10 saints who teach us how to live lives of holiness and virtue.
By Rachel Padilla
Saints are role models for us. They show us how to live out virtues and respond to our call to holiness. Saints are also our patrons. We call on them in specific needs or for particular causes. For teachers, there are many examples of saints who were educators or students. We can and should look to them and ask for their intercession. There are other saints, however, who may not be directly associated with education but still provide holy examples for us or whose patronage we may need.
St. John Bosco

By Carlo Felice Deasti – http://www.santiebeati.it/dettaglio/22600, Public Domain, Link
Father Bosco is known for his work with youth and is considered their patron. However, he was different from many educators of his time. He was not afraid to shun common practices in favor of a better way. He refused to use corporal punishment and befriended his students. He knew that meeting someone where they are can draw them in to what we wish to teach them. St. John Bosco’s willingness to be a close guide rather than an authoritarian ruler is worthy of our emulation in our own classrooms.
St. Anthony of Padua

St. Anthony of Padua statue at St. Anthony’s Shrine for the Sick, Paterson, NJ. Copyright 2015 Barb Szyszkiewicz. Used with permission. All rights reserved.
This saint is the patron of lost things. As organized and put together as we may strive to be, everyone loses something now and then. We can ask for St. Anthony’s intercession to help us find our misplaced classroom keys, our wandering train of thought, or that missing student work. We may also tell our students to ask for his intercession when looking for that lost special pencil or the homework they’re sure they put in their backpack this morning.
Bl. Chiara Luce Badano

Davide Papalini [CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons
St. Jude

Nheyob [CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons
St. Lucy

Domenico di Pace Beccafumi [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
St. Gianna Beretta Molla

© José Luiz Bernardes Ribeiro, via Wikimedia Commons
Some days, teaching may make some educators wonder if they really want kids of their own. St. Gianna is a role model of the sacrificial love we should have for our students. They are precious gifts from God, even if they don’t always act like it. Gianna was willing to risk her own life to give her unborn child a better chance of survival. Because of this, she wound up sacrificing her life for her child. While we hopefully won’t be called to such extreme lengths, the vocation of teaching requires certain sacrifices for the benefit of our students.
St. Maurus

Valentin Lefebvre [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
St. Josemaría Escrivá

Oficina de Información de la Prelatura del Opus Dei en España [CC BY-SA 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons
St. Drogo

Image credit: Pixabay.com (2013), CC0/PD
A list of saints for teachers would not be complete without mention of the patron of coffee. Technically, his patronage is that of coffee houses but the relevancy remains. Perhaps you personally avoid caffeine, but many educators rely on their daily cup to get them through. This saint is for them. We can pray to him that our morning coffee run does not make us late for first period or perhaps ask for his intercession in helping us avoid dependence on coffee.
St. Joseph of Cupertino

Saint Lorenzo Church in Vicenza [CC BY-SA 4.0], via Wikimedia Commons
These saints come from various backgrounds and times in history, yet each could be a patron or role model for teachers. These are just a few of the numerous saints we can imitate and ask for intercession. Like all holy men and women, these ten teach us how to live lives of holiness and virtue. Their kindness, hope, faith, and joy are things we should strive to emulate both in and out of our classrooms. As witnesses in Heaven, they can pray for us and intercede on our behalf in all our necessities.
Rachel Padilla is a campus minister in Colorado.
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