Perpetua, a young mother of noble birth, and Felicity, a heavily pregnant slave girl, were imprisoned at Carthage in 203 because of their Christian faith. Before they met their death (they were thrown to wild beasts in the arena), Felicity gave birth to a girl; Perpetua was still nursing her new-born son. The Passion of St Perpetua provides a particularly vivid account of their martyrdom. They are included in the Roman Canon. – CTS New Daily Roman Missal 2012, p 2587
