Saint Marcellinus
Patronage: unknown
Feast: June 2nd (Solemnity)
I always hear about Saint Marcellinus at Mass when we ask for the intercession of different great Saints, yet I didn’t know who he was, what he did and how he attained sainthood.
St Marcellinus, a traveling Priest along with his friend Peter (an exorcist) were called by God to be martyrs. The Pope at this time, Pope Damascus, heard of people converting to the faith through the death of these two Saints. Their executioner was converted after killing them both in the Diocletianic persecution. It is said these two Saints were beheaded outside the ordinary execution spot so that the Christians couldn’t give them a proper burial. One source says that the two saints happily cleared space in the bushes in preparation for their death. I wonder why? My thoughts are they were happy and joyful doing the will of God. Even in human suffering these Saints felt the ‘joy’ of God.
Even though the saints bodies were deeply hidden in bushes far from Rome, two women, Lucilla and Firmina, found the Saints bodies with divine intervention and gave them a proper burial. Many conversion occurred after the death of these saints.
I thought St Marcellinus was an interesting saint. One source (2) mentioned why this saint in particular is mentioned in the Mass. This was their answer:
“The Church has always believed that the apostles, and Christ’s martyrs who had given the supreme witness of faith and charity by the shedding of their blood, are quite closely joined with us in Christ”(Vatican II, Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, 50).
Source (1): http://www.catholic.org/saints
Source (2): http://www.americancatholic.org
Originally posted 2014-08-05 13:04:06.