January 14

Saint Felix of Nola

Roman Martyrology

Priest who suffered in persecution, then gave up his lands to farm for the poor

Felix was a priest in Nola, near Naples, in the third century. Almost everything we know about him comes from the poems of Paulinus, a bishop of Nola who lived more than a hundred years later. According to Paulinus, Felix’s father was a Syrian who had settled in the town.

During a persecution, probably under Emperor Decius around 250, Bishop Maximus fled to the hills and Felix was arrested and mistreated in prison. Paulinus’s account, full of wonders, says an angel set him free, and that he found the old bishop half-frozen and carried him to safety on his back. Paulinus also tells of a spider spinning a web across the gap where Felix was hiding, so the soldiers passed by.

When peace returned, Felix declined to become bishop and would not reclaim his confiscated family estate. He farmed a small rented plot and shared what he grew with the poor. He died around 260. Christians remember him as a confessor who suffered for Christ without dying a martyr, and his tomb drew pilgrims for centuries.

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Matthew 6:19–21 · BSB

A prayer

Faithful God, you gave your servant Felix courage in prison and a free heart that let go of wealth to serve the poor. Give us the same steady faith when we are tested, and teach us to hold lightly what we own, so that our treasure may be in you. Amen.