If you follow the story in itâs entirety you will find his origins to be as a real saint let alone a real person are nebulous at best.
His conversion was to eventually lead to his death during the Diocletian Persecution of Christians in 303 A.D.
Saint Expedite was declared a martyr in 1781, in Italy where his cult survived in Turin since the Middle Ages.
There are two in France or itâs dependencies that supposedly also happened that year as well.
Account (1) The story takes place in France, 1781, a shipment of relics arrived, many were unidentified. However, on the box containing his statute, the word âExpediteâ was marked on the package. Some believed it simply meant that the package was to be expedited to its final location whereas others believed that was the name of the Saint whose statue was contained in the package. When Nuns at the Denfret-Rochereau Catcombs in Paris saw this, they prayed to this âunknownâ saint and the prayers were all answered . Word of this quickly spread and the miracles of Saint Expedite would spread throughout the Catholic world and beyond.
Account (2) Another version of this story takes place far from France, but in New Orleans. In this version, (no doubt influenced by the French story since the French colonized New Orleans) a shipment of relics (or a statue???) arrived at the Chapel of Our Lady of Guadalupe. As with the French story, one package had no other marking except the term â Expeditâ. And thus, he was known to the locals as Saint Expedite. New Orleans, like Brazil still venerates Saint Expedite to this day. He is very prominent in Creole Folklore.
The first two accounts take place nearly 1500 years after his supposed death and both in same year at different places. Whoâs telling the truth?
The third takes place in a different continent where a crate arrived carrying a statue of someone supposedly no one knew about but responded when prayed too. They suspiciously named him after someone who was already known of in europe in two different countries and one centuries prior to his canonization. In another story he is German soldier while in the most well known story his is a legionary from Armenia. He also said to have been syncretized with deity from Madagascar and the Goddess Kali. Way too much going on here imo.
With all these inconsistencies in regards to his origins itâs hard to believe that he was ever real at all. Also another thing to keep in mind is usually canonization takes years not the year of as happened with him. Iâm sure the church may have canonized him if for no other reason then drum up church attendance or draw in pilgrims that would oh so kindly make âdonationsâ to the church. They did that alot in the past. That doesnât mean he was ever real though (especially since he was recognized as a saint 1500 years after his death) but a Egregore⊠maybe⊠who knows! That I suppose doesnât really matter.
Theyâre still spirits, magic and science go hand and hand so it ties into Newtonâs 1st Law - âEnergy cannot be created or destroyedâ. We are all energy, so while the physical body is gone the soul or Spirit can go elsewhere. This is also where the practice of Necromancy comes in, which exists in a number of religions worldwide.
Theyâre not living, per say. Theyâre beyond âThe Veilâ.