Who is Your Favorite Saint?

Tomorrow is All Saints Day, as I am sure you know.  Brings to mind the question, “Who is your favorite saint?”

Most of us I suspect will name one of the canonized saints. For me for many years during my childhood, I held St. Thomas More and St. Dominic as my favorites. Cannot really tell you why, but for some reason, I favored them.  I took Dominic as my confirmation name. I think my mother must have talked to me a lot about these two saints, although I don’t specifically recall.  After a while, St. Robert Bellarmine became a favorite, again for reasons I do not recall.  I guess the point is that saints were important to my childhood.  I wonder if they remain important in the faith life of children today.

As an adult, my favorites are Mother Teresa and Pope John Paul I (Papa Luciani). I know John Paul I isn’t a canonized saint, but I believe him to be enjoying the Beatific Vision at this moment, and that would qualify him as a saint.

I revere Mother Teresa because she saw Jesus in the faces of everyone. She was a real contemplative in an very active ministry. She is a fabulous example of diaconal service without having been deacon. She is also special to me because I was able to see her face to face twice in my life.

I pray to Papa Luciani because he too, though Pope, was grounded in humble service.  His motto was Humilitas.  I strongly suspect he also is dear to me because I saw him several times, face to face, during the months of August and September in 1978.  I truly hope to be at St. Peter’s when he is canonized.

Then there are those extremely dear to my heart who I pray are in heaven. These include my grandmother Mabel, my grandmother Helen, and my sister and father. If my grandmothers are not in heaven, then I have a lot to worry about, especially my grandmother Helen, who suffered terribly during her short life. 

I would be remiss if I didn’t include as a favorite our Blessed Mother Mary.  Talk about humble service!  She is the example par excellence.

Who is your favorite saint, and why?