Fidelis (1577 - 1622) is a Roman Catholic saint and martyr to the counter-Reformation in Switzerland. Events The church in San Pedro in the Atacama Desert in Chile was built. ... Events January 1 - In the Gregorian calendar, January 1 is declared as the first day of the year, instead of March 25. ... The Roman Catholic Church is the largest religious denomination of Christianity with over one billion members. ... General definition of saint In general, the term Saint refers to someone who is exceptionally virtuous and holy. ... Historically, a martyr is a person who dies for his or her religious faith. ... The Counter-Reformation or the Catholic Reformation was a strong reaffirmation of the doctrine and structure of the Catholic Church, climaxing at the Council of Trent, partly in reaction to the growth of Protestantism. ...

He was born Mark Roy or Rey and took the name of Fidelis when he joined the Capuchin Order at the age of 35 in 1612. He had previously been a scholar, studying law and philosophy at Freiburg. As a scholar, he was the tutor to three young princes as they toured Europe. After his time as a private tutor, he practiced law at Colmar before decidin upon a monastic life. For other uses, see Capuchin (disambiguation). ... This article is about Freiburg in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. ... World map showing location of Europe A satellite composite image of Europe Europe is geologically and geographically a peninsula, forming the westernmost part of Eurasia. ... This article is about the city in Alsace. ...

He was an eloquent advocate and speaker. When he entered the monastery, he wrote that, "Having come naked out of my mother's womb, I strip myself of all and abandon myself naked into my Savior's arms." He was made the guardian of the convent at Feldkirch and preached at Biberach, Altdorf, Keinzheim, Rheinfelden, and Fribourg in Switzerland. This article is about an abbey as a religious building. ... Feldkirch is a city in the western Austrian state of Vorarlberg, on the border to Switzerland and Liechtenstein. ... Biberach is the name of two German towns, one district, and one part of a town. ... Altdorf is the capital of the Swiss canton of Uri. ... Rheinfelden is also a place in the district of Lörrach, Baden-Württemberg, see Rheinfelden, Germany Rheinfelden is a commune in the district of Rheinfelden of the canton of Aargau, Switzerland. ... Fribourg (in French: Fribourg, German: Freiburg im Üechtland, Italian Friburgo, Romansh Friburg) is the capital of the Swiss canton Fribourg on the river named Saane (in German) or Sarine (in French). ...

The Roman Catholic Church gave the Capuchins the job of combatting the spread of Protestantism in Switzerland, through the Roman Congregation of the Propaganda. Fidelis was made the head of the Swiss missionaries, and he immediately recognized that this would entail the loss of his life. He began signing his letters, "P. Fidelis, prope diem esca vermium" ("Father Fidelis, in days soon to come food for worms"). Protestantism is a general grouping of denominations within Christianity. ...

In 1622, he entered the district of Switzerland controlled by Austria. Protestants in the area organized a revolt against his preaching, and Fidelis warned the Austrians. There was a revolt throughout the Grisons. On April 24th, Fidelis was preaching at Sévis when the crowd called out "to arms." The people went out to face the Austrian troops. Both sides initially thought that it was Fedelis who had called on the conflict, and so he was let go. However, as he was leaving the town, twenty soldiers confronted him, demanded his renunciation of the Catholic faith, and killed him. Graubünden or Grisons (German: Graubünden; Italian: Grigioni; Romansh: Grischun; French: Grisons), is the largest and easternmost Swiss canton. ...

His feast day in the Roman Catholic Church is April 24. The calendar of saints is a traditional Christian method of organising a liturgical year on the level of days by associating each day with a saint, and referring to the day as the saints day of that saint. ... April 24 is the 114th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (115th in leap years). ...