St. Narcissus of Jerusalem

St. Narcissus of Jerusalem (c. 99 – c. 216) was, according to the early Church historian Eusebius, bishop of Jerusalem in the late second century and a man renowned for his holiness and for the remarkable age he reached, said to be nearly one hundred and twenty. He took part in the councils that upheld the celebration of Easter on the Sunday, in keeping with Roman and Western usage, against those who kept it on the fixed date of the Jewish Passover.

Eusebius records a famous miracle attributed to him — that on an Easter vigil when the oil for the lamps ran out, he had water drawn and blessed, and it was changed into oil. Falsely accused of a grave crime by slanderers, he withdrew for years into solitude to let his innocence be vindicated by God, as it was when his accusers came to ruin; he then returned to govern his church, at last with the young Alexander as his coadjutor. He is venerated as a saint, honored for patience under calumny and fidelity in great age.