Saints celebrated on the 12th of May
SAINT PHILIP, PRIEST, APOSTLE OF SICILY
The most famous biography of Saint Philip of Agyrium in Sicily is fabulous and therefore hardly touches on his companion, the holy Eusebius, who is said to have been a monk and a contemporary, and neither does it mention Deacon Philip, who is venerated as part of the little group of assistants of Saint Philip, Apostle of Sicily.
In the place where Saint Philip lived and worked around the beginning of the 5th century (in diebus Arcadii imperatoris begins a Life of Saint Philip, cited by Baronius*), he has always been venerated, and his memory has been faithfully handed down the generations. This fact, and the number of rich legends of miracles which glorify him confirm his great activity in these regions, through which he acquired (cf. Mart. I. 99) the honorary title "Apostle of the Sicilians". He sent his student of the same name [Philip the deacon] to Palermo, who performed many miracles there; for instance did he cure a possessed man by using Saint Philip the priest's belt.
In Sicily, their joined feast day is celebrated on May 12. The town of San Filippo d'Algiro has developed on the spot where the saint worked as a priest. Since some sources list his memorial on May 1 [May 3], they must have mixed up our priest with the apostle Philip, who is commemorated on that day. (III. 26-33 app. 1-7)
(Information from Stadler's Complete Encyclopedia of Saints, Volume 4, Augsburg, 1875, pp. 891-92))
*A hagiography source used by the authors
Stadler's Complete Encyclopedia of Saints - Sources and Abbreviations
PRAYER:
Grant, we beseech you, almighty God, that the venerable feast of Saint Philip may increase our devotion and promote our salvation. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen.
➡️ Saint Philip's entry in the Roman Martyrology
Sources of these articles (in the original German): books.google.co.uk, de-academic.com, zeno.org, openlibrary.org
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