St Agatha, a young martyr, was persecuted in her time and almost forced to marry, but she made up her mind and had the last word, which was to remain with the Lord Jesus Christ. Although they tried to make her commit sin, they could not bring her down, her faith in God was greater than anything.
The story of Saint Agatha
Saint Agatha, a woman who dedicated her life to the faithful service of God, was a martyr and one of the most popular in her time, this noble woman was born in Palermo in the year 230, her parents were very noble and wealthy, she decided to dedicate her whole life to the Lord, also her virginity and also the eternal graces with which she always saw herself adorned. St Agatha, like St Margaret, was determined to devote herself entirely to the service of God.
This young martyr always left aside any suitor or action that could hinder her way to the side of God, her process was hard because she had to live the persecution in her time, especially when Prince Decius sat on the throne to rule and wanted to exterminate all Christians in his attempt to make martyrs of Christians and now just wants to exterminate them completely.
This terrible man uses trickery to make his goals are achieved and wants to use flattery and bribes to achieve it and refused used oppression and even banishment, in certain cases used the confiscation of people’s property, after using all these methods there was one who used it and when he saw that with the previous ones had achieved nothing and was death.
He issued an edict which was general throughout the empire in about the year 250, in which he sent to sacrifice to all the gods, including all Christians of every race and condition, whether they were women, children, rich or poor, without making any kind of exclusion of people.
This man, called Decius, wanted the young martyr St. Agatha, but she firmly refused him, she had already made her promise to be with the Lord Jesus Christ, he even wanted her to be persuaded by an Afro-descendant, but nothing he did could convince her.
This man was blinded by rage at not being able to achieve his goal and he gave the order to torture her and also to tear out her breasts; Saint Agueda’s response to all this injustice was cruel, tyrannical and merciless. Is it not painful to torture a woman in the breast that will later be the food for a child?
It is said that St. Agatha had a vision of St. Peter healing her serious wounds, yet St. Agatha continued to be tortured and was thrown over hot coals in the same city of Catania, Sicily, Italy. When this woman was
thrown, it is said that uttered a loud cry in which she thanked God for the first time.
At that time there was a volcano nearby and according to the story it was called Etna, which erupted one year after the death of Saint Agatha, where she had to intervene to stop the burning lava right at the gates of this great city, and since then this chaste woman has become the patron saint of this city and even of all of Sicily and the surrounding area of the volcano.
Santa Agueda is always the saint who is invoked to prevent damage from fire, lightning and volcanoes, when a woman has problems with her breasts, breastfeeding and problems with childbirth, she is invoked to intercede with the Heavenly Father, she is the patron saint of all women, she is attributed with healing gifts in the Basque city. She is also the patron saint of nurses. Watch this video.
The life of Saint Agatha
It is about a very young Christian woman, like Saint Clare of Assisi, from the city of Catania or Palermo in Sicily, she was a martyr and she died in the III century, she was promised in marriage to a man called Quinciano, who was the governor of the island at that time, but she never accepted this marriage because she had already consecrated her life and her virginity to God since she was very young.
It was this refusal of Saint Agatha that led to the tortures to which she was subjected during a persecution by this man called Decius, the dates of her birth and death are still uncertain.
The story of her martyrdom is told in the Passio Santa, when Saint Agatha refused for the first time the requests of the governor of the island, Decius, he immediately resorted to his first weapon, which was a woman called Aphrodisia, she tried in every way to persuade her to marry the governor who wanted her so much, she did this for about 30 days.
St Agatha was brought before the governor’s court, declared a Christian and sentenced to long imprisonment. After several days of imprisonment, she was again brought before the court and subjected to an interrogation, during which Saint Agatha once again declared her belief in the living God and the faith she professed in Him, and always maintained it.
This attitude of Saint Agueda provoked the anger of the governor, who ordered that her breasts be cut off and that she be immediately sent to prison. While in prison, Saint Agueda received a miraculous visit from Saint Peter the Apostle, who, although she had already been martyred several times, was not satisfied with the rejection of this woman and her faith in God, so he killed her. Watch this video.
Saint Agatha is venerated
This woman, who was martyred and then died for the Gospel and her faith in God, as Saint Helena or Helena of Constatinopla, is today considered the patron saint of Catania and also the advocate of the eruptions of the volcano Etnia and also the advocate in cases of fire, this devotion spread and she also became the faithful patron saint of the bell makers, who with their ringing announced the appearance of the fire.
The relics of Saint Agatha were first kept in Catania, for fear of desecration, and then transferred to Constantinople, where they were fully recovered in 1126. There is evidence of a widespread cult of this holy woman, who was martyred for refusing to marry a governor who wanted her for his own.
There are liturgical documents dating from the 6th to the 10th centuries that establish the 5th of February as the date for the feast, and the most abundant document relating to her widespread martyrdom is the Passio Santa Agathe, and it can be said that there are different versions of this narrative, one in Latin and two in Greek.
Therefore, given the strength of the monumental and liturgical testimonies, we can affirm without any doubt that the fact of her martyrdom and the cult attributed to her very early on, as well as the place where she died and some of the particularities that some say witnessed her martyrdom are still in doubt, are certain and from the point of view of history.
The prayer of Saint Agueda
This young martyr, who dedicated her life to God from a very young age and suffered terrible martyrdom, is today the patron saint of this island, where she is venerated and exalted as the patron saint of women, this prayer can be made to this holy woman to protect us and cure us of any ailment in our body.
O Heavenly Father, Your power is marvellous, Your Lord who knew how to give strength to those who were called the weaker sex to achieve this great victory of martyrdom, we ask You to give us the grace to celebrate the victory of Your virgin and martyr Saint Agueda, so that we may walk towards You through the holy imitation of Your examples, through our Jesus Christ, we thank You, Amen.
Another prayer to Saint Agueda
You, virgin and glorious Saint Agueda, martyr and young woman of great beauty, born into a noble and very Christian family, from her childhood she had faith and love for our Lord Jesus Christ, which made her dedicate herself to good things, always giving the best to the most needy and always leading a very chaste and pious life.
Nevertheless, your extraordinary and pure beauty attracted the attention of a pagan nobleman who wanted to use force to obtain favours from you, but you, your faithful and good husband, Our Lord Jesus Christ, and even though you knew that the goods on earth are nothing compared to those in heaven, always in defence of virtue and chastity, you always refused him.
For this reason, Saint Agueda, you were persecuted, imprisoned, martyred, humiliated and subjected to the most terrible tortures, oh holy and kind Saint Agueda, your virgin mother who suffered and suffered so much, we ask you to help us at this time to be stronger every day as you were before your enemy.
Help us, Saint Agueda, to be courageous in the face of humiliation and mistreatment, and also to be firm in the face of those who want to harm us with so much violence, we ask you to teach us to resist cruel insults and humiliations, and we ask you to teach us not to tolerate physical or psychological abuse for any reason, Saint Agueda, victorious, who after going through the hardest martyrdoms and before you could give up your soul, was comforted by our God who never abandoned you.
Through this beautiful vision of the Apostle Paul, who comforted you and healed your wounds, we ask you to intercede for us before the Heavenly Father, our Almighty God, so that He may always take us under His care and protect us, and also give us health in body, mind and soul, and thus, with His infinite mercy and compassion, help us in these moments of tribulation, which are unjust and very difficult. (make the petition at this moment).
San Agueda, you who are glorious and holy, you who were able to give your soul and body to our God, we ask you to pray for us and also ask our Heavenly Father to grant us this petition that we humbly ask and also to give us his glorious blessing and also his protection for all of us and also for all of his people, through Jesus Christ our only God, to whom be the praise and also the glory and all the praise and thanksgiving forever and ever. Amen. We should say three Our Fathers, three Hail Marys and three Glorias. Watch this video.
Novena to Santa Agueda
The novena to Santa Agueda must be made on consecutive days, in which faith must be the first condition, and devotion must go hand in hand with it; you can also make a novena for your petitions to San Rosario or San Patricio.
Daily prayer
We pray to you on this day, Saint Agatha, through your powerful intercession, that we may have peace among all Christian princes, that there may always be the eradication of heresies, the exaltation of the holy Catholic faith and the tranquillity of the Church, the conversion of all sinners, and that grace may always increase, constancy in the faith and the redemption of those who are in captivity.
First day
O glorious and chaste virgin, Saint Agueda, who dares to doubt that it is because of your virginal purity that the Heavenly Father has made you the defender of our faithful against all the temptations that the devil uses to destroy souls? This was felt by a devotee who visited the holy relics and prayed with great strength and devotion, and it was for this reason that you freed her from the man who wanted to violate her virginity.
Saint Agatha, I ask you for the strength and the will with which you resisted the temptations, we ask you to intercede 
for us before God, so that we may be able to resist the temptations.
Saint Agatha, I ask you to intercede for us before God, so that we may be able to resist temptations and remain steadfast with that unshakable faith with which you always remained until your last breath.
Second day
O holy and chaste virgin and martyr Saint Agueda, you who were a slave of the Lord of Lords and who appreciated His humility and grace, today I come to you and ask you to help me obtain His favour and grace through your holy love for Him and His holy mercy. You, who were an intercessor and who appreciated the love of God in your life, we ask you to always intercede for all of us, so that we may be meek, chaste and humble, and thus be people with a noble heart and with faith always in our Lord.
Third day
Saint Agueda, patient and martyr of our Lord Jesus Christ, I bless you for that pleasant effort with which you were able to resist that evil man who wanted to have you by force, they took you to martyrdom, but you were joyful, it was as if you had been invited to an important banquet, today we proclaim you intercessor in the labours and also in the tribulations of this life.
Fourth day
O powerful and good Saint Agueda, you who are the loving Spouse of our Lord Jesus Christ, who for your love and glory always suffered with joy when your breasts were torn off without mercy, we ask you to intercede before God and with humility grant us the joy of our hearts and souls.
We ask that we have this unconditional love for our Heavenly Father and that if it is the will of the Father to lose any member of the body, so be it, but that those of the soul are always preserved and never fall, it is for this martyrdom that you are now very venerated and loved among men, you are powerful and advocate of evil and also of chest pains, all women turn to you for their healing.
Fifth day
O mighty and chaste virgin, Saint Agueda, the hope that you placed in our God and also in the loving Father and Husband, the Lord Jesus Christ, has always been firm, I ask you that I may reach it and that my body and my soul may be healed and at peace and that I may reach the good things, you who were favoured by Saint Peter, we ask you Saint Agueda that you may protect us so that nothing bad may reach us or touch us, you who suffered torture, have mercy.
Sixth day
O glorious virgin Saint Agueda, you who were so grateful to God for curing you of all your ills by means of
Saint Peter the Apostle, I ask you, my holy Agueda, to intercede before the divine throne so that I may have courage and be able to do the Lord’s will, so that we may always praise and bless her.
Blessed Saint Agueda, you who were young and martyred, who always gave your life to the Lord, and although they tried to force you to say the opposite, you professed your eternal faith in Him, we pray that we may have this faith with the same strength, that we may always keep hope, and that if we go to martyrdom, it may be with joy and in full freedom, knowing that God is our only truth and our only strength.
Seventh day
St. Agatha, you have always endeavoured to defend your love and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, we ask you to intercede for us and help us to increase this faith every day, so that we may always and in every moment be joyful and thus reach the promises of our dear God.
Eighth Day
O prudent and chaste Virgin Agatha, who after your death went so beautifully and joyfully to meet our God, I ask with all my heart and with all my mind that God’s
divine mercy may obtain 
for me this favour which I ask of you today, Advocate of men, patroness of all women, you who suffered martyrdom and exile for refusing to obey the will of that governor.
Today, Saint Agueda, we abandon ourselves to you in this prayer to thank you for your love and your intercession before our only God, full of love and mercy; on this day we ask you to obtain for us, with all your love, the happiness of having that incalculable peace which only God gives us; we ask you to love us with that love which the Virgin Mary, Mother of God, gives us.
Ninth day
O Saint Agatha, who in life honoured the Prince of the Apostles, and even after your death you continued to honour your God, I ask you from the bottom of my heart that I may attain purity and holiness of soul, that in everything I do and say I may honour my Lord, I ask you, Saint Agatha, for your glorious love for our heavenly Father, that every day we may have more strength to face each day with love and perseverance, that good attitude may always be our guide.
When is Saint Agueda?
Saint Agueda is the patron saint of women and the 5th of February was chosen to celebrate with fervour the devotion and admiration for this holy woman who consecrated her life to God, this young woman was a martyr like Saint Rita of Cascia, she is always present in the memory of all her followers for her courage and constancy in the faith she professed for our God.
Saint Agueda was a woman who decided to dedicate her life to God as Saint Margaret, and although the governor of that entity at the time had his eyes on her and wanted to marry her, Saint Agueda refused because her only aim was to consecrate herself body and soul to the Lord. This governor began to use all his weapons against her to force her to do what he wanted, but he could not because she never agreed.
In this sense, he decided to put her in prison and tortured her to the point of tearing off her breasts; she suffered, but she never stopped confessing her faith and her priceless and inestimable trust in God. Watch this video.
Song of Saint Agatha
Let us praise Saint Agatha
Tomorrow is St Agatha’s Day
We wish everyone in this family
Pure happiness forever
Today is the eve of St Agatha’s Day
The great day of Euskal Herria
On which we come
All the homes of songs.
We come from Bera-Kruz,
Boys and girls, all in groups
to pay homage to Santa Águeda
with our voices and our “makilas”.
One, two, three… eup! Watch this video.
Saint Agueda of Zurbaran
It is a painting made by Francisco de Zurbaran in 1630 and 1633, and this and other paintings form part of a group of canvases made by this man and dedicated to the
saints of Zurbaran.
A group of canvases made by this man and dedicated to the saints of Zurbaran. At that time there was a council where they ordered the creation of the seven saints, and among them was Saint Agueda, the laws in Rome forbade the killing of young virgins, but a Sicilian governor, seeing that he could not fulfil his wishes or seduce Saint Agueda, imprisoned her and made her live a martyrdom to the point of tearing off her breasts.
Saint Agatha, Women’s Day
Agata, as this young woman was called, had a wealthy family and lived a life in keeping with her social status, her family was always
distinguished, like that of Saint Agatha.Her family was always distinguished, like that of St. John Bosco, very rich in every way and her beauty was extraordinary, but in her heart love and faith in God were her heritage and it was this condition that caused her death and it is a legend of martyrdom and also of faith that continues to this day.
At the time of Saint Agueda’s life there was a serious persecution of all Christians, and this governor called Decius did not hesitate to set his sights on this young woman of incalculable beauty, he wanted to have her as another object of his desire, but Saint Agueda did not accede to his requests and for this reason he martyred her and imprisoned her.
She is the patron saint of all women, whose courage and faith in God knew no bounds. Today, she is consulted with devotion for all women’s health problems, including difficult childbirths, and she intercedes to ensure that the request is granted.
