Patroness of musicians

For choirs, musicians and everyone who sings badly.

A Roman martyr of the second or third century, Cecilia became the patroness of music from a line in her acts saying that while the musicians played at her wedding, she sang in her heart to God alone.

The Prayer

St. Cecilia, patroness of musicians,
pray for all who make music for the Church:
choirs and cantors, organists and instrumentalists,
and those who practise unnoticed all week for four minutes on Sunday.

Give them humility, so their music serves the liturgy
rather than displaying itself.
Give the congregation courage to sing.
And give the rest of us patience with each other.

Teach us all to sing in our hearts to God alone. Amen.

About This Devotion

Her feast is 22 November, kept by choirs and music societies worldwide, and the occasion of an enormous quantity of choral music written in her honour — Purcell, Handel, Britten and Gounod among many others.