Friday of the First Week of Ordinary Time

Saint Honoratus was born around 350 in the north of Gaul into a distinguished Roman family and received an excellent education. Drawn to Christ, he embraced the faith along with his brother Venantius. With the guidance of the holy Caprasius, the two set out from Marseille about 368, hoping to visit the sacred places of Palestine and the monastic communities of Syria and Egypt. When Venantius died suddenly at Methone in Achaia, Honoratus returned to Gaul by way of Italy and Rome, carrying his grief as an offering to God. In Provence, encouraged by Leontius of Fréjus, he withdrew to the rugged island of Lérins to live in solitude. There his holiness attracted disciples, and from this gathering arose the famed Abbey of Lérins, a cradle of saints, bishops, and spiritual writers. In 426, he was called from the cloister to become Archbishop of Arles, restoring peace and orthodox faith amid turmoil. He died in 429, held by his disciple Hilary. He is honored as patron of Algaida and Vinalesa. His feast day is January 16.

Saint Marcellus I was born in Rome on January 6, 255. He lived through the dark years of the Diocletian persecution, and after Pope Marcellinus died in 304 the Church in Rome remained without a bishop for a long and painful interval. When Marcellus was finally elected bishop of Rome in 308, he found the Christian community scattered, its meeting places disrupted, and many believers divided over how to welcome back those who had denied the faith under pressure. With a shepherd’s firmness, Marcellus reorganized the Church’s life in the city, dividing Rome into districts entrusted to priests to prepare catechumens for baptism, oversee public penance, and care for the burial of the faithful and the memory of the martyrs. His insistence that the lapsed undertake true penance stirred unrest, and under the emperor Maxentius he was seized and banished from Rome. He died in exile in 309 and was honored as a saint. His relics rest beneath the altar of San Marcello al Corso in Rome. He is invoked as patron of places including San Marcello and Saint-Marcel. His feast day is January 16.

Saint Titian of Oderzo was born to a noble family in Eraclea (Grisolera) in the Veneto region of northern Italy. In time he entered the service of the Church at Opitergium, today’s Oderzo, assisting Bishop Florian as a deacon and priest. Known for his generous care of the poor, Titian learned to shepherd souls with humility and practical charity. When Florian resigned his see to devote himself to missionary work, the faithful chose Titian as his successor, and he became bishop of Oderzo in the seventh century. As bishop, Titian gave himself wholeheartedly to his diocese, strengthening the people in orthodox faith and firmly opposing Arianism. He died in 632, traditionally on January 16, and was buried in the cathedral of Oderzo. Many reported miracles at his tomb, and devotion to him spread widely. After Oderzo was destroyed in 665, his relics were translated to Ceneda, where they remain honored. Saint Titian is especially venerated as patron of Oderzo, Francenigo, and Vittorio Veneto. His feast day is January 16.