SAINTS PERPETUA AND FELICITAS, MARYTRS
Died: March 6, 203 AD
Feast Day: March 6
Patronage: Mothers and Expectant Mothers
Saints Perpetua and Felicitas were two third century Christian Martyrs venerated as saints. St. Perpetua was a twenty-two year old married noble woman with a new born baby. Her co-martyr was Felicitas or Felicity, Perpetua’s slave and an expectant mother.
The Martyrs, along with three companions, suffered their fate in Carthage in the year 203 AD. The details of the martyrdom of these five people in the NorthAfricanChurch are contained in a document called “Passion of St. Perpetua, St. Felicitas and their companions”.
It is one of the great treasures of martyr literature, a document which is said to preserve the actual words of the martyrs and their friends. It ends with Perpetua’s record of her trial and imprisonment the day before the games. “Of what was done in the games themselves, let him write who will,” Perpetua wrote. The diary was finished by an eyewitness to the martyrdom.
In the year 203, during the persecutions of the Emperor Septimius Severus, five catechumens were arrested for their faith. Emperor Septimius ruled just before the time of Saint Fabian the Pope. He was very alarmed by the growth of the Christian communities and determined to stamp them out by fear or if that didn’t work, by death.
Catechumens are people studying to become Christians in preparation for baptism into the Faith. This group of five consisted of Revocatus, a slave, Felicitas, also a slave and pregnant, two free man and Perpetua a 22 year old wife and mother of an infant son. These five prisoners were soon joined by, Saturus, who was instructing them in the faith and who now chose to join them in prison. He would not abandon them.
At first, the martyrs were kept under heavy guard in a private house. After their arrest, but before they were put in prison, the five were baptized. Later they were sent to a public prison. Perpetua’s father, a pagan and advanced in years was very upset at what was happening to his family. Her mother and two brothers were more understanding since they were also Christians and knew they could face the same fate.
The terrors of imprisonment were increased for St. Perpetua by anxiety for her nursing baby. Saint Perpetua wrote, “I was shocked at the horror and darkness ofthe prison. I had never known anything like it. We suffered much the day we were sent here especially because of the heat caused by the crowd and the ill-treatment we experienced from the soldiers. I was also tortured with concern for my infant son. But the deacons, Tertius and Pomponius who assisted us, bribed the jailer so that we got better accommodations. My son was brought to me almost starving to death and I was able to nurse him. I felt very bad because my family was so concerned for me.”
A few days later Perpetua’s father, hearing a rumor that the trial of the imprisoned Christianswould soon take place, again visited their dungeon and begged her by everything dear to her not to put this disgraced on her name. But Perpetua remained steadfast in her faith.
The next day the trial of the six confessors of the Faith took place. All six resolutely confessed their Christian Faith. Perpetua’s father, carrying her child in his arms, begged her again for the last time to renounce Christ. Once again, she was steadfast and refused to sacrifice to the gods for the safety of the emperor.
Meanwhile, Felicity was also in torment. It was against the law for pregnant women to be executed. To kill a child in the womb was shedding innocent and sacred blood. Felicity was afraid she would not give birth before the execution date and her companions would die without her.
Two days before the execution, Felicity went into a painful labor. The guards made fun of her, insulting her by saying, “If you think you suffer now, how will you stand it when you face the wild beasts?” Felicity answered calmly, “Now I’m the one who is suffering, but in the Arena Another will be in me suffering for me because I will be suffering for Him.” She gave birth to a healthy girl who was adopted by some Christian women.
The officers of the prison began to recognize the power of the Christians and the strength and leadership of St. Perpetua. In some cases this helped the Christians. One of the wardens let them have visitors and later became a Christian himself. But in other cases it caused superstitious terror. One officer refused to let them get cleaned up on the day they were going to die for fear they were going to cast some kind of a spell. St. Perpetua convinced him that since they were dying on Ceasar’s birthday he would look better if they looked better. The officer was ashamed of his behavior and started to treat them better.
The new Christians went to the Arena with joy and calm. Saint Perpetua in usual high spirits met the eyes of everyone along the way. It was said she walked with “shining steps as the true wife of Christ, the darling of God.”
When those at the arena tried to force Perpetua and the rest to dress in robes dedicated to their gods, Perpetua challenged her executioners. “We came to die out of our own free will so we wouldn’t lose our freedom to worship our God. We gave you our lives so that we wouldn’t have to worship your gods.” She and the others were allowed to keep their clothes.
The men were attacked by bears, leopards and wild boars. The women were stripped to face a rabid heifer. When the crowd, however, saw the two young women, one of whom had obviously just given birth, they were horrified. The women were removed and clothed again. Perpetua and Felicity were thrown back into the arena so roughly that they were bruised and hurt. Perpetua, though confused and distracted, still was thinking of others and went to help Felicity. None of the courageous Christians died from the attacks of the animals. They died by the hands of cowardly humans who used a sword!
Perpetua’s last words were to her brother: “Stand fast in the Faith and love one another.”
Saints Perpetua and Felicitas, martyrs from North Africa, women, mothers, courageous believers in Jesus Christ, you have so much to teach us. Help us to listen to the Holy Spirit as you sis. Help us to be steadfast in the Faith. You lived many years ago, but the challenges you faced are the same ones we face. By following your example of trusting in the Lord, we also can become saints.
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