Image: Sensus Fidelium
About This Quiz
The Catholic Church doesn't "make" someone a saint the way a studio makes someone a movie star. If a person lives a life of heroic virtue, and miracles are attributed to that person, and they have passed away, they are eligible for the process of being declared a saint. The stages before sainthood are "Servant of God", "Venerable", "Blessed" and finally, with the consent of the pope, "Saint".
So what does all of that mean? It means that at the time of their elevation to sainthood, the Catholic Church agreed that the deceased were spiritually upright, did good things in the world and performed a miracle. It means that at that time, the saint in question was the sort of person the Catholic Church felt the world needed as a model for its behavior. It means the saint embodied the best of humanity, in that age.
Every saint is in some way a commentary on the society they lived in. Saints' deaths are often terrible, and symbolic of the sacrifices they made in life. Saints are still people, and like all people, they have their flaws, their sins and their private conflicts. How well do you know your Catholic saints? Find out, with this quiz.
When is the feast of Saint Valentine?
June 12th
February 14th
Saint Valentine, who cured the blindness of a child, is peculiar among saints because there is very little evidence that he really existed. In fact, the Catholic Church removed him from the calendar because so little was known about him. His feast, on February 14, became associated with love because in the middle ages, people thought birds paired up at that time of year.
July 4th
December 25th
What is Saint Christopher the patron saint of?
Transportation
Saint Christopher is said to have been a huge man who, after briefly serving the devil, decided to serve Christ. A hermit told him to do this by carrying people across a river. One day, with great difficulty, he carried a child across the river, and that child turned out to be Jesus. Saint Christopher is the patron saint of travelers, but also soldiers, surfers, motorists, toothache and fruit dealers.
Painters
Broken Mirrors
Politicians
Other than Saint (Mother) Theresa, who is the co-patron of the Archdiocese of Calcutta?
Saint Joseph
Saint Sebastian
Saint Francis Xavier
Saint Francis Xavier, the patron saint of missionaries, was originally the only patron of the Archdiocese of Calcutta, but when Mother Theresa became a saint, she was added as a co-patron.
Saint Francis of Assissi
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What is Saint Francis Xavier famed for founding?
The Benedictine Order
The Carthusian Order
The Cistercian Order
The Jesuit Order
In 1525, Francis Xavier went to Paris where he met Ignatius of Loyola, who convinced him to help found the Jesuit Order in 1534.
What is St. Anthony of Padua the patron saint of?
Airplane pilots
Lost things
St. Anthony of Padua, whose feast is on the 13th of June, was a Portuguese friar, preacher and teacher who worked in Portugal, Spain, Morocco, and the south of France. The story goes that a young novice left his order with a favorite book of Anthony's, and Anthony prayed for its return. The book was returned, and the thief rejoined the order.
SCUBA divers
Construction workers
What happened to Saint Francis of Assisi when he heard the call of God?
He got sick.
He fell asleep.
He was ridiculed.
Saint Francis was about to set off on the fourth crusade when he heard the voice of God in a dream, telling him to turn back home. When he did as commanded, everyone called him a coward and his own father shamed him for having spent all this money on armor, only to throw it all away.
He saw a unicorn.
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Where was Saint Patrick born?
Ireland
Britain
Saint Patrick was actually born and raised in Britain, and then kidnapped by Irish pirates who took him to Ireland, where he was forced to be a shepherd.
The Isle of Man
France
Which of these is Saint Joseph not the patron saint of?
Workers
Immigrants
Wholesalers
Saint Joseph is the patron saint of many things including Universal Church, fathers, expectant mothers, the dying, families, travelers, craftsmen, engineers, immigrants, house sellers and buyers and working people.
The Universal Church
Of what is Saint Jude the patron?
Lost causes
Saint Jude is the patron saint of lost causes. Many institutions that deal with desperate situations (also one of his areas) use him as their symbol or patron, including some police and fire departments.
Families
Travelers
Time
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How was Saint Sebastian murdered?
Shot full of arrows
Beaten to death with clubs
Saint Sebastian is famous for being riddled with arrows, but that isn't actually what killed him. He was left for dead, but found, treated, and he recovered. It was when he went to confront his Roman antagonists that he was then beaten to death, leaving nothing to chance.
Impaled on a sword
Thrown off of a cliff
What first did Saint Peter achieve?
He was the first apostle.
He was the first non-Jew to follow Christ.
He was the first pope.
Saint Peter is famed as the founder of the Catholic Church, and the Church's first Pontifex Maximus, a term carried over from the days of pagan Rome.
He was the first Christian Olympic athlete.
What is Saint Augustine of Hippo the patron saint of?
Farmers
Chefs
Crossing guards
Brewers
Saint Augustine of Hippo is reputed to have lived a very louche life prior to hearing the call of religion, and as a result, he is the patron saint of brewers of beer! His feast is in August though, not during Octoberfest.
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Who is the patron saint of rope and saddle makers?
Saint Paul
Saint Paul has a large patronage portfolio. He is the patron of rope and saddle makers, missionaries, tent makers, public workers, evangelists, writers, journalists and authors.
Saint Mary
Saint Abibas
Saint Michael the Archangel
Who was the first native-born American to be canonized as a saint?
Saint Elizabeth Ann Bayley Seton
Saint Elizabeth Ann Bayley Seton was born in America just before the American revolution and died in 1812, but was not beatified until 1963 by Pope John XXIII, and not named a saint until John Paul VI in 1975.
Saint JunÃÂpero Serra
Saint Théodore Guérin
Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini
Who is the patron saint of France?
Saint Abra of Poitiers
Saint Helios of Lyon
Saint Joan of Arc
The story goes that at 13, Joan was visited by several saints in a vision, who encouraged her to take up arms against the English who had occupied part of France. She lead an armed rebellion, but was martyred when she was burned at the stake. She is also the patron saint of soldiers.
Saint Saint Pothinus
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What's special about St. Michael?
He's not human.
St. Michael is not actually a saint, as saints have to be human, but he is called that all the same. He's an archangel who leads God's armies.
He's the tallest saint.
He's the first saint.
He's the only saint who was known to be gay.
What did St. George kill?
A bear
A dragon
St. George killed a dragon that was terrorizing a kingdom by demanding human sacrifices. When the king's own daughter was chosen to be sacrificed, George volunteered to instead fight the dragon, and rescued the princess.
A cat
A tiger
Of which country is St. Andrew the patron saint?
Scotland
While the Scots do claim St. Andrew for their patron, he is a very busy saint, being also the patron of Barbados, Georgia, Ukraine, Russia, Sicily, Greece, Cyprus and Romania.
Ireland
The Isle of Man
Wales
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What color do people wear on St. Patrick's Day?
Green
St. Patrick's Day is very popular in the northeastern USA where the Irish Catholic influence is very strong. Celebrations include wearing green, dressing as a leprechaun and drinking excessively.
Red
White
Blue
By what name is St. Joan more commonly known?
Joan of Arc
Joan of Arc was a woman who led French armies to some victories against the Protestant invaders of the English forces. She was eventually captured and killed by the English.
Joan the Slayer
St. Joan the Awesome
Joan of Paris
What famous Indian woman who died in 1997 became a saint in 2016?
Indira Gandhi
Mother Theresa
Mother Theresa was someone who people wanted to make a saint very quickly, but you needed to have a miracle ascribed to you. Fortunately this came along in the years after her death, and she completed her journey to sainthood in a fleeting 19 years.
Sita Sahu
Phoolan Devi
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St. Alexius is the patron saint of nurses and what other group?
Hat makers
Glove makers
Belt makers
St. Alexius was an eastern saint who lived in Syria. He came from a wealthy family and fled from his own arranged marriage. He hid for 17 years. As well as belt makers, he is appropriately the patron saint of beggars.
Stamp collectors
Who is the patron saint of flight attendants?
St. Delta
St. Bona of Pisa
While most of the time being a flight attendant is not a very eventful job, on those days when it is eventful, you will definitely appreciate having a saint to intercede on your behalf. Now, return your soul to its upright and saved position!
St. Pisa of Bona
St. Frederico
Who is the other saint from Assisi?
Mrs. Francis
Francis' son, Francis Junior
St. Clare
St. Clare is the patron saint of theater performers, as well as embroiderers, gilders, laundry workers and others. This is appropriate since most theater performers will enjoy some of these other professions on their path to success.
St. Helena
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How many saints are the patron saints of shepherds?
3
5
8
That's right, shepherds are very thoroughly sainted. They have a lot of saints as being a shepherd has historically been an enormously popular profession. These days, shepherds are fewer in number, and as such, enjoy one of the highest saint-to-practitioner ratios of any profession.
11
What material do you probably use at work if you often pray to St. Crispin?
Wood
Gold
Silver
Leather
St. Crispin watches over the noble professions of cobblers, shoemakers, curriers, saddle-makers and leather-workers.
What mountain in Washington State is named for a saint?
Mount St. Helen's
Mount St. Helen's last erupted in 2008. The mountain is over 8,000 feet high and the rock is under 40,000 years old.
Mount St. David's
Mount St. Andrew's
Mount St. Cletus
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Who is the patron saint of fullers?
Geoffrey the Fuller
Anastasius the Fuller
Anastasius the Fuller was drowned for proclaiming his faith by painting a cross on his door. He was a fuller, which is a process for preparing wool to remove dirt and oils.
Longinus the Fuller
Ignatius the Fuller
How many patron saints do fishermen have?
12
2
9
5
Fishermen enjoy five patron saints: Andrew the Apostle, Zeno of Verona, Benno, Our Lady of Salambao and Peter the Apostle.
Who was the first saint?
John the Divine
Paul the Apostle
Mark the Gospel Maker
Longinus the Centurion
Longinus is the centurion who stabbed Jesus in the side while he was on the cross. The blood of Jesus fell onto Longinus' eyes and cured his near-blindness.
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Which saint is considered the father of natural theology?
Thomas Aquinas
Thomas Aquinas is one of the most influential thinkers in Christian thought. He is a pioneer of natural theology, which is the idea that reason comes from God and that the existence of God can be inferred from observing the world, rather than through scriptural revelation.
Doubting Thomas
St. Leodegar
St. Augustine
Who is the patron saint of ice skaters?
St. Lidwina
St. Lidwina was disabled following a fall while ice skating. Her health deteriorated over her life and she tried fasting and other means to help it, to no avail. It is believed that she suffered from multiple sclerosis.
St. Leodegar
St. Lucy
St. Mark
Which saint buried Jesus?
Joseph of Arimathea
Joseph of Arimathea put Jesus in the tomb after the crucifixion, according to the Bible. Myth then says that he took the Holy Grail to Britain and died near Glastonbury.
St. Joseph
John the Divine
John the Baptist
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Who is the patron saint of Korea?
St. Andrew
St. Andrew Kim
St Andrew. Kim, born Andrew Kim Taegon, studied in Macau and became a priest in Shanghai. He then went back to his native Korea. As the ruling dynasty was persecuting Christians at the time, St. Andrew Kim was tortured and beheaded at the age of 25.
St. Eun
St. Daeshin
Who is the first naturalized American citizen to become a saint?
St. Frances
Frances Xavier Cabinri founded a hospital, and as such, she is the patron saint of hospital administrators. Anyone who has ever run a large hospital knows this job requires a great deal of intercession.
St. Jane
St. Ramona
St. Rebecca
You Got:
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Sensus Fidelium