St. Cecilia Tote Bag (Plaid)

These custom made-on-demand Tote Bags ship world-wide directly from our exceptional craftsmen in China. When placing your order, please use a physical street address for DHL Express delivery. DHL Express can not deliver to a PO Box. Destination tracking is available for most countries. A tracking number will be emailed to you once your order has shipped.

Production Time: 5-7 working days
DHL Express Ship Time: 3-6 days

Please Note: During peak shopping seasons, production and ship time may take a little longer than normal. If you are buying this item as a gift, please order as early as possible. We don't want to disappoint you or the gift recipient with a potentially delayed order.

For countries where tracking numbers are not available, this item should arrive by regular post within 2-4 weeks. Orders that have not arrived within 45 days of order processing are eligible for a free reshipment or a refund.

MATERIALS 
These Tote Bags are made with a high quality, textured imitation leather with a Safiano Finish created by the luxury designer brand Prada. This material is made with split leather (that’s the fibrous part of the hide left over from making genuine leather) which has been bonded with polyurethane. This material is extremely durable and the image will not fade, peel or flake. The interior lining is a soft, brushed polyester. These Tote Bags are vegan and eco friendly.

CARE
Your freshly made bag might arrive with a "new bag smell" (similar to a new car smell) that some people love and others do not. When you receive your bag, please unwrap it and allow the bag breathe for 24-48 hours to absorb the natural scents of its surroundings. To clean your tote bag, use a soft, damp towel to wipe away any dust or dirt. You can use a mild soap or gentle cleaning spray if needed. Please do not put this tote bag in the washing machine.

ST. CECILIA OF ROME

200 — 230
Feast Day November 22
Patron Saint of musicians, poets and hymns.

Born in Rome, Italy, Cecilia came from an extremely wealthy family and was given in marriage to a young pagan nobleman named Valerian. She wore sackcloth next to her skin, fasted, and invoked the angels and saints beseeching them to guard her virginity.

During her wedding ceremony, as the musicians played she "sang in her heart to the Lord." When the time came for her marriage to be consummated, she told her husband she had taken a vow of virginity and that watching over her was an angel of the Lord, who would punish him if he sexually violated her. Valerian asked to see the angel as proof, and Cecilia told him he would have eyes to see once he traveled to the third milestone on the Via Appia (Appian Way) and be baptized.

Following his baptism by Pope Urbanus, Valerian returned to his wife and found an angel at her side. When Valerian's brother, Tibertius, heard of the angel and his brother's baptism, he also was baptized and together the brothers dedicated their lives to burying the saints who were murdered each day by the prefect of the city, Turcius Almachius. 

As her husband and brother-in-law buried the dead, Cecilia spent her time preaching and was able to convert hundreds of people, most of whom were baptized by Pope Urban. 

Her husband and brother-in-law were eventually arrested and brought before the prefect where they were executed after they refused to offer a sacrifice to the gods. Cecilia was later arrested and condemned to be suffocated in the baths. 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.

When Almachius heard this, he sent an executioner to cut off her head in the baths. The executioner struck her three times but was unable to decapitate her so he left her bleeding and she lived for three days. Crowds came to her and collected her blood while she preached to them or prayed. On the third day she died and was buried by Pope Urban and his deacons. She was 30 years old.

Officials exhumed her body in 1599 and found her to be incorrupt. She was draped in a silk veil and wore a gold embroidered dress. Officials only looked through the veil in an act of holy reverence and made no further examinations. They also reported a "mysterious and delightful flower-like odor which proceeded from the coffin."

Cecilia is one of seven women, in addition to the Blessed Virgin Mary, commemorated by name in the Canon of the Mass.