St. Expedite

A few weeks ago, I was browsing at The Magical Druid, an occult shop in Columbus, Ohio.  While browsing their candle selection, I found a candle with the image of St. Expedite and became curious. I bought the candle and placed it on my dresser. It sat there for several weeks before I gave it much thought.

After a while, I began my research into St. Expedite. There seem to be two main legends associated with the saint. The first describes Expeditus as a Roman centurion who was martyred shortly after his conversion to Christianity. The other depicts the story of a church in New Orleans (or France) that received a shipment of relics without any indication of which saint to which the relics belonged. Since the box was marked “expedite,” the church assumed this was his name.

Regardless of which legend you believe, the saint’s name accurately describes the saint’s attributes. St. Expedite is invoked to bring about speedy resolutions to problems. He is depicted as a Roman centurion holding a cross emblazed with the word “hodie,” Latin for “today.” Under his foot is a crow who screeches “cras,” which is Latin for “tomorrow.”

When praying to St. Expedite, the supplicant should be very clear as to what they want, as St. Expedite acts quickly, which prevents him from thoroughly thinking through any unclear meaning to your request.

Once St. Expedite answers your request, it is important to give him an offering, as he can just as quickly take back the gifts he has given you. His usually offers are pound cake with Sara Lee being his preferred brand. His also enjoys receiving red flowers and coins as an offering.  While it is important to give St. Expedite an offering, you must wait until he has provided you with your request. If you give him an offering before he has delivered upon your request, he might feel as though is work is done and will stop working on your behalf. Additionally, once you have received your reward from the saint, you must tell at least one person about him. Many people take out a personal ad in a newspaper, but a blog or Facebook works just as well.

To petition St. Expedite, create an altar for the saint in your ritual space. I tend to keep him separate from my devotional altar, but that is simply my preference. Do what feels natural. I write down my request on a piece of paper making sure to keep my request specific. I include any timeframe and parameters for my request. After eliminating any vague requests, I read the request to St. Expedite and place the paper under his candle. I then light the candle each day for as long as possible until the request has manifested. Finally, I leave him the agreed upon offering, usually a pound cake and several dollars in quarters (more for a loftier request) on the altar next to his candle. After a few days, I then scatter the cake in nature and donate the coins to charity before telling a friend about what St. Expedite did for me.

For many magickal practitioners, working with a Catholic saint might be a little outside of their comfort zones. I felt this way too. However, after experiencing some great results with the help of the saint, I recommend that everyone give it a shot and reap the benefits of creating a relationship with this amazing saint.