Culture

6 Weird Saints You Never Heard of and What They Can Do for you

From toothaches to pandemics, there’s a saint for everything

17th-century portrait of St. Apollonia holding a tooth in a pair of pincers by Carlo Dolci (public domain)

Patron saints are chosen as special protectors or guardians over areas of life. These areas can include occupations, illnesses, churches, countries, causes — anything that is important to us. The earliest records show that people and churches were named after apostles and martyrs as early as the fourth century. — Source: Catholic Online

If you have a Roman Catholic background, you know about patron saints. These are holy people the Church honors for their service to God and commitment to their faith. Even if you’re not Catholic, you’ve probably heard of the most popular ones:

• St. Patrick — Patron saint of Ireland
• St. Francis of Assisi — Patron saint of animals and the environment
• St. Nicholas (aka “Santa”) — Patron saint of children

Each patron saint has a feast day (March 17, in St. Patrick’s case), and each has one or more “specialties.” If you have a particular problem, the idea is to ask the patron saint who deals with that issue to put in a kind word for you with The Man Upstairs.