St Agatha’s Breasts

St Agatha was martyred by having her breasts cut off, and in early pictures and statues, she is shown holding them on a plate, just as St Lucy is shown with two eyeballs on a plate.

She was put to death for her Christian witness in Catania in Sicily and her fame quickly spread through the Church. Because of misunderstanding what she was holding on the plate, she became in later years the patron saint of bell-ringers. In our own day, she has (more relevantly) become the patron saint of those who suffer from breast cancer.

So the Intention at this morning’s Mass was for all who are suffering from cancer. May the prayers of St Agatha bring them strength and healing.