AUDIO: St. Florian, St. Stephen School students featured in newest ‘Sister Justine’ podcast

St. Florian, the patron saint of firefighters, is the featured saint in the latest episode of “Sister Justine’s Saint Tales,” the ninth episode of the program’s third season, now released by the Diocese of Buffalo’s Communications Department on its official Soundcloud platform (click here to access the full Sister Justine playlist).

Students from St. Stephen School on Grand Island performed as the voices of the fictional students of Holy Family School, whose morning is interrupted by a fire alarm. As they await the firefighters’ investigation of the smoke smelled within the building, they hear St. Florian’s story from Sister Justine, voiced by Melissa Cumming.

St. Florian lived in the early years of the Church and served as an officer in the Roman Army. His duties included organizing and leading a fire brigade. He was martyred for espousing Christian faith, and defying orders to persecute Christians as ordered by Emperor Diocletian.

The audio play podcast series was created in 2023 to present audio theatrical tales of saints, applying them to the situations the student characters face in each episode. The title character is inspired by a real-life nun, Sister M. Justine Yanics OSF, who taught within the Diocese of Buffalo. She passed away in 1992 and is buried in St. Bonaventure Cemetery in the Village of Allegany.

The 10th and final episode of season three will feature St. Gianna Molla, the patron saint of the Pro-Life movement. Recent weather which led to the temporary closure of the Catholic Center has delayed production of this final episode, which was previously scheduled to be released Jan. 24, coinciding with the annual March for Life in Washington, D.C. The episode will instead be released during the week of Jan. 27.