MEMORIAL: NOVEMBER 22
Tradition has it that St. Cecilia lived in the 2nd century and had promised her virginity to God as a young girl. As the daughter of a wealthy Roman family, she was married to a man named Valerian who Ceclia revealed her heavenly promise to on their wedding night. It is said that she heard heavenly music in her heart when she revealed the information.
Valerian was baptized and an angel appeared to him, confirming Cecilia’s story. He would eventually be martyred with his brother. At the death of her husband, Ceclia was resilient in preaching the Gospel. She was captured and sentenced to suffocation in the baths. When this was unsuccessful, an executioner came to behead her. After three strokes, he was unable to completely sever her head, so she bled out for three days all while continuing to preach about Jesus. She eventually passed away, and is the patron saint of music.
