Saint of the day June 10, 2025

'St Olivia was the beautiful daughter of a noble Sicilian family, born around 448 AD, in the Loggia district of Palermo. The name Olivia is a symbol of peace, fruitfulness, dignity, and beauty. From her early years she devoted herself to the Lord while declining honors and riches, and loved to give charity to the poor.

In 454 AD Genseric, king of the Vandals, conquered Sicily and occupied Palermo, martyring many Christians. Olivia was described as a ravishing beauty of 13 years when she was captured and sent to Tunis. At the prison, she began to comfort other prisoners and urged the Christians to remain steadfast in their faith, she also performed miracles and converted pagans to Christianity. Wishing to get rid of her, the governor therefore ordered that she be relegated to a lonely place as a hermitess, where there were wild animals, hoping that the beasts would devour her or that she would die of hunger.

However the wild animals lived peacefully around her. One day some men from Tunis who were hunting found her, and impressed by her beauty tried to abuse her; but Olivia converted them too with the word of the Lord and they were baptized. After miraculously curing many of the sick and suffering in the region, Olivia converted many pagans to the Christian faith.

When the governor heard about these things, once again he had her arrested and imprisoned in the city in an attempt to make her apostatize. She was scourged and she was stripped and submerged into a cauldron of boiling oil, but these tortures did not cause her any harm, nor did they make her renounce her faith. She was then sentenced to be burned alive, her torturers grew fearful when she was unharmed by the flames that leapt around her. Finally she was beheaded on June 10 of the year 463, and her soul flew to the sky in the form of a dove.

Reflection

Today, the Catholic Church celebrates the feast of St. Olivia on June 10th. On the feast of Saint Olivia, we are reminded of her remarkable strength of faith and her willingness to suffer for her beliefs. Despite being subjected to torture and persecution, Olivia remained steadfast in her devotion to God and never wavered in her commitment to her faith.

As we celebrate the feast of Saint Olivia, we are called to reflect on the ways in which our own faith is tested and challenged. Like Olivia, we may face challenges and obstacles that test our beliefs and require us to stand up for what we believe in.

While Oliva of Brescia may not be as well-known as other saints, her impact remains palpable. She serves as a beacon of hope to those oppressed for their faith, especially in parts of the world where religious freedom is suppressed. The story of her courage in the face of persecution is a potent reminder that our faith can carry us through the darkest times.