Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
Saints of Emergency Services
This book is a collection of small articles, profiles of Saints, Beati and
Venerables of the Church who have a tradition of patronage of police
officers, firefighters, paramedics, emergency medics, and the
telecommunicators who dispatch them. Articles are taken from the web
site http://saints.SQPN.com.
Expanded versions of these and thousands of similar profiles of Christian
saints with images, support documents, links to other sites, liturgical
calendar, ebooks and more are available at the web site
Saints.SQPN.com, and it's just a small part of the SQPN - the Star Quest
Production Network. SQPN is leading the way in Catholic new media
with audio and video, books and blogs, podcasts and television, and the
most welcoming community of clergy and laity you'll find online. Come
by and see us.
SQPN
Saint Barbara
Memorial
4 December
removed from revised Roman calendar and
cultus suppressed in 1969
Profile
A beautiful maiden imprisoned in a high
tower by her father Dioscorus for
disobedience. While there, she was tutored
by philosphers, orators and poets. From them
she learned to think, and decided that polytheism was
nonsense. With the help of Origen and Valentinian, she
converted to Christianity.
Her father denounced her to the local authorities for her
faith, and they ordered him to kill her. She escaped, but he
caught her, dragged her home by her hair, tortured her, and
killed her. He was immediately struck by lightning, or
according to some sources, fire from heaven.
Her imprisonment led to her association with towers, then
the construction and maintenance of them, then to their
military uses. The lightning that avenged her murder led to
asking her protection against fire and lightning, and her
patronage of firefighters, etc. Her association with things
military and with death that falls from the sky led to her
patronage of all things related to artillery, and her image
graced powder magazines and arsenals for years. One of the
Fourteen Holy Helpers.
While there were undoubtedly beautiful converts named
Barbara, this saint is legend, and her cultus developed when
pious fiction was mistaken for history.
Died
beheaded by her father c.235 at Nicomedia during the persecution
of Maximinus of Thrace
relics at Burano, Italy, and Kiev, Russia
Patronage
against death by artillery
against explosions
against fire
against impenitence
against lightning
against mine collapse
against storms
Amaroni, Italy
ammunition magazines
ammunition workers
architects
armourers
artillery
artillerymen
Barbara, Italy
boatmen
bomb technicians
brass workers
brewers
builders
carpenters
Colleferro, Italy
construction workers
dying people
explosives workers
fire prevention
firefighters
fireworks
fireworks manufacturers
fortifications
foundry workers
geologists
gravediggers
gunners
hatmakers
hatters
against lightning
mariners
martyrs
masons
mathematicians
military engineers
milliners
miners
Montecatini Terme, Italy
ordnance workers
Paterno, Sicily
prisoners
Rieti, Italy
safety from storms
sailors
saltpetre workers
Santa Barbara, California
smelters
stone masons
stonecutters
storms
sudden death
Syria
tilers
Toa Alto, Puerto Rico
warehouses
watermen
Representation
cannon
chalice
host
princess in a tower with either the palm of martyrdom or chalice
of happy death
woman holding a feather
woman holding a tower
palm of martyrdom
tower
woman trampling a Saracen
Saint Catherine of Siena
Also known as
Caterina Benincasa
Catharine of Siena
Katharine of Siena
Memorial
29 April
Profile
Youngest child in a large family. At the age of six she had a
vision in which Jesus appeared and blessed her. Her parents
wanted her to marry, but she became a Dominican tertiary.
Mystic. Stigmatist. Received a vision in which she was in a
mystical marriage with Christ, and the Infant Christ
presented her with a wedding ring. Counselor to Pope
Gregory XI and Pope Urban VI. Proclaimed Doctor of the
Church on 4 October 1970.
Born
25 March 1347 at Siena, Tuscany, Italy
Died
29 April 1380 of a mysterious and painful illness that came on
without notice, and was never properly diagnosed
Canonized
July 1461 by Pope Pius II
Patronage
against bodily ills
against fire
against illness
against miscarriages
against sexual temptation
against sickness
against temptations
Allentown, Pennsylvania, USA, diocese of
Europe (declared on 1 October 1999 by Pope John Paul II)
fire prevention
firefighters
Italy
nurses
nursing services
people ridiculed for their piety
sick people
Siena, Italy
Theta Phi Alpha sorority
Varazze, Italy
Representation
cross
crown of thorns
heart
lily
ring
stigmata
Readings
Charity is the sweet and holy bond which links the soul with
its Creator: it binds God with man and man with God. -
Saint Catherine of Siena
Eternal Trinity, Godhead, mystery deep as the sea, you
could give me no greater gift than the gift of yourself. For
you are a fire ever burning and never consumed, which
itself consumes all the selfish love that fills my being. Yes,
you are a fire that takes away the coldness, illuminates the
mind with its light, and causes me to know your truth. And I
know that you are beauty and wisdom itself. The food of
angels, you gave yourself to man in the fire of your love. -
from On Divine Providence by Saint Catherine of Siena
Everything comes from love, all is ordained for the salvation
of man, God does nothing without this goal in mind. - Saint
Catherine of Siena
Saint Eustachius
Also known as
Eustace
Placidus
Memorial
20 September (Western Church)
2 November (Eastern Church)
Profile
Pagan Roman general in the army of the emperor Trajan.
Converted to Christianity following a hunting trip during
which he saw a glowing cross between the antlers of a stag,
after which he received a prophecy that he would suffer for
Christ. He was baptized with his wife and two sons, and
given the name Eustachius.
Denounced as a Christian, he lost his property, was reduced
to abject poverty, and Roman authorities took his wife and
children. However, being a capable general, he was recalled
to duty by Trajan to help repel barbarians from Rome,
which he did. He and his family were reunited with the
expectation they would sacrifice to idols in thanks for a
military victory. When they refused, an enraged Trajan
ordered them thrown to the lions; the big cats played like
kittens around them, so they were martyred together by
being burned in a bronze bull. Eustachius is one of the
Fourteen Holy Helpers.
Born
as Placidas
Died
cooked to death in a bronze bull in 188
Patronage
against fire
against torture
difficult situations
fire prevention
firefighters
hunters
hunting
huntsmen
Madrid, Spain
Poli, Italy
torture victims
trappers
Representation
bull
crucifix
horn
oven
stag
Saint Florian of Lorch
Memorial
4 May
Profile
Third century officer in Roman army stationed in
modern Austria. Military administrator of the
town of Noricum, and a closet Christian. Said to
have stopped a town from burning by praying and
throwing a single bucket of water on the blaze,
and thus his association with firefighters and
those who protect us from fire, including chimney sweeps.
When ordered to execute a group of Christians during the
persecutions of Diocletian, he refused, and professed his
own faith. Martyr.
Died
c.304
scourged, flayed alive, a stone tied to his neck, and dumped into a
river
body later retrieved by Christians and buried at an Augustinian
monastery near Lorch
relics translated to Rome in 1138
part of the relics given to King Casimir of Poland and the bishop
of Cracow by Pope Lucius III, which led to Florian's patronage of
Poland and Upper Austria
Patronage
against battle
against drowning
against fire
against flood
Austria
barrel-makers
brewers
chimney sweeps
Chur, Switzerland, diocese of
coopers
drowning victims
fire prevention
firefighters
harvests
Linz, Austria
Poland
soap-boilers
Representation
bearded warrior with a lance and tub
boy with a millstone
classical warrior leaning on a millstone, pouring water on a fire
dead man on a millstone guarded by an eagle
dead man whose body is being protected by an eagle
man being beaten
man on a journey with a hat and staff
man thrown into a river with a millstone around his neck
man with a palm in his hand and a burning torch under his feet
man with a sword
young man, sometimes in armor, sometimes unarmed, pouring
water from a tub on a burning church
Gabriel the Archangel
Also known as
Fortitudo Dei
Gabr-el
Gabrielus
Gavri'el
Gavriel
Jibrail
Jibril
Memorial
29 September
Profile
Archangel and messenger of God. One of the three angels
mentioned by name in the Catholic Bible.
Appeared to the prophet Daniel to explain the
prophet's visions relating to the Messiah. (Daniel
8:16-26; 9:21-27)
Appeared to Zachary in the temple to announce the
coming of Zachary's son, John the Baptist, and to
strike Zachary mute for his disbelief. (Luke 1:11-20)
Appeared to Mary to let her know she'd been selected
to bear the Saviour. (Luke 1:26-38)
Born
wasn't
Died
hasn't
Name Meaning
God is mighty
God is my strength
man of God
my master is God
strong man of God
the strength of God
Patronage
Argentinian ambassadors
broadcasters
clergy
communications workers
diplomats
messengers
philatelists
Portugal
post offices
postal services
postal workers
radio
radio workers
Seattle, Washington, archdiocese of
secular clergy
stamp collectors
telecommunications workers
telegraphs
telephones
television
television workers
Representation
lily
shield
spear
trumpet
Readings
The angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right
of the altar of incense. Zechariah was troubled by what he
saw, and fear came upon him. But the angel said to him,
"Do not be afraid, Zechariah, because your prayer has been
heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you
shall name him John. And you will have joy and gladness,
and many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great in the
sight of (the) Lord. He will drink neither wine nor strong
drink. He will be filled with the holy Spirit even from his
mother's womb, and he will turn many of the children of
Israel to the Lord their God. He will go before him in the
spirit and power of Elijah to turn the hearts of fathers
toward children and the disobedient to the understanding of
the righteous, to prepare a people fit for the Lord."
Then Zechariah said to the angel, "How shall I know this?
For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years."
And the angel said to him in reply, "I am Gabriel, who stand
before God. I was sent to speak to you and to announce to
you this good news. But now you will be speechless and
unable to talk until the day these things take place, because
you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled at their
proper time." - Luke 11-20
Guardian Angels
Memorial
2 October
first Sunday in September (in Germany)
Profile
The term guardian angels refers to the
belief that each person has an angel who is
available to shepherd their soul through
life, and help bring them to God.
Belief in the reality of angels, their mission as messengers of
God, and man's interaction with them, goes back to the
earliest times. Cherubim kept Adam and Eve from slipping
back into Eden; angels saved Lot and helped destroy the
cities of the plains; in Exodous Moses follows an angel, and
at one point an angel is appointed leader of Israel. Michael
is mentioned at several points, Raphael figures large in the
story of Tobit, and Gabriel delivered the Annunciation of
the coming of Christ.
The concept of each soul having a personal guardian angel,
is also an ancient one, and long accepted by the Church
See that you despise not one of these little ones [children]:
for I say to you, that their angels in heaven always see the
face of my Father who is in heaven. - Jesus, Matthew 18:10
How great the dignity of the soul, since each one has from
his birth an angel commissioned to guard it. - Saint Jerome
in his commentary on Matthew
Are they not all ministering spirits, sent to minister for them,
who shall receive the inheritance of salvation? - Hebrews
1:14
The feast celebrating the angels who helped bring us to God
began in many local calendars centuries ago, and was
widely known by the 16th century. Pope Paul V placed a
feast venerating the angels on the general calendar on 27
September 1608. Ferdinand of Austria requested that it be
extended to all areas in the Holy Roman Empire. Initially
placed after the feast of Michael the Archangel, it was seen
as a kind of supplement to that date. Pope Clement X
elevated the feast, celebrated 2 October, to an obligatory
double for the whole Church. On 5 April 1883, Pope Leo
XIII raised the feast to the rank of a double major.
Patronage
Gary, Indiana, diocese of
police officers
Readings
Since thou the power receivest my soul to guard, cease
never to cover it with thy wings. - John the Monk
Saint John of God
Also known as
Juan de Dios
Juan Ciudad
Memorial
8 March
Profile
Juan grew up working as a shepherd in the Castile region of
Spain. He led a wild and misspent youth, and travelled over
much of Europe and north Africa as a soldier in the army of
Charles V, and as a mercenary. Fought through a brief
period of insanity. Peddled religious books and pictures in
Gibraltar, though without any religious conviction himself.
In his 40's he received a vision of the Infant Jesus who
called him John of God. To make up for the misery he had
caused as a soldier, he left the military, rented a house in
Granada, Spain, and began caring for the sick, poor,
homeless and unwanted. He gave what he had, begged for
those who couldn't, carried those who could not move on
their own, and converted both his patients and those who
saw him work with them. Friend of Saint John of Avila, on
whom he tried to model his life. John founded the Order of
Charity and the Order of Hospitallers of Saint John of
God.
Born
8 March 1495 at Montemoro Novo, Evora, Portugal
Died
8 March 1550 at Granada, Spain while praying before a crucifix
from a illness he had contracted while saving a drowning man
relics at Granada
Beatified
21 September 1630 by Pope Urban VIII
Canonized
16 October 1690 by Pope Alexander VIII
Patronage
against alcoholism
against bodily ills
against sickness
alcoholics
bookbinders
booksellers
dying people
firefighters
heart patients
hospitals
hospital workers
nurses
publishers
printers
sick people
Tultepec, Mexico
Representation
alms
cord
crown of thorns
heart
rope
Readings
Labour without stopping; do all the good works you can
while you still have the time. - Saint John of God
If we look forward to receiving God's mercy, we can never
fail to do good so long as we have the strength. For if we
share with the poor, out of love for God, whatever he has
given to us, we shall receive according to his promise a
hundredfold in eternal happiness. What a fine profit, what a
blessed reward! With outstretched arms he begs us to turn
toward him, to weep for our sins, and to become the
servants of love, first for ourselves, then for our neighbors.
Just as water extinguishes a fire, so love wipes away sin.
So many poor people come here that I very often wonder
how we can care for them all, but Jesus Christ provides all
things and nourishes everyone. Many of them come to the
house of God, because the city of Granada is large and very
cold, especially now in winter. More than a hundred and ten
are now living here, sick and healthy, servants and pilgrims.
Since this house is open to everyone, it receives the sick of
every type and condition: the crippled, the disabled, lepers,
mutes, the insane, paralytics, those suffering from scurvy
and those bearing the afflictions of old age, many children,
and above all countless pilgrims and travelers, who come
here, and for whom we furnish the fire, water, and salt, as
well as the utensils to cook their food. And for all of this no
payment is requested, yet Christ provides.
I work here on borrowed money, a prisoner for the sake of
Jesus Christ. And often my debts are so pressing that I dare
not go out of the house for fear of being seized by my
creditors. Whenever I see so many poor brothers and
neighbours of mine suffering beyond their strength and
overwhelmed with so many physical or mental ills which I
cannot alleviate, then I become exceedingly sorrowful; but I
trust in Christ, who knows my heart. And so I say, "Woe to
the man who trusts in men rather than in Christ." - from a
letter written by Saint John of God
Michael the Archangel
Memorial
29 September
8 May - Apparition of Saint Michael and
Protector of Cornwall
Profile
Archangel. Leader of the army of God during
the Lucifer uprising. Devotion is common to
Muslims, Christians and Jews, and there are
writings about him in all three cultures.
Considered the guardian angel of Israel, and the guardian
and protector of the Church. In the Book of Daniel (12:1),
Michael is described as rising up to defend the Church
against the Anti-Christ.
The feast of the Apparition of Saint Michael
commemorates appearance of the archangel to a man
named Gargan in 492 on Mount Gargano near Manfredonia
in southern Italy. Gargan and others were pasturing cattle
on the mountain; a bull wandered off and hid in a cave. An
arrow was shot into the cave, but it came flying back out
and wounded the archer. The cowherds went to their bishop
who ordered three days of fasting and prayer to seek an
explanation for the mystery. At the end of the three days
Michael appeared to the bishop and requested a church built
in the honour of the Holy Angels in the cave. If you find
medals or holy cards with 'relics' of Michael, they are
probably rock chips from the cave, or pieces of cloth that
have touched it.
Born
wasn't
Died
hasn't
Patronage
against danger at sea
against temptations
Albenga, Italy
ambulance drivers
Argao, Cebu, Philippines
artists
bakers
bankers
banking
barrel makers
Basey, Samar, Philippines
battle
boatmen
Brecht, Belgium
Brussels, Belgium
Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico
Caltanissett, Sicily, Italy
Castel Madama, Italy
Cerveteri, Italy
Coimbatore, India, diocese of
Congregation of Saint Michael the Archangel
coopers
Cornwall, England
Cuneo, Italy
Dormagen, Germany
Dunakeszi, Hungary
dying people
emergency medical technicians
EMTs
England
fencing
Gaby, Italy
Germany
Gravina, Italy
Greek Air Force
greengrocers
grocers
haberdashers
hatmakers
hatters
holy death
Iklin, Malta
Iligan, Philippines, diocese of
knights
London, England
Marcianise, Italy
mariners
milleners
Mobile, Alabama, archdiocese of
Naranjito, Puerto Rico
Papua, New Guinea
paramedics
paratroopers
Pensacola-Tallahassee, Florida, diocese of
police officers
Puebla, Mexico
radiologists
radiotherapists
sailors
Salgareda, Italy
San Angelo, Texas, diocese of
San Miguel, Iloilo, Philippines
San Miguel de Allende, Mexico
Sant'Angelo Romano, Italy
Saracinesco, Italy
Seattle, Washington, archdiocese of
security guards
Sibenik, Croatia
sick people
Siegburg Abbey
soldiers
Spanish police officers
Springfield, Massachusetts, diocese of
storms at sea
swordsmiths
Toronto, Ontario, archdiocese of
Toronto, Ontario, city of
Umbria, Italy
Vallinfreda, Italy
watermen
Zeitz, Germany
Representation
balance (helping to judge at the Last Judgment)
banner (as the leader of the army of God)
dragon (representing the defeated devil)
scales (helping to judge at the Last Judgment)
sword (as a soldier of God)
Readings
You should be aware that the word "angel" denotes a
function rather than a nature. Those holy spirits of heaven
have indeed always been spirits. They can only be called
angels when they deliver some message. Moreover, those
who deliver messages of lesser importance are called angels;
and those who proclaim messages of supreme importance
are called archangels.
Whenever some act of wondrous power must be performed,
Michael is sent, so that his action and his name may make it
clear that no one can do what God does by his superior
power. - from a homily by Pope Saint Gregory the Great
Saint Sebastian
Memorial
20 January
Profile
Son of a wealthy Roman family. Educated
in Milan. Officer of the Imperial Roman
army, and captain of the guard. Favorite of
Diocletian. During Diocletian's persecution
of the Christians, Sebastian visited them in
prison, bringing supplies and comfort.
Reported to have healed the wife of a brother soldier by
making the Sign of the Cross over her. Converted soldiers
and a governor to Christianity.
Charged as a Christian, Sebastian was tied to a tree, shot
with arrows, and left for dead. He survived, and with the
help of Saint Irene, recovered, and returned to preach to
Diocletian. The emperor then had him beaten to death.
During the 14th century, the random nature of infection
with the Black Death caused people to liken the plague to
their villages being shot by an army of nature's archers. In
desperation, they prayed for the intercession of a saint
associated with archers, and Saint Sebastian became
associated with the plague.
Born
at Narbonne, Gaul (part of modern France)
Died
martyred c.288 at Rome, Italy
Patronage
Acireale, Italy
against cattle disease
against enemies of religion
against plague
archers
armourers
arrowsmiths
athletes
Bacolod, Philippines, diocese of
bookbinders
Bracciano, Italy
Caserta, Italy
Castel Gandolfo, Italy
Cropani, Italy
diseased cattle
dying people
fletchers
gardeners
Grondona, Italy
gunsmiths
Huelva, Spain
Hünxe, Germany
hardware stores
ironmongers
La Seu d'Urgell, Spain
lace makers
lace workers
lead workers
masons
Palma, Mallorca, Spain
plague victims
police officers
Pontifical Swiss Guards
Qormi, Malta
racquet makers
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Rocca Priora, Italy
San Sebastian, Puerto Rico
Savigliano, Italy
Solarolo, Italy
soldiers
stone masons
stonecutters
Tarlac, Philippines, diocese of
Representation
arrows
crown
naked youth tied to a tree and shot with arrows
Patrons of Police Officers
Guardian Angels
Michael the Archangel
Saint Sebastian
Patrons of Firefighters
Saint Barbara
Saint Catherine of Siena
Saint Eustachius
Saint Florian of Lorch
Saint John of God
Patrons of Emergency Medical Technicians
Michael the Archangel
Patrons of Dispatchers
Gabriel the Archangel
SQPN
