Heavenly Patronage
This is the first in a five-part series on the ministry of St. Stephen, our parish patron.
God’s providence guides all the events of human history, and so we can be certain that nothing occurs without his permission or desire (even the most seemingly random or coincidental occurrences). This is especially evident in the role assigned to our heavenly patrons the saints. The Catechism speaks about the intercession of the saints thus: "Being more closely united to Christ, those who dwell in heaven fix the whole Church more firmly in holiness.... They do not cease to intercede with the Father for us… So by their fraternal concern our weakness is greatly helped.” In the family of God, the saints are our big brothers and sisters who help us to come to the Father’s house through their wisdom and prayers. Like a big family, it’s possible to have a relationship with many of these older siblings in unique and special ways.
The first way we might be connected to the saints is through our name. I was named Stephen because my parents liked the sound of the name and only secondarily because of the saint from the Bible. I was given the middle name Joseph because I was born on my Grandpa Joe’s birthday, and not primarily because of the saintly foster-father of Jesus. Yet these two patrons have guided me continually throughout my life so far, and have even brought me to St. Stephen Catholic Church which has two cemeteries named after Sts. Stephen and Joseph. What a coincidence, you say! Nothing could be further from the truth.
If you don’t happen to have an assigned name of a well-known canonized saint, chances are that someone in heaven is still praying for you. Through Google, you might even find that seemingly non-Christian names like Kenneth actually are saint names (St. Kenneth the 6th c. Irish abbot who helped convert Scotland). Those saints with names close to yours probably still help out in a pinch. So Patrice is assisted by Patrick, Kathleen is helped by Catherine, etc. Don’t forget that many Catholics going through Confirmation took a patron saint to guide them through adulthood. Remember who that was for you?
Beyond your given and Confirmation names, you can look to heavenly friends from your parish (St. Stephen), your state (Bl. Solanus Casey), your nation (Mary the Immaculate Conception), your career, your ancestral homeland, etc. Then there are those saintly friends you’ve picked up over the years that you call on for specific things, no matter how mundane (St. Anthony of Padua to find lost things, St. Frances Cabrini to find a parking spot). If you don’t have anyone in mind, look back at previous bulletins where our Administrative Assistant Debbie Branger has detailed the lives of the saints in our chapel’s high altar. Or just Google ‘Cool Saints’ and read something interesting. We’ll be exploring in the coming weeks how our parish patron St. Stephen the Deacon and Protomartyr can be a model for your Christian walk and how he can intercede for you in difficult times. May we start calling on him now to help in our need!