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Saint Vitus
Saint Vitus

Saint Vitus

Feast Day
Jun 15, 2013
Patronage
Storms, Epilepsy, Actors, Comedians, Dancers, Snake Bites, Poisonous Bites
<p>St. Vitus was an adolescent martyr of the church.&nbsp; He was born in Sicily in 290, and died as a martyr during the persecution of the Christians by the Roman Emperor in 303, at the age of 13.&nbsp; St. Vitus is counted as one of the &ldquo;Fourteen Holy Helpers&rdquo; of the Roman Catholic Church.&nbsp;</p> <p>Vitus was only 7 years old, and the son of a senator of Lucania.&nbsp; He resisted his father&rsquo;s attempts, which included various forms of torture, to make him turn away from his Catholic faith.&nbsp; He fled with his Tutor and the Tutor&rsquo;s wife &ndash; who was also his nanny, to Lucania.&nbsp; He was then taken from there back to Rome to drive out a demon, which had taken possession of a son of the Emperor Diocletian.&nbsp; After he worked his miracle and cured the son from Epilepsy he remained steadfast to the Catholic Faith.&nbsp; This was not what the Emperor wanted, and asked him to give up his faith, and worship the Emperor&rsquo;s gods and idols.&nbsp;</p> <p>He was tortured along with his Tutor and Nanny by the Emperor. By a miracle, they were brought back from Rome to Lucania, where they all three died from their tortures they had endured by the Roman Emperor.&nbsp;</p> <p>It is reported that three days after Vitus&rsquo;s death, he appeared to a distinguished matron named Florentia.&nbsp;&nbsp; Together he and Florentia who found the bodies of him, his Tutor and Nanny, buried them in the spot they were found.&nbsp; He worked many miracles, even in his youth.&nbsp; He is very popular today in Italy, Germany, and Bohemia.&nbsp; Many countries celebrate this youth&rsquo;s feast day, by dancing around his statue, and have for many centuries.&nbsp; The St. Vitus &ldquo;Dance&rdquo; is very popular to this day. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <h1>Practical Take Away</h1> <p>With this example set to us by our early Christian brothers, especially Vitus at the age of 13 becoming a martyr for the faith &ndash; we should all be encouraged to defend our faith.&nbsp; To think that he would go against his own father by refusing to give up his faith shows the dedication he had towards the Catholic Church and faith.&nbsp; How many times in today&rsquo;s society, do we so easily give up when things get tough?&nbsp; How many times do we remain silent, when we could speak up and defend the faith?&nbsp; We could all learn a lot by the life of this adolescent martyr &ndash; who rather than conforming to society, remained true to God through the Catholic Church, and merited Heaven for all eternity.&nbsp;&nbsp; In thanksgiving for St. Vitus&rsquo;s intercession for us &ndash; don&rsquo;t forget to do the St. Vitus Dance!&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>