Pope Francis plans to mark the 50th anniversary of the death of St. Pio of Pietrelcina and the 100th anniversary of Padre Pio receiving the stigmata by visiting the famed Italian saint's hometown and the pediatric oncology ward of the hospital he founded. Padre Pio is pictured in an undated portrait. (CNS file photo) See POPE-PADRE-PIO Dec. 19, 2017.
Saint are there for us during all types of trials. They pray and intercede for us to the Father, and they walk with us on life’s difficult journeys.
With the new challenges we face right now, life can feel out of our control. We need our brothers and sisters in heaven to work on our behalf, and they stand ready and waiting.
If you have a special devotion to a particular saint, now is the time to ask for their help. If you aren’t sure which saint to pray to in this situation, here are four who are especially well known for help during times of worry, fear and anxiety.
St. Dymphna – The patron saint of nervous disorders and anxiety, she is perfect for this situation. Dymphna’s mother died when she was young. When her distraught father couldn’t find a new wife, he decided the only solution was to take his daughter as his wife. The stress on her was enormous as she fled the situation. He eventually found her and murdered her when she wouldn’t consent to his madness. Many miracles are attributed to her intercession.
St. Jude Thaddeus – Best known simply as St. Jude, this apostle of Jesus is the patron of hopeless cases. Jude was chosen for this role because he was often mistaken for the apostle who betrayed Jesus since they shared the same name. It seemed impossible that anyone would pray for his intercession. The unlikely saint became a powerful intercessor.
St. Juan Diego – This saint is included because of what Our Lady said to him when he didn’t follow her instructions because his uncle became ill. Mary appeared to him and said, “Listen and be sure, my dear son, that I will protect you; do not be frightened or grieve, or let your heart be dismayed, however great the illness that you speak of. Am I not here?”
St. Pio of Pietrelcina – St. Pio is well known for his saying “Pray, Hope and Don’t Worry.” He depended heavily on God’s goodness and saw worry as useless. His solution to worry was to pray instead.
For more about the saints, visit the “Can We Be Saints?” blog at sfcatholic.org/saints. Reflections on the lives of different saints are added each month.
