Sts. Perpetua and Felicity/ Monday 1st Week of Lent

 

Sts. Perpetua and Felicity

In the eyes of the world, Saints Perpetua and Felicity were separated by status: one a well-educated noblewoman, the other a servant or slave. Yet, in life and in death, these two women from early 3rd century Carthage, North Africa, were sisters in Christ. They were arrested along with their companions under a decree of the emperor, Septimus Severus, that forbade anyone to become Christian. The group was condemned to death in the “games” of the arena. While their names are not very popular today, they are recited in the Eucharistic Prayer of the Roman Canon and will echo through Time.