Roman Martyrology

The reading

January 19

At Rome, on the Cornelian road, the holy martyrs Marius and his wife Martha, with their sons Audifax and Abachum, noble Persians, who came to Rome, through devotion, in the time of the Emperor Claudius. After they had been beaten with rods, tortured on the rack and with fire, lacerated with iron hooks, and had endured the cutting off of their hands, Martha was put to death in the place called Nympha, The others were beheaded and cast into the flames. — Also, St. Canute, king and martyr, whose birthday is the 7th of this month. — At Smyrna, under Marcus Antoninus and Lucius Aurelius, the birthday of blessed Germanicus, martyr, who, in the bloom of youth, being strengthened by the grace of God, and freed from all fear, provoked the beast which, by order of the judge, was to devour him. Being ground by its teeth, he deserved to be incorporated into the true bread of life, Christ Jesus, for whom he died. — In Africa, the holy martyrs Paul, Gerontius, Januarius, Saturninus, Successus, Julius, Catus, Pia, and Germana. — At Spoleto, in the days of the emperor Antoninus, the passion of St. Pontian, martyr, who was barbarously scourged for Christ by the command of the judge Fabian, and then compelled to walk barefoot on burning coals. As he was uninjured by the tire, he was put on the rack, was torn with iron hooks, and then thrown into a dungeon, where he was comforted by the visit of an angel. He was afterwards exposed to the lions, had melted lead poured over him and finally died by the sword. — At Lodi, St. Bassian, bishop and confessor, who, in conjunction with St. Ambrose, courageously combated the heretics. — At Worcester, in England, St. Wulstan, bishop and confessor, conspicuous for merits and miracles. He was ranked among the Saints by Innocent III.

Source: The Roman Martyrology, Baltimore, 1916, John Murphy Company; local raw text lines 998-1042.