Faith and the Machine
WI's National shrine of St Philomena celebrates her 8/10 feast
Photo by Nolan Kent on Unsplash
Rome, Italy—May 24, 1802, AD
In the hushed Priscilla Catacombs of Rome—workers uncovered a sealed tomb. Three terracotta tiles spell her name in a childlike mosaic: "Filumena." Inside lay the bones of a young girl, a vial of dried blood, and carved symbols of martyrdom: arrows, anchors, lilies and the palm of victory. The Church recognized the signs immediately. This was a virgin and martyr. It was someone Rome tried to break—and failed.
Tradition says she was a Greek princess, whose parents were pagan. Yet, she was consecrated to Christ with the fierce finality of youth. When the emperor asked for her hand, she refused. She was married—to Jesus. The emperor threatened her, ‘if you won’t have me as a lover, you shall have me as a tyrant!’
Allegedly, Rome imprisoned her, tortured her, and staged her death at least 5 times. Four attempts ended in miracles.
- Arrows loosed at her turned mid-air, reversing course like startled birds.
- An anchor tied around her waist refused to sink, leaving her floating above the water as if held by an unseen hand.
- Any and all wounds closed overnight.
- At night, radiant light filled her cell.
Legend says her captors could not explain her endurance nor serenity. She was small, but unbreakable. Her post-mortem exam shows the bones of a 13-year-old female. Testimonies for her intercession form a “Who’s Who” list of devoted saints.
- St. John Vianney called her “my little wonder-worker,” and kept her relics near him as he battled the devil and heard confessions for 16-hours a day.
- St Padre Pio spoke of her with reverence, telling pilgrims she was “a powerful intercessor before God.”
- Pope Leo XII granted permission for the erection of altars and churches in her honor
- Pope Gregory XVI authorized her public veneration, and named her patroness of the Living Rosary
- The cure of Pope Blessed Pius IX, while archbishop of Imola, was attributed to Philomena; in 1849, Pius named her patroness of the Children of Mary
- Pope Leo XIII approved the Confraternity of Saint Philomena, and raised it to an Archconfraternity
- Pope Pius X raised the Archconfraternity to a Universal Archconfraternity, and named Saint John Vianney its patron. "To discredit the present decisions and declarations concerning Saint Philomena as not being permanent, stable, valid and effective, necessary of obedience, and in full-effect for all eternity, proceeds from an element that is null and void and without merit or authority." - Pope Saint Pius X, 1912
St Philomena’s burial findings suggest a holy life from a young girl who embodied Christ’s words, “do not fear those who kill the body.” Her lily markings for purity show that youth can defend Christ with fiery witness. She reminds us that even the smallest saint can shake the largest empires.
Her life speaks directly to our times. Modernity pressures young people to compromise, mock holiness, avoid suffering and forget the supernatural. St Philomena answers by choosing Christ over comfort, truth over power, and love over survival.
- She is a patron of impossible causes.
- She is a patron of purity because she guarded virginity through blood.
- She is a patron of youth because she demonstrated teen spirit, inflamed by God.
Her feast is August 10, and her fire burns bright in Briggsville at her National Shrine in Briggsville, Wisconsin.
"St Philomena’s … outdoor shrine dedicated to her honor started on August 8, 1949. It was planned as a replica of the [glowing] dungeon where the young Martyr-St, Philomena, suffered and died to preserve her virginity. The red granite is genuine Montello stone, from a quarry 25-miles distant. A man of 76 and his 16-year-old boy helper completed the structure on September 1, 1950. There are 45 tons of granite in the superstructure alone, all hauled and laid by the two. Old Jake used a cane to support himself because he was badly crippled … until his 4th day of work. That’s when his “Little Girl Friend”, as he fondly called St Philomena, fixed him up and his cane was retired.
Prayer for St Philomena’s intercession (in Limerick-meter)
St Philomena, fierce in your vow; teach hearts to be as faithful as thou.
When tempters draw near, make courage appear & keep us sin-free here and now.
You walked through the waters rope-bound, the anchor refusing to drown.
When anger grew deep, your radiance leaped, songs lifting with heavenly sound.
O maiden who glowed in the night, defying a mad tyrant’s might.
Let purity shine, make holiness mine, & guard us in all heaven’s sight.
St Philomena, in prison alone, where darkness became lighted stone.
Let angel choirs sing, let death not us sting. Bring us to God’s holy home.
Sources:
Catholic Online. St. Philomena.
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