On May 25, 1802, excavators in the ancient Catacomb of St. Priscilla in Rome came upon a well-preserved shelf tomb sealed with terra-cotta slabs in the manner usually reserved for nobility or great martyrs. The tomb was marked with three tiles. inscribed with the following confusing words: LUMENA/PAXTE/CUMFI However, if one places the first last and separates the words properly, the very intelligible sentence emerges: Pax tecum, Filumena, which is, "Peace be with you, Philomena. Also inscribed on the tiles were symbols: a lily, arrows, an anchor and a lance, which would appear to indicate virginity and martyrdom. Inside the coffin there were discovered the remains of a girl of about twelve or thirteen years of age, along with a vial or ampulla of her dried blood.

Transferred to the Treasury of the Rare Collection of Christian Antiquity in the Vatican, the remains were soon forgotten by the public, especially since no record existed of a virgin martyr named Philomena. But in 1805, a Neapolitan priest, Don Francesco di Lucia, traveling to Rome with his newly appointed bishop. requested and, alter a brief delay receipted the relics of this martyr "Philomena" to enshrine in his village church at Mugnano, near Naples.

Immediately upon the official donation of St. Philomena's sacred remains, signal favors began to be granted through her intercession and unusual events to occur. The favors, graces and even miracles started to increase, even before her enshrinement at Mugnano, and they steadily grew in number thereafter—such that this virgin martyr soon earned the title, "Philomena, Powerful with God." In 1837, only 35 years after her exhumation, Pope Gregory XVI elevated this "Wonder-Worker of the Nineteenth Century" to sainthood. In an act unprecedented in the history of Catholicism, she became the only person recognized by the Church as a Saint solely on the basis of her powerful intercession, since nothing historical was known of her except her name and the evidence of her martyrdom.

St. Philomena has been successfully invoked by her supplicants in every sort of need, such that she has become another patron of hopeless and "impossible" cases, like St. Jude or St. Rita, but she is known to be especially powerful in cases involving conversion of sinners, return to the Sacraments, expectant mothers, destitute mothers, problems with children, unhappiness ill the home, sterility, priests and their work, help for the sick, the missions, real estate, money problems, food for the poor and mental illness. But truly, as her devotees have discovered, no case, of whatever matter, is too trivial or too unimportant to concern her.

Among her most devoted clients was St. John Vianney (the Cure of Ars), whose childlike devotion to this virgin Saint played an intimate part in his daily life. Other Saints who were always devoted to her, prayed to her and sang her praises were St. Peter Julian Eymard, St. Peter Chanel, St. Anthony Mary Claret, St. Madeleine Sophie Barat, St. Euphrasia Pelletier, St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, St. John Nepomucene Neumann, Blessed Anna Maria Taigi and Ven. Pauline Jaricot.

A number of Popes have also shown remarkable devotion to St. Philomena as well: Pope Leo XII (1823-1829) expressed the greatest admiration for this unknown child-saint arid gladly gave his permission for the erection of altars and churches in her honor. Pope Gregory XVI (1831-1846), who authorized her public veneration, showed his esteem and devotion to the Saint by giving her the title of "Patroness of the Living Rosary.'' A Mass and proper Office in her honor were approved by him in 1834 or 1835. This is all extraordinary privilege granted to comparatively few Saints. Pope Pius IX (1846-1878) proclaimed her "Patroness of the Children of Mary." Pope Leo XIII (1878-1903) made two pilgrimages to her shrine before his election to the papacy After he had become the Vicar of Christ, he gave a valuable cross to the sanctuary. He approved the Confraternity of St. Philomena and later raised it to an Archconfraternity (which is still headquartered at her shrine at Mugnano, Italy). Pope St. Pius X (1903-1914) spoke warmly of her arid manifested his devotion to her in various ways. Costly gifts were given by him to her shrine.

Truly, St. Philomena is a powerful intercessor—seemingly held quietly in reserve by Our Divine Lord during these many centuries—for especially strong help in our times, when so much confusion and absence of faith are manifest. Her principal feast day is August 11. St. Philomena, powerful with God, pray for us!

The Secret of Philomena's Power

Saint Philomena does not desire honor for herself, but seeks only to give glory to God in whatever way she can draw souls to Him. In a purported revelation to Mother Mary Louisa of Jesus, when the nun was kneeling in front of the altar in the church and thinking how much Saint Philomena had suffered, the little martyr said to her in the depths of her soul: "Meditate on the Passion of the Redeemer and compassionate Him who alone suffered intensely. I only suffered a little because Jesus Christ had suffered for us.

The nun on another occasion asked the saint in prayer to thank God for a grace she had obtained through her intercession. Philomena promised to do so, and added that Mother Mary Louisa should in turn recite the Gloria Patri three times in thanksgiving to the Blessed Trinity for the graces given to her during the time of her martyrdom, by which the Lord made Himself her strong shield and caused her to be rapt in ecstasy for three hours so that she did not know what torments the tyrants sought to indict upon her until the clamor of the people brought her back to her senses and she was forthwith beheaded.

When Mother Mary Louisa of Jesus asked St. Philomena to teach her some devotion that would be acceptable to her, she heard an interior voice saying: "Recite the Creed three times: once for the perseverance of the just, once for the conversion of sinners, and a third time for the return of heretics and infidels to the Faith. "

Another time St. Philomena told Mother Mary Louisa that she had been preserved from death in the midst of tortures because she was not satisfied in offering up one single life, but desired to have a thousand lives to offer to her Spouse, and He had now given her as much glory as if she had really done so.

St. Philomena also explained the wonderful power of her intercession when asked what was the difference between the essential glory of the saints and their accidental glory. "We realize", said Philomena, "that we are before God as so many vases of honor, some larger, some smaller. The vases of our souls dilate according to the desire to love God that we had when we were on earth. As soon as we are brought into the presence of God, each vase is filled to the brim with knowledge and love of Him. This plenitude is what is called essential glory, and this, through all eternity, cannot be enlarged or diminished. God Himself can put in the hearts of the faithful to pray to Him through His saints; and then graces descend from Him like limpid water, falling on our vases. But being already full, they cannot contain it, wherefore the water splashes from them and falls down on the earth and on you who are pilgrims. This glory is called accidental, and can increase or diminish. But in either case we lose nothing. Always we give glory

"To Philomena Nothing Is Refused"

One night, Mother Mary Louisa had a vision in which she saw Our Lady and St. Philomena. The latter confided her to the protection of the Mother of God saying: "Stand firm beneath the protection of Mary." Again, she saw Saint Philomena laying he crown before Mary's throne saying: "Lady of Heaven I am come to ask grace." Whereupon she solicited more than thirty graces for different persons. Our Lady replied: "To Philomena nothing is refused." St Gabriel wrote down the concessions with a golden pen. Then the saint turned to Mother Mary Louisa and asked: "Have you seen how this was done? I asked the graces from Mary, and through Mary they were granted to me."

These revelations have received the Imprimatur of the Holy Office, which means simply that the Church has pronounced them free from anything contrary to the Faith. It does not pronounce further. Everyone is left quite free to accept them at their worth or reject them. But surely the speedy and marvelous answers everywhere to prayers which have been offered in her honor, and by all classes of persons, seem to verify the words: To Philomena nothing is refused!

"My children, St. Philomena, has great power with God. Her virginity and generosity in embracing her heroic martyrdom has rendered her so agreeable to God that He will never refuse her anything that she asks for us." St. John Vianney (Cure of Ars)

"Philomena is a great Saint." Pope Leo XII

"Have full confidence in this great Saint, she will obtain for you all that you ask." Ven. Pauline Jaricot

"Our accursed enemy is this great Virgin and Martyr, St. Philomena. Devotion to her is a new and terrible warfare to hell." (devils during exorcism)