St. Philomena - a saint to combat immorality targeting young girls

Fight back against the satanic entertainment industry with this little-known heavyweight in Heaven

As part of my morning prayers, I pray a daily litany. Right now, I’m in a period where litanies to various saints are the chapter of my prayerbook of litanies, and today’s saint was St. Philomena. No, today is not her Feast Day: Nu-Church put a stop to that in 1961 because of a “lack of authentic historical information” but St. Philomena “may be honored privately” (not that I care what the post-Vatican II Church thinks).

Over the weekend, I became aware of a new movie that I have zero intention of seeing. That movie is called “Mother Mary” and stars Anne Hathaway as some type of diva music star. Hollywood never ceases to conceal its diabolical nature and for anyone wanting to give “Mother Mary’s” creators the benefit of the doubt, the clip I saw showed Hathaway in some type of get-up with a headdress that was made-up to be a halo. Sorry Princess Bride, the devil may wear Prada but he also designs fashions that mock Our Lady and you aren’t helping your soul by being his model.

I really can’t stand to look at television or any type of secular entertainment media: It’s all garbage: All. Of. It. One of the most vile things about 21^st Century entertainment is the glorification of sluttiness for young women, and increasingly young girls. Don’t believe me? Look at how “role models” like Arianna Grande, Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish and any rap/hip-hop gals present themselves. Don’t think for a minute that girls twelve, thirteen and even younger aren’t noticing and falling into peer-pressure, wanting to be these feminist anti-heroes.

The whole thing is sick and we need to pray daily to the REAL Mother Mary, St. Thérèse of Lisieux. St. Maria Goretti and others for the young ladies in our lives – and those not in our lives. Today’s litany was for me a good reminder of another, less well-known saint worthy of our assistance, and so let’s talk about St. Philomena.

Side altar shrine at St. Philomena Catholic Church, Lansdowne, PA

Why relics of the saints are so important

Several years ago, during the Manayunk Arts Festival in Philadelphia, I took a guided tour of that neighborhood’s beautiful parish church, St. John the Baptist. I did not finish the tour because the boomer docent was such an obnoxious jerk who espoused nothing but contempt for Traditional Catholicism with jabs like “the second Vatican council liberated us from…” The final straw for me was his answer to my question about whose relics were in the main altar. “I don’t know,” he snapped. “We don’t need any relics.” I replied “yes you do,” and then walked out.

Back to the subject of this essay: The discovery of St. Philomena begins in the legendary Catacombs of Rome, a subterranean network of chambers, dug out in the early days of the Church when the city above was the epicenter of anti-Catholic paganism. It was in the catacombs where the faithful, including the first popes, gathered in secret to celebrate the Divine Mysteries. Oftentimes, their secret meetings in the catacombs were followed by their martyrdom in the arenas. Afterwards, their remains were smuggled back into the catacombs for their requiem before being enclosed in crypts, hallowed out in the soft stone. The living would thus be having Mass in the midst of the early Church’s entombed martyrs.

Within Rome’s expansive network of catacombs, over six million Christians are buried. Others abound throughout Asia Minor, Greece and modern-day Italy and France. The catacombs existed up until the time of the Emperor Constantine who ended the reigns of pagan terror. Far from just historical sites for tourists and archaeology studies, the catacombs are holy places of pilgrimage, for they are the resting places of the martyrs of the early Church.

So yes, relics do matter and we need them now more than ever as our society sinks into the type of depravity that would make the Caesars envious.

The discovery of Saint Philomena

On the 24^th of May 1802, excavators in the Catacombs of Priscilla discovered an un-discovered chamber that had never been violated. In the centuries prior, looters had hauled away many of the treasures buried in the various catacombs. The discovery of this un-disturbed tomb was thus considered to be remarkable, and the opening of the sarcophagus happened the following day where the custodian noted that the vault was walled-up with three terra cotta slabs, inscribed with the following descriptions:

LUMENA, PAX TE and CUM FI

Assuming the slabs had been misplaced, as was common in the haste of burial during those secretive times, the slabs were re-arranged; the inscription was now clear:

PAX TE CUM FILUMENA (Peace be with you, Philomena)

The tomb of this Philomena was considered an excellent specimen of its kind, and historically valuable by the inscription, revealing the name of the martyr whose remains were enclosed: a rare occurrence. Also, the following symbols were noted:

1. An anchor, resembling the Cross as a sign of martyrdom of the Roman Empire’s times. In those days, anchors were attached to the necks of priests and lay martyrs as they were thrown into the sea or the Tiber River. Pope St. Clement the First was martyred in this fashion.

2. Two arrows, one pointing upwards, and the other downwards, another representation of the type of death common to martyrs of the period.

3. A lance, of similar martyrdom.

4. A palm, the emblem of the martyr’s triumph.

5. A lily, the symbol of purity and chastity.

Within the tomb, the relics of Philomena were discovered, with a glass vase containing a portion of her blood in dried form. The bones, blood, and ashes of Philomena were placed in a wooden case and taken above for a more thorough examination. The skull was determined to have been fractured, and the analysis of the bones determined Philomena to have been about thirteen years of age at her death. That was all that was known about Philomena other than the fact she was a saint due to her martyrdom.

The relics of Philomena stayed in Rome until 1805. At that time, Canon Francis de Lucia of Mugnano, a small town near Naples, visited the Eternal City. He had come to procure the relics of a martyred saint for his private chapel. Supported by the Bishop of Potenza, Canon Francis de Lucia was allowed to visit the Treasury of Relics. Stopping before the relics of Philomena, he was suddenly filled with a strong, spiritual joy and begged for them – unsuccessfully.

The intercessory miracles of St. Philomena

Shortly thereafter, Canon de Lucia became very ill. He prayed to the newly-discovered St. Philomena and was instantly cured. His unexplained healing renewed his attempts to procure her relics, and shortly after, he was successful and continued on to Naples with the relics. More miracles followed the relics as they rested at a guest house in Naples. For one, the mistress of the house had been suffering from a disease the past twelve years. Calling on Philomena’s intercession, she was instantly healed. Others too in Naples, obtained cures for their ailments.

Later, the relics of Philomena were transferred to Mugnano, the home of Canon de Lucia where additional miracles followed the relics. The day before their arrival, at the prayers of the inhabitants, a drought plaguing the area suddenly ended. Lord Michael Ulpicella, a homebound lawyer, unable to leave his bed, had himself carried to the relics where he was instantly cured. A relic of Philomena was brought to a local woman with a cancerous ulcer. The following morning, when the surgeon arrived to operate, he found that the wound had disappeared. More miracles continued and Pope Gregory XVI issued a decree, calling St. Philomena “The Thaumaturga (Wonder Worker) of the Nineteenth Century.”

The miraculous image of St. Philomena

Within the Church in Mugnano where Philomena’s relics reside, a wax statue of the saint contains her bones. The statue, like the blood in a separate urn, has been known to undergo extraordinary transformations. The blood has at times, turned into particles that look like a cross before returning to its ashen state. Meanwhile, the statue’s transformations began upon its creation to house the relics. The original, said to have had an awkward pose, became more graceful; a grimace around the mouth evolved into a more appealing smile. These changes are unexplained because the case housing the statue was sealed, with the key kept in Naples.

Twenty years later, the original statue was replaced with a new one. During public devotions, the statue was placed so that only the profile could be seen by those standing in front. When the queue of people looked at the saint’s image one day, it turned around to provide a three-quarter view instead. Fifty years later, the statue again changed position in the presence of an entire pilgrimage: a change that was officially authenticated by Church authorities.

Who exactly was St. Philomena and why is she a saint for today’s girls and young women?

Up until her discovery, nothing was known about the life of the saint other than her approximate age of death. As word of her began to spread, the faithful prayed that Philomena reveal to them who she was and what she suffered for Christ and His Church. The martyred saint heard their prayers and rewarded three of them, people living far apart and unknown to each other. The revelations are private but were given an Imprimatur by the Holy Office in 1833, certifying that nothing contained was harmful to the Catholic Faith.

Philomena’s Greek royal parents were pagans who worshipped false gods. They had no children and prayed to the idols for a child. In their company was a doctor from Rome, Publius, who was a Catholic. Showing no spirit of synodality, he charitably taught them about the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church. Publius assured them that their prayers would be heard if they converted, which they did. St. Philomena was born the following year and was named Lumena, or “Light,” as she had been born in the Light of the Faith. When she was baptized, they added to her name, to make Philomena, that is “Friend or Lover of the Light.”

At the age of thirteen, Philomena accompanied her parents to Rome for peace negotiations with the Roman emperor. Looking upon the young girl with lust, the emperor agreed to her parents’ proposal, with the stipulation that Philomena become his wife. Against her parents’ agreement, Philomena rejected the offer as she had already made a permanent vow of chastity to Jesus Christ. Angered by the rejection, the emperor imprisoned Philomena where she was comforted by her Divine Spouse and His Blessed Mother. The Holy Virgin inspired her with courage and told her that she was so beloved by them both, not the least of which was that she bore the name of them both, Light, as the sun for Christ and the moon for Our Lady.

Like Christ before her, Philomena was bound to a pillar, and scourged. Seeing that she was now skinless, the emperor had her brought back to the prison to die. To his astonished disappointment, two angels manifested and poured balm on her wounds, curing her. Trying to make amends, the emperor re-proposed, and was furious when Philomena declined. He ordered the executioners to tie an iron anchor around her neck, and drown her in the Tiber River. Two more angels appeared, cutting the anchor’s cord, and thus freeing Philomena again. This public miracle resulted in the conversion of several witnesses who had come to watch the spectacle. The unrepentant emperor declared Philomena a witch and ordered her executed with arrows. Once again, Heaven intervened and the arrows refused to leave the executioners’ bows. More conversions occurred and the people began to show serious signs of disaffection towards the emperor and even reverence for the Catholic Faith. Philomena was ultimately beheaded at 3:00 PM on a Friday.

Any saint endorsed by the Curé d’Ars is worth devotion!

St. John Vianney, aka the Curé d’Ars, is beloved by many of the Catholic Faithful. A true “saint of the impossibles,” he largely restored the Catholic Faith in France, many decades after its near-destruction thanks to the satanic French Revolution and the subsequent era of Napoleon. One of these days I will write an essay on this great saint but in the meanwhile, did you know that he had a special devotion to St. Philomena?

Pauline Jaricot, one of those cured by the intercession of St. Philomena just happened to be a friend of the Curé. On a visit to Ars, she presented him with a small relic of Philomena, upon which he established a chapel in his parish church, in honor of the virgin martyr. And along with the graces already there by the Curés own presence, even more miracles and conversions began to take place with the addition of Philomena’s relic, who he considered his “celestial patroness.”

The Curè was approached once about his devotion and questioned: “Is it true, Monsieur le Curè, that Saint Philomena obeys you?” The holy priest replied, “And why not, since every day God Himself obeys me at the altar?” A special bond had formed between the Curè and his dear little saint: he constantly felt the closeness of her presence. Often he would say to his parishioners: “My children, St. Philomena has great power with God, and she has, moreover, a kind heart; let us pray to her with confidence. Her virginity and generosity in embracing her heroic martyrdom have rendered her so agreeable to God that He will never refuse her anything that she asks for us.”

Words of wisdom from the Curé d’Ars, still relevant for today. St. Philomena, ora pro nobis.

REFERENCES:

https://catholictradition.org/Saints/philomena.htm#CATACOMB

A Prayerbook of Favorite Litanies, Fr. Albert J. Herbert, SM, 1985, TAN Books.