Sts. Cosmas and Damian
Feast day: September 26
Sts. Cosmas and Damian were twin brothers who were born in Arabia. They studied medicine in Syria, and both became skilled doctors. They refused to charge their patients for their services and were well known for their charitable acts. During the persecution under Diocletian, Cosmas and Damian were arrested by order of the Prefect of Cilicia, and, under torture, they were ordered to recant their Christian faith. They stayed true to their faith and were eventually beheaded. Their three brothers, Anthimus, Leontius and Euprepius, died as martyrs along with them. Cosmas and Damian are invoked in the Canon of the Mass and in the Litany of the Saints. They are patron saints of pharmacists and of physicians.
Collect
May you be magnified, O Lord,
by the revered memory of your Saints Cosmas and Damian,
for with providence beyond words
you have conferred on them everlasting glory,
and on us, your unfailing help.
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.
