The feast day of St. Lucy, a Sicilian virgin and martyr, is observed on December 13. Tradition holds that Saint Lucy was born in the year 283 to wealthy and aristocratic parents. She was dependent on her mother, Eutychia, whose name seems to suggest that she was of Greek descent, after her father, who was of Roman descent, passed away early on.
Lucy offered her virginity to God, as did many of the early martyrs, and her goal was to use everything she had to help the underprivileged.
Eutychia, her mother, prepared for her to be married, but she was able to put off the marriage for three years. Lucy prayed for her mother's conversion to Christianity at Saint Agatha's tomb. Consequently, her mother's long hemorrhagic illness was cured, and she granted Lucy's wish to live her life for God.
Paschasius, the groom of Saint Lucy who was turned down, condemned Lucy for being a Christian. The governor intended to force her into prostitution, but even after hitching her to a team of oxen, the guards who went to retrieve her were unable to move her. So, the governor gave the order to kill her.
After a horrible torture that included having her eyes pulled out, she was encircled by bundles of wood that were lit afire, yet the light swiftly died out. She prophesied against her persecutors and was subsequently stabbed to death with a dagger.
Later narratives state that Lucy forewarned Paschasius that he would suffer consequences. Upon learning this, the governor gave the order for the guards to gouge out her eyes; however, according to another narrative, Lucy took her own eyes out in an effort to deter a persistent suitor who was infatuated with them. They found out her eyes had been restored while her body was being prepared for burial. This, along with the meaning of her name, which means "light" or "lucid," contributed to her being revered as the patron saint of the blind, eye trouble, and other eye ailments.
Other Saints of the Day
Saint Elizabeth Rose
Saint Autbert
Saint Jodoc
Saint Einhildis & Roswinda
Saint Odilia of Alsace