Although Lent takes priority, this week marks the martyrdom of Saints Perpetua, Felicity, and companions. I find my patronesses so inspiring that I won’t pass up a chance to share about them!
Saint Perpetua has been my patron saint since Confirmation. As a teen, I was intrigued to learn that the text of her diary has survived since 203 A.D, making her one of the earliest known authoresses of an autobiography. But I was mostly inspired by how she prioritized modesty, insisting on and arranging her clothing appropriately even in the moment of martyrdom. Now that I reread her diary every year, I am amazed her spunk in insisting on her identity as a Christian, her confidence that God would answer her prayers, and her advocacy for her companions in prison and on the way to execution.
Over the years, Felicity’s seemingly minor role grew on me. Perpetua was a well-connected married woman, while Felicity was a slave. Whereas Perpetua boldly led the way, even guiding the executioner’s sword to her own throat, Felicity voiced fear of being executed alone. She’s relatable in her trepidation, her awareness that she may fall short of martyrdom. And yet her name precedes that of Perpetua in the Roman Canon, the heroic saints often listed at Mass. Together, these women were imprisoned, baptized, and martyred, reminding us that all types are invited to give their lives to Christ. Their paired names (as St. Augustine frequently punned) spell out the goal of every Christian: perpetual felicity, or eternal happiness. Moreover, both women—Perpetua, worried about her baby boy; Felicity, giving birth to her daughter in prison—remind me of the value of motherhood even when Christ demands priority.
I encourage you to read the 6-page translation of St. Perpetua’s diary here, and hope you find them as inspiring as I do!
