What's wrong over at Catholic Online? -Most Popular Saints List
Catholic Online has recently published their "Popular Saints" list. Now, I normally love Catholic Online, but there is some serious problems with this list! I recognise that Saint Gemma is not very well known, so setting aside my own personal opinion I had not expected her to place in the top 25 most popular saints, but I thought for sure that she would be listed in the top 75...Or, at least the top 100.
So where exactly did Gemma place in the list? Number 196! But how is that possible when in just 3 1/2 years this website has received over one million visitor page loads? (see page hit counter at bottom right corner of page). And so it is that Gemma continues to be the "hidden" Gem of Christ!
And while St Therese the Little Flower is in the top 10 (#7), yet how is it that St Padre Pio is listed only as #30 when a 2006 survey by the Catholic magazine "Famiglia Christiana" showed that more Italians pray to St Padre Pio than to Jesus or the Virgin Mary! And speaking of our Blessed Mother, can you guess where the Mother of God placed? Number 48 of course! SHEEEESH! How is it that the Saint of Saints places #48? And St Faustina Kowalska places #82? I demand a recount!....Seriously though, something has really gone wrong when our Blessed Mother places #48 on a popular Saints list. Yes, something is very, very wrong when that happens! I mean, even apart from due devotion, isn't "Mary" one of the most popular saint names? How many "Mary's" do you know? Even one of my own kids is named Mary! And St John the Baptist is ranked #27! Surely we have all heard of "John" Doe and "Mary" Smith---shoudn't "John" (after St John the Baptist or St John the beloved Apostle) and "Mary" should be on top of a "popular Saints" list? So why is it that St John the Apostle is #71 on their list?
And so, shaking the dust from my feet I have decided to vindicate my favorite Saints and make my own Most Popular Saints list.
Most Popular Saints
1) The Saint of Saints -The most Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God.
2) St John the Baptist (after all, Jesus did say that "I tell you, among those born of women there is no one greater than John the Baptist" -Luke 7:28). And after all, how many "John's" do you know?- Its a popular saint name for sure!
3) St Joseph -The foster father of Jesus and who can count how many are named after him!
4) St Padre Pio -and you thought I would have placed Gemma at #4! (actually she is at 4.5!) But really, St Pio was the only priest-Saint to have ever borne the stigmata--and for 50 years at that!
4.5) St Gemma Galgani (this is, after all, my most popular Saints list!)
5) St Peter -since Jesus chose him to be the head of the Apostles and the first Pope.
6) St Paul -since Jesus chose him to be the apostle to the gentiles--he was imprisoned several times, shipwrecked twice, whipped, stoned...-seriously!, ever look at a map of his many travels in preaching the Gospel? It looks like an air traffic controllers flight map with lines everywhere! This is why he is known as the "indefatigable" prophet.
7) St John the Apostle -He was, after all, Jesus' beloved apostle!
8) St Mary Magdalene -the "sinner from whom Jesus had cast out seven demons” (Mark 16:9) turned penitent saint at the foot of the Cross, and whom the risen Christ first appears on Easter Sunday, making her the “apostle to the apostles”, and the first messenger that Christ has conquered death. She is an extraordinary example of great sinner turned Saint, and therefore a remarkable encouragement for us all.
9) St Therese of Lisieux -Honestly, how can you not love her?
10) St Michael the Archangel -After all, he is the Prince of the heavenly Host!
And surely other popular Saints would include the holy founders and reformers of the Religious Orders in the Church, such as St Benedict, St Dominic, St Augustine, St. Francis, St Paul of the Cross, St Ignatius, St Anthony, St Teresa and St Clare to name just a few...
Now, would you like to add your own popular Saint to this article? Well, this is an open forum, so please feel free to add your favorite Saint in the comment section below.
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"You know, oh Jesus how ready I am to sacrifice myself in everything. I will bear every sort of pain for You! I will give every drop of my blood to please Thy Heart and to hinder the outrages of sinners against You." -St Gemma Galgani
10 comments:
Ah, Mr. Glenn, please do not be upset that another organization does not recognize your favorite at the same level. Thanks in great part to the information you have provided, she happens to be among my favorites as well.
But "Favorites" are difficult to quantify anyway, for most people. A Catholic convert once told me that he thought of our Blessed Mother as the "hook" for men, so beautiful, to bring them to her son Jesus, Our Lord and Savior.
I beg you, keep at this. You have done so much good. And may God always be with you.
Thanks VetesMores for your kind comments.
I wrote this article somewhat light-heartidly, although I do think my list of most popular Saints is better than the one over at Catholic online, because for me our Blessed Mother in heaven should always be at the top of our popular Saints list.
Thanks again and may God bless you and your loved ones,
-Glenn Dallaire
St. Francis de Sales, my patron saint!
St. Jean-Marie Baptiste Vianney, patron saint of diocesan priests.
Yes, here's another vote for St John Vianney--the holy Cure of Ars!
Here in Madrid (spain) St Gemma is very popular, specially among students. A lot of people pray to her to ask for help for the exams(I dont know why, she wasnt a student, right?) But in Italy they barely know her, and last summer in the WYD Madrid I noticed she was quite unknown out of Madrid when I saw madrilians asking for photographs of her where priests from all over the world were giving information about saints. One mexican priest asked me"who's that St Gemma everybody's asking me about?people only care about her and I had never heard about her" my friends and I spoke the things we knew about her and he told us how everybody was dissapointed not to have brochures or relics of her. :) the passionists monastery here is well known. However, although I have been praying to her a lot of years, its know when I start to get to know her, through this website. For that I thank you. Blessings to all
On the other side i never heard of Padre Pio. It seems saints popularity depends on where you live ;)
On the other side i never heard of Padre Pio. It seems saints popularity depends on where you live ;)
Good Saint Gerard Majella, Patron Saint of Mothers. My confirmation Saint with the feminine form Geradette, Saint Gerard pray for us. too many more to mention, Some not mentioned Saint Philomena, Saint Dymfpna Saint Rita Saint Jude?was He mentioned? Saint Faustina
Personally, it hurts me a lot that Saint Gemma is so little popular, she was so wonderful! I pray fervently that it will become more popular and loved among the faithful. When it comes to my personal list, Mary is first and Saint Gemma is second, Saint Joseph is right behind Saint Gemma, St. Agnes of Rome, my Guardian Angel and St. Michał, probably the same place. After that, no one for a long, but was also other Saints who touched me. I was disappointed that you prefer Padre Pio to Saint. Gemma, but well everyone has the right to their own opinion.
after a moment of reflection, I find that I would place my Guardian Angel higher, next to St. Gemmy.
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