Saint Cornelius the Centurion is a significant figure in Christian tradition, particularly in the Acts of the Apostles in the New Testament. He was a Roman centurion stationed in Caesarea, a city in the Roman province of Judea. In Acts 10, Cornelius had a vision of an angel who instructed him to send for the apostle Peter in Joppa. Peter arrived and, in a remarkable event, preached the Gospel to Cornelius and his household, resulting in their conversion to Christianity. This event marked a significant turning point in the early Christian Church as it extended the message of Jesus beyond the Jewish community to the Gentiles.
Saint Cornelius is venerated as one of the earliest Gentile converts to Christianity and is often seen as a symbol of the inclusion of non-Jewish believers in the early Church. His story emphasizes the universality of the Christian message and the transformative power of faith.