St. Mary's Basilica
Phoenix, Arizona
St. Lucy
It’s easy to take things for granted when we see them every week. Let’s take the next couple of weeks to explore the Saints of St. Mary’s Basilica found in our stained glass windows. Together let’s rediscover our saintly companions on our journey of faith. We begin our series with St. Lucy.
Who is St. Lucy?
St. Lucy is a Christian virgin marty of the fourth century. Visit Franciscan Media, a ministry of the Franciscan Friars (OFM), for a short audio and written reflection on the history of St. Lucy.
Saints and their Attributes
Artists have developed standard ways of representing saints, allowing their images to be ‘read’ to reveal their identities. Artists often show saints with particular symbols, known as attributes. These attributes are reminders of how a saint was martyred, while others recall important actions or events from their life. Through attributes we are able to identify the saints and tell their stories.
What are St. Lucy’s attributes?
Palm Branch:
Is a symbol for Christian martyrdom. The oldest record of her story comes from the fifth-century Acts of the Martyrs. A disappointed suitor accused Lucy of being a Christian, and she was executed in Syracuse, Sicily, in the year 304 during the Diocletianic Persecution.
Sword (Sometimes depicted as a dagger):
Represents the manner of her death by sword.
Two Eyes on a Platter:
Originally the reason for this was that people called on her to intercede for diseases of the eye, presumably because of her name, Lucia (from the Latin word “lux” which means “light”). But legends developed in which she was said to have had her eyes removed by her persecutors.
Patron Saint of:
The Blind
Eye Disorders
Feast Day:
December 13
Prayer to St. Lucy:
O God, our Creator and Redeemer, mercifully hear our prayers that as we venerate your servant, Saint Lucy, for the light of faith you bestowed upon her, you would increase and preserve this same light in our souls that we may be able to avoid evil, to do good, and to abhor nothing so much as the blindness and the darkness of evil and of sin. Relying on your goodness, O God, we humbly ask you, by the intercessory prayers of your servant, Saint Lucy, that you would give perfect vision to our eyes, that they may serve for your greater honor and glory and for the salvation of our souls in this world, that we may come to the enjoyment of your unfailing light of the Lamb of God in paradise. Saint Lucy, virgin and martyr, hear our prayers and obtain our petitions.
Docent Tours
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To schedule a group docent tour to explore the history, architecture, art, sacred symbols and mission of St. Mary’s Basilica please contact us.
heavenly father, help me, You knows my pain, You always know what was happened because You see everything a most hidden corner , I come with a broken heart, Father, You knows how long I have waited a reconcilitation for me and him. God if you deign, please God soften and touch damianus aditya christie heart for me. I can’t touch his heart, but Lord you can. please bless those who hate me, don’t let their hatred on I made them proud. God you be able to do all things. you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long. please make this miracle happen for me