St. Roch’s Day is annually observed on August 16. Saint Roch, a Frenchman venerated as the patron saint of canines, is honoured today.
The day is celebrated across Italy. In Realmont, Sicily, a procession of people dressed in rags and dragging a shabby image of a saint commemorates the Saint’s poverty. The San Roque festivals are conducted annually in August in the La Coruna province of Spain. They include traditional dances of farmers and mariners as well as processions honouring Saint Roch.
The background of St. Roch’s Day
Saint Roch or Rocco is a Catholic saint and confessor whose death is commemorated in Italy on August 16 and September 9. In English, it is also known as the Rock, and in Glasgow, Scotland, it is referred to as Rollox, which is said to be a distortion of Loch Roch, which was a small lake near the Roch Chapel in 1506. He is the patron saint of canines, the disabled, those unjustly accused, bachelors, and numerous other groups.
According to the Golden Legend, he was born in Montpellier, “on the border of France,” into the aristocratic household of this city’s governor. Because his noble mother was infertile until she prayed to the Virgin Mary, even his birth was considered a miraculous. Born miraculously with a scarlet cross on his chest, he showed early interest in strict asceticism and great piety. After the death of his parents in his twelfth year, he gave all of his possessions to the needy and travelled to Rome as a beggar pilgrim.
Arriving in Italy during the plague, he is said to have cared for the ill in public hospitals in Aquapendente, Cesena, Novara, and Rome by praying, making the sign of the cross, and touching the afflicted with his hand. Later, he contracted the illness and fled to the forests to die alone. However, his loyal dog brought him food each day, and he recovered sufficiently to return to his residence in Montpellier. However, he has transformed so drastically that nobody recognises him. As a spy, he was apprehended and died in prison.
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ST. ROCH’S DAY DATES
Year | Date | Day |
---|---|---|
2023 | August 16 | Wednesday |
2024 | August 16 | Friday |
2025 | August 16 | Saturday |
2026 | August 16 | Sunday |
2027 | August 16 | Monday |