SAINT PARACODUS, BISHOP OF VIENNE - 2 JANUARY

 

ALL SAINTS CELEBRATED IN JANUARY

Saints celebrated on the 2nd of January

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SAINT PARACODUS, BISHOP OF VIENNE

This holy bishop of Vienne, according to the tradition of this church the seventh in the line of succession, was of Greek ancestry, just like his predecessor Dionysius. His name is also spelled Pyragodas and Parogodes. He ruled his church during the reigns of the emperors Septimius Severus and Maximius, i.e. from about A.D. 193 to 230. 

As a preacher of faith he travelled extensively and went as far as the Geneva area. Pope Victor I. wrote to him in order to achieve a unified day regarding the celebration of Easter. The pontiff's epistle makes it clear that the Christian celebration of Easter had to be separated from the Jewish one, in order to let the light of the Gospel of Jesus Christ shine all the brighter in this contrast [the old versus the new covenant, the redemption through our Lord Jesus Christ, etc.] We have no information as to how Paracodus implemented the instructions in this letter. This holy bishop's feast is celebrated on January 2. Some sources list him on January 1 (I. 20).

(Information from Stadler's Complete Encyclopedia of Saints, Volume 4, Augsburg, 1875)

Stadler's Complete Encyclopedia of Saints - Sources and Abbreviations

PRAYER:

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