December 26
St. Stephen
The first Christian martyr — the protomartyr — stoned to death in Jerusalem as recorded in Acts 6-7. Stephen's speech before the Sanhedrin is the longest in Acts, a tour de force of salvation history. He died praying for his killers as Saul of Tarsus looked on approvingly.
Why it matters for your parish:
The Church immediately follows Christmas with the feast of the first martyr — a stunning theological juxtaposition of the newborn King and the first to die for him. Stephen's prayer for his killers echoes Christ's on the Cross.
Graphics for this saint are coming soon.