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St. Theodoret of Antioch

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Saints and feasts

St. Theodoret of Antioch

Priest and Martyr

Theodoret was a priest at Antioch who continued serving his flock after the clergy were banished. Butler remembers his confession before the governor and his martyrdom in 362.

Sources

What patronage is associated with St. Theodoret of Antioch?

St. Theodoret of Antioch is traditionally honored as a principal patron of Uzès and Apt in France.

Butler records the priest and martyr as titular saint and principal patron of both places, where he was called Theodoric. This is Theodoret of Antioch, not the later bishop and historian of Cyrrhus; the source’s principal rank is retained without claiming a separately verified papal declaration.

Historical source

Alban Butler, The Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs, and Other Principal Saints, Volume X (October), Thomas Richardson and Son, Derby, for the Catholic Book Society, 1846; October 23, “St Theodoret, Priest and Martyr,” pp. 578-583. Patronage passage: p. 580. Read the source

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The life below remains the existing Butler-based reading, with its edition citation. The profile preserves the feast date and source title already listed in the library. Additional personal dates and historical details are shown only when separately documented.

Ministry remembered: A Catholic priest at Antioch
Butler identifies him as a priest and keeper of sacred vessels, distinct from the later bishop and historian Theodoret of Cyrrhus.

Butler sourceAlban Butler, The Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs, and Other Principal Saints, Volume X (October), Thomas Richardson and Son, Derby, for the Catholic Book Society, 1846; October 23, “St Theodoret, Priest and Martyr,” pp. 578-583.

Butler’s Lives of the Saints (1846)Alban Butler, The Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs, and Other Principal Saints, Volume X (October), Thomas Richardson and Son, Derby, for the Catholic Book Society, 1846; October 23, “St Theodoret, Priest and Martyr,” pp. 578-583.

Butler’s Lives of the Saints (1846)Alban Butler, The Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs, and Other Principal Saints, Volume X (October), Thomas Richardson and Son, Derby, for the Catholic Book Society, 1846; October 23, “St Theodoret, Priest and Martyr,” pp. 578-583. Patronage passage: p. 580.

The reading

ⓘ Butler source

Alban Butler, The Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs, and Other Principal Saints, Volume X (October), Thomas Richardson and Son, Derby, for the Catholic Book Society, 1846; October 23, “St Theodoret, Priest and Martyr,” pp. 578-583.

Theodoret was a Catholic priest at Antioch and keeper of the sacred vessels of a church there. When Count Julian ordered the clergy to leave the city, Theodoret refused to abandon his flock. He continued to gather the faithful for prayer and the sacred mysteries.

The count, an uncle of the emperor Julian, had him arrested. Butler’s account follows the martyr acts in describing repeated demands, torture and Theodoret’s confession of Christ. The priest spoke of God becoming man for our salvation and remained steadfast when threatened with death.

Theodoret was condemned to be beheaded in 362. Butler also records his later veneration at Uzès and Apt in France, where he was called Theodoric. This priest and martyr is distinct from Theodoret, the later bishop of Cyrrhus and Church historian. The two men are not combined into one life.

Historical note

An original Novena Regina reading adapted and summarized from the cited 1846 edition of Alban Butler. This is not a transcription of Butler’s words.

Count Julian, the governor in the account, is distinct from his nephew, the emperor Julian. This martyr is also distinct from Theodoret of Cyrrhus. The detailed trial narrative follows the martyr acts cited by Butler.

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