Saint Agatha
Saint Agatha of Catania (231-251) was a young virgin and martyr of Sicily, who died under the persecution of Emperor Decius. Having devoted herself entirely to the Lord, she was able to preserve her purity despite the torture inflicted on her. After her death, many miracles took place at her tomb. Celebrated on February 5th, this saint is the patron saint of nurses. She is known for providing protection through her powerful prayer, including interceding to protect against breast cancer.
History of Saint Agatha of Catania
The life of Saint Agatha is well known thanks to several sources. It is recounted by the Patriarch of Constantinople, Methodius I in the 8th century. Then, Jacques de Voragine narrates the martyrdom of Saint Agatha in his famous Golden Legend. Subsequently, the Acta Sanctorum (1643-1648) widely spread the story of the saint from Catania. Agatha was born in 231 in Catania, Sicily (Italy) into a noble and wealthy family. At a very young age, she decided to dedicate her life to God and took a vow of chastity. However, the Consul Quintianus, a man of corrupt morals, asked for her hand in marriage. Faced with the refusal of the young girl, he had her locked up for 30 days in a brothel. Despite promises and threats, Agatha did not give in to the Consul's advances. Enraged, the Consul had her tortured: he ordered her breasts to be torn off. In fact, paintings often depict Saint Agatha holding a tray on which her two breasts rest. Agatha, battered, was thrown into prison, where an old man appeared in her cell to heal her. He revealed himself to be Saint Peter, sent by the Lord to heal her in His Name.
Quintianus, far from giving up his horrendous tortures, had the young girl stretched out naked on hot coals. During this ordeal, an earthquake occurred that the people attributed to the cruelty of the Consul. Fearing a revolt, Quintianus imprisoned Agatha once again, where she prayed intensely to the Lord to welcome her into His Kingdom. On February 5, 251, Agatha entered the heavenly homeland adorned with the crown of martyrdom. After her death, many miracles would attest to her holiness. One year after her death, Mount Etna erupted, and the residents of Catania waved a veil that had covered Saint Agatha's tomb in front of the lava flow, which miraculously stopped at the city gates. Many Christians came to pray at her tomb and obtained miraculous healing, such as the case of Saint Lucy's mother. Devotion to Saint Agatha spread both in the Byzantine world and in the West, so much so that Pope Gregory IX canonized her in 1228.
Agatha is one of the virgins and martyrs mentioned in the Roman canon of the Eucharistic Prayer with Saint Lucia, Saint Agnes, Saint Cecilia and Saint Anastasia.
Discover the other virgins and martyrs of the time of the first Christians: Saint Lucy of Syracuse, Saint Barbara, Saint Philomena, Saint Catherine of Alexandria, Saint Margaret of Antioch, etc.
Saint Agatha, patron of wet nurses
Saint Agatha is the patron of the cities of Catania and Palermo in Sicily, as well as nurses and bell casters. By extension, Saint Agatha intercedes to protect against diseases that affect the breasts, including breast cancer. For this reason, she is sometimes made the patroness of women. Her attributes are the palm of martyrdom, the tray on which her breasts rest alongside the instruments of her torture. Saint Agatha is celebrated on February 5th, in Catania are held on this day processions in her honor, for the occasion, pastries in the shape of breasts are made: the “Minne di sant'Agata.”
Prayer to Saint Agatha
Prayer of protection to Saint Agatha
O Saint Agatha, you whose name signifies kindness, deign to manifest your kindness towards your brothers on earth who suffer pain and misery. With the help of the blessed Virgin Mary, intercede for us before the Heavenly Father. May He grant us the health of body and soul, peace in our hearts and in our families, For the greater glory of the Most High God. Amen.
Prayers for protection and healing of breast diseases
O Holy Agatha, glorious and noble virgin, illustrated with a double glory for having performed all kinds of miracles in the midst of the cruellest torments, you have deserved of God to be healed by the visit of the Apostle Peter. From Heaven where you are, obtain for me, through your powerful intercession of martyrdom, the same healing grace from which your breasts have benefited, for this disease that strikes my chest. Saint Agatha, honor of God, an angry Quintien twisted your breasts and ordered that after having long lacerated them with stabs, they be ripped from you! Intercede for us with God and Our Lady for myself: [describe your symptoms here]. Amen.
Say three times “Saint Agatha, pray for us” then pray an Our Father, a Hail Mary and a Glory Be.
With Hozana, pray to Saint Agatha and the other first Christian martyrs!
- Saint Agatha intercedes for women, with her, we pray to welcome the joy of being a woman.
- Saint Agatha brings protection and healing to the sick, with Hozana, let us pray for the sick and entrust them to the mercy of the Lord.
- Discover Saint Philomena, the little martyr of the first centuries who walked in the footsteps of Saint Agatha and also received the crown of glory. Pray the novena dedicated to her and receive, through his intercession, great graces.
