Today, as we celebrate the memorial of our Parish’s patron saint, St Agnes, Fr Paul Gooley reads from the Gospel of Matthew (13: 44-46) in which Jesus says the kingdom of heaven is like finding a hidden treasure or a pearl of great value. After reading the Gospel, Fr Paul shares a little about the life of St Agnes.

Fr Paul says as with so many of the early Roman martyrs, very little is now known about Agnes’ life. This is especially the case if you are martyred at the age of 12 as it means that your life has not been long enough to have much detail to record.

Agnes was filled with the love of God from an early age, she vowed herself to celibacy, and when her vow and faith were challenged, she did not hide away but she stepped forward and as a result she was put to death. She was martyred.

That is really all that is known: but it is enough. We too are constantly compromising with the world at every turn, and we too would find excuses to avoid any inconveniences that our faith might cause us. So, we should admire the simple wisdom of Agnes’ and pray for the strength to step forward when our faith is challenged like she did.

On this day, Fr Paul invites us to ask, ‘St Agnes… Pray for us!’