Browse:St. Raymond (Volume 1, entries 3042–3051)
St. Raymond
Volume 1, entries 3042–3051. Source context: THE DOCTORS AT WORK: REPORTS FROM LAYMEN → (3) SAINTS. Entries listed under this heading in the source volume.
Entries
Entry 3042
Well, St. Raymond, he stand up like a big old saint. You burn green candles to him. You burn 'em Wednesday, Fridays and Saturdays. He's for money - just like you ain't got no money, don't know where to get none. Well, you get down on your knees and you pray, you repeat them prayers - it's a prayer, you repeat them prayers nine times.
[Does the prayer come wrapped about the candle?]
(Each day?)
Yes, sir. Well, after you repeats them prayers, you take you a green candle and you set it to St. Raymond and you make your wish, and you can ask him for anything you want, but you means it from your heart though and you'll get it.
Entry 3043
Have a ceremony. But in case that you get an altar you have to take it to the priest and let him bless the altar before you bring it in your house. If you get St. Raymond's picture from the store where they buy the saint pictures, you got to take it to the priest and have it blest before you bring 'em in your house.
Entry 3044
Well, St. Raymond, he is a good saint. St. Raymond is the saint for the poor. St. Raymond will give you bread and if you got children, he will keep the way open that you should feed your children. Now, you give St. Raymond a green light. You give him a green light at home. Of course, when you go to church, you give him those little cup candles and they're yellow. Or you can set what you call a nine-day light. It's a little glass lamp with a globe on it.
(A nine-day light.)
But you gotta pay 25 cents for that nine-day light, and if you care to when the nine days is up, light another one. It is just the same. St. Raymond always keeps you with your preferment. He is a saint that will help you.
(You get these nine-day lights in the church?)
In the church.
(And you burn them there or at home?)
In the church you burn them first.
Entry 3045
(Before prohibition you did that?)
Before prohibition came here, yes sir. You see, you go to the sent [saint] store, you ask for a St. Raymond sent.
(st. Raymond sent.)
He's a fellow with a little short dress on, got a crown on his head. He got something down look like the devil - this thing he got on the ground. It got a tail and horns on its head. He got a sword in his hand like that [demonstrates]. See, if he would get up, he would cut his head off or something. [Informant is confusing St. Michael with St. Raymond.] Now, that sent is for to put in a. place like you are selling whiskey, or making whiskey, to keep the law from being wor- rying you. You put that sent up over your front door where he have to come in. And that sent suppose to protect your business.
(I see.)
Yes, sir. That what you call the - you been in the Catholic Church?
(Yes.)
You see them statues and things?
(Yes.)
Well, they have pictures drawed off with the same statues on them that you use in your home, cause I got 'em in my home now.
(This is a picture of St. Raymond?)
Of St. Raymond.
(You just tack it over the door, that will keep the law away?)
Over the door, that keep the law away. (I see. They did this before - this was during Prohibition days that you used that?) Prohibition days. The reason why I know 'cause I used it myself. I run a place of business down here for a fellow they calls Joseph Faranzi. You see, he's a Italian fellow, but I run it in my name, but it wasn't my place. And I used to sprinkle holy water every morning - when I sweep up, I sprinkle the floor down with holy water. Now, that holy water come from the Catholic Church. You gits it in a quart bottle. Then I take some of that holy water and I throws it on that picture.
(Over the door?)
Over the door, you see. You have to keep that picture damp with that holy water, you see. This here picture, it works by holy water. [Here this saint is a hand which must be kept damp - fed. See p.578 and whole subdivision Hands.] You sprinkle over that picture and that picture suppose to protect your place of business. Now, half of this city is run by sent pictures. Most every home you go in, you be lookin' up to see sents over the door.
Entry 3046
Ah know somepin 'bout St. Raymond. St. Raymond is de saint he's lucky fo' money: Some people makes a novena to him fo' nine Tuesdays, Thursdays an Saturdays. Dey gives him a green candle, if dey use a candle. If yo' want flowers, yo' gives him any kind of flowers. He's fo' money.
(You make that on nine Tuesdays?)
Nine Tuesdays fo' St. Raymond, or nine Thursdays, or nine Saturdays. Them his days. Yo' burn it [candle] straight, lak yo' would go into a church [and burn it] or anything - jes' lak yo' buy it in a sto', where yo' see de wick at, yo' jes' put a match to it an' light it. But chew don't blow de match out. See, take yore han' an' dampen it wit some spit, eithah one, an' mash it out. Yo' don't blow no light out when yo' light it lak dat, see.
(Where do you burn this candle?)
Right in front of St. Raymond [in your home].
Entry 3047
You burn a green candle to St. Raymond. You take your green candle and you got St. Raymond on your altar and you sit the green candle before the saint and then you make your wishes to him. If you want a job - and you want the boss to give you a job, if you know his name, you take his name and you write it down nine times. You get some cinnamon and you get some parsley and you get some of this garlic and you pound that all up together and you put that in. Put it before your candle, right in front of the'candle where your saint's at and burn that, and he'll give you a job and like you. You burn it before St. Raymond. You can use a green candle. Use the same green candle for him, that the onliest kind of candle to use. You burn a white candle for peace.
Entry 3048
(What color do you use for St. Raymond?)
Green, to take care of money - greenback money.
(What about silver money.)
Yes, sir. Well, lots of fellows give me silver money. [This is a hustling woman.]
Entry 3049
St. Raymond's can'le is sometime is for money.
(St. Raymond or St. Ramos?)
St. Raymond, yes sir. St. Raymond. You kin go to the Cath'lic Church an' make a novena to St. Raymond to open the way for a job or somepin like that. An' then you kin go to St. Raymond an' put somebody in bad luck dat's a enemy to you. St. Raymond or St. Michael, you kin use. You set lights an' burn on em.
(That's in the church?)
In church - in the church.
(To give them bad luck?)
To give 'em - to put 'em in tough luck.
(Suppose I went there. How would I give a person bad luck?)
You goes an' git a can'le that's got red - you know whut can'le you gon'a burn, jis' like red, sometime blue, sometime white; or, if, like you know whut choo gon'a do. If you go in there for good, you gon'a take a white can'le; but if you burn that for bad, you gon'a take black or red, or some other can'les - if you go in there to give a person bad luck. You understand.
(You light those right in the church?)
Yes sir. [Church to informant is not the Roman Catholic Church but the Public Shrine (p.770), whose custodian is sometimes called Mother.]
Entry 3050
(St. Raymond?)
You puts the pitchure of him [of St. Raymond] up, an' you puts the can'le in a little cup about that big. You set the can'le an' you lights it. An' don't wan'a blow your match out, knock it out an' put it in that cup. An' leave it [the candle] burnin'.
(Do you put the match in that cup and let it burn, too?)
No, jis' put it out, t'row it out like that an' put it in the cup.
(Well, why did you blow the candle out? Blow the match out?)
You should not blow it out.
(Oh, all you do is just shake it - shake that match right out?)
Yes, sir.
(And you put it into a cup, too?)
Yes, sir. After you burn the can'le why you have to git another one - that's to make a
[voyeyah or noyeyah = novena?].
Entry 3051
Now St. Raymond, you gotta give him a whole lot to drink, and a big. key:
[Informant is confusing or blending St. Raymond with St. Peter.]
(What do you mean "a whole lot to drink?")
Now, when you drink - if you don't drink, well you see, you have him hanging up on your wall, and you gotta take and get something to drink and you chunk it up there to him, St. Raymond.
(What do you mean '"something to drink?")
Like wine or beer or whiskey, or whatever it is you [buy].
(What do you mean "just chunk it up there?")
Just chunk it up on the picture. You see, you have him and you have a key. You see, a key and a piece of ribbon. If you had St. Raymond, now, you'd say, "St. Raymond, I'm in bad luck and I wish you'd open the way for me, that way I will have luck at, be successful and coming in luck." Well, you'd get you a key and you'd tie it on a piece of red ribbon and you have a nail and you hang it up on that nail.
[St. Peter's ribbon is blue and about his neck.]
(Then what do you do?)
Well, he's supposed to open the door for you, open the way for you.
(I see. Do you burn candles before him?)
Yes, sir, you burn candles. You have white candles, you burn for him.