Feast of Saint Marcellus the Centurion, October 30
From Our Friends at the Catholic Peace Fellowship:
October 30th marks the feast day of Saint Marcellus the Centurion. In AD 298, during military festivities in honor of the emperor, Marcellus stripped himself of all that marked him as a soldier and proclaimed, “I serve Jesus Christ, the Eternal King. From now on I serve your emperors no more.” Following his immediate arrest, Marcellus was brought before the Roman governor to whom he confessed, “I publicly stated in a loud voice that I am a Christian, and that I am unable to adhere to the military oath of allegiance, but rather serve Jesus Christ, the Son of the almighty God the Father.” At his trial, Marcellus told his interrogator that it is “not right for a Christian man, who serves the Lord Christ, to serve in the armies of the world.” Once sentenced to death, Marcellus asked God to bless his persecutors as he was led away to his beheading.
It is said that when Marcellus was condemned to death, the court stenographer, Cassian, enraged at the sentence and inspired by Marcellus’ courage and faith, threw down his pen and after announcing his own faith, refused to record any more of the hearing in protest. Saint Cassian of Tangiers was himself arrested and martyred at the hands of the Roman empire.
The spirit of Saint Marcellus continues to inspire those who refuse to participate in war and instead choose to become instruments of God’s peace. This October 30th will be a day lined with events in celebration and remembrance of the martyr’s witness. In South Bend, Indiana, the day’s activities will culminate in prayer in veneration of the relics of Saint Marcellus which rest inside the high altar of the Basilica of the Sacred Heart on the campus of Notre Dame. The bones of the third century conscientious objector continue to bear witness to Christ’s peace on a Catholic campus where future soldiers are trained for war in its heavily funded ROTC program. We pray that the same faith that led Saint Marcellus to become a conscientious objector and in turn inspired Saint Cassian and countless other Christians, continue to lead us away from violence and towards the insurmountable love perfected by Jesus Christ on the cross.
