Saint Julian

The statue of Saint Julian, the redeemed, with the Redeemer in the background

Today happens to be the liturgical feast of my patron, Saint Julian, which we celebrate in my hometown. Born in Belgium in the 9th century AD, St Julian was a hunter, mostly hunting deer. One day he saw a big deer that spoke to him, and told him ‘Please do not shoot me – remember that one day you will kill your own parents.’ Fearing this terrible fate of his, Julian left home and wandered around Belgium, not informing his parents of his whereabouts. He got married to his wife Margerita and lived happily in a small town. Distraught and heartbroken, his parents started searching for him, and eventually reached the town where he was living. They found his house and his wife greeted them kindly and since they were tired, she let them sleep in her own bed. Another man, jealous of Julian and his wife, met Julian on his way back from hunting and told him that his wife was sleeping with another man. Furious and outraged, Julian went inside his house and found the two people sleeping in his bed, and without any thought, took his sword and decapitated them. A bigger surprise greeted him when he went outside and met his wife coming towards home with a big smile to tell him of the good news that his parents were home. Realizing what he had done, Julian cried and cried and was inconsolable. 

Detail of St Julian statue by Carlo Darmanin, 1893.

He decided there and then to dedicate his life to help the poor and the sick, and even built a hospital to care for the sick in the area where he and his wife lived, in Italy. He had to redeem himself of the sin of parricide that he had committed. He knew it wasn’t his fault, but still wanted to amend his mistake and devoted his entire life to helping the sick. One day he heard the cry of a sick man and went out in the middle of the night to save him. He cared for him in his hospital, but all of a sudden the man’s countenance turned very bright and told Julian “your sin has been forgiven.” It was Jesus talking to him through that sick man. St Julian is known as the patron saint of hunters and hospitaliers, as well as doctors and nurses and those who care for the sick.