Today October 31

Today is the feast of St. Quentin (date unknown), martyr. It is also Halloween. The unusual first name is also the name of a dear friend of one of my kids. He's a kid my son's age who always dresses in black: black shoes, black pants, black shirt, black vest; he talks in a monotone; walks with his head down and without swinging his arms; and he never smiles. If a kid can be said to be depressed, he sure looks like he is! I think Quentin would like Halloween, a dark, dreary, but also a sweet and exciting holiday. Also, a most OPTIONAL holiday. You CAN do whatever you want, but you don't have to. You can wear whatever you want, say whatever you want, and eat all the candy you can hold. What's not to like? :)

Anyway, the story of Saint Quentin is an ancient and possibly embellished one -- but he is most definitely a saint and an early martyr of France, specifically Amiens. We have the knowledge and approbation of both St. Gregory of Tours and the Venerable Bede behind him, as well as the standard Acta Sanctorum. Here's the story. He was a Roman who came to preach the faith in Gaul. This was at the time illegal, and the prefect Rictiovarus had him thrown in prison. First the prefect made promises to him and then he made threats, all to no avail. So he had him scourged and thrown in a dungeon. He was tortured, first on the rack, then with iron wire, then with boiling oil and pitch poured on his flesh til it bubbled. He escaped from prison but was caught in the public market and remanded to the town then called Augusta but now honored with the name Saint-Quentin. The prefect, finding his pride somewhat wounded by this saint, had him beheaded. And when he was, some saw what looked like a white dove escaping from his neck and flying to heaven. The body was flung into the River Somme, but brave Christians fished it out and buried it near the town. Saint Quentin, pray for us.