How a spider helped St. Felix of Nola escape prison

[Michie]

St. Felix of Nola​

Feast day: Jan. 14

St. Felix of Nola was a priest in the third century who was persecuted for his faith and died, possibly as a martyr, in A.D. 255. The oldest son of a Syrian soldier who had retired to southern Italy, St. Felix was himself a soldier. But he gave his money to the poor, sold his belongings and became a priest after his father’s death. Known for his humility, he was ordained by St. Maximus, the bishop of Nola, with whom he worked as his right-hand man. In 250, when the Decian persecution broke out, St. Felix was tortured and jailed instead of St. Maximus, who fled to a desert hiding place in order to safely govern the local Church. Like St. Peter, St. Felix miraculously escaped from prison, and he was guided by an angel to rescue St. Maximus, who was near death from cold and hunger. It is said that a spider spun a web to hide him from his persecutors as they tried to recapture him.

Continued below.

How a spider helped St. Felix of Nola escape prison

St. Felix of Nola, a 3rd-century priest, is honored for his humility, devotion to the poor and miraculous escapes during persecution.

www.oursundayvisitor.com

 

[RileyG]

Ora pro nobis