St. Lucius was mentioned by Paul at the end of his letter to the Romans, where Paul refers to Lucius as “my relative.” He may have been one of the 72 followers chosen by Christ himself. He was chosen to lead the Church in Laodicea as bishop and was martyred for his faith. The relics of St. Lucius rest in the reliquary chapel in the Basilica.

St. Lucius, you worked with Paul to build the early Christian Church—pray for us!