We actually didn’t find St. Philomena . . . St. Philomena found us! Through several unrelated circumstances, our school, St. Michael's Academy received information, novenas, a portrait, and even a glorious three-foot statue, of this powerful saint, which inspired our devotion to her to seek her protection and intercession.  St. Philomena has quite a love for Catholic education, protecting children, teachers, and schools, from state harassment, sickness of teachers & students and financial ruin. She has watched over the mission of St. Michael’s Academy for several years with loving care.

We invoke the patronage of this beautiful saint to continue to guard and  watch over our work with St. Michael’s Academy. and now St. Michael the Archangel ONLINE.

About St. Philomena:
In May 1802, excavators in the ancient Catacomb of St. Priscilla in Rome came upon a well-intact shelf tomb sealed with terra-cotta slabs in the manner usually reserved for nobility or great martyrs. The tomb was marked with three tiles, inscribed with the following confusing words: LUMENA / PAX / CUMFI. However, if one places the first tile last and separates the words properly, the very intelligible sentence emerges: Pax tecum, Filumena, which is, "Peace be with you, Philomena." Also inscribed on the tiles were several symbols: a lily, arrows, an anchor, and a lance, which would appear to indicated virginity and martyrdom. Inside the coffin there were discovered the remains of a girl about twelve or thirteen years of age, along with a vial or ampulla of her dried blood.

Transferred to the Treasury of the Rare Collection of Christian Antiquity in the Vatican, the remains were soon forgotten by the general public, especially since no record existed of a virgin martyr named Philomena. But in 1805, a Neapolitan priest, Don Francesco di Lucia, traveling to Rome with his newly appointed Bishop, requested and after a brief delay, received the relics of this martyr "Philomena" to enshrine in his village church at Mugnano, near Naples.

Immediately upon the official donation of St. Philomena’s sacred remains, favors began to be granted through her intercession and unusual events to occur. The favors, graces, and even miracles started to increase, even before their enshrinement at Mugnano, and they steadily grew in number thereafter—such that this virgin martyr soon earned the title, "Philomena, Powerful with God." In 1837, only some 35 years after her exhumation, Pope Gregory XVI elevated this "Wonder-Worker of the Nineteenth Century" to sainthood. In an act unprecedented in the history of the Catholic Church, she became the only person recognized by the Church as a saint solely on the basis of her powerful intercession, since nothing was known of her except her name and the evidence of her martyrdom.

St. Philomena has been successfully invoked by her supplicants in every sort of need, such that she has become another patron of "hopeless" and "impossible" cases. Indeed, St. Philomena is a powerful intercessor—seemingly held quietly in reserve by Our Divine Lord during these many centuries—for especially strong help in our times when so much confusion and absence of faith abound. St. Philomena, powerful with God, pray for us!

Novena Prayer to St. Philomena
O Faithful virgin, and glorious martyr, St. Philomena, who works so many miracles on behalf of the poor and sorrowing, have pity on me. Thou knowest the multitude and diversity of my needs. Behold me at thy feet, full of misery, but full of hope. I entreat thy charity, O great Saint! Graciously hear me and obtain from God a favorable answer to the request which I now humbly lay before thee . . . (Here specify your petition)

I am firmly convinced that through thy merits, through the scorn, the sufferings and death of Jesus, thy Spouse, I shall obtain what I ask of thee, and in the joy of my heart I will bless God, Who is admirable in His Saints.  Amen

For More Information on St. Philomena:   www.philomena.org