Patron Saints Stories

Saint Michael

St. Michael the Archangel, whose name means, “one who is like God,” led the army of angels who cast Satan and the rebellious angels into Hell; at the end of time, he will wield the sword of justice to separate the righteous from the evil. 

Saint Michael the Archangel isn't a saint, but rather he is an angel, and the leader of all angels and of the army of God. This is what the title "Archangel" means, that he is above all the others in rank.

 

Saint Christopher

Various legends surround his life.  The most popular is that he was a rather ugly, giant man, born to a heathen king who was married to a Christian, who had prayed to the Blessed Mother for a child.  Originally named “Offerus,” he carried people across the river for his livelihood. 

The name Christopher means “Christ bearer.”  He is the patron saint of travelers, especially those driving cars. His popularity increased during the Middle Ages.  However, evidence attests to widespread devotion even prior to this time.

Saint Bernard Patronage

Bernard of Montjoux born in Italy. He became a priest, was made Vicar General of Aosta, and spent more than four decades doing missionary work in the Alps. He built schools and churches in the diocese but is especially remembered for two Alpine hospices he built to aid lost travelers in the mountain passes named Great and Little Bernard, after him. The men who ran them in time became Augustinian canons regular and built a monastery. The Order continued into the twentieth century. He was proclaimed the patron saint of Alpinists and mountain climbers.

 

Saint Dymphna Patronage

against sleepwalking
against epilepsy
against insanity
against mental disorders
against mental illness
epileptics

Daughter of a pagan Irish chieftain named Damon, and a beautiful devoted Christian woman. Her mother died when Dymphna was a teenager. Her father searched the Western world for a woman to replace his wife. Returning home, he saw that his daughter was as beautiful as her mother, and maddened by grief, he made advances on her. She fought him off, then fled to Belgium with Saint Gerebernus, an elderly priest and family friend. Dymphna’s father searched for them, and his search led to Belgium. When he found them in Gheel, he beheaded Gerebernus, and demanded that Dymphna surrender to him. She refused, and he killed her in a rage.

The site where she died is known for its miraculous healings of the insane and possessed. There is now a well-known institution on the site, and her relics are reported to cure insanity and epilepsy.

 

Saint Lazarus the Leper

 

The Order of Saint Lazarus was founded in the 12th century to provide nursing for lepers, taking Lazarus as its patron. The knights of the order were lepers, and besides helping their fellow sufferers, they carried out military duties. They founded a hospital for lepers near the northern wall of Jerusalem.

 

Miraculous Medal

The story of the Miraculous Medal arises from the apparitions of our Blessed Mother to St. Catherine Laboure, a novice at the motherhouse of the Daughters of Charity in Paris (where it still stands today at 140 Rue du Bac).

The miraculous medal has been worn by some of the most influential people in the world. Mother Teresa, a nun known for her charitable lifestyle, was known to give these medals to people she met. She called it a sign of God's love for each individual and used it as a reminder of the importance of charitable deeds in the name of that love.

The back manifests the austere and hidden face of the message: love and the Cross, the resources of salvation, illustrated by the Passion of Our Lord and the Compassion of Our Lady that all are invited to share.”