Saint Olivia

Very little is known about this Saint Olivia.  She is mentioned in many sources, but usually with only one sentence.

She lived in Brescia, Italy, during the second century, and was martyred for her faith in the Lord Jesus Christ while Hadrian was emperor.

Each year on her memorial, she is announced as a “Holy Virgin.”

The name “Olivia” comes from the Latin word for “olive.”

We commemorate this Holy Virgin on March 5.

Holy Virgin of the Lord, Olivia, pray that after we are gone from this life that the memory of our purity remains.  Amen.

From John D (2/23/2013):

Thank you for maintaining your website where information can be found on St. Olivia. It is important for people to get to know their patron saint and information online can even help to name a child as it did for us.

My daughter was named Olivia by my wife before her conception, birth, and adoption 3 years after my wife's prayer began. Given the name Ella Kristine by her birth mother (who did not know the translation of the name), we were asked what we desired her name to be upon her adoption. My wife wanted "Olivia", the name she gave to the unborn child that she had prayed Bishop Fulton Sheen's prayer for. In a situation similar to Zachariah at the birth of my patron saint, John the Baptist, I thought that another name might be better suited for her as there were no Olivia's in our families. I proceeded to search the internet for Catholic saints observed on her March 5th birthday and found the miraculous coincidence (God's design) that our daughter was born on the feast day of St. Olivia. It was very clear that she was to be named Olivia Christine. God continues to do His work through His great witnesses, the saints, and through our Orthodox and Catholic faithful that hold to these traditions.

Thank you for your prayers for her as we consider as Olivia grows - "what then shall this child be?"