Friday of the Fifth Week of Ordinary Time

Saint Fusca of Ravenna was born in Ravenna, Italy, in the mid-third century, the daughter of a nobleman. As a young girl she was entrusted to the care of her father’s slave, Maura, who became her nurse and spiritual companion. Under the guidance of the priest Ermolar, Fusca and Maura received baptism, choosing Christ in a time when such faith could cost one’s life. During the Decian persecution, Fusca’s own father denounced them to the local judge. Condemned for their Christian faith, Fusca—said to be only fifteen years old—and Maura suffered martyrdom in Ravenna around AD 250, bearing witness with a courage beyond their years. Soon after, Fusca’s grave became a place of pilgrimage, a quiet testimony that the blood of martyrs strengthens the Church. In later invasions her relics were hidden for safety on the island of Torcello near Venice, and devotion spread widely, especially in Istria, where she is venerated as Foška. Saint Fusca is honored as patroness of Agrons, Borgnano, Casacorba, and Žminj. Her feast day is February 13.

Saint Archelaus, honored on February 13, is venerated as a holy figure closely linked to the Church in Sardinia. Born in Fordongianus and believed to have died around the year 100, his life belongs to the earliest generations of Christian memory, when faith was carried and preserved with quiet courage. Though few details of his earthly story have come down to us, his enduring place in devotion speaks clearly: he is cherished as a patron of Oristano and of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Oristano. In Saint Archelaus, the faithful recognize a witness whose legacy is not measured by how much is recorded, but by how deeply he is remembered in the prayer of the Church. Through his intercession, may Oristano and all who invoke him be strengthened in faith and fidelity.