Prayer to Saint Roch
O most merciful God Who through an angel promised St. Roch That whoever should invoke his name Would be preserved from pestilence And contagious diseases. Grant that through his intercession we May be preserved from all dangers, Both of soul and body Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Novena of Saint Roch
O Blessed St 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 no less. Offer to God our sighs and tears and obtain for us the physical and spiritual health we seek:
(Mention your request…)
This we ask through Jesus Christ Our Lord. Amen.
St Roch, Pray for us, that we may be relieved from all diseases of body and soul.
(Repeat 3 times)
Lord Jesus, may thy will be done.
Say: Our Father… Hail Mary… Glory be…
Day 1
Holy and Mighty God, You called St. Roch into a wonderful relationship with You, so that the world might see in him a true example
of love, compassion and caring especially for the sick.
We beg the grace to pray this novena for the sick, disabled, incurable and dying, and for our special intentions as well.
(Mention your request here…)
Grant, O Lord, Your miraculous power through the intercession of St. Roch.
We ask this and all our prayers through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Day 2
Creator God, You led St. Roch from a life of luxury and ease, to live for the sake of others in poverty and simplicity. He surrendered himself to You as a pilgrim, to be cleansed from sin, to seek You first above all else. We beg the grace to pray this novena for the sign, disabled, incurable and dying,
and for our special intentions as well.
(Mention your request here…)
Grant us the same vision and witness to values that will lead us
to Your kingdom in Jesus Christ the Lord. Amen.
Day 3
Lord, God, You enabled St Roch, to work among the very poor and homeless. You created in him the desire to serve You through ministry to the outcast and unwanted and to those who could not care for themselves.
We beg the grace to pray this novena for the sick, disabled, incurable and dying, and for our special intentions as well.
(Mention your request here…)
Urge in us, through St. Roch, the power of compassion and care for the many who are powerless; the weak; those without justice; the homeless and the alienated.
We beg this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Day 4
Holy and mighty one, through the following the life of St. Francis, you planted holiness and gospel values in St. Roch. With the intercession of St. Roch, remove other feelings and attitudes of greed, resentment, selfishness,
and oppression from our lives.
We beg the grace to pray this novena for the sick, disabled, incurable and dying,
and for our special intentions as well.
(Mention your request here…)
Help us to become more other centered, and committed to the assistance
of Your holy people, through Christ, Our Lord. Amen
Day 5
O God of Our Salvation, You gifted St. Roch with healing power to relieve the suffering and pain of many sick persons in his time. He appeared as an angelic messenger to bring relief from devastating disease.
Now we, too, seek the intercession of St. Roch to relieve the anguish of terminal diseases & modern plagues. Protect Your people who call on You
from infection contagion, & fear of disease.
We beg the grace to pray this novena for the sick, disabled, incurable & dying,
& for our special intentions as well. (Mention your request here…)
We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Day 6
Gracious and loving God, You taught St. Roch
to seek the salvation of others above all else.
He sought to bring redemption even to those who could do him harm.
Grant, in this intercession, that we might be filled with zeal for Your Word;
that we might have humility in our lives and the virtues of honesty and integrity
as signs of our love for You and the world in which we live.
We beg the grace to pray this novena for the sick, disabled,
incurable and dying, and for our special intentions as well.
(Mention your request here…)
We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Day 7
Lord God, You chose St. Roch to share in the suffering and anguish of a dreaded disease. When he was alone and near to death, You taught him absolute trust in Your Holy Providence, and he recovered miraculously. We beg that same trust and confidence in Your healing power for our family and friends, even in the worst moments of fear and anxiety.
We beg the grace to pray this novena for the sick,
disabled, incurable and dying,
and for our special intentions as well.
(Mention your request here…)
We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Day 8
Mighty and merciful God, Your servant, St. Roch, became a true vessel
of Your grace and healing power. You worked in Him Your healing touch
coupled with the power of the cross. Through his caring intercession,
may we commend the sick, the dying, the disabled and disadvantaged this day.
We beg the grace to pray this novena for the sick, disabled, incurable and dying
and for our special petitions as well.
(Mention your request here…)
In the sign of Your Holy Cross and healing touch, bring
Your Love and Care upon the very sick and dying through Christ, Our Lord.
Amen.
Day 9
O God of the Universe, You have created in the entire life of St. Roch,
a revelation of believing, caring and loving for the poor, the sick and the dying.
He was sick to the point of death, an outcast, imprisoned unjustly
and the poorest of the poor.
Grant his powerful intercession for any who suffer injustice. We offer these days
of prayer and sacrifice for the needs of the Church and for our intercessions.
(Mention your request here…)
We ask this through Christ, our Lord. Amen.
St. Roch, also known as St. Rocco, was a nobleman from Montpellier, France, the only son of the wealthy governor of the city.St. Roch (c. 1295–1327) was born with an unusual and deep red mark on his chest in the shape of a cross, a sign that the Blessed Virgin Mary had heard and answered his mother's prayers for her barrenness to be healed. As a child, St. Roch was deeply religious, fasting twice a week after the example of his pious mother. His parents died when he was twenty years of age, after which he gave his inheritance to the poor, handed the government of the city over to his uncle, and began a new life as a poor mendicant pilgrim.
Free from all earthly cares, St. Roch joined the Third Order Franciscans, donned the familiar pilgrim's garb (a common practice of popular piety at the time) and set out on a pilgrimage to visit and pray at the holy places in Rome.When he came upon the town of Acquapendente near Viterbo, he saw that it was badly struck by the black plague which was wreaking havoc across Europe. He sojourned there for a time to care for the sick both in private homes and in the hospitals—at great risk to himself.Instead of contracting the highly contagious disease, St. Roch cured many people simply by making the Sign of the Cross over them. He continued his charitable work until the disease was halted from spreading further in the village, after which he continued on his pilgrimage. His miraculous healing power evidenced itself in the same manner in every plague-infested town that he passed through on his way to Rome, and in Rome itself.
When his travels brought him to the town of Piacenza, he discovered that he was no longer spared from the deadly disease, having finally contracted it in the leg. Instead of burdening anyone with his sickness, he commended himself to God and awaited his death in a remote and abandoned forest hut. Providentially, a local nobleman's hunting dog found and befriended him, bringing him food daily and licking his wounds. A spring arose nearby to provide St. Roch with fresh water.The nobleman followed his dog into the woods one day, which led him to discover and aid the holy pilgrim. Slowly St. Roch's health was restored, after which he received divine inspiration that he should return to his native Montpellier.
Once there he found the city at war. He refused to disclose his identity to the soldiers so that he could remain poor and unknown, having renounced his former life as the son of the governor. But his obfuscation aroused suspicion. He was accused of being a spy disguised as a pilgrim. St. Roch did not defend himself against these charges—wishing to conceal his true (and noble) identity—and instead entrusted himself completely to God's will.He was cast into prison by his own uncle, who failed to recognize his nephew's altered appearance. According to legend, St. Roch was forgotten and abandoned in prison—but God sent angels to minister to him while he was held in captivity. He died there five years later.
As told by a Franciscan hagiographer, Marion A. Habig, O.F.M.:
When he felt that his end was drawing near, Saint Roch asked that a priest might come and administer the last sacraments. The priest, on entering the prison, beheld it supernaturally lighted up and the poor captive surrounded with special radiance. As death claimed its victim, a tablet appeared on the wall on which an angelic hand wrote in golden letters the name of Roch, and the prediction that all who would invoke his intercession would be delivered from the plague. Informed of all that took place, Saint Roch's uncle came to the prison and, shortly after, also the governor's mother, that is, Roch's grandmother. She identified the dead man as her grandson by the birthmark of the red cross on his breast. They gave him a magnificent funeral and had a church built in his honor, in which his body was entombed. His veneration was approved by several popes and soon spread throughout Europe.
Later, during the Council of Constance in 1414, the plague broke out again in Rome. The Council Fathers turned to St. Roch, the patron against the plague, and arranged that prayers and public processions be held in his honor, after which the plague ceased.Because of his patronage against infectious disease, St. Roch was a highly-regarded saint in the late Middle Ages, especially in those Italian towns in which he exercised his healing powers. Many of these town have chosen him as their patron.St. Roch is often depicted as a pilgrim with a walking staff and seashell (the symbol of a pilgrim), an open sore on his leg, an angel by his side, and a dog at his feet. He is the patron saint of dogs, dog owners, knee problems, surgeons, invalids, bachelors, diseased cattle, and against cholera, plague, skin rashes and diseases, contagious diseases, pestilence, and epidemics.
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