Today, September 22nd, we celebrate the feast day of:

Saint Maurice and his companions, martyrs

According to tradition recorded in the 5th century by Saint Eucherius of Lyon, Maurice was the commander of a Roman legion recruited in the Thebaid, Egypt, which was stationed at Agaunum in present-day Switzerland. Being Christians like their commander, the soldiers refused to participate in sacrifices to the gods before a battle, despite the orders of Emperor Maximian: "We are your soldiers, but we are also servants of God." As punishment, the legion was decimated several times—meaning one out of every ten soldiers was executed each time—yet the survivors held firm in their refusal. Ultimately, Maurice and his companions were executed.

Saint Eucherius places the martyrdom on September 22, likely around the year 302. The cult of Saint Maurice spread rapidly across Europe and gave its name to ancient Agaunum, now Saint-Maurice, where an ancient abbey dedicated to the memory of the martyrs still stands today.