What is your patron saint and why did you chose him/her?

[Maverick9]

Mine is st. Catherine. I didn't chose her I wanted st. Barbara, but the woman (worker in the church) lie to me that this is st. Barbara and I bought this icon. But I decide this to be my patron saint. What about you?

 

[prodromos]

I'm a convert to Orthodoxy from the Anglican Church I was raised in. My parents gave me the name John. It wasn't until I became involved with the Orthodox Church through my wife that I learned that my birthday is on the feast day of the beheading of St John the Forerunner and Baptist. That kind of sealed the deal for me, that my parents named me John without having any knowledge of the significance of the day on which I was born.

I think it might have been an honest mistake the woman in your parish made. I don't believe someone would deliberately lie about something like that.

 

[ArmyMatt]

St Matthew because I was already named Matthew

 

[All4Christ]

St. Laura of Córdoba both because of my name and because she is a western saint. I come from a western background - and she was Orthodox and was from the west.

 

[FenderTL5]

St Edward the Martyr
My name is Edward and St Edward the Martyr's relics were translated into the Church on my birthday.

 

[Lawrence87]

St. Lawrence Archdeacon of Rome
My name is a version of Lawrence so I just went with that rather than worrying about it too much

 

[ArmyMatt]

I should add that while this had nothing to do with my name, I was born on the same day as my grandfather, and his name was Levi.

 

[buzuxi02]

Constantine. It's my birth name.Named after my maternal grandfather who was named after his grandfather and so on.

 

[Taodeching]

I hope it is okay for me to answer. My patron saint is Saint Christopher

 

[Lukaris]

I realized the examples of my grandmothers’ Christian faith helped me find faith. My one grandmother was Orthodox & Syrian (did not know her) & the other Methodist & Welsh. I felt Orthodox St. David of Wales somehow helped complete my faith journey.

 

[E.C.]

Speaking of arguing with the heterodox, St Constantine.

I was sixteen when I converted and saw Constantine as a unify-er who is largely misunderstood and demonized by the West. I think in my teenage angst I felt like I wasn't understood by the largely Protestant culture around us; still don't. I also liked that he did what he could to unify and improve the empire.

 

[Justin-H.S.]

Justin Martyr

 

[obscura]

How do we determine who is our patron saint?

I'm not Orthodox, but I've been sort of discerning between EO and RC, and I have felt an affection towards a few saints over the past few years: St. Therese of Liseux, St. Mary of Egypt in particular. I took a recent interest in Father Seraphim Rose, but I know he isn't canonized.

I guess because I am Western, it feels strange going for a EO saint of Greek or Russian origin.

Testimonies I've seen seem to have people's patron saints correlating with their ethnicity, location, and church institution as well. Like I doubt St. Paisios would appear to me, a heterodox woman from the USA, but I have heard a guy from Greece talk of being converted and helped personally by him.

 

[Not David]

How do we determine who is our patron saint?

I'm not Orthodox, but I've been sort of discerning between EO and RC, and I have felt an affection towards a few saints over the past few years: St. Therese of Liseux, St. Mary of Egypt in particular. I took a recent interest in Father Seraphim Rose, but I know he isn't canonized.

I guess because I am Western, it feels strange going for a EO saint of Greek or Russian origin.

Testimonies I've seen seem to have people's patron saints correlating with their ethnicity, location, and church institution as well. Like I doubt St. Paisios would appear to me, a heterodox woman from the USA, but I have heard a guy from Greece talk of being converted and helped personally by him.

No really, my American friend took St. Porphyrios as a Saint.

 

[Platina]

My patron is the Holy Forefather Jesse, becaus that's the name my mama gave me!

 

[ArmyMatt]

How do we determine who is our patron saint?

I'm not Orthodox, but I've been sort of discerning between EO and RC, and I have felt an affection towards a few saints over the past few years: St. Therese of Liseux, St. Mary of Egypt in particular. I took a recent interest in Father Seraphim Rose, but I know he isn't canonized.

I guess because I am Western, it feels strange going for a EO saint of Greek or Russian origin.

Testimonies I've seen seem to have people's patron saints correlating with their ethnicity, location, and church institution as well. Like I doubt St. Paisios would appear to me, a heterodox woman from the USA, but I have heard a guy from Greece talk of being converted and helped personally by him.

pray and talk to your priest. but just because you have one patron, that doesn't mean you can't be close to other saints.

 

[Phronema]

How do we determine who is our patron saint?

I'm not Orthodox, but I've been sort of discerning between EO and RC, and I have felt an affection towards a few saints over the past few years: St. Therese of Liseux, St. Mary of Egypt in particular. I took a recent interest in Father Seraphim Rose, but I know he isn't canonized.

I guess because I am Western, it feels strange going for a EO saint of Greek or Russian origin.

Testimonies I've seen seem to have people's patron saints correlating with their ethnicity, location, and church institution as well. Like I doubt St. Paisios would appear to me, a heterodox woman from the USA, but I have heard a guy from Greece talk of being converted and helped personally by him.

I'd just like to add that you certainly can have a patron Saint of any ethnicity. I'm of Italian, and Slovak decent, and St. Symeon the New Theologian is my patron Saint.

Of course as Fr. Matt said be sure to ask your priest as he can always advise you best.

 

[archer75]

I'd just like to add that you certainly can have a patron Saint of any ethnicity. I'm of Italian, and Slovak decent, and St. Symeon the New Theologian is my patron Saint.

Of course as Fr. Matt said be sure to ask your priest as he can always advise you best.

Agreed on all counts. Do talk to a priest / your priest, but this is absolutely true. You don't have to look like or speak the same language as your patron saint.

I'm not even sure about my patron's ethnicity but it certainly isn't like mine. This is irrelevant.

 

[FenderTL5]

I guess because I am Western, it feels strange going for a EO saint of Greek or Russian origin.

Testimonies I've seen seem to have people's patron saints correlating with their ethnicity, location, and church institution as well...

There are pre-schism western Saints or those that are venerated in both the east and west.
The Celtic Saints would be one example.

 

[Chesterton]

There are pre-schism western Saints or those that are venerated in both the east and west.
The Celtic Saints would be one example.

You beat me to it. And my Antiochian church has six stained glass windows. At least two of the six portray Western saints (St. Patrick of Ireland and St. Rupert of Austria).

@obscura Remember that in olden days there was no telephone, no internet, so information about saints could often be local information for a long time. So people would usually know most about the saints in their region. But the more you read the lives of saints the more you realize we're all in it together, regardless of ethnicity. I myself am (for better or worse) thoroughly Western, but I find I will relate more to some little known saint on the other side of the world 1,000 years ago than I relate to some heathen American people I know.

Here are lists of some Western saints, but the lists are incomplete. There are more.

Category:Pre-Schism Western Saints - OrthodoxWiki
THE ORTHODOX SAINTS OF WESTERN EUROPE