing shows St. Peter Thomas surrounded by confreres caring for the needy and giving communion to the sick. However, the painting also points to an essential characteristic of the saint's piety: his fervent devotion to Mary, who appears to him with the infant Jesus in her arms, accompanied by angels, and assures him of her protection and blessing. Tradition also credits him with writing a treatise on the Immaculate Conception of Mary (De Immaculata Conceptione BMV). Four volumes of his sermons have also been preserved.
In 1366, his chancellor and friend Philippe di Mézières, of whom he was also a spiritual director, wrote the biography of Petrus Thomas. Noted Carmelite historian, Joachim Smet, edited the Latin text from hitherto unpublished manuscripts. (The introduction and notes are in English.)
For more on St. Peter Thomas and his work, click here
Books Available from Edizioni Carmelitane:
The Life of Saint Peter Thomas by Philippe de Mézieres (Latin)
Introduction and Notes by Joachim Smet, O. Carm.
The Bollandist Dossier (1643) on St. Peter Thomas, O. Carm.
Edited and translated by Patrick Mullins, O. Carm.
The Revised Bollandist Dossier (1659) on St. Peter Thomas, O. Carm.
Edited and translated by Patrick Mullins, O. Carm.
