ST SEBASTIANA, VIRGIN AND MARTYR

ST SEBASTIANA, VIRGIN AND MARTYR - 7 JUNE

SAINT SEBASTIANA, VIRGIN AND MARTYR

The story of Saint Sebastiana goes back to the earliest times of the Church. She is said to have been converted and baptised by Saint Paul in Heraclea in Thrace and to have suffered for Jesus as early as 93 A.D. She seems to have received her name from her native city of Sebaste in Phrygia, where her pagan father held the office of prefect for a long time. Later she came to Marcianople in Lower Moesia, now called Preslav, where she suffered much for Christ's sake. She was imprisoned, beaten with lead clubs and thrown onto a burning pyre, on which she remained unharmed, to the amazement of all onlookers.

A violent storm that arose as a result of her prayers extinguished the flames. Then the governor Sergius had her taken back to Heraclea, exactly as the Apostle Saint Paul had previously foretold to her in a night vision.

The local governor repeated the tortures and made them even more severe. To no avail. She seemed insensitive to the tortures that were being inflicted on her. Two lions that were let loose on her one after the other left her untouched and lay down at her side like tender lambs. When she was finally beheaded outside the city, milk flowed from her neck instead of blood.

Even after her death, the miracles continued. Her body, which the governor had locked in a box weighted with lead and thrown into the sea, was brought by an angel to a place called Rhesistos. A pious woman named Synctelica arranged for an honorable burial. The old Greek version of her life and suffering was published by the Bollandists* with the Latin translation opposite. We think it is possible that this Saint is identical with Saint Sebastiana because of all the miracles involved.

(Information from Stadler's Complete Encyclopedia of Saints, Volume 5, Augsburg, 1882, p. 229)

*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 Sebastiana 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

WELCOME

Please pick your saints: January - Saints by date 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 February - Saints by date 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 ...

ST JOHN BERCHMANS, RELIGIOUS - 13 AUGUST

ALL SAINTS CELEBRATED IN AUGUST Saints celebrated on the 13th of August WELCOME! SAINT JOHN BERCHMANS, RELIGIOUS (Patron Saint of Altar Servers.) The eldest boy of a poor cordwainer, in a small Belgian town, John was ever a dutiful, prayerful, and studious child. Our Lord called him when but young to leave his father and his father’s house, to serve Him in the Society of Jesus. And because he was so good a son, it cost his father much to give him up to God; but he was too good a Christian to refuse outright. HE WAS SENT TO ROME John had hardly taken his religious vows when he was sent to the centre of Christendom, the holy city of Rome. His modesty, his purity, shone out as great virtue always does; and the young laymen who attended the lectures would come to gaze upon his beautiful and holy face, and go away the better for the sight. GREAT VIRTUE Three short years, and his last sickness found him sighing for heaven, and three days before the great feast of Mar...

ST LAURA OF CORDOBA, WIDOW AND MARTYR - 19 OCTOBER

ALL SAINTS CELEBRATED IN OCTOBER Saints celebrated on the 19th of October WELCOME! SAINT LAURA OF CORDOBA, WIDOW AND MARTYR Laura, a widow and martyr of Cordoba in Spain, is mentioned in the Spanish martyrology of Tamajode Salazar, who refers to Luitprand, where it says the following: St Laura is said to have been of a noble family, and according to the wishes of her parents she married an equally noble man and gave birth to two daughters. After the death of her husband and her daughters, she went to the monastery of St Aurea, named St-Maria de Cuteclara, and after her martyrdom led the same for nine years as her successor. After she had made wonderful progress in all virtues, she was finally summoned to renounce the faith before a Saracen judge. But since she remained steadfast, she was first beaten very cruelly and then thrown into a bath of boiling pitch, where she remained in praise of God for three hours and then flew to heaven on October...

SAINT FEAST DAY FOR EVERY DAY OF THE YEAR

Search This Blog