SOME   PATRON   SAINTS

St. George of England, St. Andrew of Scotland, St Patrick of Ireland, St. David of Wales, St. James of Spain, St. Denis of France, St. Anthony of Italy, St. Nicholas of Russia, St. Cecilia of Music, St. Crispin of Shoemakers, St. Pancras of Children.

 

Scott P. Richert

Updated September 10, 2018

https://www.thoughtco.com/what-are-patron-saints-542859

 

Few practices of the Catholic Church are so misunderstood today as devotion to patron saints. From the earliest days of the Church, groups of the faithful (families, parishes, regions, countries) have chosen a particularly holy person who has passed on to intercede for them with God. Seeking the intercession of a patron saint does not mean that one cannot approach God directly in prayer; rather, it's like asking a friend to pray for you to God, while you also pray—except, in this case, the friend is already in Heaven, and can pray to God for us without ceasing. It's the communion of saints, in actual practice.

Intercessors, Not Mediators

Some Christians argue that patron saints detract from the emphasis on Christ as our Savior. Why approach a mere man or woman with our petitions when we can approach Christ directly? But that confuses Christ's role as mediator between God and man with the role of intercessor. Scripture urges us to pray for one another; and, as Christians, we believe that those who have died still live, and therefore are capable of offering prayers as we do.

In fact, the holy lives lived by the saints are themselves testimony to the saving power of Christ, without Whom the saints could not have risen above their fallen nature.

The History of Patron Saints

The practice of adopting patron saints goes back to the building of the first public churches in the Roman Empire, most of which were built over the graves of martyrs. The churches were then given the name of the martyr, and the martyr was expected to act as an intercessor for the Christians who worshiped there.

Soon, Christians began to dedicate churches to other holy men and women—saints—who were not martyrs. Today, we still place some relic of a saint inside the altar of each church, and we dedicate that church to a patron. That's what it means to say that your church is St. Mary's or St. Peter's or St. Paul's.

How Patron Saints Are Chosen

Thus, the patron saints of churches, and more broadly of regions and countries, have generally been chosen because of some connection of that saint to that place—he had preached the Gospel there; he had died there; some or all of his relics had been transferred there. As Christianity spread to areas with few martyrs or canonized saints, it became common to dedicate a church to a saint whose relics were placed in it or who was especially venerated by the founders of the church. Thus, in the United States, immigrants often chose as patrons the saints that had been venerated in their native lands.

Patron Saints for Occupations

As the Catholic Encyclopedia notes, by the Middle Ages, the practice of adopting patron saints had spread beyond churches to "the ordinary interests of life, his health, and family, trade, maladies, and perils, his death, his city, and country. The whole social life of the Catholic world before the Reformation was animated with the idea of protection from the citizens of heaven." Thus, Saint Joseph became the patron saint of carpenters; Saint Cecilia, of musicians; etc. Saints were usually chosen as patrons of occupations that they had actually held or that they had patronized during their lives.

Patron Saints for Diseases

The same is true of patron saints for diseases, who often suffered from the malady assigned to them or cared for those who did. Sometimes, though, martyrs were chosen as the patron saints of diseases which were reminiscent of their martyrdom. Thus, Saint Agatha, who was martyred c. 250, was chosen as the patron of those with diseases of the breast since her breasts were cut off when she refused marriage to a non-Christian.

Often, such saints are chosen too as a symbol of hope. The legend of Saint Agatha attests that Christ appeared to her as she lay dying and restored her breasts that she might die whole.

A List of Patron Saints

 

·               Adrian of Nicomedia – arms dealers, butchers, guards, soldiers^[1]

·               Agatha – bakers, bellmaking, nurses^[2]

·               Albertus Magnus – medical technicians, philosophers, scientists, students, natural scientists^[3]

·               Alexander of Comana – charcoal-burners^{[4][page needed]}

·               Alexius – belt makers and nurses^[5]

·               Aloysius Gonzaga – Catholic students, Jesuit scholastics^[6]

·               Amand – bartenders, brewers, innkeepers, merchants, vine growers, vintners,^{[4][page needed]}

·               Ambrose of Milan – beekeepers, beggars,^[7] candle-makers,^[8] chandlers,^[9] wax-melters and refiners

·               Anastasia of Sirmium – weavers, healers, martyrs, exorcists^[10]

·               Anastasius the Fuller – fullers^[11]

·               Andrew Kim – clergy of Korea

·               Andrew the Apostle – fishmongers, fishermen^{[4][page needed]}

·               Anne – miners,^{[4][page needed]} mothers,^[9] equestrians,^[12] cabinet makers,^[9] homemakers,^[10] teachers, stablemen, French-Canadian voyageurs, and sailors

·               Ansovinus – gardeners

·               Anthony Mary Claret – weavers^[7]

·               Anthony of Padua – those seeking lost items or people,^{[4][page needed]} nomadic travelers, brush makers, women seeking a husband

·               Anthony the Abbot – basket-makers,^{[4][page needed]} gravediggers, butchers,^[7] swineherds and motorists

·               Antipas – dentists

·               Apollonia – dentists ^{[4][page needed]}

·               Arnold of Soissons – brewers

·               Arnulph – millers

·               Augustine of Hippo – printers,^[7] brewers and theologians^[10]

·               Barbara – miners, artillerymen, military engineers and firefighters, Italian marines,^[4] architects, builders,^[10]foundry workers, fireworks makers,^[11] service-men of the Russian Strategic Rocket Forces,^[13]mathematicians,^[14] geoscientist, stonemasons

·               Bartholomew the Apostle – leatherworkers, plasterers,^[10] tanners, trappers,^[15] curriers

·               Basil the Great – hospital administrators^[16]

·               Basilides - Italian prison officers^[4]

·               Basilissa - nursing mothers ^[4]

·               Bede – historians and English writers

·               Benedict of Nursia – farmers, farmhands, engineers, architects, Italian speleologists,^[4] students,^[10]husbandry, heraldry and officers of arms

·               Bénézet – bridge-builders^[10]

·               Benno – fishermen

·               Bernadette of Lourdes – shepherds^[7]

·               Bernard of Clairvaux – bee keepers, chandlers, advertisers,^[9] wax melters and refiners^[17]

·               Bernard of Menthon – mountaineers, skiers^[4]

·               Bernard of Vienne – farmers, farmhands, husbandry

·               Bernardine of Feltre - pawnbrokers, bankers^[4]

·               Bernardine of Siena – advertisers^[4]

·               Bernward of Hildesheim – architects

·               Blaise – veterinarians,^[10] wool combers and weavers,^[17] town criers

·               Boethius – philosophy

·               Bona of Pisa – flight attendants,^[4] travelers, specifically couriers, guides, pilgrims

·               Botulph – farmers, farmhands, husbandry

·               Brendan the Navigator – sailors,^[7] navigators,^[12] mariners, seafarers, those traveling by sea

·               Brigid of Ireland – dairy workers, scholars, nuns,^[7] medicine/healers

·               Cajetan – unemployed, gamblers, odd lot dealers, and of job seekers

·               Camillus of Lellis – nurses,^[4] hospital workers^[18]

·               Cassian of Imola – shorthand writers, stenographers,^[4] school teachers, parish clerks

·               Catherine of Alexandria – tanners, librarians,^[19] students, philosophers,^[7] secretaries, scribes, stenographers, preachers,^[10] nurses

·               Catherine of Siena – jurors,^[12] Italian nurses^[20]

·               Cecilia – musicians^[7]

·               Charles Borromeo – Catechists, seminarians^[7]

·               Christina the Astonishing – millers, psychiatrists^[12]

·               Christopher – travelers, bookbinders, gardeners, mariners,^[10] drivers,^[12] surfers, athletes, pilots

·               Clare of Assisi – theatre performers,^[7] embroiderers,^[10] gilders,^[21] laundry workers, goldsmiths

·               Claude – sculptors, secretaries^[7]

·               Clement – marble-workers,^[10] tanners, mariners,^[12] stonecutters

·               Columbanus – motorcyclists

·               Cosmas – doctors, pharmacists, surgeons, barbers^[7]

·               Crispin – tanners, shoemakers, cobblers, leatherworkers, curriers, saddle-makers

·               Cuthbert – shepherds

·               Cuthman – shepherds

·               Damian – doctors, pharmacists, surgeons, barbers^[10]

·               Dismas – undertakers^[22]

·               Dominic – astronomers, astronomy,^[12] scientists

·               Dominic de la Calzada – civil engineers

·               Dominic of Silos – shepherds

·               Dorothea of Caesarea – florists,^[7] horticulture, brewers

·               Drogo of Sebourg – coffee house keepers, coffee house owners,^[23] shepherds

·               Dunstan – blacksmiths,^[7] goldsmiths, musicians,^[10] locksmiths^[12]

·               Dymphna – mental health professionals, psychiatrists, therapists^[14]

 

·               Edward the Confessor – kings

·               Eligius – metal-workers, jewelers,^[10] mechanics, taxi drivers,^[12] farriers,^[11] harness makers,^[16]numismatists,^[20] Royal Electrical Mechanical Engineers soldiers, veterinarians, farmers, farmhands,husbandry

·               Elisabeth of Hungary – bakers,^[7] beggars,^[9] nursing services^[20]

·               Elizabeth Seton - sailors

·               Ephrem the Syrian – spiritual directors and spiritual leaders

·               Erasmus of Formiae or Elmo – sailors,^[7] pyrotechnicians,^[10] steeplejacks, chimney sweeps and anyone who works at great heights

·               Eustachius – hunters,^[7] trappers,^[15] firefighters

·               Ferdinand III – engineers^[24]

·               Fiacre – gardeners, florists, herbalists, ploughboys, hosiers, pewterers, tilemakers, box-makers, taxi-drivers, drivers, gardeners,^[7] horticulturists^[16]

·               Florian – firefighters,^[7] chimney sweeps^[12]

·               Foillan – dentists, surgeons, truss-makers, children's nurses

·               Frances of Rome – automobile drivers^[7]

·               Frances Xavier Cabrini – hospital administrators, immigrants

·               Francis Caracciolo – chefs

·               Francis de Sales – writers/authors,^[7] journalists^[10]

·               Francis of Assisi – ecologists,^[10] merchants,^[9] animal welfare, and rights workers^[25]

·               Francis Xavier - missionary

·               Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows – students, seminarians, clerics

·               Gabriel the Archangel – communications workers, postal workers, broadcasters, messengers, radio/television workers, radiologists,^[7] diplomats, ambassadors, emergency dispatchers, police dispatchers

·               Gangulphus – tanners, shoemakers

·               Gemma Galgani – students, pharmacists

·               Genesius – actors, comedians, clowns, dancers, theatrical performers of all kinds, also attorneys,barristers, lawyers

·               George – agricultural workers,^[9] archers, armourers,^[24] Boy Scouts,^[10] butchers, cavalry,^[9] soldiers,^[10]Crusaders, equestrians, horsemen, husbandry, knights, saddle makers, shepherds, Teutonic Knights(policemen and firefighters in Brazil)

·               Gerard Majella- Patron of Expectant Mothers; safe delivery

·               Germaine Cousin – shepherdesses^[26]

·               Giles – beggars, spur makers^[27]

·               Gottschalk – linguists, princes, translators

·               Gregory the Great – teachers

·               Gummarus – lumberjacks

 

·               Hervé – bards, musicians

·               Homobonus – businessmen, tailors, and clothworkers

·               Honorius of Amiens(Honoratus) – bakers, confectioners, bakers of altar bread, candle-makers, florists, flour merchants, oil refiners, and pastry chefs

·               Hubertus – hunters, furriers

·               Hunna – laundresses, laundry workers, washerwomen

·               Ignatius of Loyola – Military Ordinariate of the Philippines, Society of Jesus, soldiers, Educators and Education.

·               Isidore of Seville – computer scientists, software engineers, computer programmers, computer technicians, computer users, schoolchildren, students

·               Isidore the Farmer – farmers, farmhands, husbandry, manual laborers

·               Jadwiga of Poland – queens

·               James, son of Alphaeus – pharmacists

·               James, son of Zebedee – veterinarians, equestrians, furriers, tanners, pharmacists, traveler, pilgrimage

·               Jerome – librarians,^[19] translators, spectacle makers

·               Joan of Arc – soldiers

·               John Baptist de la Salle – teachers of youth

·               John Berchmans – altar servers

·               John Bosco – apprentices, editors, printers/publishers

·               John Gualbert – foresters

·               John of Capistrano – jurists

·               John of Damascus – makers of images of the crucifix

·               John of God – hospital workers, nurses, booksellers

·               John Regis – medical social workers

·               John the Almoner – Knights Hospitaller

·               John the Apostle – tanners

·               John the Baptist – farriers, bird dealers, Knights Hospitaller

·               John the Evangelist – editors, authors, art dealers, tanners, and theologians

·               John Vianney – priests

·               Joseph – cabinetmakers, carpenters, craftsmen, laborers, traveler, workers, and working people^[28]

·               Joseph of Arimathea – funeral directors,^[29] tinsmiths

·               Joseph of Cupertino – air travelers, aviators, astronauts, test takers, poor students

·               Jude (also known as Jude Thaddeus) – police officers, hospital workers^[30]

·               Julian the Hospitaller – shepherds, boatmen

·               Justa and Rufina – potters

·               Kateri – ecologists, environmentalists, thomasites

·               Lawrence – librarians,^[19] archivists, students, tanners, cooks, comedians.^{[citation needed]}

·               Leodegar – millers^[31]

·               Lidwina – ice skaters

·               Lucy - authors, cutlers, glaziers, labourers, martyrs, peasants, saddlers, salesmen, stained glass workers.^[32]

·               Luke the Evangelist – doctors, surgeons, artists, painters, notaries

·               Macarius of Unzha, Venerable – craftsmen, merchants, travelers^[33]

·               Madeleine Sophie Barat – school girls

·               Magnus of Avignon – fish dealers, fishmongers

·               Malo – pig-keepers

·               Marcellin Champagnat – education and teachers

·               Margaret of Antioch – nurses

·               Martha – dieticians, cooks

·               Martin of Tours – soldiers

·               Mary Magdalene – tanners, hairdressers, pharmacists.

·               Matthew – accountants, tax collectors, bankers, bookkeepers, joiners, custom agents, security guards,perfumers

·               Matthias – carpenters, tailors

·               Maturinus – comic actors, jesters, clowns, sailors (in Brittany), tinmen (in Paris)^[34] and of plumbers.^[35]

·               Maurice – infantrymen

·               Maurice and Lydia – dyers

·               Michael the Archangel – soldiers, paramedics, paratroopers, police officers, security officers

·               Nicholas of Myra – sailors, merchants, archers, repentant thieves, the falsely accused, brewers,pawnbrokers and students in various cities and countries around Europe

·               Nicholas of Tolentine – Mariners

·               Notburga – farmers, farmhands, husbandry

·               Our Lady of Loreto – aviators

·               Our Lady of Salambao – fishermen

·               Pantaleon – doctors, midwives, physicians

·               Patrick – engineers

·               Paul the Apostle – hospital public relations

·               Peter the Apostle – popes, fishermen, fishmongers, sailors, bakers, harvesters, butchers, glass makers,carpenters, shoemakers, clockmakers, blacksmiths, potters, bridge builders, cloth makers

·               Peter of Alcantara – guards

·               Philip – Special Forces, pastry chefs

·               Phocas the Gardener – farmers, farmhands, husbandry

·               Piran – tinners, tin miners

·               Pope Celestine V – bookbinders

·               Pope John XXIII – Papal delegates

·               Quentin – bombardiers, chaplains, locksmiths, porters, tailors, surgeons

·               Raphael the Archangel – doctors, pharmacists, nurses, shepherds, matchmakers, travelers^[36]

·               Raymond Nonnatus – midwives, obstetricians

·               Raymond of Penyafort – medical record librarians, Canon lawyers

·               Rebekah – physicists

·               Regina – shepherdesses

·               Reinold – Stonemasons

·               René Goupil – anaesthesiologists,^[37] nurse anesthetists ^[38]

·               Robert Bellarmine – Catechists^[7]

·               Roch – surgeons, tile-makers, second-hand dealers, gravediggers

·               Rose of Lima – embroiderers, gardeners

 

·               Sebastian – soldiers, athletes

·               Severus of Avranches – silk and wool makers, drapers; milliners and hatters

·               Simon – tanners

·               Solange – shepherdesses

·               Stephen – bricklayers, casketmakers, deacons, altar servers

·               Tarcisius - altar servers

·               Tatiana of Rome – students

·               Teresa of Ávila- lace workers, chess

·               Teresa of Calcutta – missionaries

·               Theobald of Provins – farmers, winegrowers, shoemakers, beltmakers, charcoal-burners

·               Thérèse of Lisieux – florists, aviators, missionaries

·               Thomas – architects, politicians, land surveyors

·               Thomas Aquinas – students, teachers, academics

·               Thomas Becket – diocesan priests

·               Thomas More – politicians, statesmen, lawyers, civil servants, court clerks

·               Urban of Langres – vine-growers, vine-dressers, gardeners, vintners, and coopers

·               Ursula – archers, orphans, students

·               Valentine – beekeeping

·               Verena – lighthouse keepers^[39]

·               Veronica – laundry workers; photographers^[40]

·               Vincent de Paul – volunteers^[41]

·               Vincent Ferrer – builders

·               Vincent of Saragossa – winemakers, vinegarmakers

·               Vitus – comedians, dancers

·               Walstan – farmers, farmhands, husbandry

·               Winnoc – millers

·               Wolbodo – students

·               Wolfgang of Regensburg – woodworkers, woodcarvers

·               Yves – lawyers

·               Zeno of Verona – fishermen

·               Zita – domestic servants, waiters

 

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_patron_saints_by_occupation_and_activity