On the fourth day of Christmas, the Church gives to us a somber memorial which concretizes ... sin no more” (Jer 31:33-34). Holy Innocents, first small martyrs, pray for us.

The Holy Innocents did not know Jesus, but they died in his place. Dec. 28 marks the feast of these baby boys who are, today, recognized as the first martyrs and pro-life patron saints. Their ...

The Eucharistic celebration will take place in the church ... the Holy Sepulchre, priests, members of nearby parishes and all who wish to join in for the celebration of the first Roman martyrs.

In early centuries, Christians executed in the Roman Empire for refusing to renounce their faith – called martyrs ... For the first thousand years, holy men and women were venerated as saints ...

"As I have said so many times, martyrs ‘are more numerous in our time than in the first centuries ... is timed to coincide with a church jubilee, or Holy Year, scheduled for 2025 that ...

In 2002 St. John Paul II recognized the Basilica of St. Bartholomew on Tiber Island in Rome as a shrine to the "new martyrs" of the 20th century. Shortly afterward, the Italian government began an ...

The Roman government killed ... shared belief in Christ Jesus. The church holds them both up as examples, along with the witness of the countless holy martyrs in our history: Cecilia, Miguel ...