Sebastian: Name Day and Patron Saint

St Sebastian was born in Narbonne in Gaul and raised in Milan, and in the days of the emperors Diocletian and Maximian he rose to command the imperial guard in Rome. Soldiers and courtiers loved him for his honesty, justice and wisdom. He kept his faith hidden so that he could help the Christians in the persecution. When the imprisoned brothers Mark and Marcellinus began to waver under the tears of their families, Sebastian went to them and urged them to hold fast, for eternal life outweighs this short one; those present saw his face shine like an angel’s. He made the sign of the Cross over Zoe, the jailer’s wife, mute for six years, and she spoke and praised Christ. Many were baptized through him, and many of them later died as martyrs. At last Diocletian questioned Sebastian himself and had him tied to a tree and shot with arrows. The widow Irene found him still alive and nursed him back to health, but he went out again to rebuke the emperors and was beaten to death. A pious woman named Lucina buried him in the catacombs, and a basilica stands over his tomb on the Appian Way. The Orthodox Church remembers him with his companions on 18 December (31 December on the Old Calendar), and the West keeps his feast on 20 January. Christians have long asked his protection in times of plague.

What the faithful pray for

• protection in times of plague and epidemic
• courage for those who waver under pressure to deny Christ
• strength to stand by those who suffer for the faith
• those who serve as soldiers and guards
• the healing of the sick