St. Raymond of Penyafort (about 1175–1275) was a Catalan Dominican priest, a renowned professor of law who compiled for Pope Gregory IX the Decretals, the collection of Church law used for nearly seven hundred years, wrote a famous guide for confessors, served as master general of the Dominicans, and helped St. Peter Nolasco found the Mercedarians to ransom Christian captives. He lived almost a hundred years and is the patron saint of canon lawyers. His feast day is January 7. Below are his story, the prayer of his feast and a prayer to St. Raymond.
A short prayer to St. Raymond of Penyafort, written for this page:
St. Raymond, you served God with a brilliant mind and a humble heart.
Pray for lawyers, judges and confessors, that they may serve justice and mercy,
and help me to make a good confession and to begin again. Amen.
Who was St. Raymond of Penyafort?
Raymond was born around 1175 at the castle of Penyafort, near Barcelona, into a noble family. He studied and taught at Barcelona and then at the University of Bologna, the great center of law, where he earned doctorates and taught canon law. In 1222 he joined the young Order of Preachers in Barcelona. With St. Peter Nolasco he helped to found the Order of Our Lady of Mercy, the Mercedarians, whose members offered themselves as ransom for Christians held captive.
In 1230 Pope Gregory IX called him to Rome as his chaplain and confessor and entrusted him with gathering the scattered decrees of the popes and councils into one collection. The Decretals of Gregory IX, published in 1234, remained the foundation of Church law until the Code of Canon Law of 1917. His Summa on penance guided confessors for centuries. In 1238 he was elected master general of the Dominicans and revised their constitutions, but resigned two years later to return to Barcelona, where he worked for the conversion of Jews and Muslims and encouraged St. Thomas Aquinas to write his Summa contra Gentiles. A famous legend tells that, when King James of Aragon would not let him leave Majorca by ship, Raymond spread his cloak on the sea and sailed home on it. He died in Barcelona on January 6, 1275, and was canonized in 1601.
The prayer of his feast from the 1916 daily missal:
O God, who didst choose to make the blessed Raymond eminent in administering the sacrament of penance, and to lead him in a wonderful manner over the waves of the sea, grant that through his intercession we may be able to bring forth fruits worthy of penance and to reach the harbor of eternal salvation. Through Jesus Christ, thy Son our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God world without end. Amen.
What is St. Raymond of Penyafort the patron saint of?
- Canon lawyers and lawyers in general
- Confessors
- Barcelona
Feast day
The optional memorial of St. Raymond of Penyafort, priest, is January 7. Before 1969 it was kept on January 23.
Frequently asked questions
What is St. Raymond of Penyafort known for?
Compiling the Decretals of Gregory IX, the Church’s law code for centuries, and his guide for confessors.
Why is he shown on a cloak at sea?
Because of the legend that he sailed from Majorca to Barcelona on his cloak.
When is his feast day?
January 7.
More saints
- Patron saint of lawyers
- St. Dominic prayer
- St. Thomas Aquinas prayer
- Act of Contrition
- St. Francis of Paola
- Saint of the day
Texts and sources
- The Mass Every Day of the Year (1916), St. Raymond of Penafort (January 23), Collect, public domain (archive.org).