Patronage

After a lot of thought and prayer and a wee bit of research, I'm adding St Alphonsus to theside bar and asking for his prayers and patronage.  St Alphonsus became a doctor of the Church and was a prolific writer despite suffering crippling arthritis.

Glorious Saint Alphonsus, loving Father of the poor and sick, all your life you devoted yourself with a charity really heroic to lightening their spiritual and bodily miseries. Full of confidence in your tender pity for the sick, since you yourself have patiently borne the cross of this illness, I come to you for help in my present need (mention it).

Loving Father of the suffering, Saint Alphonsus, whom I invoke as the arthritis Saint, since you have suffered from this disease in your lifetime, look with compassion upon me in my suffering. Beg God to give me good health. If it is not God's will to cure me, then give me strength to bear my cross patiently and to offer my sufferings in union with my Crucified Savior and His Mother of Sorrows, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls, in reparation for my sins and those of others, for the needs of this trouble world and for the souls in purgatory.

Our Father. Hail Mary. Glory Be.

Saint Alphonsus, patron of the arthritic sick, pray for us. Amen.