St. Pancras
Feast Day: May 12
He was about fourteen years old.
An orphan.
A new Christian.
And he was brought before the Roman authorities and told to offer sacrifice to the gods.
He said no.
They beheaded him.
His name was Pancras, and Christians have honored him for more than 1,700 years.
St. Pancras, pray for us.
Who Was St. Pancras?
According to ancient tradition, Pancras was born in Phrygia, in what is now Turkey.
His parents died when he was young.
His uncle brought him to Rome.
There, both of them came to know Christ and were baptized.
Martyred as a Teenager
Around A.D. 304, during the persecution of the Emperor Diocletian, Pancras was arrested.
Tradition says the authorities, seeing how young he was, offered him rewards if he would sacrifice to the Roman gods.
He refused.
He was beheaded on the Via Aurelia, a road outside Rome.
The Cause Makes the Martyr
St. Augustine wrote:
“It is not the punishment but the cause that makes the martyr.”
— St. Augustine
Pancras was not a martyr simply because he died young.
He was a martyr because he chose Christ.
His Memory Spread Across Europe
A church was built over his tomb in Rome in the 500s.
When St. Augustine of Canterbury went to England as a missionary, he dedicated one of the first churches there to St. Pancras.
That is why there is a famous St. Pancras station in London today.
He is a patron saint of children and of oaths, and he has long been invoked against perjury and false promises.
What St. Pancras Teaches Us
Pancras teaches young people that their faith is real and powerful.
You do not have to be old to be brave.
You do not have to be grown up to be a saint.
He also reminds all of us to be people of our word, faithful to the promises we make to God and to others.
When Is the Feast of St. Pancras?
The Catholic Church celebrates the optional memorial of St. Pancras, Martyr, on May 12.
Prayer Inspired by St. Pancras
Lord Jesus Christ,
St. Pancras gave his young life rather than deny You.
Strengthen children and teenagers to stand firm in their faith.
Help us all keep our promises,
and give us courage to choose You above every reward.
St. Pancras, pray for us. Amen.
