- Birth: 255 A.D.
- Location: Spain
- Death: 288 A.D.
- Beatification: N/A (Before the Congregation for the Causes of Saints)
- Canonized: N/A (Before the Congregation for the Causes of Saints)
- Feast Day: January 20
- Patron Saint of: Athletes, Archers, Protection from Plagues, Soldiers
St. Sebastian’s Early Life
Little is known about St. Sebastian beyond the fact that he was an early Christian martyr during the reign of Emperor Diocletian.
According to Tradition, Sebastian enlisted in the Roman army so he could gain access to persecuted Christians and care for them in secret.
When authorities discovered his Christian identity, they brought him before Roman emperor Diocletian and sentenced him to death.
Sebastian was tied to a post and shot with arrows, yet he miraculously survived. When St. Irene came to bury him, she found him alive, so she brought him home and restored him to health.
Pope Francis tells us that St. Sebastian “even after being pierced by arrows and set to die, did not cease to bear witness to Christ for his contemporaries.”
St. Sebastian’s Road to Sainthood
Sebastian returned to warn the emperor against his malice towards Christians, and as a consequence, was brutally clubbed to death.
Because he was shot for arrows and left for dead, and then later beaten to death, Sebastian is sometimes referred to as the saint who was martyred twice.
The Pope built a church where they discovered Sebastian’s relics, and throughout the centuries, people have sought his intercession as the patron saint of athletes as well as for protection against plagues, a trend that emerged centuries after his death.
He was buried in the catacombs that now bear his name.
Following saints Peter and Paul, Sebastian is considered the third patron saint of the city of Rome. He’s also the patron of Rio de Janeiro and several other cities in various countries.
St. Sebastian Prayers
This old prayer associated with St. Sebastian reflects his patronage of those facing plague and disease:
“O St. Sebastian, guard and defend me, morning and evening, every minute of every hour, while I am still of sound mind; and, Martyr, diminish the strength of that vile illness called an epidemic which is threatening me. Protect and keep me and all my friends from this plague […] O martyr Sebastian! Be with us always, and by your merits keep us safe and sound and protect from plague. Commend us to the Trinity and to the Virgin Mary, so that when we die we may have our reward: to behold God in the company of martyrs. Amen”
This prayer, courtesy of the National Catholic Reporter, reflects St. Sebastian’s role as the patron saint of athletes:
“St. Sebastian, patron saint of athletes and sports, help me to do the best that I can, aim high and always give it my best effort, and if I should fail, give me the strength to try harder. Amen.”
Patronage – Churches
- St. Sebastian Church (Greenbrae, Calif.)
- St. Sebastian Parish (Sturtevant, Wis.)
- St. Sebastian Church (Wabash Co., Ill.)
- St. Sebastian Church and School (Belle Vernon, Pa.)
- St. Sebastian Catholic Church (Los Angeles, Calif.)
- St. Sebastian Church (Calhoun, Ky.)
- St. Sebastian Roman Catholic Church (Akron, Ohio)
Patronage – Schools
- St. Sebastian’s School (Needham, Mass.)
- St. Sebastian Catholic School (Milwaukee, Wis.)
- St. Sebastian STEM Academy (Sturtevant, Wis.)
- St. Sebastian Academy (Potomac Falls, Va.)