Sts. Perpetua and Felicity
Born: c. 181 CE
Died: c. 203 CE
Feast: March 7
Patron saint of: Mothers, widows, butchers, ranchers
Perpetua was a well-educated noblewoman in the peak of young adulthood; Felicity was a heavily pregnant enslaved woman. This unlikely duo found their fates intertwined in the third century. They refused to renounce their Christian faith and so were imprisoned along with three others during the persecution of Christians throughout Northern Africa. Their witness became fascinating to their guards, with some leaning into superstition and others converting to Christianity because of these women. In the end, all were sent to the public games in the amphitheater of the emperor of that region. Perpetua and Felicity were beheaded, and their companions were given to the animals for killing. While many of the accounts of early martyrs are via word-of-mouth and lore, the account of Perpetua and Felicity’s experience of imprisonment is from their own hands and was so popular that it was used in liturgy and catechesis in the early church. Their commitment to their Christian faith in a time of such tremendous opposition is equal parts inspiration and challenge to us all to consider how we witness to our faith.
Image: Wikimedia Commons
