Feast of St. George

April 23, Feast Day of St. George, our patronal saint!

Prayer to St. George

St. George,

Heroic Catholic soldier and defender of your Faith, you dared to criticize a tyrannical Emperor and were subjected to horrible torture. You could have occupied a high military position but you preferred to die for your Lord.

Obtain for us the great grace of heroic Christian courage that should mark soldiers of Christ. Amen.

St. George and the Dragon by Raphael 1506 - image from: http://www.oceansbridge.com

Saint George and the Dragon

There are several stories about George fighting dragons, but in the Western version, a dragon or crocodile made its nest at a spring that provided water to Silene, believed to be modern-day Lcyrene in Libya.

The people were unable to collect water and so attempted to remove the dragon from its nest on several ocassions. It would temporarily leave its nest when they offered it a sheep each day, until the sheep disappeared and the people were distraught.

This was when they decided that a maiden would be just as effective as sending a sheep. The townspeople chose the victim by drawing straws. This continued until one day the princess' straw was drawn.

The monarch begged for her to be spared but the people would not have it. She was offered to the dragon, but before she could be devoured, George appeared. He faced the dragon, protected himself with the sign of the Cross, and slayed the dragon.

After saving the town, the citizens abandoned their paganism and were all converted to Christianity.

Interesting Facts

• Saint George stands out among other saints and legends because he is known and revered by both Muslims and Christians.

• It is said Saint George killed the dragon near the sea in Beirut, thus Saint George bay was named in his honor.

• Saint George's feast day is celebrated on April 23, but if it falls before Easter, it is celebrated Easter Monday.

• The Russian Orthodox Church celebrates three St. George feast days each year -April 23 as is expected, November 3, to commemorate the consecration of a cathedral dedicated to him in Lydda, and on November 26, for when a church in Kiev was dedicated to him.

• In Bulgaria, his feast day is celebrated May 6 with the slaughter and roasting of a lamb.

• In Egypt, the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria calls St. George the "Prince of Martyrs" and celebrates on May 1. There is a second celebration November 17, in honor of the first church dedicated to him.

• Saint George is the patron saint of England and Catalonia and his cross can be found throughout England.

• In older works, Saint George is depicted wearing armor and holding a lance or fighting a dragon, which represents Christ's enemies.

Material source - http://www.catholic.org