If you or a loved one has breast cancer, Saint Agatha is the perfect patron saint for you.
The Catholic Church celebrates the feast of Saint Agatha of Sicily, the patron saint of breast cancer patients, on February 5.
Saint Agatha's Story
We remember Saint Agatha as a third-century martyr. Roman Emperor Decius required all citizens to sacrifice to false gods or face death.
Agatha chose the latter.
However, legend says one of the magistrates said he would dismiss her charges if she had sexual intercourse with him. She refused and was, therefore, punished. They threw her in prison, tortured and beat her, and cut off her breasts.
Amid this suffering, Saint Agatha said,
“Cruel man, have you forgotten your mother and the breast that nourished you, that you dare to mutilate me this way?”
This is why the Catholic Church remembers Saint Agatha as the patron saint of breast cancer sufferers.
Many miracles are attributed to the intercession of Saint Agatha.
There are many personal testimonies of Saint Agatha’s powerful intercession.
In honor of this great saint and her miracles, one of the largest Catholic celebrations in the world takes place on February 3-5 in Saint Agatha’s home city of Catania, Sicily, in Italy: the Festa di Sant'Agata (Feast of Sant’Agatha in Catania):
“In Catania, the celebration is especially significant, as it not only honors Saint Agatha’s martyrdom but also celebrates the miraculous events associated with her intercession. It is said that after her death, there were reports of numerous miracles attributed to her, including the protection of the city from eruptions of Mount Etna, a volcano that is famously active in the region. Because of this, St. Agatha is also considered a protector of the city, and her intercession is invoked during times of disaster or peril.”
Prayer to Saint Agatha, Patron Saint of Breast Cancer Patients
Saint Agatha, woman of valor,
from your own suffering, we have been moved
to ask your prayers for those of us who suffer from breast cancer.
We place (person’s name) before you,
and ask you to intercede on their behalf.
From where you stand in the health of life eternal,
all wounds healed,
and all tears wiped away,
pray for (prayer intention),
and all of us.
Pray God will give us His holy benediction of health and healing.
And, we remember you were a victim of torture
and that you learned, firsthand,
of human cruelty and inhumanity.
We ask you to pray for our entire world.
Ask God to enlighten us
with a “genius for peace and understanding.”
Ask Him to send us His Spirit of Serenity,
and ask Him to help us share
that peace with all we meet.
From what you learned
from your own path of pain,
ask God to give us the Grace we need
to remain holy in difficulties,
not allowing our anger
or our bitterness to overtake us.
Pray that we will be more peaceful and more charitable.
And from your holy place in our mystical body, the Church,
pray that we, in our place and time, will, together,
create a world of justice and peace.
Amen.