Who was Saint Barbara?
We know very little about Saint Barbara for sure. Christians have honored her as a martyr since early times, and her name has been in the Church’s list of saints for many centuries. Everything else comes from an old story, told and retold for more than a thousand years. This is what the old story says.
Barbara was the daughter of a rich man who did not believe in God. He kept her in a tall tower so that no one would see her. There Barbara learned about Jesus and became a Christian, and she had three windows made in her tower, in honor of the Holy Trinity: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
When her father found out she was a Christian, he was very angry. Barbara would not give up Jesus, and she died as a martyr. The story adds that a great storm came afterward, with thunder and lightning. That is why people ask Saint Barbara to keep them safe in storms, and why miners and soldiers who work with fire and explosions chose her as their patron.
We can’t know whether every part of the story happened. But the Church still honors Barbara as a saint, and her story teaches something true: we can love Jesus with courage, even when the people around us don’t understand.
When is Saint Barbara’s feast day?
Saint Barbara’s feast day is December 4. She is in the Roman Martyrology, the Church’s official list of saints. Since 1969 her day is no longer in the General Roman Calendar, because so little about her is certain, but she is still a saint, and miners and artillery soldiers still celebrate her.
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