August 25
Saint Genesius was an actor and comedian. Intending to mock the Sacrament of Baptism, Genesius had himself baptized onstage before the emperor. Suddenly, he had a conversion experience. He accepted the Christian faith and refused to renounce it, even when ordered to do so by Emperor Diocletian. Eventually, Diocletian ordered him to be killed.
As early as the fourth century, a church was built in honor of Saint Genesius in Rome. Today, there is a shrine of Saint Genesius in Saint Malachy’s Catholic Church in New York City, which has become a spiritual landmark for the city’s acting community. Saint Genesius is also the patron saint of the British Catholic Stage Guild, and, in the United States, the Fraternity of Saint Genesius has been founded, aiming to support those who work in theater and cinema. In Hollywood, California, a stained-glass window of Saint Genesius can be found at St. Mary of the Angels Church. Saint Genesius is also the patron saint of the Catholic Magician’s Guild.
In art, Saint Genesius is often pictured with the two masks worn in Greek and Roman theater. The sad face symbolizes tragedy; the happy face symbolizes comedy.
(Image © Museo Poldi Pezzoli, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)