January 1
St. Telemachus
St. Telemachus (also known as Almachius) was stoned to death in the year A.D. 400 in Rome when he tried to stop a contest between gladiators in Rome.
A hermit who had come from the East, Telemachus entered the stadium and marched into the arena while the combatants were fighting. His objective was clear and practical: to expose and eradicate this unchristian, though popular, violence.
Apparently, he was successful. Moved by his witness, the emperor Honorius abolished gladiatorial combat.
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