How to Find the Best Patron Saint For Your Homeschool

While it’s not a requirement to name your homeschool, many families choose to do so, and oftentimes, many Catholic families will select a saint to be their patron and namesake. That’s what we did many, many years ago. I remember I wanted a saint that was not so obscure information and recognition would be spotty, but I also didn’t want to be the third family at my parish with a homeschool under St. Anne or St. Therese of Lisieux (no offense to them!). We ultimately chose St. Bruno the Great, and I know he’s looked out for us. If you’re starting to homeschool this year, or just looking for a heavenly intercessor, here’s my suggestions for how to find the best patron saint for your homeschool.

Inspiration

If you or your spouse have a devotion to a certain saint, you can certainly select that saint for your school. This litany is a great place to start if you want a saint with a connection to education, but that’s not a requirement. Any saint you’re drawn to is fair game. If you feel overwhelmed, consider selecting a saint tied to your town, country (of residence or heritage), or parish. What day did you establish your homeschool? Find out that day’s saint. Or select another date important to your family. You can also just grab a book of saints, flip open to a page and select whomever is on that page. You can’t choose wrong and if down the road, you feel a greater devotion to someone else, you can always add them to your prayers. And if you really want, you can change the name of your school. That’s the beauty of homeschooling; you don’t need a superintendent’s approval!

How To Incorporate Your Patron Into Your School Day or Year

Once you have a saint, add his or her feast day to your calendar and be sure to find a way to celebrate. Maybe you take the day off, or attend daily Mass, or perhaps there are some customs associated with your saint’s feast day. Remember, a saint’s feast day is typically on the day he or she died and was “born” into eternal life. You could also make your patron’s actual birthday a celebration in your home too.

Start your school day with a quick prayer to your school’s patron, or make the prayer part of whatever regular prayers you and your family do together. We ask St. Bruno to pray for us every night during our family prayers. We have an image of St. Bruno that’s always hung in our school room. You could also purchase holy cards of your patron, or print small images, and glue/ tape them to the top of your children’s desks or assignment notebook. Is there music associated with your patron? Find out, and play those hymns or Mass settings for study periods, at meals, or on his or her feast day. Find stories or pictures books about your saint and read them so your children can become familiar with your school’s patron from an early age. As they get older, depending on the saint, they can read more complex books or actual writings from the saint as part of their school work. Lastly, where are your patron saint’s relics located? Bonus points if you can make a pilgrimage and visit them! There might be a piece of bone closer to your home than you think!

Some Saints To Consider

In case you need a few more ideas, here’s four saints that would each make a great patron saint for your homeschool!

Our Lady, Seat of Wisdom

Mary under this title or in Latin, Sedes Sapientiae, goes back to the 11th century, and this title is used in the Litany of Loretto. It is based on the understand that since Christ is Wisdom personified, Mary as his mother is the seat from which he originated. In art depicting Mary as the Seat of Wisdom, Jesus is a child sitting on her lap. For a better understanding, I recommend this page at the University of Dayton website, or even Wikipedia. The feast of Our Lady, Seat of Wisdom is celebrated June 8, so you could tie it into a great end of year celebration!

St. Bede

St. Bede lived in 673-735 in England. He’s a Doctor of the Church, and a historian who wrote “Ecclesiastical History of the English People”. He also wrote or translated around forty books on a variety of subjects including nature, astronomy, and poetry. He also wrote the first martyrology. His feast day is May 25 (another great saint to help you wrap up the school year). Learn more about him at Catholic Encyclopedia.

Pope St. Gregory the Great

You’re probably familiar with Pope St. Gregory the Great. He is credited with the creation of Western plainchant, now called Gregorian chant, and many of his writings survive to this day. He undertook liturgical reforms which still impact how the Mass is said today in the Roman Rite, and he is the creator of the Divine Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts said by Eastern rites. Today, his feast is celebrated September 3, meaning you could start off your school year with special prayers to this Doctor of the Church. Learn more about him at Catholic Encyclopedia.

St. Hildegarde

St. Hildegarde is another doctor of the Church and one of the more recent. Her feast day is September 17. She was a mystic who wrote about her visions, as well as composed music, and she wrote two books on her knowledge of natural medicine and cures. Four hundred of her letters to popes, abbots, and emperors have survived to this day. Learn more about her at Catholic Encyclopedia.

I guess these choices reflect my bias towards Medieval history! Thankfully, you can find wonderful saints from all over the world, from all time periods, that I’m sure would be more than happy to lend a prayer to your homeschool. Let me know the patron of your homeschool in the comments below!