The saints are persons who inspire holiness by their examples of service, sacrifice, and devotion. In patron saints, there is a special affiliation with places, interests, or experiences from their lives on Earth.
All canonized saints are models of goodness and holiness and since they are already in the presence of God in Heaven, Catholics ask for their prayers of intercession on their journey of faith.
Patron saints are strongly associated with certain nations of origin, struggles, devotions, interests, or occupations, and may be asked to intercede when prayers are related to such causes.
Saints may be patrons of more than one cause and causes may have more than one saint related to them. There are a host of things that saints are attached to.
Catholics who find certain things in common with saints may choose them as their own patron, particularly when receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation.
While all of the saints deserve reverence, they should never be worshipped. Only God – the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit – is worthy of our adoration.
Covering just about every aspect of life:
There’s a saint for that:
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us rid ourselves of every burden and sin that clings to us and persevere in running the race that lies before us while keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, the leader and perfecter of faith. For the sake of the joy that lay before him He endured the cross, despising its shame, and has taken his seat at the right of the throne of God.
Hebrews 12: 1-2
Sharing lifestyles and experiences with certain saints:
Saints with special connections and similarities:
In the Communion of Saints, many and varied spiritualities have been developed throughout the history of the churches. the personal charism of some witnesses to God’s love for men has been handed on, like “the spirit” of Elijah to Elisha and John the Baptist, so that their followers may have a share in this spirit. A distinct spirituality can also arise at the point of convergence of liturgical and theological currents, bearing witness to the integration of the faith into a particular human environment and its history. the different schools of Christian spirituality share in the living tradition of prayer and are essential guides for the faithful. In their rich diversity they are refractions of the one pure light of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is truly the dwelling of the saints and the saints are for the Spirit a place where He dwells as in his own home since they offer themselves as a dwelling place for God and are called his temple.
Catechism of the Catholic Church 2684
The saints lives in light of our lives:
God chooses to work through the saints:
I do not want to write this Encyclical without turning to that attractive and compelling figure, whose name I took as my guide and inspiration when I was elected Bishop of Rome. I believe that Saint Francis is the example par excellence of care for the vulnerable and of an integral ecology lived out joyfully and authentically. He is the patron saint of all who study and work in the area of ecology, and he is also much loved by non-Christians. He was particularly concerned for God’s creation and for the poor and outcast. He loved, and was deeply loved for his joy, his generous self-giving, his openheartedness. He was a mystic and a pilgrim who lived in simplicity and in wonderful harmony with God, with others, with nature and with himself. He shows us just how inseparable the bond is between concern for nature, justice for the poor, commitment to society, and interior peace.
Pope Francis, Laudato Si’, 24 May 2015
Keep before your eyes the supreme adventure of virtue:
Celebrate the feast day of patron saints:
The Truth, Goodness, and Beauty of the Catholic Church
Redeeming what we think is unredeemable:
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