Saint Dismas

"Saint Dismas"   (Catholic tradition)
Statue of St. Dismas in Březnice, Czech Republic, dated 1750.
Penitent Thief Good Thief Thief on the Cross
Died	c. 30–33 AD Golgotha Hill outside Jerusalem
Venerated in	Eastern Orthodox Church Catholic Church
Feast	March 25 (Roman Catholic) Good Friday (Eastern Orthodox)
Attributes	Wearing a loincloth and either holding his cross or being crucified; sometimes depicted in Paradise.
Patronage	Prisoners (especially condemned) Funeral directors Repentant thieves Merizo, Guam San Dimas, Mexico

The Penitent Thief, also known as the Good Thief or the Thief on the Cross, is one of two unnamed persons mentioned in a version of the Crucifixion of Jesus in the New Testament. In the accounts in the Gospel of Mark and Gospel of Matthew, these two join the crowd in mocking Jesus. The Gospel of Luke describes one asking Jesus to "remember him" when Jesus will have "come into" his kingdom. The other, as the impenitent thief, asks Jesus why he cannot save himself.

He is officially venerated in the Catholic Church. The Roman Martyrology places his feast day on March 25, together with the feast of the Incarnation, because of the traditional hypothesis among Catholics in the Middle Ages, that Christ (and the penitent thief), were crucified and died exactly on the anniversary of the Lord's incarnation.

He is given the name "Dismas" in the Gospel of Nicodemus and is known in some Catholic traditions as "Saint Dismas"  (sometimes Dysmas; in Spanish and Portuguese, Dimas). Other traditions have bestowed other names:

Two men were crucified at the same time as Jesus, one on his right hand and one on his left (, , , ), which the Gospel of Mark interprets as fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah 53:12. According to the Gospels of Matthew and Mark, respectively, both of the thieves mocked Jesus (, ); Luke however, mentions that:

³⁹ Now one of the criminals hanging there reviled Jesus, saying, "Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us."

⁴⁰ The other, however, rebuking him, said in reply, "Have you no fear of God, for you are subject to the same condemnation? ⁴¹ And indeed, we have been condemned justly, for the sentence we received corresponds to our crimes, but this man has done nothing criminal." ⁴² Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." ⁴³ He replied to him, "Amen I say to you today you will be with me in Paradise." 23:39–43