25 March 2006

Lentorama Saint of the Day: St. Dismas

He's better known as the "Good Thief," one of two thieves crucified with Jesus. Dismas rebuked his other thief, who said Jesus should use his connections to save everyone, and then asked Jesus to remember him when Jesus got to Heaven. Jesus replied that Dismas would be there with him that day. You can imagine where the other thief wound up.

Dismas didn't get his name until the 12th century, and it's derived from a Greek word for 'sunset' or 'death.' He's the patron saint of prisoners, those condemned to die, and funeral directors. Most of the churches and missions using St. Dismas as a name are related to prisons in some fashion, not surprisingly.

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