Tucked away in the basement of the downtown

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Tucked away in the basement of the downtown Cathedral in Los Angeles, CA, are the remains of a nobody.
“We know next to nothing about Saint Vibiana.” Today her tomb is in the crypt of the new Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels. Who was she? She is an enigma. She is nobody and everybody. Her feast is celebrated only by us here in Los Angeles.
She stands for all of us, the insignificant ones who will never be written about in history books. Our lives may not be widely known, but they are known to God, who has called us each by name from before the beginning of time.
Born and died in the 3rd century, the remains of Vibiana were rediscovered in ancient catacombs near the Appian Way.
A marble tablet adorned her tomb upon which was inscribed
“to the soul of the innocent and pure Vibiana”, above a laurel wreath.
A wreath was a symbol of martydom among ancient Christians.
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There are interesting parallels here with the story of Saint Philomena.
 
Since I live in Los Angeles, I pray at the tomb of St. Vibiana every time I visit our cathedral. The beautiful subterranean mausoleum is one of my favorite places there. She may be tucked away down below, but I can assure you she’s not forgotten. Thanks for posting! You say disinterment, and I say she was reinterred. Reinterment is quite common, for a number of reasons. Not a sign of disrespect, but in my opinion, her memory is more honored now.
 
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It’s quite fitting that a city with so many unknowns seeking fame, and so many relying on their fame, would have a saint who is not well known. It reminds us what is important.

St Vibiana, pray for us!
 
The movie star Gregory Peck is also interred there, not far from the tomb of St. Vibiana. I imagine more than a few of his fans have also seen her her shrine while looking for the unassuming site of his mortal remains.
 
Tis_Bearself said:
It’s quite fitting that a city with so many unknowns seeking fame, and so many relying on their fame, would have a saint who is not well known. It reminds us what is important.

St Vibiana, pray for us!
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This is a very inspiring observation. Thanks so much.

There will surely be many saints in heaven who hardly anyone even knew existed in this life.
 
When I was confirmed, I chose the name of St. Elizabeth Rose, because I like the name. Also, she was a Benedictine abbess, and I thought it was pretty neat that when she retired she spent the rest of her life as an anchoress living in a hollow oak tree. She died in 1130. I haven’t found anybody else who has heard of her.
 
I just found a few lines on Wiki when I googled her. Also, the list of Catholic saints mentions her. That’s about it.
 
Shasta-Rose said:
When I was confirmed, I chose the name of St. Elizabeth Rose, because I like the name. Also, she was a Benedictine abbess, and I thought it was pretty neat that when she retired she spent the rest of her life as an anchoress living in a hollow oak tree. She died in 1130. I haven’t found anybody else who has heard of her.
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Sounds like Julia Butterfly Hill to me.

That is not a slam. Miss Hill’s bona fides are not to be questioned. People can and do take extreme action for reasons of preserving the natural environment. Two words: Greta Thunberg. I don’t question her bona fides either. I don’t share her convictions (at least not to the extent she takes them), but if she were my daughter, I would be extremely proud of her.
 
It was pretty common for hermits to live in a tree back in the day. St Simon Stock, of Carmelite Brown Scapular fame, is called “Stock” because he allegedly lived in a tree, “stock” being a word for “trunk”. They generally didn’t climb up and live in the branches like Julia Butterfly Hill, they lived in the bottom hollow trunk part.
 
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Tis_Bearself said:
It was pretty common for hermits to live in a tree back in the day. St Simon Stock, of Carmelite Brown Scapular fame, is called “Stock” because he allegedly lived in a tree, “stock” being a word for “trunk”. They generally didn’t climb up and live in the branches like Julia Butterfly Hill, they lived in the bottom hollow trunk part.
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I was referring to the general concept of living in (or on) a tree.

Interesting tidbit about how St Simon Stock got his name.
 
By earthly standards, many saints are nobodies.

In Heaven, not so much. But up there, everybody’s “somebody”.
 
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