Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Saint Roch was born at Montpellier, on the border of France, to a noble family; tradition says his birth followed his mother’s prayer to the Virgin Mary and that he bore a cross-shaped mark on his breast. Orphaned as a young man, he gave his inheritance to the poor, joined the Third Order of Saint Francis, and set out as a pilgrim to Rome. Traveling through Italy during outbreaks of plague, he devoted himself to the sick in hospitals and streets, praying over them and making the sign of the cross, and many were said to be healed. At last Roch himself fell ill. Seeking to spare others, he withdrew into a forest, where a spring appeared for his need and a dog brought him bread and tended his wounds until he was found and helped to recover. Returning home in humility and anonymity, he was arrested as a suspected spy and died in prison after years of suffering, his holiness recognized only afterward. He is especially invoked against plague and is patron of dogs, the sick, and the falsely accused. His feast day is August 16.

Stephen I of Hungary was born around 975 in Esztergom, first known by the pagan name Vajk, the only son of Grand Prince Géza and Sarolt. Baptized into Christ and formed into a devout believer, he married Gisela of Bavaria, linking the Hungarian ruling house to the Christian West. When Géza died in 997, Stephen inherited a fragile realm and had to defend his claim against his kinsman Koppány and other pagan-backed rivals. With steadfast resolve—and help from both native allies and foreign knights—he prevailed, and on Christmas Day 1000 (or 1 January 1001) he was crowned king with a crown sent by Pope Sylvester II. As king, Stephen unified the Carpathian Basin, safeguarded Hungary’s independence, and laid firm foundations for the Church by establishing bishoprics, an archbishopric, and Benedictine monasteries. His reign brought peace and opened Hungary as a route for pilgrims and merchants. He died on 15 August 1038 and was later canonized for his faith and leadership. He is honored as patron of the Dioceses of Székesfehérvár and Vác. His feast day is August 16.