OUR PATRON SAINTS

The parish is dedicated to three virgin martyrs of Rome in the early centuries of the Church.

There is a legend that St. Sophia (St. Wisdom) was a widow with 3 daughters martyred during the reign of Emperor Hadrian.

"The daughters were Faith (age 12), Hope (age 10) and Charity (age 9). The four of them were brought before Hadrian and commanded to sacrifice to the goddess Artemis. They stood steadfast with their arms entwined and instead gave glory glory to Jesus Christ. One by one the pagan officers took Sophia's daughters and tortured them, beat them, stabbed them, threw them into fire and boiling pitch, finally beheading them. All the while St. Sophia was urging them to hold firm to their faith in hope of the life to come. She then took the bodies of her precious daughter Saints and buried them outside of town. She stayed by their graves and prayed day and night for three days, then gave her soul to God, joining her daughters in the heavenly fellowship of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ."*

"Most experts think it's likely that the entire story is a myth, but the legend spread east from Rome where there was reference to two groups - one buried under the Aurelian Way and later restored to under the Church of St. Pancras and another buried in the cemetery of St. Callistus on the Appian Way. "*

*(Copyright 2003 "Come and See" Icons, Books & Art)