Your patron saint

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Have any of you ever felt that your patron saint picked you and not the other way around?

Even if not, I’d especially like to hear of unusual experiences that led to the selection of your patron saint.

I myself have just had one such experience and have selected a very holy but obscure patron. A friend mentioned that “they say your patron saint picks you” or that “one is chosen for you”. Obviously that is not strictly speaking, but sometimes it turns out that way.

So who is your patron saint? How and why did you select that saint?/Or how did you discern that saint had selected you?
 
I have many patron Saints, as I grew more in my faith and read about them.
 
I am an adult convert - and at my confirmation, I did not get a “saint name”. I don’t know why not, but I feel kind of sad about it. 😦

So, sometimes I pray to “the saint who loves me” to help me, pray for me, guard me.
I don’t know what else to do?
 
My Saint (St. Philomena) totally picked me. It was a really weird thing, like she knew I needed her and she needed me. Her name fell off the Litany Calender and I have been telling everyone about her for about ten years now, recently, her shrine in Florida has been petitioning to get her back on. You hear of her more and more now, which makes me so happy. There has even been several threads started about her. I had a friend that was having trouble getting pregnant pray to her…she now has a beautiful son. I hope to have a daughter so I can name her Philomena and call her Luma just as her parents did.
 
Well I got Confirmed without being able to choose a patron saint, and I was kind of upset. I had thought about it for sometime, and I knew that I was drawn to St. Michael the archangel. I’m kind of upset that I never got to choose a patron saint, but I know that he still tends to me, along with his many other responsibilities.
 
I picked St. Michael as my confirmation name. At the time (I was 17), I did not take my faith seriously, My mom kinda forced me to get confimed, I’m glad now I did. At the time I chose St. Michael I thought yea he’s tough I’ll go with that. Never in a million years did I know how much I needed his intercession then and now. He’s helped me probably more than I’ll ever know. Maybe he picked me or influenced “my” decision back when I was 17. St. Michael, Pray for us.!
 
So, sometimes I pray to “the saint who loves me” to help me, pray for me, guard me.
I don’t know what else to do?

This is such a touching and beautiful way of praying with any Saint.

When I went through RCIA last year, we all chose a Patron Saint. Mine is St. Monica 👍 Her life sooooo mirrors mine, even though we are separated by centuries.

St. Monica has helped guide my prayers to God and I have seen the fruits. My once anti-Catholic son just received First Communion last week and now wants to be an Altar Server. 👍 👍 …
 
John XX:
Have any of you ever felt that your patron saint picked you and not the other way around?
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Yes, in a way. That’s a great question! Let me share my story…

** Bl. Kateri Tekakwitha** is my patron (almost) Saint.

I first learned about Kateri on EWTN when they announced on the radio about the progress of her canonization last July (not sure exactly when but may have been around her memorial date). What I noticed was her title “Lily of the Mohawks”, since the name Lily has had a special significance to me for a long time (especially relating to Mt. 6:28 and the command not to worry). I was in the car at the time so I did not listen to the rest but concentrated on remembering her title so that I could look it up later on the Internet.

I searched a little and found some limited information on her so that I had a basic understanding. Let’s just say that I was going through a very difficult trial in my family life at that time, and having newly decided to convert to Catholicism, I was experiencing family opposition to this decision. I was not yet knowledgeable enough to defend my new faith well, and all of these things made it a difficult time.

Anyway, shortly I had to go on a trip so I could not research more. During the trip, I faced a stressful situation. Later on the trip I saw a sign “Kateri shrine” along the highway. I had forgotten her name (besides the title Lily of the Mohawks), so I made no connection in my mind to the prior incident. I went to the shrine hoping it was a Catholic one, but I also remembered that Buddhists have shrines so I wasn’t sure what to expect. When I got there it was Kateri’s shrine of course, and after seeing some of the descriptions at the site, I remembered that it was her.

All of this to say that I believe she was praying for me without my even asking, and that is what first impressed me about her. Visiting that shrine brought so much comfort and peace in a tough time during my life. I think that perhaps she could empathize with me, as a fellow convert who also faced familial opposition. I also hope to join the Catholic religious sisterhood, and Kateri’s wish to do this and status as a consecrated virgin is another similar connection with me.

When trying to select a Patron Saint, I wavered back and forth between Kateri and St. Therese of Liseaux (since I had been reading Therese’s book). I prayed to God for direction then searched the Internet for guidance. I found the following site almost immediately, and it discusses Eastern Orthodox Saints, but I believe the principle applied to me.

Beliefnet Orthodox forum

Here is an excerpt, emphasis mine:
Katherine2001
11/11/2003 9:59 AM 2 out of 15

Judy, I definitely agree with you about St. Photini. If Katherine hadn’t chosen me, I probably would have chosen Photini as my patron saint (though I am not one bit sorry about choosing St. Katherine–when a saint is praying for you without your asking her to, I had to choose St. Katherine).
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My answer here was that Kateri was praying for me (I believe) and sought me out before I even knew of her. Also, the woman’s name here is Katherine, of which Kateri is a derivative. Catherine (another derivative) is also a common name in my family, and significant to my heritage.

Some people believe that your birth name or “baptismal” name is a Saint that “chose you”, perhaps in the sense that you describe. I think that’s what this woman Katherine refers to, but Katherine is not my name. I just chose Kateri for other reasons.

I hope that my story showed you how God has blessed me with the acquaintance of Bl. Kateri.

God bless,
Lily628
 
I’m not sure that I have a patron saint- I was confirmed and recieved into the Church this past Easter and we didn’t pick any saint’s names, but Our Lady has always had a very special connection with me. I guess you could say she is watching over me.

does that count?
 
I hadn’t really thought about it, but maybe St. Anne chose me…from the moment I heard that we would be choosing a Patron during RCIA, I knew it was to be Anne…I reasoned it by saying that I chose her because she is the Patron of Infertile women, and because Anne (or some version of Anne) is a name shared by many special women in my family…

St. Anne, Pray for us.

Jamie
 
I was going through RCIA, I had fallen in love with the Church and apostolic succession but was struggling with the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist and confessing your sins to a priest. I didn’t think I could come into the Church without believing in either of those and didn’t see myself coming to believe in them. I figured that to believe in the Real Presence you had to be indoctrinated as a child. No way could I believe in that.

So I fell asleep one night, and St. Paul came to me. He took me on a sleigh ride (like Jingle bells sleigh ride, figure that one out!) and at the end as I was getting down, he held my hand, looked into my eyes and said “you will enjoy all of the sacraments”

Enjoy, huh?

Didn’t think too much of it, but at the next mass I attended, when the priest elevated the host and said “behold, this is the lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, happy are those who are called to His supper” . . . I just knew it was.

So, in a way St. Paul chose me. Interestingly, during the six months surrounding my confirmation, I witnessed or participated in all 7 sacraments! How cool is that?

In Christ,
Amy
 
I’ve told this many a time, but, here goes again!

Near the end of RCIA, we were to choose our saints… I was just at a loss, praying, wondering. The night before we were to turn in our names (so they could be added to the Litany during Easter Vigil), I went to Barnes and Noble bookstore. Browsing the shelves, I picked up the Oxford Dictionary of Saints, opened it and my eyes fell on “St. John the Dwarf”. As someone with dwarfism as well as someone who needs all the help she can get with patience – St. John the Dwarf was very much picking me!
 
My patron St.Joseph is the Patron of workers…and boy oh boy do I call him throughout the day to get me through my daily work. He never fails in coming through either.
 
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ridesawhitehors:
I am an adult convert - and at my confirmation, I did not get a “saint name”. I don’t know why not, but I feel kind of sad about it. 😦

So, sometimes I pray to “the saint who loves me” to help me, pray for me, guard me.
I don’t know what else to do?
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Heck I just pray to the well-known saints (St. Francis of Assisi, St. Catherine of Siena, etc.)😃

But the first saint I read about was St. Joan of Arc and that was like 5 years ago…and I wasn’t even pursuing Catholicism!
 
I haven’t been confirmed yet, and I’ve just started studying the lives of the saints, but so far I have to say St. Monica is really an inspiration. With so many people in my family that I wish would either convert or revert to the church, her example of patience is just what I need. I’m still looking, but somehow I seem to forget the other stories and St. Monica’s sticks out in my head whenever anyone mentions “patron saint.” Maybe she is picking me. 🙂
 
I have several Patron Saints. First, I’ve always had a particularly strong devotion to my name-saint, St. Patrick. I chose St. Isidore the Worker as my confirmation name because I was so impressed by his humble simplicity and devotion. When I became a husband and later a father, I added St. Joseph. Finally, I have a singularly strong devotion to St. Therese the Little Flower, especially ever since she helped me find the job of my dreams!
 
By name, I have St. Lawerence, but for Confirmation, I had St. Karolina. Both are for fighting for purity and the faith!
 
What beautiful stories!

I’m not sure that I have a patron saint, yet. The last drop in the overflowing cup - my conversion - was an experience of Divine Mercy, so I read St. Faustina’s Diary as soon as I could get it here. I loved her! So perhaps she will be or is my patron saint.

But, I’ve been reading some of the writings of the other saints and I love them, too!

I’ve always loved “La Maddalena” - the wooden statue of her in the Works of the Duomo museum in Florence affected me very strongly and it speaks to me even more now that I have converted and now that I’m 15 years older. I was rather a wild young woman, but now I am a great-grandmother - no longer youthfully beautiful and with many years of regrets and repentance that show in my face and in my grey hair. But, I also have forgiveness and mercy - so my heart is at peace and I seem to live with a smile on my face, these days.

I’ve got a ton of books on order and on my wish list, so I hope that with knowledge, that one of the saints will make him/herself known to me before my confirmation… nearly a year from now.

In the meantime, I really appreciate that prayer to the unknown saint who loves me. How perfect!

Thank you! 🙂
Elizabeth
 
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lily628:
Later on the trip I saw a sign “Kateri shrine” along the highway. I had forgotten her name (besides the title Lily of the Mohawks), so I made no connection in my mind to the prior incident. I went to the shrine hoping it was a Catholic one, but I also remembered that Buddhists have shrines so I wasn’t sure what to expect. When I got there it was Kateri’s shrine of course, and after seeing some of the descriptions at the site, I remembered that it was her.
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Kateri is not my patron Saint but she is very dear to me.
Several reasons…
  1. The Jesuit missionaries who worked near here were french, as I am half french.
  2. My given name is a feminine version of one of the above missionarys (unintentional on my parent’s part)
  3. I live in Upstate, NY and my town was part of the “great carry” in wich the indians got up and walked their canoes. I grew up in the same area where Kateri once tread.
  4. Kateri’s feast day is on my birthday
  5. Aureville, the shrine you probably visited, was my first visit to any place of religion besides a churh
My patron Saint (currently) is St. Magaret Mary Aloque.
My confirmation Saint is St. Bernadette.
I have no Baptisim saint, but I had taken Kateri as my patron shortly after my first Communion.
In junior high it was St. Rose
At the beginning of Confirmation class i took St. Theresa

My saint I want to be my patron is St. Germaine Cousin, yet she still does not “fit”

I guess I am unadopted thus far just in saintly foster care!!!
 
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