• Birth: 200-230 AD, Rome

• Location: Rome

• Death: 222-235 AD, Sicily

• Beatification: N/A (Before the Congregation for the Causes of Saints)

• Canonized: Unknown (Before the Congregation for the Causes of Saints)

• Feast Day: November 22nd

• Patron Saint of: Musicians and singers

• She is one of the seven women, excluding the Blessed Virgin, commemorated by name in the Canon of the Mass.

Saint Cecilia was a Roman virgin martyr and is venerated as the patron of music and musicians. As musicians played at her wedding, Cecilia “sang in her heart to the Lord.” Musical compositions are dedicated to her, and her feast day is on November 22nd. She is also known as Cecilia of Rome.

She reminds us of the power of music to praise God and to bring comfort to those who are suffering. Her story helps us realize the power of utilizing art to transcend suffering, focus on beauty, and to connect us with God.

Early Life and Background

St. Cecilia was born into an affluent Roman family in the third century. Her name is included in the Roman Canon alongside the names of other early Church martyrs. 

Tradition tells us that Cecilia converted to Christianity and made a vow of virginity, but her parents forced her into marriage with a pagan nobleman named Valerian. On her wedding day, while instruments played, Cecilia sang to God in her heart. It’s one of the reasons why Cecilia is known as the patroness of music, musicians, and poets. 

On their wedding night, Cecilia revealed to Valerian her conversion to Christianity and her vow of virginity. Valerian sought to understand the faith and converted soon after he found out. His brother followed suit and converted as well. 

It is said that Valerian witnessed an angel visiting Cecilia as she prayed in her chamber at night. The angel held two crowns of roses and lilies, which he placed on their heads, and then disappeared. 

Roman Martyr

Soon after their conversions, Valerian and his brother committed themselves to burying Christian martyrs that were killed at the hand of Turcius Almachius, the prefect of the city. They were arrested and subjected to torture and execution for refusing to deny their faith. 

Through St. Cecilia’s preaching of Christianity, she converted four hundred people which caused her to be arrested and tortured. Miraculously, through the intense heat of blazing fire, Cecilia’s body showed no signs of perspiration, so Almachius demanded that her head be severed. Crowds came to her as she preached to them or prayed until she passed away. 

St. Cecilia’s Miraculous Preservation 

In 822, Pope Pascal I wished to have St Cecilia’s remains buried in a church dedicated to her but did not know her grave’s location. Miraculously, she appeared to him in a vision and identified the site. Centuries later in 1599, her body was exhumed and discovered to be remarkably preserved. 

St. Cecilia’s preserved body became an object of veneration and pilgrimage, and her tomb in the catacombs of Rome became a place of devotion for many Christians. Her story has been depicted in art, music, and literature over the centuries. 

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Prayer to St. Cecilia

O glorious St. Cecilia,
virgin and martyr,
you won the martyr’s crown
without renouncing
your love for Jesus,
the delight of your soul.

We ask that you help us
to be faithful in our love for Jesus,
that, in the communion of the saints,
we may praise Him twice in our song
of rejoicing for the Blood
that He shed which gave us
the grace to accomplish
His will on earth.

Amen.

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