The Legend of Saint Gens, his Cow & Wolf ⚜️ Our visit to Le Beaucete, France

Hello Everyone!

     While in France, we were finally able to visit the Saint Gens Church and learn more about the Legend of Saint Gens. We tried to go many times, but the hours of operation are very limited and not quite accurate. Eventually, we had the opportunity to see Saint Gens. He did not disappoint!

     Gens is well-known as the patron saint invoked for rain, unlike Our Lady of Prompt Succor, who is often asked to intercede for protections from rain. His name and the name of Saint Genesius, the patron saint of actors and theater, are also entirely different. The best stories about Saint Gens are his messages of redemption, forgiveness, and love. 

     As we have mentioned in another essay, when Gens’ father gave him two cows to help him farm his land, Gens was happy to generate resources from his property. The cows were an integral part of his success. Then, tragedy struck.

                 

     A wolf, who is shown here, was hungry and attacked and ate one of the cows. Gens was devastated since his very survival depended on getting help from the cows. They were part of his team. Gens was in dire straits. One cow could not do all the work on its own. 

     Gens then devised a curiously admirable plan. He went out and found the wolf, tamed it, and provided it with detailed instructions about how to work the land as though it was a cow. The wolf was seeking forgiveness for his murderous actions, and quickly relinquished his role as a vicious tyrant to become an able assistant to the cow that was still living. 

     Gens was able to successfully maintain his land with the help of his cow and his new worker, the wolf. In return, Gens was able to contribute to the economy and the townspeople, who held Gens in awe as a miracle working person who could literally alter his landscape by finding ways to forgive, forget and allow for redemption.  

     We plan to visit the Church of Saint Gens again next year when we return to Venasque, hopefully on a date when the Gift Shop is open. We’d love to send all of you a token from the Saint Gens Church and remind you about forgiving, finding ways to let things go, and the powers of redemption.

     That’s it for this newsletter. We will start writing more now that summer has passed and regular schedules are aligned. We hope you had an enjoyable summer. Please remember to help spread the word about SaintsforSinners & SaintsforHOPE. Allow us to continue offering our hand-painted saint medals and stories online and in retail outlets. 

     Remember to visit us at the Gretna Art Walk, near Town Hall this Saturday, September 8th 8am - 12pm. We will have some of our relics and vintage medals available for viewing and some will be for sale!

     Stay tuned for more news and views from SaintsforSinners, your “Go To” place for imported Italian (and French) Saint medallions hand-painted in New Orleans.

Thanks for Reading to the Bottom Line!