6 Patron Saints For Modern Situations

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There are those who challenge the Catholic practice of asking saints and angels to pray on our behalf. But the Bible directs us to invoke those in heaven and ask them to pray with us. In Psalm 103 we pray, “Bless the Lord, O you His angels, you mighty ones who do His word, hearkening to the voice of His Word! Bless the Lord, all His hosts, His ministers that do His will!” And in the opening verses of Psalm 148 we pray, “Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord from the heavens, praise Him in the heights! Praise Him, all His angels; praise Him, all His host!” Not only do those in heaven pray with us, they also pray for us. The early Church Fathers not only clearly recognized the biblical teaching that those in heaven can and do intercede for us, but they also applied this teaching in their own daily prayer life. There are a number of patron saints that we can call on for every day struggles who can intercede for us. Here are six patron saints for modern situations.

St. Benedict Joseph Labre: Patron Saint of Homelessness and Poverty

The homeless and downtrodden can turn to St. Benedict. Called “the Beggar of Rome,” St. Benedict Joseph Labre was born in Amettes, France, on March 25, 1748, the eldest of eighteen children. Studying under his uncle, a parish priest, Benedict tried to join the Trappists, Carthusians and Cistercians to enter religious life but was unsuccessful due to his poor health and a lack of suitable academic preparation. In 1770, he made a pilgrimage to the major shrines of Europe, settling in Rome in 1774. There he lived near the Coliseum and earned fame for his sanctity. He traveled from great shrine to another, living off alms. He wore the rags of a beggar and shared his food with the poor. Filled with the love of God and neighbor, Benedict had special devotion to the Blessed Mother and the Blessed Sacrament and attended the Forty Hours devotion in the city.

St. Helena: Patron Saint of the Divorced

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Those who have been divorced, especially women, can look to Helena of Constantinople, mother of Constantine the Great, as their patron saint. St. Helena, also known as St. Helen, is most often associated with the True Cross, since she is credited with finding the relics of the cross on which Jesus was crucified. However, her personal life suits her to patronage of divorcees. It’s unknown exactly when and how she met Emperor Constantius, but it is said that when they met he saw her as his soul mate sent by God. Their relationship produced an heir, Constantine, around the year 272 CE. They remained together for at least 15 years, but in 289 CE Constantius, who was Roman Emperor Caesar, divorced Helena to enter into a politically advantageous marriage with a younger woman, Theodara who was the stepdaughter of Maximian, Roman Emperor Augustus at the time.

St Jude: Patron Saint of Desperate Situations

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If you are faced with a desperate situation, you can turn to St. Jude. Why turn to St. Jude under these circumstances you ask? The traditional reason is rather simple: When one hears the name Judas (Latin and Greek) or even (English), one immediately thinks of Judas Iscariot who betrayed our Lord. Therefore, a person had to be desperate to invoke his name. Being so seldom invoked and reverenced, St. Jude is ready and waiting to hear the prayers of those who call upon him. Ironically, he is probably the Apostle who is invoked in the most prayer, and the most memorialized in churches with statues or artwork.

St. Valentine: Patron Saint of Romantic Love

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St. Valentine is the patron saint of love. Believers say God worked through his life to perform miracles and teach people how to recognize and experience true love. This famous saint, an Italian doctor who later became a priest, inspired the creation of the Valentine’s Day holiday. He was sent to jail for performing weddings for couples during a time when new marriages were outlawed in ancient Rome. Before he was killed for refusing to renounce his faith, he sent a loving farewell note to a young blind girl he had been helping to teach, the daughter of his jailer, and that note eventually led to the tradition of sending Valentine’s cards. Believers say that God miraculously cured Julia of her blindness so that she could personally read Valentine’s note, rather than just have someone else read it to her.

St. Dominic Savio: Patron Saint of Teenagers in Trouble

If you are worried about your rebellious teenager, turn to St. Dominic Savio, a powerful intercessor. Dominic was a bright kid who met St. John Bosco at the age of 12 and attended his school. As an ordinary and fun-loving boy, he sometimes got into trouble for laughing too much in the classroom. He loved to play games, but also devoted long hours to prayer. One day Dominic encountered two boys arguing and on the verge of a dangerous fight. They were going to throw stones at each other until Dominic intervened. Dominic was a beacon of light to his classmates and helped many of them turn their lives around and back to God. He died at the age of 15 due to a severe, unidentified illness, and was later canonized for displaying such heroic faith at a young age. He is known as the patron saint of “juvenile delinquents” and is a great intercessor for all youth, especially those who have fallen in with bad influences, or gone astray.

St. Rita of Cascia: Patron Saint of Infertility

St. Rita is known as the saint for seemingly impossible causes. If you are struggling with infertility or miscarriage, getting pregnant seems like the impossible dream. Every month that goes by without a pregnancy or every miscarried baby adds to the desperation and feeling hopelessness. Daughter of Antonio and Amata Lotti, a couple known as the Peacemakers of Jesus; they had Rita late in life. Rita lived 40 years in the covenant, spending her time in prayer and charity and working for peace in the region. She was devoted to the Passion, and in response to a prayer to suffer as Christ, she received a chronic head wound that appeared to have been caused by a crown of thorns, and which bled for 15 years. She is well known as the patron of desperate, seemingly impossible causes and situations because she has been involved in so many stages of life – wife, mother, widow and nun, she buried her family, helped bring peace to her city, saw her dreams denied and fulfilled – and never lost her faith in God.