Born in Cappadocia, St. Acacius enlisted in the Roman army when he was a young man under the rule of Emperor Hadrian. He ultimately rose to the position of captain.
He once heard a voice telling him to "Call on the God of Catholics!" when he was leading his forces in battle against the enemy. His conversion started at this point. Acacius was baptized shortly after that and joined the Catholic Church. The captain was eager to give his newly discovered treasure to the Roman army's pagans since he loved and cared for them.
But eventually, the emperor learned that this conversion was taking place among his soldiers, and he ordered the immediate imprisonment of Acacius. The courageous captain was put on the torturer's rack, chained to a post, and scourged when he refused to make a sacrifice to the pagan idols. He was taken before the tribune, or colonel, Bibianus, when none of these tortures were able to persuade him to change his mind.
Bibianus inquired after Acacius' name and place of origin. The saint responded, "My name is Catholic because I follow Christ, but men call me Acacius. My nation is called Cappadocia. My parents resided there, and I was converted to the Christian faith there. The struggles and sacrifices of the Catholic martyrs inspired me much, and I have since vowed to shed my blood in order for Christ to enter Heaven.”
Bibianus then gave the order to beat him with leaden clubs before putting him in chains and returning him to prison. Bibianus was summoned to Byzantium seven days after Acacius had been imprisoned. But the tribune also mandated that all the prisoners be transported to Byzantium, so Acacius' persecution did not cease here. Acacius endured terrible suffering on the journey. His chains exacerbated and amplified his wounds, which covered his entire body. Aside from that, Acacius also had to deal with extremely difficult routes and particularly vicious guards.
A voice from the sky called out to Acacius, "Acacius, be firm!" as he prayed to God for courage throughout this arduous journey. Everyone heard it, and the guardsmen were frightened. They were confused as to how the clouds were able to speak. The angelic voice converted many of the other captives. And the following day, a few of the converts saw men in gleaming armor chatting to Acacius and tending to his wounds. This miraculous healing left the saint's body without even a scar.
Acacius was once more imprisoned once he reached Byzantium and was brought before the judge after seven days. Again, neither the most heartless tortures nor promises could shake his resolve. When the judge realized he had lost, he sent the prisoner over to Flaccius, the Thracian proconsul. This would be the beginning of a new pagan lord's enmity for Catholics.
Acacius was detained by Flaccius for five days. The proconsul read all of the prisoner's prior trials and torture logs during this period. As a result, he simply gave the order to behead Acacius. Acacius' long-held desire to die for Christ was realized in this way. On May 8, 311 his mortal life came to an end and his eternal one began.
St. Acacius was among the Fourteen Holy Helpers. The Fourteen "Auxiliary Saints" or "Holy Helpers" are a group of saints who are invoked for their efficacy in assisting in trials and sufferings. Each saint has a unique feast or memorial day, and the group was collectively celebrated on August 8 until 1969, when the feast was discontinued as part of the Roman calendar reform. The Black Plague, which ravaged Europe from 1346 to 1349, is the fundamental reason why the Fourteen Holy Helpers were called collectively. Each of these fourteen saints had been successful in making some sort of intercession for the victims of the Black Plague. May 8 is observed as St. Acacius's feast day. He is revered as the patron saint of both headaches and death agony.
Other Saints of the Day
Saint Dionysius
Saint Helladius of Auxerre
Saint Victor Maurus
Saint Odrian
Blessed Miriam Teresa Demjanovich