“In three days, you shall follow me.”

The most noted shrine in this Cemetery of St. Praetextatus was the tomb of St. Januarius. The deacons Felicissimus and Agapitus prepare the altar, while the Archdeacon Laurence attends closely upon the Venerable Pontiff. Preeminent for his manly beauty, ardently loved by all the poor and afflicted among the faithful, the finely cut features of the archdeacon glow with an unwonted halo of sanctity as he assists the Pope to vest and commence the Holy Sacrifice. The Mass proceeds, the faithful have received from the hands of Sixtus the Bread of Heaven, and the Pontiff, with his deacons around Him, is seated in the stone chair beside the altar, and begins to address the faithful. Suddenly a distant scream of alarm is heard – the clatter of arms and the trampling of many feet approach hastily along the corridor. Those who are unable to escape are encouraged by the calm serenity of the Sacred Ministers, while their hearts are strengthened by the almost inspired words of the Pope. A traitor has led the myrmidons of Valerian into the recesses of the Catacomb; and now they seize the seven deacons and lay their sacrilegious hands upon the sacred person of the Vicar of Christ. He entreats them to take his life but spare his flock. When they reached the city, the guards who held St. Lawrence proceed to separate him from the rest; and now, for the first time a bitter cry of sorrow burst from his heart.

It seems as though the glorious crown of martyrdom were to be snatched from his grasp, and he alone of the deacons of Rome was not to share the honour of joining their beloved Pontiff in the last great sacrifice. “Father,” he cried to St. Sixtus, “whither are you going without your son? Whither are you going, O Priest, without your deacon? You were never wont to offer sacrifice without me as your minister. Wherein have I displeased you? Have you found me wanting to my duty? Try me now, and see whether you have made a choice of an unfit minister for dispensing the Blood of the Lord.” “I do not leave you my Son,” replied St. Sixtus,”but a greater trial and a more glorious victory are reserved for you, who are strong and in the vigour of youth. We are spared on account of our weakness and age. In three days you shall follow me.”

(An Excerpt from Legends of the Blessed Sacrament)