26 September.

The Feast of Sts Cosmas and Damian.

Little is known about these martyrs of the early Church. They were apparently healers who took no money for their services but who after their deaths were venerated by Christians. Their names appear in the Canon of the Mass.

22 September 2006.

The Martyrdom of Fabianus, Dominggus and Marianus.

A lot is known about the death of these three Catholic laymen in Sulawesi, Indonesia. It would be dishonest to say that the death of these new martyrs passed unnoticed. These three dirt poor farmers were accused of organising a Christian militia that carried out attacks on Muslims, a charge that they vehemently denied. Although worldwide protest was made about the unfairness of their trial, nothing could stop their execution.

In a display of spite and indifference that seems hard to believe, Fabianus, Dominggus and Marianus were refused all indications of compassion from the public prosecutor. He denied their requests that their bodies lie in state in their church for one day before burial, that they be buried in their own districts, that their priest witness their execution and that they send a message to Indonesia’s president. Most harrowing of all was his alleged refusal to allow these men’s request for the Sacrament of reconciliation and for a last Mass before their execution.

Their execution took place a few days before Ramadan.