Jumat, 30 Januari 2009
Rabu, 28 Januari 2009
Saint Michael The Archangel 9
Anthroposophy and the occult
The French occultist, Eliphas Levi, the German philosopher Franz von Baader, and the Theosophist Louis Claude de St. Martin spoke of 1879 as the year in which Michael overcame the dragon. This is confirmed by the esoteric writer Rudolf Steiner in a lecture in Zurich on November 13, 1917, where he states: "in 1879, in November, a momentous event took place, a battle of the Powers of Darkness against the Powers of Light, ending in the image of Michael overcoming the Dragon".
Anthroposophists consider Michael to be the administrator of cosmic intelligence, who 'dwells on the Sun'. Waldorf schools celebrate the Michaelmas Festival (the festival of 'strong will') during the Autumnal Equinox (September 29).
Saint Michael The Archangel 8
In Arabic literature, Michael is called Mikha'il. In the Qur'an, Michael is mentioned once only, in Sura 2:98. In his commentary on verse 98 of that sura, Baiḍawi relates that on one occasion Umar ibn al-Khattab went into a Jewish school and inquired concerning Gabriel. The pupils said he was their enemy, but that Michael was a good angel, bringing peace and plenty. In answer to Umar's question as to the respective positions of Michael and Gabriel in God's presence, they said that Gabriel was on His right hand and Michael on His left. Umar exclaimed at their untruthfulness, and declared that whoever was an enemy to God's angels, to him God would be an enemy. Upon returning to Muhammad, Umar found that Gabriel had forestalled him by revealing the same message, which is contained in verse 98. Muslim commentators state with reference to Sura 11:69 that Michael was one of the three angels who visited Abraham.
Saint Michael The Archangel 7
Jehovah's Witness belief
Jehovah's Witnesses believe that Jesus and the Archangel Michael are the same being. They believe that Jesus/Michael was the first being created by Jehovah and through whom he made the universe, the angels and mankind. In this pre-human existence he was known as the Word of God. He later took human form as Jesus and led a life without sin. After his death on a torture stake, Jesus was resurrected in his previous spiritual form. They base this belief on the following Scriptural passages:
- Jude 1:9 refers to Michael as "the archangel", a term meaning "chief angel". They interpret this phrase about Michael as meaning he is the only archangel since the Greek word translated "archangel" is only in the singular and the Bible never mentions another archangel. They interpret 1 Thessalonians 4:16, which states: "The Lord himself will descend from heaven with a commanding call, with an archangel's voice and with the sound of the trumpet of God", as meaning that Jesus was an archangel. From this they conclude that Jesus and Michael are identical.
- The Book of Revelation speaks of Michael as the leader of an army of Angels in Heaven who overthrows Satan in a great battle. Jesus is also spoken of as leading such an army at Revelation 19:11-16. From this too they conclude that Jesus and Michael must be identical.
Saint Michael The Archangel 6
Latter-Day Saints theology
According to Latter-day Saint theology, Michael lived his mortal life as the patriarch Adam. Michael and Adam are regarded as the same individual; Adam being his mortal name and Michael being his pre-mortal/post-mortal name. Thus, all of the descendents of Adam are the earthly descendents of Michael. Adam's angelic name, Michael ("who is like God"), would be descriptive of the man's appearance, being as he was created in the image of the Father. Brigham Young preached on April 9, 1852 that Adam/Michael came to earth with a spiritual purpose, had helped to create the world, and is now an exalted being.
Saint Michael The Archangel 5
Christian legend
According to some Christian theologians Saint Michael may appear in Scripture where his name is not mentioned. Examples of this include the cherub who stood at the gate of paradise, "to keep the way of the tree of life" (Genesis 3:24), the angel through whom God published the Decalogue to his chosen people, the angel who stood in the way against Balaam (Numbers 22:22 sqq.), the angel who routed the army of Sennacherib (2 Kings 19:35).
It may have been natural to St Michael, the champion of the Jewish people, to be the champion also of Christians, giving victory in war to his clients. The early Christians, however, regarded some of the martyrs as their military patrons: Saint George, Saint Theodore, Saint Demetrius, Saints Sergius and Bacchus, Saint Procopius, Saint Mercurius, etc.; but to St Michael they gave the care of their sick. At the place where he was first venerated, in Phrygia (modern-day Turkey), his prestige as an angelic healer obscured his interposition in military affairs. It was from early times the centre of the true cult of the holy angels, particularly of St Michael. Tradition relates that Saint Michael in the earliest ages caused a medicinal spring to spout at Chairotopa near Colossae, where all the sick who bathed there, invoking the Blessed Trinity and St Michael, were cured.
Still more famous are the springs which St. Michael is said to have drawn from the rock at Colossae (Chonae, on the Lycus). Tradition tells that the pagans directed a stream against the sanctuary of St. Michael to destroy it, but the custodian of the shrine, named Archippus, prayed to St. Michael and the archangel appeared and split the rock, opening up a new bed to divert the stream, and forever sanctified the waters which came from the gorge. The Orthodox Church believes that this apparition took place about the middle of the first century and celebrates a feast in commemoration of it on September 6[8] as the "Miracle of the Archangel Michael at Chonae."[9] The Monastery of the Miracle in the Moscow Kremlin, where the Russian Tsars were baptized, was dedicated to the Feast of the Miracle at Chonae (Kona). Hot springs at Pythia in Bithynia and elsewhere in Asia Minor were also dedicated to St Michael.
At Constantinople likewise, Saint Michael was the great heavenly physician. His principal sanctuary, the "Michaelion", was at Sosthenion, some fifty miles south of Constantinople. He supposedly visited Emperor Constantine the Great at Constantinople, intervened in assorted battles, and appeared, sword in hand, over the mausoleum of Hadrian, in apparent answer to the prayers of Pope St. Gregory I the Great (r. 590-604) that a plague in Rome should cease. In honor of the occasion, the pope took to calling the mausoleum the "Castel Sant'Angelo" (Castle of the Holy Angel), the name by which it is still known. The sick slept in this church at night to wait for a manifestation of St Michael; his feast was kept there June 9.
Another famous church was within the walls of the city, at the thermal baths of the Emperor Arcadius; there the synaxis of the archangel was celebrated November 8. This feast spread over the entire Greek Church, and the Syrian, Armenian, and Coptic Churches also adopted it. It is currently the principal feast of St Michael amongst the Eastern Christians. Although originating in Phrygia, its station at Constantinople was known as the "Thermae of Arcadius" (Martinow, "Annus Graeco-slavicus", November 8). Other feasts of St Michael at Constantinople were: October 27, in the "Promotu" Church; June 18, in the Church of St Julian at the Forum; and December 10, at Athaea.
The Christians of Egypt placed their life-giving river, the Nile, under the protection of Saint Michael; they adopted the above Greek feast and kept it on November 12. On the twelfth of every month they celebrate a special Commemoration of the Archangel Michael. In addition, on June 12, when the Nile river commences to rise, they keep as a day of obligation the feast of "St Michael for the rising of the Nile."
At Rome the Leonine Sacramentary (sixth century) has the "Natale Basilicae Angeli via Salaria", September 30; of the five Masses for the feast three mention St Michael. The Gelasian Sacramentary (seventh century) gives the feast "S. Michaelis Archangeli", and the Gregorian Sacramentary (eighth century), "Dedicatio Basilionis S. Angeli Michaelis", September 29. A manuscript also here adds "via Salaria" (Ebner, "Miss. Rom. Iter Italicum", 127). This Church of the Via Salaria was six miles to the north of the city; in the ninth century it was called Basilica Archangeli in Septimo (Armellini, "Chiese di Roma", p. 85). It disappeared a thousand years ago. At Rome also the part of heavenly physician was given to St Michael. According to an (apocryphal?) legend of the tenth century he appeared over the Moles Hadriani (Castel di S. Angelo), in 950, during the procession which St. Gregory held against the pestilence, putting an end to the plague. Pope Boniface IV (608-15) built on the Moles Hadriani in honour of him, a church, which was styled St. Michaelis inter nubes (in summitate circi).
The Roman Breviary for 8 May relates the story of the apparition of Saint Michael (494 or 530-40) at his sanctuary on Monte Gargano, where his original glory as patron in war was restored to him. To his intercession the Lombards of Sipontum (modern-day Manfredonia) attributed their victory over the Greek Neapolitans 8 May 663. To commemorate this victory the Church of Sipontum instituted a special feast on 8 May in honour of the archangel, which spread throughout the Latin Church under the name "Apparition of St Michael", although it originally commemorated the victory, not the apparition. The Tridentine Calendar gave this feast the rank of "Double", which was raised in 1602 to the newly invented rank of "Greater Double". In 1960 Pope John XXIII removed it from the General Roman Calendar, along with other cases of second feasts of a single saint.[10]
In Normandy, Saint Michael is the patron of mariners in his famous sanctuary at Mont-Saint-Michel in the Diocese of Coutances. He is said to have appeared there, in 708, to St. Aubert, Bishop of Avranches. In Normandy his feast "S. Michaelis in periculo maris" or "in Monte Tumba" was universally celebrated on October 18, the anniversary of the dedication of the first church, October 16, 710; the feast is now confined to the Diocese of Coutances.
In Germany, after its evangelization, Saint Michael replaced for the Christians the pagan god Wotan, to whom many mountains were sacred, hence the numerous mountain chapels of St. Michael all over Germany. He is also known as the patron saint of the German Nation. His picture bedecked the war standard of the old German Empire (the Holy Roman Empire).
The hymns of the Roman Office are said to have been composed by Saint Rabanus Maurus of Fulda (d. 856). In art, St Michael is represented as an angelic warrior, fully armed with helmet, sword, and shield (often the shield bears the Latin inscription: "Quis ut Deus"), standing over the dragon, whom he sometimes pierces with a lance. He also holds a pair of scales in which he weighs the souls of the departed (cf. Rock, "The Church of Our Fathers", III, 160), or the Book of Life, to show that he takes part in the judgment. His feast (September 29) in the Middle Ages was celebrated as a holy day of obligation, as he was the patron of knights, but along with several other feasts it was gradually abolished since the eighteenth century. Michaelmas Day, in England and other countries, is one of the regular quarter-days for settling rents and accounts; but it is no longer remarkable for the hospitality with which it was formerly celebrated. Stubble-geese being esteemed in perfection about this time, most families had one dressed on Michaelmas Day. In some parishes (Isle of Skye) they had a procession on this day and baked a cake, called St Michael's bannock.
Roman Catholic and Orthodox Christians often refer to the angel Michael as "Saint Michael", an honorific title that does not indicate canonisation. He is generally referred to in Christian litanies as "Saint Michael the Archangel." Orthodoxy accords him the title "Archistrategos", or "Supreme Commander of the Heavenly Hosts."
Saint Michael was usually honored on mountain tops and high places, and many famous shrines to him survive on those places, often replacing shrines of pre-Christian gods concerned with weather, like Wotan.
In Greek folklore, St Michael also assumed the god Hermes' role as the psychopomp who leads souls to Hades, and in the role of weigher of souls on Judgment Day. A related folk belief is that St Michael's face can only be seen by the dead and by those about to die. It is for this reason that some folk icons depict him without a face.
The Roman Catholic Church honors Saint Michael with four main titles. He is the Christian angel of death, carrying the souls of all the deceased to heaven, where they are weighed in his perfectly balanced scales (hence Michael is often depicted holding scales). At the hour of death, Michael descends and gives each soul the chance to redeem itself before passing, thus consternating the devil and his minions. St Michael is the special patron of the Chosen People in the Old Testament and is guardian of the Church; it was thus not unusual for the angel to be revered by the military orders of knights during the Middle Ages. Last, he is the supreme enemy of Satan and the fallen angels.
In the Roman Catholic calendar of saints and the Lutheran Calendar of Saints, his feast day, once widely known as Michaelmas, is celebrated September 29 and was one of the four quarter days on which accounts were settled and, in England, when terms began in universities. In the Eastern Orthodox Church his principal feast day is November 8, where he is honored along with the rest of the "Bodiless Powers of Heaven" as their Supreme Commander, and his miraculous appearance at Colossae (see below) is commemorated on September 6.
The last visit, that of his appearance over the mausoleum of Hadrian, certified one major aspect involving Michael, namely his role as an angel of healing. This title was bestowed at Phrygia, in Asia Minor, which also propagated the cult of angels and became a leading center for their veneration. St Michael is reputed to have caused a healing spring to flow in the first century at Colossae, and his churches were frequently visited by the sick and lame. The angel is invoked additionally as the patron of sailors in Normandy (the famous monastery of Mont Saint Michel on the north coast of France is named after him). He is especially remembered in France as the angel who, along with Saint Catherine and Saint Margaret gave Saint Joan of Arc the courage to save her country from the English during the Hundred Years' War (1337-1455). Perhaps his most singular honor was given to him in 1950 when Pope Pius XII (r. 1939-1958) named him patron of policemen. St Michael is also said to have announced to the Virgin Mary her impending death, declaring himself to be "Great and Wonderful."
According to legend, Michael instructed St. Aubert, bishop of Avranches to build a church on the rocky islet now known as Mont Saint Michel in 708. Also dedicated to Michael was the French Order of St Michel founded in 1469. Today, however, he is more usually associated with police officers, paramedics, EMTs and other emergency workers. He is also claimed as the patron saint of the American airborne units. He is the patron of Ukraine and its capital Kiev and of the archdiocese of Seattle.
In Australia, National Police Remembrance day is commemorated on September 29 each year, being the feast day of St Michael.
Under the influence of the widely read angelology of the Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite, among Church fathers much time was spent allotting Michael a rank in the celestial hierarchy: Alfonso Salmeron, Cardinal Bellarmine, Saint Basil the Great's homily (De Angelis) and other Greek fathers place Saint Michael over all the angels; they say he is called "Archangel" because he is the prince of the other angels. Others (cf. P. Bonaventura, op. cit.) believe that he is the prince of the Seraphim, the first of the nine angelic orders. According to Saint Thomas Aquinas (Summa Ia. 113.3), he is the Prince of the last and lowest choir, the angels.
The hymn of the Mozarabic Breviary places St Michael even above the Twenty-four Elders.
A favorite angelic subject in art, matched only by Saint Gabriel, Saint Michael is often depicted as winged and with unsheathed sword. As with all angels' iconography, his wings represent swiftness, his sword means authority or power, and his white raiment stands for his enlightenment.[11] In the Renaissance period, he is shown as young, strong, and handsome, and is most often depicted as a proud, handsome angel in white or magnificent armor or a splendid coat of mail and equipped with sword, shield and spear. His wings are generally conspicuous and very grand. He is usually shown holding in his hand a banner or the scales of justice. Quite often he is seen, like Saint George and in some representations of the Madonna, in conflict with a dragon or standing upon a vanquished devil, who most of the time is Satan.
Saint Michael The Archangel 4
Canonical New Testament
In the Epistle of Jude of the New Testament in verse 9, St Michael disputes with the Devil over the body of Moses. In Revelation 12:7-8, "And there was a great battle in heaven, Michael and his angels fought with the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven." Saint John describes Satan being thrown out of heaven three and a half years from the end of the age, "a time, times and half a time" (Revelation 12:14). Satan being thrown from heaven coincides with the "abomination that causes desolation" as spoken of by the prophet.
Saint Michael The Archangel 3
Book of Enoch
Michael is designated in the Book of Enoch, as "the prince of Israel" and the "archistratege" of God. He is the angel of forbearance and mercy (Enoch, xl:3) who taught Enoch the mysteries of clemency and justice (lxxi:2). In the book of Jubilees (i:27 and ii:1), the angel who is said to have instructed Moses on Mount Sinai and to have delivered to him the tables of the Law is most probably Michael.
Enoch 9:1 states that Michael, along with Gabriel, Raphael, Uriel and Suriel heard the cries of men under the strain of the Watchers and their giant offspring. It was Michael and his compatriots that beseeched God on behalf of men, prompting Yahweh to call Enoch to prophethood.
In Enoch 10:15 Yahweh says to Michael; "Go and announce his crime to Samyaza, and to the others who are with him, who have been associated with women, that they might be polluted with all their impurity. And when all their sons shall be slain, when they shall see the perdition of their beloved, bind them for seventy generations underneath the earth, even to the day of Judgement, and of consummation, until the judgement, the effect of which will last forever and be completed."
Enoch 20:5 says that Michael presides over human virtue in order to command nations.
Enoch 24:4-10 has Enoch before the Tree of Life/Mercy, and Michael explains to him that he should not touch it, for it is for those who are 'elect' after the day of Judgement.
Enoch 40:8 says that Michael is patient and merciful
Enoch 53:6 states that Michael, along with Gabriel, Raphael and Phanuel shall be strengthened during the Battle of Armageddon.
Enoch 58 shows Enoch overcome with terror over a vision he has, and Michael is quick to interpret. The terror is only for those who turn on Yahweh, that the Day of Judgement is for the elect, a day of covenant, while for sinners it is a day of inquisition.
Enoch 66:14-15 has Michael explaining to Enoch that the evil spirits [demons] shall bear witness against those of the flesh who supported them. Yet Enoch is told that Michael holds a secret oath so that the elect shall not perish by their knowledge like the sinners, Enoch 68:20-22.
Enoch 70:11-16 shows that Michael, Gabriel, Raphael and Phanuel always 'escort' Yahweh [God the Father], whenever He leaves His Throne.
Saint Michael The Archangel 2
War of the Sons of Light Against the Sons of Darkness
In the War of the Sons of Light Against the Sons of Darkness, Michael is described as the prince of light, leading forces of God against the darkness of evil, who is led by Belial. He is described as the "viceroy of heaven", a title that is said to have formerly belonged to The Morning Star
Saint Michael The Archangel
Michael (Hebrew: מִיכָאֵל, Micha'el or Mîkhā'ēl; Greek: Μιχαήλ, Mikhaíl; Latin: Michael or Míchaël; Arabic: میکائیل, Mikā'īl) is an archangel, one of the principal 50 angels in Christian and Islamic tradition. He is viewed as the field commander of the Army of God. He is mentioned by name in the Book of Daniel and the Book of Revelation. In the book of Daniel, Michael appears as "one of the chief princes" who in Daniel's vision comes to the angel Gabriel's aid in his contest with the angel of Persia (Dobiel), and is also described there as the advocate of Israel and "great prince who stands up for the children of your [Daniel's] people".
The Talmudic tradition rendered Michael's name as meaning "who is like El?". In recent years, a popular mistake has become to translate the name as "One who is like God." It is, however, meant as a question: "Who is like the Lord?" The name was said to have been the battle cry of the angels in the war in heaven against Satan and his followers.
Much of the late Midrashic detail about Michael was transmitted to Christianity through the Book of Enoch, whence it was taken up and further elaborated. In late medieval Christianity, Michael, together with Saint George, became the patron saint of chivalry, and of the first chivalric order of France, the Order of Saint Michael of 1469. In the British honours system, a chivalric order founded in 1818 is also named for these two saints, the Order of St Michael and St George. St Michael is also considered in many Christian circles as the patron saint of the warrior. Police officers and soldiers, particularly paratroopers, regard him as their patron. He is also a patron of Germany and of the city of Brussels.
Roman Catholics refer to him as "Saint Michael the Archangel" and also simply as "Saint Michael". Orthodox Christians refer to him as the "Taxiarch Archangel Michael" or simply "Archangel Michael". The Urantia Book often refers to Michael as "Michael of Nebadon",or Christ Michael.The Archangel
The New Testament speaks frequently of angels (for example, angels giving messages to Mary, Joseph, and the shepherds; angels ministering to Christ after his temptation in the wilderness, an angel visiting Christ in his agony, angels at the tomb of the risen Christ, the angels who liberate the Apostles Peter and Paul from prison), but makes only two references to "archangels": Michael in Jude 1:9 and I Thessalonians 4:16, where the "voice of an archangel" will be heard at the return of Christ.
The Protestant Bible provides names for two archangels: Michael and Gabriel. In the Book of Tobit of the Catholic Bible, a third name, Raphael; sometimes Uriel or Phanuel is given as a fourth.
Eastern Orthodox Tradition mentions "thousands of archangels" but venerates only seven of them by name. Uriel is included, and the other three are most often named Selaphiel, Jegudiel, and Barachiel (an eighth, Jeremiel, is sometimes included as archangel). The Orthodox Church celebrates the Synaxis of the Archangel Michael and the Other Bodiless Powers on November 8 of the Eastern Orthodox liturgical calendar (for those churches which follow the Julian Calendar, November 8 falls on November 21 of the modern Gregorian Calendar). Other feast days of the Archangels include the Synaxis of the Archangel Gabriel on March 26 (April 8), and the Miracle of the Archangel Michael at Colossae on September 6 (September 19). In addition, every Monday throughout the year is dedicated to the Angels, with special mention being made in the church hymns of Michael and Gabriel. In Orthodox iconography, each angel has a symbolic representation:
- Michael in the Hebrew language means "Who is like unto God?" or "Who is equal to God?" St. Michael has been depicted from earliest Christian times as a commander, who holds in his right hand a spear with which he attacks Lucifer, Satan, and in his left hand a green palm branch. At the top of the spear there is a linen ribbon with a red cross. The Archangel Michael is especially considered to be the Guardian of the Orthodox Faith and a fighter against heresies.
- Gabriel means "Man of God" or "Might of God". He is the herald of the mysteries of God, especially the Incarnation of God and all other mysteries related to it. He is depicted as follows: In his right hand, he holds a lantern with a lighted taper inside, and in his left hand, a mirror of green jasper. The mirror signifies the wisdom of God as a hidden mystery.
- Raphael means "God's healing" or "God the Healer" (Tobit 3:17, 12:15). Raphael is depicted leading Tobit (who is carrying a fish caught in the Tigris) with his right hand, and holding a physician's alabaster jar in his left hand.
- Uriel means "Fire of God", or "Light of God" (III Esdras 3:1, 5:20). He is depicted holding a sword against the Persians in his right hand, and a fiery flame in his left.
- Selaphiel means "Intercessor of God" (III Esdras 5:16). He is depicted with his face and eyes lowered, holding his hands on his bosom in prayer.
- Jegudiel means "Glorifier of God". He is depicted bearing a golden wreath in his right hand and a triple-thonged whip in his left hand.
- Barachiel means "Blessing of God". He is depicted holding a white rose in his hand against his breast.
- (Jeremiel means "God's exaltation". He is venerated as an inspirer and awakener of exalted thoughts that raise a person toward God (III Ezra 4:36). As an eighth, he is sometimes included as archangel.)
Some Protestants view Michael as the sole archangel, as the only one explicitly described as such in the Protestant canon of the Bible. (Jude 1:9) In their view, Gabriel is never called 'archangel' in the Gospels. According to Origen, verse 1:9 of Jude is an insertion that led to the writing of The Assumption of Moses.
The edition of the Bible used by Protestants, which excludes the Apocrypha, never mentions a "Raphael" and he is therefore not recognized by many of them. Raphael, however, is mentioned in the Book of Tobit, one of the deuterocanonical books. In the story, Raphael comes to the aid of Tobit, healing him of blindness, and his son Tobias, driving away a demon that would have killed him. Raphael also plays an important role in the Book of Enoch.
Jehovah's Witnesses believe that Michael is one of the names Jesus has in heaven. In this view, Michael is the first and greatest of all God's creatures, the chief messenger of Jehovah that takes the lead in vindicating God's sovereignty, sanctifying God's name, fighting the forces of Satan and protecting God's people on earth. (Revelation 12:7; 19:14,16• Daniel 12:1) This belief is held because of the prominence Michael has among the heavenly sons of God in the Bible, the similarity of Michael’s and Jesus’ mission and the connection of Jesus with the archangelic office in 1 Thessalonians 4:16, where it is said: "Because the Lord himself will descend from Heaven with a commanding call, with an archangel's voice." Taking also into account that the Bible refers to one archangel only using a definite article (Jude 9), Jehovah's witnesses have concluded that Michael and Jesus are one and the same.
A similar opinion is held by certain Protestants, such as Seventh-day Adventists, the Baptist evangelist Charles Spurgeon and the Presbyterian Commentary author Matthew Henry, who believe that the Archangel Michael is not an angel but is instead, the divine Son of God. In this view "archangel" means "head of the angels" rather than "head angel," and is a title similar to "Prince or Leader of the host." (Daniel 8:11) While not all Baptists hold to this view, Seventh-day Adventists generally do.
Minggu, 11 Januari 2009
Jumat, 09 Januari 2009
Catholic Patron Saints
PATRON SAINTS for various OCCUPATIONS and CONDITIONS
Although the Christian religion is monotheistic and all replies to prayers are said to come from the grace of Jehovah, in practice, prayers to Jesus and the Holy Spirit (the other two members of the Christian Trinity), are acceptable to all Christians, and prayers to The Virgin Mary (the mother of Jesus) have a long history of popular usage dating back to pre-Christian European Goddess-centered paganism.
As in most religions, the honoured dead of Christianity -- real or fictitious men and women known for their piety -- are referred to as "saints" (holy persons). In what some scholars believe was an attempt to appeal to pagans who worshipped various polytheistic pantheons, the Catholic Church long ago established the concept of the "intercession of saints," the idea that the saints of the Church have "the ear of God," and that prayers made by them in Heaven are more powerful or efficacious than prayers made on Earth by common people. In order to facilitate the process of intercession, it has for centuries been the practice of the Catholic Pope to declare that certain occupations and conditions of life have official "patron" saints who take special interest in those specific matters. Attested miracles connected with an occupation or condition that ocurred during the saint's life or through intercessory prayer after his or her death influence the realm of life over which he or she is declared a patron.
Many Catholics address the Virgin Mary with direct prayers and do not ask her to intercede on their behalfs with Jehovah, but although this is a common practice, technically speaking, Mary is not a deity but a holy person, and therefore prayers addressed to her are also called "intercessions." In acknowledgement of her widespread popularity, Mary's various manifestations and apparitions have been given patronage over an assortment of occupations and conditions by the Church, as if she were a multiplicity of saints.
The list of Patron Saints below is by no means complete, and it contains several individuals who have not received Papal approval but find common acceptance among folk-Catholics in various regions. Some people call these non-canonical intercessors "Folk Saints." They fall roughly into three categories:
"Legendary" Saints: During the 20th century some former Catholic saints, such as Saint Christopher, were down-graded by the Church to the status of mere "legends" because there was no documentation that they had ever lived. This did not stop their veneration in the nations which had been the centers of their cults, and for that reason they are still believed to be patron saints by many Catholics.
"Not Yet" Saints: Catholics tend to lobby for the bestowal of sainthood status upon local holy people, thus we see novenas, statuary, amulets, and candles produced in advance of a person's beatification and sainthood in the hope of accumulating examples of intercessions by these non-canonical figures. Dr. Jose Gregorio Hernandez of Venezuela and Nino Fidencio of Mexico are prominent examples of this type of Folk-Saint.
"Mythical" Saints: These are entities who have never been saints and can never become saints because in the eyes of the Church, they do not really exist. The best known example may be the spirit known as Santisima Muerte or Santa Muerte (Most Holy Death or Saint Death) . She is not recognized as a saint by the Vatican, yet statuary and amulets depicting her skeletal form and printed Novena booklets filled with prayers to her can be purchased throughout Mexico. Within the folk-Catholic traditions, information about these saints and the areas of life over which they assume patronage is passed along through word of mouth and by means of holy cards which often have short printed prayers or orations on the reverse, novena booklets containing longer prayers and a biographical note, and novena candles with a short prayer for intercession on the back.
OCCUPATION SAINT
or
CONDITION
Accountants St. Matthew
Actors St. Genesius
Adopted Children St. Thomas More
Air Travellers St. Joseph Cupertino
Amputees Saint Anthony
Animals St. Francis of Assisi
Architects St. Barbara
Arthritis St. James
Artillery St. Barbara
Artists St. Luke
Astronomers St. Dominic
Athletes St. Sebastian
Aviators Our Lady of Loretto,
St. Joseph Cupertino
Bachelors Saint Christopher
Bakers St. Nicholas,
St. Honoratus
Bankers St. Matthew
Barren Women Saint Anthony
Basket-Makers St. Hilarion
Battle Saint Michael Archangel
Birds St. Francis of Assisi
Blacksmiths St. James,
St. Dunstan
Blindness St. Lucy,
St. Raphael Archangel
Bodily Ills Our Lady of Lourdes
Bookkeepers St. Matthew
Boy Scouts St. George
Breast Cancer St. Agnes
Brewers St. Luke,
St. Nicholas
Bricklayers St. Stephen
Brides St. Nicholas
Builders St. Barbara
Businesses San Martin Caballero
Butchers St. Luke,
Saint Anthony
Cab Drivers St. Fiacre
Cabinetmakers St. Anne
Cancer Patients St. Peregrine
Candlemakers St. Ambrose
Carpenters Saint Joseph
Cavalry St. George
Charitable Societies St. Vincent de Paul
Childbirth St. Anne,
St. Gerard,
St. Ramon
Childhood Rape Victims Saint Dymphna
Children St. Nicholas
Infant of Prague
Chivalry St. George
Churches Saint Joseph
Civil Servants St. Thomas More
Clergy St. Charles
Comedians St. Genesius,
St. Vitus
Composers St. Cecilia
Conception St. Gabriel Archangel
Cooks St. Lawrence,
St. Martha
Counsel The Holy Spirit
Court Workers St. Thomas More
Cranky Children St. Sebastian
Dancers St. Vitus
Desperation Saint Jude
Dieticians St. Martha
Difficult Marriages St. Thomas More
Diplomats St. Gabriel Archangel
Dog Bite St. Hubert
Dog Lovers St. Roch
Domestic Workers St. Martha
Doubters Saint Joseph
Dream Interpretation St. Gabriel Archangel
Druggists St. Raphael Archangel
Dying St. Barbara,
Saint Joseph
Editors St. John Bosco
Environmentalists St. Francis of Assisi
EMTs St. Luke
Enemies of Religion St. Sebastian
Engineers Saint Joseph
Epilepsy St. Vitus
Eye Diseases St. Raphael Archangel
Eyes St. Lucy
Faith Saint Anthony
Falsely Accused St. Gerard,
St. Raymond
Families Saint Joseph
Family Harmony Saint Dymphna
Farmers St. Isidore,
St. George
Fathers Saint Joseph
Fever St. Peter
Fire St. Lawrence
Firefighters St. Florian
Fireworks St. Barbara
Fishermen St. Andrew,
St. Peter
Florists St. Theresa
Foot Trouble St. Peter
Gardeners St. Fiacre,
St. Sebastian
Glass Industry St. Luke
Glaziers St. Mark
Goldsmiths St. Luke
Gout Sufferers St. Andrew
Grandmothers St. Anne
Gravediggers Saint Anthony
Greetings St. Valentine
Grocers Saint Michael Archangel
Hairdressers St. Martin de Porres
Happy Death Saint Joseph
Hardware St. Sebastian
Healing of Wounds St. Rita
Hermits St. Hilarion
Hesitation Saint Joseph
HIV-AIDS Patients St. Lazarus of Dives
Home Builders Our Lady of Loretto
Home Sellers Saint Joseph
Homosexuals St. Sebastian
Horsemen St. Anne,
San Martin Caballero
Hospital Staff St. Martin de Porres
Housekeepers St. Anne
Housewives St. Anne
Hunters St. Hubert
Illegal Drug Dealers Jesus Malverde
Illegal Immigrants Nino Fidencio
Impossible Causes Saint Jude
Incest Victims Saint Dymphna
Infertility Saint Anthony
Insanity Saint Dymphna
Invalids St. Roch
Jewelers St. Luke
Jurists St. Juan Capistrano
Kidnap Victims Nino de Atocha
Laborers St. James
Lamp Makers Our Lady of Loretto
Lawyers St. Genesius,
St. Thomas More
Leather Workers Sts. Crispin & Crispinian
Librarians St. Jerome
Lightning St. Barbara
Locksmiths St. Dunstan
Loneliness St. Rita
Long Life St. Peter
Lost Articles Saint Anthony
Lovers St. Valentine,
St. Raphael Archangel
Lumbago St. Lawrence
Machinists St. Hubert
Marital Fidelity Santisima Muerte
Masons The Two Sts. John,
St. Clement
Medical Students Dr. Jose Gregorio Hernandez
Mental Illness Saint Dymphna
Merchants St. Francis of Assisi
Messengers St. Gabriel Archangel
Midwives St. Raymond
Milliners St. Catherine
Miners St. Barbara
Missing Persons Saint Anthony,
Nino de Atocha
Missions St. Theresa
Monastics St. Benedict
Monks St. Benedict
Motorcyclists O.L. Miraculous
Musicians St. Cecilia
Navigators O.L. Star of the Sea
Needle Workers St. Francis of Assisi
Nerves Saint Dymphna
Notaries St. Luke,
St. Mark
Nurses St. Agatha,
St. Camillus
Occultists St. Cyprian,
St. Albertus Magnus
Organ Makers St. Genesius
Painters St. Luke
Paramedics St. Luke
Paratroopers Saint Michael Archangel
Pawnbrokers St. Nicholas
Peddlers St. Lucy
Peril At Sea Saint Michael Archangel
O.L. Caridad d. Cobre
Pharmacists Sts. Cosmos & Damian
Philosophers St. Catherine Alexandria
Physicians St. Luke,
St. Raphael Archangel,
Dr. Jose Gregorio Hernandez
Pioneers Saint Joseph
Plague Victims St. Roch
Plasterers St. Bartholemew
Poets St. David
Poison Sufferers St. Benedict
Police Officers Saint Michael Archangel
Poor Saint Anthony,
St. Lawrence
Porters Saint Christopher
Postal Workers Saint Gabriel Archangel
Potters St. Sebastian
Pregnant Women St. Gerard
St. Raymond
Printers St. Augustine
Prisoners St. Barbara,
St. Raymond,
Nino de Atocha
Prisoners of War St. Leonard
Procrastinaters Saint Expedite
Public Relations St. Paul
Radio Saint Gabriel Archangel
Race Relations St. Martin de Porres
Radiologists Saint Michael Archangel
Realtors Saint Joseph
Rheumatism St. James
Sailors St. Brendan,
Saint Christopher
St. Nicholas,
O.L. Star of the Sea,
O.L. Caridad d. Cobre
Salesmen St. Lucy
Shoemakers Sts. Crispin & Crispinian
Scholars & Schools St. Thomas Aquinas
Scientists St. Albertus Magnus
Sculptors St. Claude
Secretaries St. Genesius
Seminarians St. Charles
Servants St. Martha
Service Women St. Joan of Arc
Ship Builders St. Peter
Sick St. Camillus,
Saint Michael Archangel
Sick Poor St. Martin de Porres
Singers St. Gregory,
St. Cecilia
Skin Disease St. Peregrine,
St. Lazarus of Dives
Snake Bite St. Patrick
Social Justice Saint Joseph
Soldiers St. George,
St. Joan of Arc,
St. Sebastian
Solitary Death St. Francis of Assisi
Souls in Purgatory Anima Sola,
Our Lady Mt. Carmel
Speedy Results Saint Expedite
Infant of Prague
Stationers St. Peter
Steel Workers St. Sebastian
Stenographers St. Cassian Tangiers
Stock Brokers St. Matthew
Stomach Trouble St. Charles
Storms St. Barbara
Stone Carvers St. Peter
Students St. Thomas Aquinas
Surgeons Sts. Cosmos & Damian
Surgery Patients Infant of Prague
Tanners St. James
Tax Collectors St. Matthew
Teachers St. Gregory
Television St. Clara,
Saint Gabriel Archangel
Temptation Saint Michael Archangel
Theologians St. Thomas Aquinas
Throat Trouble St. Cecilia
Tilesetters The Two Sts. John
Tongue Trouble St. Catherine
Toothache St. Patrick
Travel Safety Saint Christopher
Truck Drivers Saint Christopher
Tuberculosis St. Theresa
Tumor St. Rita
Ulcers St. Charles
Undertakers St. Sebastian
Veterinarians St. James
Vocalists St. Cecilia
Watchmakers Saint Joseph,
St. Peter
Widows St. Paula
Wisdom St. Sophia
Workingmen Saint Joseph
Writers St. Lucy,
St. Catherine Sienna
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