Patron Saints: Guardians for your little angel

How would you like a little extra special protection added to the other assets of your baby’s name?  Patron saints are guardians over particular aspects of life—they can defend against an illness, or look out for people practicing a certain occupation or other interest.  Sometimes these assignments were set centuries ago, others have been made more recently, as in the cases of ecology, advertising, computer technicians and television.  Here are some of the most usable and interesting patron saint names, with their special areas of protection.

Girls

Adelaide—can be invoked against in-law problems; protects parents of large families, stepparents, widows, abuse victims

Agatha—Saint Agatha of Sicily is the patron of  nursing mothers, glass workers and cloth makers, and a protector against breast disease, fire, earthquakes, burns, and volcanic eruptions.

Agnes—is a protector of young girls, Girl Scouts

Apollonia—protects against toothaches, and is the patron saint of dentists

Bernadine—patron saint of advertising

Cecilia is the patron saint of musicians, composers, poets and church music because as she was dying she sang to God, and as the musicians played at her wedding she “sang in her heart to the Lord”

Clare– Clare of Assisi was named patron of television because one Christmas when she was too ill to leave her bed she saw and heard a Christmas Mass that was taking place miles away.

Clotilde—protector of adopted children

Colette— St. Colette is the patron saint of those who have lost parents

Columba—a patron saint of poets

Dorothy—patron of florists, gardeners, midwives, brides, newlyweds and brewers

Genevieve –a protectress against fever, disasters, and excessive rain

Helena—patron saint of archaeologists

Lidwina—protectress of ice skaters

Lucy –since her name means light, her patronage extends over all areas of vision, both spiritual and physical; also electricians, farmers, and the blind

Matilda—patron saint of large families, second marriages, widows and disappointing children

Solange—rain

Vivian/Bibiana—protects against hangovers and headaches

Winifred—patron saint of payrolls/payroll clerks

Boys

Ambrose–patron saint of learning, students and school children, orators, stone cutters,  domestic animals, beekeepers, and the city of Milan.  St. Ambrose was famous for his rhetoric and learning.

Augustine—  St. Augustine,  the highly influential philosopher and theologian, is the patron saint of printers, theologians and brewers.

Barnabus— St. Barnabus can be invoked for peace

Benedict—a  patron saint of architects , bachelors, and the mentally ill

Blaise—patron saint of builders and wind musicians; also can be invoked against throat diseases and whooping cough

Claude—protector of sculptors

Cornelius—protects against earaches

Cosmos and Damian—twins  patrons of hospitals, dentists, eye doctors, druggists, midwives and candy makers (candy makers and dentists??)

Crispin and Crispinian — twin patron saints of cobblers, tanners, and leather workers (and maybe shoe fanatics?).  Born to a noble Roman family, they fled persecution for their faith,  preaching Christianity to the Gauls and making shoes by night.

Florian –Saint Florian is the protector of fire fighters, and protects against floods, and any other danger from water

Francis—Francis de Sales, who invented a sign language for the deaf, is the patron saint of editors, journalists and writers; Francis of Assisi, a patron of animals, merchants, and ecology.  (That’s him, fulfilling the animal side of his duties, in the picture.)

Isidore—patron of computer users, technicians

Ivo/Yves— the patron of lawyers, judges, jurors, notaries—and abandoned children

Jude—Saint Jude is the patron saint of desperate situations and of hospitals. 

Luke—patron saint of artists, doctors, jewelers

Magnus —protector of crops

Raphael— the archangel Raphael has a heavy load: his patronage includes lovers, travelers, young people, nurses, apothecaries, eye problems, nurses and mental illness

Valentine –Saint Valentine is not only the guardian of engaged couples, lovers, happy marriages , young people, and bee keepers, he protects against epilepsy, fainting and plague.

Zeno – Zeno is the patron saint of fishermen, newborn babies and children learning to speak and walk.