Saint Agapitus, Martyr
S. Agapiti Martyris
Saint Agapitus, a young martyr venerated at Praeneste near Rome, gave his life for the faith of Christ in the early persecutions and is held in honour as the patron of that city.
Saint Agapitus was venerated from ancient times as a martyr at Praeneste, the city now called Palestrina, in the hills not far from Rome. The tradition remembers him as a young man — according to the account, scarcely more than a boy — who confessed the name of Christ in one of the early persecutions and was put to death for his faith. His name is found in the ancient martyrologies of the Church, and his veneration at Palestrina is old and well established.
A young witness to Christ
The detailed acts of Saint Agapitus that were handed down belong to the early martyr-legends, and their particulars — including the precise year of his death — cannot be established with certainty; the Roman Martyrology itself notes that the time of his passion is uncertain. What the Church holds securely is that he was a martyr honoured at Praeneste from early days, and that the faithful of that place have venerated him through the centuries as their special patron, raising a church in his honour over the place of his burial.
In Saint Agapitus the Church honours the witness of the young who, in the age of persecution, did not count their youth a reason to shrink from confessing Christ, but gave even their few years gladly for love of him. His feast is a reminder that the grace of God is not bound by age, and that the crown of martyrdom has been granted to the young no less than to the old.
The Collect
Let thy Church rejoice, O God, trusting in the intercession of blessed Agapitus thy Martyr; and by his glorious prayers may she abide in devotion and stand secure.
Lætétur Ecclésia tua, Deus, beáti Agapíti Mártyris tui confísa suffrágiis: atque, eius précibus gloriósis, et devóta permáneat et secúra consístat.
Patronage
He is venerated as the patron of Palestrina (the ancient Praeneste), where his relics are honoured in the cathedral that bears his name.
In the Modern Calendar
In the modern calendar he is no longer kept on the universal calendar.
Common Questions
When is the feast of Saint Agapitus?
His feast is kept on 18 August in the calendar of the 1962 Roman Missal, as a Fourth Class feast.
Who was Saint Agapitus?
He was a young martyr venerated at Praeneste, the city now called Palestrina, near Rome. The tradition remembers him as a youth who confessed Christ in one of the early persecutions and was put to death for the faith. He is honoured as the patron of that city.
How much is reliably known about him?
His ancient veneration at Praeneste is certain, and his name appears in the early martyrologies. The detailed account of his passion belongs to the early martyr-legends, and even the year of his death is uncertain; the Church honours soberly what is sure — that he was a young martyr for Christ.
See where this feast falls in the Church’s year on the liturgical calendar, or find a Traditional Latin Mass near you.
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