The Story of Saint Expedite
He is the saint you call when there is no time left to wait.
The Centurion
According to the tradition handed down through the centuries, Expeditus was a Roman centurion — an officer of the legions — stationed in Armenia in the final years of the third century. He was a soldier of Rome, disciplined and dutiful, and, like so many soldiers of that age, he found himself drawn to the forbidden Christian faith.
His name itself seemed a sign: Expeditus means swift, unhindered, expeditious — the one who gets things done without delay.
The Crow and the Cross
The most beloved legend of his life tells of the day he resolved to convert. As he weighed the decision, the devil came to him in the form of a crow, cawing “Cras! Cras!” — Latin for “Tomorrow! Tomorrow!” Put off your conversion, the bird urged. There is always tomorrow.
Expedite seized the crow and crushed it beneath his foot, crying “Hodie!” — “Today!” He would not delay his soul’s decision by a single day.
That is why every image of him shows the same three things: the cross raised high, marked HODIE; the palm frond, the ancient symbol of a martyr’s victory; and the crow underfoot, delay itself defeated. It is also why his devotees do not pray for “someday.” They pray for today.
Martyrdom, c. 303 AD
Tradition holds that Expeditus was martyred around the year 303, during the great persecution ordered by the Emperor Diocletian — the fiercest assault the early Church ever faced. Roman soldiers who refused to renounce Christ were executed, and Expeditus, the centurion who would not wait until tomorrow, gave his life rather than deny the faith he had embraced today.
Patron of Urgent Causes
Over the centuries, the faithful discovered what his name had always promised: Saint Expedite expedites. He is invoked for:
- Urgent needs — the bill due Friday, the crisis that cannot wait
- Deadlines — students before exams, workers before the clock runs out
- Emergencies — legal troubles, sudden illness, matters of hours not weeks
- Impossible causes — when every door seems closed, he opens one quickly
His devotees say he answers fast — but they also say he expects honesty: petition him only for what you truly need, promise him his due, and when he delivers, thank him publicly, or tradition warns he will take back the favor, and then some.
Devotion Around the World
New Orleans. The most famous shrine in America stands at Our Lady of Guadalupe Chapel on Rampart Street, where a statue of Saint Expedite has received the prayers of generations. There the tradition is precise: red candles, and when he answers, a piece of Sara Lee pound cake — the devotees are adamant about the brand — along with public thanks.
Brazil. As Santo Expedito, his devotion is enormous, with churches, feast-day processions every April 19, and millions who call him o santo das causas urgentes — the saint of urgent causes.
Réunion Island. In the Indian Ocean, roadside shrines to Saint Expedit — often painted bright red — dot the island, tended by devotees who leave candles and flowers.
From Haitian Vodou to Louisiana hoodoo to folk Catholicism worldwide, the red-cloaked centurion with his HODIE cross is recognized instantly: the saint who does not delay.
The Traditions of His Devotees
- 🕯️ Red candles — always red, the color of his cloak and of urgency
- 💧 A glass of water — set beside his image when you pray
- 🌹 Red flowers, and sometimes red wine, as offerings of thanks
- 🍰 Pound cake — given only after the favor is granted, never before
- 📅 Wednesday — his traditional day; begin novenas and petitions on a Wednesday
- 📣 Public thanks — tell someone, write it, post it. Spread his name with love and honor, so it will be invoked again and again.