Video Meliora, proboque; Deteriora sequor

Remembering St. Cucuphas - July 25
  

Reliquary of St. Cucuphas

According to the Catholic Encyclopedia: "Under the Roman domination Spain received Christianity. There is a venerable tradition that the Apostles Paul and James came to the country." And while July 25th is primarily remembered as feast of St. James, a more obscure saint who also traveled to Spain is St. Cucuphas. It is perhaps appropriate that Cucuphas is sometimes referred to as an "African saint" and sometimes as a "Spanish saint". The sites of his natural and heavenly births make his identification now of two places, a bi-locator if you will. The receiver of the gift of his martyrdom - Spain - remembers him far more than his native Africa perhaps understandably so. While we might be briefly proud of a "local boy done good" that's a far different sort of pride than when someone comes to us, in our waywardness and estrangement. It is a pride mixed heavily with gratitude. In a similar and even more pronounced way, St. Patrick was not born in Ireland but became the quintessential Irish saint. A short history: He was a nobel who dared to leave North Africa for pagan Spain. This saint of many names (including Cucufate, Cugat, Guinefort, or Qaqophas) was beheaded in Barcelona in 304. Prudentius composed verse in his honor and an abbey rests on the site of his martyrdom.