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San Roque (Saint Roch)

San Roque or Saint Roch, known as Rocco in Italy and Roque in Spain is patron saint of the sick and invalids.

History:
Roch was born around 1295 to the rich family of the Governor John and his wife Libera in Montpellier, France. Tradition says that Roch had a birthmark with a red cross on his chest. His father died when he was 12 and his mother died when he was 20. He joined the Franciscan order soon after that and distributed his fortune among the poor and handed the government of Montpellier to his uncle.

Roch then set out for Italy as a mendicant pilgrim at stopped along the way to care for the victims of the plague that was ravaging Italy at

 

that time. At Piacenza Roch fell to but recovered and was reputed to have performed many miracles of healing everywhere he went.

One tradition says that after his recovery, Roch returned to Montepellier, France. He was arrested and accused as a spy dressed as a pilgrim and sent to prison by his uncle who did not recognize him.

He died in prison five years later. It was only when they found the cross on his breast as well as a document found in his possession that they found he was the son of the previous governor (and nephew of the new governor). When the plague broke out in the city, the Fathers of the Council of Constance ordered prayers and processions in Roch’s honor, and the plague stopped.

 

 

 
  

Prayer in Honor of
San Roque (Saint Roch)

(Feast – August 16)

O BLESSED SAN ROQUE,
Patron of the sick,
Have pity on those
Who lie upon a bed of suffering.

Your power was so great
When you were in this world,
That by the sign of the Cross,
Many were healed of their diseases.
Now that you are in heaven,
Your power is not less.
Offer, then, to God our sighs and tears
And obtain for us that health we seek
Through Christ our Lord.
Amen.

San Roque, pray for us,
That we may be preserved
From all diseases
Of body and soul. (Three times.)

Dear mendicant Pilgrim,
You once took care
Of sufferers from the plague
And were always ready to help others
By kind service and fervent prayers.
You yourself had no home
And you died in a dungeon.
No wonder countless invalids
Have confidently invoked your help.
Please grant a cure to

(name of the sufferer),

and help us all become spiritually healthy.
Amen.

 
For more, please read

Saint of the Day: Lives, Lessons, and Feasts (Paperback)
by Leonard Foley (Editor), Pat McCloskey (Editor)

Lives of the Saints You Should Know by Margaret R. Bunson, Matthew E. Bunson
   

New Illustrated Book of Saints
Author: Catholic Book Publishing Company
   

One Hundred Saints: Their Lives and Likenesses Drawn from Butler's
This is a coffee-table collection of 100 popular saints illustrated with art works taken from international galleries. The saints are listed alphabetically in a valuable table of contents, with a larger list of patron saints following the text. Inclusion is based on popularity within the Christian world and the
availability of atypical art works. Entries are generally based on the 1926-38 edition of Butler's Lives of the Saints, with the length of each entry varying from one-half page to several pages. Short entries giving written insight into the lives of pious individuals are combined with depictions rendered by artists such as Raphael and El Greco. An inexpensive tribute to art and faith more appropriate for gift-giving than for libraries.
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A collection of articles based on published books explaining the reasons behind certain Catholic practices and traditions.
 
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