May 11, 2011 8:20 AM
Who is your patron saint?
Just curious. I'd love if you left a comment or a link to a blog post about your patron saint and why you chose him or her.Though I was baptized as a baby, I wasn't raised in the church and so needed to be confirmed when I came home three years ago. I chose Joan of Arc as my patron saint. She had been one of my three heroes for as long as I can remember - the others being Mother Teresa and Winston Churchill).
For years I had drawn inspiration from a bronze statue on my desk that depicts her in her armour, hands holding her sword clasped to her breast, and looking up to heaven. I love her because when she heard from God that he wanted her to save her country, she trusted an obeyed despite the fact that no one believed that she'd been called. After all, she was just a young girl.
If you're not familiar with her story, you might want to read a brief biography. Mark Twain wrote the definitive biography of St on of Arc, but I just found a new one I've ordered which is supposed to be quite good.
Here are some for kids:
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Art Notes: Dante Gabriel Rossetti - Joan of Arc - 864
Posted in Getting personal, My life | Permalink
Comments
My patron Saint is St. Cecelia! I chose her way back in 8th grade because she is the Patroness of Music/Singers and I love to sing. But now, I admire her for her great courage during her life and in her martyrdom. When I feel weak, I think of her heroic virtue of courage and her VERY GREAT love for God!
Posted by: Julie | May 11, 2011 9:20 AM
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gertrude_of_Nivelles
I chose Gertrude of Nivelle. My first reason is that she is the patron saint of cats, but I found several other reasons that made me feel that she was "my own saint." She was an Abbess of a double monastary, one that has both monks and nuns in the same location, which I think is a tradition that needs to be revived. She had a supportive family and used her wealth for good works. She was very helpful to traveling Irish monks, whom I take an interest in because of the book, "How the Irish Saved Civilization."
Unfortunately, she died young because of her austerities, so I take that as a warning.
I joined the Church this year on Holy Saturday. Of my RCIA class I believe I am the only one to choose a saint. I'm very glad that I did. It opened the way for me to spend time considering my values. Though I chose Gertrude first for the cats, it turned out that she truly was my saint in many ways.
Posted by: Brenda Lee Gertrude | May 11, 2011 9:59 AM
My is Our Lady, Queen of Heaven. I chose Regina as my confirmation name in part because it is the name of my paternal grandmother, but I see in retrospect how our Blessed Mother was drawing me closer. My maternal grandmother, to whom I was very close, had a great devotion to Our Lady. She was a member of the Legion of Mary and prayed the rosary every day. Ever since I was a child I have loved Marian hymns and prayers, with very few exceptions, have belonged to Marian parishes all of my adult life.
Posted by: Anne | May 11, 2011 11:46 AM
I'm not Catholic, but I do think we have much to gain from learning about the lives of the saints. Were I to select a patron saint, it would be St. Dymhna. Her courage in refusing to engage in immorality resulted in her being martyred, at age 15, by her own father. She is the patron saint of those suffering from emotional, nervous, and mental disorders, as well as being the patron saint of sexual trauma survivors.
Here story can be found here
Posted by: Rebecca | May 11, 2011 12:10 PM
Not sure if these would count as patron saints - according to Foxe's Book of Martyrs, there were several courageous Christians martyred on my birthday, one of them a pregnant mother (Felicitas). Or perhaps Saint Nicholas would be appropriate, since that is what my married last name is based on. Isn't it wonderful that with all the saints we have a "great cloud of witnesses" that testify to the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ working through all of our many weaknesses?
Posted by: alicia | May 11, 2011 8:56 PM
My patron saint is St. Pio of Pietrelcina. I didn't realize when I came into the church that people usually choose one of the same gender. lol.
I prayed about it. My friend kept talking about him and he was canonized on my birthday the year I came into the church...well, close to the year. I couldn't wait for Easter vigil so I came in the Sunday before Christmas.
I have so much to learn from him.
Posted by: Sue from Buffalo | May 12, 2011 6:55 AM
I just came into the church last year and I didn't choose a patron saint. I didn't want to just pick anyone, and I never seemed to find the time to research a saint that I felt connected to so I ended up not having one. And if I was being totally honest, coming from a protestant background, asking for a Saints intercession was one of those things I was still unsure of and was just accepting as a matter of obedience. However, at Easter vigil this year when they sang "The Litany of the Saints", the communion of saints theology finally clicked. It was awe inspiring and very humbling to truly realize that we have such an incredible history of "witnesses" praying for us. It took extreme self control not to end up in a puddle of tears in the pew.
So, now I'm excited to learn more about our Church's saints and to humbly ask for their intercessions.
Posted by: Maggie Dee | May 12, 2011 12:30 PM
Maggie, I did not know you were such a recent convert! I love the Litany of the Saints. Maddy sang it this year at Easter Vigil, so it is still in my heart.
One of the things I love about the Catholic Church is the understanding that our living witness extends throughout time and space. I remember when people were arguing with me here about my conversion and someone said "Why pray to dead people?" and I wondered how we could believe in eteranl life and then think that death would separate us. That can't be what God intended. And it is as understandable that we ask for the intercession of someone who has transcended the earthly world as it is to ask the person next to me in the pew.
Plus, the saints are wonderful role models. Just as we have patriots whose lives we study, these are the best of the best and an important source of inspiration.
Posted by: Barbara | May 12, 2011 12:52 PM
Yes! I very recent, happy convert. Our family just celebrated its' one year anniversary. Your blog was one of the ones I found before we started RCIA. Long story short if someone told me as little as three years ago I would now be happily, joyously catholic I would have asked them what they were smoking. Hah! The quote "we make our plans and God laughs", is so true. God is good!
"That our living witness extends throughout time and space." Beautifully written and is the exact sentiment that hit me this year at Easter vigil.
Posted by: Maggie Dee | May 12, 2011 6:22 PM
