St. Stephen, Protomartyr (1st Century)
Full Name: St. Stephen the Protomartyr
Period: 1st Century (Died: c. 34 – 36 AD)
Feast Day: December 26
Place of Birth: Jerusalem (Hellenistic Jew)
Special Significance: First martyr (Protomartyr) of the Catholic Church, first ordained deacon; patron of deacons, stonemasons, and against headaches.
Ordination as Deacon and Service
Chosen first among seven deacons to distribute food and relief to widows and the poor (Acts 6:1–6), he worked great signs and wonders among the people.
Speech Before the Sanhedrin and False Accusations
Unable to withstand his wisdom, jealous synagogue leaders produced false witnesses accusing him of blasphemy. Before the Sanhedrin, Stephen boldly proclaimed Jesus as the promised Messiah.
Heavenly Vision and Martyrdom
Filled with the Holy Spirit, he looked up and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at God's right hand (Acts 7:56).
Dragged outside the city and stoned to death, he knelt and prayed: "Lord, do not hold this sin against them", becoming the Church's first martyr (while Saul, later St. Paul, consented to his death).
Spiritual Lesson
Forgiving persecutors from the heart and standing firmly in the Holy Spirit to witness for Christ unto death is the lesson taught by St. Stephen.