SS
#0
Dear friends, I have no idea about the Orthodox tradition regarding patron saints? How does one come under the patronage of a patron saint; does it depend on what your spiritual father advises, or maybe what saint is honored on the day of your baptism-chrismation (or however one is received into the Orthodox Church in its fellowship with the Bishop) .... Does one consider one of the Saints one admires or likes something as one\'s patron saint? Does it depend somewhat on which saint or saints one takes as a guardian in prayer? I need a guardian angel to bring me into the Church; I also need prayer from an Orthodox Saint, or as many saints as possible. Along with the Holy Spirit, Who above all is our one hope of salvation in Christ and God the Father, we also need the prayers of the All-Blessed Ever-Virgin Theotokos, and the prayers of our local Christian Orthodox ministers and friends.
Kindly understand why I don\'t understand about this yet; I was raised Lutheran, and they never told me anything much about saints.
God save us.
Always,
Scott Harrington
Erie :confused:
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TK
#1
I think it\'s helpful to remember that even though you might have one patron saint, there are many people who feel a very close connection with several saints.
At least, it was a helpful thought for us and others as we drew closer to chrismation, that we hadn\'t made some horribly wrong decision that couldn\'t get rectified.
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michalis orfanos
#3
i agree with Tamara.She is right
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michalis orfanos
#5
i agree with Tamara.She is right
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michalis orfanos
#4
i agree with Tamara.She is right
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michalis orfanos
#2
i agree with Tamara.She is right
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AA
#6
I recently converted, and what I did was search for saints (try www.orthodox.net) online. A lot of people who like me don\'t have a saint\'s name already (there are no St. Amys) will search for a saint that they feel they relate with or are moved by, or they look for a saint whose saint\'s day is on their birthday. I was fortunate to find one that served all of those purposes for me! Ask your spiritual father for assistance and ask his opinion on the matter, but in my case, it was totally my choice, and he simply approved it.
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Andrew Colias
#7
Patron saints are chosen by the convert himself (or herself) or whoever the convert asks to choose. The saint\'s name is then adopted by the convert as his (or her) own and the saint literally becomes a spiritual patron, interceding to Heaven on their behalf and harkening more closely still to that person\'s prayers for help. As for which saint to choose, all are available. There are even Scottish saints to be had since until 1054 all Western canonizations were valid to the East.
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CA
#8
I chose my Saint and Baptismal name with a lot of thought, but quite nearly by random. I came into Orthodoxy when I was 14. I appreciated the stories and the life of St. Anastasia and went to learn more about her, and how I had mirrored her path to God. It just so happened the day I went to look it up and decide, was her day of commemoration. I felt very connected to her, and my spiritual father blessed my choice. I pray to her with personal problems, that I know only God and I can fix, through her intersessions I pray to the Lord to make me a stronger Anastasia.
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PB
#9
I do not think there is any one prescribed way to choose a patron saint. Some are given a saint\'s name as infants, others choose the saint venerated on their birthday, some choose a saint they particularly admire and want to emulate. I don\'t think it is absolutely \"required\" to have a saint\'s name. I converted to Orthodoxy 20 years ago and only recently took a saint\'s name, with the blessing of my spiritual father, of course. So, I struggled with this same question for a long time. My advice is to seek the guidance of your spiritual father, pray to God for enlightenment, and then wait. He will answer in the way (and time) that is most profitable for your soul.
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