Roch

 As some of you know, I have been experiencing some knee pain this week (thank you for your prayers). While I am rapidly improving, I find that it is always good to have a saintly intercessor in your back pocket (so to speak) when these issues arise. Among his many patronages, St. Roch is the Saint that we invoke against knee pain. His name is rendered as Rock in English and Rollox in Scottland, Roque in Portuguese, Roc in Catalan, Roque in Spanish and Rocco in Italian.

The details of Roch's life are uncertain, and his story is full of legendary elements. About all that can be said for certain is that he was born in Montpellier, Kingdom of Majorca (about 1348) and he nursed the sick during a plague in Italy. The legend is that his very birth was miraculous as his mother had been barren until she prayed to the Virgin Mary. He was said to have been born with a birthmark of a red cross on his breast. His parents died when he was twenty. He then distributed all his possessions to the poor and entered the Franciscan Order. 

He then went on pilgrimage to Rome where he arrived in the midst of a plague. He was very diligent in tending the sick and was said to have effected miraculous cures through his prayers and the touch of his hand. When he himself fell ill of the plague, he withdrew into the forest not wishing to burden anyone else with his care. He was miraculously fed by a dog, who supplied him with bread and licked his wounds, healing them. The dog's owner then found Roch and took him to his home to fully recover. 

When he returned to his home city of Montpellier, he was not recognized and was arrested on the orders of his own uncle as a spy. He was thrown into prison where he languished for five years until his death. Upon his death, the townspeople identified him by his birthmark.

In addition to knee pain, St. Roch is invoked against cholera, epidemics, plague and skin diseases. He is also the patron Saint of bachelors, diseased cattle, dogs, falsely accused people, invalids, surgeons, tile makers, grave diggers, second-hand dealers, pilgrims and apothecaries.

His feast day is August 16. St. Roch, pray for us.