A Saint Beloved by the Church

She is a saint like no other: the only person in history “recognized as a saint solely on the basis of her intercessory miracles.” Unlike other saints, there was no written historical record of her life when she was raised to the altar of the Church. This hints at her special mission, some of which has been revealed to us, as we will see, but which has still yet to completely unfold. Thus far it has done so brilliantly, in both her secret intercessions for souls and her astonishing public miracles, which have earned her the name “Great Wonderworker of the Nineteenth Century.”

Despite her abundant and awesome miracles, confusion and doubt has arisen in recent decades because of the 1961 Congregation of Rites decision to remove her feast from the liturgical calendar, giving way to questions such as: Is Saint Philomena really a saint? Did she even exist?

The faithful can rest assured that this decision in no way calls into question her existence or sainthood. On the contrary! Saint Philomena’s sainthood has been consistently affirmed by the highest authority of the Church, with nineteen acts by five popes promoting devotion to St. Philomena! Still today, devotion at her Mugnano shrine is practiced with the full approval of the Holy See.

Those who doubt the legitimacy of her devotion should consider what Pope Pius X said about his decision to raise the Venerable Archconfraternity of Saint Philomena to the status of Universal Archconfraternity. This confirmed the legitimacy of devotion to Saint Philomena. In the Apostolic Brief Pias Fidelium Societates, he solemnly stated: ". . . to discredit the present decisions and declarations concerning Saint Philomena as not being permanent, stable, valid and effective, necessary of obedience, and in full effect for all eternity, proceeds from an element that is null and void and without merit or authority." One could say that Pope Pius X had the final say on Saint Philomena!

Great Wonderworker of the Nineteenth Century

What was at first lacking in historical knowledge about Saint Philomena’s life would be made up for with an outpouring of miracles, which were so numerous and remarkable that by the mid-1800’s, the faithful were clamoring to have her made a saint.

When the body of Saint Philomena was discovered in an underground cemetery in 1802, it was immediately apparent that she was no ordinary girl. Her marble coffin displayed special emblems: a palm frond representing the victory of martyrdom, and an anchor as well as two criss-crossed arrows to show the afflictions she endured. A lily represented virginity. Three marble tiles sealed her tomb, which were found to read (when correctly arranged): Pax Tecum Filumena - Peace be to you, Philomena!

The full extent of this little martyr’s identity remained, for the time being, a mystery. But God’s manifestation of her sanctity came quickly and splendidly: As those excavating her tomb transferred her encased dried blood particles to another vase for examination, they were astonished to find these particles had transformed into what appeared to be glittering gems of emerald, ruby, diamond, gold and silver! Luigi Cardinal Ruffo Scilla testified to this miracle in his solemn deposition.
See Sr. Marie Helen Mohr’s book > [1]

This wonder was only the first of innumerable miracles [2], of which here is mentioned only a tiny fraction. The miraculous multiplication of her bone dust, the mysterious re-painting of a botched paper-maiche statue made (or rather, attempted) in her likeness, and the sealing of a cracked marble altar created in her honor were all among her first miracles officially confirmed by the Church. She continues to work miracles and intercede for souls today, with her most momentous miracles being those of grace.

Raised to the Altar of the Church

The decisive miracle that would raise Saint Philomena to the altar of the Church was to come through another holy woman, Venerable Pauline Marie Jaricot, foundress of what would become the Vatican Congregation Propaganda Fidei. Stricken with a grave illness while only in her 30’s, Pauline decided to seek Saint Philomena’s intercession for healing by embarking upon a pilgrimage to her shrine in Mugano, Italy. On the way, she stopped in Rome to ask the Holy Father to formally approve public devotion to Philomena if she returned to him cured after visiting the shrine in Mugnano. This he agreed to, because she appeared so near death that the Pope had no expectation that she would ever return.

Pauline arrived to Mugnano resigned to the will of God, but many townspeople, seeing her so ill that she looked more like a corpse than a living person, implored Saint Philomena for Pauline’s healing. During her third evening in church on August 10, Pauline began to experience her miraculous cure during the blessing of the Most Holy Sacrament.

When Pauline returned to Rome to visit Pope Gregory XVI, he requested that she stay in Rome a year so that he could verify her miraculous healing, and deliver his promise. And so he did: in 1837, he solemnly confirmed her public veneration and bestowed a Mass in her honor.