Saint of the day: Apollinaris

St. Apollinaris is one of the earliest martyrs of the Church. St. Peter made him Bishop of Ravenna. As bishop, Apollinaris drew a lot of attention from the miracles he performed, and his preaching converted many to Christianity. 

Apollinaris also drew attention from the pagan people in the area, who beat him on several occasions. At one point, Apollinaris was cut with knives, and had boiling water poured over his wounds. He was then put on a ship bound for Greece. 

In Greece, Apollinaris again drew crowds for his preachings and his miracles. But he gained negative attention that led to more beatings, and after one particularly cruel encounter with Greek pagans, he was sent back to Italy.

When Emperor Vespasian banished Christians, Apollinaris went into hiding for some time, but one day, as he passed through the city gates, he was attacked and beaten savagely. He survived his wounds for seven days, and during that time, he told his followers that the persecutions would increase, but the Church would ultimately triumph.