St. Vincent de Saragossa

Feast Day: January 22 Died: 304 Vincent was born in Heusca and grew up at Saragossa in Spain. He was educated by the bishop, St. Valerius. Valerius recognized his talents and goodness and made Vincent a deacon when he was quite young. Bishop Valerius asked him to preach and teach about Jesus and the Church. Then one day Emperor Dacian arrested both Valerius and Vincent. Although he kept them in jail for a long time, they remained happy and peaceful and their faith in Jesus stayed strong. Then the emperor sent Bishop Valerius away from the country, but he sent Deacon Vincent to be cruelly tortured. Vincent asked the Holy Spirit for strength. He wanted to be true to Jesus no matter how terrible things were for him. The Lord gave him that strength and Deacon Vincent remained peaceful through all his sufferings. When they finished torturing Vincent, he was returned to prison where he converted the jailer. Finally, the emperor allowed people to visit Vincent. The Christians came and cared for his wounds and tried their best to make him comfortable. It was not long before he died in 304. St. Vincent is the patron saint of Portugal. Let us pray today in the words of St. Vincent: "God fill us with your Spirit and strengthen us in your love."