Did you know St Perpetua and St Felicity are among the Catholic Church’s earliest martyrs? You may recall their names from the latter half of Eucharistic Prayer #1 when said during Mass. These saints have a pride of place among the Communion of Saints for their steadfast faith in God. Perpetua, a 22-year-old mother, and Felicity, her servant, lived in Carthage, an area of Northern Africa and part of the Roman Empire, in the 2nd-3rd centuries A.D. The two women were part of a small group imprisoned for their Christian faith. Both women remained committed to God knowing their choice meant torture and death. Perpetua even nursed her baby while in prison and Felicity gave birth only days before her death; both children were raised by Christian families after their mothers’ martyrdom. Perpetua kept a diary that is one of the earliest writings by a Christian woman. In it, she describes her father’s pleas to turn away from Christ and save her own life. “‘Father,’ said I, ‘do you see this vase here?’ ‘Yes, I do,’ said he. And I told him: ‘Could it be called by any other name than what it is?’ And he said: ‘No.’ ‘Well, so too I cannot be called anything other than what I am, a Christian.’” Sts Perpetua and Felicity are the patron saints of mothers, expectant mothers, ranchers, and butchers. Their feast day is on March 7th. -Written by parishioner, Rick Frantz