St. Roch, Confessor (16 August) ~ Dom Prosper Guéranger

About this sermon

St. Roch gave away his possessions, became a pilgrim for Christ, and devoted himself to victims of the plague when others feared even to approach them. In this reading from Dom Prosper Guéranger’s The Liturgical Year for August 16, we encounter one of Christianity’s most beloved patrons against pestilence and contagious disease. Born at Montpellier, St. Roch lost his parents while still young, distributed his goods to the poor, and set out as a pilgrim toward Rome. When he encountered cities devastated by plague, he did not flee. Instead, Roch remained among the sick and dying, caring for them and, according to the traditional account, healing many through the Sign of the Cross. Eventually he himself contracted the disease. Not wishing to burden others, he withdrew into solitude, where tradition recounts that a dog miraculously brought him food until God restored his health. Returning home, Roch was mistaken for a criminal or spy and imprisoned. Forgotten in a dungeon, he remained there for five years until his death. Only afterward was his holiness revealed through miracles. Devotion to St. Roch spread widely, especially during outbreaks of contagious disease, and he became honored as a powerful patron against epidemics. Dom Guéranger also notes that separating the historical details of St. Roch’s life from later legend remains difficult. 🙏 St. Roch, pray for us and protect us from contagions of soul and body. 📖 The Liturgical Year — Dom Prosper Guéranger 📅 August 16 00:00 – St. Roch, Confessor | August 16 00:17 – Famine, War and Pestilence 00:43 – The Terrible Plague of the 14th Century 01:14 – St. Roch: Marked With the Cross 01:23 – He Gives His Goods to the Poor 01:31 – A Pilgrim Serving Plague Victims 01:39 – Healing Through the Sign of the Cross 01:47 – St. Roch Contracts the Plague 01:54 – Imprisoned for Five Years 02:03 – Miracles Reveal His Holiness 02:19 – Patron Against Contagion 02:35 – Tradition and the Life of St. Roch 02:44 – History and Legend 03:07 – Pilgrimage From Montpellier 03:15 – Serving the Dying 03:24 – St. Roch Goes to Rome 03:32 – Miraculous Healings 03:47 – The Dog That Brought Him Food 03:55 – Mistaken for a Criminal 04:02 – His Death in Prison and Miracles 04:19 – St. Roch and the Council of Constance 04:36 – Patron Against Epidemics 04:43 – Pope Urban VIII and Devotion to St. Roch 04:58 – Prayer Against Contagions of Soul and Body https://sensusfidelium.com/the-liturgical-year-dom-prosper-gueranger/august/16-august-st-rocco-confessor-dom-prosper-gueranger/ 🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴 ✝️ SUPPORT THE MISSION 🙏 Donate https://sensusfidelium.com/donate-support/ 📬 Free Catholic Newsletter https://sensusfidelium.com/newsletter/ 📰 Read on Substack https://sensusfidelium.substack.com/ ──────────────────── 📺 WATCH & READ 📺 Sensus Fidelium App https://sensusfidelium.tv/ 📚 Sensus Fidelium Press https://sensusfideliumpress.com/ 👕 Official Merchandise https://sensusfidelium.com/merchandise/ ──────────────────── 🤝 PARTNER WITH US 📣 Advertise on Sensus Fidelium https://sensusfidelium.com/advertise-with-sensus-fidelium/ 🎤 Invite Steve Cunningham to Speak https://sensusfidelium.com/speaking/ ⛪ Parish Formation & Consultation https://sensusfidelium.com/for-parishes/ ──────────────────── 🌎 CATHOLIC COMMUNITY ✝️ Trusted Catholic Businesses https://sensusfidelium.com/catholic-businesses/ 🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴 #SaintOfTheDay #August16 #DomProsperGueranger #TheLiturgicalYear #CatholicTradition #TraditionalCatholic #LivesOfTheSaints #CatholicFaith #CatholicHistory #RomanCatholic #ChristianCharity #CatholicSpirituality #PatronSaint #CatholicPrayer #Saints