St. Vincent of Saragossa: Feast Day, Patronage & Prayers
Feast day: January 22 (optional memorial; January 23 in the United States)
Patron of: Vinedressers and winemakers; Lisbon and Valencia.
About St. Vincent of Saragossa
St. Vincent was a deacon of the Church of Saragossa in Spain, serving under his bishop, St. Valerius. Because Valerius had a speech impediment, he entrusted much of the preaching to Vincent. During the persecution of the emperor Diocletian, around the year 304, both were arrested and taken to Valencia. The bishop was sent into exile, but Vincent was subjected to terrible tortures in an effort to make him deny Christ.
Early Christian writers, among them the poet Prudentius and St. Augustine, who preached several sermons on his feast, describe how Vincent endured the rack, iron hooks, and fire with a peace that astonished his persecutors, and how he died in prison of his wounds. His fame spread throughout the Christian world, and he was one of the most widely honored martyrs of the early Church, named among the deacon martyrs in the Litany of the Saints with Sts. Stephen and Lawrence. His relics were later venerated in Lisbon. Because his name suggested wine, vinedressers adopted him as their patron. Vincent teaches us that grace can make even the weak unconquerable.
Prayers to St. Vincent of Saragossa on Daily Catholic Prayers
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