Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 11.djvu/624

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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,