Rome’S Female Saints: A Poetic Pilgrimage to the Eternal City

By Nicol Nixon Augusté PhD

When it comes to saints, there is no place like Rome. The topic of saints has always been and continues to be of universal interest. The importance of Romes Female Saints: A Poetic Pilgrimage to the Eternal City rests in continuing to tell the stories of those women who have been largely ignored by or lost to history so that readers interested in sainthood, martyrdom, history, biography, poetry, and travel can share in an experience that can continue into the next generation.

Romes Female Saints is a guided tour of female saints in Rome, Italy. This book provides an engaging experience to be had in Rome or from home. This reading tour not only helps people remember those women in the past who have been martyred or have selflessly served others for their faith in Christ, but this book also encourages readers to be aware of and create solidarity with those who continue to either endure torture and martyrdom or serve the Body in the name of Jesus Christ. Saints covered in this book range from women living during the Apostolic Age such as Saints Anastasia and Basilissa of Rome to more recent saints like Saint Teresa of Calcutta.

This work encourages readers to celebrate the women of God through biography, site information, and poetry. Each saint is catalogued with an entry including several gems: her feast day, a brief biography of the saints life, the site associated with the saint, the word(s) the Holy Spirit gave the author during prayer at the site, and original poetry praising the saint that includes the God-given word(s). Romes Female Saints is intended for readers who desire a lasting, engaging experience, one that connects them to these unique women of God, as well as their lives, their stories, their relics, and their commitments to Christ.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: May 18, 2017
• ISBN: 9781512781786

Nicol Nixon Augusté PhD

Circus Maximus. Rome, Italy. Photo by Andr August. Nicol Nixon August, PhD, is a Professor of Liberal Arts. Her research interests include Women & Theology, Rhetoric & Composition, and Native American studies. Nicol is a SCAD American Academy in Rome Affiliated Fellowship recipient. Her work has appeared in journals such as Sandhill Review and Catholic Medical Quarterly UK, and The Tau. Romes Female Saints: A Poetic Pilgrimage to the Eternal City stems from her passion for telling the stories of underrepresented women. This book connects past, present, and future. Early followers of the Way, now known as Christians, have been and continue to be persecuted and martyred because of their faith in Jesus Christ. Please pray and stand in solidarity with me and with those who continue to be persecuted and martyred for their faith. And please pray their executioners will come to know God. For more information and photos, visit me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/romesfemalesaints/ or email me at [e-mail]

Book preview

Copyright © 2017 Nicol Nixon Augusté, PhD.

Cover and Author Photography by André Augusté

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

The Catholic Study Bible. Second Ed. NAB. Oxford UP, 2011.

WestBow Press

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

ISBN: 978-1-5127-8177-9 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5127-8178-6 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2017906929

WestBow Press rev. date: 03/14/2018

Contents

Acknowledgements

I. RED CROWN MARTYRS

Agatha

Justice

Agnes

Betrothed

Anastasia of Rome and Basilissa of Rome

Burial Practices

Anastasia of Sirmium

Adoration Chapel

Antonina of Nicaea

Three Days

Barbara

A Daughter’s Love

Cecilia

Love Song

Cecilia’s Haiku

Cirilla/Cyrilla

Roman Holiday

Felicity

A Seed of Her Church

Julitta

Life’s Little Gifts

Prisca

Other

Seraphia and Sabina

On Aventine Hill

Susanna

A Family Affair

Vittoria

Morning in Prison

II. DOCTORS OF THE CHURCH

Catherine of Siena

Feast Day in Rome

She Is

Teresa of Avila

Doctor and Physician

In Her Words²⁵

Sound Bites

Thérèse of Lisieux

Visiting Hours

Bike Riding with Maurice

III. FORERUNNERS

Elizabeth

Summer Solstice

Mary, Blessed Virgin

Motherhood

Protoevangelium

Mary Magdalene

Beauty

Priscilla

Rabbi

IV. FOUNDRESSES

Bridget of Sweden

Inked

Faustina

Intercession

Frances

Veneration

Helena

Empress

Monica

An African Angel

Teresa of Calcutta

A Handful

Mother

About the Author

Notes

Appendix

Consulted Works

For André

Saints were remarkable because no one saw them coming.

~ Rev. Jerome Santamaria, Rome, 2016¹

There is no hidden poet in me, just a little piece of God that might grow into poetry.

~ Etty Hillesum, An Interrupted Life

TO THE READER:

The backstory of this project originally involved researching the narratives of first-century women who worshipped and sacrificed their lives for the Jewish-Christian God. However, the more time I spent studying in Rome, Italy, the more I began to truly engage with—and fall in love with—The Eternal City. This project organically evolved into a multidisciplinary work that celebrates female saints associated with Rome. My research took me to impressive libraries, including the Arthur & Janet C. Ross Library and the Vatican Library. I visited Rome’s numerous spectacular churches, sites of martyrdom, archeological areas, and captivating catacombs. Also, I was afforded the opportunity to study her stunning sculptures and remarkable reliquaries.

This book includes an entry for each female saint; each entry offers the reader several gems: a brief biographical snapshot of the woman of God, the research site in Rome or Vatican City associated with the saint, and original poetry that celebrates the saint. Also, you will find the Word(s) God gave me while in prayer at the particular research site; this Word from the Lord can be found in the poem dedicated to the saint.

For a more interactive experience, see photo albums for each saint at https://www.facebook.com/romesfemalesaints.

ON SAINTHOOD

It was not until almost the mid-thirteenth century when the Catholic Church created a formal canonization process for sainthood candidacy. During the early centuries of Christian history, "believers instinctively honored the martyrs in an extraordinary way. And veneration was an almost exclusive privilege of the martyrs. We know of very few non-martyr saints from the first three centuries."² Normally, when a martyr or another deservedly holy person died, the day of death became that person’s day to be claimed and named a saint (now celebrated as feast days).³ The process gradually