At the beginning of the second century, during the reign of Emperor Trajan, there lived in Rome a famous general by the name of Placidus, who was distinguished among his fellow citizens for his wealth and military skill.

On one occasion, when Placidus was hunting, he was attracted by a stag of extraordinary size. He pursued it so eagerly that he became separated from his companions. After riding alone for a while, still chasing this stag, he saw it suddenly turn toward him. Raised aloft between its antlers, Placidus beheld the image of Jesus Christ suspended on the cross. At this moment, Our Blessed Saviour addressed him in loving words, inviting Placidus to follow Him by embracing the Catholic Faith, and to make eternal life the object of his pursuit in the future.

Faithful to the grace which he had received, Placidus returned home, and told his wife, Tatiana, all that happened. Hearing this, Tatiana told her husband that she too had been favored with a heavenly apparition. Together they went immediately to the Pope, and related their experience to him. They wanted to become Catholic. So, after due instruction, they received Baptism. At the sacred font, Placidus received the name of Eustace, and his wife was called Theopista. There sons too, were baptized, and received the names of Agapitus and Theopistus.

After being baptized, Eustace returned to the spot where Our Lord spoke to him from the stag. He was then blessed to hear the voice of Christ again. Our Lord told Eustace that he would endure many and great sufferings for the sake of Christ. Shortly after this warning, the faith and patience of the new soldier of Christ were put to a severe trial.

Eustace was stripped of all his possessions and forced to flee with his family from these terrible circumstances. In the course of his wanderings, he was separated from his wife and children by a chain of tragic events - to such a degree that he lost all trace of each of them.

After this, he found a remote spot to live as a farm laborer. This went on for many years, over a decade, until he was found by the messengers of the emperor. The emperor was in dire need of the military skill which Rome had benefited by when Eustace was the general of the Roman army. A fierce war had broken out since Eustace and his family had gone. During this war, the Romans had suffered severe losses.

So Eustace was found and given command of the imperial troops once again. He set out for war, and was completely victorious. During this time and these course of events, Eustace had the happiness, by an extraordinary providence of God, to recover his wife and children. Together again after so many years, the happy family returned to Rome.

Eustace’s entrance into the city was filled with great jubilation. Many of the Romans congratulated their incredibly blessed general. But these pagans didn’t attribute his many and astounding blessings to the True God. Shortly after Eustace and his family returned to Rome, a solemn sacrifice of thanksgiving to their false gods was proclaimed. Worse still, the emperor ordered that Eustace himself must take part in the pagan ceremony.

But Eustace refused, and the emperor made every effort to shake his general’s constancy. At length, Eustace, along with his wife and children, was condemned to be eaten to death by lions in the public amphitheater. Willing to sacrifice their lives for God, Eustace's famly was no less shocked than those who had come to witness their death at the strange event that happened. No sooner had the ferocious beasts been set loose upon the small family, then the lions suprisingly became calm and refused to harm these martyrs in any way.

Rather than even admit to the possibility of the True God, Who performed such a miracle, the emperor ordered Eustace and his family to be trapped in the body of an immense brazen bull. Then the emperor had a great fire heated beneath it, so as to cook the Catholics alive. Instead of being filled with fear and panic, the last moments of these heroic martyrs were spent in giving loving praise to God.

Three days later, when their bodies were taken out, they were found to be miraculously preserved, uninjured by the intense heat. All of them looked as though they had simply peacefully fallen asleep - without suffering the slightest pain. This wonderful family was buried with great devotion by the faithful Catholics, and their relics were later transferred to a magnificent church erected in their honor.