The feast of St. Lucy is celebrated today, December 13th. In 2006 we discovered that we were pregnant with our first child. We began praying about what name we’d like to give this beautiful gift that God had given to us. We had chosen a girl’s name and a boy’s name not knowing what gender our baby was going to be.
On October 1st of that year, our beautiful baby girl arrived in the world. She was a month early and born to an emergency c-section. We had chosen a family name that was also a saint’s name, though we knew very little about the saint at the time. Her name was Lucy!
The meaning of the name Lucy:
Lucy means “light!” The name has Latin origins and has been a popular name for many centuries. We chose Lucy not only because it was my great-grandmother’s name, but also because it was a saint’s name. Although, we didn’t know a lot about St. Lucy at the time we cannot believe how God worked in and through this saint in our own personal lives.
After we chose the name, we then began researching more about the beloved St. Lucy. Lucy is the patron saint of eye disorders and blindness. My husband was born with ocular albinism and nystagmus and has had difficulty with his sight his entire life. Once we learned that she interceded for those who struggle with eye diseases we began asking or her intercession for his eyes. We were not praying for a miracle, but we were praying for the health of his eyes. Our Lucy is now 18 years old and for the past 18 years my husband’s eyes have not seen any degeneration. We do not believe this is a coincidence, but instead, prayers answered.
St. Lucy’s Story:
Lucy was born in the late 200’s and died in 304. Growing up, she was part of a wealthy family. At an early age Lucy vowed a life of virginity and service to the Lord. We do not know exactly why or how Lucy died, (though there are many stories that have circulated), it is believed that she lost her life as part of Christian persecution.
As we know, Lucy means light, and thus she was attributed to being the patron saint of sight. You will see many images of her holding a plate that has eyeballs on it. It is said that after before her persecution Lucy had warned Paschasius, whom was the governor, that he would be punished. When the governor heard this, he ordered the guards to gouge out her eyes. However, when her body was being prepared for burial, they discovered her eyes had been restored. This is a speculative story with no evidence. However, it is really all we have to go on as to why since early time she is depicted holding eyes on a platter.
How to Celebrate the Feast of St. Lucy:
The feast of St. Lucy should be celebrated by all families, not just those of us with a Lucy. 😊 How can you do that? Have a St. Lucy procession of course. Tradition holds that the oldest daughter of a family will wake up before dawn on St. Lucy’s Day. (December 13th). The oldest will dress in a white gown for purity. On the gown should be a red sash as a sign of martyrdom. On her head she will wear a wreath of greenery and lit candles. ‘St. Lucy’ will go around her house and wake up her family. She then serves them a special St. Lucy’s Day food, which is usually baked sweets.
If you do not do the procession, that is ok. However, at least have some sort of sweet to celebrate this great saint!
Saint Lucy’s Prayer:
Saint Lucy, you did not hide your light under a basket, but let it shine for the whole world, for all the centuries to see. We may not suffer torture in our lives the way you did, but we are still called to let the light of our Christianity illumine our daily lives. Please help us to have the courage to bring our Christianity into our work, our recreation, our relationships, our conversation — every corner of our day. Amen
