Saint of the day February 9, 2025

Although no written account of the early life of Saint Apollonia remains, from the early Church Fathers, we get our first insight into her life as a young adult. She lived during the 3rd century.

Dionysius, Bishop of Alexandria, writes that Apollonia was known to the early Church even before the first stirrings of persecution began to surface. She lived not unlike the consecrated virgins of today who seek to dedicate themselves to Christ, working and praying for the coming of His Kingdom on earth. A legend surrounding the life of Apollonia gives evidence that she may have been a deaconess of the early Christian Church – loved and admired by the Christian community. And like the prophetess Anna who, with Simeon, first recognized the infant Jesus as the Christ, Apollonia spent most of her time in the temple, praying for her people.

The infamous persecutions of Christians began near the end of 258 under Decius's reign. They started when a small but particularly violent group of Roman citizens became angered when a Christian poet spoke prophetically about the coming destruction of the Roman empire. In his prophecy, the poet spoke of sufferings and hardships that were about to come upon the people of Rome.

Their anger was contagious and spread throughout Rome with a frenzied reaction. Many thought that this prophecy was a political statement against Roman authorities, written to incite the growing number of Christians to retribution for the often cruel and unjust laws of the government. Because of this, the rulers and authorities of the time did nothing to stop the hatred that began to spread against members of the Christian Community.

It was an ordinary day when Apollonia arose and went to the temple to pray. But on that day, a crowd began to form outside the temple. It did not take long for the atmosphere to turn bitter and, wild with rage, the crowd rushed toward the temple in an attempt to rid the Roman empire of any hint of Christianity.

Apollonia was taken out into the streets and struck repeatedly. Some of the crowd then dragged piles of dried wood outside the gates of the city and started a huge fire, threatening to burn alive anyone who would not renounce their faith in Jesus Christ.

Seeming to be indifferent to the wounds she had received, Apollonia remained steadfast, even as she was pushed towards the fire and threatened with death unless she renounced Jesus Christ. Early writings tell us that Apollonia indicated to the crowd that she wanted to speak.

As a leader in the Christian community, her words would have great influence over the people. The angry mob saw what it believed to be an opportunity for a public renunciation of Christ and so they untied Apollonia and quieted the people, thinking she was ready to renounce her faith. But to their stunned disbelief, Apollonia, once freed, ran towards the fire and threw herself in.

We cannot help but think of others like her – Saint Catherine of Siena, who knelt before an angry crowd and gave them permission to take her life. We can also call to mind Saint Perpetua, another early Church martyr, who walked serenely into the arena for her martyrdom and then helped the executioner by steadying his trembling hand.

The fire, writes Dionysius, did not harm Apollonia. The crowd, though frightened by this miracle, grew even angrier. They now had only one goal in mind: to rid themselves of the offense that her holiness heaped upon their own heads as coals. They drew Apollonia out of the fire and with a harsh and final stroke, completed the martyrdom of this holy and loving young woman.

Reflection

Apollonia belongs to a class of early Christian martyrs who when confronted with the choice between renouncing their faith or suffering death, voluntarily embraced the latter.
News of her heroic refusal to compromise on any issue of faith won her acclaim among the early Christians of Alexandria and her legend spread throughout the land, inspiring those who were suffering under the oppression of persecution. The Church rallied and was strengthened. The stories of her courage and virtue kept the fire of Christianity alive in the hearts of those who would continue to advance the Faith throughout the world. February 9th was the day set aside to honor her by all Christians and a small church was built in her honor.
During these times when our faith is being challenged in every way, Saint Apollonia remains a model for all Christians. Because of the wounds she received to her face, especially her mouth, she is known as the patron saint of dentists.