Help me find my Saint

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Dempsey1919

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I am looking for a confirmation and patron Saint and I need some help. I don’t know who to choose because there are so many. I’ve read loads of biographies on the Saints but none of them really jumps out at me.

I’m looking for a male Saint who is someone that I can relate to. I would prefer a more modern Saint who stood up for what he believed in and did not back down under persecution. Is there a Saint who fought for his beliefs and also helped the common people?

I love St Padre Pio and St Francis but I don’t feel that I can relate to them. I also like the older Saints but they lived so long ago that I can’t really empathise with them.

Basically, what I am looking for is a Saint who was able to connect with the people and help them. I want a Saint who was tough and stood up for what was right.

Does anyone know of any Saint who is like this?
 
Dempsey1919 said:
I am looking for a confirmation and patron Saint and I need some help. I don’t know who to choose because there are so many. I’ve read loads of biographies on the Saints but none of them really jumps out at me.

I’m looking for a male Saint who is someone that I can relate to. I would prefer a more modern Saint who stood up for what he believed in and did not back down under persecution. Is there a Saint who fought for his beliefs and also helped the common people?

I love St Padre Pio and St Francis but I don’t feel that I can relate to them. I also like the older Saints but they lived so long ago that I can’t really empathise with them.

Basically, what I am looking for is a Saint who was able to connect with the people and help them. I want a Saint who was tough and stood up for what was right.

Does anyone know of any Saint who is like this?
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After reading your post St. Thomas More was the first saint to come to mind. He lived during the reign of Henry VIII in England. He was a friend to the King, and appointed by him as Lord Chancellor. Henry wanted a divorce from his first wife, Catherine, and the pope at the time would not give him a dispensation to divorce her, as he had already given a dispensation for him to marry her.
Anyways, the King was making everyone sign the Act of Supremacy, which would declare that all the children of Anne Boleyn would be legitimate heirs to the throne and that the King would be the head of all matters political and spiritual, not the pope.
Thomas More could not sign the document in good conscience, and was convicted of treason, and beheaded. Despite the fact that Henry was his friend, and all his other friends had signed the document as well…despite the fact that his family would rather him sign it, and in his heart renounce what the document said…despite all that, he stood up against all of England, and was killed because of it.
 
I, too, needed to find a patron saint for confirmation; here are a couple suggestions that helped me.
  1. To sort through the extensive list of saints, I looked for ones that are named as patrons for my profession, my state in life, something I struggle with, or any other interest/link personal to me.
  2. Because you are looking for someone who took a strong stand for the faith, look for saints living during very turbulent times for the Church. For example, male saints living during the time of the Protestant Reformation and who were strong supporters of the Catholic Church were: St. Thomas More, Ignatius Loyola, St. John of the Cross, St. Vincent de Paul, and St. Francis de Sales.
  3. Pay attention if a particular saint keeps coming up in your research and conversation with others. Someone who you may not otherwise consider could be the one you are really looking for.
  4. Read a biography, autobiography, or other writings by that particular saint to really get to know them better. While a general book of saints that summarizes the lives of many is a good place to start, the descriptions are necessarily short and only hit certain highlights.
I know for me, the last two suggestions were key. The saint I have picked to be my patron kept coming to my attention in various ways, though when I read the description of her in the book of saints I was referencing, she wasn’t someone to whom I thought I could relate. I finally picked up a short book about her life from my parish library, written by someone in her order, and I was amazed. The book was a biography and survey of her spirituality and it really resonated with me.

Hope this helps! God bless your search…
 
I have an affinity with Saint Gemma Galgani…I am wondering if a man can choose a women as his patron Saint?
 
Saint Maximilian Kolbe. An amazing man, a “man’s man”, and a true man of God.
 
Todd_Winkels said:
I have an affinity with Saint Gemma Galgani…I am wondering if a man can choose a women as his patron Saint?
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That would be fine. Your patron saint doesn’t have to be the same gender as you. Gemma is a wonderful saint.
 
St Thomas Moore, St Maximilian Kolbe, the Blessed Titus Brandsma, the Venerable Jacques de Jesus, the Blessed Bishop Von Galen.
Men that stood for their belief against all odds.
 
Blessed Miguel Pro SJ seems like a good fit (and yes, you can choose a Blessed as your patron for confirmation).

You can read a bit more about him here. He was a Mexican priest living in the early 20th Century, during a time when the Mexican government was seriously persecuting the Catholic Church. He ministered in secret to Mexican Catholics and the poor of Mexico city, and was martyred relatively young (37).
 
Todd_Winkels said:
I have an affinity with Saint Gemma Galgani…I am wondering if a man can choose a women as his patron Saint?
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One woman I know chose Pope John Paul II as her patron saint (even if he’s not yet canonized) – so her Confirmation name is John Paul. 👍
 
quiet52 said:
One woman I know chose Pope John Paul II as her patron saint (even if he’s not yet canonized) – so her Confirmation name is John Paul. 👍
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Hmmm, not entirely sure about choosing someone who as yet isn’t even a Venerable or a Blessed (haven’t heard of him being declared either). But a great rolemodel at least.
 
I like what LilyM suggested: Bl. Miguel Pro. Here’s the Chaplet of Bl. Miguel Pro:

catholic-forum.com/saints/pray0317.htm

Here’s a good more recent saint: St. David Galvan Bermudez (I love that quote at the bottom!).

catholic-forum.com/saints/saintd33.htm

Here’s a saint from a little earlier, St. Edmund Campion–his famous defense of the faith in the face of martyrdom was known pejoratively by the English as “Campion’s Brag.”

catholic-forum.com/saints/sainte27.htm

Here’s the “brag” in its entirety:

ewtn.com/library/MARY/CAMBRAG.HTM
 
Thanks for all the great replies.

I think I’m going to select St Maximilian Kolbe as my confirmation Saint. His story is really inspiring and his courage is exceptional; even in his darkest moments he never lost faith, and he never hated his oppressors.

I’ve read a lot about this Saint and I can’t his story is absolutely unbelievable. People tend to focus on his death but even before that he lived a great life. He published magizines throughout the world, and even built seminaries. He truly was an amazing man.

The only thing that puts me off is his staunch devotion to the Virgin Mary. I know this probably sounds ridiculous but he seemed more devoted to Mary than to Jesus. I love the Virgin and I say the Rosary regularly but something about consecrating oneself to the Virgin seems strange.
 
I think St. Maximillian would be very pleased to share his name with you.
Prague
 
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