Help me pick my patron saint!

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Ziggamafu

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I was wondering if anyone could give me a hand with picking my patron saint. I would like to foster a relationship with one that seems compatible with me in as many ways as possible…

I am a married male, 22 years old, a student (probably life-long), theology and church history enthusiast, philosophy lover, writer (of both fiction and non), and I will most likely end up in an office/classroom environment for my career. I also have a knack for art (especially drawing) and public speaking. Of course, I am a convert. Although raised in a Fundamentalist Baptist (anti-Catholic) family, I drifted into the New Age movement and began a serious spiritual search that led me to a frustrated agnostic position until I could finally re-examine my Christian roots. After devouring just about every book of apologetics I could get my hands on, I gave my life back to the Christ I had been baptized into several years before. I got involved with charismatic, non-denominational Christianity and my incessant pursuit of Truth inevitably led me to Catholicism. I still am obsessed with evangelical apologetics and seek to refine myself and evolve in the Truth evermore. I have a special heart for animals, children, and the elderly. My weaknesses include sexual temptation, scrupulosity, absent-mindedness, and forgetfulness. I might also be slothful a bit more than the average guy.

…So, who should my patron saint be?

Francis De Sales seems to match my talents
Thomas Aquinas seems to match my looks and mind
Francis of Assisi seems to match my compassions

Of course, none of them were married or converts and I don’t know if they had the same struggles as me…I’ve been leaning toward Francis De Sales. But would any of you know a better match?

Oh, and a prayer request is for my mom and my family - my dad passed away last week. A baptized Christian, but not a full Catholic, mostly through ignorance.
 
What is your baptismal name? That is your patron saint. If your first name does not sound like a saint, try your middle name. You can also choose a new saint for your confirmation name. Even if your name does not “sound” like a saint, check it out in the Dictionary of Saints by Thomas Sheehan (Our Sunday Visitor) he has a saint for your name. Even Amber, Brandy, Chad, Jason, Heather, Tad, Taylor, and such “modern” names have saint names either as canonized saints, derivations from saint names, references to attributes of Christ, Mary or the angels, virtues, or old testament patriarchs and prophets. Even pagan sounding names often have saints who were converts and martyrs in the early church. Have fun with the research. This is one of our favorite classes every year as everyone gets to know their patron saint, researches and writes a story on their life, draws a picture etc. and writes a prayer to their saint. then we do a litany of saints, using the CCD roster.
 
I vote for St. Augustine as well. He was the first saint I thought of after I read your post.
 
wow…I hadn’t considered any of those three. what about them do you think should make them my patrons?

thanks! 😃
 
Maybe you should ask the Holy Spirit and Mary to suggest a Saint for you to emulate. Just a suggestion. I read about St. Vincent Ferrer and was really taken with his life and zeal. I decided to ask him to intercede for me and my family in our mission and service to the church. To become our patron. I then noticed that my wife and I were married on his feast day. Coincidence?
 
Pray about it to the Holy Spirit.

Here are confirmation names in my immediate family.

St. Gregory (the great confessor)
St. Patrick (the Evangelist)
St. Ignatius ( founder of the Society of Jesus - teacher) :yup:
St. Matthew ( Apostle)
St. Peter ( Apostle/Bishop of Rome)
 
Public speaking: St. Dominic, St. Vincent Ferrer

Fatherhood: St. Joseph, St. Joachim

Students: St. Joseph of Cupertino, St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Albertus Magnus
 
Dear Ziggamafu, I’ll share my favorite, Fr. Solanus Casey. Surprise he lived in Mich. ! There is a Guild in Detroit you can look up on the net. I am sorry that you hurt in the loss of your loved one. Remember that Rome wasn’t built in a day and it is still under construction. God loves you and accepts you where you are at, imperfect as we all are.Put God in the center and it will all come together.Easier said than done to be sure.
 
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Ziggamafu:
…
Francis De Sales seems to match my talents
Thomas Aquinas seems to match my looks and mind
Francis of Assisi seems to match my compassions

Of course, none of them were married or converts and I don’t know if they had the same struggles as me…I’ve been leaning toward Francis De Sales. But would any of you know a better match?

Oh, and a prayer request is for my mom and my family - my dad passed away last week. A baptized Christian, but not a full Catholic, mostly through ignorance.
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I vote the Dumb Ox (St Thommie) – the most briiliant mind of the Church (some say he’s got a photographic memory and a predicted intelligence matching Einstein’s). Oh, and he’s my high school’s patron, too… 😃

When he decided to enter the religious life, his family opposed it and locked him with prostitutes, to dissuade his decision… so there. 👍
 
I have to repeat what was said earlier. You don’t pick a patron saint. That you done for you when a first name was selected for you at baptisim. Do research on who you were named after. Pray to him and get to know him. He already is your patron saint.

PS: Just to add … you can obviously pray to other saints. I have a special devotion to Saint Jude but he is not my patron saint. Your patron saint is the one that you were named after.
 
Sir Knight:
I have to repeat what was said earlier. You don’t pick a patron saint. That you done for you when a first name was selected for you at baptisim. Do research on who you were named after. Pray to him and get to know him. He already is your patron saint.

PS: Just to add … you can obviously pray to other saints. I have a special devotion to Saint Jude but he is not my patron saint. Your patron saint is the one that you were named after.
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Baptists don’t give their kids new names when they’re baptized. So I do not have a baptismal name.
 
Just by reading your first paragraph the first name that came to my mind was St. Jerome.
St. Jerome was very academic in his studying of Scripture and Church History.

St. Justin Martyr was very philosphical and deep in interpetation.

My baptismal name is Jerome

Go with God!
Edwin
 
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Ziggamafu:
Baptists don’t give their kids new names when they’re baptized. So I do not have a baptismal name.
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Am I to assume that your first name (or middle name) is not named after a Saint?

Because a “Patron Saint” is somebody who’s name you take on in some “formal” / “official” manner – your first name, your middle name, your baptismal name, your confirmation name, etc.

You can develope a special devotion to ANY saint but unless you take on that saint’s name in some “formal” / “official” manner, he will not be your “patron saint”. He can be the saint that you turn to all the time and you can develope a special realtionship him but technically speaking, he will not be a “patron” saint.
 
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Ziggamafu:
Baptists don’t give their kids new names when they’re baptized. So I do not have a baptismal name.
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well you do have a given name, there is a St. Zigismund, if your signature is based on your name, so as I said before, there can be a saint for every name, even Ziggy.
 
Sir Knight:
Am I to assume that your first name (or middle name) is not named after a Saint?

Because a “Patron Saint” is somebody who’s name you take on in some “formal” / “official” manner – your first name, your middle name, your baptismal name, your confirmation name, etc.

You can develope a special devotion to ANY saint but unless you take on that saint’s name in some “formal” / “official” manner, he will not be your “patron saint”. He can be the saint that you turn to all the time and you can develope a special realtionship him but technically speaking, he will not be a “patron” saint.
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That’s right. Only Catholics or Anglicans do that, so far as I know. I have a first and middle name, both of which have nothing to do with any saint so far as my parents were concerned.

The reason I’m praying and thinking about my patron saint is because I’m going through RCIA right now and will be taking the name of one upon my confirmation. 🙂
 
My patron saints picked me. I had nothing to do with it other than recognizing it when it happened.
 
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