Saint Cecilia
Feast day: November 22
Saint Cecilia, virgin martyr of Rome, patron saint of music and choirs (22/11)
Who is she?
Saint Cecilia was a virgin who was martyred in Rome in the early centuries of the Church. Since very ancient times, the Christians of Rome have honored her, and her name is said in Eucharistic Prayer I at Mass. She is the patron saint of music and choirs.
Life story
What the Church has kept from ancient times is that she died for the faith in Rome, and that there is a very old church in Rome named after her. Most of the story below comes from an old account written around the fifth century.
According to tradition, Cecilia came from a noble family in Rome. From childhood, she loved Jesus and wanted to give her whole life to him. But her family gave her in marriage to a young pagan named Valerian.
On her wedding day, amid the lively music, Cecilia sang silently in her heart, asking God to keep her soul and body pure. That evening, she told Valerian that an angel of God was always watching over her. Valerian wanted to see the angel. Cecilia told him to go to the Pope to learn the faith and be baptized.
Valerian did as she said. When he came back, according to tradition, he saw the angel standing beside Cecilia, giving the two of them crowns of flowers from heaven. His younger brother, Tiburtius, also came to believe in God. The two brothers helped the persecuted Christians, and then were martyred together.
After that, Cecilia was also arrested because she refused to offer incense to the pagan gods. She stayed peaceful, bravely professed her faith, and gave her life for Jesus. According to tradition, before she died, she also gave her house to the Church to be a place of prayer.
Why is she a saint?
Saint Cecilia loved God above everything, even more than her own life. She helped those dearest to her find their way to God, and stayed faithful to him to the end. According to tradition, the song in her heart was a prayer, so later musicians and choirs chose her as their patron saint.
A lesson for you
- When you sing at Mass, sing with all your heart, because a song is also a prayer.
- If you get to join a choir, practice hard to serve God and the community.
- Help the people in your family come closer to God, by inviting them to Mass and by your good example.
Identifying marks
- A small pipe organ: she is the patron saint of music and choirs; the story says that on her wedding day, amid the music, she sang in her heart to God alone.
- A martyr’s palm branch: she died for the faith and shares in the victory with God.
- A wreath of roses in her hair: according to an old story, an angel gave her and her husband crowns of flowers from heaven.
- Eyes raised to heaven as if listening to heavenly music: the way she usually looks in paintings.
- A violin or a harp (*): other instruments are also painted beside her.
(*) Only in some pictures and statues.
The text on this page is the saint card in the Catholic Information app, word for word.
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