WASHINGTON (CNS) — Saints can get a bad rap because sometimes people assume they lived in deep piety removed from the burdens of everyday life. But a quick look at the saints known for their ministry to the poor and outcast, the sick and dying, particularly during times of plagues, casts these men and women in a diff erent light. The Catholic Church has numerous saints that fall under this category, and a few particularly stand out now during this time of the COVID-19 pandemic. Topping most lists as a patron saint of plagues is St. Roch, who lived during the Black Death in the 14th century. He was said to have cured plague victims he visited in Italy with his prayers and by marking the sick with the sign of the cross. Eventually, he too was sickened by the plague and is said to have withdrawn to a hut in the forest until he recovered. Legend has it a dog brought him food, which is why statues of St. Roch often include a dog at his side. Although the saint might seem farremoved from modern life, his care for plague victims certainly resonates today. In the United States, there are several parishes named after him. One, in Oxford, Mass., includes a prayer to the saint on its website asking the saint for “healing during this current health crisis during Lent and throughout the pandemic” and urging him to “intercede for the whole world.” The Catholic Church has had a long tradition of calling on saints and praying for their intercession in sickness and diffi cult times. At the time, in many cities and villages where medical knowledge was limited, cities and villages often adopted a plague saint to protect them. In Florence, Italy, the bishop had an altar built in honor of St. Sebastian as a means to stop the Black Death.
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