Saint Cecilia (3rd Century AD) was born into a
prominent pagan family in Rome. In her youth she secretly became a disciple
of Christ. She was known to sing praises to the Lord with all her heart.
When her parents betrothed her to a young man named Valerian, she brought
him to faith in Christ.
During this time, Christians in Rome were being
violently persecuted, many to the point of martyrdom; Cecilia, her husband,
and his brother made it their work to go out by night and secretly give
pious burial to the martyrs and give charitable help to their families.
Eventually, their courageous deeds were discovered,
and the two brothers were in their own turn arrested and condemned as
Christians. At the moment of their beheading, the Roman officer Maximus saw
heaven open and angels come to receive their souls; he, along with several
other onlookers, confessed Christ, and in his turn died under torture.
Finally, Cecilia herself was arrested and, after faithfully enduring various
tortures, was beheaded.
Because St Cecilia is described in her first
biography as a lover of music, she is honored as the patroness of church
music, and is often shown playing the organ.
