The Life and Miracles of Saint Philomena

Book excerpt: This is a biography of a famous saint. From the intro: "THE name of the glorious virgin and martyr, Saint Philomena, is not as well known to the youth of our country as it should be. From the beginning of the present century, this saint has been singularly honored in Italy as the patroness of youth, and the fruits of this devotion have been truly miraculous. The present reprint is from an authorized Dublin edition; we had hoped to have the holy privilege of translating the life of this youthful saint, but we found others had anticipated us in the pious undertaking. The extraordinary devotion of one of the most celebrated personages of modern times-the Cure d'Ars-to this saint, lends a new and holy charm to her name, while its amazing fruits show how powerful she is with God. His biographer tells us that the cure's devotion to this holy virgin and martyr, whom he was accustomed to call his "dear little saint," was almost chivalrous. There was the most touching sympathy between them. "She granted every thing to his prayers; he refused nothing to her love. He set down to her account all the graces and wonders which contributed to the celebrity of the pilgrimage of Ars. It was all her work; he had nothing whatever to do with it." Speaking of this devotion of the cure, Dr. Manning, the present Archbishop of Westminster, says: "Mysterious and wonderful is the sympathy which thrills through the communion of saints, unbroken by distance, undimmed by time, unchilled by death! 'The youthful saint' went forth from her mother's arms to die for Christ; the lictor's ax cropped the budding lily, and pious hands gathered up and laid it in the tomb; and so fifteen centuries went by, and none on earth thought upon the virgin martyr who was following the Lamb whithersoever He went, till the time came when the Lord would have her glory to appear; and then He chose a champion for her in the lonely, toilworn priest, to whom He had given a heart as childlike, and a love as heroic as her own; and He gave her to be the helpmate of his labors, and bade her stand by him to shelter his humility behind the brightness of her glory, lest he should be affrighted at the knowledge of his own power with God."