St. Euplus of Catania

Euplus, also called Euplius, was a deacon at Catania in Sicily. In 304 he was brought before the governor Calvisianus with a book of the Gospels. He openly confessed that he was a Christian. Ordered to read from the book, he read the words about persecution for justice and taking up the cross to follow Christ.

He refused to surrender the sacred writings or to worship the pagan gods. Torture brought further questions, but his confession remained the same. Butler’s account remembers his repeated prayer to Jesus Christ, continuing with movements of his lips when his voice had grown weak.

The governor sentenced him to death by the sword. The executioners hung the Gospel book around his neck as they led him out. Euplus knelt in prayer before his execution, and Christians cared for his body. Butler follows the older acts and distinguishes them from a later version that he rejects. The commemoration is August 12.