Prayer to St. Regina, Virgin and Martyr
Lord, we come before you in recognition of the courage of your humble martyr Regina. May we imitate her faithfulness and love for You as we pray for the courage and strength to follow You, regardless of the cost. We ask this in the holy name of Jesus. Amen.
St. Regina, Virgin and Martyr
The life of this Saint is shrouded in obscurity. All that we know about her is found in Acts of her martyrdom, which are considered rather unreliable in their details. She was born in the 3rd century in Alise, the ancient Alesia where two hundred years earlier Vercingetorix had fought so valiantly against Caesar. Her mother died at her birth, and her father, a prominent pagan citizen, entrusted the child to a Christian nurse who baptized her.When he learned of this fact, the father flew into a rage and repudiated his own daughter. Regina than went to live with her nurse who possessed little means. The girl helped out by tending sheep, where she communed with God in prayer and meditated on the lives of the Saints.
In 251, at the age of fifteen, she attracted the eye of a man called Olybrius, the prefect of Gaul, who determined to have her as his wife. He sent for the girl and discovered that she was of noble race and of the Christian faith. Chagrined, he attempted to have her deny her faith, but the saintly maiden resolutely refused and also spurned his proposal of marriage. Thereupon, Olybrius went to ward the incursion of the barbarians. On his return, he found the Saint even more determined to preserve her vow of virginity and to refuse to sacrifice to idols. In a rage, he had recourse to whippings, scorching, burning pincers, and iron combs—all to no avail as the grace God sustained the Saint. She continued to praise God and defy Olybrius. In the end, her throat was severed and she went forth to meet her heavenly Bridegroom.
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