I recommend that students commit themselves to certain saints as they prepare for the upcoming semester. In my own life as a college student, I’ve seen miracles happen when I remember that I’m not alone and that I can ask for the intercession of saints who understand what I’m going through.
This year in particular, I’ve understood in a new light just how involved the saints are in our lives. As a graduate student in creative writing, I have long been encouraged to submit work to literary magazines and journals to build up publication credentials. I’ve been submitting my work to literary journals since my undergraduate days with no luck. I received rejection after rejection, especially last semester when I increased my frequency of submissions.
My mom noticed how discouraged I was becoming, so she started praying a novena to St. Philip Neri, one of the patron saints of writers, on a continuous loop. Joining my prayers to hers helped me focus on having fun while writing, instead of becoming stressed out. My whole attitude changed drastically. And sure enough, this December, I received an email from a literary journal stating they had accepted one of my stories!
These moments where we get a glimpse of the friendliness of the saints are amazing reminders of the extended family we have in heaven. There are patron saints for everything, some of them oddly specific! Those of us in school are lucky: there are a huge number of saints who are looking out for us in particular. That’s why I’ve made a list of some of the patron saints related to education and challenges students sometimes face.
The hope is that you’ll find one or two saints that stand out to you and who you can turn to as a friend.
Patron Saints for Students
St. Francis de Sales
- Feast Day: January 24th
- Patron saint of adult education, writers
- Quote: “Take it as a certain sign that your charity is not genuine if your words, no matter how true, are not charitable.”
St. Thomas Aquinas
- Feast Day: January 28th
- Patron saint of students, Catholic colleges and universities, teachers
- Quote: “Grant me, O Lord my God, a mind to know you, a heart to seek you, wisdom to find you, conduct pleasing to you, faithful perseverance in waiting for you, and a hope of finally embracing you. Amen.”
St. Scholastica
- Feast Day: February 10th
- Patron saint of school, tests, reading
St. Gemma Galgani
- Feast Day: April 11th
- Patron saint of students, of overcoming temptations
- Quote: “If you really want to love Jesus, first learn to suffer, because suffering teaches you to love.”
St. Rita of Cascia
- Feast Day: May 22nd
- Patron saint of loneliness
St. Aloysius Gonzaga
- Feast Day: June 21th
- Patron saint of Catholic youth, teenagers, seminarians
Bl. Pier Giorgio Frassati (soon to be a saint!)
- Feast Day: July 4th
- Patron saint of young adults
- Quote: “…I urge you with all the strength of my soul to approach the Eucharistic Table as often as possible. Feed on this Bread of the Angels from which you will draw the strength to fight inner struggles, the struggles against passions and against all adversities, because Jesus Christ has promised to those who feed themselves with the most Holy Eucharist, eternal life and the necessary graces to obtain it.”
St. Benedict of Nursia
- Feast Day: July 11th
- Patron saint of students
- Quote: “The first degree of humility is prompt obedience.”
St. Joseph of Cupertino
- Feast Day: September 18th
- Patron saint of studying, of people with disabilities
Bl. Carlo Acutis (soon to be a saint!)
- Feast Day: October 12th
- Patron saint of youth
- Quote: “Our goal must be infinite, not the finite. The infinite is our homeland. Heaven has been waiting for us forever.”
St. Catherine of Alexandria
- Feast Day: November 25th
- Patron saint of students
St. John the Apostle
- Feast Day: December 27th
- Patron saint of friendships
- Quote: “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”
Do you ask for the intercession of any of these saints? Do any of these saints stand out to you? What other saints you would add onto this list? Feel free to comment below and share with the rest of us!
Photo by Susan Q Yin on Unsplash
