Tradition says these brothers from Rome settled at Soissons in Gaul, making shoes by day while spreading the Gospel. They were martyred during a persecution and are patrons of shoemakers and leatherworkers.
Life
Saints Crispin and Crispinian are said to have been martyred during a persecution in the Roman Empire in the late third century. Little is known about them with historical certainty.
According to tradition, they were brothers who lived in Soissons in Gaul, preaching by day and making shoes by night to earn their living, and making shoes for the poor without charge. They were later arrested and martyred, the story says. Because of this tradition they are honored as patrons of shoemakers and leatherworkers, and the Church remembers them on October 25.
Spirituality
The spirituality conveyed by the tradition of Crispin and Crispinian is a life in which work and witness are one. They earned their bread with their hands and served poor neighbors through that same work. An ordinary job can also be a place to bear witness to God.
Reflection
Tradition says these two saints served their neighbors by making shoes. Whom does my daily work help, and could I offer that work to God?