The story of a shrine to St. Philomena
10:35 PM 5/24/03
Susan Lampert Smith Wisconsin State Journal

BRIGGSVILLE - "Teenage, Virgin, Martyr."

The sign stops me every time I drive through town, possibly because you don't often see those three words together. The full text reads: "Welcome to Briggsville. Home of the Shrine to St. Philomena. Teenage, Virgin, Martyr."

So on my most recent trip, I decided to track down the story of St. Philomena.

The red and white flags are flying outside the shrine this week, because today is the 201st anniversary of the day her remains were unearthed from the catacombs of Rome. The red symbolizes martyrdom, the white, virginity. There are 13 flags because that's how old Philomena was when she was believed to be martyred.

St. Philomena hasn't been an official saint of the Catholic Church since 1961, when Vatican II declared that there wasn't enough known about her life. But here in Briggsville, in the southwest corner of Marquette County along Lake Mason, her loyal followers haven't forgotten her.

"By the end of this weekend, the shrine will be full of flowers," says Susan Hilliard, a local woman who helps keep the saint's memory alive by serving as head of the archconfraternity of the saint.

Hilliard moved to Briggsville as a child in the 1950s, when her parents bought The Pheasant Inn, a lakeside resort that Hilliard and her husband, Craig, run today. Back then, the local Catholic Church had a priest named Father Wiltzius, who brought with him a devotion to the saint.

Local donors paid for a shrine, with beautiful stained glass and a statue of the saint carved from Italian marble.

"There used to be busloads of people coming to the shrine," Hilliard said, remembering that the worshippers meant extra work for her at the restaurant where she, not a machine, was the only dishwasher. But that all came to an end after Vatican II discouraged worship of St. Philomena.

Hilliard was busy running a business and raising her three children, and didn't think of the saint all that often, until a priest asked her why no one in Briggsville showed devotion anymore.

Hilliard took it upon herself to maintain the shrine and to learn more about the girl it honored. She learned that Philomena was unearthed in 1802 because Napoleon wanted to build a road in Rome. The tiles sealing her tomb made no sense until they were rearranged to read: "Rest in Peace, Philomena."

Her remains were taken to the village of Mugnano, near Mount Vesuvius. She was buried with a vial of blood, which indicates she was seen as a martyr, and the church at Mugnano began reporting miracles associated with her relics.

"It's almost like a motherly thing," Hilliard said, of her interest in the young saint. "She's always been an underdog."

Little was known about her life, but Philomena was made a saint based on the reports of miracles. Later, people came forward saying they had visions in which Philomena said she was a Greek princess whose parents conceived her after converting to Christianity. An evil Roman emperor wanted to marry her, but she had promised her life to God, and died a virgin after being tortured.

Hilliard, who used to work making prints for famed wildlife artist Owen Gromme, painted a portrait of St. Philomena showing the arrows, cat-o-nine-tails, and anchor used to torture her. It once hung in the church, she said, but a priest had her remove the portrait, and it now hangs in her restaurant.

In order to spread the word about the saint in hopes of having her reinstated, Hilliard looked into making prints of her painting to sell, but when she learned the price was $5,000, she was discouraged.

"At that time, we sold Wisconsin Lottery tickets in the building," Hilliard said, of her resort. "I bought one ticket and won $5,000. And that's where the money went."

It was, Hilliard believes, another miracle from the teenage saint.

She eventually connected with Father Don Giovanni Braschi, an Italian priest associated with the shrine in Mugnano. He sent Hilliard a ticket to come to Italy, where she took part in a mass that drew 1,000 people to worship St. Philomena. She returned with blessed items, including oil and cords woven of Philomena's symbol colors of red and white. Because Philomena is a patron of infertility, infertile couples often ask Hilliard to wear the cords under their clothes.

"I know of at least three little Philomenas," Hilliard said, of children conceived after their parents prayed to the patroness.

Despite the church's official discouragement, the shrine draws worshippers from all over. This past week, a visitor from Albuquerque, N.M., signed the guest book.

Hilliard says she would love to be able to visit middle and high schools to spread the story of St. Philomena, who she said has a message for today's young people.

"She's a teenaged saint and a role model for the young," Hilliard said. "She was martyred because she refused to give up her virginity. But virginity isn't important to young girls today."

And that is the story behind the sign along Highway 23 in Briggsville.

Susan Lampert Smith writes about the people and places that make Wisconsin unique. Send her story ideas at ssmith@madison.com or to Wisconsin State Journal, P.O. Box 8058, Madison, WI 53708.