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A guide to picking confirmation saints

A guide to picking confirmation saints

A guide to picking confirmation saints

confirmation
Rachel Fagner, 15, is confirmed by Bishop Matthew H. Clark at Sacred Heart Cathedral in Rochester, N.Y., in 2005. (CNS photo/Mike Crupi, Catholic Courier)

Choosing a confirmation saint is a significant choice — and it can feel quite daunting! It’s tempting to settle on one of the few saints we know of or to turn to Google without a clear focus. However, if you seek a confirmation saint (or are simply on the quest for a saint to accompany you during this stage of your journey), there are numerous inquiries you can consider to assist you in discovering an appropriate spiritual ally. Whether you’re exploring for yourself or aiding someone else in locating a saintly companion, these questions can steer you toward a saint whose example truly inspires you to trust in God’s everlasting love for you and your vocation to become a saint yourself.

What are my pursuits, pastimes, and enthusiasms?

We frequently think of saints as merely monks and nuns who focus solely on the Blessed Sacrament with no curiosity for anything else, but saints are well-rounded individuals with diverse talents and hobbies. If you’re a sports enthusiast, you might want to learn about saints who participated in athletics; if you’re into music, there are numerous saints who performed with various instruments. There are saints in science, saints dedicated to homeschooling, and millennial saints who utilized the internet. Begin first with the saints who share your passions, then explore their lives to uncover if there’s an even deeper link.

What are the aspects of my life that hold importance to me?

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Frequently, the saints that we connect with the most are those who encountered experiences akin to our own: saints from mixed families; saints who endured assault; saints with single parents. Some of these circumstances may bring us immense happiness, such as being a working mother or an adoptive parent. Others may represent significant challenges, such as grappling with mental illness, infertility, or addiction. You may seek a saint who shares an intellectual or physical disability similar to yours or a saint whose life was as chaotic as yours. Anything that holds importance to you is important to God, and there is typically a saint who embodies that.

What task do I sense compelled to undertake for the Lord?

For grown-ups, this could be a matter of your calling or occupation (a saint who was a healthcare worker or an entrepreneur). For individuals who have not yet established a career path (which includes most confirmands), it may be more advantageous to select based on the type of work you aspire to engage in: combating racism, serving refugees, engaging in politics or combating misconduct within the Church. As ever, this link serves as a starting point, a means to discover a saint that connects with you on multiple levels.

What are the transgressions that trouble me the most?

There is no one for whom practicing virtue is consistently simple. When seeking a confirmation saint or a new saintly companion, ensure you consider not only the outward aspects of the saints’ lives but also their challenges. Reflect on the vices you find hardest to overcome. Perhaps you grapple with frustration yet acknowledge that your zeal for justice is commendable. You may wish to seek out saints who were motivated by justifiable anger and request their intercession to refine your motives. Alternatively, you might prefer saints known for their calm demeanor and ability to remain untroubled, striving to mirror their qualities. You could benefit from the support of a saint who committed serious sins, or perhaps you need one who struggled to fully embrace the Lord while leading a life of halfhearted belief for many years. Frequently, it is the imperfections of the saints that provide us with the greatest motivation.

What spiritual challenges am I facing?

You may not be battling against ongoing serious sin, but perhaps you are experiencing a spiritual conflict that feels insurmountable. feelings of emptiness during prayer can appear as an all-consuming truth, indicating that purity is unattainable — until you realize how many saints faced years of arid, challenging prayer. You might see yourself as unsuccessful and question how you can continue to follow Jesus when nothing seems to go your way; however, there are saints who can relate to that too. Moreover, while there are numerous brave saints in the presence of God, there were also those who dealt with fear. Identifying saints who experienced similar struggles can bolster you against the uncertainty and irritation that make perseverance in the Christian journey so difficult.

What narratives captivate my interest?

Are you in search of an adventure narrative? A story of exploration? Of suspense? Saints who fought for justice? A saint who advocated for herself? Perhaps you’re looking for a humble saint or a saint who discovered sanctity in a rather typical existence. At times, your greatest option is merely to dive into the stories and observe who pulls at your emotions.

There is no incorrect option

Many individuals often sigh at the choices made by their younger selves: they selected St. Sebastian because of their basketball participation in middle school, or they opted for their favorite artist’s name, or perhaps they picked a saint whose name would result in amusing initials. Although there are certainly some rather frivolous motives for choosing a saint, the Holy Spirit can still operate through those choices. Perhaps you selected St. Cecilia because of your fondness for music, yet she chose you because she has been interceding for you throughout your life. She might serve as a symbol of kindness, endurance, evangelization, or simply as a remarkable advocate. Regardless of your motivation, your confirmation saint is not a coincidence, which implies that the selection process doesn’t need to be laden with stress.

Additionally, although your confirmation saint remains your lifelong patron, you aren’t limited to just that one. Throughout your entire life, you can incorporate additional saints into your circle, gathering those who challenge and motivate you, saints who instill hope, and saints whose companionship feels welcoming. The saints lead us in calling us closer to the heart of Jesus, and what a blessing it is that we have an abundance from which to select.

Meg Hunter-Kilmer is the author of “Saints Around the World” (Emmaus Road Publishing, $22.95).

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE SAINTS

In 2022, Google is the first stop for most of us. And it can certainly be effective, but the internet sometimes has far too much information — and also not enough. If you’re not quite sure what you’re looking for, it’s hard to find much. And if you know exactly what you’re looking for, you still might not find just the right string of search terms. Consider grabbing a book instead.

“Modern Saints” (TAN, $24.95) by Ann Ball (volumes 1 and 2) is an entertaining collection of stories that make the saints come alive. Read through the whole thing and you’ll surely come out with a few new saint friends at the end. “Saintly Solutions to Life’s Common Problems” (Sophia Institute Press, $21.95) by Joseph M. Esper and its sequel, on the other hand, is organized topically, with short anecdotes and quotations that might lead you to a saint you want to research more heavily. Ronda Chervin’s “Avoiding Bitterness in Suffering” ($18.95, Sophia Institute Press) takes a similar approach, organizing saints by struggles and experiences of suffering.

For other full stories, you can dig into my books. “Pray for Us: 75 Saints Who Sinned, Suffered, and Struggled on Their Way to Holiness” (Ave Maria, $18.95) tells the stories of dozens of saints you’ve never heard of, plus you can check out the indices in the back to look up saints by region and era and topic. “Saints Around the World” (Emmaus Road Publishing, $22.95), an international storybook for children, also has indices to help guide you, or you can just flip through the pictures to see if anyone stands out to you. You’ll be surprised who you stumble across when you pick up a book instead of scrolling the internet.

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