It happened. I tried to stifle the laugh, but it was impossible. She was just too funny, too sassy, too real… St. Thérèse of Lisieux had literally made me laugh out loud in adoration. How embarrassingly awesome.
Ever since I was 14, St. Thérèse had been a “saint-buddy” of mine, but it was in a simple moment while reading Story of a Soul (Thérèse’s autobiography) that her journey to sainthood became real to me. Her sassy, stubborn-headed, emotional self had truly spoke to me in such a real and personal way. She spoke to me like a sister.
The saints, our teachers
What an incredible gift we have in the communion of saints. The saints are like us! They are our ancestors, our teachers, our friends, our siblings. They are real, truly human. They are sinners, they are repentant children of God.
The saints lived on this earth and experienced suffering, joy, pain, broken promises, peace, frustration, war, injury, heart-break… they know our hearts. But mostly, they know what it takes to be united with God here on this messy earth. They know what it takes to live well for Him.
Why a saint for Confirmation?
We choose a Confirmation saint (like we choose a Confirmation sponsor) not out of due diligence to the “rule,” but rather because we realize how unfortunate it would be to travel alone. We recognize how important it is to know your Confirmation saint not only by name, but also by story. The saints have so much to teach us about this journey.
The following list is for you to use as a starting point in your journey to decide whom your “Confirmation saint-buddy” will be. Pick a saint who speaks to you somehow. Know their story. But, mostly know the power of their prayer. Ask for their intercession like you would ask for the prayers of your friends. Saying “yes” to a Confirmation saint is like saying “yes, you may always pray for my poor and weary soul.”
How fantastic is that!? I pray that in this process you don’t just find a Confirmation saint, but instead an incredible friend.
So, here it rolls… the list to top all lists. Happy picking!
Saints who I’m pretty sure were actually superheroes
No, their “superpowers” weren’t designed by fancy machinery or alien power. They were simply receptive to the mighty power of God. These saints stories are incredibly heroic.
- St. Mary, the Mother of God
- St. Peter
- Bl. Miguel Pro
- St. Maximilian Kolbe
- St. Joseph Cupertino
- St. George Martyr
- St. Joan of Arc
- St. Padre Pio
- St. Louis IX
- St. George
- St. Simeon Stylites
- St. Quiteria
- St. Denis
- St. Margaret of Antioch
- St. Patrick
Modern day saints
Men and women who know what it means to live in the 20th century and still live a holy life. Whew, that’s not only impressive, but beautiful. We have a lot to learn from these men and women.
- St. John Paul II
- St. Gianna
- Bl. Chiara Badano
- St. Josemaria Escriva
- Bl. Mother Teresa
- St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross
- St. Katharine Drexel
- St. Maria Faustina Kowalska
- St. John XXIII
- St. Pauline of the Suffering Heart of Jesus
- St. Luigi Orione
- St. Andre Bessette
- St. Jaime Hilario Barbal
- St. Riccardo Pampuri
- St. Maria Bernard Butler
- St. Pius X
- St. Mary MacKillop
Saints who are Doctors of the Church
No, we’re not talking about Dr. House or Dr. Who, but rather physicians of the theology of the Church. Men and women who, through their own intense study and reflection, have given the Church great wisdom and insight.
- St. Ambrose
- St. Jerome
- St. Gregory the Great
- St. Athanasius
- St. John Chrysostom
- St. Basil the Great
- St. Gregory of Nazianzus
- St. Thomas Aquinas
- St. Bonaventure
- St. Anselm of Canterbury
- St. Isidore of Seville
- St. Peter Chrysologus
- St. Leo I, the Great
- St. Peter Damian
- St. Bernard of Clairvaux
- St. Hilary of Poitiers
- St. Alphonsus Liguori
- St. Cyril of Jerusalem
- St. John of Damascus
- St. Cyril of Alexandria
- St. Bede the Venerable
- St. Ephrem the Syrian
- St. Peter Canisius
- St. John of the Cross
- St. Robert Bellarmine
- St. Albert the Great
- St. Anthony of Padua
- St. Francis de Sales
- St. Lawrence of Brindisi
- St. Catherine of Siena
- St. Thérèse of Lisieux
Saints with a really cool conversion story
God works wonders in our lives in small and hidden ways, but sometimes His wonders are loud. These saints experienced a profound conversion that really shaped their life in tremendous ways.
- St. Francis of Assisi
- St. Mary Magdalene
- St. Paul
- St. Augustine of Hippo (also a doctor of the Church)
- St. Genesius
- St. Vladimir of Kiev
- St. Moses the Black
- St. Longinus
- Bl. Imelda Lambertini
Saints with names your bishop might have trouble pronouncing
… cause (don’t lie) that would be really funny. But also, their names aren’t the only rad thing about these saints; check out their stories!
- St. John Chrysostom
- St. Alphonsa Muttathupadathu
- St. Benedicta Hyon Kyongnyon
- St. Ceolwulf of Northumbria
- St. Quadragesimus
- Bl. Volodymyr Pryjma
- St. Zygmunt Gorazdowski
Saints who reached sanctity before the age of 25
Most of these saints were younger than you when they reached sainthood. What’s your excuse?
- Bl.José Sánchez del Rio
- St. Agnes
- St. Dominic Savio
- St. Tarcisius
- St. Maria Goretti
- Bl. Chiara Luce Badano
- St. Aquilina
- St. Gemma Galgani
- St. Lucy
- Bl. Pier Georgio Frassati
- St. Charles Lwanga
- St. Perpetua
- Bl. Francisco Marto
- Bl. Jacinta Marto
- St. Philomena
- St. Aloysius Gonzaga
Saints to invoke if you need prayers for a very specific intention
A saint is way more than their patronage, but sometimes we just need a saint in our lives who can pray for us in a particular way.
- For the universal Church and fathers – St. Joseph
- For those suffering nervous and mental afflictions – St. Dymphna
- For abuse victims – St. Monica
- For earaches – St. Polycarp
- For headaches – St. Teresa of Ávila (also a doctor of the Church)
- For toothaches – St. Apollonia
- For sore eyes – St. Clare of Assisi
- For those too sick to care for themselves – St. Roch
- For the poor – St. Lawrence
- For protection from fire – St. Agatha of Sicily
- For those who struggle with doubt – St. Thomas the Doubter
- For “hopeless causes” – St. Jude Thaddeus
- For athletes – St. Sebastian
- For musicians – St. Cecilia
- For artists – St. Catherine of Bologna
- For students – St. John Bosco and St. Benedict
- For speakers and philosophers – St. Justin Martyr
- For travelers – St. Christopher
- For friendships – St. John the Evangelist
- For Christian mothers – St. Anne
- For adopted children – St. Thomas More
- For farmers and rural communities – St. Isidore the Farmer
- For bakers – St. Nicholas
- For fisherman – St. Andrew
- For hunters – St. Hubert
- For physicians – St. Luke
- For altar servers – St. John Berchmans
By no means is this a complete list of the saints. If it was, it would totally be way more overwhelming than helpful. But, I pray you have found your “saint-buddy” on this page. If not, I pray you will soon, for the saints truly are our greatest friends and advocates. They are our family!
For more information on Catholic saints and their stories, check out other published Life Teen blogs and books!