June Saint of the Month: Sacred Heart of Jesus

Last Friday was the Feast of the Sacred Heart. I wrote this post on Friday but didn’t manage to actually, er, post it šŸ™‚ Anyway, that feast is dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, so familiar a symbol that even non-Catholics tend to recognize it.

Usually pictured as a flaming heart crowned with thorns, and often featuring a cross and a wound and/or droplets of blood, the Sacred Heart is a symbol of Jesus’ patient and eternal love and compassion for humanity. Devotion to the Sacred Heart is often practiced to obtain grace, mercy, a peaceful home, consolation in grief, blessings, compassion, and greater depth of faith.

It is related to, but not identical with, the Immaculate Heart of Mary, usually pictured as a heart surmounted with flowers and pierced by a sword.

The Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and the Most Chaste Heart of Joseph. Public domain.

There’s also a whole “genre” of workings in the hoodoo rootwork tradition that operate under the aegis of the Sacred Heart, often to do with reconciliation or peace between cohabitating or married couples. But practitioners in the folk Catholic tradition have petitioned the Sacred Heart over the years for any number of things: to soften the heart of someone they want to influence, like a landlord or boss; to bless children; to return a lover; even for gambling luck.

The Sacred Heart Saint of the Month box for June will come with a short booklet containing history, prayers, spells, and recommendations for working with the Sacred Heart in the folk Catholic and Catholic conjure traditions. I do not believe there’s anything like it currently available in print.

Read more or order yours now at Seraphin Station.

The Saint of the Month Box

Whether you’re just starting to learn about saints and spirits in the hoodoo rootwork tradition or you’ve been working with them for years, I strive to delight you with something new and covetable to add to your collection with every box.

Since I’ve been working with saints and spirits my entire life, and since I later went on to spend the better part of a decade in grad school studying medieval and early modern traditions around, and portrayals of, saints, I usually do manage to come up with something you haven’t seen before to add to your devotional practices. I have got some pretty neat stuff squirreled away (some pretty weird stuff too).

  • Standard boxĀ includes, at a minimum, a bottle of oil, a candle, aĀ holy card or mini prayer booklet, brief history/recommendations for working with the saint or spirit, and a charm, medal, or curio.
  • Deluxe boxĀ includes, at a minimum, a bottle of oil, a fixed, blessed, dressed, and decorated vigil candle, a holy card or mini prayer booklet, brief history and recommendations for working with the saint or spirit, and a handmade chaplet, rosary, or necklace.

Praise for Saint of the Month Boxes

I wanted to say how much I loved the St. Expedite Saint of the Month box! I was completely wowed when I opened it and saw everything inside, especially the beautifully decorated vigil light and the lovely bag with the chaplet inside. It’s a lovely piece and clearly well-made. The booklet on St. Expedite was very helpful, especially considering I am new to working with saints now much confusing and conflicting information there is online about St. Expedite. The only thing I can’t figure out is, am I really supposed to burn this candle? It’s so pretty!

– E.S. 2022

You are supposed to burn the candle, yes! But you can use it as a vase for flower offerings or to hold other materials on your altar once the candle has burned out, if you like!

Please note that items in deluxe kits, such as jewelry, rosaries, and decorated candles, are one of a kind and hand-made upon order, so don’t expect them to ship in a day or two.

Read more or order yours now at Seraphin Station.

Saint of the Month: Joan of Arc

Saint of the month forĀ May 2022 is St. Joan a.k.a Joan of Arc.Ā “The Maid of New Orleans” is invoked for courage, personal empowerment, spiritual power, resilience, overcoming obstacles, and defeating oneā€™s enemies. She’s the patron saint of military servicemembers (especially female ones), prisoners, and people ridiculed for their faith. HerĀ feast day is May 30th.

Looking to spruce up your altars, add to your chaplet or holy card collection, or just learn more about saints and spirits in folk Catholicism? The Saint of the Month box gets you a hand-picked and handmade bundle of saintsā€™ goodies selected for you and shipped to you.

Whether youā€™re just starting to learn about saints and spirits in the hoodoo rootwork tradition or youā€™ve been working with them for years, I strive to delight you with something new and covetable to add to your collection with every box. (I have some pretty neat stuff squirreled away.)

This gives you a chance to get something new for an altar or to be introduced to a saint you havenā€™t worked with before, and it gives me an excuse to do things Iā€™m always wanting to do but end up putting off, like taking an afternoon to design a new chaplet Iā€™ve been wanting to make for a while.

The standard box includes, at a minimum, a bottle of oil, a candle, a holy card or mini prayer booklet, brief history and recommendations for working with the saint or spirit, and a charm, medal, or curio. The deluxe box adds a fixed, dressed, and decorated glass-encased vigil candle and a handmade chaplet, rosary, or necklace. Very unlikely that any two will ever be identical or that all of this stuff would ever be available to purchase individually.

Saints and spirits may be chosen from the traditional Catholic ā€œrosterā€ or may come from various folk traditions. If you have suggestions or requests for particular saints or spirits to feature, Iā€™d love to hear from you! Drop me a line from the contact form or just leave a comment somewhere.

Read more or order your Saint of the Month box at Seraphin Station.

April 2022 Saint of the Month Box

Saint of the month for April 2022 is St. Expedite, invoked for fast results, breaking blockages, luck in a hurry, and against procrastination, feast day April 19th.

Looking to spruce up your altars, add to your chaplet or holy card collection, or just learn more about saints and spirits in folk Catholicism? The Saint of the Month box gets you a hand-picked and handmade bundle of saintsā€™ goodies selected for you and shipped to you.

Whether youā€™re just starting to learn about saints and spirits in the hoodoo rootwork tradition or youā€™ve been working with them for years, I strive to delight you with something new and covetable to add to your collection with every box. (I have some pretty neat stuff squirreled away.)

This gives you a chance to get something new for an altar or to be introduced to a saint you havenā€™t worked with before, and it gives me an excuse to do things Iā€™m always wanting to do but end up putting off, like taking an afternoon to design a new chaplet Iā€™ve been wanting to make for a while.

The standard box includes, at a minimum, a bottle of oil, a candle, a holy card or mini prayer booklet, brief history and recommendations for working with the saint or spirit, and a charm, medal, or curio. The deluxe box adds a fixed, dressed, and decorated glass-encased vigil candle and a handmade chaplet, rosary, or necklace. Very unlikely that any two will ever be identical or that all of this stuff would ever be available to purchase individually.

Saints and spirits may be chosen from the traditional Catholic ā€œrosterā€ or may come from various folk traditions. If you have suggestions or requests for particular saints or spirits to feature, Iā€™d love to hear from you! Drop me a line from the contact form or just leave a comment somewhere.

Read more or order your Saint of the Month box at Seraphin Station.

Saint of the Month: St. Martin of Tours / San Martin Caballero

Big Lucky Hoodoo

Louis Galloche. ā€œA Scene From the Life of St. Martin.ā€ 1737. Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) Image Library. Public domain.

Novemberā€™s saint for the Saint of the Month Box is St. Martin of Tours, aka San Martin Caballero, whose feast day in the Roman Catholic calendar is November 11th.

He was a 4th century bishop in Tours but had once been a soldier, and this is how heā€™s almost always pictured in the art of Western Christendom ā€“ a soldier on horseback cutting his cloak in half to clothe a beggar. He had a reputation for miracles even while he was still living, and he was one of the first non-martyred saints to be venerated so widely.

Officially, heā€™s the patron saint of beggars, the cavalry (and equestrians generally), innkeepers, soldiers, and geese, and he is invoked against poverty and alcoholism.

In popular practice, however, especially inā€¦

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October Saint of the Month Box

Saints of the month for October are St. Teresa of Avila (a mystic author and Doctor of the Church, invoked against headache and heart attack, feast day Oct. 15) or St. Jude (neglected apostle, invoked for hopeless causes, feast day Oct. 28).

Looking to spruce up your altars, add to your chaplet or holy card collection, or just learn more about saints and spirits in folk Catholicism? The Saint of the Month box gets you a hand-picked and handmade bundle of saints’ goodies selected for you and shipped to you.

Whether you’re just starting to learn about saints and spirits in the hoodoo rootwork tradition or you’ve been working with them for years, I strive to delight you with something new and covetable to add to your collection with every box. (I have some pretty neat stuff squirreled away.)

This gives you a chance to get something new for an altar or to be introduced to a saint you haven’t worked with before, and it gives me an excuse to do things I’m always wanting to do but end up putting off, like taking an afternoon to design a new chaplet I’ve been wanting to make for a while.

The standard box includes, at a minimum, a bottle of oil, a candle, a holy card or mini prayer booklet, brief history and recommendations for working with the saint or spirit, and a charm, medal, or curio. The deluxe box adds a fixed, dressed, and decorated glass-encased vigil candle and a handmade chaplet, rosary, or necklace. Very unlikely that any two will ever be identical or that all of this stuff would ever be available to purchase individually.

Saints and spirits may be chosen from the traditional Catholic “roster” or may come from various folk traditions. If you have suggestions or requests for particular saints or spirits to feature, I’d love to hear from you! Drop me a line from the contact form or just leave a comment somewhere.

Read more or order your Saint of the Month box at Seraphin Station.