Oil Dedicated to St Agrippina

Description

The Oil Dedicated to St Agrippina dedicated to the Roman martyr in the early Church.

Saint Agrippina ( died 262) venerated as a virgin martyr in the Catholic Church and Orthodox Christianity.

Her legend states that she a blonde princess born of a noble Roman family. She martyred during the reign of Roman Emperor Valerian. She either beheaded or scourged to death.

Her body said to have taken to Mineo, Sicily. Three devout Christian women named Bassa, Paula, and Agatonica, brought her. Their travels aided by angels. Alban Butler says that the reputed acts in the Greek Menaia are quite unreliable There no evidence forthcoming of any cultus of early date.

Saint Agrippina greatly honored in Sicily and, to a lesser degree, in Greece. There it said that her relics translated from Sicily to Constantinople. Her tomb became a popular pilgrimage destination. She invoked as a patron saint against evil spirits, leprosy, and thunderstorms.

Her feast day no longer celebrated in the Catholic Church, however it celebrated in the Orthodox Church on June 23.

There are two Catholic Churches named after Saint Agrippina. One church called Church of St Agrippina is located in Mineo and the Chapel of Saint Agrippina di Mineo in Boston. Immigrants from Mineo to Boston’s North End have celebrated their patron saint for over 100 years on the first week of August.

Tradition of oils

The tradition of anointing with sacred oil is very old indeed. It used in sacraments and also as a devotional practice. The sick person applies the oil and blesses themselves. As they do so, they are asked to pray to whomever the oil is dedicated to. The Irish blessings oils do not have miraculous power. It is God who has the power to heal. Applying the oil while praying are important ways for us to express our faith in God’s power. Moreover, by doing so we place our trust in God.

The Irish Blessings oils are dedicated to the Holy Spirit, Our Lady and the saints. The oils come through prayer. They are placed on their designated altars for a period of prayer before being sent out. The oils are of therapeutic grade.

The bottles of oils going out are accompanied with a prayer card. In addition, they are personalised for the saint to whom the oil is dedicated to.