St. Felicity
Born: 2nd C.
Died: March 7, 203
Canonized: pre-Congregation
Feast Day: March 7
Patron Saint of: barren women
Saints Felicity and Perpetua were martyrs who suffered
at Carthage, 7 March 203, together with three companions, Revocatus, Saturus,
and Saturninus. The details of the martyrdom of these five confessors in the
North African Church have reached us through a genuine, contemporary
description, one of the most affecting accounts of the glorious warfare of
Christian martyrdom in ancient times. By a rescript of Septimus Severus
(193-211) all imperial subjects were forbidden under severe penalties to become
Christians. In consequence of this decree, five catechumens at Carthage were
seized and cast into prison, viz. Vibia Perpetua, a young married lady of noble
birth; the slave Felicitas, and her fellow-slave Revocatus, also Saturninus and
Secundulus. Soon one Saturus, who deliberately declared himself a Christian
before the judge, was also incarcerated. Perpetua's father was a pagan; her
mother, however,and two brothers were Christians, one being still a catechumen;
a third brother, the child Dinocrates, had died a pagan.
After their arrest, and before they were led away to prison, the five
catechumens were baptized. The sufferings of the prison life, the attempts of
Perpetua's father to induce her to apostatize, the vicissitudes of the martyrs
before their execution, the visions of Saturus and Perpetua in their dungeons,
were all faithfully committed to writing by the last two. Shortly after the
death of the martyrs a zealous Christian added to this document an account of
their execution. The darkness of their prison and the oppressive atmosphere
seemed frightful to Perpetua, whose terror was increased by anxiety for her
young child. Two deacons succeeded, by sufficiently bribing the jailer, in
gaining admittance to the imprisoned Christians and alleviated somewhat their
sufferings. Perpetua's mother also, and her brother, yet a catechumen, visited
them. Her mother brought in her arms to Perpetua her little son, whom she was
permitted to nurse and retain in prison with her. A vision, in which she saw
herself ascending a ladder leading to green meadows, where a flock of sheep was
browsing, assured her of her approaching martyrdom.
A few days later Perpetua's father, hearing a rumor that the trial of the
imprisoned Christians would soon take place, again visited their dungeon and
besought her by everything dear to her not to put this disgrace on her name; but
Perpetua remained steadfast to her Faith. The next day the trial of the six
confessors took place, before the Procurator Hilarianus. All six resolutely
confessed their Christian Faith. Perpetua's father, carrying her child in his
arms, approached her again and attempted, for the last time, to induce her to
apostatize; the procurator also remonstrated with her but in vain. She refused
to sacrifice to the gods for the safety of the emperor. The procurator thereupon
had the father removed by force, on which occasion he was struck with a whip.
The Christians were then condemned to be torn to pieces by wild beasts, for
which they gave thanks to God. In a vision Perpetua saw her brother Dinocrates,
who had did at the early age of seven, at first seeming to be sorrowful and in
pain, but shortly thereafter happy and healthy. Another apparition, in which she
saw herself fighting with a savage Ethiopian, whom she conquered, made it clear
to her that she would not have to do battle with wild beasts but with the Devil.
Saturus, who also wrote down his visions, saw himself and Perpetua transported
by four angels, towards the East to a beautiful garden, where they met four
other North African Christians who had suffered martyrdom during the same
persecution, viz. Jocundus, Saturninus, Artaius, and Quintus. He also saw in
this vision Bishop Optatus of Carthage and the priest Aspasius, who prayed the
martyrs to arrange a reconciliation between them. In the meanwhile the birthday
festival of the Emperor Geta approached, on which occasion the condemned
Christians were to fight with wild beasts in the military games; they were
therefore transferred to the prison in the camp. The jailer Pudens had learned
to respect the confessors, and he permitted other Christians to visit them.
Perpetua's father was also admitted and made another fruitless attempt to
pervert her.
Secundulus, one of the confessors, died in prison. Felicitas, who at the time of
her incarceration was with child (in the eighth month), was apprehensive that
she would not be permitted to suffer martyrdom at the same time as the others,
since the law forbade the execution of pregnant women. Happily, two days before
the games she gave birth to a daughter, who was adopted by a Christian woman. On
7 March, the five confessors were led into the amphitheatre. At the demand of
the pagan mob they were first scourged; then a boar, a bear, and a leopard, were
set at the men, and a wild cow at the women. Wounded by the wild animals, they
gave each other the kiss of peace and were then put to the sword. Their bodies
were interred at Carthage. Their feast day was solemnly commemorated even
outside Africa. Thus under 7 March the names of Felicity and Perpetua are
entered in the Philocalian calendar, i.e. the calendar of martyrs venerated
publicly in the fourth century at Rome. A magnificent basilica was afterwards
erected over their tomb, the Basilica Majorum; that the tomb was indeed in this
basilica has lately been proved by Pere Delattre, who discovered there an
ancient inscription bearing the names of the martyrs.
