Cristy Li

Martyrdom of Saints Perpetua & Felicity
(Artwork: Felix Louis Leuiller)
Image Courtesy: Meldelen@Flickr

(Franciscan Media) Perpetua on the eve of her martyrdom said:

“When my father in his affection for me was trying to turn me from my purpose by arguments and thus weaken my faith, I said to him: Do you see this vessel–waterpot or whatever it may be, can it be called by any other name than what it is? No he replied. So also I can not call myself by any other name than what I am–Christian.”

Perpetua was a young, beautiful and well educated noblewoman of Roman Province of Africa Carthage, mother of an infant son and chronicler of the the Christians by Roman Emperor Septimius Severus (145-211)

Despite threats of persecution and death Perpetua and Felicity (a slave and expectant mother) together with three companions–Revocatus, Secundulus and Saturninus, refused to renounce their Christian faith and were sent to the ‘public games’ in the amphitheater and killed.

Perpetua’s mother a Christian and her father a pagan, who had constantly pleaded with her to renounce her Christian faith, she was imprisoned at the age of twenty two.

In Perpetua diary, she described her period of captivity:

“What a day of horror, terrible heat, owing to the crowds –rough treatment by the soldiers. To crown all, I was tormented with anxiety for my baby…Such anxieties I suffer for many days but I obtained leave for my baby to remain in the prison with me and being relieved of my trouble and anxiety for him, I at once recovered my health and my prison became a palace to me and I would rather been there than anywhere else.”

Imprisoned Felicity gave birth to a baby girl just a few days before the so called ‘games’ in commenced.

Perpetua’s record of her trial and imprisonment ends the day before the games:

“Of what was done in the games themselves, let him write who will.”

The diary was finished by an eyewitness.

Related: Full Biographies here of Saints Perpetua and Felicity –EWTN

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This entry was posted on Thursday, March 7th, 2024 at 12:23 am and is filed under Christianity, Saint of the Day. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.