Saints Marcus and Marcellianus

Martyrs of Rome
(died c. 286)

Saints Marcus and Marcellianus were twin brothers, born of a noble Roman family during the third century. Though their parents were pagans, the two young men had been entrusted in childhood to the care of a Christian family and had received instruction in the faith. They were baptised and grew up as fervent Christians, though they kept their faith largely hidden from their parents and the wider world during the fierce persecutions of that era.

When the persecution under the Emperor Diocletian intensified, Marcus and Marcellianus were arrested and condemned to death. The magistrate, unwilling to execute men of noble birth hastily, granted them a thirty-day reprieve in the custody of a Christian named Nicostratus, hoping that in that time their families might persuade them to sacrifice to the gods and be set free. Their parents, their wives, and their children came to them with tears and pleading, urging them to save their lives by a single act of outward conformity to the imperial religion.

It was at this moment that the deacon Sebastian, who was secretly a Christian serving in the Praetorian guard, came to the prison and spoke to them with such eloquence and courage that not only were the twins confirmed in their resolution, but their parents, their wives, and many of their guards and visitors were moved to embrace the Christian faith. Sebastian spoke of the transience of earthly life, the certainty of divine judgment, and the glory that awaited those who confessed Christ before men. The scene in the prison became a kind of continuous mission, and many souls were brought to God through the witness of the two brothers in their chains.

When the thirty days had expired and the twins still refused to apostasise, they were condemned. They were bound to posts by their feet, and after enduring this painful position for a time with great patience and prayer, they were pierced with lances and died for the faith they had embraced. Their feast has been kept by the Church from very early times, and their names are recorded in the ancient martyrologies. They remind the faithful that fidelity to Christ must be maintained even when those dearest to us urge us to compromise.