St. Luke the Evangelist: Feast Day, Patronage & Prayers
Updated: Oct 3
Feast day: October 18 (Feast of St. Luke, Evangelist)
Patron of: Physicians, surgeons, and artists.
About St. Luke the Evangelist
St. Luke wrote the third Gospel and the Acts of the Apostles, together more than a quarter of the New Testament. St. Paul calls him "Luke, the most dear physician," and he was Paul's companion on many journeys. In Acts, the story suddenly shifts from "they" to "we," showing where Luke himself traveled with Paul, and he remained with the apostle during his imprisonment, when Paul wrote, "Only Luke is with me."
Luke was probably a Gentile, and he wrote carefully, having "diligently attained to all things from the beginning." His Gospel is sometimes called the Gospel of mercy. Only Luke gives us the parables of the Good Samaritan and the Prodigal Son, the story of Zacchaeus, and the Good Thief. He also preserves the Annunciation, the Visitation, the Magnificat, the Benedictus, and the Nunc Dimittis, and his portrait of Mary is so vivid that a tradition arose that he painted her icon. That is why artists claim him as their patron alongside physicians. The Church keeps his feast on October 18. Luke teaches us to see the tenderness of God in Jesus.
Prayers to St. Luke the Evangelist on Daily Catholic Prayers
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