St Hilarion had a close friendship with the great St Anthony Abbot, the patron saint of animals and defender of the life of the enemy. The saint unconditionally supported Anthony’s decisions and his example, which was fundamental and decisive for him.
History and biography of Saint Hilarion
Saint Hilarion, like Anthony Abbot, chose a life of hermitage and solitude. Thanks to this way of life, they were able to consecrate their love to God. Hilarion was born in the village of Gaza, more precisely in the town of Tabattha.
The saint did his first studies in a school in Alexandria, where he was bishop of St Alexander. He belatedly received the first sacrament of the Church, the waters of baptism being sprinkled on his humanity at the age of 15. He later became so close to Anthony Abbot that he went to the desert to describe how the hermit had survived.
Hilarion refused any kind of company, he was disgusted by the number of devotees who approached St Anthony to ask for a miracle. St Hilarion was so displeased that he returned to his homeland. He was orphaned as a child and never enjoyed his inheritance, giving away his possessions to the poor and to his brothers. He resigned himself to a life of solitude.
After leaving everything in order regarding his inheritance, Saint Hilarion went to Egypt to seek refuge in absolute solitude. When he arrived, he settled in a dark swamp with access to the sea. His first days there were not easy, as it was very cold at night and very hot during the day, but eventually he got used to the climatic conditions of the swamp.
The only conspicuous item of clothing he wore was a fur coat given to him by St Anthony the Abbot. St Hilarion promised never to take the coat off, but it gradually deteriorated as a result of the constant changes in climate. He also did not wash a shirt that had been with him for a long time, as it seemed useless.
The only food St Hilarion ate were figs, about 15 a day, because the swampy area did not produce any other kind of fruit. At one point in his life, in order to avoid falling victim to the devil, he decided to eat fewer figs than usual. In Egypt he learnt sewing and handicrafts, making baskets and utensils of various commercial types.
San Hilarion took it upon himself to build his own shelter in the marsh, gathering some dry leaves to protect himself from the rain and cold. Later he had better materials and a cell to sleep in, which improved his quality of life. It seems that this saint, like Saint Jerome, defended the statutes dictated by the Bible, to the point of translating many versions into different languages.
It is worth noting that this cell was very small, since its dimensions, both in length and width, did not exceed 2 metres. St. Hilarion, tired of eating figs, decided to go to the most dangerous part of the marsh to gather other fruits and bread. All this allowed St. Hilarion to win the affection of the Most High. Among the vicissitudes the saint had to endure was the survival of several nights of total darkness in his solitude.
Darkness was the most difficult trial that St. Hilarion had to face, because this element could have called into question his love for God and his return to society, but it did not. His conviction and solitude always prevailed and he emerged triumphant from the darkness of the swamp. Prayer was fundamental in resisting these moments of pressure.
St. Jerome in his writings emphasised that St. Hilarion did not live in Palestine as an ordinary inhabitant, but made a point of visiting various tombs and holy places. St Hilarion came to Jerusalem to thank the Church for his unwavering Christian faith.
From an early age he was interested in the virtues of the monastic community, many of whom gave all their possessions to the poor to live in the desert. Others preferred to go to the Jordan River, where St John the Baptist baptised Jesus.
Prayer to St Hilarion
St Hilarion has many parishioners all over the world. Many of them offer their prayers to venerate this hermit saint who followed the example of his great friend Anthony Abbot. It should be noted that the prayers should be said with great faith and hope.
-O great Saint Hilarion, who gave all your goods to the poor so that they might enjoy your virtues, who gave part of your life in the desert to find true conviction and love for God. St. Benedict, you have succeeded in winning the affection of the Most High. St. Hilarion, beloved, you were a pure man in heart and soul, you preferred solitude to bad company that would tempt you.
Saint Hilarion, you who loved your neighbour from your refuge and solitude, you never refused the help of your faithful followers who needed good advice from you. Most Valuable Hermit, whose powers surpass rational thought to judge divine thought. I invoke your intercession, that of the Virgin Mary, St Joseph of Nazareth and Almighty God, to protect me from all evil and danger.
-Benefactor of all men and women who make life an enemy, I ask you to empower me with all your sacred gifts. I wish to follow your example in a good way, so that you may look upon me with proud eyes. You are worthy of the vault of heaven for your immense devotion and mythical help to all the helpless.
Thank you, O Saint Hilarion, for being the companion and colleague of Saint Expeditus in those matters that are unlikely to be resolved. Help with your protection those beings who have neither shelter nor food. Be the advocate of all those noble and just causes, so that you may fight with me against all the gossip and insults that try to harm me.
I ask you to be my handkerchief in all moments of sadness and distress. Remove from my eyes and mind all the fog that prevents me from seeing beyond reality. I ask You to pray not only for me, but also for all my fellow Catholics and Christians, to solve the problems of each one of them. Be the healing of my soul as well as my spirit and my mind.
Pour on my humanity the gift of serenity, so that I do not worry more than necessary about unnecessary problems. May I have the wisdom to make the right decisions without making mistakes that will cost me dearly in the long run.
Prayer to St Hilarion to ask for a favour
-Miraculous Saint Hilarion, you who are miraculous and powerful, I implore you to hear this petition (the favour to Saint Hilarion is carefully explained) so that I may feel my afflicted heart improve a little from its sadness. Great Servant of God of the desert, hermit of great heart and majestic charity, teach me to be a better man through this favour I ask of you.
As a favour, I ask You to transform every moment of sadness into infinite joy, to give meaning to my life, which was lost for a moment after long moments of extreme sorrow. Follow my every step so that you may be the judge of all my actions; if they are good, I will joyfully receive your blessing; if they are bad, I will succeed in obtaining your forgiveness with true repentance and redemption.
St. Hilarion the Great, rejoice in every moment of my life that I joyfully dedicate this powerful prayer to you. May prosperity always be in the hands of the Most High. Make me compassionate in the face of the vicissitudes of the world. Amen.
Prayer to St Hilarion for money
If you want to watch over your money or consecrate your fortune, it is time to pray to this miraculous saint. Similarly, the Golden Death saint is another helper in multiplying profits and bringing good fortune to his devotees.
-O good confessor, Saint Hilarion, wise enemy who preferred a life of solitude to treacherous and notorious false companions. Great source of generosity, who helped all those who came to you for unconditional support. Bless my fortune, that I may not waste a single penny, which would make me bankrupt. Help my money to continue to multiply, to create employment and to be used for necessary expenses.
Although I am unworthy of You because I have sinned so much in recent times, I ask for Your help to protect my money so that it does not fall into the wrong hands or into the hands of evildoers.
-Blessed St Hilarion, you who have been adopted by your followers as the great defender of money, I implore you to bring me out of this severe economic slump that is consuming me and slowly killing me. See to it that this bad patch is only temporary and not permanent. I hope that my consolation will be to find a good job that will give me a greater economic income. O Holy One, no one else in the world knows that money helps every family to feed itself. Amen.
-Almighty God, who saw in Saint Hilarion a brave man determined to face the hungriest beasts in the world in the swamps of Palestine, intercede with him that prosperity and happiness may be a constant in my life. Immediately suppress my spendthrift spirit, so that I may not make unnecessary expenditures and invest well the money I have earned with much sacrifice – Amen.
St Hilarion’s prayer for financial problems
-O generous Saint Hilarion, helper and protector of the ideals of Saint Anthony Abbot, I need your help with the following petitions, because I have felt that fortune has not been on my side in the last few days. I have come to a point in my life where scarcity surrounds me and ruin embraces me with its burning arms. Help me to emerge victorious from all of this, just as you have faced evil darkness and abject famine to please the Most High.
I pray to You to intervene in this painful matter (The financial problem or debt to be resolved is described) so that I may be more at peace without thinking about the lack of money to resolve this impasse. O benevolent Hilarion, advocate and defender of the enemy, listen attentively to these humble requests, for I adore You all the days of my life. Amen.
Ritual for Saint Hilarion
The rite or ceremony often performed by the faithful for Saint Hilarion is called the ritual of the 3 candles. This ritual consists of finding 3 blue candles, as this was the saint’s favourite colour. It also symbolises prosperity, good fortune and the maintenance of positive streaks.
The worshipper must find a small room and light 3 blue candles on the altar. A portrait of Saint Hilarion would allow a better communication between the worshiper and the saint, making the ritual much more effective and powerful.
The ritual to St Hilarion can be performed on 3 consecutive days or at the speaker’s convenience. It is not the number of days that is important, but the cause or the request for the prosperity of the money. A container of flowers should be placed around the candles and the photograph. If incense is available, do not hesitate to light it to make the rite more harmonious. A prayer for prosperity should be said for each candle lit during the day.
- Saint Hilarion, Saint Hilarion, Saint Hilarion, mighty Saint Hilarion, patron of the enemies and faithful companion of Anthony Abbot in his good fortune and misfortune, in his moments of solitude in the cold and dark cell. With this first candle, I ask for the prosperity of my home, that my family may remain united and that there may be mutual support. May the devil and his temptations disappear with the lighting of this powerful candle. I wish them protection and prosperity in every way.
- Saint Hilarion, Saint Hilarion, Saint Hilarion mighty, patron of the enemies and faithful companion of Anthony Abbot in his fortunes and misfortunes, in his moments of solitude in the cold and dark cell. With this second candle I ask for your intercession to multiply my economic income so that I never waste what I have earned, to give work to the most needy and above all to avoid the unpleasant moment of ruin and economic poverty.
- Saint Hilarion, Saint Hilarion, Saint Hilarion, mighty Hilarion, patron of the enemies and faithful companion of Antonio Abad in his happiness and misfortune, in his moments of solitude in the cold and dark cell. With this third and last candle, I thank you for the good fortune that has come into my life. My financial affairs are going well. There is no lack of joy in my home because of the good time I am living. San Hilarion, San Hilarion, preserve this great episode in my life with the lighting of this blue candle, the colour of water and prosperity, which illuminates every chaos and confusion.You can also learn about the rituals of the holy death that many Mexicans perform in the sanctuary of this powerful saint, whose devout roots lie in Mexico.
Novena to San Hilarion
The novena to San Hilarion consists of a series of prayers that are repeated without interruption for 9 days. It begins on the 13th of October and ends on the 21st of the same month, the day on which he is venerated. The novena begins with an opening prayer to be said each day as a prelude.
Opening prayer for each day
-St. Hilarion, majestic man, who in the sanctuary of his life attained the full grace of God. From your cell you overcame all kinds of dangers and temptations of the devil. O merciful Saint, with this novena I want to thank you for all that has been granted to me in my grace, miraculous and compassionate Saint, I am eager to follow in your footsteps to obtain the heavenly passage which the Most High directs by the hand of his choir of archangels. Abbot Hilarion, intercede with St Anthony for my soul. Amen.
First day
O blessed Saint Hilarion, exemplary man who gave away all his possessions for the benefit of the poor and needy. We thank you for your courage and bravery to endure all kinds of hardships in the desert. On this day, I ask you to give me the gift of courage so that I may make decisions with great certainty and determination. Banish the phantom of fear and uncertainty. If necessary, teach me to live in solitude rather than sharing with unpleasant company.
St. Hilarion, St. Hilarion, accompany with joy each of the petitions described in this glorious novena. Amen. In the same way, you may know the novena to St. Mark of Léon, for sovereignty, whose power gives courage to defeat all enemies.
Second day
O defender and champion of just causes, Saint Hilarion, at this moment I am in great distress because of all the sins I have committed. On this occasion I ask You to grant me the virtue of conversion, so that I may erase from my conduct all the sins I have committed in the past. I repent of all my errors and wish to follow firmly in the footsteps of the Most High, like the great Saint Hilarion, whose life as a hermit filled the whole Christian community with emotion.
St. Hilarion, St. Hilarion, attend with joy to each of the petitions described in this glorious novena. Amen. In the same way, another novena that can fill you with joy is undoubtedly the novena to Saint Clare of Assisi, the Blessed who defended the Catholic Church with great honour.
Third day
St. Hilarion, the great patron saint of all the remote, hidden and receding peoples of the whole world, whose power transcends all the hidden and discovered lands. I pray especially for the growth of my village, that all its citizens may be healthy in body and soul, and thus build a Christian society supported by Almighty God. O Saint Hilarion, protect each of these Christian villages that praise you with honour and wisdom.
Saint Hilarion, Saint Hilarion, may each of the petitions described in this glorious novena be answered with joy. Amen. Remember that in order to strengthen the wisdom that you think you have lost, you can nourish yourself with the novena to Saint Augustine, because this holy philosopher was a great intellectual in his golden years.
Fourth day
Magnificent Saint Hilarion, model of many hermits who found their true vocation in hiding. O friend of Saint Anthony, the abbot who loved domestic and wild animals, I ask you to protect my pet. Help her to be as healthy as possible, so that she can always run and jump around the house. O helper of dogs, O benefactor of cats and protector of all pets like the miraculous Saint Lazarus, watch over all the animals of the world who are part of our families.
Saint Hilarion, Saint Hilarion, joyfully attend to each of the petitions described in this glorious novena. Amen.
Fifth day
Wonderful and supreme Saint Hilarion, whose blue represents you in every way. This is exactly what I need to regain in my life, the prosperity that has slipped from my hands for a moment. St. Clement Hilarion, remove from my life this bad streak that is overpowering me; there is no money, my family is torn apart by senseless quarrels, my debts are growing and I can’t find a solution.
Grant that he may discern the right way to be victorious, just as St. Michael the Archangel defeated the devil with his mighty and heavenly sword.
St. Hilarion, St. Hilarion, joyfully attend to each of the petitions described in this glorious novena. Amen.
Sixth day
Loving and charitable St. Hilarion, whose altruism shocked friends and strangers, loving hermit father, who conquered his followers with endless useful advice for their lives. On this occasion, I invoke the coming of love to transform these moments of solitude into pleasant companionship. O Saint, help me to find a soul mate who complements me every day, a love that gives me back full happiness, an illusion that grows day by day in my heart.
Saint Hilarion, Saint Hilarion, accompany with joy each of the petitions described in this glorious novena. Amen. It is indispensable that, if you desire a love, you know the powers of the Holy Red Death, very well to conquer this love.
Seventh day
Thank you, St. Hilarion, for being a source of energetic devotion and consolation for all the afflicted, on this special day I ask you for my health, that of my family and all my loved ones. May suffering and sickness not become water in our organism. Give spiritual and physical strength to each of us. Watch over the welfare of all my loved ones.
St. Hilarion, St. Hilarion, attend with joy to each of the petitions described in this glorious novena. Amen.
Eighth day
O generous Saint Hilarion, who brings joy to each of your devotees when they pronounce your holy name. I pray for peace in the world, that all citizens may know how to respect and love one another, as Jesus commanded. Fill our world with tolerance and less violence, to foster a society worthy of the world we deserve.
St. Hilarion, St. Hilarion, attend with joy to each of the petitions described in this glorious novena. Amen.
Ninth day
Blessed and praised Saint Hilarion, I come before you on this ninth day to bid you farewell with much joy and devotion, not without first thanking you for having listened attentively to all my needs. Continue to fill with happiness every parishioner who worships you with great affection. Amen.
Miracles of Saint Hilarion
St. Hilarion helped his followers by performing several miracles, one of which was to help a woman who could not conceive children. This brought scorn from her husband and she had no choice but to go into the desert and turn to St Hilarion for advice and comfort for her sad heart.
The saint encouraged the woman to have a little hope of having the child she had longed for so long. St Hilarion asked her to raise her eyes to heaven and pray with great faith, and when she had finished, he retired. Nine months later he went to Hilarion’s cell with his newborn child to give thanks.
He was the assistant of a horseman who wanted to win the prize in a horse race in Gaza. His opponent was very powerful and it was rumoured that his victories were based on black magic. St Hilarion advised the horseman to sprinkle the race and the horses’ hooves with holy water to ensure victory. The horses galloped off at great speed, leaving their bitter rival far behind.
