Saint Barbara
Feast Day: December 4th
Saint Barbara lived
during the 4th century. Her father, Dioscorus, locked her in a
tower to keep her jealously secluded. The tower was made for that purpose.
St. Barbara was brought
up as a heathen. While she was locked
away in the tower Barbara gave herself to prayer and
study. She received instruction and baptism
from a secret priest. While Barbara's father wanted her to get
married, she denied her father's wish. Her father
was outraged by that denile and her conversion. Barbara was tortured and
beheaded. Her own father was her executioner. While
Barbara was being borne
to Paradise, her father was struck by lightning.
Saint Barbara's life is a vivid reminder that there
can be much anger in the world and in our lives. Saint Barbara's name means
stranger.
Activity: Recite three Hail Marys
Saint Barbara's Patronage: against death by artillery; against explosions; against fires; against impenitence;
against lightning; against mine collapse; against storms; ammunition magazines; ammunition workers; architects; armourers; artillery; artillerymen; boatmen; bomb technicians; brass workers; brewers; builders; carpenters; construction workers; dying people; explosives workers; fire; fire prevention; firefighters; fireworks; fireworks manufacturers; fortifications; founders; geologists; gravediggers; gunners; hatmakers; hatters; lightning; mariners; martyrs; masons; mathematicians; military engineers; milliners; miners; ordnance workers; prisoners; safety from storms; sailors; saltpetre workers; Santa Barbara, California;
smelters; stone masons; stonecutters; storms; sudden death; Syria; Toa Alto, Puerto Rico; tilers; warehouses; watermen