02/06/2026
Good morning from Blackpool Centre. Today we celebrate the memorial of Saints Marcellinus and Peter, both martyrs from the early Church who are still honoured today in the Eucharistic prayer that we offer at Mass. Marcellinus was a well-known priest, and Peter was an exorcist. They lived during the persecution of Christians under the Roman emperor Diocletian at the start of the fourth century, and thus were arrested and jailed for being Christians. In prison, they continued to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ, which converted some of the prisoners, and even their guard (along with his wife and daughter). They were condemned to death by beheading, and were killed and buried in an unmarked place in the forest so that the Christian community could not honour their remains. Their executioner, who later became a Christian himself, told of their location, however, and their bodies were found and placed in the catacombs.
Today’s Mass is at the later time of 2pm and is the Requiem for Tony Warburton. May he rest in peace.
