Philomena
|
|
Philomena.jpg
St. Philomena's remains were discovered on May 24, 1802 in the catacombs of St. Priscilla at via Salaria in Rome. She was a young girl, 12 or 13, at the time of her death: the inscriptions found on terra cotta slabs which formed the sides of her vault (an anchor, two arrows, a lance, a palm and a lily) indicate that she suffered a Christian martyr's death, that she overcame, and that she was a virgin. Inside the tomb were discovered her relics including a vase containing her dried blood. Her holios or sainthood is ascribed to the miracles performed by her wherever her relics or image or statue is displayed (Thaumaturga). Her relationship with the Curé of Ars, through whom she is said to have performed miracles, is historically well-documented. On 8 June, 1805, her remains and relics were translated to the church of Mugnano, Diocese of Nola, outside of Naples. The terra cotta slabs from her tomb were given to the Mugnano church in 1827 by Pope Leo X.
St. Philomena's father was a Greek king beheaded in Rome by Diocletian, she was in turn ordered executed when she refused the marital advances of the Emperor. She was first meant to be killed by archers, but the arrows returned upon the bowmen; she was then ordered drowned with an anchor tied about her neck, but the rope was rent by angels and St. Philomena was returned to dry land unharmed. She was finally decapitated when a mob ran amuck after seeing the miracles performed on her behalf.
On February 14, 1961, prior to the Second Vatican Council, the Sacred Congregation of Rites in Rome issued an instruction that St. Philomena's feast day, August 11, was to be removed from the calendar. This, however, did not in any way mean that the Church no longer considered her a Roman Catholic Saint.
All historical knowledge of St. Philomena's life has been revealed by divine revelation, there is no written record of her life or death, she was an unknown until her crypt in St. Priscilla was uncovered in 1802. She is the only Catholic Saint to have performed all of her miracles post-mortem. St. Philomena went on to become one of the two most popular Saints of the 19th century.
There are ongoing attempts to rehabilitate St. Philomena's position within the Catholic Church [1] (http://www.philomena.us/message_april2005.asp).
External links
- A point-by-point rebuttal of Philomena's martyrdom, from the Catholic Encyclopedia, 1908. (http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/12025b.htm)
- The official website for the Sanctuary of St. Philomena in Mugnano Italy - English and Italian (http://www.philomena.it)