Saint Vitus was a young Christian of Sicily, martyred around the year 303 during the persecution of the Emperor Diocletian, according to ancient tradition while still a boy. His veneration spread widely across Europe from the earliest centuries, and he is counted among the Fourteen Holy Helpers, invoked especially by those who suffer from epilepsy and other illnesses of the nervous system, and remembered as a patron of dancers and of the young.
Vitus shows that holiness does not wait for adulthood: even a child can hold fast to Christ with a courage that outlasts empires. His witness reminds us that the young who go to God early are not lost but gathered close, and that their brief lives can shine for centuries.
Saint Vitus, brave young friend of Christ, watch over all children who suffer, and help us trust that every young life held in God's hands is safe forever. Amen.