Dedicating Your Business to a Patron Saint

“The saints did not all begin well, but they ended well” (St. John Vianney).

There is a patron saint for just about everything, it seems. You may have a few saints whom you depend on for certain intercessions, and you probably have a special devotion to your Confirmation saint. But does your business have a patron saint?

When I started my blog, Everyday Roses, I named it in honor of my patron saint: St. Thérèse of Lisieux. Known as the Little Flower, Thérèse wrote, “After my death, I will let fall a shower of roses. I will spend my heaven doing good upon earth.” I wanted my blog to find the simple beauties and blessings of everyday life, just like Thérèse did. As I grow my business, I am keeping the “Everyday Roses” monicker, because I always want to dedicate it to my patron saint.

Why Should a Business Have a Patron Saint?

Lumen Gentium, the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, states, “Just as Christian communion among wayfarers brings us closer to Christ, so our companionship with the saints joins us to Christ.” If we are to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17), and if everything we do is supposed to be “for the Lord” (Colossians 4:23), then it follows that our work should be one of the ways we strive for holiness. In that case, having a patron saint for our businesses can only help.

“I do think it’s important to have a patron saint for your business, or at least someone you can turn to to ask for their intercession on the good days and on the particularly stressful days,” says Sarah Coffey, a Catholic Women in Business contributor and owner of Coffey Copy + Content. “Before every client project, I offer it to the Lord and ask Him to give me the words.” Karen Salinetti, owner of Visitation Organization LLC, has patron saints for her business because it reminds her that her “work has a higher purpose, that it is for His glory.”

How Do I Pick a Saint?

Many of the women in the Catholic Women in Business community have chosen patron saints based on their official patronage or their work during (and after) their life. Samantha Povlock, for example, a project manager and the founder of FemCatholic, picked St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein) as the organization’s patron saint because of her dedication to women’s rights and her love of truth and charity. “It’s been such a guiding star for me to look to her example, personally and intellectually,” she says.

St. Joseph, foster father of the Lord and patron saint of workers, is a popular business patron, and for good reason. He is the patron of many businesses represented in our community, including Sweet Little Ones (a design shop owned by adoptive mom Jessica Marie) and CORDA Candles (candles inspired by the saints). CORDA’s owner, Anna Camacho, says that she gives all credit for her business to St. Joseph. “For many years,” she says, “I prayed to him constantly for a job that would let me be creative and work with my hands, whilst in jobs that had me in front of a screen all day, every day. It was one day during Mass, when I was reflecting on his life, that the idea for candles with scents directly connected to saints and the faith came to me.” While she also considers St. Kateri, Bl. Pier Giorgio, and St. Damien patrons, St. Joseph is “the head patron, so to speak.”

Micole Amalu picked Pope St. John Paul II, Our Lady of Guadalupe, and St. Josephine Bakhita for her mental health advocacy organization, The Face of Mercy: John Paul II “for his passion for promoting human dignity and his personal witness of the power of suffering, Josephine Bakhita because I see her as a great intercessor for those suffering trauma or mental distress … and Our Lady of Guadalupe as a patron for healing and compassionate evangelization, both essential parts of this mission!”

“I’m a sales manager,” says Vanessa Jungbluth, “and I read somewhere that St. Lucy is the patron saint of salespeople.” She hangs a medal with a third-class relic of St. Lucy on the rearview mirror of her car (which was previously her “office”). “She’s helped me more than once!”

For Catholic Woman CEO, Monique van Berkel selected St. Teresa of Ávila and St. Mary Magdalene as patrons. She chose Teresa “because of her ardent desire of love for Jesus and her brilliant mind on matters of faith” and Mary Magdalene “because of her life journey trials that almost took hold of her until she encountered Jesus and His profound love for her.” Bizzy Schorr, who does graphic design and writes for Catholic ministries, named St. Gabriel her patron and says, “I always ask him to help me bring the message God wants to be there.”

Like me, Amanda G. named her blog, Following Isidore, after its patron, St. Isidore the Farmer. “I write about faith, farming and food on my blog,” she says. “I want to encourage others in ‘Living out the Catholic Faith in Rural Life’ through good food, good conversation, and family farming/the dignity of work just as St. Isidore and his wife practiced in their life.” Before she started her blog, she and her family picked St. Isidore as the patron of their home, “where he as helped us through the joys and tragedies of agricultural life.”

St. Benedict of Nursia is the patron saint of Allay Women and Family Resources. Founder Beth Rahal says, “Ben is all about establishing supportive communities, serving others as Christ, and embracing radical hospitality. ‘Obsculata’ (‘listen’) and ‘Ora et labora’ (‘pray and work’) have been really grounding mantras for my prayer life, and ‘Ut in omnibus glorificetur Deus’ (‘That in all things, God may be glorified’) has been a good theme for remembering to keep all my work focused on serving God … He’s the saint I didn’t know I needed,” she says, and “the perfect patron” for her business.

St. Zelie, Thérèse’s mother, is popular among Catholic women in business, largely because she was a devoted mother and successful business owner. Tiffny Hagan’s Virtual Office Advantage is dedicated to her patronage. Similarly, St. Gianna Molla, a doctor and the patroness of working mothers, is a favorite of JoAnna Wahlund (author of “The Catholic Working Mom’s Guide to Life) and Victoria Coglianese (a Catholic Women in Business contributor and owner of Wonderfully Made Nutrition).

“I’ve dedicated my business … to the intercession of Mary as well as St. Gianna to help guide and support my mission to bring whole healing to women so that they can carry out the beautiful gift of bringing life into this world,” says Coglianese, who specializes in supporting women’s fertility and health.

When the Saint Picks You

Sometimes, the saint picks you. When I was studying for Confirmation, I was initially going to pick St. Luke as my Confirmation saint, because I wanted to be a writer and a doctor. However, when I read a biography of St. Thérèse and then read her autobiography, I felt drawn to her instead.

Similarly, Roxanna Urban, a realtor, considers St. Joseph to be a patron — but she picked him when she was preparing for Confirmation, not because he is the patron saint of real estate. It was providential, though: “The two things I’ve worked the hardest at are keeping my family together and providing for them through real estate. He just happens to be the patron saint of families and of real estate. But here’s the best part: My maiden name is Diaz-Yoserev. Yoserev is a Spanish version of Yousef (Joseph).”

Author Melanie Rigney, whose new book “Radical Saints: 21 Women for the 21st Century” is out this month from Franciscan Media, said that St. Elizabeth Ann Seton is the patron saint of her writing ministry. “When I held one of her relics, she said to me, ‘Listen, and you will find your vocation.’ So that’s what I do … listen to [saints’] stories and share them,” Rigney says.

Meanwhile, a recent conversation on Instagram inspired Lisa Canning, “mom coach” and author of “The Possibility Mom.” She says that this conversation “reminded me how St. Ignatius of Loyola had a spirit of detachment, and how he had such a posture of gratitude. I desire this for me in relationship to my business efforts: put in the hard work but be detached from the outcome.”

When in Doubt, Remember That Our Blessed Mother Is the Patroness of Us All

Many businesses are, of course, dedicated to Mary. Amalu isn’t the only Catholic Women in Business community member who named Our Lady of Guadalupe as a business patron; Alyssa Grasinski named her business Guadalupe Embroidery. “Our Lady’s image was perfectly and beautifully imprinted onto fabric,” she says. “I do my best to stitch beautiful images onto fabric and as imperfect as they are, I believe my efforts are blessed for the glory of God!” (St. John Paul II is also “an unofficial patron,” because his Letter to Artists has inspired her and help her grow.)

Liz Montigny says that Our Lady of Good Remedy interceded for her when she worked in both nonprofit and corporate organizations and is still doing so in her work as an entrepreneur. Her Marian Theatre Project produces “short plays [that] offer a glimpse into the life of Jesus through the eyes of the Blessed Mother.”

Laura Roland, Catholic Women in Business’ manager of strategic partnerships and co-founder of women’s ministry Encounter Grace, says that the Blessed Mother, St. Elizabeth, and St. Mary Magdalene are Encounter Grace’s patron saints. The ministry was inspired by the Visitation, so Mary and St. Elizabeth are especially fitting patrons.

Salinetti was also inspired by the Visitation. “The name of my home organizing business, Visitation Organization, came to me in prayer out of nowhere,” she says. “So, of course, I had to embrace the name (even though it was very different from the cutesy secular names I had been considering). In turn, I dedicated my business to the Blessed Mother and St. Elizabeth, and took them on as the patron saints of Visitation Organization.”

Intercession: Part of Your Business Plan?

“Surprisingly,” said Susan Arlinghaus, a self-employed virtual assistant, “I have never thought to choose a patron saint for my business. But I am going to pray about that now, because having the intercession of a saint might be just what I need.”

In the midst of budgeting, scheduling social media posts, sending marketing emails, and offering your services, it’s important to remember to incorporate time for prayer into your workday. By dedicating your business to a patron saint (or two, or three), you will have a role model in business and in life — and always remember that you serve God first, your customer second, and yourself third.

Does your business have a patron saint? I’d love to hear about it! Join the conversation on Facebook.

Taryn Oesch is the managing editor of Catholic Women in Business, a contributing writer and assistant editor at FemCatholic.com, and a fertility educator in training. An active volunteer, Taryn is the board secretary and communications chair at The Power of the Dream, a head coach at Miracle League of the Triangle, and a volunteer at Birthchoice of Wake County. You can follow Taryn on Twitter; on Instagram; on Facebook; and on her blog, Everyday Roses.