St. Longinus the Centurion

The centurion in charge at the Crucifixion, who, when the earth shook as Christ died, said: "Truly this was the Son of God" (Matthew 27:54). Tradition names him Longinus, a Cappadocian serving under Pilate in the reign of Tiberius, and gives his unit the sealing and the guard of the tomb as well, so that he was a witness of the Resurrection too. He gave up his rank and his wealth and went home to Cappadocia with two of his men to preach it. When soldiers came to Cappadocia to kill him, he received them as his guests and had his grave made ready, and he and his two companions were beheaded. His head was carried to Jerusalem as proof of his death, and a blind widow of Cappadocia, shown in a dream where it lay, found it outside the city and received her sight. Feast: October 16.