The primary feast of St. Philomena is on August 11. Following are some prayers and the history of this powerful saint, one whom St. John Vianney had great recourse to, and many Popes were devoted to, including Pope Leo XII, Pope Gregory XVI, Pope Pius IX, Pope St. Pius X, and Pope Leo XIII. ________________________________________________ DAILY PRAYER TO ST. PHILOMENA O Saint Philomena, Virgin and Martyr, pray for us that through thy powerful intercession we may obtain that purity of mind and heart which leads to the perfect love of God. Amen. ________________________________________________ PRAYER TO ST. PHILOMENA O, Saint Philomena, Virgin and Martyr, whom God glorifies by so many miracles, whom the Vicar of Jesus Christ has named Protectress of the Living Rosary and the Children of Mary, manifest, more and more plainly from the heights of Heaven, that a voice holy as thine cannot be denied and that we have the right to rely upon thine aid. Obtain for us the grace to be faithful to Jesus Christ, even to death. Amen. ________________________________________________ NOVENA TO ST. PHILOMENA O great Saint Philomena, glorious Virgin and Martyr, wonder-worker of our age, obtain for me purity of body and soul, purity of heart and desire, purity of thought and affection. Through thy patience under multiplied sufferings, obtain for me a submissive acceptance of all the afflictions it may please God to send me and as thou didst miraculously escape unhurt from the waters of the Tiber, into which thou wert cast by order of thy persecutor, so may I pass through the waters of tribulation without detriment to my soul. In addition to these favors, obtain for me, O faithful spouse of Jesus, the particular intention I earnestly recommend to thee at this moment. O pure Virgin and holy Martyr, deign to cast a look of pity from Heaven on thy devoted servant, comfort me in affliction, assist me in danger, above all come to my aid in the hour of death. Watch over the interests of the Church of God, pray for its exaltation and prosperity, the extension of the faith, for the Sovereign Pontiff, for the clergy, for the perseverance of the just, the conversion of sinners, and the relief of the souls in purgatory, especially those dear to me. O great Saint, whose triumph we celebrate on earth, intercede for me, that I may one day behold the crown of glory bestowed on thee in Heaven, and eternally bless Him who so liberally rewards for all eternity the sufferings endured for His love during this short life. Amen. ________________________________________________ CHAPLET OF ST. PHILOMENA The little Chaplet of St. Philomena consists of white beads, a token of virginity, red beads, the sign of martyrdom, and a St. Philomena medal. There are three white beads in honor of the Blessed Trinity, in whose honor the holy virgin laid down her life. The red beads are thirteen in number and signify the thirteen years St. Philomena lived on earth. This Chaplet is one of the simplest ways of praying to the Saint. When saying it, we may very properly ask, firstly for the grace of purity, in honor of the virginity of the Saint, who sacrificed life and honor in defense of this angelic virtue. Secondly, we should do well to ask for the strength and courage ever to do our duty, a virtue for which she was so eminently distinguished and which she is so ready to obtain for all her devoted clients. This great grace alone helps a Christian to arrive at the highest sanctity, in the most practical and easy way. (If you do not have a Chaplet, ordinary rosary beads will suffice, as I am sure God and St. Philomena will honor your heart-filled prayers and devotion.) First: Say the Apostles Creed to ask for the gift of faith. Then 3 Our Fathers are said, in honor of the Three Divine Persons of the Blessed Trinity, in thanksgiving for the graces bestowed on Saint Philomena and for all the favors that have been obtained through her intercession. The following prayer is then repeated 13 times to commemorate her 13 years: Hail, O holy Saint Philomena, whom I acknowledge, after Mary, as my advocate with the Divine Spouse; intercede for me now and at the hour of my death. Saint Philomena, beloved daughter of Jesus and Mary, pray for us who have recourse to thee. The following prayer is said at the end of the Chaplet: Hail, O illustrious Saint Philomena, who didst so courageously shed thy blood for Christ. I bless the Lord for all the graces He bestowed upon thee during thy life, and especially at thy death. I praise and glorify Him for the honor and power with which He has crowned thee, and I beg thee to obtain for me from God the graces I ask through thy intercession. Amen. In praying the Chaplet or Little Crown as it is called, it is suggested that one ask for the grace of purity in honor of her virginity, who suffered death rather than tarnish this virtue; and secondly, for courage and fortitude to be faithful to the duties of a Christian as she was. ________________________________________________ LITANY OF ST. PHILOMENA (Composed by Saint John Vianney, the Cure of Ars) Lord have mercy on us, Lord have mercy on us. Christ have mercy on us, Christ have mercy on us. Lord have mercy on us, Lord have mercy on us. God the Father in Heaven, have mercy on us. God the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy on us. God the Holy Spirit, have mercy on us. Holy Mary, Queen of Virgins, pray for us. Saint Philomena, pray for us. Saint Philomena, filled with the most abundant graces from thy very birth, pray for us. Saint Philomena, faithful imitator of Mary, pray for us. Saint Philomena, model of Virgins, pray for us. Saint Philomena, temple of the most perfect humility, pray for us. Saint Philomena, inflamed with zeal for the Glory of God, pray for us. Saint Philomena, victim of the love of Jesus, pray for us. Saint Philomena, example of strength and perseverance, pray for us. Saint Philomena, invincible champion of chastity, pray for us. Saint Philomena, mirror of the most heroic virtues, pray for us. Saint Philomena, firm and intrepid in the face of torments, pray for us. Saint Philomena, scourged like thy Divine Spouse, pray for us. Saint Philomena, pierced by a shower of arrows, pray for us. Saint Philomena, consoled by the Mother of God, when in chains, pray for us. Saint Philomena, cured miraculously in prison, pray for us. Saint Philomena, comforted by angels in thy torments, pray for us. Saint Philomena, who preferred torments and death to the splendors of a throne, pray for us. Saint Philomena, who converted the witnesses of thy martyrdom, pray for us. Saint Philomena, who wore out the fury of thy executioners, pray for us. Saint Philomena, protectress of the innocent, pray for us. Saint Philomena, patron of youth, pray for us. Saint Philomena, refuge of the unfortunate, pray for us. Saint Philomena, health of the sick and the weak, pray for us. Saint Philomena, new light of the church militant, pray for us. Saint Philomena, who confounds the impiety of the world, pray for us. Saint Philomena, who stimulates the faith and courage of the faithful, pray for us. Saint Philomena, whose name is glorified in Heaven and feared in Hell, pray for us. Saint Philomena, made illustrious by the most striking miracles, pray for us. Saint Philomena, all powerful with God, pray for us. Saint Philomena, who reigns in glory, pray for us. Saint Philomena, patroness of the Children of Mary, pray for us. Saint Philomena, patroness of the Living Rosary, pray for us. Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, spare us, O Lord. Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, graciously hear us, O Lord. Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, have mercy on us. V. Pray for us, O great Saint Philomena, R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. __________________________________________________________ HISTORY OF ST. PHILOMENA Saint Philomenas history can only be related as it has been revealed by the Saint herself to three persons. These revelations were made known in answer to the prayers of many of her clients, who had asked the Saint to let them know who she was, and how she met her martyrdom. According to these revelations St. Philomena was the daughter of a king of a small Grecian State. Her parents longed for a child, but all their sacrifices and prayers to their pagan gods were of no avail. A Roman doctor, seeing their distress, told them that if they embraced the Christian religion their prayers would be answered. Then, having studied our Holy Faith, they had the grace given them to embrace it, and in the following year a daughter was born to them, whom they named Philomena which means Daughter of Light. This child made her First Communion when she was five years old, and at the age of eleven consecrated herself to Jesus Christ, to whom she had given the love of her innocent heart, by a vow of Chastity. She was a beautiful girl, and idolized by her parents, who lavished every affection upon her. When Philomena had reached her thirteenth year, the Emperor of Rome threatened to declare an unjust war on their State. Hoping to make peace, her father went to Rome to see the Emperor, and as he could not bear his daughter out of his sight, he took her and the Queen with him. When the Emperor Diocletian beheld the beautiful Princess, who with her mother was present at the interview between him and her father, he told the king not to trouble himself any further, as he would place all the forces of the Empire at his disposal on condition that he give him the hand of his fair daughter in marriage. Only too pleased to hear of a way out of their trouble, Philomenas parents gladly accepted this offer, but the child herself refused on account of the vow she had made more than a year previously. Her parents did all in their power to persuade her to fall in with their wishes, but Philomena, assisted by her Divine Spouse, Who gave her the necessary strength, remained faithful to her resolution. On hearing her decision the Emperor, thinking it was only a ruse on her fathers part to break faith with him, desired that Philomena should be brought to him, that he might see what he could do to persuade her. When the king, on going to fetch his daughter to take her to the Palace, found that her determination was as strong as ever, he and his wife fell down at her feet, begging her to change her mind, saying: O, daughter, have pity on your parents. Have pity on your country. Have pity on our Kingdom. To which she replied: My country and my Kingdom are Heaven. God and my Virginity must take precedence of all else. Still, the Emperors orders had to be obeyed, so they presented themselves at the Palace, where Diocletian did all in his power to persuade the young Princess to marry him, by the means of promises, entreaties, caresses, threats and dazzling offers, but all in vain. She told him she did not fear him. Then, overcome by anger, he ordered her to be bound hand and foot with heavy chains and thrown into the dungeon under the Imperial Palace, hoping by this means to compel her to marry him. The Emperor visited her every day and repeated his persuasions. All she was allowed during her imprisonment was a little bread and water, the chains being removed while she partook of this simple repast. For thirty-seven days these sufferings lasted, during which time this saintly child recommended herself continually to Jesus and His Most Holy Mother. On the thirty-seventh day Our Lady appeared to her bearing her Divine Son in her arms and surrounded by a brilliant light, and told her that she would remain three more days in the dungeon and then, on the fortieth day of her imprisonment, she would leave that place of sorrow. Philomena was overjoyed at hearing this but the Blessed Mothers next words created a new fear in her heart, and she felt as if she were going through all the agony of dying, for she was told that when she left there she would undergo cruel torture for the love of Jesus Christ. Then the Queen of Heaven went on speaking words of comfort to the child, telling her that when the moment of trial came she would receive strength and grace. Besides your Angel Guardian, said Our Lady, you will have at your side the Archangel Gabriel, whose name signifies The Strength of the Lord. When I was on earth, he was my protector. I will now send him to her who is my beloved daughter. After these reassuring words the vision disappeared, leaving a refreshing perfume lingering in the dungeon. Three days later, as the Mother of God had foretold, Philomenas tortures began; the Emperor ordered her to be tied to a pillar and cruelly scourged; then, seeing that she still remained faithful to her resolution, he had her thrown back into prison, there to die in agony. Philomena was looking forward to dying, so that she might rest in the bosom of her heavenly Spouse, but God sent two angels to comfort her, who, pouring heavenly balms on her terrible wounds, completely restored her to health. On hearing the news of her recovery the next morning, the Emperor was more than astonished. He then did all he could again to persuade her to give herself to him, saying that she owed her cure to Jupiter, who destined her for an imperial diadem. But being inspired by the Holy Ghost, Philomena once more resisted all his persuasions and rejected his offer. Then, more furious than ever, her persecutor ordered an iron anchor to be tied round her neck, and commanded that she should be thrown into the River Tiber, to be drowned and lost to sight; but once again the angels were sent to assist her, who, cutting the cord, carried her back to the bank without a drop of water having touched her clothes, much to the astonishment and admiration of the bystanders, several of whom were converted on seeing this miracle. The Emperor, more blind and obstinate than Pharaoh, commanded that she should be dragged through Rome as a sorceress and shot with arrows. This done, she was for the second time cast dying into her prison cell, but instead of death, God sent her a health-giving sleep from which she awoke more beautiful than ever. Mad with rage, the tyrant ordered the torture to be repeated until death should claim her, but the arrows refused to leave the bows of the archers. Diocletian, declaring her to be a witch, then ordered the arrows to be heated red-hot, but God once more worked a miracle for His little champion, and turned the arrows back on the executioners, a number of whom were killed. The last miracle brought about more conversions, and fearing still more serious consequences, the wicked Emperor ordered the child-martyr to be quickly beheaded. So at three oclock on that Friday afternoon, August 10th, Philomenas soul rose glorious and triumphant into Heaven, where she received her reward, i.e., the Crown of Virginity, which she had won by so many victories. The Holy See does not guarantee the authenticity of this revelation. But that it was made known to three persons, living far apart, and entirely unknown to each other, is indeed a strange coincidence. Also, it agrees with the emblems of martyrdom depicted on the tombstone of the Saint. The printing of it received the sanction of the Holy Office on December 21st, 1833, so that as it has not been condemned by the Church it can be accepted at its own worth and devotion continued to the little Wonder-Worker with restful minds. The following are only a few of the miracles worked by St. Philomena, but they will go to show her great power with God on behalf of those who place their confidence in her: A young English girl had been happily married to a Frenchman for six months when she contracted a serious illness, and the doctors declared it was utterly impossible for her to become a mother, as she so earnestly desired. Hearing of the wonderful cures which had been wrought at Mugnano, her husband took her thither, both hoping that she might be cured. But on reaching Naples the young wife became rapidly worse; still she did not despair, but shutting herself up one day in her own room she fell on her knees and besought St. Philomena to help her. She told the little Saint that as her condition was hopeless from a human point of view, she put all her confidence in her, and trusted that as she was so powerful in Heaven, and so good to all who sought her aid, she would cure her. She also promised that in spite of her sufferings she would visit the Saint at Mugnano the next day, and would ask her not only to restore her to health but to obtain, for her the happiness of being a mother, and that she would give her child the name of Philomena and would direct all the yearnings of its young heart to God. She trustfully offered her prayer the next day at the famous Shrine of the Wonder-Worker, and a year later she returned a happy mother and in perfect health. One morning, soon after the relics had been taken to Mugnano, a poor widow, during the Mass, asked Saint Philomena to cure her crippled boy; when suddenly at the Elevation of the Sacred Host, the boy, who previously could not even stand, jumped up and, running to the urn of the Saint, thanked her for his cure. Still greater crowds assembled in the Church for the afternoon devotions after they had heard the report of the cure of the crippled boy. One poor child was brought who had lost his sight from smallpox, and had been pronounced incurable by the doctors. His mother, dipping her fingers in the oil of the Saints lamp, anointed his eyes with it, and immediately the childs sight was restored. This new miracle brought about the conversion of a free-thinker, who gave large donations for the building of a church in the Saints honor. In Holy Week of the year 1837, a young sculptor, having been deaf and dumb for nearly twenty years, and being cognizant of the miracles worked by St. Philomena, started a novena in her honor. On the night of Maundy Thursday he seemed to see the Saint smiling at him and surrounded by heavenly spirits. In his great joy he uttered a cry; he was cured. Soon afterwards he went to offer his thanksgiving to the little Wonder-Worker at her famous Shrine in Mugnano. Giving a valuable ring as an ex voto offering to St. Philomena at her Sanctuary in Mugnano, a blind man was confident that she would cure him. He recovered the full use of his sight as soon as he reached home, although nothing had taken place in the Sanctuary. Mrs. Margaret Jackson, a pious Irish lady was filled with anxiety when expecting her fifth child, as to her great sorrow her four previous children had been born dead. She confided her trouble to her sister, who was a Good Shepherd nun, and asked her to pray for her. The nun promised to do so, and invited her sister to join her in a novena to St. Philomena. The mother soon afterwards gave birth to a beautiful child which was full of life and strength, and gave it the name of Philomena, as she had promised. Not only does St. Philomena cure bodily ills, but she is powerful in her intercession for the conversion of sinners. One man was persuaded by his friends to join in a public novena to the Saint. He had not frequented the Sacraments for thirty-four years, but on August 10th, the last day of the novena, he made his Confession and shortly afterwards received Holy Communion in thanksgiving at the altar of St. Philomena. The wonders of St. Philomena spread to the most distant villages in Italy, the devotion becoming known all over the country, so much so that chapels and statues were raised in her honor; peasants had pictures of her, before which they kept lamps burning, and many children were named after her. Wherever she was honored a change was soon apparent in the moral conditions of the neighborhood, and numbers of miracles were worked. In one church the wonders, conversions and cures were so numerous that it was said that even in Mugnano nothing more wonderful had happened. Concerning Saint Philomena, Saint John Vianney, the Cure of Ars, said: My children, Saint Philomena has great power with God. Her virginity and generosity in embracing heroic martyrdom has rendered her so agreeable to God that He will never refuse anything that she asks for us. Devotionals: St. Philomena Cord Of the several forms which devotion to St. Philomena has taken, perhaps the one that is best known and most used is that of her Cord. The use of her Cord has been from the beginning a favorite way of honoring the saint and invoking her protection. The holy Cure of Ars himself blessed and distributed a great many. The cord is white and red, and may be made either of linen, woolen, or cotton threads, so interwoven as to give an almost equal preponderance to both colors; it has two knots at one end. The white color represents virginity; the red, martyrdom. The cord has been approved by the Sacred Congregation of Rites and is enriched with indulgences. It is usually worn under the outer garment as a girdle. No ceremony is required in conferring it, but it should be blessed. When replacing a worn Cord with a new one, this too, should be blessed. Wearers of the Cord ought to have the intention of honoring St. Philomena to the best of their ability in order to merit protection against evils of soul and body, and to obtain through her prayers perfect chastity and the spirit of faith. The Cord of Saint Philomena has been the instrument of innumerable favors. It is used by the sick, and is a protection against accidents and evils of ever, kind. Those suffering from temporal trials, or spiritual temptations, have found it a wonderful help. It is especially recommended that children be given the Cord, for it is a marvelous protection in the many mishaps which threaten them. But the Cord is worn especially as a safeguard of the virtue of chastity. St. Philomena is regarded as a powerful protectress of this virtue because, if the reputed facts of her life are true, her own virginal purity was so outstanding. Hence her clients believe God has given her a special power of assisting those who are tempted against this virtue. St. Philomena, the Wonder-Worker St. Philomena is perhaps the most extraordinary saint in the history of the Catholic Church. When the relics of this 13-year-old Virgin Martyr were discovered in the Roman Catacombs in 1802, she became almost overnight one of the most popular saints in the Church, earning the nickname of The Wonder-Worker because of the countless remarkable favors that she sent to those who prayed to her. For a century and a half there was a worldwide Catholic devotion to St. Philomena, approved by many popes. But amazingly, since the 1960s, she has been almost forgotten. This little book by the beloved Fr. Paul OSullivan - author of All About the Angels, Read Me or Rue It, The Secret of Confession, etc. - gives the fascinating story of St. Philomena. Fr. OSullivan tells of her martyrdom, her miracles, her relics, her partnership with the Cure of Ars, and the great miracle involving Pauline Jaricot, as well as recounting many other true stories of the dear Little Saints generous answers to those who invoke her. God obviously wishes to give out His gifts and favors through the hands of St. Philomena, and it is His will that we ask her for them. These pages will give new hope to all who need a special friend in Heaven to answer their prayers. May this little book help to open up the floodgates of heavenly gifts so that once again this sweet young Saint will become known by that beautiful title: Saint Philomena - The Wonder-Worker!
Posted on: Thu, 14 Aug 2014 16:28:43 +0000
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