St. Expeditus: Patron Saint of Speedy Causes

St. Expeditus:  Patron Saint of Speedy Causes

The venerated image of St. Expeditus in 
the Lipa Cathedral

In the Metropolitan Cathedral of St. Sebastian in Lipa City is a venerated image of a young Roman Centurion saint named Expeditus. Every month of April, a nine day novena in his honor is held in the cathedral that culminates in the celebration of his feast day on the 19th of the month.

Who is this saint whose intercession was also invoked in the Oratio Imperata to avert a catastrophic eruption of Taal Volcano prepared by the Archdiocese of Lipa when the volcano exhibited extra-ordinary activity early  in January, 2020? 

St. Expeditus could have found affinity with the Lipenos since the martyr shares a lot of commonality with St. Sebastian, the city’s patron. St. Expeditus, like St. Sebastian was also a young Roman soldier who converted to Christianity and was also martyred as a consequence, during the period of Diocletian persecution.  Hence, a devotion to him has developed among the faithful of Lipa.

There also exist at least two groups  in the Philippines which promote devotion to the miraculous saint, the St. Expeditus Philippines and the Society of St. Expeditus.  The latter, now on its 26th year,  organizes devotional activities at the St. Andrew’s Cathedral in Paranaque during the saint’s feast day through a healing mass held in his honor.  Devotees who had experienced healing through the intercession of the miraculous saint usually share their testimonies of healing in this gathering.

Patronages

St. Expeditus Feast day, 2018
St. Andrew Cathedral, Paranaque City

The revered saint is the acknowledged patron of speedy cases, against procrastination, for expeditious solutions, of merchants and navigators. for financial crisis, for house and home problems, urgent needs, for desperate causes.  The saint, because of his efficatious intercession, has also been sought by groups such as dealers, students, examinees and sailors. 

Church Iconography

The saint is usually depicted in Church iconography as a Roman soldier holding a palm leaf in his left hand and raising a cross with the word “hodie” (today) on his right. His right foot is stepping on a raven, which is speaking the word “cras” (tomorrow).

Traditionally, petitions to St. Expeditus are accompanied by the lighting of a white and green candles, with the name of the devotee carved on them, lengthwise. One prays to the saint with the lighted candles until such time that his / her prayer is answered.

Under a Shadow of Doubt

The existence of St. Expeditus has always been under the shadow of doubt for there was no mention of a cult of St. Expeditus among the early Christian believers. Although in the Hieronymianum, the name Expeditus appeared among a group of martyrs both on the 18th and 19th of April, being assigned in one case to Rome, and in the other to Melitene in Armenia, there is no vestige of tradition which would validate and support either mention.

How the Devotion to St. Expeditus Began

St. Expeditus with a group of devotees,
Metropolitan Cathedral of St. Sebastian

The earliest indication of devotion to St. Expeditus comes only from the second half of the eighteenth century. He was mentioned briefy in 1675 in the April edition of Acta sanctorum. But the word “Expeditus” some say, is a misreading of “Elpidius”. The name Expeditus has proved puns, so he has become the patron of dealers, sailors, students and examinees; he is also implored for success in lawsuits.

Given that “Expeditus” is Latin for a soldier without marching pack, i.e. soldier with light equipment, this saint may be an anonymous individual known by his profession. His cult was already developed in Turin, Italy during the middle ages.

There is also a story that claims to explain the origin of the devotion to St. Expeditus which is already an incident of modern date. A package containing the body of a saint from the catacombs, was allegedly shipped to a convent of sisters in Paris. A mark “spidito” was found in the date of the dispatch which the sisters mistook for the name of the martyr. The nuns immediately set to work in order to propagate the cult of the saint, and the devotion spread rapidly throughout many Catholic countries. But such a story is debunked by the fact that earlier than 1781, when such incident took place, this supposed martyr, St. Expeditus, was already chosen patron of the town of Acireate in Sicily and the existence of pictures of him in Germany in the eighteenth century which plainly depicted him as a saint to be invoked against procrastination.

Life and Martyrdom

There is not much available information about the saint but according to tradition, Expeditus was a Roman centurion in Armenia who converted to Christianity and was martyred by beheading in  303 during the Diocletian persecution.

It is told that the day he resolved that he would become a Christian, the devil in the guise of a crow enticed him to defer his conversion the following day. St. Expeditus was said to have stamped on the bird, crushing it dead.

Another story took place in New Orleans, Louisiana where account says that in the Chapel of Our Lady of Guadalupe, was received a large shipment of statues of various saints but one lacked an identifying label. rather, it was just labelled “Expedite” which the residents took for the saint’s name. Expeditus still figures prominently in Louisiana Creole folklore and is revered through amulets, flowers, candles and intercessory prayers.

Prayer to St. Expeditus (Saint of urgent causes)

My Saint Expeditus, saint of fair and urgent causes,

Help me in this time of affliction and despair

Intercede for me with our Lord Jesus Christ!

You who are a warrior saint

You who are the saint of the afflicted

You who are the saint of the desperate

You who are the saint of urgent causes,

Protect me, help me, give me strength, courage and serenity

Hear my plea…. (say your petition here)

Help me through these difficult hours

Protect me from all those who want to hurt me

Protect my family

Respond to my plea with haste

Bring me peace and tranquility

I will be grateful to you for the rest of my life

and speak your name to all those who have faith

Many thanks, my Saint Expeditus.

(Our Father…, Hail Mary…, Glory be…)

Reference:

“St. Expeditus” retrieved from https://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=347 on April 18, 2021.