Expeditus

Infobox Saint
name=Expeditus
birth_date=
death_date=303
feast_day=19 April
venerated_in=Roman Catholic Church


imagesize=250px
caption=Saint Expeditus with his typical iconographical attributes
birth_place=unknown
death_place=Melitene, Turkey
titles=Martyr
beatified_date=
beatified_place=
beatified_by=
canonized_date=
canonized_place=
canonized_by=
attributes=Depicted as a Roman soldier, holding a palm leaf in his left hand, and raising a cross with the word "hodie" (today) on it. His right foot is stepping on a crow, which is speaking the word "cras" (tomorrow).
patronage=Republic of Molossia, emergencies, solutions, against procrastination, merchants, navigators,cite web | last = Jones | first = Terry | title = Expeditus | work = Patron Saints Index | url=http://www.catholic-forum.com/saints/sainte72.htm | accessdate = 2007-12-05] programmers, and hackerscite news | last = Delio | first =Michelle | title =Patron Saint of the Nerds | work =Wired | date = 2004-11-10 | url =http://www.wired.com/culture/lifestyle/news/2004/11/65184 | accessdate =2007-12-05]
major_shrine=
suppressed_date=
issues=

Saint Expeditus (or Elpidius) was, according to legend, a Roman centurion in Armenia who became a Christian and was beheaded during the Diocletian Persecution in 303. The most popular legend surrounding the saint says that the day when he decided to become a Christian, the Devil took the form of a crow and told him to defer his conversion until the next day, but Expeditus stomped on the bird and killed it, declaring, "I'll be a Christian today!"

Expeditus is invoked against procrastination and for speedy solutions, with special veneration in Réunion Island, Chile and New Orleans. He is also an unofficial patron of computer hackers and programmers.

Catholic veneration

Origin

It is widely questioned whether or not Expeditus actually existed. Many stories commonly circulated about the saint's origin say the "cultus" of Expeditus began when a package marked "expedite" arrived with unidentified relics or statues. The recipients assumed that the statuary or relics belonged to a Saint Expeditus, and so veneration began.

One of these stories takes place in 1781, when a case containing the relics of a saint who was formerly buried in the Denfert-Rochereau catacombs of Paris arrived at a convent in the city. The senders had written "expedite" on the case, to ensure fast delivery of the remains. The nuns assumed that "Expedite" was a martyr, prayed for his intercession, and when their prayers were answered, veneration spread rapidly through France and on to other Catholic countries. Another version of the story takes place in New Orleans. The story says that the chapel of Our Lady of Guadalupe received a large shipment of assorted saint statues, one case of which did not have an identifying label. However, the crate did say "expedite", so the locals decided that must be the saint's name.

However, the legitimacy of these stories is easily disproved, since Expeditus appears in martyrologies in Italy before 1781. There is also a tradition in the past that Saint Expeditus be called upon to help settle overly long legal cases. His "acta" have not been reviewed and demoted by the Roman Catholic Church, and his feast of April 19 is not widely celebrated.

Iconographical depiction

Expeditus' typical depiction in artwork is as a young Roman centurion. The soldier is squashing a crow beneath his right foot and bearing a clock in early images. Later depictions have Expeditus holding a cross, inscribed with the Latin word "hodie" ("today"). A banderole with the word "cras" ("tomorrow") emerges from the crow's mouth. Although the English language tends to mimic a crow's cry as "caw caw," Italian renders it as "cras cras": in Italian folktales, crows are always preoccupied with "tomorrow."

Réunion Island

"Saint Expédit" has a significant folk following on the French island of Réunion in the Indian Ocean. Stories about the origin of his veneration there follow the typical formula: a mysterious parcel marked with "expedit" arrived as an aid to instill pious virtues in the people.cite web | last =Harvey | first =Keri | title =Wild Island Reunion | publisher ="Expressions" magazine | date = 2007-06-12 | url =http://www.unusualdestinations.com/reunion/articles/news-articles/article/1275/wild-island.html | accessdate =2007-12-06] However, another version of the story maintains that Expédit acquired his name through his expeditious help in placing vengeful curses. Decapitated statues of the saint are often found, the defacement inflicted in anger for a request not carried out or in order to break an existing curse.

Road-side altars dedicated to Saint Expédit can be as small as a box containing a small statue of the saint, or as large as a hut, containing multiple statues, candles, and flowers. In all cases, these altars are painted a bright red. Also common are ex-votos thanking Saint Expédit for wishes granted and favors received.

In Réunion, the cult of Saint Expédit takes the form of a syncretic cult, mixing Roman Catholicism with other beliefs from Madagascar or India. Saint Expédit is a popular saint, revered by Reunionnais regardless of age or religion. It is difficult to say how many people visit the island's ubiquitous altars, since the worship of Saint Expédit is considered taboo - people do not generally visit the altars in the open.Fact|date=December 2007 Even so, the altars are widespread on the island and obviously well-tended.

Chile

"Himnos mil al glorioso Expedito,"
"que su sangre en la Armenia vertió,"
"cuyo nombre en el cielo fue escrito,"
"y de mártir el laurel alcanzó."
—Himno a San Expeditocite web | last =Vilagrán | first =Ángel Rodríguez | title =San Expedito | work =El Ángel de la Web | url =http://www.terra.es/personal/angerod/expedito.htm | accessdate =2007-12-06 sp icon] "A thousand hymns to glorious Expeditus,"
"Who shed his blood in Armenia,"
"Whose name was written in the sky,"
"And gained the laurel of martyrdom."
—Hymn to Saint Expeditus

Veneration in Chile is said to have begun when a devotee of Expeditus (or locally, "San Expedito") brought an image of him to Viña del Mar, one of the most popular beach cities of Chile. She then petitioned some local priests for help to have a small church built for him. It is said that the idea was initially rejected by the local authorities, but the priests and the devout lady prayed to Expeditus, and in less than nine days they had the approval. Since then, the cult of San Expedito has become increasingly popular in Chile; from rich to poor, people pray novenas to him, and the shrine in the Reñaca sector of Viña is a rather popular pilgrimage site, especially during summer.Fact|date=December 2007

Voodoo and Hoodoo

In Haitian Vodou the image of St Expedite is used to represent Baron LaKwa a spirit assosciated with death, cemeteries, children and sex. In New Orleans Voodoo the saint often represents Baron Samedi, the spirit of death.

The saint is also often invoked in the african-american magical tradition of Hoodoo, where it is customary to make an offering to him of a glass of water, a bunch of flowers and a pound cake. He is believed to grant any request within his power on the provision that the petitioner recommends his invocation to others, thereby spreading his cult. In this tradition his image is used in gambling charms and rituals believed to bring down curses on others.

Gallery

Further reading

* A booklet that contains a prayer and novena litany to the saint: cite book | last =Nelson | first =Thomas A. | title =Catholic Prayers | publisher =TAN Books and Publishers | date= 2006 | isbn =0-89555-595-6

References

External links

* [http://www.misanexpedito.com.ar/ San Expedito en Argentina] sp icon
* [http://online.wsj.com/public/page/0,,public_home_search,00.html#SB108198312009183051 Wall Street Journal article on Expeditus] (registration required) en icon
* [http://www.molossia.org/stexpeditus.html Republic of Molossia: documents veneration to Expeditus and explains his possible erroneous origin] en icon
* [http://amis.univ-reunion.fr/Conference/Complement/141_expedit/stexpedit1995.html Saint Expédit] (article by the University of Réunion, focusing on the worship on Réunion Island) fr icon
* [http://www.expeditosan.com.ar/ La Página de San Expedito] sp icon
* [http://www.sanexpedito.cl/ San Expedito en Chile] sp icon