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| Source: Article from Diocese of Lansing, Michigan, March 18, 2020 |
Issued by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Michigan on March 18, 2020 at their website (who KNEW!):
SAINT CORONA, PATRONESS OF PANDEMICS, PRAY FOR US!
It’s incredible but it’s seemingly true – there is a Saint Corona and she is one of the patrons of pandemics. Saint Corona, pray for us!
Saint Corona is thought to have lived in 2nd century Syria under Roman occupation. She was only 15-years-old when she professed her Christian Faith during the persecution of the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius.
According to legend, Saint Corona was arrested and tied by her feet to the tops of two palm trees which were bent to the ground. When the palms were let loose she was torn apart.
It is reported that Saint Corona is especially venerated in Austria and Bavaria as the patron saint against epidemics. Her mortal remains are now housed in the city of Anzu in northern Italy, the epicenter of the recent outbreak of Coronavirus in Europe. Her feast day is May 14.
Source: Gloria.TV More at: https://gloria.tv/post/
Okay, so after thinking about this for about 2 seconds, I headed to Google to find out more about this mysterious goddess, er, saint, I'd never heard of. Interesting, very interesting, mostly for what the article DIDN'T say, as opposed to what it DID say:
First of all, darlings, there were TWO saints - you guessed it - the female AND a male. And not just any male, mind you, this male happened to be a friend of Corona's husband. Or maybe they were actually married. Or - who knows?
From the Wikipedia article on Saints Victor and Corona (why does HE get top billing? SEXIST!)
Saints Victor and Corona are two Christian martyrs. Most sources state that they were killed in Roman Syria during the reign of Marcus Aurelius (170s AD). However, various hagiographical texts disagree about the site of their martyrdom, with some stating that it was Damascus, while Coptic sources state that it was Antioch. Some Western sources state that Alexandria or Sicily was their place of martyrdom. They also disagree about the date of their martyrdom. They may have been martyred during the reign of Antoninus, Diocletian, while the Roman Martyrology states that it was in the third century when they met their death.[1] Saint Corona was popular in folk treasure magic, being called upon by a treasure hunter to bring treasure, and then sent away through a similarly elaborate ritual.[2]
Their legend states that Victor was a Roman soldier of Italian ancestry, serving in the city of Damascus in Roman Syria during the reign of Emperor Antoninus Pius. He was tortured - including having his eyes gouged out.
While he was suffering from these tortures, the sixteen-year-old spouse of one of his brothers-in-arms, named Corona,[3] comforted and encouraged him. For this, she was arrested and interrogated. According to the passio of Corona, which is considered largely fictional, Corona was bound to two bent palm trees and torn apart as the trunks were released.
Other sources state that they were husband and wife.[4]
Victor and Corona's memorial day is 24 November (11 November in the Orthodox church calendar). Their feast day is 14 May. Outside the town of Feltre on the slopes of Mount Miesna is the church of SS. Vittore e Corona, erected by the Crusaders from Feltre after the First Crusade.
Corona is especially venerated in Austria and eastern Bavaria. She is invoked in connection with superstitions involving money, such as gambling or treasure hunting.[5]
Otto III, around AD 1000, brought Corona's relics to Aachen.Notes
- ^ Santi Vittore e Corona
- ^ Dillinger, Johannes (2011). Magical Treasure Hunting in Europe and North America. Palgrave Macmillan. pp. 89–90. ISBN 0230000045.
- ^ Also known as Stefania, Stephana, a Greek translation of her Latin name, meaning "crown"
- ^ Saint Patrick's Church: Saints of May 14
- ^ St. Victor and Corona, Catholic Online, 2020. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
What instantly jumped out was that NOWHERE in the Wikipedia information presented on either saint is there anything having to do with pandemics or miraculous healings of the sick and turning away of disease. Instead, Corona is connected to TREASURE HUNTING and "superstitions involving money, such as gambling." SAY WHAT? So, the Roman Catholic Church condones people praying to a Saint for help in treasure hunting and gambling. Hmmm....
Darlings - I couldn't make this stuff up if I tried! And not a word about poor eyeless Saint Victor. What does he do - hit Corona up for money when he's broke?
Another article stated that Corona's remains were located in in a basilica in the city of Anzu, Italy, since the 9th century (agrees with the Diocese of Lansing article above). Note that Anzu is located in northern Italy, the same area where COVID-19 first spread like a wildfire in the country. Anzu's location is noted by the star logo within the white circle in the map, below. You can see it's location vis a vis Verona, Padua, and Venice.
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| Basilica Santuario dei Ss. Vittore e Corona, Anzu, Italy Source: Trip Advisor |
An article at Aleteia alluded to Corona's connection to pandemics: "Several readers have asked us about St. Corona being a patron saint to invoke against epidemics. This can be verified in various German-language sources, as this particular aspect of devotion to her is most common in Austria and Bavaria."
Here's another interesting article on Corona, in which a Catholic priest says that Corona was the sister-in-law of Victor.
After I read the Diocese of Lansing article and found this reference to Corona's connection to epidemics, I couldn't help but wonder if, in the mysterious ways of the universe, in all its irony, there was somehow a connection between the events now unfolding in Italy and the events that unfolded over a thousand years ago at the hands of the Roman Empire in a distant foreign land. It is no secret that outside of China Italy has been the hardest hit country by COVID-19.
That being said, I'm going to keep my eye on May 14th this year, the "Feast Day" for Corona and Victor. Who knows, maybe something miraculous will happen. We sure could use it.
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