Wednesday, January 22, 2025

Saint Agnes, Teen Martyred While Christian

Saint Agnes (c. 291 – c.  304) is one of the Seven Women Saints who stand out and are often venerated during Mass. Her feast day is January 21. Saint Agnes is patroness of Girls; chastity and virgins; victims of sexual abusebetrothed couples; gardeners; Girl Guides;


According to legend, Saint Agnes was a teenager —12 or 13—when she was martyred in the last half of the third century. Various modes of death have been suggested; beheading, burning, strangling and so on. Agnes was a beautiful girl who belonged to a wealthy family. Her hand in marriage was highly sought after, and she had many high ranking men chasing after her. However, Agnes made a promise to God never to stain her purity. Her love for the Lord was great and she hated sin even more than death!


Whenever a man wished to marry Agnes, she would always say, "Jesus Christ is my only Spouse." Among those she refused, one reported her to the authorities for being a Christian. She was arrested and confined to a house of prostitution. There, a man who looked upon her lustfully lost his sight and had it restored by her prayer. Agnes was condemned, executed, and buried near Rome in a catacomb that eventually was named after her.


Saint Agnes is one of the seven explicitly commemorated by Catholics in the Canon of the Mass and one of many Christians martyred during the reign of the Roman emperor Diocletian

The seven names listed in the Roman Canon (the “First Eucharistic Prayer” or “Eucharistic Prayer I”) are women saints of the Church. Sts. Felicity, Perpetua, Agatha, Lucy, Agnes, Cecilia, and Anastasia are all saints of the Roman Empire in the early Church.

Originally the Roman Empire was polytheistic and emperors were deified. As Christianity spread through the empire, it came into ideological conflict with the imperial cult of ancient Rome, not unlike 2025 America: On January 22, On the National Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of the Unborn Children, AntiChristians like Arthur Ochs Sulzberger Jr. owner of the New York Times, TonyHunter, CEO of McClatchy Media, Katie Couric  and  Democrat Coalition,
DemocraticWins are using a Woke Bishop's 'powerful' words to indict president Trump and Nancy Pelosi is lamenting she hasn't reach the bottom of the bottomless human depravity pit..Surely they all know the Biden Administration launched a war on patriotism, war on Christianity, war on life, war on religious texts buyers, MAGA merchandise buyers, and fishing gear buyers. Clearly Israel and Christians have been under attack from all sides. Including The Biden White House, Chuck Schumer, DOJ, FBI, Hakeem Jeffries, AOC, The SQUAD, NYT, MSM and the  Antisemitic, AntiCatholic Democrat coalition. Chuck advocated the overthrow of the Netanyahu Government.





Pagan practices in the Roman Empire such as making sacrifices to the deified emperors or other gods were abhorrent to Christians as their beliefs prohibited idolatry. The state, the elites and other members of civic society punished Christians for treason, rumored crimes, illegal assembly, and for introducing an alien cult that led to Roman apostasy. The first, localized Neronian persecution occurred under Emperor Nero (r. 54–68

According to Tacitus, Nero blamed Christians for the Great Fire of Rome in 64,  which destroyed portions of the city and economically devastated the Roman population.



During this period, anti-Christian activities were accusatory and not inquisitive. Christians were accused and prosecuted through a process termed cognitio extra ordinem. Trials and punishments varied greatly, and sentences ranged from acquittal to death. Many early Christians were jailed or exiled and some, refusing to renounce their faith, were tortured and killed in public stadiums for all to see.

The names of some of these saints, and specifically seven women are mentioned as part of the First Eucharistic Prayer of the
Mass known as the Roman Canon. The Canon of the Mass is the first of four general eucharistic prayers in the Roman Missal from which the priest may select. More commonly called Eucharistic Prayer 1, it is also known by its former title, “the Roman Canon,” and it served as the only eucharistic prayer in the Roman rite for more than a thousand years. Regarding mentioning the saints, the final seven names listed in the Roman Canon, each Eucharistic Prayer has its own characteristics. Before Pope John XXIII added St. Joseph, the Roman Canon traditionally listed 24 saints (12 apostles and 12 martyrs) in two separate groups.




Prayer to Saint Agnes

Agnes, you refused to give up your faith; help us to be proud of our faith, to love it, to be strong in it, and to give witness to it daily. St. Agnes, patron saint of children, watch over the children of the world; keep them safe from harm; be with them in their hour of need; and always pray for them. Amen.




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