St. Stephen, Martyr
Feast day: December 26
The first martyr for the Christian faith, St. Stephen was chosen as one of the seven deacons by the apostles. He was ordained with the mission of laboring among the poor. His story is recounted in the Acts of the Apostles. Stephen was a gifted, fiery preacher. He preached among the Hellenist Christians in Jerusalem and earned the enmity of members of the large Jewish community. Brought before the Sanhedrin, he defended himself with passion and eloquence (Acts 7:2-53), but it did nothing to assuage his bitter foes. Dragged out of the city, Stephen was stoned to death. He is the patron of bricklayers and stonemasons.
Collect
Grant, Lord, we pray,
that we may imitate what we worship,
and so learn to love even our enemies,
for we celebrate the heavenly birthday
of a man who knew how to pray even for his persecutors.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever.
