At every Mass we pray as a community together with all the Saints in Heaven, who are an integral part of the Church. Every Sunday Mass, we can remember two special Saints whose first-class relics are sealed within our new altar dedicated by Cardinal Wilton Gregory last January: Saint John Bosco and Saint Maria Mazzarello, both Italians who lived in the 19th century and are both closely related to the devotion to Our Lady Help of Christians. Every daily Mass in our Chapel, we can remember two other Saints, two early martyrs (second and third centuries) whose bones -first-class relics - are sealed within the altar of our Chapel: SAINT BLANDINA and SAINT FRUCTUOSUS. Maybe this is the first time you hear their names. I hope you can now find a special connection with them!

SAINT BLANDINA was born in Lugdunum (now Lyon, France) in 162 AD and died in Lyon as a Christian martyr at the young age of 15 in 177 AD. She was a slave. Persecution of Christians in Lyon took place during the Reign of Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius. As a non- Roman citizen who refused to renounce a Christian Faith, young BLANDINA was first tortured.

“She became famous for her courage as young girl enduring tortures. She remained faithful and repeated the same answer to every question: I am a Christian and we commit no wrongdoing. She was then bound to a stake and wild beasts were set on her. According to legend, they did not however, touch her. After enduring this for a number of days, she was led into the arena to see the suffering of her companions. Finally, as the last of martyrs (of Lyon, 177 AD), she was scourged, placed on a red-hot grate, enclosed in a net and thrown before a wild steer who tossed her into the air with his horns. In the end, she was killed with a dagger." (extracts from article “St Blandina" by Johann Peter Kirsch in the Catholic Encyclopedia). HER FEAST DAY is JUNE 2nd.

SAINT FRUCTUOSUS was the BISHOP of TARRAGONA, Catalonia, SPAIN. He died as a martyr during the reign of Roman Emperor Valerian on June 21st, 259 AD. He was martyred together with his two deacons, St Augurius and St Eulogius. Arrested by the Roman governor Emilian, they were burned at the stake in the local arena. St Augustine wrote in praise of these three martyrs. FEAST DAY is JANUARY 21st.

We are privileged to have the first-class relics of two early martyrs (2nd and 3rd century) sealed within the altar of our chapel: a famous and courageous 15-year-old girl (in France, Blandine is still a popular name for girls) and a well- known Bishop from Spain. The amazing faith of the early martyrs of the Church was a key factor in the early growth of Christianity.

May those two early martyrs protect our parish. May they be an inspiration to all of us to be WITNESSES OF OUR FAITH in a world more and more secular.

May the Holy Spirit increase our Faith in Christ and give us the courage to proclaim to ALL the GOOD NEWS of OUR RISEN LORD!

One in Christ,

Fr. Alain