St. Agatha, is a martyr whose name is mentioned in the Canon of the Mass. She was executed in the persecutions probably conducted by Emperor Trajanus Decius (r. 249-251), in a series of anti-Christian campaigns from 250-253. Agatha is listed in the Hieronymian Martyrology and in the Carthaginian Martyrology, from the sixth century. Pope St. Damasus I (r. 366-384) wrote a hymn in her honor or had the poem, perhaps written by someone else, included in his book of devotions. Two versions of her martyrdom were recorded in the early Church.

She was a daughter of a prominent noble Sicilian family and was very beautiful. A Roman senator, named Quintianus, listed as the prefect of the region, asked Agatha to marry him. When she refused, he retaliated by placing her in a brothel, where she miraculously remained unharmed. When Agatha still held to her faith in Christ, Quintianus had her tortured. Agatha's breasts were cut off. She was cured by a vision of St. Peter, but the Romans had her rolled naked across a bed of hot coals and glass. Agatha died from this torture.

At her funeral, a youth appeared to honor her. Quintianus did not survive long, as he was thrown by his horse and drowned in a river. On the anniversary of Agatha's death, Mount Etna erupted. The faithful, taking her veil up the mountain, were supposedly able to stop the flow of lava. Agatha also cured the mother of St. Lucy in a vision. Her tomb is in Catania, Sicily, and her veil is enshrined in the cathedral of Florence. In some regions, St. Agatha's bread is distributed to ward off a variety of diseases and mishaps. Many early Christian churches were dedicated to this great saint.2

• 1 Cruz, Joan Carroll. The Incorruptibles: A Study of the Incorruption of the Bodies of Various Catholic Saints and Beati. TAN Books, an Imprint of Saint Benedict Press, LLC, 2012.

• 2 Bunson, Matthew E. Our Sunday Visitor's Encyclopedia of Saints. 2nd ed., Our Sunday Visitor Inc.,u.s., 2014.

Saint names in Eucharistic Prayer I.

The first list begins with Mary and Joseph and then the blessed Apostles and Martyrs, including Peter, Paul, Andrew (Peter's brother), James (James the Greater: the brother of John), John, Thomas, James (James the Lesser: the son of Alpheus), Matthew, Bartholomew, Simon (Simon the Zealot), and Jude (also called Thaddeus).

The First List of Saint Names

Continuing this first list of saints in Eucharistic Prayer I, as Charles Belmonte notes, Five popes head the list: St. Peter's first three successors, Linus, Cletus, Clement; then two popes of the third century, Sixtus II and Cornelius; Cyprian, Bishop of Carthage, the intrepid defender of Catholic unity; the deacon Lawrence, who when his persecutor demanded from him the treasures of the Church, showed him hundreds of poor people; Chrysogonus, a Roman priest who carried out the holy work of comforting the Christians who were in prison; two brothers, John and Paul, both officers of the [Roman] imperial palace, who were put to death under [the emperor] Julian the Apostate; and lastly, Cosmas and Damian, two Oriental physicians who gave their aid freely, and at whose graves there occurred yet more cures than they had effected in their lives (Understanding the Mass, p. 158).

The Second List of Saint Names

As for the second list of saints in Eucharistic Prayer I, we ask for some share in the fellowship of several saints who were martyrs. Belmonte continues, It mentions, in the first place, John (here obviously St. John the Baptist), and then seven men, followed by seven women, all martyrs. Stephen is the first deacon, whose glorious martyrdom is recounted in the Acts of the Apostles (6:8-7:60). Two apostles come next: Matthias, elected to take the place of Judas (Acts 1:15-16) and probably left out of the first list so as not to exceed the number of twelve, and Barnabas, St. Paul's companion in his first missionary journey. Ignatius is the famous bishop of Antioch, sentenced to be fed to the wild beasts in Rome under [emperor] Trajano. Besides their names and the place of their martyrdom, little else is known of Alexander, the priest Marcellinus, and the exorcist Peter, who were all put to death in the great persecution of [emperor] Diocletian.

The list continues with the names of the two young girls, Felicity and Perpetua (their names form the expression everlasting happiness), who confessed their faith at Carthage [in North Africa]; and of Agatha and Lucy in Sicily. It concludes with the names of two young martyrs beloved by the Romans, Agnes and Cecelia; and of Anastasia, martyred at Sirmium and later honored in Rome (Understanding the Mass, pp. 159-160).

All these saints are important because they were among the many early witnesses to Jesus Christ and the Christian faith. These are our spiritual fathers, our older brothers and sisters in Christ, who showed us that our faith was worth living and dying for. They showed us that, strengthened by the true presence of Christ in the Eucharist and the presence of the Holy Spirit in their hearts, they could overcome any persecutions and sufferings, even to the point of being killed. These saints give us great hope, and their prayers for us give us confidence that we, too, can live out the faith as they did, that we can live our life in Christ every day and look forward to the glory of heaven!

• https://www.eucharisticrevival.org/post/do-this-in-remembrance-of-me-part-55-saint-names-epi