I’m Catholic, in case you didn’t know. Someone on Twitter recently reminded me that my old blog (now defunct) was dedicated to St. Philomena, a curious Catholic saint—curious because she is the only canonized saint discovered by archaeologists rather than known through tradition. Since I was an archaeologist before I switched careers and became a librarian, this endeared her to me.
Happy Feast of Saint Philomena! Her dynamic entry here was inspired by a Spanish sculpture of Our Lady of the Apocalypse I encountered on display @cincyartmuseum. pic.twitter.com/g9mIhTQuUg
— CatholicSpaceDoggos/銀河犬伝説/ドッゴー頭戦記/わが猟犬のカトリッカ/教殻軌道隊 (@CatholicLancer) August 11, 2020
She was apparently around thirteen years of age when she died. Although the interpretation has been disputed, some artifacts in her tomb indicate a Christian virgin and martyr.
Also, she was the special patroness of St. John Vianny, who is himself the patron saint of diocesan priests. It happens that I spent two years in seminary discerning the priesthood; although that discernment ultimately led me to leave the seminary and find my vocation in marriage, the time I spent there was extremely beneficial and taught me a love of philosophy.
St. Philomena is still dear to me. This is a picture of what sits beside my desk:
That’s an image of the Blessed Virgin referencing the Miraculous Medal, which I habitually wear around my neck. Next to her is an icon of St. Philomena. Behind those is one of the innumerable bottles of holy water that have been gifted to me by priests and which I’m not sure what to do with. In front of those is Rainbow Dash.
If that last seems incongruous, let me explain: I keep Rainbow Dash next to my desk because, in the book Heaven Is for Real, the four-year-old who claims to have viewed heaven while on the operating table states that he met Jesus riding a rainbow-colored horse. I view that book with some skepticism because we do not normally, for good reason, consider four-year-olds to be reliable witnesses. Nonetheless, I found this claim charming, so I keep a rainbow-colored horse beside my desk alongside more traditional icons.
