Saints are special and you should pick someone special to you. But sometimes they’re just so overused that you need a fresh perspective. There are THOUSANDS of canonized saints to choose from! Why settle for being the third Catherine of Siena or Francis of Assisi in just your group? Here are 10 saints NOT to choose for Confirmation.
1. Mary
She is everything and we’re just Ken. Mary is the patron of all of us and it’s kind of a cop out to pick her for your Confirmation saint. She is special to everyone in a unique way and, therefore, universal.
2. St. Padre Pio
Padre Pio is a little interesting to understand and harder even to integrate into your life. He took on many disciplines that were harsh or could become harsh and sometimes was even scolded for them. Not that this stopped him. But it should stop you. Padre Pio is on another playing field and not really suitable for someone just coming to the Faith.
3. St. John Paul II
So. Over. Done. JP2 was the epitome of youth pastor and cool and going gracefully to God. He’s amazing! But everyone is picking him and plenty who don’t still have major devotions to him. Get more personal with your choice!
4. St. Mother Teresa
Just like JP2, over done. And sometimes we overlook her failings to say what an amazing person she was. This isn’t untrue, but it also downplays some corruption and makes it look like corruption is okay as long as the Lord is being served from it. She’s a good woman, but there’s probably someone more intimate for you.
5. Junipero Serra
Lots of oppression and genocide occurred on his watch and it coincided with how his status was used to “approve” of aggressive evangelization. Again, good dude, just gotta watch that the downsides aren’t swept away in a wave of “Well, things turned out fine so this was fine.”
6. St. Maximillian Kolbe
Another very popular one these days! He was also a pretty grumpy man and plenty of people use that as a cover to be grumpy to other people. Don’t let that be you! If you must choose him, choose him because you’re both Polish or because he ran a newspaper or because you want to give up your life in service of God and others like he did in whatever daily martyrdoms come your way.
7. St. George
He killed animals for sport! Dragons are God’s precious creatures, too! I’m just kidding, George is fine, if not a little overused because of the soldier and fighting a dragon imagery.
8. St. Thomas More
Doubly so if you’re a lawyer! You’re not about to die “the king’s good servant, but God’s first” so just find someone else. You are more than your job!
9. St. Catherine of Siena or St. Joan of Arc
Both so overused for women. These are not the only strong lady saints out there! And you probably don’t have a call on your life like either of them, so stop pretending that you do and start listening to God the way they listened to God.
10. St. Francis of Assisi
You can’t pick him just because you love animals, you can’t. There’s so much more to Francis than his love of and care for Creation. Also, your patron saint is supposed to be someone you can emulate. If you are married or plan to become married, Francis is not the patron for you. He was called personally into a lot of things that you can’t call a whole family into without serious familial discernment. This doesn’t mean you can’t have a devotion to him or be a Third Order Franciscan, but it does mean to tread carefully.
Whew! That was a lot of people you should steer clear of. But never fear! Here are 5 saints who aren’t overused or controversial that can give you a jumping point for picking your patron!
1. St. Damien of Molokai
He served as a priest in the leper colony in Hawaii in the 1860s, bringing order, medical and spiritual care, and education to those quarantined there. He served the sick by caring for their needs, being their priest, building a church and school, and giving counsel. He led many into dignified deaths that they would’ve been denied without his help. As undistinguished as he was in life, he remains mostly hidden today.
2. St. Hildegard of Bingen
A little-known Doctor of the Church! She was a writer, composer, philosopher, Christian mystic, and German Benedictine abbess. Great for jacks-of-all-trades, women with calls to the creative arts, and anyone who enjoys the finer things in life. She became recognized for her immense knowledge of all things faithful, music and natural science, with knowledge of herbs and medicinal arts, despite never having any formal education and not knowing how to write. Hildegard is proof that women can have it all and that the Holy Spirit provides everything.
3. Bl. Solanus Casey
Not quite yet a saint, you could get in early with him! He’s especially good if you come from Detroit or Wisconsin. Solanus was ordained only a simplex priest, meaning he couldn’t hear confessions or preach, even though he knew the call on his heart was to be a priest. So he served the way he was allowed to, even though that was not fully, in the vocation he had been called to. He is a great patron for those who strive with all their might and something always seems to get in the way.
4. St. Kateri Tekakwitha
The first Native American to be recognized as a saint! She was big on self-mortification, but that was a holdover from her Mohawk culture and reworked to fit into the Catholic theology. She’s a great patroness is you’re into helping the environment or ecology or if you feel like your beliefs have cut you off from those you love the most.
5. St. Zoe of Pamphilia
I’m a little biased with this one because she’s my Confirmation saint, but I couldn’t not include her in this list. Zoe was a wife, mother, and slave in pagan territory. She encouraged those she encountered through her work and gave away her meager food rations to those who had even less. Eventually, she was martyred because she would not eat meat sacrificed to the pagan gods, but not before watching her husband and sons be tortured to death. She is a great patron for anyone with the charism of encouragement, those who seek to live God’s life (the literal meaning of Zoe) over any other, and those who give of their little to make the world a better place.
Really, any saint is a good choice and you can be proud to choose any one of these powerful patrons! But discerning a patron saint is a task that should be undertaken with a lot of prayer and good intentions. Look deeply at who you are, who you long to be, and who God is calling you to be, and then find a patron that will help you along that path.
Listen to our Podcast episode about this article.