St Agnes of Rome

Virgin, Martyr (c.291 - c. 304)
Feast / Memorial Day: January 21
Patronage: Gardeners, crops, young girls, the betrothed, rape victims, chastity

+ BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE:

St Agnes has ever been held in the highest honor throughout the Church, and her name occurs in the Canon of the Mass. Little is known with certainty about her short life. Yet, even from that little is clear that she was desirous of consecrating herself solely to Christ and so declined the hand of a suitor. This led her to be exposed to a brothel where all who saw her were awestruck. A lone youth who dared to attempt violating her modesty was struck blind but regained eyesight through the intervention of Agnes’ prayers. She was eventually martyred at the age of 12 and buried at her parents’ country place on the Via Nomentana, one-and-a-half miles outside of Rome. A basilica constructed over her tomb in 324 was completely rebuilt by Pope Honorius about 630 and has remained almost unaltered since, a beautiful gem of old Roman architecture.

St Agnes is the patron of purity, of the “Children of Mary” and of young girls in general, for tradition, has always credited her with having been a model of purity and modesty and having maintained her faith in spite of every enticement, threat, and torture. Gardeners also revere her as their patron.

Each year during January 21, 2 young white lambs – symbols of innocence – are solemnly blessed at the high altar of her church and offered to the Pope, and from their wool are later made the Pallia which the Holy Father sends to the Metropolitans the world over as a sign of their sharing with him the “plenitude of the pontifical office.”