What is a Patron Saint and what is the purpose of one?

[Kajiki]

Well, I maybe diving back into the deep end again. I tried as hard as I could to hate and/or ignore the Catholic Church. I failed in that. I would watch Chick Tracts but all I could do was defend the Church. So now I'm gonna ask a few questions if I may the first one being the Title. I don't really understand the concept of a Patron Saint. Could someone please explain?

 

[HTacianas]

In short, a Patron Saint is simply a saint that has been chosen specially to represent a group or a state or country, or something else. St. Jude is known as the Patron Saint of "lost causes", mostly because of the superstition that if you try to pray to him you'll get Judas instead. And Judas isn't helping anyone. Sort of a theological wrong number.

You can choose your own Patron Saint if you like.

 

[Kajiki]

You can choose your own Patron Saint if you like.

Hmmm I see. Well I have decided to devote my life to studying God so Theology and the Patron Saint of Theologians is Saint Augustine. He's also for sore eyes which if that means literal pain in the eyes fits me even more haha. I may do some studying on the saints though and I'm sure once I start RCIA I'll have an opportunity to learn more from a Priest or instructor.
Thank you for replying

 

[Mark_Sam]

In short, a Patron Saint is simply a saint that has been chosen specially to represent a group or a state or country, or something else.

Some other examples as well:
- St. Joseph is the patron saint of workers, because he himself was a worker who loved Jesus and Mary.
- St. Antony of Padua is the patron saint of lost things, because he lost a book, which eventually led to the return of a runaway fellow friar.
- St. Olaf of Norway is the patron saint of Norway, because he was a great Christian king, who evangelized his people and made Christian laws.
- St. Mark the Evangelist is the patron saint of Venice, because his relics were transferred to Venice.
- St. Thomas Aquinas is the patron saint of students and theologian, because he himself was a theologian, and his work, the Summa, was used as a textbook of theology for hundreds of years (and still is).

These patronages are not as "official" as they might seem at first. And we are free to invoke any saint for any cause. However, some saints are called upon for special things, because of their association with a people, a place, a profession, a disease or even a miracle after death. Some people choose a saint for themselves as a "heavenly big brother/sister". And some people don'te care much at all about the saints.

 

[SaNcTaMaRiA]

Patron saints generally had a devotion to or an affiliation with one thing or another while they were alive. Some of them have stories and stuff attached to them. In the end all the saints pray for us and care about us.

 

[teresa]

mostly because of the superstition that if you try to pray to him you'll get Judas instead.

I'm pretty sure this is not quite accurate

 

[Mark_Sam]

I'm pretty sure this is not quite accurate

People didn't want to pray to St. Jude, out of superstition that you might accidentally call on Judas (since these two have the same name - Judas - in most languages). So you had to be really desperate and lost if you were invoking all the saints you knew, even St. Jude!

It's superstitious, alright, but through the shared experience of the Church, St. Jude has become associated with lost and desperate causes, and that's what people are invoking him for. Ironically, St. Jude (also called St. Judas Thaddeus or simply St. Thaddeus) is one of the most honored and invoked Apostles today.

 

[Gnarwhal]

Well, I maybe diving back into the deep end again. I tried as hard as I could to hate and/or ignore the Catholic Church. I failed in that. I would watch Chick Tracts but all I could do was defend the Church. So now I'm gonna ask a few questions if I may the first one being the Title. I don't really understand the concept of a Patron Saint. Could someone please explain?

Patron Saints are Saints who are known to intercede on something particular (sometimes many things). What they're patrons of often has to do with something they were involved with in their lives, like St. Patrick is the Patron Saint of Ireland because he played a pivotal role in the development of Christianity in Ireland early on.

We find that the added intercession of Saints is valuable in specific situations, and since they're Saints and we know they're at the throne of God praying for lost causes (St. Jude), academics (St. Thomas Aquinas), missionaries (St. Thérèse of Lisieaux), etc and we can ask to be added to their prayers.

 

[Rhamiel]

Here is something to keep in mind
1/3 if angels joined Satan in his rebellion, one way to look at it is the patron saints are taking the places of the fallen angels