St. Lucy
Feast day: December 13
Born in Sicily to a noble Roman family, Lucy was a young child when her father died. Her mother raised her in the Christian faith. Spurning marriage and worldly goods, Lucy vowed to remain a virgin in the tradition of St. Agatha. Her mother, not knowing of her vow, promised her in marriage to a young man from a wealthy pagan family. When Lucy refused to marry, the angry suitor reported her as a Christian to the Roman authorities. She was arrested and subjected to torture, including burning, stabbing and eye-gouging. Lucy is among the saints listed in the Canon of the Mass. She is patron of the blind.
Collect
May the glorious intercession
of the Virgin and Martyr Saint Lucy
give us new heart, we pray, O Lord,
so that we may celebrate her heavenly birthday
in this present age
and so behold things eternal.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever.
