Not too long ago I chanced upon a prayer card for St. Odilia, and this card indicated that she is a patron saint for those with eye problems and diseases. Since I had cataract surgery two years ago and am still troubled by floaters, flashes and require the need for frequent periodic visits to my retina specialist (who’s worried about me,) I added the prayer on this card to my daily routine.
This is it:
Prayer to Saint Odilia
O God, Who in Your Kindness
Did give us St. Odilia
Virgin and Martyr, as the
Protectress of the Order
Of the Holy Cross and
The Patroness of the eyes
And afflicted, grant us
We humbly beseech You
To be protected, through her
Intercession, from the darkness
Of ignorance and sin and to
Be cured from the blindness
of the eyes and other bodily
Infirmities.
Through Him,
Who is the Light and Life
Of the World, Jesus Christ,
Your Son, Our Lord
Amen.
And then, not too long after that, I chanced upon a novena booklet to her. The novena is said twice monthly on the 5th and 17th, with the national annual one on July 10th, ending the feast day of July 18 (see note at the end of this post). You can find it online here: Novena to St. Odilia
Patron saint of the blind, Saint Odilia of Alsace was born blind at Oberheim in the Vosges Mountains around the year 660 to a noble family. She was given to a peasant family to raise due to her disability. She regained sight when touched by St. Erhard of Regensburg during her baptism at age 12. Note by Paulcoholic: St. Erhard’s Feast day is today, January 8.)
Her brother wanted her back to place in a strategic marriage. Angered by this, her father killed the brother who was miraculously brought back to life by Odilia. Her father pursued her, but abandoned his quest when she disappeared in a cave that opened suddenly in the mountains.
Odilia founded Hohenburg Abbey. She died of natural causes on Dec. 13, 720 at Niedermunster, Mount Sainte Odile and was buried near the Odilienberg convent church chapel. She often is depicted as an abbess praying at an alter or as a woman with two books for eyes.
The article on her on Wikipedia mentioned:
As the patroness of ocular afflictions and ear diseases, St. Odile is often depicted with a pair of eyes on a book…
I had originally read that as saying she “is ofen depicted with a pair of books on her eyes,” which made her cooler beyond belief for me!
NOTE ON HER FEAST DAY: I found that she has two feasts, one on December 13th, which is usually celebrated as the feast of St. Lucy, the saint primarily regarded as being the patron saint of those with eye problems; and the other, noted above, on July 18. I asked the AI search thingy on my browser “Why is that?” and it replied:
I have a new book! "The Sober Catholic Way" is a handbook on how anyone can live a sober life, drawn from over 17 years of SoberCatholic posts! It's out now on "Amazon," "Apple Books," "B&N" and and others!"!St. Odilia is traditionally celebrated on December 13th because this is the date of her death, but some regions or liturgical calendars may also commemorate her on July 18th, which is often linked to the transfer of her relics or a local tradition of celebrating her feast day on that date; essentially, the discrepancy arises from different historical events associated with her veneration.
Key points about St. Odilia’s feast days:
December 13th:
This is the most widely recognized feast day for St. Odilia as it marks the anniversary of her death.
July 18th:
Some regions, particularly in areas where her relics are venerated, may celebrate her feast day on this date due to the transfer of her relics or local tradition.
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