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| January 9, 2009 |
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NAMESAKE SAINTSSt. Agnes Parish named for martyrThis is the first in an occasional series of profiles of saints for whom parishes St. AgnesPatronage: The children of Mary, engaged couples, virgins, rape victims, purity, chastity, girls, gardeners Feast day: Jan. 21 Prayer: All-powerful and ever-living God, you choose the weak in this world to confound the powerful. When we celebrate the memory of St. Agnes, may we, like her, remain constant in our faith. Amen. Parish Namesake: St. Agnes Parish, 7775 Vanderbilt Beach Road, Naples, is named for a young martyr who lived during the third or fourth century in Rome. The name Agnes, also known as Ines and Ynez, means “chaste,” “lamb” and “pure one.” She was 12 or 13 years old when she was martyred for the faith. During her short life, she promised to remain a virgin for God. Many young men, including the Roman governor’s son, wanted to marry the beautiful young girl, but Agnes proclaimed Jesus as her only spouse. Stories about Agnes’ life, including the writings of the Roman Christian poet Prudentius, say the governor used gifts to convince the young girl to deny God, but she remained firm in the faith. The governor then chained the girl and sent her to a brothel. Prudentius wrote that a man who looked at Agnes in lust fell to the ground blind. The young girl was then condemned to death and was likely beheaded. Since the Middle Ages, St. Agnes has been depicted with a lamb. Her name bears a resemblance to the Latin word for lamb, “agnus.” The lamb also symbolizes her virginity and innocence. On her feast day, the pope blesses two lambs at the Basilica of St. Agnes Outside the Walls in Rome. Their wool is later made into pallia, or stoles, that are given by the pope to new archbishops to symbolize their union with the Holy Father. The feast day of St. Agnes is Jan. 21. Sources for this article included “Butler’s Lives of the Saints,” CatholicOnline.com, Catholic-Forum.com and NewAdvent.org
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