St. Luke
Feast day: October 18
St. Luke, one of the four Evangelists, is the author of the third Gospel and the Acts of the Apostles. Luke is believed to have been a Greek Gentile from Antioch (modern Turkey) and was educated as a physician. In a passage in Colossians (4:14), Paul describes him as “the beloved physician.” A convert to Christianity, he accompanied St. Paul on his missionary journeys, remaining with Paul during his imprisonment and death in Rome. After the martyrdom of St. Paul, Luke returned to Greece. He is patron saint of physicians and painters.
Collect
Lord God, who chose Saint Luke
to reveal by his preaching and writings
the mystery of your love for the poor,
grant that those who already glory in your name
may persevere as one heart and one soul
and that all nations may merit to see your salvation.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever.
