Patron Saint for Lent

Willa asked if anyone chooses a patron saint for Lent the way some people (including yours truly) pick a patron saint for each new year.  Well, I had never thought about it, but I can use all the prayer support I can get, right? So I used Willa's handy link to Jen's (of Conversion Diary) Saint Name Generator Fantastic Widget Thingy.

I'm always a little nervous when choosing patron saints.  I mean, what if the only thing that saint is patron of is people who die horrible bloody deaths?  I'd spend the whole of Lent hiding under my covers.   So when I received St. Damian as my saint for this Lent I was a little concerned. Patron saint of doctors, surgeons, pestilence, illness, blindness, hairdressers (you know how depressing a bad hair day can be, lol!), etc?  Sounded like I was going to have a sick and disgusting Lent.  I continued on to the link, however and found out just how perfect St. Damian was for me.  St. Damian reportedly miraculously replaced a diseased leg of a man with another healthy leg.   Many of you know my constant prayer is for my husband to be healed.  His problem originates in his spine, but most of his pain is in his leg!  Seeing that his feast day is my mother-in-law's birthday (and she also has had many leg/hip problems) sealed how special and perfect the choice was for me.

I'm off to find some prayers to St. Damian!

St. Damian, pray for us!

ETA:  Checking wikipedia, it gets even better. Pre-1970, his feast day was Sept 27, which is my mother's birthday (yes dh and I have mothers with birthdays one day apart), and Sts. Cosmas and Damian have a major shrine in Bari, Italy which is where my MIL's family is originally from, if I remember correctly.  Patron saint of orphanages and confectioners too, two things close to my heart! ;-)

Here is a prayer to Cosmas and Damian:

Oh glorious martyrs of Christ, 
Saints Cosmas and Damian, 
you gave your lives for the love of God, 
benefiting your fellow man, 
and crowning your martyrdom with an open and loyal profession of your faith. 
You taught us to love God above all things, 
and to love our fellow man as ourselves, 
professing always, 
and without fear, 
the religion of Jesus. 

Augmenting amongst the faithful populace many miracles, 
you are glorious indeed. 
Through your intercession, 
which brings about deliverance of these miracles, 
we pray to you for your aid in all things. 
May your patronage never be far from us in the illness of our body and soul. 

Oh great protectors, 
Saints Cosmas & Damian, 
assist us with your love and free us from all evils.

Amen.