Quirinus of Sescia

Saint Quirinus was born in the lands of ancient Pannonia, and served as bishop of Sescia, today Sisak in Croatia, in the early years of the Church. Remembered even by early historians, he became a steadfast witness to Christ during the persecution under Emperor Diocletian. Arrested in 309, Quirinus was imprisoned for his faith, and tradition recalls that his calm courage moved even his jailer, Marcellus, to embrace Christianity. Brought before the governor Amantius and pressed to renounce the Lord, the bishop remained unshaken. He was condemned to death by drowning, cast into the river with a millstone bound to his neck, offering his life as a martyr rather than deny the Gospel he preached. The faithful recovered his body and honored him as a saint, and his relics were later carried to Rome, where devotion to him spread widely. He is especially honored as patron of San Quirino. His feast day is June 4.