St. Expedite was a Roman centurion martyred at Melitene in Armenia in the fourth century, and he is invoked worldwide as the patron of urgent causes, speedy solutions, and the fight against procrastination. Tradition depicts him holding a cross inscribed “Hodie,” meaning today, while crushing underfoot a crow croaking “Cras,” meaning tomorrow: the saint who refused to put off his conversion for even a day. Little is known of his life with certainty, but the devotion of the faithful, from New Orleans to Brazil to the island of Réunion, testifies to centuries of prompt and remarkable answers. Feast day: April 19.
Prayer to St. Expedite
St. Expedite, faithful soldier and martyr, you who answered God’s call today and refused every tomorrow, I come to you in a need that cannot wait.
You know the weight of an hour when the answer has not come. Intercede for me swiftly before the throne of God. Obtain for me this urgent favor, and with it the grace to act today on what God asks of me, putting off nothing that belongs to Him.
I thank you now, prompt and generous patron, for the speed of your intercession, and I promise to make your name known when the help arrives.
Keep the promise
Devotion to St. Expedite carries a beautiful obligation: when the favor is granted, the faithful thank him publicly, so that others in urgent need will know where to turn. That tradition of published gratitude is the very heart of this site. When your answer arrives, keep your promise here.