
This February, we invite you to discover the stories of four inspiring women saints celebrated this month and learn more about their lives of faithfulness. From Saint Agatha, who remained steadfast in her faith in the face of unbearable torture, to Saint Margaret of Cortona, who left behind a life of sin to care for the sick, each of them has something to teach us.
February 1 – Saint Brigid

While Saint Brigid was likely born around A.D. 450 near Dundalk, much of her life is shrouded in mystery due to a lack of historical record. It is believed that she was raised by druids before entering a convent at an early age, and some accounts hold that she was baptized by Saint Patrick. Today, she is recognized as the founder of the “double monastery” system, which combines men and women into one religious community.
According to tradition, Brigid performed multiple miracles in her lifetime. One such miracle took place during an exchange between Brigid and a chieftain over potential property for the monastery. When the chieftain told her she could have as much land as her cloak would cover, she cast it before them, and it miraculously spread out “as far as the eye could see.”
Brigid bears the name of the ancient Celtic fire goddess – an association sparking imagery that would be displayed throughout her life and legacy. When she founded a monastery at Kildare, she established an eternal flame tended exclusively by women. Unfortunately, after burning for several centuries, it was extinguished. Because of her association with fire, she is considered the patron saint of those in cooking and the domestic arts, as well as the patron saint of Ireland, babies, blacksmiths, midwives, and single mothers.
February 5 – Saint Agatha

Known for standing firm in her faith amidst intense persecution and physical torture, Saint Agatha is recognized as the patroness of those suffering from breast cancer and disease. While there are limited historic accounts of Agatha’s life, it is believed that she was born near Mount Etna in Sicily to an affluent nobleman in approximately A.D. 235. As a young girl, she underwent the ritual of “velatio” (taking the veil) to mark herself as a virgin for Christ, receiving a red veil as a symbol of her promise.
Agatha grew into an accomplished young woman, and soon caught the eye of a Roman official named Quintian, who attempted to woo her. Yet Agatha was determined to keep her vow of chastity, and after she spurred his advances, the infuriated Quintian subjected Agatha to innumerable tortures. In an attempt to spoil her purity, he forced her to work in a brothel, but by God’s grace she remained unharmed. He then placed her on trial for her faith, but she still refused to deny Christ, and as a result, was subjected to an unnecessary mastectomy. Quintian then sentenced her to be stripped of all her clothes except her red veil and raked across burning coals. While she was being tortured, an earthquake occurred, and many townspeople rushed to the court and begged the officials to stop. Agatha was then removed from the coals and returned to jail miraculously unharmed, her veil still intact.
Although she survived these horrors, Agatha pleaded with the Lord to take her home to heaven, and on that same day, February 5, A.D. 251, her prayer was answered.
February 8 – Saint Josephine Bakhita

Saint Josephine Bakhita’s life was marked by tragedy and hardship from a young age. While working in the fields with her mother at age nine, she was captured and sold into slavery. Her name, “Bakhita,” meaning “fortunate,” was given to her by her captors. She attempted to escape on numerous occasions, but never succeeded. Bakhita was sold five times throughout El Obeid and Khartoum before eventually being purchased by an Italian consul, whose kind treatment transformed her life.
Sometime later, the consul and his family were called away to the Red Sea to manage a hotel, and Bakhita took residence with the Sisters of the Institute of the Catechumens in Venice. It was here that she realized God’s love had been at work in the Italian families who had been so kind to her. As the sisters instructed her in the way of the Lord, she found the answers to the myriad of spiritual questions that pressed on her mind. In 1890, they baptized her and gave her the name Josephine. When the consul and his wife returned to Italy, Josephine requested to stay at the sacristy, and they acquiesced.
At the sacristy, Josephine contributed to the order’s daily operations by cooking, sewing, and keeping the door for the next 50 years. Her gentle spirit, sweet smile, and kind words of encouragement were an inspiration to all she met. Over a 20-year period, she wrote her autobiography, and following its publication in 1930, Josephine traveled the world, sharing her story and the hope Christ had given her. Because of her experiences, Saint Josephine is regarded as the patron saint of human trafficking victims.
February 22 – Saint Margaret of Cortona

Born on a small farm in Tuscany in 1247, Saint Margaret of Cortona transformed her life from one of lust and desperation into one dedicated to the Lord. Raised by a neglectful and unkind stepmother, Margaret found her life unbearable by the time she was a young woman. When a debonair nobleman waltzed into her life with the promise of an escape, she fell madly in love and ran away with him to his castle. For nearly a decade, she lived as his mistress, basking in opulence, and the two even had a child together.
But her life of luxury was not meant to last; one day, the marred body of her lover was discovered beneath a pile of leaves. Left to raise her son all alone without any true wealth to her name, she fled with him to her father’s home, but was turned away by her vengeful stepmother. From there, she sought refuge in Cortona, where two kind women helped her as she endeavored to start anew. In the years that followed, she publicly repented of her sin, living on alms while giving away her own possessions to the poor. Margaret also worked as a nurse, and eventually founded a hospital and an order of Franciscan women, the Poverelles, which oversaw its operations. She served ever faithfully for the remainder of her life and passed away at the age of 50. Her patronage includes single mothers, stepchildren, and the homeless.
Sources:
Butler’s Lives of Saints, ed. Bernard Bangley.
Rohling, Geraldine M., PhD, MAEd. The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception: Guide and Tour Book. Washington, D.C.: Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, 2018.
“Saint Agatha,” Franciscan Media.
“St. Agatha, Virgin and Martyr,” Vatican News.
The Way of Saints, Tom Cowan.