One of the seven men chosen by the apostles in the Acts of the Apostles to serve the early Jerusalem church, later martyred at Philippi.

Saint Parmenas was one of the seven men chosen by the apostles, alongside Stephen, Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, and Nicolaus, to assist in the daily ministry of the earliest Jerusalem church, as recorded in Acts of the Apostles chapter six. Tradition holds that he later carried the Gospel abroad and was martyred at Philippi in Greece, with his death traditionally dated to around the year 98, though the precise circumstances are not detailed in Scripture itself.

Quick Facts

• Died: c. 98 (traditional), Philippi, Greece
• Venerated as: Deacon and martyr
• Biblical reference: Acts 6:5, one of the Seven
• Feast Day: July 28 (with Prochorus, Nicanor, and Timon)

Who Was Saint Parmenas?

Parmenas appears by name in the Acts of the Apostles as one of the seven men of good repute chosen by the Twelve to oversee the daily distribution of assistance in the Jerusalem church, freeing the apostles for prayer and preaching. This original group, later remembered as the first deacons, included Stephen the protomartyr alongside Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Nicolaus, and Parmenas himself.

Historical Setting

The choosing of the Seven marks one of the earliest moments of structured ministry in the Christian community, arising from a practical dispute over the fair distribution of aid to widows. Tradition, developing in the centuries after the New Testament period, sent several of the Seven out as missionaries beyond Jerusalem; Parmenas is associated with later work and martyrdom at Philippi in Macedonia, a city already familiar from Saint Paul’s own mission there.

Why the Church Remembers Saint Parmenas

Parmenas holds a place of particular honor as one of the seven original deacons named in Scripture itself, a distinction shared by very few early Christians whose names appear in the biblical text. His later martyrdom, though attested only by tradition rather than Scripture, extends that apostolic-era witness into active missionary service and death for the faith.

Canonization and Feast Day

As a New Testament figure venerated since the earliest centuries of the Church, Parmenas falls outside any formal canonization process; his feast, kept jointly with fellow deacons Prochorus, Nicanor, and Timon on July 28 in the Roman calendar, rests on the Church’s continuous liturgical memory reaching back to apostolic times.

What Catholics Can Learn Today

Parmenas’s inclusion among the Seven is a reminder that ministry in the earliest Church began with practical service, feeding widows, organizing charity, before it became preaching or, in his case, martyrdom. Service to the community’s material needs and ultimate fidelity to Christ were, for him, two expressions of the same discipleship.

A Prayer to Saint Parmenas

Saint Parmenas, chosen to serve at the Church’s very beginning, teach us that humble service and courageous witness spring from the same root of love. Amen.

Sources

• Acts of the Apostles 6:5
• Roman Martyrology
• Butler’s Lives of the Saints