"Your looks will only get you so far," my mom would tell me when I was a teenager. "You'll see what I mean some day."
Maybe she was right, but I like to take care of myself, maybe just not to the point of vanity.
Sometimes, I can't imagine what it would be like to live without small luxuries, although, I understand why St. Francis of Assisi gave up his worldly possessions. So, if need be, I could do it.
As far as being ugly, you'd think that only in fairytales the grotesque would be hidden away in a cave or other type of dwelling. But, for St. Drogo, it was a reality.
He was born in Flanders, France in 1105. His mother died in childbirth and he blamed it on himself.
St. Drogo was orphaned as a teen, worked for a time as a shepherd, and made many pilgrimages to Rome, Italy. He was able to bilocate, being in two places at one time.
When he was in his twenties, St. Drogo received unsightly bodily affliction which caused him to be so ugly that he terrified anyone who laid eyes on him. He had to be locked away in a cell for the rest of his life.
St. Drogo lived by a church and was brought the Eucharist and a small amount of food each day which he received through a tiny window. He died in Sebourg in 1185 and his feast day is April 16.
St. Drogo is the patron saint of repulsive and unattractive people.
