Who is my patron saint? From the beginnings of Christianity there has been no doubt that persons who led a life of great holiness or suffered and died for the cause of God enjoyed the glories of a special reward in Heaven and deserved highest esteem and veneration from the faithful on earth. Yet the majority of saints are unfamiliar to many people.
The saints serve as the refracted prism through which Christ’s light shines in every time and place and state in life.
Given the present circumstances, what can we do to restore them to their rightful prominence in the Church’s liturgical and devotional life?
In the first place, priests should mention the saints. They are the superheroes of our religion, and their stories rival any Hollywood blockbuster. Priests would do well to frequently incorporate them into their homilies, perhaps on a Sunday that coincides with a feast day, or a saint whose life illustrates a given Gospel in a profound way. People will benefit from those stories far more than from the banal ones we too often hear about Father’s hobbies or childhood memories.
Parishes should also make it a point to celebrate their patron saint in a way that fosters a deep bond between patron and parishioners. Thus, a patronal feast should not pass by like any other saint’s day on the calendar.
That celebration of the patron saint of the city or district also speaks of specificity of Christianity. Of all the saints who ever lived, this one was given to us, some should say. There is something beautiful, though, in the identification of a parish with a particular saint, perhaps an obscure one, whom the parish claims as its own special and heavenly friend and intercessor.
Moreover, pastors should encourage the faithful to have devotion to and invoke the patron saint whose name one has received in baptism. This "baptismal saint" is considered a special and personal patron all through life. Children are made familiar with the history and legend of "their own" saint, are inspired by his life and example, pray to him, and gratefully accept his loving help in all their needs. It is a beautiful custom, this close relationship of an individual to his personal patron saint in Heaven.
Finally, priests should encourage acts of piety that give pride of place to the display and veneration of relics. When we honor here the body that will one day reunite with its soul, we have a tangible reminder that we, too, are called to be body and soul in Heaven. We are called to be saints.
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