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SS. JULIUS, PRIEST, AND JULIANUS, DEACON - 31 JANUARY

 

ALL SAINTS CELEBRATED IN JANUARY

Saints celebrated on the 31st of January

Prayer to the Angels and the Saints

Heavenly Father, in praising Your Angels and Saints we praise Your glory, for by honouring them we honour You, their Creator. Their splendour shows us Your greatness, which infinitely surpasses that of all creation.

In Your loving providence, You saw fit to send Your Angels to watch over us. Grant that we may always be under their protection and one day enjoy their company in heaven.

Heavenly Father, You are glorified in Your Saints, for their glory is the crowning of Your gifts. You provide an example for us by their lives on earth, You give us their friendship by our communion with them, You grant us strength and protection through their prayer for the Church, and You spur us on to victory over evil and the prize of eternal glory by this great company of witnesses.

Grant that we who aspire to take part in their joy may be filled with the Spirit that blessed their lives, so that, after sharing their faith on earth, we may also experience their peace in heaven. Amen.

SS. JULIUS, PRIEST, AND JULIANUS, DEACON  

Julius (priest) and Julianus (deacon) were brothers.

According to the old biography recorded by the Bollandists, these two brothers were born on the Greek island of Aegina (Myrmidonia) and brought up in the Christian faith. They turned to the sciences and prepared for the priesthood. St Julius actually did become a priest and St Julianus remained deacon. 

BUILDING CHRISTIAN CHURCHES

Eager to spread the Christian faith, they left their island and went to the Emperor Theodosius, who at their request gave them permission to destroy the idol temples in his empire and to build Christian churches in their place. 

THE FIRST SCENE OF THEIR ACTIVITY

The first scene of their activity was the region around Rome, where by the power of their speech and by their miraculous gifts they converted many. The place where they mostly dwelled was called Aqua Salvia. From there they travelled through Italy and came to the region of Lake Maggiore (Lacus Verbanus), where they also spread the Christian doctrine. They also built a church at Gozzano (Gaudianum) on the Gogna river in the diocese of Novara. 

A MIRACLE HEALING

While building the church it happened that a worker accidentally cut off his thumb, which St Julius then attached back to the labourer's hand by making the sign of the cross over it.

HE MIRACULOUSLY CROSSED THE WATER

He then came alone to a small lake, namely Lago d'Orta (Lacus Hortanus), which is connected to Lago Maggiore on the east side, where he saw a small island. He miraculously crossed the water without the use of a boat. Once there he found that the place was infested with snakes, which he banished by the sign of the cross. He then proceeded to erect a church there, which was subsequently dedicated in honour of the twelve holy apostles.

HE WENT TO VISIT HIS BROTHER

Once the task was completed, he set off to visit his brother Julianus, who in the meantime had built the church in Gozzano together with a tomb, but died soon after and was buried in this tomb by St Julius. 

JULIUS' DEATH AND BURIAL

Soon after this St Julius himself died (on January 31) and was buried with honour in the tomb he had built for himself in his church. St Julius is especially invoked as a protector against wolves. On January 31, the Roman Martyrology lists a St Julius from the province of Milan, from the time of Emperor Theodosius. The Bollandists consider this St Julius identical with the brother of St Julian.

(Information from Stadler's Complete Encyclopedia of Saints, 1858)

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