Zacharenia: Name Day and Patron Saint

St Zacharias was a priest of the Temple in Jerusalem, of the line of Aaron and of the priestly course of Abijah, who lived with his wife Elizabeth at Hebron in Judea. Both were righteous before God, but they had grown old without a child. One day, when the lot fell to him to offer incense in the sanctuary, the Archangel Gabriel appeared at the right side of the altar and told him that his prayer had been heard: Elizabeth would bear a son, to be named John, who would go before the Lord in the spirit and power of Elijah. Zacharias doubted because of their age, and he was left unable to speak until the word came true. When the child was to be named, he wrote on a tablet, “His name is John”, and at once his tongue was loosed; filled with the Holy Spirit, he praised God and prophesied that his son would be the Forerunner of the Lord. When Herod sought to kill the infant John, his soldiers came to Zacharias in the Temple and demanded to know where the boy was. He answered that he served the Lord and did not know where his son was, and on Herod’s order they killed him between the Temple and the altar. The Church honours him as a prophet and keeps his memory on 5 September (18 September on the Old Calendar). The faithful ask his prayers for faith that does not waver, for patience while waiting on God, and for courage to stand firm.

What the faithful pray for

• faith that does not doubt God’s promises
• patience while waiting on God
• couples who long for a child
• priests and all who serve at the altar
• courage to stand firm under pressure