Saint Sebastian
Feast day: January 20
Saint Sebastian, Roman martyr, who by tradition bravely supported his fellow Christians (20/01).
Who is he?
Saint Sebastian was a martyr in Rome when the Church was still being persecuted. The most certain things about him are that he died for the faith and was buried beside the Appian Way, where there is a church named after him today. Saint Ambrose tells us he came from Milan. He is the patron saint of soldiers and athletes.
Life story
Most of the story of his life comes from an account written about a hundred years later, so we tell it “according to tradition.”
According to tradition, Sebastian was an officer in the emperor’s guard. He was a Christian, but no one knew. He used his position to visit his fellow Christians locked in prison, encouraging them to hold firm in the faith and helping their families.
One day, people discovered that he was a Christian. The emperor was furious that a man he trusted followed Christ. He ordered him tied to a tree for soldiers to shoot with arrows. Thinking he was dead, they left. A devout widow named Irene came to bury him and found that he was still alive, so she took him home and cared for him until he was well.
His friends urged him to flee Rome, but he did not run away. He went to see the emperor and bravely asked him to stop persecuting the Christians. This time, the emperor ordered him to be killed. He was martyred, and the faithful buried him beside the Appian Way.
On the card, he peacefully holds a few arrows and a martyr’s palm branch: the things that were used to hurt him have now become signs of the victory of faith.
Why is he a saint?
Saint Sebastian was faithful to Christ until death. He did not just keep his faith for himself, but risked his life to support his suffering brothers and sisters. Even when he could have fled, he chose to stand up and bear witness to the truth.
A lesson for you
- When a classmate is bullied or left out, go and stand beside them, talk with them, and tell a teacher or your parents so you can help them together.
- Don’t be ashamed of being Catholic.
Identifying marks
- Arrows: according to tradition, he was tied to a tree and shot with arrows, but did not die.
- A martyr’s palm branch: he died for the faith and shares in the victory with God.
- The red cloak of a Roman officer: according to tradition, he was a soldier. The oldest surviving picture of him shows him clothed, without arrows; the arrows were added later.
- A tree trunk behind him: it recalls the tree he was tied to.
- Tied to a post or tree, his body pierced with arrows (*): a style of statue that became popular in the Renaissance.
(*) Only in some pictures and statues.
The text on this page is the saint card in the Catholic Information app, word for word.
Collect this card and read more about the saints in the app