Finding a Patron Saint

Not as easy as you might think!

Saint Nektarios

When you become an Orthodox Christian, a kind of divine support team is created for you. As an adult coming into the church, you need to find a sponsor who becomes your God-Parent, who is someone in the church who will support you, help answer questions, give direction and advice, etc. God-Parents have additional functions, but we’ll cover those in a future article. Once you are baptized, you are also assigned a guardian angel, but before baptism, you need to choose a patron saint.

Why is a Patron Saint Important

Orthodox believe that saints can act as intercessors, praying with us on our behalf. Christians have asked saints to intercede before God for protection or assistance throughout history.  They also serve as an example for you in your life. Perhaps they have certain qualities you would like to see in yourself, or they have overcome similar challenges you may have faced or be facing.

When you choose a patron saint, it is also customary to take their first name as your new Christian name. This name is the name you will be known as within the church. To Orthodox, names and how they are obtained are important.

"By bearing the name of a saint,  the Orthodox acquires an identity akin to that of the saint whose name he/she bears”¹

… not everyone is born Eastern Orthodox. Some people convert later in life. In this case, the individual takes on his “Christian name” after he is baptized as an adult. From that moment on, the priest will refer to him by his baptismal name. This reaffirms his identity as a child of God and a member of His Church. He will hear it upon receiving Holy Communion, during the mystery of Confession, and even at his funeral when the priest prays for the repose of his soul.²

The choice of a patron saint also determines your spiritual birthday, called your Name Day, which will be the same as the feast day of your patron saint.

So, for example, someone with St. Thekla the Protomartyr as their patron would celebrate her Name Day on September 24, because that day is the feast day that commemorates St. Thekla. Our actual date of birth, while nice to celebrate, is not as important as celebrating our spiritual birth. In fact, what makes our physical birth meaningful in the first place, is our spiritual rebirth at Baptism.

I should note that your name day does not always have to correspond to the day of your baptism.

How to Choose a Patron Saint