St. Cecilia, the patron saint of music and musicians, is celebrated Nov. 22. | Archive

The Feast Day of St. Cecilia, observed Nov. 22, was marked by a remembrance and prayer by the Diocese of Phoenix.

“Today we celebrate the Memorial of St. Cecilia, Virgin and Martyr,” the diocese posted to Facebook Nov. 22.  The diocese shared a card bearing one of St. Cecilia's best-known quotes, "Arise, soldiers of Christ, throw away the works of darkness and put on the armor of light."

Cecilia was born in third-century Rome, the child of a wealthy family, according to her biography by Brittanica. She pledged a lifetime of chastity to God when she was a child, but was given in marriage to a pagan man named Valerian. On their wedding night, she told her bridegroom that an angel of God was with her to protect her chastity. Valerian agreed to honor her vow if he could also see the angel; Cecilia told him he would have to be baptized first. Valerian agreed, as did his brother Tiburtius, and both saw Cecilia speaking with an angel, according to her biography.

Catholic Online's biography of St. Cecilia states the brothers dedicated their lives to burying the Christians executed each day by the prefect of the city, an act for which they were arrested and put to death. When Cecilia buried their bodies, she, too, was arrested and sentenced of death by suffocation in a "vapor bath," according to Roman Catholic Saint. But as Catholic Online reports "She was shut in for one night and one day, as fires were heaped up and stoked to a terrifying heat - but Cecilia did not even sweat."

Cecilia was then sentenced to beheading. An executioner attempted to cut off her head but after three tries, gave up. Cecilia lived for another three days after the attempted beheading, her biographies state, preaching to and praying for the people who came and collected her blood. After she died, Pope Urban and his deacons buried her.

Cecilia's body was exhumed in 1599 and found to be perfectly preserved centuries after her death, the first saint whose body remained "incorrupted," according to biographies. St. Ceclia is the patron saint of music and musicians.