Roch

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.