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The saints

Catholic Saints

The saints Catholics turn to, from St. Michael to St. Jude: who they really were, and how to pray with them.

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Saints are men and women the Church recognizes as being with God in heaven, and Catholics honor them and ask them to pray for us, as we would ask a friend. A patron saint is one traditionally invoked for a particular need, place or work.

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Saints and their prayers

St. Michael the ArchangelWho Scripture says he is, and why we ask him to defend usSt. Jude, patron of lost causesThe apostle avoided for his name, and asked when all else failsSt. Joseph, Terror of DemonsThe silent guardian of the Holy Family, asked to watch over homesSt. Padre PioA saint from living memory, for the anxious and the sickSt. BenedictThe St. Benedict medal, his Rule, and a prayer against temptationSt. ChristopherPatron of travelers, still a saint, whatever you heard about 1969St. PatrickPatron of Ireland, and the Breastplate prayer that bears his nameSt. NicholasThe real bishop behind Santa Claus, and his December 6 customsSt. Juan DiegoThe Indigenous man Our Lady sent to the bishop, and his December 9 feastPatron saints for your needWho to ask for lost causes, illness, travel, work and more
“And the smoke of the incense of the prayers of the saints ascended up before God from the hand of the angel.”
Revelation 8:4 (Apocalypse 8:4 in the Douay-Rheims), Douay-Rheims Bible, Challoner revision

Questions people ask

Do Catholics worship the saints?

No. Worship belongs to God alone. What Catholics offer the saints is honour, and what they ask of them is intercession: prayer on our behalf. The distinction is old and deliberate. Asking Saint Joseph to pray for your family is the same act as asking a friend to pray for you, with the difference that the saints already see God face to face. Every prayer to a saint ends where it began, with God, who alone answers it.

What is a patron saint?

A patron saint is a saint traditionally invoked for a particular need, place, trade, or difficulty. The pairing usually comes from something in the saint's own life: what they suffered, what they did for a living, or a well-attested answer to prayer. Patronage is not a rule about who may be asked. Anyone may ask any saint for anything. It is a starting point, offered by centuries of experience, for people who want to know where to begin.

How do you pray with a saint?

Simply and in your own words, or with a prayer the Church already prays. Name the saint, say plainly what you need, and ask them to bring it to God with you. Many Catholics keep to a set prayer because it steadies the mind on days when their own words will not come. A novena extends the same request over nine days, which turns a single anxious moment into something closer to a habit of trust.