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SAINT LUCY AND 22 COMPANIONS, MARTYRS OF ROME - 25 JUNE

 

ALL SAINTS CELEBRATED IN JUNE

Saints celebrated on the 25th of June

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SAINT LUCY AND 22 COMPANIONS, MARTYRS OF ROME


Saint Lucy (Luceja, Lucia) was a pious Roman citizen (civis urbica) from the eternal city (Urbicaria). Taken into captivity by the barbarian king Auceias, he fell in love with her because of her beauty. But when she explained to him that she was already betrothed to Jesus Christ, the king was filled with awe towards her. He had a suitable dwelling allotted to her, and commanded maids to tend to her, giving them the strictest orders, in all things to give punctual obedience to this virgin, who worships the God who dwells in heaven. 

Lucy, praying and fasting, thanked God day and night for this great grace. At the same time she prayed very often for the king and his house, and the king owed his brilliant victories over his enemies to her constant prayers, which is why he also honoured her as he would his mother. 

After a stay of 20 years, Christ appeared to Lucy in a vision and asked her to return to her homeland; for martyrdom awaited her there. She related this vision to the king and begged him not to keep her any longer, which he gladly granted. Indeed,
Auceias offered to travel with her to Rome in order for himself to leave everything for Jesus' sake. 

After a few days of her stay in Rome, Lucy was indeed reported to the authorities for being a Christian, duly seized and led before the city prefect Aelius, who had her beheaded because she refused to sacrifice to the gods. Seeing this, the king positively went and asked the prefect for his own beheading, convinced that the shedding of his blood would make him a Christian. So he too was adorned with the crown of martyrdom. Immediately afterwards twenty others were accused of Christianity, they too refused to sacrifice to the idols, and thereupon were also beheaded on orders of the same prefect, among them Anthony (Antonius), Hereneus, Theodore (Theodorus), Denis (Dionysius), Apollonius, Apamius, Pronicus, Loteus, Orion, Papicus, Satyrus, Victor and nine others, whose names are known only to God. Some of the Companions are spelled differently, depending on the source used, viz. Serenus, Diodorus, Dion, Papianus, Cotyius, Oronus, etc., while other martyrologies mention fewer names. 

Lucy's martyrdom took place in the year 301, at the time of Diocletian's and Maximian's persecution of Christians. The Greeks venerate this Saint Lucy on July 6 and on July 1. Our Saint Lucy of Rome is a different person than [both Saint Lucy (December 13) and] Saint Lucy (June 1) who was martyred with many others at Thessalonica. (V. 11–14).

(Information from Stadler's Complete Encyclopedia of Saints, Volume 3, Augsburg, 1869, p. 867-77)

Stadler's Complete Encyclopedia of Saints - Sources and Abbreviations

PRAYER:

Grant, we beseech you, almighty God, that the venerable feast of Saint Lucy 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.

➡️ Saint Lucy'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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