St. Genesius (the comedian)
Feast Day: August 25
A member of an acting troupe in the 3rd century, Genesius was performing in
Rome for the Emperor
Diocletian. During a play mocking the
sacraments of
Christianity, Genesius was the recipient of a mock
baptism. However, the baptism took and Genesius was instantly converted to Christianity and proclaimed his faith to Diocletain. When the emperor realized that Genesius was serious, he was not amused. Turned over to the hospitality of the
prefect Plautian, Genesius was tortured when he refused to sacrifice to the
pagan gods and finally beheaded.
Who’s laughing now?
Genesius is the patron saint of actors, of course, and also
epileptics for some reason.