Prayer:Prayer to St. Expeditus
Stored: Prayer to St. Expeditus
| Prayer to St. Expeditus | |
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| Author | Unknown |
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| Language | English |
| Approval | None |
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| Added on | 2026-08-13 |
Introduction
St. Expeditus is one of the most popular saints invoked for urgent causes and pressing needs throughout the Catholic world, particularly in Latin America, southern Europe, and parts of Africa. Though details of his historical life remain modest, his cult has flourished for centuries, particularly among the faithful who find themselves in situations requiring swift resolution — financial difficulties, legal matters, urgent illness, or any circumstance in which time is of the essence.
The Prayer to St. Expeditus is a devotional prayer of intercession calling upon this Roman martyr to bring the petitioner's urgent cause before God with all haste. Rooted in popular Catholic piety, it reflects the Church's long tradition of invoking the saints as intercessors who, glorified in heaven, stand ever ready to assist the faithful on earth.
Devotion to St. Expeditus is particularly strong in Brazil, the Canary Islands, Chile, Germany, and the Philippines, where chapels and shrines dedicated to him attract those bearing the most pressing of human concerns. His image — a young Roman soldier crushing a crow beneath his foot while holding aloft a cross bearing the word HODIE (Latin for "today") — has become an enduring symbol of holy urgency and the defeat of spiritual procrastination.
The Prayer
O glorious martyr St. Expeditus, you who are the patron of urgent causes and those in need of swift assistance, I come before you with confidence and trust.
You who conquered procrastination and chose the eternal "today" over the temptations of delay, intercede for me before the throne of God.
Present my urgent need to Our Lord Jesus Christ, that through your powerful intercession, He may grant me the grace I so earnestly seek.
Help me to always choose virtue without delay, to act with holy urgency in all matters of my soul, and to never put off until tomorrow the good I can do today.
Amen.
History and Background
St. Expeditus is venerated as a Roman soldier and martyr who died for the Christian faith, with his feast day celebrated on April 19. According to pious tradition, he was a centurion stationed in Armenia (or, in some accounts, in Melitene) who converted to Christianity and was subsequently martyred, likely during one of the Roman persecutions of the late third or early fourth century.
The most beloved legend associated with St. Expeditus holds that at the moment of his conversion, the devil appeared to him in the form of a crow, crying out cras, cras — the Latin word for "tomorrow," which is also the natural cry of a crow — urging him to delay his decision to embrace the faith. Expeditus crushed the crow beneath his foot and cried out Hodie! ("Today!"), embracing Christianity without a moment's hesitation. This story gave rise to his powerful iconography and his patronage of all who face urgent needs and the temptation of procrastination.
Devotion to St. Expeditus spread widely through Europe and later to the Americas and other mission territories through the Franciscan and other religious orders. His cult received particular impetus in the nineteenth century, and popular piety surrounding him has only grown in the modern era, where his feast day is observed with Masses, novenas, and public processions in many countries. The Church has never formally suppressed devotion to him, and he continues to be listed in traditional martyrologies.
How to Pray / Devotional Use
The Prayer to St. Expeditus may be prayed at any time, but it is especially recommended in moments of urgent need, when a pressing matter requires divine assistance without delay. The following devotional practices are traditionally associated with his intercession:
- Novena: The prayer is commonly prayed as part of a three-day or nine-day novena, during which the faithful repeat the prayer each day while holding a specific urgent intention in mind.
- Feast Day: April 19, the feast day of St. Expeditus, is considered a particularly powerful day on which to invoke his intercession. Masses, special prayers, and acts of charity are offered on this day in his honor.
- Before the Image: Traditionally, the faithful pray before an image or statue of St. Expeditus, presenting their urgent need aloud or in writing. Some devout clients write their petitions on a piece of paper and place it before his image.
- Act of Thanksgiving: It is a beloved custom, upon receiving the grace requested, to publicly give thanks to God through St. Expeditus — often by sharing word of the favor received with others, donating to the poor, or offering a votive candle at a shrine in his honor. This practice of promessa (the vow of thanksgiving) is especially prevalent in Brazil and Latin America.
- Daily Reflection: Beyond urgent petitions, the prayer serves as a daily reminder to embrace virtue and good works with holy immediacy — a spiritual discipline against the sin of sloth and the danger of spiritual delay.
When praying to St. Expeditus, the faithful are encouraged to approach with both confidence in God's mercy and sincere trust that the saint's intercession, united to Christ's own merits, is a powerful avenue of grace.