St. Cecilia was born during the second century to a very rich family. When she was young, she married a man named Valerian. However, she had already decided to remain a virgin and consecrated to Jesus. On their wedding night, she told Valerian of this calling, and said that her guardian angel was protecting her virginity. He wanted proof of this consecration by seeing her angel.
“After you convert and are baptized a Christian you will be able to see my angel,” Cecilia said.
Eventually he did become Christian, and it is said that he was able to see her guardian angel! He saw her angel crown her with roses and lilies. After Valerian became Christian, his brother did as well. Together they worked for God and spent their lives doing so.
Cecilia loved to tell people about Jesus and helped many become Christian throughout her life. Valerian and his brother would spend their days secretly burying the recently martyred men and women of that age. It was a dangerous time to be a Christian.
Eventually, Valerian and his brother were discovered to be Christians, and they too were martyred. St. Cecilia was later caught and killed. She is believed to have said, “To die for Christ is not to sacrifice one’s youth, but to renew it”.
St. Cecilia is the patron saint of music because it is thought that she sang in her heart during her wedding, asking Jesus to keep her virginity for Him alone, and to consecrate her to Himself.
St. Cecilia, pray for us!
Ideas for Celebrating the Feast Day at Home:
- If you have an altar, fireplace mantel, or bookcase, set up a candle with a printed picture or holy card of St. Cecilia. This automatically makes it feel like a special day. You can even put out a little treat in the morning to help kids know today we are celebrating a special saint.
- Our family finds holiness in the simple things! An image, quote board, and candle always help make a feast day feel different from others. We prayed this prayer to honor St. Cecilia.
- Incorporate music into the day today. Have children play their favorite instruments, sing together as a family, or have a dance party. Listen to good sacred music. Try our parish playlist here.
- Our toddler loves a good dance party, and it’s always fun when Dad uses his gift of guitar playing to have a “jam session”. We celebrated with both. Everyone likes different music, so celebrate the diversity of music and dance to your family’s favorite songs!
- Find a musical treat to share! An easy piano replica recipe can be found here!
- We opted for an even easier version of the pianos as you can see in the picture, using just vanilla wafers and Kit-Kat bars.
- During your “jam session”, have a snack of biscuits and jam!