Saints Marcellinus, Peter & Erasmus, Martyrs
Ss. Marcellini, Petri et Erasmi Martyrum
On this day the Church honours three martyrs of the early centuries — Marcellinus, a priest, and Peter, an exorcist, who suffered together at Rome, joined in the same feast with Erasmus, a bishop venerated as a martyr.
The second of June gathers into one celebration the memory of three holy martyrs of the age of persecution. Marcellinus and Peter were Romans who shed their blood for Christ during the Diocletian persecution at the beginning of the fourth century; their names, joined with that of Saint Erasmus, are kept together on this day in the calendar of the Roman Missal. In honouring them, the faithful look back to the witness of those who held fast to the faith when to confess Christ was to risk death.
Marcellinus and Peter
Of Marcellinus and Peter the Church possesses an unusually early and trustworthy memory. Marcellinus was a priest of the Roman clergy and Peter an exorcist, that is, a minor cleric charged with the prayers of deliverance over the catechumens and the possessed. Both were put to death at Rome around the year 304, in the persecution under the Emperor Diocletian, and were buried on the Via Labicana. Their tomb was held in such veneration that the Emperor Constantine raised a basilica over it, and the great Saint Damasus, who as a boy had heard the account from their executioner, composed an inscription in their honour. Their names were placed in the Roman Canon of the Mass, where they are still spoken among the martyrs at every traditional offering of the Holy Sacrifice.
Saint Erasmus
Saint Erasmus, also called Elmo, is venerated as a bishop and martyr of the same early period, traditionally connected with the region of Campania in southern Italy. Much of what later ages told of his sufferings belongs to pious legend rather than to certain history, and the Church does not require us to receive these accounts as fact. What is honoured with confidence is that he was a shepherd of souls who bore witness to Christ unto death. In later centuries he came to be counted among the Fourteen Holy Helpers and was invoked especially by sailors.
Their witness today
These martyrs, of whom some particulars are sure and others uncertain, together teach the same lesson: that the faith was planted and watered by the blood of those who loved Christ above their own lives. The Church bids us, in the words of the day’s prayer, to be kindled by the example of those in whose merits we rejoice. Their memory joins the worship of the Church on earth to the company of the saints who now reign in glory.
The Collect
O God, who dost gladden us by the yearly festival of Thy blessed Martyrs Marcellinus, Peter, and Erasmus: grant, we beseech Thee, that we who rejoice in their merits may be kindled by their example. Through our Lord.
Deus, qui nos ánnua beatórum Mártyrum tuórum Marcellíni, Petri atque Erásmi solemnitáte lætíficas: præsta quæsumus; ut, quorum gaudémus méritis accendámur exémplis. Per Dóminum.
Patronage
Marcellinus and Peter are named in the Roman Canon of the Mass; Saint Erasmus (Elmo) is venerated among the Fourteen Holy Helpers and is invoked by sailors and against abdominal ailments.
In the Modern Calendar
In the modern calendar, Marcellinus and Peter are observed on 2 June as an optional memorial, while Saint Erasmus is no longer kept on the universal calendar.
Common Questions
When is the feast of Saints Marcellinus, Peter, and Erasmus?
Their feast is kept on 2 June in the calendar of the 1962 Roman Missal, as a Fourth Class feast.
Who were Marcellinus and Peter?
Marcellinus was a Roman priest and Peter an exorcist who were martyred at Rome around the year 304 during the persecution of Diocletian. Their memory is very ancient, and their names are included in the Roman Canon of the Mass.
Who was Saint Erasmus?
Saint Erasmus, also called Saint Elmo, was an early bishop venerated as a martyr, traditionally associated with southern Italy. Many details of his story belong to later legend, but he is honoured as one who gave his life for Christ, and he is invoked especially by sailors.
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