Today is the Feast Day of St. Cecilia - patroness of my Parish (Happy Feast day to my fellow Parishioners!). I did a post on St. Cecilia on November 6, 2014, so I won't do a repeat. Check out my blog if you are interested in her story. But, in honor of her feast day, I will share the story of her husband and two of his companions.
St. Valerian was the husband of St. Cecilia. On their wedding night Cecilia told Valerian that she had taken a vow of virginity and that there was an angel protecting her. When Valerian asked to see the angel, Cecilia told him that if he went to the third milestone on the via Appia and be baptized by Pope Urban I he would be able to see him. After following his wife's instructions, Valerian did see the angel standing beside her crowning her with a chaplet of roses and lilies.
After Valerian's conversion, the couple and Valerian's brother, Tiburtius, took up the task of burying martyred Christians. This was an illegal activity. Valerian, Tiburtius and another Christian named Maximus were martyred for performing this corporal work of mercy. St. Cecilia buried her husband and his companions and converted hundreds of others to Christianity before being martyred herself.
Valerian, Tiburtius and Maximus share a feast day on April 14. They are buried in the Catacombs of Praetextatus.
No comments:
Post a Comment