Patron saints
Who Is the Patron Saint of Doctors And Physicians?
Saint Luke the Evangelist · Feast day October 18
The patron saint of doctors and physicians is Saint Luke the Evangelist, whose feast day is October 18.
Who was Saint Luke the Evangelist?
Saint Luke wrote the third Gospel and the Book of Acts, and Paul calls him the beloved physician. He was a careful writer, a companion of Paul on his journeys, and by tradition also a painter.
Why the patron of doctors and physicians?
Because Paul names him a physician, Luke became the patron of doctors, surgeons, and all who care for the sick, as well as of artists.
In the Word
And he said unto them, Ye will surely say unto me this proverb, Physician, heal thyself: whatsoever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in thy country.Luke 4:23 (KJV)
A note for all traditions: patron saints are honored in the Catholic and Orthodox churches as examples of faith and as friends who pray with us, never worshiped, for worship belongs to God alone. Many Protestant Christians honor the saints as examples without asking their intercession. Across all traditions, there is one Lord and one mediator between God and us, the man Christ Jesus, and every one of us, not only the saints, is called to holiness and to him.
All the saints point to Jesus, and so are you called
Saint Luke the Evangelist was not the point; Christ was. Every saint is a window, and the light is Jesus, who is Lord of all. You are called to the same holiness and the same love. Pray, read the Word, and gather with the family of God on The Living Bread. Free, with no ads, for all people.
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