Today, January 14, is the memorial of Saint Felix of Nola.
Felix was born in the early Third Century in Italy. After the death of his soldier-father Hermias, Felix sold off most of his property and possessions, gave the proceeds to the poor, and pursued his vocation.
Felix was ordained by and worked with Saint Maximus of Nola. When Maximus fled to the mountains to escape the persecution of Roman emperor Decius, Felix was arrested and beaten for his faith instead.
An account says that Felix was freed by an angel so he could take care of his sick bishop. Felix hid Maximus from the Roman soldiers in a vacant building. When Felix and Maximus were safely inside the building, a mysterious spider quickly spun a web over the door, fooling the imperial forces into thinking it was long abandoned. And so they left without finding the Christians.
Felix and Maximus hid themselves from the authorities until the death of Decius in 251, thereby signalling the end of the persecutions.
After the death of the bishop, Felix was chosen as the next bishop of Nola. However, he refused and instead favored Quintus, a “senior” priest who had seven days more experience than Felix.
For his part, Felix focused on becoming a farmer. He gave most of the proceeds to people even poorer than himself. Most of what little information about Felix of Nola can be had are from the letters and poetry of St. Paulinus of Nola, who gathered data about him.