Story of St. Philomena [FULL, FREE]

www.reginamart... - St. Philomena, virgin and martyr, was a young Roman girl, virtuous and wise beyond her years; moreover, she was brave and heroic. Having vowed herself to Christ, she declined the marriage proposal of the despot Diocletian, the wicked emperor of Rome. He punished her with imprisonment and torture, yet miracle after miracle occurred and she defied death itself with her trust in God. As her final hour finally arrived, she valiantly suffered death for Our Lord and the Catholic Faith. She is the patron saint of infants, babies, youth, and lost causes. Her feast day is August 11th - and her birthday is celebrated according to tradition on January 10th.
Pope Gregory XVI referred to her as the “wonder-worker” of the 19th century.
Blessed Pope Pius IX declared her the “Patroness of the Children of Mary.”
Saint John Marie Vianney attributed all of his miracles to her, stating, “I have never asked for anything through the intercession of my Little Saint without having been answered.”
Blessed Anna Maria Taigi, the Roman “mother-mystic,” received through this saint the miraculous cure of her granddaughter, and entrusted all her children to her powerful intercession.
St. Philomena, “Powerful with God,” in the words of Gregory XVI. As she was a “thaumaturga” of the nineteenth century, so she continues her wonder-working ways in our twenty-first century.
Devotion to Saint Philomena is spreading like a re-kindled wildfire throughout the universal Church today, with testimonies to her miraculous intercession being received by the international shrine of St. Philomena in Mugnano, Italy, from all parts of the world.
On May 24, 1802, workers digging in the ancient Catacombs of Priscilla in Rome made an exciting discovery. While excavating near the “Greek chapel,” one of the earliest sections of the catacombs, they found a previously unrecorded grave, a type of grave hewn out of the rock called a loculus. Sensing the importance of what they had unearthed, and following the instruction given them by Msgr. Hyacinth Ponzetti, the Vatican Custodian of Holy Relics, work was immediately halted and Fr. Filippo Ludovici, the official Vatican overseer of all excavations, was informed.
The next day Fr. Ludovici entered the catacombs with other observers and documented the new grave. It was found to be sealed by three terra-cotta brick tiles. Engraved on the tiles were a palm branch, typically used to symbolize martyrdom, arrows, a lily, typically used to symbolize purity or virginity, and an anchor. The first tile read “LUMENA,” the second tile “PAXTE,” and the third read “CUMFI.” An anatomical examination of the bones found within led to the conclusion that the person entombed was a young girl approximately twelve to thirteen years old. Also found in the grave was a vial of dried blood, which was the early Church’s typical manner of indicating the grave of a martyr.
“PAX TECUM FILUMENA,” or “Peace be with you, Filumena,” and officially rendered the young martyr’s name as “Filumena”.
Learn more about St. Philomena novena prayers and miracles and more. Download the story at www.reginamart...