the virgin martyrs

7/28/2019 The Virgin Martyrs

1/13

Thecla

Thecla, a native of Iconium in Asia Minor (modern Turkey), in late antiquity became the most popular female saint

after Mary. A main pilgrimage shrine (Hagia Thekla) was established at Seleucia, and a community of female

virgins took up residence at its church. Devotion to Thecla quickly spread throughout the Mediterranean world,

and her popularity is evidenced by the range of material artifacts that bear her image (wall paintings, clay flasks,bronze crosses, wooden combs, stone reliefs, glass medallions, and textile curtains) and by the practice of naming

children after her. Her cult was officially suppressed by the Catholic Church in 1969she is thought never to have

existedand few but scholars are aware of her today.

From: Alexander Roberts and James Donaldson, eds. (1885). Ante-Nicene Fathers to A.D. 325, vol. 8. New York:

Christian Literature Publishing Co.

http://wesley.nnu.edu/sermons-essays-books/noncanonical-literature/noncanonical-literature-nt-acts/acts-of-

paul-and-thecla/

Paul having gone into the house of Onesiphorus,

there was great joy, and bending of knees, and

breaking of bread, and the word of God about self-control and the resurrection; Paul saying: "Blessed

are the pure in heart, for they shall see God: blessed5

are they that have kept the flesh chaste, for they

shall become a temple of God: blessed are they that

control themselves, for God shall speak with them:

blessed are they that have kept aloof from this

world, for they shall be called upright: blessed are10

they that have wives as not having them, for they

shall receive God for their portion . . . "

While Paul was thus speaking in the midst of the

church in the house of Onesiphorus, a certain virgin

Thecla, the daughter of Theocleia, betrothed to a15

man named Thamyris, sitting at the window close

by, listened night and day to the discourse of

virginity and prayer, and did not look away from the

window, but paid earnest heed to the faith, rejoicing

exceedingly. When she still saw many women going20

in beside Paul, she also had an eager desire to be

deemed worthy to stand in the presence of Paul, and

to hear the word of Christ; for never had she seen

his figure, but heard his word only.

As she did not stand away from the window, her25

mother sends to Thamyris; and he comes gladly, as if

already receiving her in marriage. Theocleia said: "I

have a strange story to tell thee, Thamyris; for

assuredly for three days and three nights Thecla

does not rise from the window, neither to eat nor to30

drink; but looking earnestly as if upon some pleasant

sight, she is so devoted to a foreigner teaching

deceitful and artful discourses, that I wonder how a

virgin of such modesty is so painfully put about.

Thamyris, this man will overturn the city of the35

Iconians, and thy Thecla too besides; for all the

women and the young men go in beside him, being

taught to fear God and to live in chastity. Moreover

also my daughter, tied to the window like a spider,

lays hold of what is said by Paul with a strange40

eagerness and awful emotion; for the virgin looks

eagerly at what is said by him, and has been

captivated. But do thou go near and speak to her, for

she has been betrothed to thee."

Thamyris going near, and kissing her, but at the45

same time also being afraid of her overpowering

emotion, said: "Thecla, my betrothed, why dost thou

sit thus and what sort of feeling holds thee

overpowered? Turn round to thy Thamyris, and be

ashamed. . . . " [But] Thecla did not turn round, but50

kept attending earnestly to the word of Paul.

[Thamyris has Paul thrown into jail on charges of

corruption, namely "leading astray the souls of

young men and deceiving virgins."] Thecla by night,

having taken off her bracelets, gave them to the55

gatekeeper; and the door having been opened to

her, she went into the prison; and having given the

jailor a silver mirror, she went in beside Paul, and,

sitting at his feet, she heard the great things of God.

Paul was afraid of nothing, but ordered his life in the60

confidence of God. Her faith also was increased, and

she kissed his bonds.

When Thecla was sought for by her friends, and

Thamyris, as if she had been lost, was running up


2/13

and down the streets, one of the gatekeeper's65

fellow-slaves informed him that she had gone out by

night. Having gone out, they examined the

gatekeeper; and he said to them: "She has gone to

the foreigner into the prison." Having gone, they

found her, as it were, enchained by affection. Having70

gone forth thence, they drew the multitudes

together, and informed the governor of the

circumstance. He ordered Paul to be brought to the

tribunal; but Thecla was wallowing on the ground in

the place where he sat and taught her in the prison;75

and he ordered her too to be brought to the

tribunal. She came, exulting with joy. The crowd,

when Paul had been brought, vehemently cried out:

"He is a magician! away with him!" But the

proconsul gladly heard Paul upon the holy works of80

Christ. Having called a council, he summoned Thecla,and said to her: "Why dost thou not obey Thamyris,

according to the law of the Iconians?" But she stood

looking earnestly at Paul. When she gave no answer,

her mother cried out, saying: "Burn the wicked85

wretch; burn in the midst of the theatre her that will

not marry, in order that all the women that have

been taught by this man may be afraid."

The governor was greatly moved; and having

scourged Paul, he cast him out of the city, and90

condemned Thecla to be burned. Immediately the

governor went away to the theatre, and all thecrowd went forth to the spectacle of Thecla. But as a

lamb in the wilderness looks round for the shepherd,

so she kept searching for Paul. Having looked upon95

the crowd, she saw the Lord sitting in the likeness of

Paul, and said: "As I am unable to endure my lot,

Paul has come to see me." She gazed upon him with

great earnestness, and he went up into heaven. But

the maid-servants and virgins brought the faggots, in100

order that Thecla might be burned. When she came

in naked, the governor wept, and wondered at the

power that was in her. The public executionersarranged the faggots for her to go up on the pile.

She, having made the sign of the cross, went up on105

the faggots; and they lighted them. Though a great

fire was blazing, it did not touch her; for God, having

compassion upon her, made an underground

rumbling, and a cloud overshadowed them from

above, full of water and hail; and all that was in the110

cavity of it was poured out, so that many were in

danger of death. The fire was put out, and Thecla

saved.

[She goes to rejoin Paul.] Thecla said to Paul: "I

shall cut my hair, and follow thee whithersoever115

thou mayst go." He said: "It is a shameless age, andthou art beautiful. I am afraid lest another

temptation come upon thee worse than the first,

and that thou withstand it not, but be cowardly."

Thecla said: "Only give me the seal in Christ, and120

temptation shall not touch me." Paul said: "Thecla,

wait with patience, and thou shalt receive the

water."

Paul sent away Onesiphorus and all his house to

Iconium; and thus, having taken Thecla, he went into125

Antioch. As they were going in, a certain Syriarch,

Alexander by name, seeing Thecla, becameenamoured of her, and tried to gain over Paul by

gifts and presents. But Paul said: "I know not the

woman whom thou speakest of, nor is she mine."130

But he, being of great power, himself embraced her

in the street. But she would not endure it, but

looked about for Paul. She cried out bitterly, saying:

"Do not force the stranger; do not force the servant

of God. I am one of the chief persons of the Iconians;135

and because I would not have Thamyris, I have been

cast out of the city." Taking hold of Alexander, she

tore his cloak, and pulled off his crown, and madehim a laughing-stock. He, at the same time loving

her, and at the same time ashamed of what had140

happened, led her before the governor; and when

she had confessed that she had done these things,

he condemned her to the wild beasts. The women

were struck with astonishment, and cried out beside

the tribunal: "Evil judgment! impious judgment!" She145

asked the governor, that, said she, "I may remain

pure until I shall fight with the wild beasts." A certain

Tryphaena, whose daughter was dead, took her into

keeping, and had her for a consolation. . . .[The next morning at dawn, Thecla is brought to150

the arena.] Thecla, having been taken out of the

hand of Tryphaena, was stripped, and received a

girdle, and was thrown into the arena, and lions and

bears and a fierce lioness were let loose upon her;

and the lioness having run up to her feet, lay down;155

and the multitude of the women cried aloud. A bear


3/13

ran upon her; but the lioness, meeting the bear, tore

her to pieces. Again a lion that had been trained

against men, which belonged to Alexander, ran upon

her; and she, the lioness, encountering the lion, was160

killed along with him. The women made great

lamentation, since also the lioness, her protector,was dead.

Then they send in many wild beasts, she standing

and stretching forth her hands, and praying. When165

she had finished her prayer, she turned and saw a

ditch full of water, and said: "Now it is time to wash

myself." She threw herself in, saying: "In the name of

Jesus Christ I am baptized on my last day." The

women seeing, and the multitude, wept, saying: "Do170

not throw thyself into the water"; so that also the

governor shed tears, because the seals were going to

devour such beauty. She then threw herself in thename of Jesus Christ; but the seals having seen the

glare of the fire of lightning, floated about dead.175

There was round her, as she was naked, a cloud of

fire; so that neither could the wild beasts touch her,

nor could she be seen naked.

The women, when other wild beasts were being

thrown in, wailed. Some threw sweet-smelling180

herbs, others nard, others cassia, others amomum,

so that there was abundance of perfumes. All the

wild beasts that had been thrown in, as if they had

been withheld by sleep, did not touch her; so thatAlexander said to the governor: "I have bulls185

exceedingly terrible; let us bind to them her that is

to fight with the beasts." The governor, looking

gloomy, turned, and said: "Do what thou wilt." They

bound her by the feet between them, and put red-

hot irons under the privy parts of the bulls, so that190

they, being rendered more furious, might kill her.

They rushed about, therefore; but the burning flame

consumed the ropes, and she was as if she had not

been bound. But Tryphaena fainted standing beside

the arena, so that the crowd said: "Queen Tryphaena195

is dead." The governor put a stop to the games, and

the city was in dismay. And Alexander entreated the

governor, saying: "Have mercy both on me and the

city, and release this woman. For if Caesar hear of

these things, he will speedily destroy the city also200

along with us, because his kinswoman Queen

Tryphaena has died."

The governor summoned Thecla out of the midst

of the wild beasts, and said to her: "Who art thou

and what is there about thee, that not one of the205

wild beasts touches thee?" She said: "I indeed am a

servant of the living God; and as to what there is

about me, I have believed in the Son of God, inwhom He is well pleased; wherefore not one of the

beasts has touched me. For He alone is the end of210

salvation, and the basis of immortal life; for He is a

refuge to the tempest-tossed, a solace to the

afflicted, a shelter to the despairing; and, once for

all, whoever shall not believe on Him, shall not live

for ever."215

The governor having heard this, ordered her

garments to be brought, and to be put on. Thecla

said: "He that clothed me naked among the wild

beasts, will in the day of judgment clothe thee withsalvation." Taking the garments, she put them on.220

The governor therefore immediately issued an edict,

saying: "I release to you the God-fearing Thecla, the

servant of God." The women shouted aloud, and

with one mouth returned thanks to God, saying:

"There is one God, the God of Thecla"; so that the225

foundations of the theatre were shaken by their

voice. Tryphaena having received the good news,

went to meet the holy Thecla, and said: "Now I

believe that the dead are raised: now I believe that

my child lives. Come within, and I shall assign to thee230

all that is mine." She therefore went in along with

her, and rested eight days, having instructed her in

the word of God, so that most even of the maid-

servants believed. There was great joy in the house.

Thecla kept seeking Paul; and it was told her that235

he was in Myra of Lycia. Taking young men and

maidens, she girded herself; and having sewed the

tunic so as to make a man's cloak, she came to Myra,

and found Paul speaking the word of God. Paul was

astonished at seeing her, and the crowd with her,240

thinking that some new trial was coming upon her.When she saw him, she said: "I have received the

baptism, Paul; for He that wrought along with thee

for the Gospel has wrought in me also for baptism."

Paul, taking her, led her to the house of Hermaeus,245

and hears everything from her, so that those that

heard greatly wondered, and were comforted, and

prayed over Tryphaena. She rose up, and said: "I am


4/13

going to Iconium." Paul said: "Go, and teach the

word of God." Tryphaena sent her much clothing250

and gold, so that she left to Paul many things for the

service of the poor.

[At age eighteen, Thecla withdraws to a cave near

Seleucia, where she spends the remainder of herlive, seventy-two years, living as an ascetic and255

preaching the word of God. Eventually, the

townsmen send out "insolent young men to destroy

her." When the rapists hold down the ninety-year-

old virgin, she prays, and a rock opens up to take her

in and closes behind her, leaving only a piece of her260

veil behind.]


5/13

Lucy (Lucia) of Syracuse

St. Lucy's day is celebrated on December 13. All that is really known for certain of Lucy is that she was a martyr

in Syracuse, Sicily, during the Diocletian persecutions of 304 CE. Her veneration spread to Rome, and by the 6ct to

the whole Church. According to the traditional story, she was born c.283. Her father, a Roman aristocrat, died

early, leaving his riches to her mother, Eutychia, a Greek woman. At age fourteen, Lucy was betrothed by her

mother to a young pagan nobleman, but Lucy had consecrated her virginity to God, and she hoped her mother

would devote all their worldly goods to the service of the poor. When Eutychia contracted a painful disease, Lucy

persuaded her to make a pilgrimage to the shrine of St. Agatha, a martyr who had been executed some fifty years

earlier in nearby Catania.

From: Walter W. Skeat, ed. (1881).lfric's Lives of Saints. Early English Text Society, original series, vol. 76.

London: N. Trbner. (lfric was an English abbot who wrote c. 996).

Then Agatha's renown spread over land and sea,

so that a great multitude out of Syracuse sought

the virgin's tomb, from a distance of fifty miles,

in the city of Catania, with great devotion.

Then came a certain widow, named Eutychia,5

amongst other people, to the famous tomb,

and her daughter with her, the blessed Lucy.

The widow was diseased, so that she had a flux of

blood

for the space of four years, and had tried many10

physicians,

but all of them could not help her, though she was

but one.1

Then it happened, at the mass, that the gospel was

read15

how the woman was healed that had a flux of blood,

when she touched the Saviour's robe.

Then said Lucy, full of faith, to her mother,

"If thou believest, mother, this well-known gospel,

believe that Agatha has merited something from20

Christ,

since she suffered for His name that she might ever

behold Him in her presence, in eternal bliss.

Touch now her tomb, and thou shalt soon be

whole."25

Then, after the mass, the mother and daughter

prostrated themselves in prayers at the tomb.

[Lucy has a vision of Agatha who tells her she will be

as famous in Syracuse as Agatha is in Catania.]

She rose then trembling because of that bright30

vision,

1Meaning, manyphysicians could not heal one patient.

and said to her mother, "Thou art mightily healed.

Now I pray thee, by that same One who healed thee

by prayers,

that thou never name to me any bridegroom,35

nor expect of my body any mortal fruit,

but, as for the property that thou wouldst give me

for my pollution,

give it me for my chastity, as I am going to Christ."

Then said the mother, "Thou knowest my wealth,40

and I have kept now for nine years against all losses

thy father's property, and have increased it further.

First close mine eyes (in death), and then dispose of

the property

lo! how thou mayst please, my dear daughter."45

Then said Lucy, "Listen to my counsel;

thou canst take away nothing with thee out of this

life,

and that which thou wilt give at death for the Lord's

name50

thou wilt give because thou canst not take it away

with thee.

But give now, in thy time of health, to the true

Saviour

whatever thou intendest to dispose of at thy death."55

Thus Lucy frequently exhorted her mother,

until she sold the shining gems,

and even her landed property for ready money,

and afterwards distributed it to the poor and to

strangers,60

to widows and exiles, and wise servants of God.

This came to the ears of the nobly-born youth

who was wooing Lucy, who was named Paschasius,


6/13

an impious idolater, who enticed the holy maid

to make offerings to devils; but the Lord's virgin said,65

"A pure offering is this, and acceptable to God,

that one should visit widows, and comfort exiles,

and help orphan children in their affliction.

I have not for three years been employed about anyother deeds,70

but have offered these offerings to the living Lord.

Now I desire verily to offer to Him myself,

because for some time I have had nothing to spend

in His service."

Then was Paschasius wroth, and they spake much,75

until he promised her a beating if she would not be

silent.

Lucy said to him, "The words of the living God

cannot be suppressed, nor put to silence."

[Paschasius threatens to send her off to a brothel80where she'll lose her maidenhood, saying the Holy

Ghost will leave her then due to the impurity of her

body.]

Lucy thus answered, "No one's body is dangerously

polluted, if it pleases not the (possessor's) mind.85

Though thou shouldst lift up my hand to thine idol,

and so, by my means, offer against my will,

I shall still be guiltless in the sight of the true God,

who judges according to the will, and knoweth all

things.90

If now, against my will, thou causest me to bepolluted,

a twofold purity shall be gloriously imputed to me.

Thou canst not bend my will to thy purpose;

whatever thou mayest do to my body, that cannot95

happen to me."

Then the cruel one desired to fulfil his word,

that she might be led to loathsome pollution,

and began to drag her to the house of lust;

but God's might was displayed at once in the100

maiden,

so that the Holy Ghost held her, and fastened her asby a great weight,

so that the wicked ones could not remove the

maiden.105

Then they fastened ropes, in their cruel attempt,

to her hands and feet, and many tugged at once,

but she was never stirred, but stood firm as a

mountain.

Then was the impious Paschasius perplexed,110

and bade false magicians be brought unto him,

that they with their enchantments might overpower

the virgin of God.

But when they sped not at all, he commanded oxen

to be harnessed to her,115

but they could not even so shake the maiden.

The murderer then said to the pure maid,

"What is the reason that a thousand men

cannot even stir thee, all weak as thou art?"

Lucy said to him, "Though thou call ten thousand120

men,

they would all hear the Holy Ghost thus speaking:

Cadent a latere tuo mille, et decem millia a dextris

tuis, tibi autem non apropinquabit malum.

A thousand shall fall beside thee, and ten thousand125

at thy right handbut verily no evil shall approach thyself."

Then was the impious one perplexed in his mind yet

more,

and bade men light a great pile all round the maid,130

and sprinkle her with pitch and bespattering oil.

She stood then undismayed in the fire, and said,

"I have obtained of Christ in prayer that this deadly

fire

may have no power upon me, that thou mayst be135

put to shame,

and that it may dispel all fear of torture frombelievers,

and take away from unbelievers their evil joy."

Then was the impious one madly vexed,140

so that his friends could not assuage his madness;

but they bade men kill the pure maid with the

sword.

Then was she wounded, so that her bowels fell out,

nevertheless she died not, but continued in prayer145

as long as she desired, and said to the people,

"I tell you of a verity that peace is granted

to God's congregation, and the furious emperorDiocletian is deposed from his empire,

and Maximian the evil-doer is dead.150

Even as the city of Catania within its walls

has the powerful intercessions of my sister Agatha,

so am I allotted by Almighty God

now to this city of Syracuse,

to intercede for you, if ye receive the faith."155


7/13

Whilst she thus spake, the wicked Paschasius

was bound with chains, and led before the virgin.

He had previously been accused, for his cruel deeds,

to the Roman people, who governed all the land.

He was then brought in bonds to Rome,160

and the senators commanded him to be beheaded,when he could not excuse his evil deeds.

The blessed Lucy remained in the same place

where she was struck down, until priests came

and houselled her with the holy mysteries,165

and she departed to Christ as they were saying

"Amen."

Then the people reared a church on the spot where

she lay,

and hallowed it in her name, to the Saviour's glory,170

who ever reigneth as God throughout eternity.

Amen.

A different legend has it that a young man was in love with Lucy, always telling her that her beautiful eyes gave him

no rest and made him want her. She recalled the words of Christ, "If thine eye offend thee, pluck it out," and afraid

that her eyes would lead him to violence and perdition, she cut her eyes out with a knife and sent them to him in a

dish. Filled with remorse and admiration, her lover converted to Christianity and became a model of virtue. Lucy's

faith was rewarded by the restoration of her eyes, more beautiful than ever. A third legend of St. Lucy is that she

suffered martyrdom by having her eyes gouged out.


8/13

Barbara

Barbara was born, raised, and died (c.267) in Nicomedia, Asia Minor (modern Turkey). Because of doubts

concerning the historicity of her legend, she was removed from the liturgical calendar of the Catholic Church in

1969. Her feast day was December 4, in the Eastern Orthodox Church December 17. "While she is most commonly

depicted holding a tower, she is also one of the few women saints who is sometimes pictured holding the

eucharistic elements, a chalice and host. A person in danger of dying without receiving the last rites from a priest

may pray for Barbara's intercession, and it's taken care of; she substitutes for the priest and the sacrament itself"

(Kathleen Norris, The Cloister Walk, p. 197).

From: William Caxton (1483). The Golden Legend, or Lives of the Saints. Transl. F.S. Ellis. London: Constable, 1900.

http://www.aug.edu/augusta/iconography/goldenLegend/barbara.htm

HERE BEGINNETH THE LIFE OF ST. BARBARA

In the time that Maximian reigned there was a rich

man, a paynim [pagan], which adored and

worshipped the idols, which man was named

Dioscorus. This Dioscorus had a young daughter5

which was named Barbara, for whom he did do

make a high and strong tower in which he did do

keep and close this Barbara, to the end that no man

should see her because of her great beauty. Then

came many princes unto the said Dioscorus for to10

treat with him for the marriage of his daughter,

which went anon unto her and said: "My daughter,

certain princes be come to me which require me for

to have thee in marriage, wherefore tell to me thine

entent and what will ye have to do."15

Then St. Barbara returned all angry towards her

father and said: "My father, I pray you that ye will

not constrain me to marry, for thereto I have no will

ne thought."

[Before going on a journey, Dioscorus has a20

"cistern," a private bathhouse, erected for his

daughter. During his absence, Barbara asks the

workers to put in three windows rather than the

original two, a symbol of the Trinity.]

In this same cistern was this holy maid baptized of25

a holy man, and lived there a certain space of time,

in taking only for her refection honeysuckles and

locusts, following the holy precursor of our Lord, St.

John Baptist. . . .

[The father returns to find the three windows in30

place. He asks his daughter for an explanation.] And

St. Barbara answered: "These three fenestres or

windows betoken clearly the Father, the Son, and

the Holy Ghost, the which be three persons and one

very God, on whom we ought to believe and35

worship."

Then he being replenished with furor, incontinent

drew his sword to have slain her, but the holy virgin

made her prayer and then marvellously she was

taken in a stone and borne into a mountain on which40

two shepherds kept their sheep, the which saw her

fly. And then her father, which pursued after her,

went unto the shepherds and demanded after her.

And that one, which would have preserved her, said

that he had not seen her, but that other, which was45

an evil man, showed and pointed her with his finger,

whom the holy St. Barbara cursed, and anon his

sheep became locusts, and he consumed into a

stone.

And then her father took her by the hair and drew50

her down from the mountain and shut her fast in

prison, and made her to be kept there by his

servants unto the time that he had sent to the judge

for to deliver her to the torments.

And when the judge was advertised of the faith55

and belief of the maid he did her to be brought

tofore him. Her father went with her, accompanied

with his servants threatening her with his sword, and

delivered her unto the judge, and conjured him, by

the puissance of his gods that, he should torment60

her with horrible torments.

ST. BARBARA BEFORE THE PAGAN JUDGE

Then sat the judge in judgment, and when he saw

the great beauty of St. Barbara, he said to her: "Now

choose whether ye will spare yourself and offer to65

the gods, or else die by cruel torments."


9/13

St. Barbara answered to him: "I offer myself to my

God, Jesu Christ, the which hath created heaven and

earth and all other things, and fie on your devils,

which have mouths and cannot speak, they have70

eyes, and cannot see, they have ears, and hear not,

they have noses, and smell not, they have hands,and may not feel, and they have feet, and may not

go, they that make them, be they made semblable to

them, and all they that have fiance [faith] and belief75

in them."

Then became the judge all wood and angry, and

commanded to unclothe her and beat her with

sinews of bulls, and frot her flesh with salt, and

when she had long endured this, that her body was80

all bloody, the judge did do close her in a prison unto

the time that he had deliberated of what torments

he might make her die.And then at midnight descended a great light and

clearness into the prison in which our Lord showed85

him to her, saying: "Barbara, have confidence, and

be firm and steadfast, for in heaven and in the earth

thou shalt have great joy for thy passion, therefore,

doubt not the judge, for I shall be with thee, and I

shall deliver thee from all thy pains that any shall90

make thee suffer."

And incontinent she was all whole. And then,

when our Lord had said thus, he blessed her and

remounted into heaven.[The following morning,] the judge, replenished of95

ire, commanded that she should be hanged between

two forked trees, and that they should break her

reins with staves, and burn her sides with burning

lamps, and after he made her strongly to be beaten,

and hurted her head with a mallet. Then St. Barbara100

beheld and looked upward to heaven, saying: "Jesu

Christ, that knowest the hearts of men, and knowest

my thought, I beseech thee to leave me not."

Then commanded the judge to the hangman that

he should cut off with his sword her paps, and when105

they were cut off, the holy saint looked again

towards heaven, saying: "Jesu Christ, turn not thy

visage from me."

And when she had long endured this pain, the

judge commanded that she should be led with110

beating through the streets, and the holy virgin the

third time beheld the heaven, and said: "Lord God,

that coverest heaven with clouds, I pray thee to

cover my body, to the end that it be not seen of the

evil people."115

And when she had made her prayer, our Lord

came over her, and sent to her an angel which cladher with a white vestment, and the knights led her

unto a town called Dallasion, and there the judge

commanded to slay her with the sword. And then120

her father all araged took her out of the hands of the

judge and led her up on a mountain, and St. Barbara

rejoiced her in hasting to receive the salary of her

victory.

HER HOLY DEATH125

And then when she was drawn thither she made her

orison, saying: "Lord Jesu Christ, which hast formed

heaven and earth, I beseech thee to grant me thy

grace and hear my prayer, that all they that have

memory of thy name and my passion, I pray thee130

that thou wilt not remember their sins, for thou

knowest our fragility."

Then came there a voice down from heaven saying

unto her: Come, my spouse Barbara, and rest in the

chamber of God my Father, which is in heaven, and I135

grant to thee that thou hast required of me.

And when this was said, she came to her father

and received the end of her martyrdom with St.

Julian. But when her father descended from the

mountain, a fire from heaven descended on him,140

and consumed him in such wise that there could not

be found only ashes of all his body.

This blessed virgin St. Barbara received martyrdom

with St. Julian the second nones of December. A

noble man called Valentine buried the bodies of145

these two martyrs, and laid them in a little town in

which many miracles were showed in the louing

[praise] and glory of God Almighty. And St. Barbara,

the holy martyr suffered passion in the time of

Maximian, emperor of Rome, and Marcian the judge.150

Whom we pray and beseech to be our advocatrix

unto Almighty God, that by her merits he bring us

after this short and transitory life into his glory

perdurable. Amen.


10/13

Juthwara

Juthwara: virgin (and martyr?), was British, perhaps

from Cornwall. Her brother was said to be PaulAurelian and her sisters Sidwell of Exeter and

Wulvela of Cornwall. Her relics were translated to

Sherborne under lfwald II (104558). These seem

to be the most certain facts about her: her Legend in

N.L.A. is a farrago of impossibilities. According to this

story, as in the Legend of Sidwell, she was the victim

of a jealous stepmother. Juthwara, a pious girl who

practised much prayer, fasting, and almsgiving,

suffered after her father's death from a pain in the

chest, brought on perhaps by her sorrow and

austerities. The stepmother recommended as aremedy two cheeses applied to her breasts;

meanwhile, she told her own wicked son called Bana

that Juthwara was pregnant. He accused her, found

her underclothes were moist, and struck off her

head there and then. The usual spring of water thenappeared; Juthwara carried her head back to the

church; Bana repented, became a monk, and

founded a monastery of Gerber (later called Le

Relecq) on a British battlefield. The place of

Juthwara's death may have been Lanteglos by

Camelford (Cornwall), where the church, now St

Julitta's, may originally have been Juthwara's. The

neighbouring parish of Lancast is dedicated to her

sisters. She is depicted with her sister Sidwell on the

screens of Hennock and Ashton (Devon); her usual

emblem is a cream-cheese or a sword. A latemedieval statue at Guizeny (Brittany) shows her

holding her head in her hand. Feast: 28 November,

translation, 13 July.

Wilgefortis

The curious legend of Wilgefortis [also called

Uncumber, Liberata, or Kummernis] has its roots in a

story recounted by Gregory the Great. In itsdeveloped form, Wilgefortis was a septuplet of a

pagan king of Portugal; together with her brothers

and sisters she became a Christian and suffered

martyrdom. Her father wanted her to marry the king

of Sicily, but she had taken a vow of virginity. So she

prayed to become unattractive: the result was that a

moustache and beard grew on her face and her

suitor withdrew. Her father accordingly had her

crucified: while on the cross she prayed that all who

remembered her passion should be liberated from

all encumbrances and troubles. . . . The English

custom of offering oats at her statue was rightly

derided by Thomas More: "Whereof I cannot

perceive the reason, but if it be because she should

provide a horse for an evil husband to ride to the

devil upon, for that is the thing that she is so sought

for, as they say. Insomuch that women havetherefore changed her name and instead of Saint

Wilgeforte call her Saint Uncumber, because that

they reckon that for a peck of oats she will not fail to

uncumber them of their husbands." . . . A statue of

Wilgefortis survives in Henry VII Chapel,

Westminster Abbey. It seems that the cult originated

in 14th-century Flanders, with feast on 20 July.

The legend of Wilgefortis is sometimes explained

as an attempt to account for the clothed and

bearded figure of Christ on the Cross. In our own day

some doctors have speculated on the connection

between anorexia nervosa in adolescent girls and

the growth of hair in unusual parts of the body.

From: David Hugh Farmer (2011). The Oxford Dictionary of Saints, 5th rev. ed. Oxford: Oxford UP.


11/13

Maria Goretti

Goretti was an Italian peasant girl from a village near Ancona. Her father died when she was ten. At age twelve

she was assaulted by a neighboring teenager. She was canonized in 1950, the first virgin martyr declared such by

the church for defending her chastity rather than her faith. Her mother was present at her canonization, the first

time a parent was present for a child's canonization. St. Maria Goretti's feast is on July 6.

From: http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2012-07-06

St. Maria Goretti was born of a poor family in

Corinaldi, Italy, in 1890. Near Nettuno she spent a

difficult childhood assisting her mother in domestic

duties. She was of a pious nature and often at

prayer. In 1902 she was stabbed to death, preferring

to die rather than be raped. (Office of Readings)

The following is an excerpt from a homily at the

canonization of Saint Maria Goretti by Pope Pius XII:"It is well known how this young girl had to face a

bitter struggle with no way to defend herself.

Without warning a vicious stranger [actually

Alessandro Serenelli who lived with his father in the

same house as the Gorettis] burst upon her, bent on

raping her and destroying her childlike purity. In that

moment of crisis she could have spoken to her

Redeemer in the words of that classic, The Imitation

of Christ: 'Though tested and plagued by a host of

misfortunes, I have no fear so long as your grace is

with me. It is my strength, stronger than anyadversary; it helps me and gives me guidance.' With

splendid courage she surrendered herself to God

and his grace and so gave her life to protect her

virginity.

"The life of this simple girlI shall concern myself

only with highlightswe can see as worthy of

heaven. Even today people can look upon it with

admiration and respect. Parents can learn from her

story how to raise their God-given children in virtue,

courage and holiness; they can learn to train them in

the Catholic faith so that, when put to the test, God's

grace will support them and they will come through

undefeated, unscathed and untarnished.

"From Maria's story carefree children and young

people with their zest for life can learn not to be led

astray by attractive pleasures which are not only

ephemeral and empty but also sinful. Instead they

can fix their sights on achieving Christian moral

perfection, however difficult and hazardous that

course may prove. With determination and God's

help all of us can attain that goal by persistent effortand prayer.

"Not all of us are expected to die a martyr's death,

but we are all called to the pursuit of Christian

virtue. This demands strength of character though it

may not match that of this innocent girl. Still, a

constant, persistent and relentless effort is asked of

us right up to the moment of our death. This may be

conceived as a slow steady martyrdom which Christ

urged upon us when he said: The kingdom of heaven

is set upon and laid waste by violent forces.

"So let us all, with God's grace, strive to reach thegoal that the example of the virgin martyr, Saint

Maria Goretti, sets before us. Through her prayers to

the Redeemer may all of us, each in his own way,

joyfully try to follow the inspiring example of Maria

Goretti who now enjoys eternal happiness in

heaven."

Imprisoned for murder she appeared to him in his

cell and forgave him, and he was subsequently

converted. Most importantly, he sat next to her

mother at the beatification, who also forgave him.

Patron: Against impoverishment; against poverty;

children; children of Mary; girls; loss of parents;

martyrs; rape victims; young people in general.


12/13

El Mozote Massacre

"The El Mozote Massacre took place in and around the village of El Mozote, in Morazn department, El Salvador,

on December 11, 1981, when the Salvadorean Army killed more than 800 civilians in an anti-guerrilla campaign

during the Salvadoran Civil War. The massacre was first reported in the US byNew York Times andWashington

Post reporters who had independently reached the scene, and came during a congressional debate over whether to

continue military aid to the Salvadoran armed forces. Following a "certification" by the administration of US

President Ronald Reagan that no massacre had taken place and that Salvadoran forces were working to respect

human rights, the Democratic-controlled Congress agreed to continue aid.

In December 2011, the El Salvador government apologized for the massacre. . . .

US journalist Mark Danner compiled various reports to reconstruct an account of the massacre." (Wikipedia)

From: Mark Danner (1993). "The Truth of El Mozote," The New Yorker, 6 December 1993.

http://www.markdanner.com/articles/show/the_truth_of_el_mozote

Rufina [Rufina Amaya, a thirty-eight-year-old

woman, one of the few survivors of the massacre]

could not see the children; she could only hear their

cries as the soldiers waded into them, slashing some

with their machetes, crushing the skulls of others

with the butts of their rifles. Many othersthe

youngest children, most below the age of twelve

the soldiers herded from the house of Alfredo

Mrquez across the street to the sacristy, pushing

them, crying and screaming, into the dark tiny room.

There the soldiers raised their M16s and emptied

their magazines into the roomful of children.

Not all the children of El Mozote died at the

sacristy. A young man now known as Chepe Mozote

told me that when the townspeople were forced to

assemble on the plaza that evening he and his little

brother had been left behind in their house, on the

outskirts of the hamlet, near the school. By the next

morning, Chepe had heard plenty of shooting; his

mother had not returned. [Soldiers found him and

ordered him to carry his brother to the playground

near the school.]

When they reached the playing field, there were

maybe thirty children, he says. The soldiers were

putting ropes on the trees. I was seven years old,

and I didnt really understand what was happening

until I saw one of the soldiers take a kid he had been

carryingthe kid was maybe three years oldthrow

him in the air, and stab him with a bayonet.

"They slit some of the kids' throats, and many they

hanged from the tree. All of us were crying now, but

we were their prisonersthere was nothing we

could do. The soldiers kept telling us, 'You are

guerrillas and this is justice. This is justice.' Finally,

there were only three of us left. I watched them

hang my brother. He was two years old. I could see I

was going to be killed soon, and I thought it would

be better to die running, so I ran. I slipped through

the soldiers and dived into the bushes. They fired

into the bushes, but none of their bullets hit me." . . .

Soon the only sounds were those which trickled

down from the hillslaughter, intermittent screams,

a few shots. On La Cruz, soldiers were raping the

young girls who were left. . . .

There was one in particular the soldiers talked

about that evening (she is mentioned in the Tutela

Legal report as well): a girl on La Cruz whom they

had raped many times during the course of the

afternoon, and through it all, while the other women

of El Mozote had screamed and cried [during the

rapes], this girl had sung hymns, strange evangelical

songs, and she had kept right on singing, too, even

after they had done what had to be done, and shot

her in the chest. She had lain there on La Cruz with

the blood flowing from her chest, and had kept on

singinga bit weaker than before, but still singing.

And the soldiers, stupefied, had watched and

pointed. Then they had grown tired of the game and

shot her again, and she sang still, and their wonder

began to turn to fearuntil finally they had

unsheathed their machetes and hacked through her

neck, and at last the singing had stopped.


13/13

the virgin martyrs

Documents