Hymn to St. Rufinus
1.
Let the crowd of the faithful
Sing the great merit of Saint Rufinus,
By whom emerges the victor of the world
And free seeks the stars.
2.
Most unconquerable warrior
Offers his words to stones,
But the hailstorm of blows to his word
Does not confer silence.
3.
From there he is cut down with lead,
Already he is believed to have died
But he who is believed to be dead
Rises up more ready in arms.
4.
He is pushed into the raging furnace
With flames of fire,
But the furnace of fire
Becomes a cool wood.
5.
For a bright angel plunged
Into the crackling flames,
At whose command
The fire soon loses its strength.
6.
The extraordinary martyr struggles
As the lion unknowing of defeat;
All sorts of punishment
The fearless one tramples with his mind (courage).
7.
A rock is hung on his neck,
In this way he is plunged into the waves;
Which water gave birth to Christ,
He comes through this to him.
8.
Now free of the burden of the flesh
You are dressed with a red robe,
An intricate crown of precious
Stone on his head.
9.
We beseech you, nourishing martyr,
Prone with our minds and our organs (bodies):
By your merits may you release us,
Whom our debts oppress.
10.
May there be praise to the unbegotten father…
Rufinus was responsible for converting Assisi to Christianity, but at what date is disputed. He and his son came from Anatolia to preach the Gospel. At some point, the Roman proconsul, Aspasius, had him arrested, tortured, and drowned in the Chiascio River near Costano. His body was recovered and buried near where he was found. A church was built on that spot[2] from whence, according to Petrus Damiani, his relics were translated to Assisi in the 8th century.