ST OLIVIA OF PALERMO, VIRGIN AND MARTYR - 10 JUNE

 

ALL SAINTS CELEBRATED IN JUNE

Saints celebrated on the 10th of June

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 OLIVIA OF PALERMO, VIRGIN AND MARTYR

Saint Oliva [Olivia] is venerated as a martyr in Palermo. The Bollandists set her life and end between the years 827 and 1070. She is almost always depicted in the company of Saint Rosalia. She bears an allusion to her name, an olive branch and, as a martyr, the palm tree. 

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

SHE CONVERTED MANY TO THE FAITH

St Olivia happened to be sent to North Africa, where she converted many to the Christian faith by word and example, and as punishment she was tortured by the authorities, and dipped in a vat of hot oil. Miraculously, she suffered no harm. Finally, she was beheaded. In Tunisia there was an ancient Christian basilica dedicated in her honour, which was built on the site of her tomb.

PRAYER:

May blessed Olivia, Virgin and Martyr, who was ever pleasing to you by the merit of her chastity and by her trust in your power, implore for us your forgiveness, we beseech you, O God. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen.