PATRON
5@6
PATRON
Dolours 3 ; of the Suburbs 1 ; of Victories 1 ; Refuge of
Sinners 1; Auxilium Christianorura 1; Blessed Virgin
2; Holy Heart of Mary, Holy Name of Mary, Mary
Iranuuulate, and Queen of Angels 1 each; St. Mary of
the Angels 2; Star of the Sea 19. (3) Guardian Angels
4; Holy Angels 2. C4-o) Patrick 85; Joseph 7-1;
^lieh:iel24; I'eter IG; Peter and Paul 13; Francis of
Assisi and Paul 10 each ; John the Evangelist, Co-
luinba, Francis Xavier, John, Anthony, and James 8
each; Augustine and Francis de Sales 7 each; Andrew,
John the Bajjlist, Lawrence, Matthew, and Vincent
each; Uede, Heneilict, Lawrence O'Toole, Malachy,
Stephen, antl Thomas 4 each; Aidan, Brendan, Col-
man, and Ignatius 3 each; Aloysius, Bernard, Charles,
Columbkille, Edward, Gabriel, George, Gregory,
Joachim, Mark, Martin, Raphael, Stanislaus, and
Thomas Aquinas 2 each; Alphonsus, Ambrose, Atha-
nasius, Barnabas, Bartholomew, Boniface, Cartliagh,
Clement, Cicus, Deihm. Felix, Fiacre, Finbar, Fur-
Beus, Gerard, John and Paul, John Berchmans, John
of Goil, John of the Cross, Joseph and Joachim, Kevin,
Kieran, Leo, Leonard, Luke, Marc, Michael and
George, Muuchin, Nicholas, Nicholas of Mj'ra, Pau-
linus, Peter Chanel, Philip and James, Pius, Rock,
Rupert, Vigilius, William, and the Apostles 1 each.
(6) Brigid 19; Anne 7; Canice and Monica 4 each;
Agnes 3; Margaret 2; Agatha, Clare, Gertrude,
Helen, Ita, Joan of Arc, Rose of Lima, Teresa, W'ine-
fred, 1 each. All Saints 6, All Souls 2.
British South Africa. — This includes the Eastern and Western Vicariates, the V'icariates of Natal, Kim- berley, Transvaal, Orange River, Basutoland, and the Prefectures Apostolic of Great Namaqualand and Rhodesia. The churches are dedicated as follows: (1) Trinity 1; Sacred Heart 16; St. Saviour 1; Holy Family 2. (2) St. Mary 17; Immaculate Conception 12; Annunciation 1 ; Assumption 1 ; Mater Dolorosa 2; Our Lady 1 ; Our Lady of Good Counsel 3 ; of Grace 1 ; of Lourdes 1 ; of Perpetual Succour 1 ; of Sorrows 1 ; of the Rosary 4; of the Sacred Heart 2; Starof the Sea 2. (3) Michael and the Holy Angels 1. (4-5) Joseph 11; Augustine and Patrick 5 each; Francis Xavier and Michael 4 each; Peter, and Peter and Paul 3 each; Charles, Dominic, Francis de Sales, and Ignatius Loyola 2 each; Anthony, Benedict, Boniface, Co- lumba, Francis of Assisi, Gabriel, James, Joachim, John, John the Baptist, Leo, Martin, Matthew, Paul, Peter Claver, Simon and Jude, Thomas, and Triashill 1 each. (6) Anne and Monica 2 each; Agnes and Mechtilda 1 each. All Saints 1.
Patrons of Countries. — An authentic catalogue of patron saints of countries of the world has yet to be made. Some countries appear to have no celestial patron, others have several assigned to them, and it is by no means clear that the distinction between patron and Apostle is invariably taken into account. The following list gives the patrons of some few countries of the world: Austria (Our Lady), Belgium (St. Joseph), Brazil (declared "The Land of the Holy Cross", 3 May, 1.500), Borneo (St. Francis Xavier), Canada (St. Anne and St. George), The Congo (Our Lady), ChiU (St. James), England (St. George), East Indies (St. Thomas, Apostle), Ecuador (styled "The Republic of the Sacred Heart"), Finland (Henry of Upsal), France (St. Denis), Germany (St. Michael), Holland (St. Willibrord), Hungary (St. Stephen), Ireland (St. Patrick), Italy (various), Lombardy (St. Charles), Mexico (Our Lady of Help, and Our Lady of Guadaloupe), Norway (St. Olaf), Portugal (St. George), Piedmont (St. Maurice), Scotland (St. Andrew), Sweden (St. Bridget), Spain (St. James), South America (St. Rose of Lima), United States of North America (Our Lady under the title of Immacu- late Conception), Wales (St. David).
Patfwns f)F Trades and Professions. — The beliefs of a C^atholic in an age of Faith prompted him to place not only hia churches under the protection of
some illustrious servant of God, but the ordinary
interests of life, his health, and family, trade, mala-
dies, and perils, his death, his cily andcountry. The
whole social life of the Catholic world before the
Reformation was animated with the idea of protec^tion
from the citizens of heaven, it has been st:iled that
in Fiigland there existed 4(),0()1) religious corporations,
including ecclesiastical bodies of all kinds, monas-
teries and convents, military orders, industrial and
professional guilds, and charitable institutions, each
of whi(^h had its patron, its rites, funds, ami methods
of assistance. Some idea of the vastness of the sub-
ject may be gathered from a few examples of the
trades under their respective patrons: Anastasia
(weavers), Andrew (fishermen), Anne (houseworkers
and cabinet-makers), Christopher (porters), Cloud
(nailmakers), Cosmas and Damian (doctors), Crispin
(.shoemakers), Eloi (all workers with the hammer),
Hubert (huntsmen), Lydia (dyers), Joseph (carpen-
ters, Mark (notaries), Luke (painters), Nativity
(trades for women), Raymund Nonnatus (midwives),
Raymund of Pennafort (canonists), Stephen (stone-
masons), Vincent Martyr (winegrowers), Vitus (co-
medians). Conditions of life: foundlings (Holj' In-
nocents), girls (Blandina), boys (Aloysius), .singers and
scholars (Gregory), philosophers (Catherine), musi-
cians (CeciUa), persons condemned to death (Dismas).
There were patrons or protectors in various forms of
illness, as for instance: Agatha (diseases of the breast),
Apollonia (toothache), Blaise (sore throat), Clare and
Lucy (the eyes), Benedict (against poison), Hubert
(against the bite of dogs). These patrons with very
many others were chosen on account of some real
correspondence between the patron and the object of
patronage, or by reason of some play on words, or as a
matter of individual piety. Thus, while the great
special patrons had their clients all over Christendom,
other patrons in regard of the same class of objects
might vary with different times and places. In order
to complete this imperfect and summary sketch of the
subject of patrons, a list of the patrons announced by
the Holy See within the last few years should here find
a place: St. Joseph was declared patron of the uni-
versal Church by Pius X on 8 Dec, 1870. Leo XIII
during the course of his pontificate announced the
following patrons: St. Thomas Aquinas, patron of
all universities, colleges, and schools (4 Aug., 1880);
St. Vincent, patron of all charitable societies (1 May,
1885) ; St. Camillus of Leilis, patron of the sick and
of those who attend on them (22 June, 1886); the
patronal feast of Our Lady of the Congo to be the
Assumption (21 July. 1891); St. Bridget, patroness
of Sweden (1 Oct., 1891) ; the Holy Family, the model
and help of all Christian famihes (14 June, 1892);
St. Peter Claver, special patron of missions to the
negroes (1896) ; St. Paschal Baylon, patron of Eucha-
ristic congresses and all Eucharistic societies (28 Nov.,
1897). On 25 May, 1899, he dedicated the world to
the Sacred Heart, as Prince and Lord of all, Catholics
and non-Catholics, Christians and non-Christians.
Lourdes was dedicated to our Lady of the Rosary (8
Sept., 1901). Pius X declared St. Francis Xavier
patron of the Propagation of the Faith (25 Mar., 1904).
The honouring of the saints has in some instances
doubtless been the occasion of abuse. Spells and
incantations have been intruded in the place of trust
and prayer; the prayerful abstinence of a vigil has
been exchanged for the rollicksome enjoyment of
wakes; reverence may have run incidentally to puerile
extravagance; and patrons may have been chosen
before their claim to an heroic exercise of Christian
virtue had been juridically established. Still it re-
mains true that the manifestation of Christian piety
in the honour paid to angels and saints has been
singularly free from the taint of human excess and error.
Cahier. Carnclfrisliques des Saints (Paris, 1867) ; Hdsenbeth, Emblems of the Saints, ed. Jesbop (3rd ed., Norwich, 1882) ; Bona,