St. Afra
Catholic Heroes series
Lydia Davidson
Aug 04, 2025The Fifth Day of August AT Rome, on Mount Esquiline, the dedication of the church of St. Mary of the Snows.—Also at Rome, during the persecution of Diocletian, the martyrdom of twenty-three holy martyrs, who were beheaded on the Salarian road, and buried at the foot of Cucumer hill.—At Augsburg, the birthday of St. Afra, martyr. After being converted from Paganism by the instructions of bishop St. Narcissus, and being baptized with all her household, she was delivered to the flames for the confession of Christ.—At Ascoli, in the Marches, St. Emygdius, bishop and martyr, who was consecrated bishop by pope St. Marcellus, and sent thither to preach the Gospel. He received the crown of martyrdom for the confession of Christ, under the emperor Diocletian.—At Antioch, St. Eusignius, a soldier, who at the age of one hundred and ten years, because he reproached Julian the Apostate for forsaking the faith of Constantine the Great, under whom he had served, and for having degenerated from his ancestors’ piety, was decapitated by his command. Also, the holy martyrs Cantidius, Cantidian, and Sobel, Egyptians.—At Chalons, in France, St. Memmius, a Roman citizen, who, being consecrated bishop of that city by St. Peter, brought to the truth of the Gospel the people committed to his care.—At Autun, blessed Cassian, bishop.—At Teano, St. Paris, bishop.—In England, St. Oswald, king, whose life is related by Venerable Bede.—The same day, St. Nonna, mother of blessed Gregory Nazianzen.
(From the Roman Martyrology, August 5th)
Façade of the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore facing the Piazza
Today is the Feast of Our Lady of the Snows. This day marks the miraculous snowfall on the Esquiline Hill in Rome, which prompted the construction of the Basilica of Saint Mary Major. This miracle took place in the middle of a hot Roman summer, a sign from Our Blessed Mother that she wanted a basilica to be built on the spot in honor of her.
Today also marks the heavenly birthday of various martyrs. Let's read a little about one such martyr: St. Afra for example . She was a 4th-century martyr,. She is venerated as a saint in the Catholic, Orthodox, and Anglican churches. She was a convert from a life dedicated to the goddess Venus to Christianity.
Saint Afra, by the Master of Messkirch, c. 1535–1540
Afra was originally from Cyprus, and came to live in Augsburg, Germany. As with women dedicated to Venus, she probably worked as a prostitute or worked in a temple dedicated to Venus. During the Diocletian persecution, Bishop Narcissus of Girona sought refuge with her and her mother, Hilaria. Through his preaching, Afra and her household converted to Christianity. However, the authorities soon learned about her conversion to Christ, putting Afra in danger of death. She was ordered to sacrifice to the pagan gods and give up her Christian Faith, but Afra refused to renounce Christ. She was therefore condemned to death, and she alongwith her mother and three servants were burned at the stake.
St. Afra is the patron saint of Augsburg, Germany, and is also invoked by converts and those seeking forgiveness for past sins.
Learning about such heroes of the Faith is a great motivation for us today. Marking and honoring the feast days of these elder brothers and sisters of our Christian religion keeps us in touch with our core belief of the Communion of Saints. These saints are the living stones of the House of God, they are the living part of what we call our Catholic Tradition because they teach us through their lives and deaths about what it means to be disciples of Christ. In life and in death, they continue to preach Christ and we can read these living testimonies by looking up what Holy Mother Church has recorded about them.
This is not the stuff of legends, this is the life of the Church in time. Since there are many people to talk and write about the crisis in the Church today, I have decided to write about Catholics who faced death rather than leave Christ. These Catholic heroes faced far worse challenges than some of the things we face today. To have recourse to them, we need to know this cloud of witnesses. Therefore, I am endeavoring to put up essays on such unknown heroes, to inspire and comfort us in our own struggles.
If you find my work helpful, please like and share it, as the algorithm doesn't promote my substack. I don't get paid for writing on substack and I've given up the idea that I will ever get paid, but if more Catholics can learn about our Catholic heritage, then Catholic Tradition will no longer be the striving of only a few traditionalists. It will be the Catholic Church reclaiming her identity and stamping out the modernists.