The Great Martyr Procopius of Caesarea

It’s hard to live in an era of change. It is even more difficult if your parents belong to different religions. This happened in the family of the young man Neanias, whom we know as Saint Procopius. His father accepted the faith of Christ, but his mother remained a pagan. Unfortunately, the young man’s father died early, and his mother raised in her faith.
Neanius became a military man and quickly made a career. He was a talented military commander and a rather brutal commander. Therefore, the emperor Diocletian chose him to send the proconsul to Alexandria. In addition to administrative duties, the emperor ordered him to exterminate Christians.
On the way to Alexandria, however, Christ appeared to Neania and asked, just as the Apostle Paul did, “Why are you persecuting me?” In horror, Nianius asked, “Who are you?” He replied, “I am the crucified Christ.”
This event dramatically changed the life of Neania. Instead of fighting Christians, he spread the gospel. His behavior caused a split in the family. The mother wrote a letter to the emperor demanding that his son be held accountable. Nianias was recalled from Alexandria and ordered to appear before the procurator of Judea. There, in the presence of the procurator’s close associates, he was handed a letter from the emperor, demanding that he worship the pagan gods. Neanius tore up the letter and rejected the offer. For insulting the emperor, he was sentenced to imprisonment and sent to Caesarea. There the saint was tortured, but they could not convince him to renounce Christ. According to legend, Jesus himself appeared in prison to Neania and baptized him under the name Procopius.
The courage of Procopius, his faith, became an example for many citizens. Instead of condemning the saint, they embraced Christianity en masse. Among them was Procopius’ mother, Theodosius.
Seeing that the living Procopius did not distract people from Christ, but attracted to him, the procurator ordered the saint to be killed by beheading the head. Procopius was martyred in 303. His body was buried in secret by local Christians. We do not know the place of the saint’s burial.