Saint of the Day – 8 May – St Helladius (Died c388) Bishop of Auxerre, France. St Helladius was the Bishop of Auxerre for around over 23+ years from 365 until his death. St Amator (344-418) was converted to Christianity, Ordained and became his disciple and finally his successor. St Helladius was a powerful Defender of the Faith against heresy especially against the Arians. Additional Feast on 13 May in the See of Sens in France where our Saints cult spread.
The Roman Martyrology reads today: “At Auxerre, St Helladius, Bishop.”
The name of St Helladius echoes in the Episcopal list of Auxerre, placed between the Bishops Valerian and Amator.
The scarcity of historical information does not prevent us from sketching a biographical profile, albeit fragmentary, of this holy Bishop, drawing on available sources and contextualising St Helladius in his time.
The dating of Saint Helladius’ Episcopate is uncertain, but it is presumed to have lasted approximately twenty-three years, from 365 to 388. This period occurred during an era of religious fervour and immense struggles with Arian heretics still threatening the Catholic Church. In this context, St Helladius distinguished himself as a zealous leader and attentive shepherd of his See.
Specific information on his works is unfortunately sketchy. However, hagiographic tradition remembers him as the one who conferred the Priesthood on St Amator, his successor as Bishop of Auxerre. It is also said that he guided Martha, St Amator’s wife, towards religious life.
After his death around 388, Saint Helladius was buried in the cemetery of Mons, along with his predecessors. His Liturgical Feast is celebrated today, a date that does not coincide with his dies natalis, but derives from an ancient arrangement of the Feasts of the Saints of Auxerre, already present in the Martyrology of St Jerome. The name Saint Helladius was also used in the 7th Century by the author of the ‘Revelatio Corcodomi.’ His cult spread throughout the region of Auxerre and, to a lesser extent, in the region of Sens, where his Feast is celebrated on 13 May.
AnaStpaul 