Thursday After Ash Wednesday

Saint Barbatus of Benevento was born around 610 in Vandano, near Cerreto Sannita, in the Duchy of Benevento. Formed by a solid Christian education and deep love for Sacred Scripture, he was ordained as soon as he was able and quickly became known as a gifted preacher. Sent to serve at St. Basil’s in Morcone, he met resistance from lukewarm believers, yet he persevered in calling hearts back to a living faith. Returning to Benevento, Barbatus confronted lingering pagan superstitions among the people and even within the Lombard court, including devotion to a golden viper and a sacred walnut tree. When Emperor Constans II besieged the city, Barbatus’s warnings proved true; in fear and repentance the people renounced these practices. He destroyed the objects of superstition, even melting the viper into a chalice for the Church, and strengthened the city’s defenses by repurposing materials from a pagan temple. Elected bishop in 663, he shepherded Benevento with courage and orthodoxy, assisting Pope Agatho’s council in Rome and attending the Third Council of Constantinople against Monothelitism. He is honored as a patron of Benevento and of Casalattico, Castelvenere, Cicciano, San Barbato, and Valle dell’Angelo. His feast day is February 19.

Saint Conrad of Piacenza was born around 1290 (perhaps earlier) at Calendasco near Piacenza in northern Italy, into the noble Confalonieri family. As a young man he married a noblewoman, Ephrosyne, yet God gradually drew him toward a life of repentance and prayer. Tradition tells that after a tragic fire for which an innocent man was blamed, Conrad publicly confessed his responsibility and accepted the loss of his wealth as a providential call to conversion. He and his wife separated so each could pursue a consecrated life, and Conrad entered the Third Order of St. Francis. For some forty years he lived as a hermit, embracing austere penance, deep solitude, and loving service when needed. He is especially linked with the region of Noto in Sicily, where he prayed for the suffering, cared for the sick, and was remembered for miracles, including healings and the gift of bread during famine. Venerated as patron of Calendasco and Noto, he died in prayer on February 19, 1351. His feast day is February 19.