Many have heard of Sts. Perpetua and Felicity, early saints mentioned in Eucharistic Prayer I (the Roman Canon). But most don’t know much more than that, which is a pity. The two have a dramatic ...

A Reflection for the Optional Memorial of Sts. Perpetua and Felicity, Martyrs. Find today’s readings here. “Whoever does not take up his cross and follow me is unworthy of me.” (Mt 10:38) ...

It’s believed that Perpetua, Felicity and the others were martyred because of a decree issued by Roman emperor Septimius Severus that forbade conversions to Christianity or Judaism (although ...

Perpetua’s story was known to the African Christian intellectual Tertullian, who mentions her martyrdom in his book On the Soul, written five to ten years after her execution.

During the Jubilee year of 2000, Pope John Paul II designated a church in Rome—the Basilica of St. Bartholomew, who was himself martyred—to be a sanctuary for the memory of modern-day martyrs.