I’m sure it’s no surprise that my family has already adopted a patron saint…..Mother Teresa.  Dad and I adopted Bl. Mother Teresa as our patron saint about 5 years ago.  Her intercession for us is powerful and her charism is imprinted on our hearts.  Each child still has their own namesake and patron saint(s).

In addition, we adopt a family patron saint for the year.  We were introduced to this practice, a few years ago.  We like to see it as having a saint select us for the year.

This custom was adopted by St. Faustina.

On the occasion of the New Year 1935 Saint Maria Faustina made this entry in her spiritual Diary:
"Jesus likes to intervene in the smallest details of our life. And He often fulfills secret wishes of mine that I sometimes hide from Him, although I know that from Him nothing can be hidden. There is a custom among us of drawing by lot on New Year’s Day, special patrons for ourselves for the whole year…” ~ Saint Maria Faustina

In the past we have selected a saint from a small list.  We drew a name out of a hat. 

Last year, I used this site to select our patron saint for 2010.  Unfortunately, the site is not running at this time.

I found out about the Saint’s Name Generator from a friend.  I decided to have Dad visit the Saint Generator to have a saint select us.  Our  2011 Patron Saint is……

St. Josemaria Escriva de Balaguer

Josemaria Escriva was born in Spain on January 9, 1902 and died in Rome on June 26, 1975. On October 2, 1928, God gave him to see Opus Dei.

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New Year: Beginning Again Each Day

The Christian Life is a Continuous Beginning Again Each Day
Since our first conscious decision really to follow the teaching of Christ, we have no doubt made good progress along the way of faithfulness to his word. And yet isn’t it true that there is still much to be done? Isn’t it true, particularly, that there is still so much pride in us? We need, most probably, to change again, to be more loyal and humble, so that we become less selfish and let Christ grow in us, for “He must become more and more, I must become less and less.” (St. John 3:30) … Conversion is the task of a moment; sanctification is the work of a lifetime. The divine seed of charity, which God has sown in our souls, wants to grow, to express itself in action, to yield results which continually coincide with what God wants. Therefore, we must be ready to begin again, to find again — in new situations — the light and the stimulus of our first conversion. And that is why we must prepare with a deep examination of conscience, asking our Lord for his help, so that we’ll know him and ourselves better. If we want to be converted again, there’s no other way. ~ St. Josemaria Escriva, Christ is Passing By, 58

The Extraordinary In One’s Ordinary Life

How many mothers have you known who have been the heroines of some epic or extraordinary event? Few, very few. Yet you and I know many mothers who are indeed heroic, truly heroic, who have never figured in anything spectacular, who will never hit the headlines, as they say. They lead lives of constant self-denial, happy to curtail their own likes and preferences, their time, their opportunities for self-expression or success, so that they can carpet their children’s lives with happiness. ~ St. Josemaria Escriva, Friends of God, 134

Have you seen how that imposing building was built? One brick upon another. Thousands. But, one by one. And bags of cement, one by one. And blocks of stone, each of them insignificant compared with the massive whole. And beams of steel. And men working, the same hours, day after day… Have you seen how that imposing building was built?… By dint of little things! ~ St. Josemaria Escriva, The Way, 823

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“When I think of Christian homes, I like to imagine them as being full of the light and joy that were in the home of the holy family.”

 ~ St. Josemaria Escriva, Christ is Passing By, 22