Grace and Space

St. Expeditus (or Elpidius) was, according to legend, a Roman centurion in Armenia who became a Christian and was beheaded during the Diocletian Persecution in 303. The most popular legend surrounding the saint says that the day when he decided to become a Christian, the Devil took the form of a crow and told him to defer his conversion until the next day, but Expeditus stomped on the bird and killed it, declaring, “I’ll be a Christian today!”

Expeditus is invoked against procras-tination and for speedy solutions. He is also an unofficial patron of computer hackers and programmers (connected with speedy solutions to computer problems). Expeditus’ typical depiction in artwork is a young Roman centurion. The soldier is squashing a crow beneath his right foot and bearing a clock in early images. Later depictions have Expeditus holding a cross, inscribed with the Latin word hodie (today). A banderole with the word cras (tomorrow) emerges from the crow’s mouth.

 Novena to St. Expeditius