ST ATTRACTA, VIRGIN - 9 FEBRUARY

 

ALL SAINTS CELEBRATED IN FEBRUARY

Saints celebrated on the 9th of February

Prayer to the Angels and the Saints

Heavenly Father, in praising Your Angels and Saints we praise Your glory, for by honouring them we honour You, their Creator. Their splendour shows us Your greatness, which infinitely surpasses that of all creation.

In Your loving providence, You saw fit to send Your Angels to watch over us. Grant that we may always be under their protection and one day enjoy their company in heaven.

Heavenly Father, You are glorified in Your Saints, for their glory is the crowning of Your gifts. You provide an example for us by their lives on earth, You give us their friendship by our communion with them, You grant us strength and protection through their prayer for the Church, and You spur us on to victory over evil and the prize of eternal glory by this great company of witnesses.

Grant that we who aspire to take part in their joy may be filled with the Spirit that blessed their lives, so that, after sharing their faith on earth, we may also experience their peace in heaven. Amen.

ST ATTRACTA, VIRGIN 

Saint Attracta (or Tarahata), a royal maiden in Ireland, fled to the province of Connaught to avoid marriage. She followed her saintly brother (or cousin) Coemanus and dedicated herself to God in front of St Patrick, and miraculously received the actual veil from heaven. 

[She then settled at a place called "Kill-Attracta" after her, a name the location has retained to this day.]

ST ATTRACTA RESTORED LIBERTY TO A TRAPPED ARMY

Many signs and wonders happened through her intercession: for instance, she killed a terrible dragon with the Sign of the Cross. 

On another occasion, she rescued an army that was imprisoned in a narrow valley. Their superior enemy had blocked off all possible escape routes by placing guards. St Attracta, however, made the army's safe passage possible by leading them through the adjacent lake that dried up under their feet. In this manner she restored freedom to the soldiers.

THE MIRACLE INVOLVING WILD DEER

On yet another occasion, when wood was needed for building, and men to carry it in short supply, she loaded the wild deer, which followed her beckon, with the necessary amount of wood, which she tied to them with no other tie than some of her hair, which she tore out for the purpose. She died in the 5th century.

(Information from Stadler's Complete Encyclopedia of Saints, 1858)