St. Lucy, a virgin and martyr of Syracuse in Sicily was born to a rich and noble family in the year 283. Her father died during her childhood after which her mother, Eutychia, raised her. Having consecrated her virginity to God, she tried incessantly to postpone the pagan marriage arranged by her mother. She prayed at the tomb of Saint Agatha to change her mother's mind about her marriage. Her mother, through the intervention of her prayers to the saint was miraculously cured of a long hemorrhagic illness. She eventually agreed to her daughter’s desire to live for God.

The rejected pagan bridegroom, Paschasius, enraged at the zealous decision Lucy had taken to pursue a life of faith, reported her as a Christian to the governor. The governor ordered her to be defiled in a brothel. However, the guards who came to fetch her were unable to move her. They tried to hitch her to a team of oxen which failed as well.

The governor then decided to kill her. The guards heaped bundles of wood around her, but it did not burn. On prophesying against her persecutors, they stabbed and executed her.

Lucy had prophesied before her death that Paschasius would also be punished. The governor on hearing about this prophecy did not leave her corpse to rest. He ordered her eyes to be gouged out. But to everyone’s surprise, while her body was prepared for burial, the virgin’s eyes were miraculously restored.
Sigebert (1030-1112), a monk of Gembloux, wrote Sermo de Sancta Lucia, in which he described Lucy's body as remaining undisturbed in Sicily for 400 years. Faroald II, Duke of Spoleto, later seized the island and transferred Lucy's remains to Abruzzo, Italy. It was removed by Emperor Otho I to Metz and left in the Church of St. Vincent. Her body has been since removed from the church.

Lucy knew of the heroism of earlier virgin martyrs. She followed their example and to the carpenter, whom she knew to be the Son of God.

Lucy, whose name can mean "light" or "lucid," is the patron saint of the blind. She is often depicted with the emblem of eyes on a cup or plate. In paintings, she is seen with a golden plate holding her eyes and a palm branch, a symbol of victory over evil.

Other Saints of the Day

Saint Antiochus of Sulci
Saint Aubert of Arras
Saint Einhildis of Hohenburg
Saint Edburgh of Lyminge
Saint Jodocus, France

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