My Favourite Catholic Saints

What I love about the saints is that they have left their mark on this earth as examples for reaching sanctity. Some of them are amazing saints that have shaped the church and others are saints that lived simple lives in a little village but have become well known because of their great love of God. All I can say is that they are all in Heaven enjoying the glory of God.

What I love the most about the saints is knowing that they are all human. That they have lived their lives on earth and have gone through many of the same temptations that we have. Through the grace of God and by developing discipline the saints were able to reach their ultimate goal of sanctification.

Individually, we all have our personal favourite saints. We have come to love them because we’ve been impacted by their stories and they have had a great influence in our lives one way or another. I just wanted to share some of my favourite saints because they have helped me become the person I am today.

Here are some of the saints that have impacted my life in remarkable ways:

The Blessed Virgin Mary

Mater Admirabilis

There is no other saint that I have prayed to more than to Mary. I kid you not, the rosary is the most powerful prayer. When prayed faithfully, the rosary will help your prayers get granted if they follow the Will of God. Through experience I know that the intercession of the Mother of God is amazing. I just wanted to let you know.

Anyway, you know who has made me love Mary? Father Gruner. It was a sad day when I heard of the passing of Father Gruner. I remember that a few years ago, when I began to take my faith more seriously, I would watch some of the videos on the YouTube Fatima Center channel. I remember watching Fr. Gruner get emotional whenever someone would mention something wonderful about Mary. His childlike love for Mary has drawn me to Her.

She is our mother. Just like children we depend on our mother for our well being. We depend on Her too for our salvation. Whenever I start feeling down I try to run to Mary like a child runs to her mother.   

St. Gemma Galgani (1878-1903)

Feast day: April 11

Patron saint of students, pharmacists, paratroopers, parachutists, loss of parents

St. Gemma was a disciplined young woman that lived a simple home life with her family but she was also a mystic. She longed to be a nun but because of her poor health she was not accepted in a convent.

I first got intrigued to St. Gemma because of the simplicity and beauty a picture of her portrait that I came across on Google. I thought to myself “Wow! Who is that saint?”. I came to learn that she is the patron saint of students because she was known as being intelligent and disciplined in her studies. 

During that time of my life, I was a student as well and I focused a lot on getting good grades. I felt a connection with her.

What made her into my favourite saint was reading part of her own diary. In her diary, I can  tell that she really loved God. Not only that, but I can see that she is human. She describes some instances that are quite relatable where she pushes aside her own will in order to follow the Will of God. And she’s authentic and funny. Man, she’s great.

St. Thérèse of Lisieux (1873-1897)

Feast day: October 1

Patron saint of missions

St. Thérèse is one of the most popular saints of our time. I’m sure you’ve heard of her. She lived the simple life of Carmelite nun but she has done so much to the Church and for souls since her death. She has changed the way see the road to Heaven. Through her example, St. Thérèse has shown us that it is not as difficult to please God as we think it is.

St. Thérèse has been well beloved in my family for generations now. There are many of us who have her as our baptismal saint. In fact, on her deathbed, my grandmother was looking up to the ceiling and she kept speaking about how beautiful St. Thérèse was. Our family is pretty sure my grandmother was seeing her at the time of her death.

What draws me to St. Thérèse is her innocence, simplicity and love of God. She has shown me that you don’t have to be a great mystic to go to Heaven. Anyone can be a saint. In her autobiography, she writes about how simple it is to please God with small actions. She’s a great example to follow.

St. Rita of Cascia (1381-1472)

Feast day: May 22

Patron saint of impossible cases, difficult marriages and parenthood

I chose St. Rita of Cascia as my confirmation saint because of all the wonderful stories my mom would tell me about her when I was young. My mother would recount amazing miracles that God accomplished in her life. My mother would put emphasis on how St. Rita’s obedience and humility was rewarded by God. She is an amazing example as a wife and nun.

St. Rita desired to become a nun since she was young but she followed her parent’s will and she was married, at a young age, to a man who often ended up treating her terribly. Even through a bad marriage St. Rita remained obedient and humble.

What I loved about her story is that even though St. Rita was treated badly by people in her life like her husband and some of the sisters in her convent she always followed the Will of God and in turn God would perform amazing miracles in her life.

Of course, God doesn’t want us to live in a violent relationship. For those cases, it is always better to go and seek help.

St. Bridget of Sweden (1303-1373)

Feast day: July 23

Patron saint of Sweden, Europe

St. Bridget is a saint from Sweden that married a noble and pious man at the age of 13. But she always loved God that at the time of her husband’s death she founded a religious order.

St. Bridget is one of those saints that are known more because of a prayer than because of their lives. I’ve come to know about St. Bridget by reading her collections of prophecies and revelations. By reading her writings, I got to learn about the relationship that St. Bridget had with God. It showed me how humility is very important for salvation.

It was because of this book that I realized how proud I truly was. Also, this book made me humble enough to realize that Mary was my Mother. It sounds a little odd, but that’s pride for ya.

By writing the conversations she had with Jesus, I was able to learn so much about Him. My favourite part of her writings is when she describes the vision she had about the Passion of our Lord. St. Bridget describes in detail everything she sees at Calvary. In her lifetime, she experienced so many ecstasies and visions and I’m glad she shared them with us.

She is another really good example to learn from and follow.

St. Alphonsus di Liguori (1696-1787)

Feast day: August 1

Patron saint of theologians

I came to like St. Alphonsus di Liguori because I could somewhat relate to his life story. He was a talented lawyer who decided to leave the cares of the world for God. Ok, so I’m not a lawyer but I did experience a desire to change my life for God. An interesting fact about St. Alphonsus is that he went through a scrupulous phase in his life, which I went through as well.

The reason that I like St. Alphonsus are the books he wrote. He has written so many books that I truly enjoy reading over and over. These books are full of great information but also get you to think beyond theological points. His writing connects me with God in an emotional way.

St. Jean-Baptiste-Marie Vianney (1786-1859)

Feast day: August 4

Patron saint of parish priests

I admire St. Jean Vianney because of his dedication to his parishioners and to God. His life story is extraordinary. He was a parish priest of a small village in France but he accomplished so much for his parish. He drew in crowds to go to confession with him because he was able to tell people their sins and help them drop their sinful habits.

He performed harsh penances and fasts. You know, he would only eat potatoes. He was so holy that the devil would torment him at night to try to stop him from saving people's souls. By the grace of God, he has accomplished amazing works.  

At my parish, we have a small statue of him. As a child I would always wonder who that statue was. It was until I was 19 that I learned of his wonderful life. I was able to rent a book about his sermons from my parish and learn how his mind works. If you get a chance to read it you will know how much St. Jean Vianney loves the Will of God and the truth. He does not shy away from telling it like it is. I have great respect for him.

Who are some of your favourite saints?

- Beverly 💗