Novena Prayers to St. Alban the Protomartyr

St. Alban is regarded as the Protomartyr, or First Martyr, of Britain, for, as far as we know, he was the first to lay down his life for the Faith in this Island. The Martyrdom of St. Alban It was during the fiercest of the Roman persecutions, under the Emperor Diocletian, that St. Alban is said to have sheltered a priest by the name of Amphibalus who had baptised Alban. He swapped robes with the priest and allowed Amphibalus to escape. Alban took his place and suffered martyrdom in the town of Verulamium, known today as the cathedral city of St. Alban’s. Veneration of St. Alban and his relics On the spot of the martyrdom, King Offa of the Mercians built a monastery, which was later expanded by the Normans. At the Reformation, the Relics of St. Alban, which had been carefully venerated since the first church was built, were scattered by those who claimed it was idolatrous to honour the saint’s body. Happily, some of the Relics from St. Alban had previously been given to Benedictine Monks in Cologne, Germany. Later, one of these would be returned to Britain. In 2020, the Lord Abbot of Farnborough, who has charge of the returned relic, translated a part of it the care of the Oratory of St. Philip Neri at Cardiff. Today, the Reliquary Shrine of St. Alban is the only place in Britain where a First-Class Relic of St. Alban may be venerated by the Faithful year-round. St. Alban’s feast day is celebrated on 20th of June in the modern calendar and on the 22nd in the 1962 calendar, along with his companions of Sts. Julius and Aaron, who were martyred at Caerleon, in Wales. The Oratory has published a Novena to St. Alban, which may be downloaded as a PDF. The novena is prayed annually from 11-19 June, in preparation for the earlier feastday; it may also be prayed throughout the year, especially for some intention.