He told the Italian army's Transports and Materials Corps last Thursday that he was delighted they shared a devotion to the martyr St Christopher - he carries him everywhere and the Corps has had him as their patron since 1954.

"I always carry a medallion of St Christopher because it helps me to go forward" he said.

What having a patron means

Having the high patronage of a martyr saint who gave his life to bear witness to Christ comes with a few requirements, Francis told the Corps.

Firstly, it means acknowledging that there is no profession or state of life that does not need to be anchored to true values and does not need divine protection.

In fact, the more your work involves supporting, protecting, saving or losing lives, the more important it is to "maintain a high ethical code and an inspiration that draws from above".

Being proud of having a patron saint means committing oneself to working in a way that prioritises human dignity - as we are images of God.

This style is distinguished for its defence of the weakest and those who find themselves in danger, whether through wars, natural disasters or pandemics.

Honouring your patron also means it is important to recognise your colleagues' abilities and characteristics.

But it doesn't stop there. It is also important that we "implore from Heaven that supplement of Grace, which is indispensable to best accomplish the missions we undertake.

"It means, in short, recognising that we are not omnipotent, that not everything is in our hands, and that we need divine blessing" Francis said.

Understanding St Christopher's role in their work will help when the Corps is called upon to help with peacekeeping operations, natural disasters, civil protection tasks and indispensable logistical activities.

Service

Francis commended the Corps for their service to others.

"Service involves placing oneself at the disposal of the common good, not sparing energy and effort..." he said.

"Service, serving, and service gives us dignity. What is your dignity? I am a servant: that is the great dignity!" Francis said.

His patronage means that even when we are unaware, we "carry the style of Christ, who came to serve, not to be served" Francis said.

St Christopher

St Christopher was removed from the General Roman Calendar in 1969 as part of the liturgical reforms following the Second Vatican Council.

This change was made because there is no evidence for the historical authenticity of Christopher.

However, the Catholic Church still recognises St Christopher as a saint, and his feast day (traditionally 25 July) can still be celebrated in local and particular calendars.

In practice, he remains a popular saint, especially as the patron of travellers, and many Catholics continue to venerate him.

Source

• Vatican communications
• katholisch.de
• Britannica

It is a gift from Pike River Re-entry Minister Andrew Little.

He presented it on May 3, when re-entry of the mine was planned and then abandoned because of the oxygen levels.

"There has long been a link between Catholicism and mining communities on the West Coast," a spokeswoman for Little told Stuff.

"Before he was an MP and was a union leader, Andrew noticed when he visited mines on the Coast that there was always an icon of St Barbara near the entrances."

The spokeswoman said he had noticed that many non-religious miners would acknowledge the icon at the start of their shifts.

"So it's a symbol of good fortune without necessarily any religious connotations in those communities."

In the aftermath of the disaster, Andrew noticed St Barbara was absent at Pike," she said.

"It's a small thought that stuck with him."

Little bought the small resin statue, which was made in the Dominican Republic, online and with his own money. "Taxpayer funds were not used," the spokeswoman stressed.

After the group representing the families approved, the icon was passed on to the agency for installation.

It has been mounted near the portal.

Little is an agnostic but was raised in a Catholic family.

"He rarely attends church, but enjoys the singing when he does."

Who was St Barbara?

St Barbara (died c. 200 CE; feast day 4 December) was a legendary virgin martyr of the early church. She is venerated as one of the 14 Auxiliary Saints (Holy Helpers).

She is invoked in thunderstorms and is the patron saint of miners and artillerymen.

Because Barbara's authenticity is highly questionable and her legend is probably spurious, she was dropped from the General Roman Calendar in 1969.

According to the legend, which dates only to the 7th century, she was the beautiful daughter of a pagan, Dioscorus, who kept her guarded in a tower to protect her from harm.

When she professed Christianity and refused marriage, he became enraged and took her to the provincial prefect, who ordered her to be tortured and beheaded.

Dioscorus himself performed the execution and, upon his return home, was struck by lightning and reduced to ashes.

Source

• stuff.co.nz
• nzherald.co.nz
• twitter.com
• britannica.com
• Image: twitter.com

In one of a handful of scriptural references, he is the apostle who tells Jesus that five loaves and two fishes won't feed 5,000 people; a miracle soon proves otherwise.

Like other widely honoured saints, Andrew himself defies the laws of finitude by appealing to so many people in so many places.

Thirtieth November is a big feast day for Scotland, Romania, Cyprus, the Greek port of Patras and for Christians in Istanbul; in 13 days' time, the same feast will be celebrated in places where the old church calendar is kept, such as Russia and Ukraine.

And whenever it is observed, the annual feast day of Saint Andrew brings reminders that the first apostle of Jesus Christ, one of two fisherman brothers, can still create political waves.

Take Scotland. Andrew has been that country's official patron saint since 1320, and he was venerated there for centuries before that.

The diagonal white cross of Saint Andrew was flying defiantly in Edinburgh today, although yesterday's helicopter crash in Glasgow cast a pall over the commemorations.

Alex Salmond, head of the Scottish Nationalists, used the national holiday to stir patriotic feeling ahead of next year's independence ballot. Even his reaction to the helicopter crash mentioned the saint; he said today was a good moment to take pride in Scotland's resilience.

Meanwhile David Cameron has hoisted the Scottish emblem over his prime-ministerial residence in London and issued a Saint Andrew's message with the opposite intention: to remind the Scots of how well they have done as Brits. Continue reading.

Source: The Economist

Image: Form Ministry

15 patron saints for modern situations includes

• St Genesius, the patron saint of actors
• St Vitus, patron saint of performers
• St Bernardine of Siena, the patron saint of advertisers
• St Clare of Assisi, the patron saint of television
• St Arnold, the patron saint of beer
• St Monica, the patron saint of alcoholics
• St Helena of Constantinople, the patron saint of divorced women
• St Margaret of Cortona, patron saint of single mums

Continue reading 15 patron saints for modern situations