Do you pray to different saints for differnt reasons?

When praying to the saints is going on is it on a specific area? Such as do you pray to one saint for protecetion or intercession for seperate area's of problems? Like is one saint for illness and another for prosperity?

why ?

I was just wondering if this was true and how they came to get thier ministry of this..

Orthodoxy doesn't really have a Saint for "this" or a Saint for "that", but there are some Saints that are known for certain things in the way they lived their lives. For instance, St. Mary of Egypt spent her life repenting of the way she lived in her youth. So sometimes, I will ask for her intercession to help me truly repent of my sins. There are also some Saints that, through God's grace, are known to have brought about many healing miracles, so it's not unusual to ask those particular Saints for their intercessions for healing.

Mary

thanks, that will help ...

if we are lead to read, perhaps, of the healing ministry of Christ then the Gospel of Luke comes to mind.

and if we are interested to read of the Christian life, and what role the OC law may have, then some of the epistles of Paul come to mind.

at another time, wanting to know more of the actions and role of the Holy Spirit, we read the book of Acts

Each of these books of the NT has an "authorial style" - they were written by people through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. They contain overlapping information, and other information does not overlap. But they all speak of Christ.

Likewise, the lives of the Saints preach (in action) Christ. God does not erase our personality and further, calls each to particular struggles and experiences for His glory. In this way, some associate (remember) a particular struggle of a Saint, and will ask the Saint to pray for help in a similar circumstance. But in truth, like the various books in the Bible, the Saints share in common their love for and witness of Christ.

It's often a spur of the moment thing for me. I'll be praying to God, and remember a story from the life of a saint and, after praying to God, ask them to intercede for me for a similar situation or some such thing in my life.

I often pray to Mary, just because I love her and want to tell her so.

The RCC has assigned various ministries for the intercession of particular saints. For example, St. Christopher (before it was discovered there really had been no such individual) was believed to personally protect travellers, St. Joseph is used for the sale of real estate, and Our Lady of Lourdes is beleived to be effective for healing paralytics. The medieval practice of making pilgrimages, which continues to this day, was largely motivated by a belief that one must visit a particular saint's site (a grave usually or a site of a significant event in the saint's life) in order to attain the requested blessing.

bbbbbbb said:

The RCC has assigned various ministries for the intercession of particular saints. For example, St. Christopher (before it was discovered there really had been no such individual) was believed to personally protect travellers, St. Joseph is used for the sale of real estate, and Our Lady of Lourdes is beleived to be effective for healing paralytics. The medieval practice of making pilgrimages, which continues to this day, was largely motivated by a belief that one must visit a particular saint's site (a grave usually or a site of a significant event in the saint's life) in order to attain the requested blessing.

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the first RC in this thread

bbbbbbb said:

The RCC has assigned various ministries for the intercession of particular saints. For example, St. Christopher (before it was discovered there really had been no such individual) was believed to personally protect travellers, St. Joseph is used for the sale of real estate, and Our Lady of Lourdes is beleived to be effective for healing paralytics. The medieval practice of making pilgrimages, which continues to this day, was largely motivated by a belief that one must visit a particular saint's site (a grave usually or a site of a significant event in the saint's life) in order to attain the requested blessing.

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LIke this--Let me share Bob and Maureen Digan personal experiences with the Divine Mercy devotion.At age 14 Maureen was stricken with an incurable disease and, over the next several years, lost her faith, her hope, and one leg. In 1981 the Digans made a pilgrimage to Sister Faustina Kowalska's tomb in Poland. Sister Faustina, a member of the Congregation of Our Lady of Mercy, received private revelations about God's mercy in the 1930s. There Maureen was suddenly cured of her illness.
Before the age of 15, Maureen Digan enjoyed a normal healthy life. Then she was struck down with a very serious, slowly progressive but terminal disease called lymphedima. This is a disease that does not respond to medication and does not go into remission. Within the next ten years Maureen had fifty operations and had lengthy confinements in the hospital of up to a year at a time.
Friends and relations suggested she should pray and put her trust in God. But Maureen could not understand why God had allowed her to get this disease in the first place, and had lost her faith completely. Eventually her deteriorating condition would require the amputation of one leg.
One evening while Maureen was in the hospital her husband Bob watched a film on Divine Mercy and there he became convinced of the healing powers of intercession by Sr. Faustina. Bob persuaded Maureen and the doctors that she should go to the tomb of Sr. Faustina in Poland. Together with her husband, son, and Fr. Seraphim Michalenko, MIC (a priest of the Congregation of Marians of the Immaculate Conception), they traveled to St. Faustina's tomb at the Shrine of The Divine Mercy outside Krakow, Poland. They arrived in Poland on March 23, 1981 and Maureen went to confession for the first time since she was a young girl.
At the tomb Maureen remembers praying for healing. Suddenly she thought she was losing her mind. All the pain seemed to drain out of her body and her swollen leg, which was due to be amputated shortly, went back to its normal size. When she returned to the USA she was examined by five independent doctors who came to the conclusion that she was completely healed. They had no medical explanation for the sudden healing of this incurable disease.
"To me, my spiritual healing was much greater than my physical one," Maureen nonetheless admitted. "Go to confession and tell it all," she advised, warning against the temptation to omit certain sins.

Is simple, if you have cancer, you'd rather talk to and seek advice from cancer survivors of that cancer or a similar one rather than those that have not. Human nature, really.

If I'm feeling very lonely, I'd probably ask a saint who was a hermit to pray for me. If I'm having problems with school work, than I'd ask a saint who was a scholar or theologian to pray for me.

I asked Saint Valentine for help with a relationship, and Saint Jude is known to help when people are on the edge of despair, other then that I just ask them to pray for me

Here is a list of some of the saints called upon for special purposes, but it certainly isn't exhaustive.

To Have a Child
St. Anna, Mother of the Theotokos
St. Elizabeth, Mother of the Forerunner
St. Sabbas the Sanctified of Palestine
St. Irene Chrysovolantou
St. Symeon the Myrrh-streamner, father of St. Sava of Serbia

For Safe Childbirth
St. Eleutherios

For the Care and Protection of Infants
St. Stylianos

For Young People
Holy Great Martyr Demetrios the Wonderworker

For Marital Difficulties
Holy Martyrs Shamuna, Guria, and Habib
Sts. Peter and Febronia of Muron (also for newlyweds)

Delivery from Sudden Death
St. Barbara the Great Martyr

Against Drinking
Holy Martyr Boniface and the Righteous Aglais

For Travelers
St. Nicholas (in general, and specifically for sea travel)
St. Jon the Russian (in general, specifically auto)
St. Niphon, Patriarch of Constantinople (for safety at sea)

For the Kitchen and Home
St. Euphrosynos the Cook
St. Sergius of Radonezh (for baking)
Sts. Spyridon and Nikodim of Kievo-Pechersk (Prosphora making)
St. Juliana Lazarevskaya
St. Prockor of Kievo-Pechersk

For Trading
St. Paraskeva

For Cobblers
St. Eustathius the Cobbler of Georgia

For Physicians
St. Panteleimon
Holy Unmercenaries
St. Agapit the Physician of Kievo-Pechersk

For Perfumers
St. Abo the Perfumer of Georgia

For Headaches
Holy New Martyr Demas of Smyrna

For Eyes
St. Paraskeva
St. Lucia of Sicily

For Ears
St. Spyridon the Wonderworker

For Teeth
St. Antipas of Pergamum

For Hernias and Intestinal Disorders
Holy Great Martyr Artemius
St. Artemis of Verkola

For Throat
St. Blaise of Sebastia

For Finding Employment
St. Xenia of St. Petersburg

For Help is Studies
Three Hierarchs: St. Basil the Great, St. John Chrysostom, St. Gregory the Theologian
St. Sergius of Radonezh
St. John of Kronstadt
St. Nestor the Chronicler of Kievo-Pechersk
St. Justin the Martyr Philosopher

For Church Chanting
St. Romanos the Melodist
St. Theodosius of Chernigov
St. John Koukouzelis
Sts. Leonty and Geronty, Canonarchs of Kievo-Pechersk

For Iconographers
St. Luke the Apostle and Evangelist
St. Alypius of Kievo-Pechersk
St. John of Damascus

For Patient Endurance of Affliction
St. Job the Much-Suffering
St. Eystanthius Placidas and Family
Holy Forty Martyr of Sebastia (especially in freezing cold weather)
Holy Forty-two Martyrs of Amorion
St. Pimen the Much-Suffering of Kievo-Pechersk

For Protection Against Thieves
St. Gregory the Wonderworker of Kievo-Pechersk

For Stone-workers
Holy Martyrs Florus and Laurus

For Soldiers
Holy Archangel Michael
St. George the Great Martyr
St. Barbara the Great Martyr
St. Titus the Soldier of Kievo-Pechersk

For Spiritual Help, Consolation, and Compunction
St. Ephraim the Syrian
St. Alexis the Man of God
St. Seraphim of Sarov

For a Good End to One’s Life
Holy Archangel Michael
St. Niphon, Patriarch of Constantinople

For Captives, Prisoners, and Court Cases
St. Onouphrios the Great
St. Peter of Athos
St. George the Great Martyr
St. Stimeon the God-Receiver

For Help is Distress, Poverty, etc.
St. Nicholas the Wonderworker
St. Martin of Tours, the Merciful
St. John the Almsgiver of Alexandria
St. John of Kronstadt

For Finding Things
St. Phanourios the Great Martyr
St. Menas the Greaty Martyr of Egypt

For Meeting a Difficult Situation, an Interview, etc.
St. David the Prophet, Psalmist and King
The Holy Unmercenaries and Healers
Sts. Cosmas and Damian of Rome, and their mother Thodoti of Asia Minor, and their brothers Anthimus, Leontius, and Evropius of Arabia
Sts. Cyrus and John of Alexandria
Sts. Panteleimon and Hermolaus
St. Mocius
St. Thallelaus
St. Domedes the Healer
St. Anicetus
St. Julian the Martyr
St. Zotious the Orphan-Keeper
St. John of Kronstadt
St. Nectarios of Aegina
Holy Archangel Raphael

For Animals and Livestock
St. George (cattle and herds)
St. Modestus of Jerusalem
Holy Martyr Mamas
St. Parthenius of Radovysdius (cattle)
Sts. Spevsippus, Elesippus, and Melevsippus (horses)
St. Tryphon (geese)

For Protection of Crops from Pests
St. Michael of Synnada
St. Gerasimos the New Ascetic

For Protection of Gardens from Pests
Holy Great Martyr Tryphon (also for hunters)

Against Demonic Influence and Witchcraft
Sts. Cyprian and Justina
St. Theodore Sykeote
St. Mitrophan of Voronezh

For Chastity and Help in Carnal Warfare
St. John the Forerunner
St. Demetrios the Great Martyr
St. Moses the Hungarian
St. John the Much-Suffering
Holy Martyr Theodore the Byzantine
Holy Martyr Ignatios of Athos
St. Thomais
St. Martinian
St. Basil of Mangazea
St. Mary of Egypt
St. Joseph the All-Comely
St. Susanna (Old Testament)
St. Anysia the Virgin Martyr

For Mental Disorders
St. Naum of Ochrid
St. Anastasia
St. Gerasimos of Cephalonia (the possessed)

Against the Plague
St. Haralambos
St. Marina the Great Martyr
St. Bessarion the Saviour, Archbishop of Larissa

For Help Against Quick-temper and Despondency
St. Tikhon of Zadonsk

For Workers in Hospitals
Holy Unmercenaries
St. Dositheus, Disciple of Abba Dorotheus

For Guilelessness and Simplicity
Holy Apostle Nathaniel
St. Paul the Simple

Wow and where in scripture do we see any of this?

in Corinthians, when Paul writes of the particular gifts given to those in the Ekklesia which are for the benefit of the entire -- and the greatest of all - love

MamaZ said:

When praying to the saints is going on is it on a specific area? Such as do you pray to one saint for protecetion or intercession for seperate area's of problems? Like is one saint for illness and another for prosperity?

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As an Orthodox, I don't actually pray to any of the Saints. Instead I learn and read about them through biographies and spiritual literature. I memorize and recite the names of the Saints of the Church, as compared to the common misconception of "praying" to a Saint. Prayer should always be directed to God. Also, the Jesus prayer is a monastic tradition. I would pray the Jesus prayer and ended up reciting and memorizing the names of the Saints.

. . .