Saints Perpetua and Felicity
Feast day: March 7
Two young mothers of Carthage, a noblewoman and a slave, martyred together in 203 (07/03)
Who are they?
Saint Perpetua and Saint Felicity were two young women in Carthage, a great city of the Roman Empire in North Africa. They were martyred in 203, under the emperor Septimius Severus. Their story is very precious, because part of it was written by Perpetua herself in prison, like a diary.
Their story
Perpetua was about 22 years old, from a noble family, with a baby son still nursing. Felicity was a slave woman who was expecting a child. Both of them, with a few friends who were preparing for baptism, were arrested. Perpetua was baptized just before being taken to prison.
The prison was dark and stiflingly hot, and Perpetua worried about her little baby. Later, her family was allowed to bring the baby in so she could nurse him, and the prison felt to her like a palace. Her father, who did not yet believe in God, came many times in tears, begging her to give up her faith so she could live. Perpetua loved her father very much, but she showed him a water jar and asked: could this jar be called by any other name? She was the same: she could not call herself anything other than a Christian.
Felicity longed to stay faithful to the Lord to the end together with her friends, but the law at that time did not allow a pregnant woman to be executed. According to the ancient account, everyone prayed together, and a few days before their death, Felicity gave birth to a baby girl. A Christian woman took the baby to raise as her own.
On 7 March 203, they were led into the arena in front of a crowd. The two women held each other up, gave each other the kiss of peace, and calmly died for Christ.
Why are they saints?
Perpetua and Felicity loved their families, but loved God above all. They did not let rich and poor divide them, but held hands as sisters to the end. From very early on, the Church has honored them, and their names are said in Eucharistic Prayer I at Mass.
A lesson for you
- Be kind to every classmate, rich or poor, as Perpetua was to Felicity.
- Say boldly “I am a Catholic” when someone asks.
- Pray for mothers who are expecting a baby and for babies not yet born.
Identifying marks
- Two young women holding hands: one was born rich, the other was a slave, but in Christ they are sisters.
- A pink mantle over a white dress: Perpetua, the young noblewoman (the color was chosen by the artist to tell them apart; it is not a traditional color).
- A plain cloth dress and a head covering: Felicity, the slave woman, also a Christian.
- Each holding a palm branch: a sign that they won the victory by dying for the faith (martyrdom).
- Ancient city walls behind them: the city of Carthage in North Africa, today in Tunisia.
The text on this page is the saint card in the Catholic Information app, word for word.
Collect this card and read more about the saints in the app