These two martyrs were twin brothers from Syria who died at the beginning of the fourth century. They were very famous students of science and both became excellent doctors. Cosmas and Damian saw in every patient a brother or sister in Christ. For this reason, they showed great charity to all and treated their patients to the best of their ability. Yet, no matter how much care a patient required, neither Cosmas nor Damian ever accepted any money for their services. For this reason, they were called by a name in Greek, which means “the penniless ones.”
Every chance they had, the two saints told their patients about Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Because the people all loved these twin doctors, they listened to them willingly. Cosmas and Damian often brought health back to both the bodies and the souls of those who came to them for help.
In 303, when Diocletian’s persecution of Chris-tians began in their city, the saints were arrested at once. They had never tried to hide their great love for their Christian faith. Nothing could make them give up their belief in Christ. They had lived for him and had brought so many people to faith in him. They were put to death along with their three other brothers. These holy martyrs are named in the First Eucharistic Prayer of the Mass.