Her Early Years

In the third century with an unknown exact date, Justina of Padua (Italian: Giustina di Padova) was born in Padua, Italy, where a church was built in her honor in the 6th century. Her father, Vitalian, was a rich nobleman and Prefect of Padua. Her parents were converted to Christianity by the preaching of Saint Prosdocimo, also a Patron of Padua. Having suffered from infertility their entire married life, the new converts fervently prayed for a child. They received Justina in answer to their prayer.

Justina was a devout Christian and had taken vows of chasitity and perpetual virginity. Although she is sometimes depicted in art as a nun, Justina was never a nun.

Medieval texts describe her as a disciple of Saint Peter the Apostle since Saint Prosdocimus, the first Bishop of Padua, is said to have been Justina’s teacher and his hagiography states that he was sent from Antioch by Peter. This, however is chronologically impossible as Justina, being a young woman in 304 could not have known Prosdocimus as he died in approximately 100.

Her Martyrdom

At this time arose the persecutions of the Christians by Nero and Maximian the Prefect who had succeeded Vitalian. He was particularly brutal in his persecutions. As Justina would visit the prisons to comfort and encourage the Christians there, Maximian ordered her arrest. While she was passing by the Pont Marin near Padua, she was seized by the soldiers. When she was brought before Maximian, he was struck by her beauty and endeavoured, by every means, to shake her constancy. She was ordered to go to the Roman temple to Minerva to worship the Roman goddess and offer her virginity as sacrifice and renounce Christianity. However, she refused. So, Maximian had her stabbed to death with a sword around the year 304 and she was left to die. Her relics are enshrined the cathedral of Piacenza, Italy

Veneration

Justina is a patron saint of Padua. After Saint Mark, she is also a second patroness of Venice. Her feast day is October 7 and coincided with the end of grape harvest and the time for settling agricultural contracts.

In the 6th century, the Paduans dedicated a church to her and she was among the virgin martyrs portrayed in the presbytery arch in the Euphrasian Basilica and in the procession of virgins in Sant’Apollinare Nuovo. In the 7th century, Venantius Fortunatus, writing in Gaul, urged travelers to Padua to visit her relics there.

Born :                   3rd Century in an unknown location

Died:                    Around 304 in Italy

Beatified:            Pre-Congregation

Canonized:         Pre-Congregation

Feast Day:          October 7

Patron Saint:     Enego, Italy; Padua, Italy; Piacenza, Italy; Santa Giustina, Italy; Venice Italy

Source:

• • America Needs Fatima – Saint Justina of Padua
  • CatholicSaints.Info » Saint Justina of Padua
  • Justina of Padua – Wikipedia

Prayers

Saint Justina of Padua,

You who stood firm in your faith despite persecution and your eventual martydom, we pray for you to intercede for us.

Help us to remain steadfast in our commitment to Christ, even in the face of trials and challenges.

Inspire us to live lives of purity and virtue and to resist the temptations of the world.

Strengthen us to bear witness to Christ’s love in all that we do.

Guide us on our own spiritual journey and lead us closer to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Saint Justina of Padua, pray for us. Amen.

Video Link

October 7th St. Justina of Padua | The Saint of the Day Podcast – YouTube (Good Catholic)