St. Perpetua and her Companions, Martyrs

Early March brings the memorial of St. Perpetua and her Companions. The group became martyrs in 203, when they were imprisoned and later killed for their Christian faith.

Perpetua was a young woman, in her early 20s. She was a recent convert to Christianity, and was preparing for baptism as a catechumen when she and several others were arrested. One of the tensions in her story is what will happen to her infant child if Perpetua is executed?

The story of Perpetua is captured in her own writings, one of the earliest surviving Christian documents written by a woman. Read an English translation of her story by clicking here.