St. Vincent, a Deacon Martyr

Next Monday, 22nd January, is the (optional) Memorial of yet another martyr from the Roman period, this time the deacon, St. Vincent (d. 304). Vincent came from Saragossa and is the proto-martyr of Spain. He was mentioned by St. Augustine, who has left us several sermons preached on his feastday. He was martyred at Valencia, during the persecution by Diocletian. The Acts of the Martyrs describe his tortures in some detail and record his speech to Dacian, governor of Spain: ‘The more I witness your fury, Dacian, the greater is my pleasure. Do not lessen in any way the sufferings you prepare for me so that I can make my victory shine more resplendently.” The Opening Collect of the Mass for this feastday is taken from a Spanish sacramentary. It highlights the courage of St. Vincent in enduring torture and death. As his feast falls in the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, let’s ask the prayers of this most celebrated martyr of the Iberian peninsula that we too can hope to overcome the seemingly insurmountable obstacles that stand in the way of unity in faith and charity: Almighty ever-living God, mercifully pour out your Spirit upon us, so that our hearts may possess that strong love by which the Martyr St. Vincent triumphed over all bodily torments. Through our Lord Jesus Christ your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen. [Image: Daniel stock.adobe.com]