Saint Sostine

Saint Sostine was a Roman soldier who was martyred in the second century. For almost two thousand years, the people of the Province of Messina in Sicily have been devoted to Saint Sostine. The feast of Saint Sostine is the first Sunday of September. The English translation for the name Sostine is Austin or Sosti.

The story told over the centuries was that he was an exceptionally brave soldier who was ordered to kill Christians by his Roman Commander Erculeo.  He refused and ultimately became a Christian professing his faith before the Roman Emperor Deocletian in an assembly at the Forum and died.

It was between the years 249 – 251 AD, and the Christians were persecuted with terrible cruelty. The Emperor Decio and later Diocleziano, who were sovereigns at the time, used may means of torture to make apostates (renegades) out of the Christians. They used promises, threats and the most barbaric tortures.

Many Christians abandoned their religion and started to sacrifice to the Pagan Gods. The martyrdom of the glorious Saint Sostine belongs to this era. He was a strong and heroic soldier under the command of Massminiano Erculeo and gained many victories.

He was ordered to torture Eufemia a young Roman girl, because she was a Christian. While he was executing the imperial orders on Eufemia, Sostine, as a new Paul, heard from the sky a voice that said; “Stop!” It was the voice of an angel that only he could see. Immediately he was taken by grace, he backed up, listened to the voice and followed instructions. Sostine, in the presence of the emperor, throws away the shield, the helmet and the sword, grabs the crucifix and professes himself a Christian. At this sudden change of the heroic soldier, the emperor tries to dissuade him by promising the highest ranks in the army. Sostine refused and was firm in his decision, so the emperor started threatening him, but the threats didn’t change his mind. Noticing his fortitude and strong will, the emperor ordered to put Sostine in prison but even in the prison, he kept praising and blessing God.

When the tyrant saw that Sostine was persevering in faith he gave orders to throw Sostine over burning flames, but Sostine came out of it unscathed. At this sight, the emperor became more furious and ordered him fed to the wild beasts. With immense surprise, as a new Daniel among the lions, Sostine was unscathed and kept professing aloud the Christian faith. “I am a Christian!” he kept shouting in the presence of the emperor and of the soldiers. Finally, since nothing had been achieved with the promises, the honors, or the tortures; the tyrant ordered Sostine thrown on the rack (“eculeo,” an instrument of torture in the form of a tripod, on which the condemned was forcibly pulled and contorted.)  There, Sostine gave up his spirit and died in glory with the kiss of his God.