What is a patron saint?
A patron saints is simply a saint that has a special meaning to a person, a place or an activity. I personally have several patron saints. St. Joan of Arc is my name patron, but my Confirmation name is Dominica, so I consider St. Dominic a patron saint, too. Places can also have a patron saint. St. Joan of Arc is a patroness of France, along with St. Therese, who is also our patron saint of Little Flowers Girls’ Club®. St. Joseph is the patron saint of a whole list of people, places and things like: patron of the Universal Church, patron of families, patron of fathers, patron of workers and patron of a happy death.
How does a saint become a patron saint?
Usually, a saint patronage develops over time and has something to do with how he lived. For example, St. Thomas Aquinas was a scholar and doctor of the church, so he is the patron saint of students. St. Christopher’s story tells about how he carried the child Jesus through a river, so he is the patron saint of travelers. There are so many different saint stories that you could find a patron saint for just about anything! Here’s a fun list: https://www.catholic.org/saints/patron.php
How can we use patron saints in virtue education?
Think of how many different people there are in the world. Each one has their own strengths, interests, and own path to get to heaven. There are no two people alike just like there are no two saints alike. We can look to the saints to glean from their lives how they practiced virtue in order to grow in holiness. For example, St. Joan of Arc is not only the patroness of France, she is also our patron saint for the Little Flower Girls’ Club® virtue of obedience (Wreath I). When we look at her life, we can see how she practiced the virtue of obedience heroically and learn to imitate that to become more holy.
Patron Saint badges and a Catholic World View
Our patron saints did not just practice one virtue, however, they practices many on their paths in this life towards heaven. Our Catholic Club patron saint badges reflect the Catholic world view that our saints practiced to obtain holiness. I would encourage you to incorporate these badges in your Catholic clubs next year and help to make your own clubs more well-rounded, fun and exciting! These badges are very easy to learn and incorporate in any club you lead…Little Flowers, Blue Knights, Hospitality or even our new program, The Little Way. Check out our patron saint badges today!
