THE FINDING OF SS. DIODORUS, MARCIAN, AND COMPANIONS - 17 JANUARY

 

ALL SAINTS CELEBRATED IN JANUARY

Saints celebrated on the 17th 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.

THE FINDING OF SS. DIODORUS, MARCIAN, AND COMPANIONS, MARTYRS

Today, the Roman Martyrology also features the following entry:

"At Rome, the finding of the holy martyrs Diodorus, priest, Marcian, deacon, and their companions. Whilst they were commemorating the birthdays of the martyrs in a sand-pit, the entrance was closed by the persecutors, and the vault over them broken down, and they thus obtained the palm of martyrdom in the reign of Pope St Stephen."

The reign of Pope St Stephen lasted from A.D. 253 - 258]. Today is the day the holy martyrs were discovered - their feast day is on December 1.