At the beginning of the Church, deacons were appointed to preach and to serve the Christians. One of these deacons was Stephen. When he preached to a crowd of Jewish people about the truth of Christ’s death and resurrection, the leaders of the Jews had him arrested. They asked him about his preaching. He could have denied it, but he instead proclaimed the truth about Jesus Christ. St. Stephen’s honesty led to his death, but also to his
glorious place in heaven. He is the first martyr of the Church.