32. St Philomena

31. St Philomena

Saint Philomena Facts

Little known of St. Philomena's life and she is the only Saint Philomena Facts to have revealed her story via private revelation. She was martyred at about 14-years-old in the early days of the Church.

In 1802 the remains of a young woman were found in the catacomb of Saint Priscilla. It was covered by stones, the symbols on which indicated that the body was a martyr named Saint Philomena.

Near her bones was discovered a small glass vial, containing the remains of blood. Because it was a popular custom of the early martyrs to leave symbols and signs such as these, it was easily determined that St. Philomena was a virgin and a martyr.

In 1805 Canon Francis de Lucia of Mugnano, Italy was in the Treasury of the Rare Christian Antiquity in the Vatican. When he reached the relics of Saint Philomena he was suddenly struck with a spiritual joy, and requested that he be allowed to enshrine them in a chapel in Mugnano.

Miracles began to be reported at the shrine including cures of cancer, healing of wounds, and the Miracle of Mugnano in which Venerable Pauline Jaricot was cured a severe heart ailment overnight.

Philomena became the only person recognized as a Saint solely on the basis of miraculous intercession as nothing historical was known of her except her name and the evidence of her martyrdom.

Pope Leo XII granted permission for the erection of altars and churches in her honor.

Pope Gregory XVI authorized her public veneration, and named her patroness of the Living Rosary.

The cure of Pope Pius IX, while archbishop of Imola, was attributed to Philomena; in 1849, he named her patroness of the Children of Mary.

Her popularity soon became widespread, with her most memorable devotees being St. John Vianney, and St Pio

She become known as the "wonder worker".

After hundreds of other miraculous cures, she was beatified in 1837. St. Philomena, who the pope named as the Patroness of the Living Rosary and the Patroness of the Children of Mary, is the only person recognized as a saint solely on the basis of her powerful intercession, although pertinent revelations regarding her life have been recorded.

Her relics are now preserved in Mugnano, Italy.

On the three stones that sealed the tomb, were the inscriptions: 

"LUMENA - PAX TE - CUM FI"
and the following symbols:
two  anchors
three arrows
a palm
a lil

The cult of St. Philomena spread all over the world.