St. Anastasia
Widow
- "excerpts taken from Victories of the Martyrs," by St. Alphonsus de Liguori
Taken from the Acts of St. Anastasia, who is mentioned in the Canon of the Mass, and commemorated by the Church [old calendar] on December 25, St. Anastasia was a spiritual child of St. Chrysogonus (also martyred). The time frame is during the Diocletian persecution in the fourth century perhaps the year 304 A.D.
St. Anastasia was a Roman lady of noble descent. Her father was an opulent and noble pagan; but her mother, who was a Christian, caused her to be baptized in her infancy, and secretly reared her in sentiments of Christian piety, in which she made great progress.
St. Anastasia had been married to a noble Roman, named Publius, who was a pagan; he loved his wife much, but having discovered her acts of piety, and that she was a Christian, from a loving husband he became a cruel tyrant, confined her to the house, and treated her like a slave. The saint, rejoiced that she could suffer for the love of Jesus Christ.
Publius, her cruel husband, having been appointed by the emperor ambassador to the King of Persia, gave orders to his domestics that they should maltreat his wife during his absence and that there should be no fear if she would be found dead upon his return. But God ordained that Publius met with an untimely death upon his journey; while the saint, having regained her pious labors in behalf of the prisoners of Jesus Christ.
St. Anastasia, inflamed with the love of God, occupied her time in consoling and succoring the Christians, particularly those who were in prison, who she exhorted to suffer for the faith. Having heard of the arrest of St. Chrysogonus, she hurried to his prison, and esteemed herself fortunate in having it in her power to be of service to him in this trial. He had been in prison for one year, during which he instructed his fellow-prisoners who were Christians, and converted many pagans to the faith. St. Anastasia rendered him such assistance, by reason of her extraordinary works of charity.
St. Chrysogonus, by order of Diocletian on November 24 in the year 303, was beheaded, but St. Anastasia continued her mission to the prisoners. One day upon an errand of charity, and having found that all the holy confessors had been butchered by order of the emporer, she wept bitterly. When officers of the court asked why she wept, she replied "I weep because I have lost my brethren, who have been cruelly put to death." Hence she was arrested and brought before the prefect, Florus, who got no satisfaction from her defence and so then he sent her to the emperor Diocletian. Diocletian was unsuccessful in exhorting her to abandon a religion which was proscribed thoroughout the empire, and so sent her back to the prefect Florus. He sent her to the pontiff of the capitol, Upian, in the hope that he could convince her to sacrifice to the gods.
Upian having used all his arts of persuasion in vain, said to her: "Now I shall give thee but three days to determine." Anastasia replied: "They are three too many; thou mayest imagine them already past. I am a Christian, and am anxious to die for Jesus Christ. From me thou shalt never get any other answer."
Upian then employed the assistance of three idolatrous women; but this having proved ineffectual, he made a second attempt himself, in which he had the effrontery to be guilty of some immodest action. This was instantly punished by the Almighty; for he was struck blind upon the spot, and seized by convulsions that within an hour terminated his life.
Florus, enraged at the death of Upian, caused the saint to be shut up in prison, with the intention of starving her; but the Lord miraculously preserved her life. Florus transferred her to another prison thinking the jailer had transgressed his orders to starve her - but she continued to live without food. Florus then ordered her to be put on board a ship with 120 idolaters - the ship was bored with holes and was supposed to sink. The ship soon filled with water, but instead of sinking went ashore; and the miracle worked the conversion of all these persons, who afterwards had the glory of suffering martyrdom for Jesus Christ. St. Anastasia was then conducted to the island of Palmarola, under sentence of death; she consummated her triumph in the flames.
A Christian lady obtained her body, and gave it honourable burial near Zara, in Dalmatia; but about the year 460, under the Emperor Leo, her relics were transferred Constantinople, and placed, as Cardinal Orsi writes, in the celebrated church of the Resurrection, called The Anastasia.
PS There is also another St. Anastasia recorded in the same book who was martyred in the year 249 AD. She was martyred along with St. Cyril of Rome under the Valerian persecution. This St. Anastasia is often referred to as the Elder to distinguish her from St. Anastasia, widow, above.
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I was given the name Anastasia as a baby at my Baptism 39 years ago, I have longed for many years to know more about the life of this saint and today, curiosity took me to the web and I have gotten more information. I am happy I was given that name and pray to be as brave as my patron saint. Her life is a challenge to my faith and I pray God to help me imitate this great lady.
I thought this website was somewhat helpful. I am doing a school project on a saint. I have St. Anastasia. I would've liked more information, but this is the only website on the internet that has information on her. So, what am I going to do, right?
mah nam is Anastasia an im chosin it fo' mah confermation nam 2 'snt dat funy?
y'all shuld pway 2 sant Anastasia 'ere I dink it wuld du u a lotta good now
Anastasia's a bee-yoo-tea-full nam now ain't it?
an don' say uderwise cuz it relly is now
id betta get agoin' now ive got work tuh du
an rememba: pway 2 sant anstasia now
totes luv dis sant im soo chosing her for ma confirmation nam hop u y'all luv er 2 cuz shes awsum
Dis has been what i went to know for long but God i have know it today,every thing about my petron saint and her name is my comfarmation name i give God the praise
sat nov 24, 2012 3:39 pm thanks ---GOD BLESS ALL---THIS SAINT IS THE ONE I HAVE BEEN LONGING TO KNOW!!!!!! IN HIS PEACE ---lynne
I visited St. Anastasia Roman Catholic Church on sunday...that's when my interest in her sparked...I spoke witha father Michael Buckle.
I went against lucifer workers at CIBC in jamaica and it has followed me here..I am in dyer need of your prayers for me...I am also having problems with some men i was friendly with...
they are molesting my daughter's yanique soul...having soul sex with her...but i feel it..she says through when i speak with her in the physical that her soul is intact in the physical but they use pictures from she was either 7-12 years also her father albert anthony holness...
Please do say the Rosary for me and my our Blessed mother Mary Star of the Sea and the light of our Father Lord Jesus Christ continue to keep you on the website.
Ta!
Yvonne
**OMG!! Love her story she is fabulous, I am using this name for confirmation**
my name is Anastasia Mine is ask St.Anastasia to pray for me to have the same faith she had and to love Jesus with all my heart and to live for Him only
I agree with Elizabeth Wood: we pray with the saints and ask for their help and intercession, but we pray to God! I am really excited because St. Anastasia will be my Patroness through Confirmation in a week!! To everyone else who chose her or will choose her, too, have a blessed life!
Can I have this be both my real name and my confirmation name?
St. Anastasia's feast day is Christmas in case you were wondering
What is St.Anastasia's feast day?I NEED TO KNOW!!!!
This website was really helpful for me. I have chosen Anastasia for my Confirmtaion name. After reading about this brave and strong-faithed saint, I have decided I want to be like her. She firmly stood up for her beliefs and didn't fear dying for the Lord.
-Jessica Junco-Nguyen <3 (:
i always loved the name anastasiaa.mah frends name is anastasia.i want dis as mah saint name.
This was the name I chose for confirmation 40 years ago!! In reading this again, I'd say that I must have really done my homework in researching saints names. From the many thousands of choices, and my age at the time, I am quite surprised that I would still choose the same name today & feel even more positive about it!
Okay I definetally have her as a Saint that i might pick for confirmation :) But really i've been reading the comments. For you Catholics out there that don't know this, we DO NOT pray TO saints we pray WITH them :) So for those of you that said, "I prayed to St. Anastasia and she helped me" and your Catholic you should know that our faith does not pray to saints we ask them to pray with us. We pray to and only to God :) Who is also Jesus as the Father the Son and the Holy spirit are one body :)
St. Anastsia is so brave i am going to choose her for my confirmation
anastasia is my name and this saint is my cinfirmation saint name i am soooooooo excited
Guess who's my new confirmation saint