Saints Roderick and Solomon

Roderick (Rodrigo) was a priest from Cabra, near Córdoba, in the 9th century. According to Saint Eulogius, who wrote down their story, Roderick had two brothers, one a Muslim and the other a lapsed Christian. One night, when Roderick tried to stop the two from fighting, they turned on him and beat him unconscious. The brother who was a Muslim then carried him through the streets, claiming that Roderick had converted to Islam.

When he recovered, Roderick fled, but he was later recognized in Córdoba and denounced as an apostate. He told the judge that he had never renounced Christ and was thrown into prison. There he met Solomon, a layman held for the same reason, and the two encouraged each other in faith and prayer. Both refused to abandon Christianity and were beheaded on March 13, 857. Eulogius, himself martyred two years later, recorded their courage.

Saint Roderick is the patron of Cabra, in the province of Córdoba, where the town honors him with a Mass and procession. Many Rodrigos in Spain and Latin America celebrate their name day on this date.