---
title: "St. Sebastian: Feast Day January 20 · Bless"
url: https://blessbible.app/saints/st-sebastian/
description: "St. Sebastian, Martyr, patron of athletes, soldiers, and archers. Remembered on January 20, died c. 288. Read their life in Bless."
---

Martyr · Remembered on January 20

# St. Sebastian

St. Sebastian is remembered on January 20 in Bless’s calendar of saints. Traditionally invoked as patron of athletes, soldiers, and archers.

|  |  |
|---|---|
| Remembered on | [January 20](https://blessbible.app/saints/january/#20) |
| Title | Martyr |
| Died | c. 288 |
| Patron of | [athletes](https://blessbible.app/patron-saints/#athletes), [soldiers](https://blessbible.app/patron-saints/#soldiers), [archers](https://blessbible.app/patron-saints/#archers) |
| Next on Bless’s Today screen | [Wednesday, January 20, 2027](https://blessbible.app/saints/st-sebastian/#calendar) |

## Life

A soldier of the Praetorian Guard, secretly a Christian, who used his rank to strengthen imprisoned confessors until Diocletian discovered him and ordered him shot with arrows. Left for dead and bristling ‘like a hedgehog,’ he was nursed back to life by the widow Irene.

Rather than flee, he stationed himself on a staircase to confront the emperor with his cruelty — and was clubbed to death. Painters made his first martyrdom one of art’s great subjects; Rome built one of its seven pilgrimage basilicas over his catacomb grave.

## Patron of

Tradition invokes St. Sebastian as patron of athletes, soldiers, and archers.

[Athletes](https://blessbible.app/patron-saints/#athletes) [Soldiers](https://blessbible.app/patron-saints/#soldiers) [Archers](https://blessbible.app/patron-saints/#archers)

### Saints with the same patronage

- [St. George](https://blessbible.app/saints/st-george/) soldiers · April 23
- [St. Joan of Arc](https://blessbible.app/saints/st-joan-of-arc/) soldiers · May 30
- [St. Ignatius of Loyola](https://blessbible.app/saints/st-ignatius-of-loyola/) soldiers · July 31
- [St. Martin of Tours](https://blessbible.app/saints/st-martin-of-tours/) soldiers · November 11

Patronages are traditional, not an official list. [All patron saints in Bless, A to Z](https://blessbible.app/patron-saints/).

## In the calendar

The upcoming dates, through December 31, 2028, when Bless’s Today screen shows St. Sebastian. Where the US calendar keeps another celebration that day, it is named instead and no rank is given.

| Date | In the US calendar | Color | Mass readings (US) |
|---|---|---|---|
| [Wednesday, January 20, 2027](https://blessbible.app/calendar/2027/01/20/) | Wednesday of the Second Week in Ordinary Time | Green | Hebrews 7:1-3, 15-17 · Psalm 110:1, 2, 3, 4 · See Matthew 4:23 · Mark 3:1-6 |
| [Thursday, January 20, 2028](https://blessbible.app/calendar/2028/01/20/) | Thursday of the Second Week in Ordinary Time | Green | 1 Samuel 18:6-9; 19:1-7 · Psalm 56:2-3, 9-10a, 10b-11, 12-13 · 2 Timothy 1:10 · Mark 3:7-12 |

Readings

Reading citations through May 31, 2027 are as published in the USCCB liturgical calendar. Later citations were computed by Bless from the US Lectionary cycle — confirm with your parish.

[January 19 St. Wulfstan](https://blessbible.app/saints/st-wulfstan/) [January 21 St. Agnes](https://blessbible.app/saints/st-agnes/)

[All the saints of January](https://blessbible.app/saints/january/) [Born on January 20?](https://blessbible.app/saints/birthday/#01-20) [A saint for every day](https://blessbible.app/saints/)

Spotted a mistake in a date, a patronage or a quotation? [Report an error](https://blessbible.app/support/#report) and we’ll fix it in the app and here.

St. Sebastian

Remembered on January 20

On this page

1. [Life](https://blessbible.app/saints/st-sebastian/#life)
2. [Patron of](https://blessbible.app/saints/st-sebastian/#patron)
3. [In the calendar](https://blessbible.app/saints/st-sebastian/#calendar)

In the app

Bless shows a saint every day on its Today screen, with their life and their words. Free on iPhone.