Prayers to Saint Genesius

I am a Catholic, which sometimes adds complications to my life as an actor. Like last weekend, when I rushed to my callback for The Game of Love and Chance straight from Mass. Or right now in rehearsals for The Mystery Plays, where one of my characters has an instance of saying g**d*** (at the moment, I've been just saying d*** when we get to that point... the director hasn't said anything yet).

Because of this, I find it's rather handy to know about St. Genesius, who is the patron saint of Actors.

He also serves as the patron saint of attorneys, barristers, clowns, comedians, comediennes, comics, converts, dancers, epilepsy, epileptics, musicians, printers, stenographers and torture victims... talk about a multi-tasker). An extra heavenly being to look to for help comes in handy from time to time.

I recently bought this necklace on Etsy (the shop is apparently operated by a nun named Sister Mary Martha, who also writes a great blog).

To quote the shop:

St. Genesuis was an actor who was hired to be in a play that made fun of Christian Baptism. Right during the performance, while staging the satiric baptism, St. Genesius saw the light and began preaching on the stage. He was given a chance to recant but refused. He was beheaded, giving new meaning to the phrase, "the show must go on."

In the last couple of weeks, I've faced a lot of roadblocks as an actor, so I've been wearing my St. Genesius necklace. It's not about jewelry; it's a reminder that someone out there is keeping an eye on me.

-- Angela Sauer

Comments

[Cole Matson]

Do you know about the Fraternity of St Genesius (http://www.stgenesius.com)? They're a Catholic lay fraternity with the apostolate of praying for actors and others involved in the creation of the performing arts. It's headed up by an Irish priest, Fr John Hogan, and they do an online novena (which actors are welcome to join) every August around the saint's feast day (Aug. 25).

[Jerry Stevens]

Most actors belong to one religion or the other. It only adds complications when they actually practice said religion, which I suppose you do. Such is life, eh?