"About St. Lucy" This paper describes the life of St. Lucy. It also describes how she came to be a saint and martyr.

About St. Lucy

St. Lucy, according to traditional story, was born of rich and noble parents in the year of 283.

She is thought to have been Greek, due to her mother's name, Eutychia. Lucy, like so many

of theearly martyrs had concecrated her virginity to God and hoped to devote all her worldly

goods to theservice of the poor.The fame of the virgin-martyr Agatha, who had been executed

fifty-two years before inthe Decian persecution, was attracting numerous visitors to her relics

at Catania and many miracles had been wrought through her intercession. Eutychia was

therefore persuaded to make a pilgrimage to Catania, in the hope of being cured or a

haemorrhage. There she was in fact cured, and Lucy, availing herself of the opportunity,

persuadedher mother to allow her to distributea great part of her riches among the poor.

The largess stirred the greed of the unworthy youth towhom Lucy had been unwillingly betrothed.

Lucy Lou Upload

Lucy's Drawing

Head from a statue of Diocletian at the Istanbul A...

and he denounced her to Paschasius, the Governor of Sicily. It was in the year 303, during

the persecution of Diocletian. She was first of all condemned to suffer prostitution; but in the

strength of God she stood immovable, so that they could not drag her away to the place of

shame. Bundles of wood were then heaped about her and set on fire, and again God saved

her. Finally, she met her death by the sword. But before she died she foretold the punishment

of Paschasius and the speedy termination of the persecution, adding that Diocletian

would reign no more, and Maximian would meet his end. So, strengthened with the Bread

of Life, and she won her crown of virginity and martyrdom.