Saint for Loneliness?

[Sola]

Hello all,

I am wondering if any of you know if there is a saint, or patron saint, for people who are lonely in their faith? I am the only person in my family who is Catholic and I don’t really have any Catholic friends or know anyone at my parish, so I get discouraged and lonely. So I am just wondering if there are any saints that had similar situations or just God has given them special epathy for the people alone in their faith.

I do know that Jesus knew about loneliness. He was alone praying in Gethsemane and most of his friends and apostles deserted him when He was arrested.

Thank you.

 

[plato3]

Sola:

Hello all,

I am wondering if any of you know if there is a saint, or patron saint, for people who are lonely in their faith? I am the only person in my family who is Catholic and I don’t really have any Catholic friends or know anyone at my parish, so I get discouraged and lonely. So I am just wondering if there are any saints that had similar situations or just God has given them special epathy for the people alone in their faith.

I do know that Jesus knew about loneliness. He was alone praying in Gethsemane and most of his friends and apostles deserted him when He was arrested.

Thank you.

The closest I could find in the directory is St Eustace-patron of those in difficult situations. May God bless you and give you strength.

Deacon Tony

 

[Reepicheep]

Sola - Ask the Blessed Virgin, the mother of Jesus, for help and comfort. She surely will bring you to her Son.

May the peace of Christ, the peace that is beyond all comprehension, fill your heart and your life.

 

[Sola]

Thank you! I also (finally) did a search and it seems that St. Rita is the patron saint against loneliness (among many other things). I looked at St. Eustace also. Thank you.

 

[Lukelion]

Maybe St. Francis de Sales could help you. When he was a pastor in the Chablais region of France, the area was rabidly anti-catholic. He would travel alone at night, even in harsh weather to avoid hostility. He would celebrate mass, even though no one attended. His story is inspiring, and I hope it will comfort you.

Lukelion

 

[Sola]

Thank you, Lukelion. I will look into St. Frances de Sales. How sad to think of him all alone celebrating Mass with no one else there! He must have had a real heart for God. Thank you so much for replying.

Even these few responses have been encouraging to me, so thank you.

 

[Jamie1001]

Hi Sola,
I hope you’re still visiting this site because I just joined Catholic Answers, and I’m in the same situation as you: I’m the only Catholic in my family, I have no Catholic friends, I don’t know anybody in the church, etc. About the only thing at church that has helped me was saying Rosary. Although I did not say the Rosary alone at these once-a-week meetings, I was alone nevertheless because the Rosary group does not attract people looking for friends. Nevertheless, I did not feel alone at Rosary because the focus was on Mary and Jesus. As someone wrote to you, Mary leads us to Jesus, and so she did with me awhile back. But now I’ve slipped backwards into loneliness, so I benefited from the mention of St. Frances de Sales in an earlier post here. I’ll look for his autobiography. Perhaps we can help each other in our isolation. I hope so.

 

[the_phoenix]

Hello Sola and Jamie1001:

I remember reading somewhere that St. Padre Pio at one time was so lonely for friendship that he cried like a child. He would love to be your friend.

Unfortunately, I have no idea where I read that or how accurate it is, but I can provide you with a quote from Padre Pio on a similar theme:

“Pray, pray to the Lord with me, because the whole world needs prayer. And every day, when your heart especially feels the loneliness of life, pray. Pray to the Lord because even God needs our prayers.” – St. Pio

padrepiodevotions.org/index.asp?pagename=wordsoffaith

~~ the phoenix

 

[Lucky_Scrunchy]

I wish I could hug all of you.

I’m going through the same thing. I moved about ten years ago to a completely different area. I have many acquaintances, but not many friends. I consider myself a nice person. No one really reaches out to me although I reach out to others. I have always felt lonely since moving. I dread my birthday becasue few remember it. My sister has a thousand friends - I feel like an outsider.

I know our Lord permits these sort of things for a reason, although I can’t imagine the reason.

So…I can totally relate. If you would like a friend, I’ll be one.

 

[Prairie_Rose]

If there are opportunities to volunteer or get involved in activities or groups at your Parish…do so…you’ll find it’s easier to make friends in smaller group settings.
Maybe inquire at the Church office regarding groups and activities going on in your Parish.

I’m guilty of attending Mass and not necessarily reaching out to others in a fellowship aspect, because I get involved internally, with prayer and reflection re: the readings and the homily, etc…and sometimes when leaving Church, I’m still in my “zone”…

However, I’m alot more friendly and approachable at Church social and lay ministry events and I enjoy meeting people and making friends.

So just because you seem to find yourself alone / lonely at Mass - don’t give up on your fellow parishioners…try getting to know them outside of Church.