Saint of the Week - St. Agatha of Sicily

 St. Agatha of Sicily

St. Agatha of Sicily was a beautiful young girl that was born into a wealthy family in the third century. At the age of 15, Agatha decided that she would live a life consecrated to God and that she would remain a virgin. Unfortunately for her, this was a time of great Christian persecution and on top of that, a Roman prefect named Quintianus had a growing infatuation with her, even though Agatha wanted nothing to do with him. Quintianus sent her to live in a brothel but Agatha repeatedly refused any customers and she continued to profess her purity and love for God. Agatha was eventually imprisoned and suffered repeated tortures. She even endured the brutal act of having her breasts cut off. Agatha remained imprisoned but received no medical attention. It is said that St. Peter appeared in her cell and healed her wounds. Quintanius lost his mind and ordered her to be burned to death on a bed of hot coals but remained unscathed. An earthquake stuck while she was on the bed of hot coals, causing Quintianus to become fearful for his safety. He had Agatha returned to prison and then fled the city. Agatha died a few hours later. 

St. Agatha of Sicily, pray for us!