Marcellinus, a priest, and Peter, an exorcist, were martyred in Rome under Diocletian. They are said to have spread the faith even in prison, and their names appear in the Roman Canon of the Mass.
Life
Marcellinus and Peter were martyred in Rome around 304 during the persecution of Emperor Diocletian. Marcellinus was a priest and Peter an exorcist, a minister of the Church.
Pope Damasus later recorded that as a boy he had heard the story from the very man who executed them. According to his account, the two were led into a wood, made to clear the place of their own burial, and then beheaded. Their names appear in the first Eucharistic Prayer of the Mass, and they were buried in a catacomb on the Via Labicana in Rome.
Spirituality
The two martyrs' spirituality is companionship in faith. A priest and a minister of the Church bore witness to Christ side by side to the end, and their peaceful death left a deep mark even on the heart of their executioner.
Reflection
Marcellinus and Peter are martyrs named in the Eucharistic Prayer. At your next Mass, when the saints' names are spoken, will you pause to remember their faith?