Saint Geneviève
Protector of Paris, having defied the leader of the Huns, Attila, and patron saint of the gendarmes, Sainte Geneviève came from a family of Frankish aristocrats. Consecrated to God at the age of 7 by Bishop Germain d'Auxerre, she officially embraced religious life around the age of 20 when she joined a community of women wanting to consecrate their lives to God in chastity and poverty. From then on, the young woman lived an ascetic life.
(Discover other saints in the Guide to Saints on Hozana)
Saint Geneviève to the rescue of Paris
Saint Geneviève facing Attila
"Let men flee, if they want, if they are no longer able to fight. We women will pray to God as long as He hears our supplications. ”
In 451, seeing the Huns, led by the bloodthirsty Attila, arrive in Paris, all the inhabitants wanted to flee their city. Saint Genevieve, 27 years old, sure of the Lord's help, tried to convince the men to stay.
“Your city will be preserved,” she told them, “while the one you want to withdraw to will be looted or ransacked. Trust in God, implore his help, and do not betray the cause of heaven and the homeland by your flight.” She was not believed and accused of mysticism, they wanted to throw her into a chasm to punish her. But, after looting Metz and Reims, Attila did not go to Paris. He circumvented the city to go to Orléans, where he turned back, directly towards Châlons-sur-Marne, and was beaten. Saint Geneviève was then acclaimed because her prayers had protected the city of light from the barbarians. She then became defensor civitatis (in charge of the protection of the city).
Saint Geneviève facing the Franks
As early as years later, in 465, when the war tore the Western Roman Empire apart, a civil war threatened Paris, between the partisans of Rome and those of the Franks (led by Childeric). Once again, Saint Geneviève saved the city. She negotiated with the Franks so that Paris would not be invaded, even if her heart was inclined in their favor. She saw in this people the opportunity to save Christianity in the face of Arianism, which had come from the barbarian peoples. The siege of the city lasted ten years. Years during which she braved the blockade (surely with the agreement of Childéric) to fetch wheat and supply the Parisians. When Childeric's son, Clovis, achieved victory over the last representative of Roman power in Gaul, Saint Genevieve allied herself with the new king. She allowed him to take the city, on one condition. He had to convert to Christianity. After his baptism, Clovis entered Paris and reconciled the Franks and the Gallo-Romans. The city became the capital of his kingdom. Saint Geneviève, Clovis, and his wife Clotilde became very close. The saint was even buried next to Clovis, in 512.
Two beautiful prayers to Holy Geneviève
Prayer of the Parisians to their patron saint, every 3 January
"Saint Geneviève, You who by vigils, penances and prayer ensure the protection of Lutetia, intercede with God for Paris, for our country, for Christian homes and consecrated souls.
You who healed the blind and cast out demons, obtain for us the Light of God and make us stronger in temptations.
You who were first concerned with the poor, protect the sick, the isolated, the unemployed.
You who resisted the armies and encouraged the besieged, give us the sense of truth and justice.
You who, through the centuries, have never ceased to watch over Paris, help us to keep the grandeur and the influence of our capital.
May your example be for us an encouragement to always seek God and to serve Him in our brothers. Amen.”
Prayer to Saint Geneviève for her protection
“Saint Genevieve, our sister, listen favorably to our prayers:
In coming to you, we remember all the benefits that
for sixteen centuries, you have not ceased to obtain from God in
favor of those who have placed themselves under your benevolent protection.
Today, again, we implore the help of your powerful intercession:
For our country, for our city and peace in the world;
For the unity of the baptized and the radiance of the Church;
For the conversion of sinners and the recovery of the weak;
For the relief of the sick and the comfort of the dying;
For the consolation of the afflicted and the release of prisoners.
But in the first place, it is for our salvation and that of our brothers, that with
you, very faithful servant of God, we raise our eyes to Him. Saint Genevieve, our protector, full of confidence, We entrust ourselves to your hands so that you present to the Lord:
Our availability to his sweet will,
and our resolve to renounce evil throughout our pilgrimage on this earth;
Our hope to reach the happiness of heaven, where we will meet you one day. Saint Genevieve, our shepherdess,
Agree to bless us as, in so many circumstances, you did in the past:
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.”
Like Saint Geneviève, let us pray for conversions with Hozana!
Saint Geneviève saved Paris! Let us pray with another patron of France, the archangel Michael.
