St. Cecilia: Patron Saint of Church Music

yoho:D

i'm sure for those of you who joined MM, you have no idea whatsoever who is st. cecilia and all you know abt her is "Dear St. Cecilia, one thing we know........." right? it's ok, no one's looking at you, you can give the "ashamed" look. :D



so be ashamed no more! because here's the lowdown on her, courtesy of http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=34



and here she is:





so here's what the website said about her:

"The story of S. Cecilia is not without beauty and merit. There was in the city of Rome a virgin named Cecilia, who was given in marriage to a youth named Valerian. She wore sackcloth next to her skin, and fasted, and invoked the saints and angels and virgins, beseeching them to guard her virginity. And she said to her husband, "I will tell you a secret if you will swear not to reveal it to anyone." And when he swore, she added, "There is an angel who watches me, and wards off from me any who would touch me." He said, "Dearest, if this be true, show me the angel." "That can only be if you will believe in one God, and be baptized."
She sent him to Pope S. Urban (223-230), who baptized him; and when he returned, he saw Cecilia praying in her chamber, and an angel by her with flaming wings, holding two crowns of roses and lilies, which he placed on their heads, and then vanished. Shortly after, Tibertius, the brother of Valerian, entered, and wondered at the fragrance and beauty of the flowers at that season of the year.
When he heard the story of how they had obtained these crowns, he also consented to be baptized. After their baptism the two brothers devoted themselves to burying the martyrs slain daily by the prefect of the city, Turcius Almachius. [There was no prefect of that name.] They were arrested and brought before the prefect, and when they refused to sacrifice to the gods were executed with the sword.
In the meantime, S. Cecilia, by preaching had converted four hundred persons, whom Pope Urban forthwith baptized. Then Cecilia was arrested, and condemned to be suffocated in the baths. She was shut in for a night and a day, and the fires were heaped up, and made to glow and roar their utmost, but Cecilia did not even break out into perspiration through the heat. When Almachius heard this he sent an executioner to cut off her head in the bath. The man struck thrice without being able to sever the head from the trunk. He left her bleeding, and she lived three days. Crowds came to her, and collected her blood with napkins and sponges, whilst she preached to them or prayed. At the end of that period she died, and was buried by Pope Urban and his deacons. "


for us lowly peasants, though we can't see it, we too, have an angel watching over us. this angel of ours does not need a loudhailer to speak to us like the devil does. (loudhailer being the material wants in this world) if only we listen to our own self conscience and make the right choices, this voice of our angel will only get louder and louder cuz the devil's loudhailer will run out of battery.

more of st. cecilia can be found when u google "st cecilia" if you are interested. :)

so for those getting the sacrament of confirmation this year, i'd encourage everyone to use cecilia as your confirmation name! then when archbishop sees all of you with the same name, he would (as aloy ng would say..) STEAM AH!

kidding la..

but i do encourage you guys to look up on the saint whose name you want to use as your confirmation name so that we'd follow in their footsteps.. Saints were once human too right?