Before finding this little saint’s relics in the catacombs, no one had heard of Philomena. After this discovery, her story of life and martyrdom was revealed to three people by the saint. These three people did not know each other and were in different parts of the world when the revelation took place.
Philomena’s parents were of royal blood in Greece. Her parents were troubled by the fact that they couldn’t conceive. They often prayed and performed sacrifices for false gods in hopes of conceiving. Christianity was first mentioned to them by a doctor they had visited. This doctor told them their prayers would be answered if they embraced the religion. They both received graces of conversion from the Holy Spirit and got baptized. They gave birth to Philomena the following year in light of their faith.
When Philomena was thirteen, she traveled with her parents to Rome for an important meeting. There was an unjust war placed on their small Grecian state by the Roman Empire. Philomena's father had hoped to resolve the conflicts. With peace as the goal, he pleaded his case to the tyrant. During the meeting, Emperor Diocletian was fascinated with Philomena’s beauty and told her father he had nothing to worry about if he gave Philomena’s hand in marriage. Philomena’s parents agreed to the Emperor’s request. As they returned home Philomena let it be known that she rejected the proposal. She had taken Jesus as a spouse and a vow of chastity at the young age of eleven. After many attempts to convince Philomena otherwise, her parents and the Emperor were unsuccessful. Out of anger, the Emperor imprisoned the little princess.
The imprisonment continued with constant attempts by the Emperor to persuade her. This encouraged Philomena to lean fully on Jesus and the Blessed Mother during her troubles.
After thirty-seven days of imprisonment, Mary appeared to Philomena with Jesus in her arms. Mary spoke, “ My child, you will remain three more days in this dungeon and then, on the fortieth day of your imprisonment, you will leave this place of sorrow. When leaving it, you will undergo cruel torture for the love of my Son. Courage, beloved daughter, beloved above all others, for you bear my name and the name of my Son... I will be your support. Now is the hour of human weakness and humiliation, but when the moment of trial arrives, you will receive strength and grace. Besides your angel guardian, 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 the apparition disappeared, the scent of beautiful perfume remained.
On the fortieth day, Emperor began more intense forms of torture. The first form was tying Philomena to a pillar to be scourged. After this brutal beating, the Lord sent two angels that healed Philomena's wounds completely. When the Emperor saw she was healed, he believed this miracle came from one of his false gods. This attracted Emperor to Philomena even more. He tried again to take Philomena as a bride again and she stood firm with her vow. The evil that controlled the Emperor grew. He commanded soldiers to tie an iron anchor around Philomena’s neck and she was thrown in the Tiber. Once more, Jesus sent two angels to save her. The angels cut the rope and brought her back to land completely dry. This display caused accusations that Philomena was a witch. In response, Diocletian commanded she be shot with arrows. Philomena was deathly wounded but fell into a deep peaceful sleep and was healed yet again. Emperor was furious and ordered she be shot with arrows on fire. Jesus saved her again and the arrows shot turned around on the shooters. Finally, the Emperor had Philomena beheaded. Philomena’s soul ascended into Heaven on Friday, August 10th. The displays of courage and faith, God graced Philomena with, converted many hearts of bystanders that watched these miracles happen. The miracles and conversions of many continue to take place today through Philomena’s story and intercession.
Citations:
O'Sullivan, Paul. Saint Philomena: The wonder-worker. Charlotte, Tan Books, and Publishers, 2012.
Saint Philomena statue in featured image:
“St. Philomena Marble Statue I.” Memorials.com, https://www.memorials.com/Statues/St.-Philomena-Marble-Statue-I.php.