How are Patron Saints Determined?

[Kephart]

I am doing research on some Saints and have a question for those of you who know.

How are Patron Saints determined?

Specifically, I was looking at Saint Bernard of Montjoux and nearly all the information I can get states that he is the Patron Saint of Backpacking & Hiking.

However, I also found out that St. Bernard was declared the patron saint of skiers and mountain climbers by Pope Pius XI in 1923.

So my question is this: If the Pope declared him the patron saint of skiers and mountain climbers, how did he get to be the Patron Saint of Backpackers & Hikers?

Is it accurate to say he’s the patron saint of Backpackers & Hikers?

If so, why?

 

[Thomas_White]

In the Divine Comedy, St. Bernard of Clairvaux is Dante’s last guide as he makes his way through Empyrean (the Paradiso).

 

[Chatter163]

There is no one answer to this. Most patronages come about as a result of people praying to specific saints for specific purposes–in other words, the declaration results from Catholics over time recognizing specific saints as powerful intercessors for their intentions. Often, but not always, such popularity relates to events in the saints’ lives while they were living.

Sometimes local bishops encourage such patronage, and it never grows much beyond people in that diocese or country. Other times it spreads to other countries, and it becomes popular in many parts of the world. This makes it more likely that the Holy See will recognize and declare such patronage. Sometimes the Holy Father himself has a personal devotion to a saint, and that devotion results in a patronage that is then picked up by the faithful.

But I believe that you will find that most patron saints were never actually declared by the Church in any official way. They are just widely practiced devotions, among laity and clergy alike, that have stood the test of time. This is why you will often peruse lists of patron saints and see multiple saints listed as patrons for one cause. These devotions often change with the passage of time and place. This is the richness of our Catholic heritage.