April 12, 2023

Feast of San Giuseppe Moscati

San Giuseppe Moscati, ora pro nobis
April 12th is the Feast of San Giuseppe Moscati, the "Holy Physician of Naples." Born on July 25th, 1880 in Benevento, Giuseppe was the seventh of nine children of Rosa (née de Luca, Marchesi dei Roseto) and Francesco Moscati, a magistrate from Santa Lucia di Serino. He studied medicine and surgery at the University of Naples, graduating summa cum laude in 1903. In 1906, during an eruption of Mount Vesuvius, he risked life and limb evacuating patients from the crumbling Riuniti Hospital in Torre del Greco.
With the outbreak of WWI, Dr. Moscati volunteered his services and treated thousands of wounded soldiers. After the war, he returned to his practice in Naples caring for the poor at the Hospital for the Incurables. Not only did he refuse payment from his impoverished patients, Dr. Moscati would often give them money for their prescriptions. He tragically died on April 12th, 1927 at the age of 46. Beatified on November 16th, 1975 by Pope Paul VI, he was canonized on October 25th, 1987 by Pope John Paul II. He is the patron saint of physicians and bachelors. In celebration, I'm posting a prayer to St. Giuseppe Moscati. The accompanying photo is from a friends private shrine. Evviva San Giuseppe Moscati!
Prayer to St. Giuseppe Moscati

O St. Joseph Moscati, doctor with a huge heart, in the exercise of your profession you cured the body and spirit of your patients, turn towards us too who now run to you with faith in your intercession. Give us physical and spiritual health, so that we can serve our brothers with generosity. Alleviate the pain of those that suffer, give comfort to the sick, consolation to the afflicted, and hope to the hopeless. Make that the sick might encounter doctors like you: human and Christian. The youth find in you a model of life, the workers, an example, the old, comfort, and the dying, hope in eternal salvation. Be for all of us a sure guide: teach us to work with serenity, honesty and charity, to be able to complete in a Christian way our everyday tasks.

Our Father…. Hail Mary…. Glory Be…

Lord thou great physician, we kneel before thee. Since every good and perfect gift must come from thee, we pray: Give skill to our hands, clear vision to our minds, kindness and sympathy to our hearts. Give us singleness of purpose, strength to lift at least part of the burden of our suffering fellowmen, and a true realization of the rare privilege that is ours. Take from our hearts all guile and worldliness, that with the simple faith of a child, we may rely on thee. St. Giuseppe Moscati, Pray for Us!