Saints are holy people that lived their lives for Christ. They loved God so much that they devoted themselves to heroically living out their faith. We can learn so much from these holy people. And did you know that we can even ask them to pray for us?
You probably have a special devotion to your Confirmation saint, but are there others that you admire? Maybe there is a patron saint of an activity you enjoy, like Saint Sebastian, the patron saint of sports. Maybe you’ve read about an incredible saint, like Saint Padre Pio who had the stigmata and who was even known to be in two places at the same time now and then (bilocation). Maybe you’ve been drawn to a saint for an unexplained reason. I’ve heard about a phenomenon called—Saint Stalking—when a particular saint mysteriously reaches out to us.
In whatever way we discover them, sooner or later we seem to have numerous saints that inspire us. Recently I was reading Encountering Signs of Faith written by Allison Gingras, where she refers to her favorite saints as her a Saint Posse. I’d never heard that term before but was quite drawn to it.
The more I became intrigued with this idea, the more I started hearing about ways other people keep their special saints close to them. I’ve seen some creative bulletin boards and other displays of pictures or prayer cards of favorite saints. How about creating a bracelet or necklace with your favorite saints’ medallions? Or maybe you’d like to write your personalized litany of saints prayer. I’m sure some of you have other ways to honor these special friends.
CatholicTeenBooks has a great selection of books about various saints, such as Saint Camillus, Saint Magnus, Saint Dymphna, Saint Margaret of Castello, Saint Baldwin, Saint Cloud, Saint Wenceslas, and a saint in the making, Carlo Acutis.
But did you know that several of the characters in our books have devotions to various saints?
In my novel, eXtreme Blindside, Jake and Sophie share their confirmation Saints. Jake’s is a fellow mountain man, St. John Francis Regis, while aspiring-journalist Sophie draws inspiration from one of the greatest writers in all of Christianity, St. Paul.
In Theresa Linden’s Confirmation story, Fire Starters, Caitlyn makes some fun discoveries about the saint she chooses for her Confirmation saint, Saint Catherine of Siena, and Roland dives deep to find the perfect saint for him, choosing between two little-known Franciscan saints: Saint Conrad of Parzham and Saint Nicholas Pieck.
In the science fiction Heaven's Hunter by Marie Keiser one character finds the story of St Ignatius particularly inspiring while another finds comfort in the story of Saint Paul.
In the contemporary story Rightfully Ours by Carolyn Astfalk, Rachel gives Paul a Saint Paul medal on a chain for his birthday, and Paul wears it regularly.
In the unSPARKed series by Corinna Turner, the favorite saint of hunters and farmers is Saint Desmond the Hermit. This (fictional) saint lived alone in the wilderness surrounded by dangerous dinosaurs and even befriended the local raptors.
And in Turner’s Mandy Lamb and the Full Moon, Mandy is excited to learn about St Regina, patron saint of shepherdesses, while James has a devotion to St Ailbhe, patron saint of wolves.
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