Saint of the Day: St. Faith

Virgin and Martyr (d. ca. 300)

Her life

+ Faith is said to have been a child in Agen in southwestern France.

+ The various legends associated with life recount that she was arrested and tortured during one the persecutions of Christians by the Roman Empire.

+ Although we know nothing of this saint for certain—aside from her name and the fact that she was a martyr—she is included several early lists of saints and devotion to her seems to have been quite widespread. Numerous miracles have been attributed to her intercession over the centuries.

+ The main shrine of Saint Faith was the Abbey of Saint-Foy in Conques, France, and her relics are still enshrined there today.

+ The city and archdiocese of Santa Fe, New Mexico, are named for Saint Faith.

For prayer and reflection

“The Lamb who is at the center of the throne will lead them to the springs of the waters of life.”—Revelation 7:17

Spiritual bonus

On this day, we also remember Saint Bruno, the founder of the Carthusian Order, and Blessed Marie Rose Durocher, the founder of the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary.

Prayer

O God, who gladden us today with the annual commemoration of blessed Faith, graciously grant that we may be helped by her merits, just as our lives are lit up by the splendor of her example of chastity and fortitude. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

(from The Roman Missal: Common of Martyrs—For a Virgin-Martyr)

Saint profiles prepared by Brother Silas Henderson, S.D.S.