Agatha of Sicily

Saint Agatha of Sicily was born around 231 in Catania, in the Roman province of Sicily. From a young age she belonged to a noble family, yet she chose a richer treasure, consecrating her virginity to Christ. During the Decian persecution, her steadfast faith drew the anger of the Roman prefect Quintianus, who sought to force her into marriage and to renounce the Lord. Agatha refused with quiet courage, and she endured imprisonment and brutal tortures without surrendering her love for Christ. Tradition tells that even when her body was broken, God strengthened her soul, and she died in prison around 251, a virgin and martyr whose name is honored among the saints remembered in the Church’s Eucharistic prayer. Venerated early and widely, Agatha is especially loved in Catania and is invoked as a patron of those suffering violence, breast cancer patients, wet nurses, and bellfounders, and as a powerful intercessor against fire. Her feast day is February 5.