Occupational Patronages Trivia Quiz

Answer: Bernadette of Lourdes

I've counted at least 16 patron saints for those who tend the sheep. Here they are: Bernadette of Lourdes, Castulus of Rome, Cuthbert of Lindisfarne, Cuthman, Dominic of Silos, Drogo, George, Germaine Cousin, Julian the Hospitaller, Panacea Demuzzi of Quarona, Pascal Baylon, Raphael the Archangel, Regina, Simeon Stylites, Solange and Ursinus of Bourges.
Of those mentioned, I'll tell the story of Bernadette Soubirous - canonized as Bernadette of Lourdes. When she was 14 years, she began having visions of a young lady dressed in white and blue near the grotto at Lourdes. When Bernadette repeated the request of the apparition that a chapel be built in this place, the muddy water that flowed out of the grotto became miraculously crystal clear. Bernadette asked the apparition to reveal her name, to which she finally answered (in the local dialect) "I am the Immaculate Conception" - meaning Our Lady, the Virgin Mary.
Bernadette joined the order of the Sisters of Charity of Nevers and worked there as a sacristan until her death in 1879, aged 35. She was canonized in 1933 and is venerated on April 16 or (in some congregations) February 18.

Answer: Andrew the Apostle

Once again the Catholic church has many saints devoted to all those who gain a living by fishing. The best known are the brothers Andrew and Simon Peter, who were fishermen before they dedicated their lives as apostles following Jesus Christ. The Bible mentions that Jesus once said to these brothers: "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men" (Matthew 4:19).
Peter would become the principal of the apostles and by tradition is called the first to lead the church after Jesus' death and resurrection. According to the beliefs of the orthodox Churches, it was however Andrew who was first called as ana apostle, and he then introduced his brother Simon.
After Jesus' death, Andrew started preaching in many cities near the Black Sea. He is set to have been crucified in Patras (Greece) where many of his relics were saved. But when the Roman Emperor Constantius II decided to transfer the remains of Saint Andrew to a church in Byzantium, a monk of the abbey of Patras would have taken some bones of Saint Andrew and sailed the world in order to establish various shrines. This legend explains how a few of Andrew's relics landed in Scotland, and so he was made patron saint of Scotland. Saint Andrew's feast is on November 30.
Other patron saints of fishermen are Anthony of Padua, Benno of Meissen, Budoc of Brittany, Gundisalvus of Lagos, Nicholas of Myra, Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Our Lady of Salambao, Peter Gonzales and Zeno of Verona.

Answer: Lawrence of Rome

Cooks have a few patron saints to choose from: Lawrence, Macarius the Younger, Martha or Pascal Baylon, or they could invoke the intercession of the Nativity of Our Lady.
Lawrence was one of the archdeacons of Rome in 258, when Emperor Valerian decided to persecute the Christians. All leading clerics but Lawrence were executed. Before his arrest, Pope Sixtus II informed Lawrence of a vision that they would reunite in a few days. Lawrence then distributed the church treasury as alms under the poor, the beggars, the blind and the crippled. When Emperor Valerian called for Lawrence to surrender the church treasury, Lawrence showed him the poor masses. Valerian was enraged and decided upon an original way of executing Lawrence: he would be roasted on a gridiron. After a while, Lawrence would have spoken the words "Turn me over, I'm done on this side".
The way in which Lawrence was executed, has made him patron saint of cooks as well as patron saint of firefighters. Lawrence has his feast day on August 10, the day of his death.

Answer: Pelagia of Antioch

Pelagia is apparently the only patron saint of actresses, while Vitus and Genesius of Rome are patron saints of actors.
The actors and especially actresses in the Roman Empire had a bad reputation. While in ancient Greece acting in tragedies was quite common and valued, most of the roles for actors and actresses in the Roman Empire were in vulgar comedies - or worse, performances we would nowadays deem "children not allowed".
Pelagia worked as such an actress and dancer, until she heard a sermon about the vanity of her profession. She converted to Christianity and moved from Antioch to Jerusalem, where she lived the life of an hermit dressed in men's clothing. Only after her death, the people of Jerusalem discovered she was a female "monk".
Pelagia is also known as Marina. Her feast day is October 8.

Answer: Barbara

According to legend, Barbara (venerated on December 4) was the daughter of a rich pagan in Phoenicia. Her father first locked her in a tower, to shield her from undesirable suitors - as he wanted to select her future husband himself. But Barbara did not want to marry: she preferred being a virgin dedicated to contemplation of Christ. This enraged her father, and he beat and tortured her severely. But an angel of the Lord would heal her wounds miraculously. Finally her father beheaded Barbara, and a short while afterwards he was struck by lightning and killed on the spot.
The Catholic and Orthodox churches venerate Barbara as patron saint of firefighters and all professions that use explosives (not only artillerists, but also miners) and all dangerous professions in general.
There is no historic evidence for the story of Saint Barbara as described above.

Answer: Conrad of Parzham

Believe it or not, but even a humble profession as a doorkeeper has a patron saint. Conrad of Parzham (1818-1894) was born under the name John Birndorfer. At 31 years of age, he joined the Capuchin order and worked as a porter or doorkeeper until his death.
Conrad was said to have the gift of prophecy and the talent to read people's hearts. Furthermore he somehow seemed at his duty all the time, relentlessly aiding visitors to the Capuchin friary and the shrine of Altotting (Bavaria).

Answer: Isidore of Seville

Isidore of Seville was born sometime around 560 and died in 636. So how is it possible that he was named the patron of something that would not be invented until more than 13 centuries after his death? Well, Isidore had a very inquisitive nature. He once eloped because he did not learn as fast as he and his family wanted, but contemplating the effects of water eroding a rock, he decided to concentrate on little steps to go a very long way.
Isidore was the first to attempt writing an encyclopaedia in which all the contemporary knowledge could be found. Soon after the world wide web was created, it resembled such an encyclopaedia in which one can find almost all present knowledge (or lose one's way when searching for something specific). Thus Isidore was named the patron saint of the internet, and all those contributing to the internet or merely using it may invoke his intervention for the difficulties they encounter.
Isidore is venerated on April 4.

Answer: Matthew the Apostle

Matthew the Apostle (also named Levi in the gospel of Luke) was a tax collector before he became an apostle. The Bible states that one day Matthew was sitting in his booth near the harbour to collect customs, when Jesus saw him and called "Follow Me". Matthew then left behind all he had and followed Jesus.
According to Christian tradition, Matthew wrote the first gospel. After Jesus' death, Matthew preached in Judea and probably in some other countries too, although sources differ as to his whereabouts. His feast is on September 21 in the Roman Catholic church, November 16 in the Orthodox church and October 22 in the Coptic church.
Other patron saints of bankers include Bernardine of Feltre, Michael the Archangel, Nicholas of Myra, and Secundus of Asti.

Answer: Cecilia

Cecilia was a Roman noble lady. When she was forced to marry Valerian, a pagan, she would have "sung in her heart" - perhaps welcoming the chance to convert a pagan. She convinced Valerian that an angel protected her virginity, and insisted he be baptized to see this angel. Valerian was baptized and took upon him to give deceased Christians a fitting funeral. Valerian was martyred, and soon after Cecilia was martyred also.
Cecilia's name day is November 22.
Other patron saints of musicians include Benedict Biscop, Blaise, King David, Dunstan of Canterbury, Genesius of Rome, Pope Gregory I the Great, Notkar Balbulus and Paul the Apostle.

Answer: John Baptist de la Salle

De la Salle (1651-1719) was the eldest of ten children. He became ordained as a priest in 1678 and graduated in theology in 1680. He became gradually involved with education and founded the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools, remarkably a layman's congregation. He founded several training schools for teachers, and he was also responsible for two major reforms of the schooling: first of all he developed schooling in subsequent grades (whereas previously all pupils received the same basic education), and he started teaching in the vernacular language instead of in Latin.
John-Baptist de la Salle is venerated on April 7.
Some other patron saints of teachers are Cassian of Imola, Catherine of Alexandria, Francis de Sales, Gregory the Great, Joseph, Nicholas of Myra and Ursula.