St. Sebastian: Feast Day, Patronage & Prayers
Feast day: January 20 (optional memorial)
Patron of: Soldiers, athletes, and archers.
About St. Sebastian
St. Sebastian was a Christian martyr of Rome who died around the year 288, during the persecution of the emperor Diocletian. He was buried on the Appian Way in a cemetery that came to bear his name, and he was honored in Rome as early as the fourth century, when St. Ambrose mentioned him in a sermon.
According to his later Passion, written in the fifth century, Sebastian was an officer in the imperial guard who used his position to encourage imprisoned Christians. When his faith was discovered, he was tied to a post and shot with arrows and left for dead, but a Christian widow named Irene found him alive and nursed him back to health. He then confronted the emperor publicly about his cruelty to Christians and was beaten to death. The image of the young martyr pierced by arrows became one of the most painted subjects in Christian art. Sebastian was invoked for centuries against plague, and soldiers and athletes adopted him as their patron. He shares his feast, January 20, with Pope St. Fabian.
Prayers to St. Sebastian on Daily Catholic Prayers
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