September 1st - St. Giles By: Jeff Joyal

St Giles was born to a wealthy noble family in Athens Greece. He was very deep in his faith from a young age. When his parents died, he gave all their money to the poor, and lived on as a hermit in God’s name. 
St Giles conducted many miracles, and he became famous throughout Greece. To avoid the fame and adulation, he left Greece for France in c. 683, where he lived in a cave in an extremely impoverished lifestyle.
Much to his chagrin, St Giles became known throughout France as well as a miracle worker, and many followers gathered outside the cave. The king of France built a monastery in honor of St Giles, so the followers would have a place to stay. A small town grew around the monastery, and St Giles established hospitals for all of the sick and crippled who were brought to him to be healed. Therefore, St Giles became the patron saint of the physically disabled. Even after his death around 724, people still came to pray at the monastery where he had been enshrined. 

INTERCESSORY PRAYER 
O God, we beseech You to grant us through the merits and intercession of St. Giles to flee from the vanity and praise of this world, to carefully avoid all occasions of sin, to cleanse our hearts from all wickedness by a sincere confession, to leave this world in Your love and rich in good works, and to find You gracious on the day of judgment. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.