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| St. Marcian of Syracuse (Feast Day - October 30) |
Verses
Marcian well-minded in the household of Christ,
Was killed by hanging by the killers of Christ.
Was killed by hanging by the killers of Christ.
Saint Marcian was the father according to the flesh of Saint Pankratios, and while our Lord Jesus Christ was still alive physically on the earth and worked wonders, he heard of His miracles, and taking his son Pankratios and his wife they went from Antioch to Jerusalem to see the Lord, but since He already Ascended to Heaven, they were thus baptized by the Apostle Peter. Marcian and Pankratios then became disciples of the Apostle Peter.
Pankratios was consecrated by the Apostle Peter as Bishop of the Sicilian city of Taormina. There he preached the word of Christ, and was secretly killed by the Montanists. Marcian was ordained Bishop of Sicily, and converted many Greek pagans to the Lord by his preaching which was confirmed with signs and wonders.
It should be noted that both Pankratios and Marcian are commemorated together by the Church on February 9th, however there Marcian is named Markellos for some reason. Furthermore, in his Synaxarion on February 9th he is said to have reposed in peace, while on October 30th he is said to have died as a martyr by the envy of the Jews, who killed him violently. To add to the confusion, Saint Pankratios is celebrated by himself on July 9th, and there it says his father died after he was baptized by the Apostle Peter.
It appears that during the Saracen invasion of Sicily the relics of Saint Marcian were secretly transferred to Gaeta.