On January 21, the Church celebrates the Memorial of Saint Agnes, often known as St. Agnes of Rome. She is the patroness of those seeking chastity and purity, engaged couples, rape victims, gardeners, young girls, and Girl Scouts. Symbols and representations of Saint Agnes include a woman with a dove, a woman with a crown of thorns, a woman with a palm branch, a woman with a sword at her throat, and a woman with a lamb. The imagery of lamb is significant because the name “Agnes” is similar to the Latin word “agnus,” which means “lamb”. For this reason depictions of Saint Agnes often include a lamb. The name actually comes from a Greek word, which means “chaste, pure, sacred”.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love.
Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth.
O, God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His consolations, Through Christ Our Lord, Amen.
DAILY NOVENA PRAYER:
O kind and protective Saint Agnes! Glorious Virgin and Martyr of Jesus Christ! In this solemn novena, dedicated to your glorious triumph, we humbly prostrate ourselves before you, certain that you will not deny us the graces we now ask of you (here, mention your intentions).
Animated by your luminous examples and awakened by divine inspirations, we decide to dedicate ourselves sincerely to the service of God and to belong entirely to Him; we, therefore, wish to consecrate our hearts to Him. But, knowing our unworthiness, we dare not make such a miserable offer; therefore, we beseech and implore you to receive these hearts, thirsting for the purity of your merits, so that they may become worthy of being accepted by God.
BRIEF BIOGRAPHY – PART 8
Growth of the Devotional Cult of St. Agnes
Because Agnes’s body was not thrown into the river Tiber, which was the common practice for martyred Christians at the time, it is thought that her family may have intervened, which yields evidence that they were indeed well connected. She was buried on cemetery land owned by her parents, and a week later they came to pray at the grave. There, according to the church history, they saw a vision of her surrounded by other virgins and with a lamb at her side. Others also came to visit the burial site, but it was thought to have been reached by an underground passageway for a time.
In 313, with the conversion of Emperor Constantine to Christianity and his issue of the Edict of Milan, Agnes’s religion (Christianity) was officially tolerated throughout the Empire. There is a story that his daughter, Constantina, was cured of leprosy when she visited the shrine to Agnes and that she urged her father to have a basilica erected over the grave, which became the church of St. Agnes outside the Walls. The church, which dates from 364, stands on via Nomentana and contains Damasus’s inscription. It was renovated during the reign of Pope Honorius in the seventh century.
Following these reasons (and more), She became one of the most celebrated Roman Martyrs. Many Church Fathers and Spiritual Writers since the 4th century have written about the martyrdom of St. Agnes. She was extolled as a model of purity. She was venerated as a saint by great personalities of the ancient Church such as Pope St. Damasus, St. Ambrose of Milan, and St. Augustine of Hippo. St. Ambrose’s writings on Agnes, De Virginibus, probably came from a sermon he delivered in Milan in 376 on her feast day, which had likely been the urging of his sister Marcellina, a devout woman who is also thought to have visited Agnes’s shrine… (To be continued)
- (Biography Culled from Catholic.org)
—SILENT REFLECTION—
DAY 8 PRAYER
O courageous virgin, Saint Agnes, the enemies of Jesus Christ wanted to stain you through the fire of pyres and impure pleasures. But the charity that burned your heart was so ardent that they could not harm you in any way. By this ardent charity, obtain for us from God such a purity that every impure flame is extinguished in our hearts, and only the fire that Jesus Christ came to bring to earth burns in them, so that, after we have spent a life without blemishes, we can share in the glory you deserved for the purity of your heart and for your martyrdom (here, mention your intentions). Amen.
Our Father… Hail Mary… Glory be… St. Agnes, pray for us!
Kyrie eleison, Kyrie eleison.
Christe eleison, Christe eleison.
Kyrie eleison, Kyrie eleison.
Christ, hear us.
Christ, graciously hear us.
God the Father of heaven, have mercy on us.
God, the Son, the Redeemer of the world, have mercy on us.
God, the Holy Spirit, have mercy on us.
Holy Trinity, one God, have mercy on us.
Holy Mary, pray for us.
Holy Mother of God, pray for us.
Holy Virgin of virgins, pray for us.
Saint Agnes, Virgin and Martyr, pray for us.
Saint Agnes, consecrated to God in your youth, pray for us.
Saint Agnes, lily of virginal innocence, pray for us.
Saint Agnes, rose among the thorns of paganism, pray for us.
Saint Agnes, inflamed with the love of God, pray for us.
Saint Agnes, defender of the faith, pray for us.
Saint Agnes, adornment of the Christian nation, pray for us.
Saint Agnes, loathing the lure of the world and all its vanity, pray for us.
Saint Agnes, by the particular grace of God protected by the angel from the stain of sin, pray for us.
Saint Agnes, singular model of virginal purity, pray for us.
Saint Agnes, mirror of piety, pray for us.
Saint Agnes, example of obedience and mores, pray for us.
Saint Agnes, invaluable treasure of the Church of Christ, pray for us.
Saint Agnes, victorious over all temptations, pray for us.
Saint Agnes, adornment of the female gender, pray for us.
Saint Agnes, consolation of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary, pray for us.
Saint Agnes, guardian of all virgins, pray for us.
Saint Agnes, virgin in soul and body, pray for us.
Saint Agnes, bride of the Savior of the world, pray for us.
Saint Agnes, betrothed to God with the ring of His Faith, Hope and Love, pray for us.
Saint Agnes, despising the earthly bridegroom for the love of God, pray for us.
Saint Agnes, reviving the dead young man through your prayers, pray for us.
Saint Agnes, not afraid of terrible torments, pray for us.
Saint Agnes, wishing with joy for death by martyrdom, pray for us.
Saint Agnes, condemned by the enemy to be burned, pray for us.
Saint Agnes, perishing from a murderous hand armed with steel, pray for us.
Saint Agnes, unparalleled in martyr’s patience, pray for us.
Saint Agnes, rare example of bravery and consistency, pray for us.
Saint Agnes, adorned with the palm of victory, pray for us.
Saint Agnes, rewarded with the crown of martyrdom, pray for us.
Saint Agnes, included in the fellowship of the martyrs of Christ, pray for us.
Saint Agnes, placed in the tabernacle of eternal glory, pray for us.
Saint Agnes, experienced Patroness in various adventures, pray for us.
Saint Agnes, consolation of God the Eternal Father, pray for us.
Saint Agnes, dwelling of the Holy Spirit, pray for us.
Saint Agnes, our Patroness, pray for us.
Saint Agnes, Virgin and Martyr, pray for us.
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, spare us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, graciously hear us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.
Almighty eternal God, who in the midst of pagan darkness, having in particular care your faithful servant Saint Agnes, preserved her in innocence and gave her the crown of martyrdom in Your glory, we ask You humbly to deliver us through her intercession from the darkness of sin, and bring us through the road of virtue to the glory that she shares forever with You, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
CONCLUDING PRAYER
Through the intercession of Saint Agnes of Rome, Virgin & Martyr, may Almighty God bless you + the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Shalom!
Compiled by Fr. Chinaka Justin Mbaeri, OSJ
Paroquia Nossa Senhora de Loreto, São Paulo, Brazil
nozickcjoe@gmail.com / fadacjay@gmail.com
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PS: Have you prayed your Rosary today?
Saint Agnes Pray for us Amen
St. Agnes please continue to intercede for me for my intentions.
St Agnes, virgin and martyr pray for us as we journey through life to remain steadfast and ever to distracted by worldliness around us, Amen.
St Agnes pray for us
O that we may DEEPLY LOVE and TRUST God not by mere words but our actions in the mighty name of Jesus Christ amen amen amen
St. Agnes, Virgin and Martyr, pray for Roseline Amah to stand firm and be able to overcome her tribulations and trials, amen!
Saint Agnes, unparalleled in martyr’s patience, pray for us. I pray for the God’s grace and to be patient in all my difficulties Amen
Amen, St Agnes Pray for Us
St. Agnes intercede for Us in our daily struggles and for the grace of perceiverance in faith, through Christ our Lord. Amen
Saint. Agnes consolation of God the Eternal Father, pray for us.
St. Agnes, pray for us
St Agnes never cease to intercede for me
St. Agnes pray for us to be courageous like you
Amen . May God give us the grace to follow the way of st Agnes.
St. Agnes pray for us, Amen
Amen
Amen
St Agnes pray for us to God for the grace of final perseverance. Amen.
St. Agnes… Pray For Us
St. Agnes, virgin and martyr, pray for our Country Nigeria.
May your life inspire our falling faith.
Through the intercession of St Agnes of Rome grant our petitions through Jesus Christ our Lord amen
Amennn
Saint Agnes pray for me and my family today and always amen.
St. Agnes, preserved in innocence. Pray for us!
St. Agnes, pray for us all. Amen.
But, knowing our unworthiness, we dare not make such a miserable offer; therefore, we beseech and implore you to receive these hearts, thirsting for the purity of your merits, so that they may become worthy of being accepted by God.
Amen
St. Agnes, Pray for Us
St Agnes of Rome, virgin and martyr pray for us
St Agnes, thanks for all your prayers and intercession. Please intercede for a successful surgery on me and help us to be courageous like you. Amen
Saint Agnes, rewarded with the crown of martyrdom, pray for us.
O courageous saint and martyr, pray for me and my household.
Amen
Through the intercession of St Agnes, may God grant us the courage to stand firm on the truth at all times ieven in the face of death
Show us your mercy Lord and grant us your salvation
Saint Agnes pray for me and my family
St Agnes Pray for Us
Amen
Amen
Amen and Amen
By this ardent charity, obtain for us from God such a purity that every impure flame is extinguished in our hearts, and only the fire that Jesus Christ came to bring to earth burns in them…
St. Agnès, pray for us
Amen
Amen
Amen
Amen..
Saint Agnes Virgin and Martyr pray for me
Oh holy St. Agnes intercede for us sinners and obtain for us our good hearts desires amen
St. Agnes Virgin and Martyr pray for us. Amen.
Amen
St Agnes model of purity and spouse of Jesus
St Agnes, dwelling of the Holy Spirit, Pray for me
Amen
Amen
Amen
St Agnes Virgin and Martyr
Pray for Us