* St. Francis of Assisi is my all-time favorite saint. He is known to be the most Christ-like saint. He had a joyful spirit, lived simply, loved everyone. He never intended his brotherhood to become an order; he wanted it to simply remain a brotherhood serving the needs of the poor. He strove to imitate Jesus to the best of his ability. He had an affinity with nature and loved all of God's creation. I wish I could be just a little bit like him.
Mary B. Wingfield
Houston, TX
* I have a real fondness for Columba; he started a war and ended up exiled from his beloved Ireland -- all over a book. Anyone who can get into that much trouble because of a book is a saint I can really relate to!
Andrea Hughett Luxenburg
Wynantskill, NY
* My favorite saint is the 19th-century "saint of the Eucharist," St. Peter Julian Eymard. For all his life, he knew the absolute value of the most amazing gift God gave us: the Eucharist.
His understanding of the Eucharist is amazingly clear. He has taught me to love Christ-present. He has taught me to better understand Christ-present. He has taught me to see all qualities we should strive for in the Eucharist. If the world had his vision of the power and love of the Eucharist, there is no doubt in my mind that we would have heaven on earth. We'd still be sinners, but the graces would be almost infinite.
Loretta Pioch
Woburn, MA
* The saint I admire the most is St. Monica. She was the perfect example of perseverance in prayer. She understood that God answers our prayers in His time, not when we want. Yet she never gave up, never complained about God not hearing her prayers. With every passing day, she could have become impatient with God and given up. Today, we have fast food, fast computers, express check-out lanes, drive up ATMs, microwave ovens, and many other gadgets designed to help us keep pace with an ever-accelerating world. St. Monica is an example to us of why we need to slow down and realize that there are no gadgets when it comes to prayer. I also admire her because she did not give up on her son, Augustine. In today's environment of declining family values, we can all learn a lot from St. Monica: in how she had faith in God and trust in her son, St. Augustine.
Tom Bigos
Scotia, NY
* My most favorite saint is Francis of Assisi. He epitomized the message of the Gospel and example of Jesus by genuinely living as Jesus enjoined us to, to love each and every creature. From the least loved or appreciated in the world to the most important and desired, Francis saw in each one the beauty of God's creation, and fully realized the depth of love and mercy which God has for all. Francis was the exemplar of holiness, humility and patience in a time in history when faith was often relegated to that of a rote act. He challenged everyone to strive for a more harmonious and reverent style of life. He invited the rich and poor alike to follow him in his mendicant orders to live fully the life of Christ and to put into practice the message that Jesus left.
I would also like to mention another extraordinary saint: John Marie Vianney, the Cure d'Ars. He is the patron saint of parish priests; I often pray to him for his intercessions to help me in my formation and continuing discernment of my priestly vocation. He struggled arduously in his ministry; and in his time in the seminary, he was often considered inadequate for the role of priest. But, in overcoming his shortcomings, misgivings, fears and profound temptations by the devil, he displayed the same kind of love, zeal and enthusiasm for serving as Jesus did, especially when He was nailed to a cross. I hope to imitate that, too. So St. John Marie Vianney is equally as favorite to me a saint as St. Francis is.
Tony Childs
Albany, NY
* My favorite saint is St. Francis of Assisi. When I was a child, he was my favorite because he was the patron saint of the animals. The more I read about him, however, the more I respect the 180-degree change he made in his life. His commitment to simplicity is one which I try to copy in my own life.
Katherine Giles
University of Pennsylvania, PA
* I like Paul because he wrote passages in the Bible that mean a lot to me. He was not afraid to say what he thought, even if it meant his imprisonment. God loved him so much and believed in him, even when Paul did not believe in God. I feel that this saint is a true example of God's unconditional love, and what it can produce.
Susan Johnson
Sidney, NY
* My favorite saint is Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha. Her story has always intrigued me. In fact, I used the anglecized version of her name "Catherine" as my Confirmation name in 1956, long before she was declared blessed in the 1980s. The "Lily of the Mohawks" can still be an inspiration to young people for her dedication to Christ and Mary through the trials and tribulations of her short life.
Shirley Clairmont
Albany, NY
* It has to be Saint Francis of Assisi. Why? Well, it began with his simple love of God through His creations and his love of God in all men. But it went deeper than that after I read about him in even greater detail. He spoke of the love of God, His infinite mercy, His eternal patience. But he also spoke of holding to the faith in times when that faith was absurd. Francis spoke of the need for repentance, of daily conversion at a time when such words seemed absurd, when the fear of the Lord was dead to the world, when the pride of life and desire for the world took center stage. He is truly a saint for our times, as he gives the full message of God.
Patrick D. Ludwa
Euclid, OH
* My favorite is St. Patrick. He was chosen at my Confirmation. I am American-Irish and an engineer. He has been my all-round patron.
Bob McBride
Corpus Christi, TX