Saint Margaret
Feast Day July 20
St. Margaret was born in Antioch in Asia Minor. She was the daughter of a pagan priest but, after the death of her mother, she was baptized and raised in the faith by a pious nurse. Her great beauty attracted the Roman Prefect who wished to marry her, but she refused, and, despite torture, remained steadfast in consecrating her virginity to God. When she refused to renounce her Christian faith and to adore the false gods of the empire, she was condemned to die. She died for her faith at the age of fifteen.
St. Margaret is pictured as a martyr with cross and palm and the crown of virginity on her head. She is the patron of farmers and expectant mothers, and is called upon in time of doubt and of temptation.
