Charles of Mount Argus

Charles of Mount Argus, C.P. , was a Dutch Passionist priest who served in 19thcentury Ireland. He gained a reputation for his compassion for the sick and those in need of guidance. His reputation for healings was so great at the time that a reference is made to him in the famous novel Ulysses by James Joyce. He has been canonized by the Catholic Church. His feast day is January 5.

He was born Joannes Andreas Houben onDecember 1821 in the village of Munstergeleen in the Province of Limburg in the , to Peter Joseph Houben and his wife, Johanna Elizabeth Luyten. He was named after his maternal uncle and godfather, but to the family he was known as Andrew. His father was a miller by trade. As a boy Andrew attended the village primary school. One ofchildren in a poor family, he was a slow learner in his youth. To those outside his family he seemed quiet and extremely shy. A slow learner, for ten years he walked the two miles to a secondary school at nearby town of Sittard.

Source: Wikipedia