ALL SAINTS CELEBRATED IN FEBRUARY
Saints celebrated on the 10th of February
SAINT APOLLO AND COMPANIONS, MARTYRS OF ALEXANDRIA
Saints Apollo, Protheus, Orion, Plausus and many other companions suffered martyrdom in Alexandria. There exists vastly different information regarding the number of companions, varying from 20 to as many as 1600.
Meaning of the name: The name Apollo is Greek, denoting destroyer, destroy. It was the name of a pagan god known from Greek mythology believed to have used his arrows to send the plague, etc. The Christians who, as pagans, had borne such names of pagan gods often retained them even after their conversion to Christianity and ennobled them. Others did not hesitate to choose such names in baptism as saints' names, since they no longer thought of the pagan deity, but of a Christian who had borne this name before them and had sanctified it by his life or his martyrdom.
(Information from Stadler's Complete Encyclopedia of Saints, Volume 1, Augsburg, 1858, p. 284)
Stadler's Complete Encyclopedia of Saints - Sources and Abbreviations
PRAYER:
Grant, we beseech you, almighty God, that the venerable feast of Saint Apollo and Companions 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.
Sources of these articles (in the original German): books.google.co.uk, de-academic.com, zeno.org, openlibrary.org
Comments
Post a Comment