Fr Paul reads the Gospel from Mark (6: 14-29) about King Herod ordering the execution of John the Baptist. He then shares a little about St Agatha, whose life we celebrate today.

A bit like St Agnes, Fr Paul says, we do not know all that much about the life of Agatha. We know that she was martyred at Catania in Sicily probably around 250-253AD. We know that devotion to her was widespread in the early Church and she, like Agnes, is one of the few women mention in the Roman Canon, that is Eucharist Prayer I. We are also aware that two early churches in Rome were dedicated to her. Otherwise, very little is known.

Fr Paul invites us, as we celebrate this memorial of St Agatha and remember her life, to ask her to pray for us.