About St. Philomena
St. Philomena was a Greek princess who was martyred at age 13 by the Roman emperor Diocletian after refusing to marry him and maintaining her vow of virginity to Christ. While she became extremely popular among Catholics, including St. John Vianney who attributed all his miracles to her intercession, her cultus became controversial in the 20th century due to questions about historical authenticity. In 1961, her feast day was removed from the Roman calendar, though private devotion to her continues. This makes her case particularly interesting as an example of how popular devotion and official recognition can sometimes diverge in Catholic tradition, though I should note that some of these historical details may be imprecise since this is a complex historical case.
Prayers & Devotions
