St. Cecilia Roman Catholic Church

70 Church Street, Rockaway, New Jersey  07866

Who Is Saint Cecilia?

Cecilia was a member of a noble Roman family and member of the Christian community in Rome. Her parents forced her to marry a nobleman named Valerian.  According to legend, in the evening of her wedding day, with the music of the marriage feast ringing in her ears, Cecilia renewed the vow by which she had consecrated her virginity to God. “Pure be my heart and undefiled my body; for I have a spouse you do not know, an angel of my Lord.” This is why she is honored as a patron of music.

Cecilia converted her husband and his brother to the faith of Christ. Because Valerian helped Cecilia in her charity toward the poor, he was put to death. Cecilia refused to sacrifice to the pagan gods. The judge condemned her to be smothered by steam. The Lord protected Cecilia from this fate. Then the judge ordered a solider to behead her. He struck her three times, but was unsuccessful in beheading her. She fell gravely wounded but for three days remained alive and according to tradition preached Christ Jesus as she lay near death. She died about the year 230 A.D. Cecilia was buried in the Catacombs. In the 6^th century her relics were moved to a basilica which was built in her honor in the Trastevere district of Rome.