A listing of prayers and devotions to St. Lucy for her powerful prayers and intercession. As Catholics, we believe in the intercession of the saints, who readily pray and assist us from Heaven.
The Novena to St. Lucy honors the virgin martyr of Syracuse, Sicily, patron saint of the blind and those with eye problems. According to tradition, her eyes were miraculously restored after being gouged out during her martyrdom, making her a powerful intercessor for both physical and spiritual sight. This nine-day prayer asks St. Lucy to obtain grace for clear vision of body and soul, protection from spiritual blindness, and the proper use of our sight for God’s glory.
The novena is traditionally prayed December 4-12, ending on the eve of her feast day, December 13.
O St. Lucy, whose name proclaims the radiance of light, we approach you with humble confidence to seek your holy intercession. Obtain for us, through your prayers, that sacred illumination which guides our souls away from the shadows of sin and leads us toward the brightness of virtue.
Obtain for us also these petitions which we offer to you in this novena:
[Mention your petitions now]
We beseech you, St. Lucy, through your powerful advocacy before the throne of the Lamb, the protection of our eye sight, and for the grace to employ our eyes always in service of God’s glory and never for that which offends His divine majesty.
Help us to perceive with clarity the truths of our faith and the needs of our neighbor, that we may walk steadfastly in the light of Christ and labor earnestly for the salvation of souls.
Pray for us, St. Lucy, that having honored you as our advocate in this earthly pilgrimage, we may one day behold with you the eternal splendor of the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ our Lord, in whose divine light all shadows flee away forever. Amen.
The eyes of St. Lucy, depicted on golden plates in countless works of sacred art, tell a story of ultimate sacrifice and unwavering faith that has captivated Catholics for over a millennium.
In the dimly lit galleries of the world’s greatest museums, one image stops visitors in their tracks: a beautiful young woman in flowing robes, gazing serenely upward while holding a golden plate containing two human eyes.
To the uninitiated, it seems macabre, even shocking. But to Catholics familiar with the saints, this is Saint Lucy of Syracuse—and those eyes tell one of the most powerful stories of faith, sacrifice, and divine light in Christian tradition.
A Young Woman’s Ultimate Sacrifice
Saint Lucy lived in Syracuse, Sicily, during the late third and early fourth centuries, a time when Christians faced severe persecution under the Roman Emperor Diocletian.
Born into a wealthy family around 283 AD, Lucy was raised as a Christian by her mother, Eutychia. When her mother arranged a marriage to a pagan suitor, Lucy had already consecrated her virginity to Christ and refused the union.
This refusal led to her denunciation as a Christian. According to historical accounts, Lucy was arrested around 304 AD and brought before the Roman governor Paschasius. When she refused to sacrifice to the Roman gods or renounce her faith, she was sentenced to death.
Various accounts describe her martyrdom, but all agree that she died for her Christian faith, becoming one of the Church’s most venerated virgin martyrs.
The Mystery Behind the Eyes
The image of Saint Lucy holding her eyes originates from later medieval legends rather than historical accounts of her martyrdom. According to these traditions, Lucy either plucked out her own eyes or had them removed as part of her torture, yet continued to see through divine intervention.
One popular version tells that Lucy removed her own eyes to discourage an unwanted suitor who persistently praised their beauty, sending them to him with the message that he could have what he admired while leaving her in peace to serve God.
Another account suggests that her eyes were gouged out during her torture by Roman authorities, but that God miraculously restored her sight.
While these stories developed centuries after Lucy’s actual martyrdom, they became deeply embedded in Christian tradition and artistic representation.
A Light for Our Times
Saint Lucy remains a beloved saint in the Catholic Church, officially recognized as one of the saints mentioned in the traditional Roman Canon of the Mass.
Her feast day on December 13th continues to be celebrated worldwide, with particular devotion in Sicily, Scandinavia, and among those seeking her intercession for eye-related ailments.
Many Catholics turn to Saint Lucy in prayer for:
Healing of eye diseases and vision problems
Spiritual clarity and insight
Protection of physical sight
Guidance during dark times
Strength to remain faithful under persecution
Her prayer traditions include novenas asking for her intercession, especially for those suffering from blindness or eye diseases, and litanies that invoke her as a model of virginal purity and martyrdom.
Seeing with the Eyes of Faith
The eyes of Saint Lucy, whether held on a golden plate or offered in prayer, invite the faithful to examine their own spiritual vision and to seek the light that comes only from God. In her witness, Catholics find not only a powerful intercessor for physical ailments, but a model of the clear-sighted faith that can illuminate even the darkest moments of human experience.
We invite you to join us in praying a Prayer to St. Lucy by clicking the link below, imploring her intercession to preserve the light of faith in our souls and to obtain perfect vision – both spiritual and physical.
St. Lucy (Santa Lucia) was a young Christian martyr who lived in Syracuse, Sicily, during the great persecution of Christians under the Roman Emperor Diocletian around 304 AD. According to tradition, she came from a wealthy family and had secretly devoted herself to Christ, refusing to marry her pagan betrothed. After her mother’s miraculous healing at the shrine of St. Agatha, Lucy convinced her to allow her to distribute much of their wealth to the poor. Her rejected suitor then denounced her as a Christian to the Roman authorities. Despite torture attempts, including a failed effort to burn her alive, she would not renounce her faith. She was ultimately killed by a sword through her throat, though many popular accounts include the detail of her eyes being gouged out during her torture (hence her association with eyes and sight). She is often depicted in art holding a plate with two eyes and wearing a crown of candles or lights. Her feast day on December 13 is particularly celebrated in Scandinavia, where it marks a festival of light during the dark winter. She is the patron saint of the blind and those with eye problems, and her name, derived from “lux” (light), adds symbolic meaning to her role as a bearer of Christ’s light.
The “Prayer toSt. Lucy”is a petition to St. Lucy, the patron saint of the eyes and for those who are blind and visually impaired, who was imprisoned and sentenced to death for her dedication to God. During her imprisonment, she is said to have prayed for her eyes to be preserved so that she could continue to see the world. It is said that God granted her this request, and when she was finally executed, her eyes remained intact.
Saint Lucy, whose beautiful name signifies ‘LIGHT’, by the light of faith which God bestowed upon you, increase and preserve His light in our souls, so that we may avoid evil, be zealous in the performance of good works, and abhor nothing so much as the blindness and the darkness of evil and sin.
Obtain for us, by your intercession with God, perfect vision for our bodily eyes and the grace to use them for God’s greater honor and glory and the salvation of souls. St. Lucy, virgin and martyr hear our prayers and obtain our petitions. Amen.
