In a word: Patsy McGarry

You have (probably) seen the movie, now read all about the name. I refer to Philomena. Wonderful film. Awful story. But the Philomena story itself is worthy of a film in its own right.

Very little was known about this Philomena. She was allegedly martyred at the age of 14 in the early days of Christianity in Rome.

In 1802 the remains of a young woman were found in the catacomb of St Priscilla on the Via Salaria in Rome. It was covered by stones, symbols on which indicated the body was that of a martyr and virgin.

Three broken stones contained the words lumena paxte cumfi which, when rearranged in what was believed the correct order, became pax tecum Filumena (Peace with you, Philomena). Near her bones a small glass vial containing the remains of blood was also found.

In 1805 Canon Francis de Lucia of Mugnano, a small town near Naples, visited Rome. He was looking for relics and visited the Treasury of Relics at the Vatican where the exhumed remains of several saints were preserved. Standing before the relics of Philomena, he was filled with something akin to spiritual ecstasy and pleaded that he be allowed take them back with him.

Despite resistance he brought them to Mugnano, where a shrine was erected in Philomena’s honour. Many miracles were soon being reported and in a short time Philomena became the only saint ever so declared on the basis solely of miraculous intercession. Nothing historical was known of her except her name and evidence of her martyrdom.

Among her devotees were all five popes who held office between 1823 and 1914, Leo XII, Gregory XVI, Pius IX, Leo XIII, St Pius X.

Other saints devoted to her included St John Vianney , St Anthony Mary Claret, St Euphrasia Pelletier, St Francis Xavier Cabrini, St John Nepomucene Neumann, St Madeline Sophie Barat, St Peter Chanel, St Peter Julian Eymard, Blessed Anna Maria Taigi, and Venerable Pauline Jaricot – the subject of what became known as "the Miracle of Mugnano" in which she was said to have been cured overnight of a severe heart ailment by St Philomena.

Then came 1961. That was when the Vatican announced that Philomena was being removed from the Calendar of Saints through lack of evidence. It stated simply “the feast of St Philomena, virgin and martyr (August 11) is removed from all calendars”.

inaword@irishtimes.com