St. Servatius of Tongeren †384

St. Servatius

Another Pre-Schism Western Saint noted as an intercessor for persons with a disability:

St. Servatius was a fourth century champion of Nicene Christianity at a time when the Eastern Emperor Constantius II supported the Arian heresy. St. Servatius met with St. Athanasius the Great, who was in exile from Alexandria, in order to strategize as to how to address this threat. He testified to the Faith in the Councils of Cologne, Serdica, and Rimini, and before Constantius as well.

St. Servatius saw to the building of two Churches, one at Tongeren, and another at Maastricht, the latter of which survives. In addition to being the patron saint of Maastricht (in the Netherlands) he is also the patron saint of those with leg and foot problems (lameness).

I recently experienced foot problems. In December 2009 I went to a conference in New York City. Having taken a subway into the city, I decided to walk the four miles to where I was staying, so that I could see the city. Now I had lived in New York City from 1976-1978 when I was in my early twenties, and at that time had walked such distances regularly. But being older, my right foot reminded me for many months after the conference that I am not the same man I was in my early twenties. My chiropractor showed me an exercise to alleviate the condition, which is called Plantar Fascitis: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plantar_fasciitis

I still have some soreness, and do the exercise every day.

St. Servatius, pray for me.

Sources on St. Servatius:http://www.thefullwiki.org/Saint_Servatus & http://www.livius.org/se-sg/servatius/servatius.html

Icon from The pre-Schism Orthodox Saints who evangelized Western Europe & the Scandinavian lands in the section  HISTORICAL TOPICS on the website OODE– ORTHODOX OUTLET FOR DOGMATIC ENQUERIES