Faith in a Time of Christian Persecution
“You are my witnesses...my servant whom I have chosen, to know and believe me and understand that I am he. Before me no god was formed, and after me there shall be none” (Isaiah 43:10).
To understand the importance of St. Verena’s living witness to the faith, we must understand the world she was born into. Imagine choosing Christianity, not only as your faith tradition, but as your political and social environment as well. Then imagine that Christians were regularly arrested, taken to Rome, and martyred before a roaring crowd, amassed to watch you suffer and die.
St. Verena was born circa 260 A.D. It wasn’t until 313, with the Edict of Milan, that Constantine outlawed the murder of Christians and required all Roman citizens to become members of this once-illegal sect of Judaism. The emperor required that 一 whether they had any affinity to Christ or not 一 everyone living in the Roman Empire was to pledge their loyalty to the Cross of Christ and recite the Creed written in 325 A.D. at the Council of Nicaea. Christians were no longer allowed to be sacrificed for sport, but many also had little knowledge of, or desire to know, Christ. For them, the faith was forced upon them, and they complied rather than suffer persecution for refusing to worship this new deity.
Bringing People to Christ
St. Verena, whose name means “good fruit,” was born into a Christian family in the Egyptian city of Thebes, located on the east bank of the Nile River. It was the site of two of the most famous Egyptian monuments: the Luxor and Karnak Temples, as well as the site of the Valley of the Kings and Valley of the Queens, located on the west bank. She received an education and served her community through her healing ministry. The Roman Emperor Diocletian ruled during her lifetime and was responsible for a severe crackdown on Christians, martyring thousands, including her cousin Maurice. St. Verena traveled to modern-day Switzerland to serve the Christian Theban Legion by ministering to the poor and restoring the wounded to health.
St. Verena had the gift of healing, and many people came to her with physical ailments. She served them with great humility and reverence. The local ruler became upset with St. Verena’s positive influence and power in his region and ordered her arrested and imprisoned. While she was incarcerated, the ruler himself became ill and his doctors were unable to cure him. St. Verena was summoned to assist him. When she healed the ruler, she was released from prison. Her steadfast faith, unwavering courage, and stalwart example, in spite of persecution and imprisonment, brought many people to Christ. She helped heal the sick body, as well as the soul.
St. Verena’s Influence Today
St. Verena is often depicted with a satchel, a water pitcher, and a comb because she was trained as a nurse and helped others regain their health. She was also known for her beautiful, long hair. She served as a mentor to young girls and is known for her courage and perseverance during the time in which she lived. Even though it was turbulent with a rampant and brutal persecution of Christians, she courageously continued to serve, regardless of the threat to her own life. St. Verena is an example for us today to remain faithful to God in a culture that dismisses righteousness, or the right order of relationship. We must know and choose the right and good decision in every situation we encounter, making clear choices that are independent of the influence from others. Verena died in 344 A.D. and her feast day is September 1. She is the patron saint of nurses, virgins, housekeepers, hairdressers, and those suffering from leprosy.
If St. Verena were alive today, she would undoubtedly agree with Pope Leo XIV as he explains how she herself lived her life:
“Listening to the ‘many voices’ is no mere sociological exercise, but instead requires spiritual discernment. Guided by the Spirit, the People of God come to recognize in cultural and social transformations both the signs of the presence of Christ, who comes and guides history toward its fulfillment, and those aberrations that obscure His face. In this way, the essential core of revealed Truth is not altered, but made explicit and adopted as a living standard for guiding concrete choices, inspiring paths of personal and communal conversion, promoting structural reforms and supporting new forms of evangelical witness in public life. History is thus understood as one of the places in which the Church allows herself to be taught by the Spirit about the humanizing power of the Gospel; and she learns to develop her own teaching at the service of the dignity of every person and the good of all peoples,” (Magnifica Humanitas, 22).
Dr. Kate Walsh-Soucheray taught high school religion in St. Paul, Minnesota, and then became a licensed marriage and family therapist. She has master’s degrees in theology and marriage and family therapy, and a doctorate in educational leadership. Dr. Kate and her husband John have been married for 42 years, and they have three, adult married children and six, soon to be seven, grandchildren. Dr. Kate is retired and writes and speaks for Catholics.