St. Marcellus was a centurion of the Roman army of the Tangiers garrison. For being a centurion of the army, he was sent to participate in the celebrations of the birthday of Emperor Diocletian, where all the participants had to honor the statue of the emperor with a gesture (to throw incense in the brazier placed at his feet) that the Christians considered idolatrous.
St. Marcellus refused to do so, and to be consistent, he removed the centurion's insignia, threw them at the foot of the statue, and declared himself a Christian. This attitude was punishable by capital punishment, so the clerk was called to draft an official record of the centurion's rebellion.
The official refused to draft the procedural documents, imitating the centurion Marcelo, threw out the sentence, protested the injustice perpetrated against the innocent, condemned to death for worshiping the only true God, and also declared himself a Christian .
Both were imprisoned and suffered martyrdom: St. Marcellus on 30 October, and Cassian on 3 December.
For this reason, every year, it was celebrated the Holy of October 30, as the day of Saint Marcelo, according to the Catholic Church.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, the giver of life and holiness, let me receive the gift of faith and live in the service of your gospel.
Make sure I am an honest and supportive Christian and learn from the Martyr St. Marcellus the value of faithfulness to your word.
For Christ our Lord.
Amen.
