Which Saint Are You Most Like?

Caring, thoughtful, persistent and supportive. While most saints would fit this description, Saints Joseph and Monica massively embodied these traits.

St Joseph was Jesus' foster father. He was a carpenter and helped to bring up Jesus. When it turned out that Mary was pregnant outside of marriage, instead of having her stoned (which many would have seen as the right thing to do back then) he eventually accepted and supported her and her son, not caring how this would effect his reputation, but ensuring they all would have a secure and loving household to live in.

St. Monica is the patron saint of difficult marriages. She was married to an adulterous, violent husband and her three sons were very off the rails. Through prayer, charity and care, her family grew to respect her and one of her sons, Augustine, became not only a saint but a Doctor of the Church.

Other saints you may be interested in are: Mary 'Mother of God', St. Vincent de Paul (patron saint of charity), St. John Bosco (patron saint of young people), St. Angela Merici (patron saint of women's education) and St. Anne (patron saint of mothers).

Brave, strong-willed and passionate. While most saints embody these ideals, Saints Padre Pio and Catherine of Siena are two incredible examples of these traits.

At the age of 16, St. Catherine's parents wished for her to marry, which she was deeply opposed to. She cut off all her hair in order to appear less attractive and to deter any marriage offers – much to her parents’ dismay! She filled her time in the local hospital, caring for cancer victims and lepers, and at home serving or meditating. As political and social tensions mounted in Siena and around Italy, Catherine found herself drawn to intervene in wider politics. In 1376, Catherine worked to repair the divides within the Church. She became peacemaker and counsellor for Pope Gregory XI, encouraging him to move the papacy back to Rome, which he did following her counsel and direction.

St. Padre Pio was a priest in the last century who only died in 1968. He was caring, wise and friendly; however, he was never afraid to stand up for what he believed or correct people when they were lying or wrong. Through his devout prayer and dedication to God he received numerous spiritual blessings, such as stigmata, bi-location, prophecy and healing, among many others. There are many stories of his miracles and people coming to confession with him and him correcting them on what they needed to confess because they held something back and he knew through God what it was.

Other saints you may be interested in are: Mary 'Mother of Good Council', St Therese of Lisieux (Doctor of the Church) and St. Michael the Archangel. Check out them and more at http://dowym.com/saints/

Hands-on, practical, kind and thinking of others. Though most saints fit this description, two people who really embody it would be St. Francis of Assisi and Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta.

Coming from a life of riches, pleasure and excess, St. Francis gave all this up to care and look after the poor. He established a religious order, the Franciscans, and together, he and his followers spent their time living with and caring for the poorest in society. Everything he owned he shared with the poor, and his extreme poverty and care revolutionised Italian society and led to the fall of the feudal system there. St. Francis also had a strong love for nature and saw it and its care as important and leading to greater unity with God.

Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta was a remarkable woman who strongly believed in serving and seeing God in the least in society. After joining a religious order, she, through prayer, discernment and vision, felt God was calling her to mission and to establish a religious order dedicated to care of the poor. She went first to the slums. She visited families, washed the sores of children, cared for an old man lying sick on the road and nursed a woman dying of hunger and tuberculosis. She started each day with communion then went out, rosary in her hand, to find and serve God amongst "the unwanted, the unloved, the uncared for." After some months, she was joined, one by one, by her former students and her order soon became world-renowned for her dedication and love for the poor.

Other saints you may be interested in are: Mary 'Our Lady of Lourdes', St. Vincent de Paul (patron saint of charity), St. Elizabeth of Hungary (patron saint of charity), St. Isabella of Portugal (patron saint of charity) and St. John Bosco (patron saint of young people).

Joyful, charismatic with a strong desire to educate others in the best way to find joy. Many saints fit this description, but two who do so most are St. Patrick and St. Rose Philippine Duchesne.

St. Patrick is well known as the patron saint of Ireland and credited with being the apostle to the Irish. Originally coming to Ireland as a slave, St. Patrick learned the language, culture and beliefs of the people he would later evangelise. When he came back, by addressing their needs and incorporating their culture, St. Patrick transformed the previously pagan Ireland into a staunchly Catholic nation. Instead of forcing a foreign culture upon them, he took everyday signs and practices of the region and used them to point to God with the result being faith that was deeply personal, relatable and liveable for everyone with whom he worked.

St. Rose Philippine Duchesne was sent to the United States on mission in 1818, a journey which would mean she would never see her home again. She founded a boarding school for daughters of pioneers near St. Louis and opened the first free school west of the Missouri. At the age of 71, she began a school for Indians, who soon came to call her "the woman who is always praying". Her biographers have also stressed her courage in harsh frontier conditions, her single-mindedness in pursuing her dream of serving Native Americans, and her self-acceptance. Through her work, many missions were set up and people educated and brought to the faith.

Other saints you may be interested in are: Mary 'Our Lady of Guadalupe', St. Paul the Apostle, St. Francis Xavier (patron saint of foreign missions) and St. Photine (apostle to the Samaritans).

Charismatic, persevering, breaking the mould and full of mercy and joy. While many of the saints fit this category, two who really stand out are Saints Pope John Paul II and Josephine Bakhita.

St. Josephine Bakhita was enslaved between the young ages of 7-9. During her time in slavery, she was beaten (even to the extent that she couldn't walk), abused, salt-scarred and forcibly converted to Islam. The trauma of her abduction caused her to forget her own name and she took one given to her by the slavers - Bakhita, which is Arabic for “lucky”. Only after going through the service of several masters was she set free when she came to Italy and, at the request of a local convent, her case was looked at and she was released. She decided to join the convent and there cared, loved and prayed for everyone who she encountered. Through her deep love for, and communion with, Christ she fully forgave those who had enslaved and tortured her and was loved by everyone.

St. Pope John Paul II grew up in war-torn post World War One and went on to endure living under first Nazi and then communist occupation. His mother, father and brother all died before he was 25 and he experienced extreme persecution in Poland due to being a Catholic. When he became pope he took huge steps to mending divisions between Catholics and other Christian denominations, formed the Theology of the Body (the revolutionary Catholic teachings on love, sex and sexuality), helped bring down communism, forgave the man who shot him four times, established World Youth Day and canonised more saints than any other pope ever!

Other saints you may be interested in are: Mary 'Our Lady of Compassion', St. Maximilian Kolbe (patron saint of charity), St. Padre Pio (patron saint of stress relief) and St. Maria Goretti (patron saint of purity).

Fun, kind, life-loving and charismatic. While most saints fit this description, two people who are great examples of these traits are Blessed Pier Giorgio or Blessed Chiara Luce.

Blessed Pier Giorgio was dedicated to works of social action, charity, prayer and community. He was involved with Catholic youth and student groups, the Apostleship of Prayer, Catholic Action and was a third order Dominican. He would often say, "Charity is not enough; we need social reform." He donated most or all of his money to people he saw as more "needy" than him, and as a result he became accustomed to giving his train fare to the poor and running back home or riding in third class. Participating in a Church-organised demonstration in Rome, he withstood police violence and rallied the other young people by grabbing the banner which the police had knocked out of someone else's hands. He held it even higher while using the pole to ward off their blows. When the demonstrators were arrested by the police, he refused special treatment that he might have received because of his father's political position, preferring to stay with his friends. One night, a group of fascists broke into his family's home to attack him and his father, but Frassati beat them off single-handedly, chasing them down the street. He died young from polio but so loved by all was he that thousands filled the street to pay their respects to him at his funeral.

Blessed Chiara Luce was described as always serene and joyous. Moved by love for the weaker ones, the outcasts and everyone looked down on by society she loved and cared for them all, despite only being 14 years old. She lived life to the full, not caring what others thought of her but solely living how would please Jesus and was quoted as saying "what matters is to be beautiful inside”. When at 16 she was diagnosed with a particularly painful bone cancer called osteosarcoma, she did not despair; she continued to love and often went round the hospital cheering up the other patients and offering up her suffering to Jesus. Her faith in God was unwavering and she was not afraid: “God loves me immensely!” she tells those who ask and, before she died, she asked her parents to have her buried in a wedding dress as she was going to be meeting her beloved Jesus.

Other saints you may be interested in are: Mary 'Cause of Our Joy' and 'Full of Grace', St. Francis of Assisi, St. Maximilian Kolbe and Blessed Mother Teresa.

Standing up for their ideals and beliefs, passionate and energetic. So many saints fulfil this description, but two who stand out are St. George and St. Joan of Arc.

While many know the legend of St. George killing a dragon to save a princess, very few know the actual story which this is based upon. St. George lived back in the early 4th century and was a high up Roman army officer when Diocletian was emperor. Diocletian was responsible for the empire's last, largest and bloodiest official persecution of Christianity. He ordered St. George to go out with his army to round up and slaughter some Christians but St. George refused, revealing himself to be a Christian as well. He was martyred for his defiance but countless Christians are said to have escaped because of his sacrifice and the emperors own wife is said to have converted because she was so inspired.

St. Joan of Arc came from humble beginnings but went on to free her home country from foreign oppression. After receiving a vision during prayer calling her to help end the foreign occupation, she overcame opposition from churchmen and courtiers and the seventeen year old girl was given a small army with which she raised the siege of Orleans in 1429. She then enjoyed a series of spectacular military successes, during which the King was able to enter Rheims and be crowned with her at his side. Though she was later captured and put to death, her actions meant that numerous people were set free from cruel oppression and could live life's free from the threat of war.

Other saints you may be interested in are: Mary 'Our Lady of Fatima', St. Ignatius of Loyola and St. Michael the Archangel.

Intelligent, intellectual, wise and understanding. Many saints fit this description and two great examples of such are St. Thomas Aquinas and St. Edith Stein.

St. Edith Stein was the youngest child of a large Jewish family. She was an outstanding student and was well-versed in philosophy, with a particular interest in phenomenology. She then became a member of the faculty at the University of Freiburg, where she worked as a teaching assistant to Husserl, who had transferred to that institution. In the previous year, she had worked with Martin Heidegger in editing Husserl's papers for publication. Husserl did not support her submitting her habilitational thesis (a prerequisite for an academic chair) to the University of Freiburg in 1918 because she was a woman. So while being capable, she was held back at this time. Eventually, she became interested in the Catholic faith and, in 1922, she was baptised at the Cathedral Church in Cologne, Germany. Eleven years later, Edith entered the Cologne Carmel and wrote many inspiring books. Due to the ramifications of politics in Germany, Edith, whose name in religion was Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, was sent to the Carmel at Echt, Holland. When the Nazis conquered Holland, Teresa was arrested, and, with her sister Rose, was sent to the concentration camp at Auschwitz. Teresa died in the gas chambers of Auschwitz in 1942 at the age of 51. Her legacy has continued though and she both inspires people with her story and writing.

St. Thomas Aquinas is one of the 'Doctors of the Church'. These are people whose theological and intellectual contributions have been hugely beneficial to the Church's understanding. He is patron saint of all universities and wrote the 'Summa Theologica' a book that still inspires and informs the greatest theologians to this day.

Other saints you may be interested in are: Mary 'Seat of Wisdom', St. Augustine (doctor of the church), St. Thérèse of Lisieux (doctor of the church), St. Catherine of Siena (doctor of the church), St. John of the Cross (doctor of the church), St. Teresa of Ávila (doctor of the church) and St. Anselm (doctor of the church).