A brave Christian martyr, she faced torture and death for her faith. A fervent defender of her chastity

Today we commemorate the martyrdom of a young Christian virgin Agatha who lived during one of the bloodiest persecutions by the Roman Empire, under Emperor Decio. She had consecrated her virginity to God, and when she was arrested for being a Christian, first, they tried to convince her to make sacrifices to the gods; not accomplising that, they forced her to prostitution as punishment. Agatha asked God for help and did not faint before his torturers. —Now she is patron of Catania and all of Sicily and the surroundings of the Etna volcano, and she is invoked to prevent fire damage.