St. Felix had remarkable humility, which made him a great friend to the poor and a servant in all things.

Felix was born in Nola, which is near present-day Naples, Italy, in the third-century Roman Empire. His father was a Roman soldier who had retired, and when he died, Felix gave his inheritance to the poor and became a priest.

He was ordained by Bishop St. Maximus of Nola (whose feast day is tomorrow) and became his assistant. When the emperor Decius began persecuting Christians in 250, Maximus fled to the desert. Authorities arrested Felix instead and beat him. Legend tells us that an angel repeatedly freed Felix from prison so that he could care for the ailing Maximus, whom he brought back to Nola.

When Maximus died, the people called for Felix to replace him as bishop, but Felix deferred out of seniority to another man who had been ordained a week longer. Felix spent the rest of his life farming a small piece of land and giving what little he had to those who were even poorer than he.

Felix died on this date in 255 of natural causes, but because of his imprisonment and torture, he was venerated by the early Church as a martyr. His tomb in Nola became famous for the many miracles reported there, and his relics rest in the reliquary chapel of the Basilica, as do the relics of his mentor, St. Maximus. His image is used here courtesy Catholic.org.

St. Felix, who humbly cared for the poor and who suffered for his faith, pray for us!