I have been devoted to St. Anne (my patron) since my earliest childhood; very recently I learned about and fell in love with St. Gianna.  I believe those two women can get me through anything!

My all-time closest heavenly friend after God and His Holy Mother is Saint Philomena. She has been my friend for over 25 years…I “met” her by reading Cecily Hallack’s book about her, and was just charmed. She has always answered me, and brings me comfort and encouragement. She even brought me my children after many years of infertility!

After her, I love St. Francis de Sales, Blessed Margaret Clitherow and of course St. Therese of Lisieux. There are so many! I think it’s great that we can pray to different ones in different seasons of our lives…in high points and low points, in motherhood, in childhood, during travel, during Lent…whichever heavenly friends helps us and move us closer to God and Heaven!

Blessed be God in His Angels and in His Saints!

I consider St. Gianna to be my family physician and a wonderful personal friend. She never lets me down.

St. Dismas, the Good Thief, his sincere 11th hour repentance gives me great hope & consolation.

St. Gianna—when I got married 3 different people gave me the book about her b/c as a physician there were many similarities in our lives (except of course the saint part LOL.)  She is such an inspiration! I pray she watches over my own little Gianna.

My husband is Canadian and his father has a cottage on Lake Huron, near the Martyrs’ Shrine. It was there that I first heard the story of St. Kateri. She is wonderful. As a professor (and a Katharine) I love Catherine of Alexandria.  As an Anglican turned Catholic, I feel kinship with Blessed John Henry Newman. I teach medieval history, and the story of Joan of Arc just gets more and more powerful each time I teach it. But on a day to day basis, with small children in the house, I think St. Anthony of Padua and St. Jude get most of my prayers!

Another vote for St. Gianna - it is just such a blessing to have a “modern” saint to be able to relate to (our first born is named Gianna in her honor and she loves hearing about her patron saint and says she wants to be a doctor and a mom as well).
Also, not all the way Saints yet but, Blessed John Paul and Blessed Teresa of Calcutta are also my go to intercessors.

I adore St. Gianna for so many reasons but for the last year St. Catherine of Siena has been my go to Saint and my partner on my walk through my own Catherine’s autism and epilepsy diagnoses. 

When we were naming my daughter there was no discussion, no waffling it was Catherine, always.  We didn’t know why and we didn’t know a thing about St. Catherine at the time but now it is clear that she was always with us, right from the very, very beginning.  My Catherine and St. Catherine seem to share a similar temperament and I know St. Catherine can understand and get my baby through the family battles we sometimes inflict upon one another.  She, St. Catherine, is my rock and my strength when I feel absolutely beaten down by everything we are going through because I know she can move mountains (and Popes!).  I thank God for the wonderful blessing of the communion of Saints.  I truly wish everyone would partake of this amazing gift!

For the last few weeks I’ve been praying for the intercession of Dr. Jerome Lejeune, the French physician and geneticist who discovered the cause of Down Syndrome.  He was a great hero for the cause of life - advocating and caring for those with developmental disabilities, and speaking out against the view that there is any ambiguity as to when life begins for each individual human being.  For this, he was persecuted, both professionally and personally.  There is so much more to say about this wonderful man….

I just want to encourage as many people as possible to get to know Dr. Lejeune, and to pray for his canonization.  He is now at the “servant of God” stage of the process.  He has already helped me so much.

My favorite saint is St. Monica. I have many family members and friends who have left the faith and I always pray to St. Monica for them.

I keep in regular contact with the patron saints of our family (St. Anne, St. Anthony of Padua, St. Rose of Lima, St. Gianna, St. Catherine of Sienna, St. Elizabeth of Hungary and St. Claire).  It always leaps out to me which saint is the patron for each child except I am still stumped on which St. William is the patron saint of my son so he’s been getting St. Andrew.

They aren’t formally saints yet (as some have mentioned) but I also feel a powerful drawing to Blessed John Paul and Fr Mychal Judge.

I’m partial to St Flora who is patron of converts, French (always a plus). The real reason I chose her when I converted was my middle name is Jean after my mother’s sister and HER middle name was Florence, so there you are.
My favorite saint isn’t a saint…yet…Servant of God Archbishop Fulton Sheen.