Above: During a solemn ceremony in front of Cattedrale Metropolitana di Sant’Agata this week, relics of Saint Agatha are returned to her newly restored reliquary. Screen grab from video on La Sicilia, August 17, 2026.
Saint Agatha (231?-251?) has been celebrated in the news recently, nowhere more than in Sicily. The occasion was the 900th anniversary of her return to her birthplace, Catania, and the Vatican marked it with a major meaningful gift. Would have loved to be there to witness it but will have to rely on others.
Affectionately called Santuzza by some, Saint Agatha was martyred in her hometown. After a vindictive, spurned suitor reported her illegal Christian beliefs to the Roman authorities, her torture began. If you do not know Agatha’s story, look back to this post from one of our visits to Sicily. One of the devious punishments inflicted upon her led her status as the patron saint of those women suffering from breast cancer and workers who toil in bell foundries.
One of the 12 Virgin Saints celebrated during Mass, Agatha gained popularity in Catania immediately following her death, as she received credit for miraculously halting an impending eruption of Mount Etna. The faithful enshrined her remains as sacred relics.
Continue reading “Postcard from Catania, Sicily: Homecoming for Sant’Agata”