ST ELEUCHADIUS, BISHOP OF RAVENNA - 14 FEBRUARY

 

ALL SAINTS CELEBRATED IN FEBRUARY

 Saints celebrated on the 14th of February

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.

ST ELEUCHADIUS, BISHOP OF RAVENNA

Saint Eleuchadius was of Greek descent and a pagan philosopher. Apollinarian, a disciple of St Peter converted him to Christianity. 

HIS LEARNING AND ELOQUENCE

As a Christian he devoted all his learning and his gift of speech to the defence of the holy Faith against the heretics, by whom he was universally feared. 

A DOVE LANDED ON HIS HEAD

When the people of Ravenna wanted to elect a bishop, they asked the Lord himself to designate the servant pleasing to them, and behold, a dove landed on Eleuchadius' head.

THE NOCTURNAL AND DAILY OFFICE

As bishop he was the first in Italy to introduce nocturnal and daily offices. Under him, the whole of holy Scripture started to be spread over the whole year into set sections to be read each day. 

HIS HOLY DEATH

He died in Ravenna in A.D. 112 and was buried there. According to old testimonies, his remains were later transferred to Pavia (Ticinum). 

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