St. Proculus of Pozzuoli (San Procolo) was an early Christian deacon and martyr who lived in the Campanian city of Pozzuoli, near Naples. According to ancient tradition, he served the local Christian community during the persecution of Christians under the Emperor Diocletian in the early fourth century. He is remembered as one of the companions of St. Januarius (San Gennaro), the famous bishop and martyr of Naples.
The traditional account relates that several Christians, including Januarius, Sosius, Festus, and others, were arrested for their faith. When they were condemned to death, Proculus publicly protested the injustice of their treatment. As a result, he too was arrested and sentenced to execution. After a failed attempt to have the prisoners killed by wild beasts in the amphitheater, the group was beheaded near the Solfatara of Pozzuoli around the year 305.
Proculus became the principal patron saint of Pozzuoli, where devotion to him has remained strong for centuries. His relics have long been venerated there, and the city continues to honor him in local processions and celebrations.
What strikes me spiritually about Proculus is that he was not the bishop, nor the most prominent figure among the martyrs. He was a deacon who simply refused to remain silent when faithful people were being unjustly condemned. His witness reminds us that Christian courage often consists not in seeking martyrdom but in standing beside others when fidelity becomes costly. That detail gives him a particularly attractive character for preaching and reflection.
In a sentence: St. Proculus was a deacon of Pozzuoli who courageously defended fellow Christians during the Diocletian persecution and was martyred with the companions of St. Januarius around A.D. 305, becoming the patron saint of Pozzuoli.
(Information gathered from the Roman martyroogy, the Catholic encyclopedia, and Saint for a Minute.)