Sts. Perpetua and Felicity were two young mothers martyred together in the arena of Carthage, in North Africa, on March 7, 203: Vibia Perpetua, a twenty-two-year-old noblewoman nursing her infant son, and Felicity, a slave who gave birth to a daughter in prison just two days before she died. Perpetua kept a diary in prison, one of the earliest writings by a Christian woman that survives, and the account of their passion was read aloud in the churches of Africa for centuries. Both are named in the Roman Canon of the Mass, and their feast day is March 7. Below are their story in Perpetua’s own words, what they are the patrons of, and a prayer to Sts. Perpetua and Felicity.
A short prayer to Sts. Perpetua and Felicity, written for this page:
Sts. Perpetua and Felicity, mothers and martyrs,
you loved your children and loved Christ above all.
Pray for mothers, especially mothers who suffer or are separated from their children,
and give us your courage to say, “I am a Christian.” Amen.
The story of Perpetua and Felicity
During the persecution of the emperor Septimius Severus, who had forbidden conversions to Christianity, a group of catechumens was arrested at Thuburbo, near Carthage: Perpetua; her slave Felicity, who was eight months pregnant; Revocatus, Saturninus and Secundulus; and later their teacher, Saturus, who gave himself up to share their fate. They were baptized while under arrest.
Perpetua’s father, a pagan who loved her dearly, came again and again to beg her to give up her faith for the sake of her baby and her family. She wrote down their first conversation:
“Father,” said I, “do you see, let us say, this vessel lying here to be a little pitcher, or something else?” And he said, “I see it to be so.” And I replied to him, “Can it be called by any other name than what it is?” And he said, “No.” “Neither can I call myself anything else than what I am, a Christian.”
In prison Perpetua had visions, which she recorded, of a ladder to heaven guarded by a dragon and of a garden where a shepherd welcomed her. Felicity feared that because of her pregnancy she would not be allowed to die with her friends, since the law forbade executing pregnant women; after the community prayed, she gave birth to a daughter, whom a Christian woman took to raise as her own.
On the day of the games, March 7, 203, the martyrs went from the prison into the amphitheater “as if to an assembly, joyous and of brilliant countenances.” Perpetua and Felicity were thrown to a wild cow; when Perpetua was tossed, she rose, fixed her hair and helped Felicity to her feet. Before she died, Perpetua spoke to her brother and a catechumen:
“Stand fast in the faith, and love one another, all of you, and be not offended at my sufferings.”
Finally the martyrs gave one another the kiss of peace and were killed by the sword.
What are Sts. Perpetua and Felicity the patrons of?
Sts. Perpetua and Felicity are honored as patrons of:
- Mothers and expectant mothers
- Mothers separated from their children
- Catechumens preparing for baptism
- Carthage and the Church in North Africa
Feast day
The memorial of Sts. Perpetua and Felicity is March 7, the day of their martyrdom. Before 1969 it was kept on March 6. They are named, with other women martyrs, in the Roman Canon: “Felicity, Perpetua, Agatha, Lucy, Agnes, Cecilia, Anastasia.”
Frequently asked questions
Who were Perpetua and Felicity?
A young noblewoman and her slave, both mothers, martyred together for their faith at Carthage in 203.
When is the feast of Sts. Perpetua and Felicity?
March 7.
What did St. Perpetua write?
A diary of her imprisonment and visions, included in The Passion of Perpetua and Felicity, one of the earliest surviving writings by a Christian woman.
More saints
- Patron saint of mothers
- St. Agatha prayer
- St. Polycarp
- St. Ignatius of Antioch
- Patron saint of friendship
- Saint feast days
Texts and sources
- The Passion of the Holy Martyrs Perpetua and Felicitas, trans. R. E. Wallis, Ante-Nicene Fathers vol. 3 (1885), public domain (Wikisource).