St. Pancras of Taormina
Feast 04-03
Patron of
About
Pancras, or Pancratius, is an Italian saint of the early Church associated with Taormina in Sicily, where he is venerated as a Christian martyr. His surviving hagiography is purely legendary in character, yet his name is recorded in certain early martyrologies, witnessing to an ancient devotion.
According to the tradition, Pancras was sent from Antioch to preach the Gospel in Sicily and became the first bishop of Taormina. There he is said to have converted many by his preaching and to have suffered death for his confession of Christ.
He is honored as the patron of Taormina and of Canicattì, and his feast is kept on April 3. Though the details of his life rest on legend, the Church remembers him as a witness who gave his life for the name of Christ.
Suggested prayer
O God, who gave Saint Pancras the courage to confess your Son in Sicily and to shed his blood for the name of Christ, grant through his intercession that all who suffer for the faith may stand firm in hope. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
