Hail and blessed be the hour and the moment in which the Son of God was born of the most pure Virgin Mary, at midnight, in Bethlehem, in piercing cold. In that hour, vouchsafe, O my God, to hear my prayer and grant my desires, through the merits of Our Saviour Jesus Christ, and of His Blessed Mother. Amen.
--Many Catholics say this prayer fifteen times a day from St. Andrew's Day through Christmas Eve for a special intention.
St. Andrew, a son of Jonah, and a brother of Simon, was a fisherman in Bethsaida, and a disciple of John the Baptist. He became the first disciple of Jesus, and then, called to be an apostle, he left all things to follow Him.
"Saint Andrew was a 'networker' - a fisherman but also the one who brought the Gentiles . . . to Jesus and preached about him as far as the Black Sea. The saltire cross is a multiplication sign - reminding us that it was Saint Andrew who brought the little boy and his loaves and fishes to Jesus." -- BBC
One of his disciples, Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, saith to him: There is a boy here that hath five barley loaves, and two fishes; but what are these among so many? --John 6:8-9
St. Andrew's Day is Scotland's national day. Scots around the world celebrate St. Andrew's Day with traditional food, drink, and ceilidhs.
