St. Cecilia is an early Roman martyr honored as the patron saint of music and musicians. Catholics seek her intercession for purity of heart, courage in witness, and the grace to praise God in every circumstance.
Begin PrayingMore about St. Cecilia
Cecilia has been venerated in Rome since antiquity, and a basilica in Trastevere bears her name. The surviving account of her martyrdom was written centuries after her death, so many details of the familiar story cannot be confirmed historically. The Church nevertheless preserves her memory as a virgin and martyr who placed fidelity to Christ above safety. Her name also appears in the Roman Canon of the Mass among the women martyrs of the early Church.
Cecilia became associated with sacred music because an ancient liturgical text says that she sang to God in her heart while instruments sounded at her wedding. Artists later portrayed her with an organ or other instruments, and musicians adopted her as their patron. Devotion to St. Cecilia joins beauty to worship and interior faith. This novena asks that prayer, work, suffering, and music become an undivided song of praise to God.
