Catholics

Catholics venerate the saints and look to them as examples of lives well lived in the faith. Many find comfort in the knowledge that holy people shared in their same struggles, sins, doubts, or hardships and ask specific saints to pray for them. Some saints are the patrons of certain occupations or causes, and these saints are often invoked to aid people in those professions or situations. For example, St. Judas (Jude) is the patron saint of impossible or desperate causes, and many Catholics ask him to pray on their behalf for the resolution of seemingly impossible situations in their lives. Additionally, many Catholics take or are given a saints name for their confirmation. A confirmation saint is often seen as having an invested interest in fostering a new Catholic spiritual growth and is usually chosen because his or her life story resonates with the neophyte. Most saints have feast days observed by the Catholic Church in which their lives and contributions are formally celebrated, and some have large followings of devotees and even religious orders in their honor.