Patron Saint of Refugees
Saints can be “patrons” of a variety of things. They are considered special protectors of countries where they were born or died, or for people who share their profession (Luke is patron saint of doctors, for example). Some people ask saints to intercede for them at certain times, such as calling on Christopher, patron of travelers when you have a long trip to make, or Jude when facing what you believe is a lost cause.
Having a patron saint doesn’t mean you consider the saint equal to God or Jesus. They’re more like heroes, teachers, mentors. People we look up to and admire for something extraordinary they did or said. People whose stories we draw on for inspiration. Whose names we can call on, like calling on a friend, when we need special help. Some people are named after saints and hope to emulate them.
Many churches also have patron saints after whom they were named. When that saint is honored in the calendar of the church year, the parish has a special celebration, sort of like a birthday (and often coinciding with the parish’s founding date). I’m currently working at a parish, St. Alban’s, whose patronal feast day will be observed Sunday, but is actually today (June 22).
For this celebration, some of the parish children are going to do a short scene for the congregation to explain who Alban was. This, of course required, the children to understand who he was, which in turn required me to understand who he was. Ergo, I did a little research on the fellow.
The Clothes Off His Own Back
Alban was a Third Century Roman citizen, possibly a military officer, in what is now England. He gave shelter to a priest fleeing Roman persecution, and was so impressed by the priest’s commitment to his faith, he himself converted to Christianity. When the authorities learned of the priest’s whereabouts and came to arrest him, Alban exchanged clothes with him and helped him escape. For this good deed, Alban was executed, but not before proclaiming, “I worship and adore the true and living God, who created all things.”
Inspiring, but it didn’t stand out to me as much different from many other early Christian martyrs who stood up to Rome and suffered the consequences. In the Episcopal church, although with our Catholic roots, we honor and venerate the saints, in our suspicious, Protestant natures, we rarely discuss of whom or what various saints are thought to be patrons. So I was curious about Alban’s patronage. In one of those wonderful coincidences of church calendar timing, I learned that Alban is the patron saint of…refugees. That detail did not originally appear in the scene, but I couldn’t let it pass by, so I added it in.
Today’s Patron Saints
Alban literally gave the clothes off his own back. He made the choice to protect someone he hardly knew against a corrupt government and he paid the consequences. But Alban is not the only patron of refugees.
The refugees at our border have also come to us fleeing for their lives, and for the lives of their children. Our government has chosen a path of cruelty and persecution rather than welcome and protection. But these refugees have patron saints, willing to intercede for them.
Many, many persons stood up and spoke out in the past few weeks to be patrons of these refugee families. Clergy colleagues of mine in the Los Angeles diocese demonstrated yesterday at the federal building (and have consistently spoken out and will continue to do so.) Employees of Microsoft, American Airlines, politicians from the president’s own party. The consequences for them will not be anything as dire as Alban’s. But that doesn’t mean they didn’t take risks: potential job loss, campaign funding, votes, the ever-present trolling against anyone deemed “liberal.” Certainly not everyone speaking out could be called “saintly,” but it does take courage to do the right thing.
The lives of the Saints can seem so beyond our reach, their actions so incomprehensible. Why give up your life for a person you’ve just met and a religion you’ve only just heard of? But for Alban, and for many of the saints, maybe they didn’t think of it that way. They saw an injustice playing out before them and simply said no — I won’t be a part of that, despite what it may cost me.
A Prayer in Honor of St. Alban
I have no idea if the intervention of heavenly saints played a role in the recent reversal of the horrifying family separation policy, but I do know the intervention of earthly ones did. For those of us who, like Alban, worship and adore the true and living God, we must all become patron saints who protects the weak, welcome the stranger, and speak out against injustice. Happy St. Alban’s Day.
O generous St. Alban, you took in and kept safe a holy priest who was fleeing persecution and you were martyred for your faith.
Look kindly upon all who are fleeing persecution or are seeking refuge for any reason,
Ask the Lord to send angels to protect them and keep them safe from harm.
Pray for them, dear saint, that they will have the strength, courage, and assistance they need to faithfully live each day in unfamiliar places far from their homes,
Pray that the Lord blesses them with all the help and assistance they need to adjust to new environments and cultures and with hope for a better future. Amen. Adapted from Practical Prayers for Catholics, by Ann Fitch
Originally published at www.revz.org on June 22, 2018.
