Holy Martyr Secundus

St. Secundus the Martyr (Feast Day - December 28)

Verses

Become Secundus a martyr by the sword,
And the beautiful things of martyrs receive as gifts.

This Saint Secundus may be Secundus of Asti. He lived in the second century and was a young man of noble lineage, probably a soldier, who visited the jails of Asti. There he was converted to Christianity by Calocerus, a Christian imprisoned by Sapricius, prefect of the city. Secundus was a friend of Sapricius. They traveled together to the city of Tortona, where Secundus met the city's first bishop, Marcian, who was imprisoned there and later martyred under Hadrian. Secundus' meeting with Marcian influenced his decision to become a Christian; his meeting with Faustinus and Jovita, imprisoned in Milan, further influenced his conversion and they baptized him. His friend Sapricius attempted to make him abjure his newfound faith. Secundus refused, and was tortured and decapitated.