My children asked me to explain a what is a patron saint to them, can you help in laymans terms please?

Answer 1

patron - father figure - the saint that looks over a section of people or a community

St Nicholas is the patron saint of children

Answer 2

Patron Saint Of Children

Answer 3

A saint is essentially, an intercessory between a petitioner and God. So, the easiest way to explain it to them might be to say that God is really busy sometimes what with listening to everyone's prayers and taking care of the universe and all that. So, we pray to the saints and they take our prayers to God and help to answer them on His behalf. A patron saint would be a special saint especially selected for us either because we're named after them or because this saint is the saint of all our people from whatever country we're originally from a long time ago. We pray to the patron saint more than say other saints because the patron saint is the saint that's especially for us.

That may not be the most complete or necessarily even theologically correct explanation, but I think it will probably do for now, especially if your children are quite young. As they get older, they can ask for a more detailed understanding of sainthood from their priest.

Answer 4

A saint is a person who did good Christian deeds throughout their life, and the church showed this by making them saints after they died. If the saint was associated with something in particular, such as a type of job, or a group of people, they became a "patron saint" of this group. For example, St Christopher is the patron saint of travellers because he used to help travellers cross a dangerous river. If you are Christian, and particularly Catholic or Eastern Orthodox, you might pray to a certain patron saint for help with something. For example, if you were going to another country by plane, but were afraid of flying, you would pray for help from St Joseph of Cupertino, the patron saint of air travellers.

Answer 5

Patron means father. Saints were special people that contributed to the Godliness of humanity. Some of them were interested in a special problem, which they are now linked to. They are the 'father' in charge of that interest. They provided both a hope and an example for the improvement of humanity.
;-D I would probably be the patron saint of chocolate! hahaha

Answer 6

A man or woman closely associated with a particular country or profession. Now that he/she is a Saint, protects that country, city, or profesion. For example St. Patrick is the Patron Saint of Ireland.

Answer 7

A patron saint is like a 'role model.' He/she represents virtues, professions or goals- something like the Patron Saint of Nurses, etc.

The are usually people who lead by example. They used their faith to guide their lives and to follow God's plan.

My patron saint is Mary Magadalene. She certainly wasn't perfect by any means, but she was a loyal follower of Christ. That's why I picked her when I was 10!

I hope this helps.

Answer 8

The concept of patron saints relates to the theological concept called the "Communion of Saints." The idea is that those who die still "live" with us. In the teaching of the church, all who are Christians are "saints." The church simply designates certain people that it believes died in faith and went directly to heaven (i.e., not stuck in purgatory) and can therefore can be called upon for prayer. These saints and all who died in faith, not just those who are declared saints by the church, are believed to be all around us and with us always, constantly working and praying on our behalf.

Just as we can pray or ask others to pray for us, intercede, so too can those who have died and are now with Christ. When one asks for the prayer of a saint, the idea is that it is no different than asking a living person for prayer (though some might feel the dead saint has some extra weight to their prayers.) The idea of "patron" saints is just that, in life certain saints had certain interests and so in death might be more "inclined" to intercede in prayer for you on that matter and pray for you more earnestly in that regard.

Answer 9

patron
Definition: sponsor: a giver of money or other support to somebody or something, especially in the arts
[14th century. Via French < Latin patronus "protector" < pater "father"]

sponsor
Definition: somebody responsible for another: somebody who becomes responsible for somebody else

saint
Definition: somebody honored by church after death: a member of a religion who after death is formally designated as having led a life of exceptional holiness
or
somebody in heaven: somebody who goes to heaven after death


Patron Saint
Definition: saint who is a special guardian: a saint who is believed to be a special guardian, especially of a country, trade, or group of people

So basically a patron saint is a saint who looks after you in particular, perhaps because of the country you come from, your job or your name. The saint will talk directly to God on your behalf, in the same way that your parents will talk to your teacher when you have forgotten to do your homework! Hopefully, they can make things a little better than if you did it yourself!

Oh, and the patron saint of children is Saint Nicholas - better known as Santa Claus/Father Christmas!

Other patron saints are on the wikipedia link below.

Hope this makes your job easier!

Answer 10

The church assigned patronage to different saints due I suppose to their personality. When a christian prays for something, like help finding something lost, or protection, or whatever, (s)he would pray to God, and to the appropriate patron saint for support with his request. Much like if I went to my boss for a raise, I might pick a colleague best suited to come with me and help me plead my case, or just to put in a good word for me.