Saint Cosmas

In the first week of the year, I decided to use Jennifer Fulwiler's Saint's Name Generator to choose a patron saint for 2012. I've never had a devotion to a particular saint, other than St. Therese, and let's face it, she's a busy woman up in heaven. I ended up with a saint whom I have rarely thought about in the past, but it turns out, he might be the perfect saint for me this year!

Saint Cosmas.

I couldn't quickly find an image of St. Cosmas alone, but I don't think that he'll mind having St. Damian included. It turns out that these twin brothers are the patrons of doctors, pharmacists, midwives, and surgeons, because they are said to have been physicians way back in the third century who brought people to Christ by treating their ailments for free. As this is a year where I expect to experience more than my usual amount of medical intervention, I think St. Cosmas is the perfect saint from whom to be requesting intercession! And here's hoping that I need a midwife before the year is out! Other items of note about St. Cosmas: my glasses prescription needed a boost at my last eye doctor appointment a few weeks ago, prompting Husband to ask me if I could go blind eventually. Fortunately, St. Cosmas is a patron saint against blindness! And, due to the age-old crossover between barbers and surgeons, he's also the patron of hairdressers. I'm going to use that as a reminder to get myself to the salon more often.

St. Cosmas, pray for us!

-January