{"id":5999,"date":"2015-08-03T07:36:45","date_gmt":"2015-08-03T11:36:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.theleemsmachine.com\/bean\/?p=5999"},"modified":"2015-07-30T13:40:40","modified_gmt":"2015-07-30T17:40:40","slug":"curious-story-of-st-expeditus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theleemsmachine.com\/bean\/blog\/2015\/08\/03\/curious-story-of-st-expeditus\/","title":{"rendered":"Curious story of St. Expeditus"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>
CC BY-SA 3.0 File:Saint-expedit.JPG Uploaded by Poussin jean Created: July 24, 2007<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

St. Expeditus is dressed in the uniform and red cloak of a Roman soldier.\u00a0 He holds a palm leaf in one hand, a symbol of peace, everlasting life, victory and martyrdom.\u00a0 In the other he holds up a cross with the word ‘hodie,’ Latin for ‘today.’\u00a0 Under his foot is a crow, coughing up the banner ‘cras,’ Latin for ‘tomorrow.’\u00a0 His story begins with a young Roman soldier in Armenia traveling down a road, possibly to Melitene.\u00a0 Suddenly struck with an epiphany, he decided that he would convert to Christianity.\u00a0 A crow, the devil in disguise, flew up to meet him then and encouraged him to wait until tomorrow.\u00a0 The soldier would not be delayed, however, and stamped on the crow, vowing to convert immediately even in the face of certain death (Wikipedia<\/a>).\u00a0 He was decapitated shortly thereafter by emperor Diocletian in 303 AD during Christian persecution. In another story he is a German soldier who longed to stop the war, which one is not known.\u00a0 He laid down his helmet and shield, picked up the palm leaf, and cried out that the war must stop today!\u00a0 (Louisiana Folklife<\/a>)<\/p>\n

There are equally as many tales of his remains as there are of his life.\u00a0 At one point his body was retrieved from the catacombs and sent to a group of Parisian nuns who misread the rush shipping instructions on the box as the name of the saint (catholic.org<\/a>).\u00a0 Later, when his statue was sent to the St. Jude Shrine in New Orleans, it contained no identifying documentation and the people of the city assumed that the shipping instructions on the box must have been his name (http:\/\/www.judeshrine.com\/StExpedite.pdf<\/a>).<\/p>\n

Expeditus has been petitioned to as the patron saint of emergencies, times of haste, and against procrastination long before the nuns in Paris and the church in New Orleans.\u00a0 He is included in ancient lists of Christian martyrs, and appealed to for centuries, but the true origins of St. Expeditus are unclear.\u00a0 The stories of shipping instructions that surround his name sound ludicrous and, though all disproved, point to a general doubt about the real life of the saint.\u00a0 Additionally, his name was removed from the list of Catholic Venerated Saints in the 1960s after much debate about what action to take against his cult following (Path Less Traveled<\/a>).\u00a0 Yet, even as an unofficial saint, he inspires a large community of devotees and is called on by all sorts of communities in Brazil (WSJ: Jobless Brazilians Needing Fast Action Call on St. Expeditus<\/a>), France, Sicily, and the U.S.: he was heartily adopted in New Orleans and is now invoked in hoodoo rituals to speed results (Demoniacal<\/a>) and in Voudon where he is associated with the spirit of death (Crossroads University<\/a>).\u00a0\u00a0 His followers know that when they ask him for help he will come through, and they thank him with declarations in the classifieds, offerings of cake, dedication of chapels, great feasts and celebrations, and even websites (saintexpedite.org<\/a>).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

St. Expeditus is dressed in the uniform and red cloak of a Roman soldier.\u00a0 He holds a palm leaf in one hand, a symbol of peace, everlasting life, victory and martyrdom.\u00a0 In the other he holds up a cross with the word ‘hodie,’ Latin for ‘today.’\u00a0 Under his foot is a crow, coughing up the… Continue reading Curious story of St. Expeditus<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[199,230],"class_list":["post-5999","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blog","tag-history","tag-religion"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":6476,"url":"https:\/\/theleemsmachine.com\/bean\/blog\/2015\/10\/15\/hokey-pokey-vs-hokey-cokey\/","url_meta":{"origin":5999,"position":0},"title":"Hokey pokey vs. hokey cokey","author":"leems","date":"October 15, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"While watching a crazy amount of British television programming I started wondering on the differences between the U.S.'s Hokey pokey and the U.K.'s Hokey cokey. It turns out its variations and history is much more interesting than I thought (Wikipedia).\u00a0 Some form of hokey pokey has been traced to the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blog"","block_context":{"text":"Blog","link":"https:\/\/theleemsmachine.com\/bean\/blog\/category\/blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":10509,"url":"https:\/\/theleemsmachine.com\/bean\/blog\/2023\/03\/06\/the-prehistory-of-solar-panels\/","url_meta":{"origin":5999,"position":1},"title":"The prehistory of solar panels","author":"leems","date":"March 6, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"George Cove\u2019s third solar panel. Source: \u201cHarnessing sunlight\u201d, Ren\u00e9 Homer, Modern Electrics, Vol. II, No.6, September 1909. My work sends me looking for all kinds of things that I would never, if entirely directing my own research, be compelled to search and learn. I am grateful for this. This is\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blog"","block_context":{"text":"Blog","link":"https:\/\/theleemsmachine.com\/bean\/blog\/category\/blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theleemsmachine.com\/bean\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/georgecovesolarpanel.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theleemsmachine.com\/bean\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/georgecovesolarpanel.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theleemsmachine.com\/bean\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/georgecovesolarpanel.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theleemsmachine.com\/bean\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/georgecovesolarpanel.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":9765,"url":"https:\/\/theleemsmachine.com\/bean\/blog\/2023\/05\/17\/when-food-attacks\/","url_meta":{"origin":5999,"position":2},"title":"When food attacks","author":"leems","date":"May 17, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Allow me to take you on a brief tour of highlighting the history of food caused disasters. https:\/\/youtu.be\/HAZlPuL3Qhw The London Beer Flood of 1814 by Ben Johnson Johnson article on Historic UK recounts the tidal wave of beer that flooded the streets in St. Giles, London and killed at least\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blog"","block_context":{"text":"Blog","link":"https:\/\/theleemsmachine.com\/bean\/blog\/category\/blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.historic-uk.com\/assets\/Images\/londonbeerflood.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":9270,"url":"https:\/\/theleemsmachine.com\/bean\/blog\/2021\/07\/02\/holidays-in-movies-4th-of-july\/","url_meta":{"origin":5999,"position":3},"title":"Holidays in Movies: 4th of July","author":"leems","date":"July 2, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"US Post Office, Public Domain I play the same record on every patriotic holiday: Timbuk 3's Edge of Allegiance, because it starts with National Holiday. If we entertain guests, then perhaps I'll bust out the Sousa, but Sousa takes a level of picnic commitment that is hard to rustle up\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blog"","block_context":{"text":"Blog","link":"https:\/\/theleemsmachine.com\/bean\/blog\/category\/blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theleemsmachine.com\/bean\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/John_Philip_Sousa_1940_Issue-2c.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theleemsmachine.com\/bean\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/John_Philip_Sousa_1940_Issue-2c.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theleemsmachine.com\/bean\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/John_Philip_Sousa_1940_Issue-2c.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":9698,"url":"https:\/\/theleemsmachine.com\/bean\/blog\/2021\/10\/06\/cloacina-and-hygeia\/","url_meta":{"origin":5999,"position":4},"title":"Cloacina and Hygeia\u00a0","author":"leems","date":"October 6, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Cloacina Cloacina was originally an Etruscan water goddess who was later adopted by the Romans and associated with Venus.\u00a0 She presided over the Cloaca Maxima - the great sewer of Rome and was linked to purification, cleansing, health, and hygiene.\u00a0 She kept the pipes clean. She is a difficult goddess\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blog"","block_context":{"text":"Blog","link":"https:\/\/theleemsmachine.com\/bean\/blog\/category\/blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theleemsmachine.com\/bean\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/hygia-cloacina.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theleemsmachine.com\/bean\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/hygia-cloacina.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theleemsmachine.com\/bean\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/hygia-cloacina.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":9309,"url":"https:\/\/theleemsmachine.com\/bean\/blog\/2020\/11\/18\/when-tisquantum-ousamequin-and-the-wampanoag-saved-the-pilgrims-a-different-look-at-the-thanksgiving-story\/","url_meta":{"origin":5999,"position":5},"title":"When Tisquantum, Ousamequin and the Wampanoag saved the Pilgrims: a different look at the Thanksgiving story","author":"leems","date":"November 18, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"The people we know as the Pilgrims were far from the first Europeans to set foot on or colonize the land later incorporated into the United States. Explorers, fishermen, fur traders, missionaries, and treasure seekers had all been here. European and Native American interactions prior to and contemporary with that\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blog"","block_context":{"text":"Blog","link":"https:\/\/theleemsmachine.com\/bean\/blog\/category\/blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theleemsmachine.com\/bean\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Interview_of_Samoset_with_the_Pilgrims-137x150.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theleemsmachine.com\/bean\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Interview_of_Samoset_with_the_Pilgrims-137x150.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theleemsmachine.com\/bean\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Interview_of_Samoset_with_the_Pilgrims-137x150.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/theleemsmachine.com\/bean\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5999","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/theleemsmachine.com\/bean\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/theleemsmachine.com\/bean\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theleemsmachine.com\/bean\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theleemsmachine.com\/bean\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5999"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/theleemsmachine.com\/bean\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5999\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6320,"href":"https:\/\/theleemsmachine.com\/bean\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5999\/revisions\/6320"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/theleemsmachine.com\/bean\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5999"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theleemsmachine.com\/bean\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5999"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theleemsmachine.com\/bean\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5999"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}