St. Roch
Born of a noble family, tradition says St. Roch was miraculously born with a red cross on his breast. St. Roch gave all of his fortune to the poor at age 20 after his parents died. In 1315, he assisted plague victims in several Italian cities, miraculously curing people with the sign of the cross. While helping the sick, he also contracted the disease. However, the saint survived after a dog helped him in the forest. The dog brought him food and licked his wounds. He was later mistaken for a spy and spent the rest of his life in prison. According to tradition, an angel appeared in St. Roch’s cell after his death. The angel said that those who invoked his intercession would be cured of the plague.
Prayer to St. Roch
O Blessed Saint Roch,
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.
(Repeat the following 3 times)
Saint Roch, pray for us,
That we may be preserved
From all diseases of body and soul.