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