Venerable Voices: St. Agnes

Not much is known about the life of St. Agnes of Rome, but what is known is truly incredible. Agnes lived in Rome around the year 250 and already as a pre-teen joyfully accepted God's calling to a life as a consecrated virgin. She was martyred for her faith at just 12 or 13 years old and has been revered as a great saint ever since. [1] St. Jerome described her as "the blessed martyr Agnes who vanquished the temptations both of youth and of a despot and by her martyrdom hallowed the very name of chastity." [2]

Her prominence among the early martyrs of Rome can still be heard by the inclusion of her name in the Roman Canon: the longer form of the Eucharistic prayer which lists Agnes alongside the Apostles and other early martyrs. [3]

As one of the great martyrs of the Church, St. Agnes features prominently in the mural above the tomb of Blessed Stanley Rother here at his shrine in Oklahoma City. May St. Agnes and Blessed Stanley, one of the earliest martyrs and one of the most recent martyrs, intercede for us, that we may share their courage in living and proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ.
 

Agnes is a symbol that holiness does not depend on length of years, experience, or human effort. It is a gift God offers to all. [4]

  [1] Kirsch, J.P. (1907). St. Agnes of Rome. In The Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01214a.htm
[2] Translated by W.H. Fremantle, G. Lewis and W.G. Martley. From Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Second Series, Vol. 6. Edited by Philip Schaff and Henry Wace. (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1893.) Revised and edited for New Advent by Kevin Knight. http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/3001130.htm
[3] Di Camillo, K. (2017, October 3). Who are all those saints in the roman canon?. National Catholic Register. https://www.ncregister.com/blog/who-are-all-those-saints-in-the-roman-canon
[4] Franciscan Media. (2023, January 22). Saint Agnes. Saint of the Day. https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/saint-agnes/