A sign of God to the world

St. Philomena, the beautiful Grèce princess, is for me a sign of God's power in the world. Her month is celebrated from July 1st to August 10th. According to a private revelation, Philomena spent forty days in jail. Her parents attempted to get her to marry the Emperor Diocletian who tried to win her favor. But, she still refused his hand in marriage. As a result, Diocletian put her in jail and ordered her to be executed in Rome in 304 AD at the age of 13 or 14. This month commemorates that event.

She is known through her powerful intercessions and miracles attributed to her. We can imitate her faith, her friendship with the Saints, her virtue of chastity and her profound spirit of joy. She is the patron saint of the children of Mary, youth and babies.

Her whole life echoes the Words of today's gospel: "Whoever wants to follow me must deny himself, take up his cross and follow me... Whoever loses his life for my sake, will find it"(Mt 16, 24-28).

Through the intercession of St. Philomena, we pray today for the conversion of sinners, couples seeking the fruit of the womb, school children and Catholic schools, people with health issues, for healthy pregnancies, real estate, healing of mental illness, restoration of broken bones, recovery of heart conditions, and any other special need of divine intervention!

Little St. Philomena, powerful before God, pray for us!

Fr. Georges sac