Branding The Saints

An EBJ Design Series that explores some of the Catholic Church's biggest role-players, influencers, problem-solvers, martyrs and heroes.

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Buried Treasure to Fan Club

The story of Saint Philomena is shrouded in some mystery. Only through an apparent revelation, centuries later to a nun in Naples, Italy was the story of her martyrdom revealed.

A 13 year old Philomena refused to lose her virginity several times to a Roman ruler, which in turn had her tortured and many attempts to kill her were ordered by him. First came the arrows.... FAIL. Then he tried to drown her twice via an anchor necklace. DOUBLE FAIL. Eventually she was beheaded, only after converting so many to Christ due to her steadfastness throughout this whole ordeal.

Fast forward seventeen centuries later, and her bones were discovered alongside inscriptions alluding to her identity and her life. They were moved to Mugnano, Italy and that's when  the Philomena fun started to begin, having many Popes, would-be saints at the time and many others devoted to her.

She's gotten herself quite the holy fan base. It only took a few centuries to get there.

For More Info go to: Catholic Online

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The Hipster's Saint

You wanna talk about early adopters and following a band before anyone else, St. Andrew is the original. He's quite literally the first disciple to follow Jesus when he began his ministry. He actually got his older brother Simon (who would later be dubbed "Peter." Yes that Peter, the First Pope!) to tag along and forget their whole fishing business when things got serious.

Andrew is believed to have traveled to Greece to preach the Gospel. He was eventually hung on a cross shaped like an "X" because he felt he was unworthy to be crucified the same way his saviour was. Or some hipsters believed he chose the "X" because no one's done it before.

For More Info go to: Catholic Online

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The Underdog

I usually attempt to write my own clever summary of each saints lives, but to truly capture the essence of what inspired me about Saint Bro. Andre I had to quote right here:

Brother Andre didn't mind starting small.

Think of some service you have longed to perform for God and God's people, but that you thought was too overwhelming for you. What small bit can you do in this service? If you can't afford to give a lot of money to a cause, just give a little. If you can't afford hours a week in volunteering, try an hour a month on a small task. It is amazing how those small steps can lead you up the mountain as they did for Brother Andre.

To me, he's pretty close to the epitome of steady persistence, devotion and meekness. The good kind of meekness, the one that recognizes how small we are compared to God, and how that's just perfectly fine. 

for more info go to: Catholic Online

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Lost & Found

This design is solely based on the amazing stories of St. Anthony and my wife. He's the patron saint of lost items, and he has never failed my wife in finding her wallet, my wedding ring and cell phones on the daily. What you probably don't know about this guy was that he was an amazing public speaker, a knowledgable and empowering teacher and someone who had an immense burning to help the poor. He's also the fastest canonized saint, taking less than a year to be called to the club. How's that for rookie of the year?

for more info visit: Catholic Online

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ALL SAINTS DAY

Today we celebrate the inspiration for this design project. I like to consider the saints like a league of superheroes, or even an esteemed club, that we all want to eventually be a part of. Membership fees: 1) a devoted life to Christ 2) death. 

And it should be in that order by the way.

CHURCH TRIUMPHANT: the hardest club to get into, but once you're in, you're set for (eternal) life!

for more info: Church Triumphant

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Intensely Devoted

She's one of the newbie Saints in the Church, and it couldn't be more appropriate as we take our first steps into "The Year of FAITH." St. Kateri was a Mohawk Indian and converted to Catholicism at the age of 20. She was shunned by her tribe because of it, but continued with great intensity to achieve full devotion to Jesus through corporal mortification. Her spiritual directors would speak highly of her "charity, industry, purity and fortitude." Just the example we need at a time like this.

For more info on her visit: Catholic Online

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The Light

St. Lucy is one tough cookie. A young cookie at that. According to one of many legends of her, when her arranged marriage to a pagan man didn't go too well, she became like Thor's hammer "Mjolnir" and was unmovable, and then pulled a Superman and became impervious to flames. But then her eyes were gouged out with a fork. Hence, her being the patron saint of the blind. What a superhero.

for more info visit: Catholic Online

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The Voyager

St. Brendan is a 5th Century Irish Saint with a bold sense of adventure. His story is the stuff of legends. He sailed the world fighting off sea monsters (and eating them) and discovering new places. It's even speculated that he discovered the North Eastern parts of the U.S.A. centuries before some guy named Christopher Columbus. It all started with a vision he had of "The Promised Land of Saints." Follow your dreams!

read more here: Catholic Online

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The Little Flower

I’m a day late posting this, because yesterday was her feast day, but better late than never. St. Therese of Lisieux only lived 24 years, most of it behind the walls of a monastery. But you bloom where you’re planted, and this little flower did just that. Offering what ever little thing she did to help grow the kingdom of God. Now she’s forever blooming in God’s Heavenly Garden.

read more about her: Catholic Online

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Bigger Than His Body

Researching this saint gave me high hopes (and more motivation) to pray for my son who bears the same name. St. Dominic Savio wasn't even 15 years old when he passed away. He became the youngest non-martyr saint in the Catholic Church. Pope Pius XII described St. Dominic as "small in size but a towering giant in spirit." Who breaks up a stone-throwing fight between schoolmates by holding up a crucifix and then telling them to throw those stones at him instead? No one, sans this young saint.

for more info visit: Catholic Online

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The English Princess

I have my own princess of a daughter who shares this Saint's nickname, Audrey. The real name of this saint is actually Ethelreda. She has an interesting story of political marriage, a vow of virginity, starting up an abbey and a pretty wicked neck tumor that ended up being the death of her. A death and suffering she accepted as Divine retribution for being iced out during her princess years. Definitely not a Disney-style princess story.

for more info visit: Catholic Online

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Nutritor Domini - Educator/Teacher of Our Lord

St Joseph Prayer for Fidelity to Work This prayer to St. Joseph, patron of workers, helps us call to mind that all of our labor is part of our struggle on the road to heaven.

taken from: Prayer to St. Joseph for Work

learn more about St. Joseph

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Passionate Missionary

St. Paul untiring interest in and paternal affection for the churches established by him have given us fourteen canonical Epistles. It is, however, quite certain that he wrote other letters which are no longer extant. In his Epistles, St. Paul shows himself to be a profound religious thinker and he has had an enduring formative influence in the development of Christianity. The centuries only make more apparent his greatness of mind and spirit. His feast day is June 29th.

info from: Catholic Online

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The First Pope

From the earliest days of the Church, Peter was recognized as the Prince of the Apostles and the first Supreme Pontiff; his see, Rome, has thus enjoyed the position of primacy over the entire Catholic Church. While Peter’s chief feast day is June 29, he is also honored on February 22 and November 18. In liturgical art, he is depicted as an elderly man holding a key and a book. His symbols include an inverted cross, a boat, and the cock.

info from: Catholic Online