Sunday, December 13, 2020
2021 Patron Saint of the Year Devotion


Update (1/3/2021 6:15 PM): I am genuinely shocked at the number of people who do not follow instructions, submitting names late, and demanding they be added. People posting their comments up to 10 times when the instructions are very clear. This is very disappointing that I have offered this service for over 15 years and very few people chose to pitch in a donation or offer thanks. Instead, I have received constant complaining for the past two days. This will likely be my last year offering this devotion. I have made one final drawing for the missed entries and the late entries. The final results are below.

Update (1/1/2021 2:20 PM): The drawing is now complete! There will be no additional drawings.

I was chosen by Blessed James of Voragine. He tried to reconcile the warring Guelphs and Ghibellines, was generous to the poor, built and repaired churches, monasteries, and hospitals. He worked to insure clerical discipline, and is reported to have translated the Bible into Italian, though no copies have survived. Wrote the Legenda Aurea Sanctorum (the Golden Legend), a collection of scores of tales of the saints; it has become an invaluable source for information on the middle ages. I will pray for intercession this year and will especially seek to imitate his exemplary virtues.

For anyone looking for a prayer to your saint, you may always use the Prayer to Venerate Any Saint. Be sure to look up the feastday for your saint and invoke them and honor them especially on that day this year. Consider putting their image on your wall or your desktop background. See if there are any connections in your life with your saint for the year. And look at which virtues you can especially initiate and grow in that your patron especially excelled in.

Wishing you all a most blessed New Year 2021 in the Year of Our Lord. And a very Merry Christmas on this Octave Day of Christmas! Lastly, if you have not already, your kind donation below in any amount is greatly appreciated.

Update (12/31/2020 7:45 PM): The drawing will be taking place on New Years Day, not New Year's Eve. Please check here on Friday and be sure to attend Mass and abstain from all work as New Years Day is a Holy Day of Obligation.

I am very pleased to again be a facilitator for the Patron Saint of the Year Devotion.  I have been part of this annual tradition since 2006 and have helped coordinate devotions for hundreds of families.  It is my pleasure to now be part of the 2021 Patron Saint of the Year Devotion.

SPONSOR: This Devotion is being sponsored again this year by CatechismClass.com.  Whether you are looking for godparent preparation courses, Sacramental preparation for your children, or just to better learn the Faith as an adult, CatechismClass.com has courses for all ages and walks of life. Check out CatechismClass.com's affordable programs and make it a New Year's resolution to learn and live the Faith better than ever before.

You can read about the past devotions at the following posts:
Again, I would like to take a few minutes to explain the devotion.

When will the saints be drawn?  This year I will start the drawing of saints in the morning of the Feast of the Circumcision and the Octave Day of Christmas (i.e. January 1st). Drawings will occur as the Litany of Saints are recited.  That means results will likely be posted in the late afternoon (US Central Time) on Thursday, January 1, 2021. This will be the only drawing this year. 

How do I enter?  Just add the names of everyone (you and your family) that you want to be included in the drawing in the comment box below.  DO NOT also email them to me. Emailed entries will not be accepted. Please leave all entries in the comment box to this post. If you get the message, "Your comment will be visible after approval" then your submission was successful. It will be viewable after I approve it.

What is the Saint for the Year Devotion?  We pray that this year the Holy Ghost will again work so that all participants receive a saint that they will be able to pray to for aid throughout the entire year: St. Faustina wrote about it in her diary, Divine Mercy in My Soul. The excerpt is below.
“There is a custom among us of drawing by lot, on New Year's Day, special Patrons for ourselves for the whole year. In the morning during meditation, there arose within me a secret desire that the Eucharistic Jesus be my special Patron for this year also, as in the past. But, hiding this desire from my Beloved, I spoke to Him about everything else but that. When we came to refectory for breakfast, we blessed ourselves and began drawing our patrons. When I approached the holy cards on which the names of the patrons were written, without hesitation I took one, but I didn't read the name immediately as I wanted to mortify myself for a few minutes. Suddenly, I heard a voice in my soul: ‘I am your patron. Read.’ I looked at once at the inscription and read, ‘Patron for the Year 1935 - the  Most Blessed Eucharist.’ My heart leapt with joy, and I slipped quietly away from the sisters and went for a short visit before the Blessed Sacrament, where I poured out my heart. But Jesus sweetly admonished me that I should be at that moment together with the sisters. I went immediately in obedience to the rule.”Excerpt from Divine Mercy in My Soul, the Diary of St. Faustina"

The practice was also done prior in various monasteries - one such instance was the Abbey of Maredsous, Belgium, which distributed the name of a saint to each monk so the recipient could study, pray to, and befriend the saint during the liturgical year.

Over the years, I've heard from many people about the great connection they have to their special patrons. Here is one of those stories from the past: 

I have Saints Marcus and Marcellianus ... they are twin brothers who were sent to prison before their death. St. Sebastian visited them continually in prison and helped keep their faith alive. They are buried near St. Felix and are specifically honored in Spain. OK now ... here are a couple of immediate ironies in regard to these saints ... I have a SPECIAL place in my heart for twins! As a child, I LOVED reading the story about St. Sebastian. I had a children's book of saints and I think I wore out the pages on St. Sebastian! Felix is my grandfather's name! Silvia, our exchange student, is from Spain! I am so excited to have these two saints to walk through 2006 with me! I'm looking forward as to where and how they will intercede for me.
Please pass this message on through your blogs and/or email distribution lists, letting all of the Catholic Blogsphere have the chance to participate.

Add Your Name In The Comments Box

If you would like to participate, please leave your name below in the comment box. If you wish to remain anonymous, please leave your initials instead of your name.  Anonymous requests without names or initials will NOT be part of the drawing.  Do not add the same request more than once. If you get the message, "Your comment will be visible after approval" then your submission was successful. It will be viewable after I approve it.

NoteDO NOT email me your entries. Emailed entries will not be accepted - no exceptions.  Leave all submissions here in the comments box to this blog post. Your name and comment will appear shortly after you make it. If you do not see it, then your comment did NOT go through. So, comment below and pass this message on throughout the entire Catholic Blogsphere!

Donate to Participate


If you find this devotion helpful and would like to support A Catholic Life in the next year, please submit a donation.  This devotion takes a significant amount of time to facilitate as I cut hundreds of saints' names on paper to draw them, and I pull them out after a prayer for each and every name submitted in the comments box. If you are especially listing more than 3 names, please make a donation.

I handle the planning, marketing, and drawing for this devotion each year. Please take a minute and if you are a supporter of this devotion, please consider making a free-will donation to participate. Your support is greatly appreciated and helps me continue working on this devotion and spreading it further and it helps keep A Catholic Life online. This is my primary blog fundraiser each year.

paypal.me/MPlese

Results of the Drawing




40 comment(s):

del_button December 14, 2020 at 8:06 AM
Jay said...

Matthew, thanks for doing this again this year!

could I have a saint assigned to:

Kelly
Emily
Kyla
Jay
Sue
Suzanne

del_button December 14, 2020 at 6:57 PM
Anonymous said...

JohnnyM

Thank you.

del_button December 14, 2020 at 7:05 PM
Anonymous said...

Please assign a Saint to:
Elizabeth B
Kyleigh R
Dana B
Thanks so much!

del_button December 14, 2020 at 7:56 PM
Ms. Mouw said...

Elaine
Fred
Sandy
Brandon
Sydnie
Rachel
Kalab
Meaza
Kirubel
Dick
Trey
Kierra
Dave
Austin
Autumn
Abbie
Sophia
Robert
Robin
Tim
Sue Anne
Liam
Lincoln
Lilly
Leah
Chris

del_button December 16, 2020 at 11:06 AM
L. said...

Thank you so much for this wonderful opportunity to ask for a Saint for the year of 2021. Please include:
Laura L.
Gordon

del_button December 16, 2020 at 11:43 AM
Eric Peters said...

Please include me, Eric Peters

del_button December 17, 2020 at 6:27 AM
Emma said...

Thank you. Please have saints assigned for:
Matthew
Emma
and, Danielle

del_button December 17, 2020 at 4:46 PM
terrydavid said...

Thank you!
Rick
Terry
Gary
Nicole
Brandon
Brynn
Cameron
Jim
Kristin
Stephen
Michael

del_button December 18, 2020 at 1:26 AM
Tim W said...

Thank you. I submit these names:
Tim W
Alex M
Andrew D
Jacob D
Max D
Jimmy D
Francis D
Michael D
Nicholas D
Dominic D
Xavier D
John D
Griffin C
Elijah C
Isaac C
Nathan B
Dominic B

del_button December 18, 2020 at 8:35 PM
Tracy said...

Tracy I
Teshia I
Christian I
Jagear I
Sandy I
Jack I
Bill A
Dawn I
Steve P
Bonnie P
Sam I
Nate R
Nevaeh I
Livia I
Tucker H
Indigo H
Ellis H
Vera H
Ericka B
Steve L

del_button December 20, 2020 at 7:45 PM
Tim W said...

Please add Douglas T to the list. Thank you.

del_button December 20, 2020 at 7:51 PM
JMJ said...

Thank you very much.
Cindy
Dustin
Lila
Hailey

del_button December 22, 2020 at 7:53 AM
Anna B. said...

Anna
Vince
Jaime
Julio
Auliya
JL
EJ

del_button December 22, 2020 at 8:04 PM
Josemaria Paulo Jeromino Martin Carvalho-Von Verster said...

Kristine
Mary Anne
Tony
Haydee
Rolly
Mike
Cherie
Andy

del_button December 22, 2020 at 8:05 PM
Josemaria Paulo Jeromino Martin Carvalho-Von Verster said...

I forgot to include Myself

del_button December 23, 2020 at 10:07 AM
Michaela said...

For myself please

del_button December 25, 2020 at 1:12 PM
Matthew said...

Matthew B
Megan B
Jared B
Rachel B
Lily B
Christine B
Anthony B

del_button December 26, 2020 at 5:36 PM
Tim W said...

Please draw saints for:
Mallory H
Landyn H
Savanna H
AlliClaire H
Brody H
Sarah H

del_button December 27, 2020 at 2:55 PM
Tara said...

Please choose a saint for me (Tara).

del_button December 27, 2020 at 5:39 PM
Anonymous said...

Kindly draw a saint for Dorothy C from NJ

del_button December 28, 2020 at 8:41 AM
Cathleen said...

Please draw saints names for:
Cathleen W
Robert W
Amy W
Patrick W
Julie W
Anne W
Katherine W
~Thank you very much for doing this! ~

del_button December 29, 2020 at 9:39 AM
JanineD said...

Please choose a Saint for me also
Janine D

del_button December 30, 2020 at 5:35 PM
Frankie said...

Please choose a saint for me (Frances)

del_button December 30, 2020 at 7:18 PM
Anggha said...

I forgot to put Dominic on my list. SO my final list is:

Anggha
Troy
Elizabeth
Tri Wimawan
Dominic
Samuel
Benedict
Derek

Thanks heaps!!

del_button December 30, 2020 at 11:33 PM
Sean G. said...

Please pick a Saint for Sean Gilinger

del_button December 31, 2020 at 12:38 AM
Sandra Christine said...

Sandra
Juliana
Julian
Daniel
Peter
Janice
Melissa

del_button January 1, 2021 at 2:04 AM
Anonymous said...

Matthew
Anna
Maksim
Diane
Chris
Nataliia
Sergey

del_button January 1, 2021 at 2:32 AM
Friend said...

Laura
Thomas
JC
DJ

del_button January 1, 2021 at 10:37 AM
Anonymous said...

Thank you...
Christine Mac
Robert Mac
Casey Mac
Colin Mac
Grace Mac

del_button January 1, 2021 at 4:25 PM
Dm said...

Deborah

del_button January 1, 2021 at 4:47 PM
Matthew said...

The drawing has already concluded

del_button January 1, 2021 at 5:45 PM
Unknown said...

Please pick a saint for us, Thank You we need our saints this year!
Valerie V
Olindo V
Katie V
Richard V
Sara V
Philip V
Haley V
Ronald F
Joan F
Thank You

del_button January 1, 2021 at 11:07 PM
Josemaria Paulo Jeromino Martin Carvalho-Von Verster said...

Isn't Bl. Girbes My Patron last 2017? Why again This year?

del_button January 2, 2021 at 8:19 AM
Matthew said...

Drawings are random.

del_button January 2, 2021 at 10:11 AM
Anna B. said...

Our names are not listed😔

del_button January 2, 2021 at 10:27 AM
Matthew said...

I do my best. Sorry if for some reason your names were missed. This is a difficult devotion to administer and I receive very little donations although I ask for those to cover the time and expenses, little thanks, and complaints. This will probably be the final year offering it.

del_button January 3, 2021 at 6:15 PM
Matthew said...

A final drawing has taken place for these remaining submissions this afternoon.

del_button January 9, 2021 at 6:01 PM
terrydavid said...

Matt, thank you very much for this beautiful ministry!

del_button January 9, 2021 at 6:01 PM
terrydavid said...

Thank you for this beautiful ministry Matt!

del_button January 13, 2021 at 5:56 PM
Emma said...

Thank you very much.

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