Photo taken by Hannah McClendon @ St. Ignatius Orthodox Church

Why ask Saints to Pray for you?

I’m glad you asked! The term “praying to the Saints” isn’t what it sounds like. This is something that is almost brand new to me, and it is also something that I haven’t been doing for very long. In the short time that I have, I’ve experienced some unexplainable things. This makes me all the more excited to share these experiences with other people. I’m even more exciting to hear the miracles and stories of others who practice this very same thing. I don’t have a favorite Saint; I don’t think that is appropriate. What I do have are Saints that my heart draws near to and Saints who have honored my request to pray for me on my behalf.

Asking these Saints to pray for you on your behalf, does not exclude God in any way. You are simply asking the Saints to pray for you, to God, on your behalf. Personally, I think a Holy Saint’s prayers mean a lot more to God than mine. Not that my prayers aren’t important at all, these Saints have been made Holy and are currently still serving God even after their physical bodies have passed away.

Learning about the Saints and hearing stories of them performing miracles, really connected a lot of the dots for me. I grew up Baptist, so when I first began studying Orthodoxy, it was like a light bulb had went off. The scales fell from my eyes and I was able to understand how real what we sing and read about is. Below are some of the Saints whom my heart longs to draw near to and to ask for their prayers. These Saints are very special to me and some of them have honored my prayer requests immediately, and I’m eternally grateful.

Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker has an incredible life story. Since his birth, he had been healing people. He began fasting as an infant by absolutely refusing nourishment at certain times. This Saint grew up to follow extremely close behind the footsteps of Jesus, it’s amazing how obedient he was during his entire life, to God. This Saint is well- knowing for praying for those who are suffering or need deliverance from from floods, poverty, or any misfortunes.

My personal story with this Saint probably seems very small, but to me, it meant the world. I was having financial troubles a few weeks back, and I wasn’t expected to receive any type of payment or royalty payments any time soon. I stood in front of his icon and asked him to pray for me, that I would be blessed financially in any way, so that I could take care of myself for awhile. Within the hour, I received an unexpected royalty payment, that wasn’t yet due. The payment came in so fast, that it had not yet been converted to USD, which is something that PayPal does for its customers immediately. I had to go in and manually convert the amount to USD, so that it could be processed.

Not only was I thankful for this Saint hearing me, and praying for me, I couldn’t believe what had just happened to me. I remember telling an Orthodox friend briefly what had happened, with not too many details, because it was so freaky. I am truly beginning to understand the power that we and the Saints have through Christ. If I could name a current go-to Saint, it would definitely have to Saint Nicholas for honoring my prayers and interceding on my behalf; I am grateful.

Saint Mary of Egypt is a more recent Saint that I have began venerating. Her spirit began tugging at my heart strings and drew me toward her icon, but for quite awhile I did not obey. I ignored the compassion I felt towards her after hearing her story, and now I’m so glad that I chose to listen to my heart. St. Mary of Egypt is not the same Mary as the mother of Jesus (the Theotokos). This Mary was obviously from Egypt, and had a much different conversion story.

Saint Mary of Egypt was well known for being a Harlot for quite some time. She was disobeying God and sinning her life away. Long story short, she was converted and saw the error in her ways. She felt extremely convicted and began a long journey into the desert, hence why her bones are so brittle and visible in her icon above. Saint Mary of Egypt’s soul was given over to God; she did not survive the desert, but she was saved and went to Heaven. She was properly buried and continues to work miracles to this day. All of the full stories from each Saint will be provided with links at the end.

At first I felt bad because I dismissed this Saint, mainly because I couldn’t relate to her conversion story. I was looking for a Saint that I could relate to, when that isn’t the purpose of the Saints. They are average human beings with many problems just like us, who chose to follow and serve God, and were then made Holy. They choose to still serve God and to assist us in our journeys throughout life. The sincerity of St. Mary of Egypt throughout her life story and especially when she chose to follow God, is enough to make anyone want to show reverence toward her icon. I only recently began to venerate this icon, so I look forward to the many stories and experiences to have further down the line with the help of this Saint.

Saint Dymphna is one of the greatest Saints I have ever had the pleasure of reading about and speaking to. Dymphna is the patron Saint of the nervous, emotionally disturbed, mentally ill, and those who suffer neurological disorders – and, consequently, of psychologists, psychiatrists, and neurologists. She is also the patron Saint of victims of incest. She is definitely one of the most compassionate Saints that I’ve ever studied. Dymphna's name derives from the Irish damh (poet) and suffix -ait(little/feminine), therefore meaning "poetess." You should be able to see now, why I am just a tiny bit obsessed with this Saint!

Saint Dymphna also had a challenging and difficult life, but her conversion story was early on and very touching. She promised to God, at the age of fourteen, that she would remain celibate. Shortly after, her mother died and her father’s mental health crumbled. Her ability to remain faithful to God through these trials is more than inspiring. If there was a Saint that I could see a lot of my own faults and troubles in, it would be Saint Dymphna. She isn’t a mirror image of my testimony, but very close, as far as showing compassion toward the mentally ill.

Dymphna was beheaded by her father at only fifteen years old, because she refused to serve her father as his next wife. She lived a very short, but very powerful life. She faced and suffered much trauma throughout her life, but still chose to serve God and to honor him. For Dymphna, that meant being murdered by her father. I highly suggest you read more about her life toward the end, because of how powerful her stories is and shall remain.

Saint Mary Mother of Christ

Most Holy Theotokos

I could not make a blog article about Saints and not bring up the Theotokos. She is the Saint that we ask to pray for us several times during every service. It’s not that she is put up onto a pedestal, but her miraculous life and her obedience is what makes her unforgettable. She agreed to obey God by saying “Yes” to carrying and giving birth to our Savior. She deserves a little more honor and respect for her obedience to God.

I chose the icon of the Theotokos that was stabbed, because this specific icon was presented to me during a very rough time and encouraged me greatly. The Theotokos has a remarkable story as well. During our service we describe her as being “more honorable than the Cherubim, and more glorious beyond compare than the Seraphim”, which is extremely poetic on its own. A Saint that is this honorable in the eyes of God, is definitely someone I need praying for me on my behalf.

Many people don’t understand her importance throughout the Bible, or why we venerate her the way that we do, but it is all a part of the Orthodox experience. I don’t completely understand everything about why the Theotokos is so important, but as I continue to study and learn, and experience, I’m beginning to understand that this woman is definitely underrated for her obedience and perseverance from beginning to end.

FBFB3075-8D02-433D-BFA4-80EDA403CC93-20497-000006B826C4A169.jpeg — Saint Elizabeth the New Martyr

Grand Duchess Elizabeth

I was recently told about the life story of this Saint and it completely shattered my heart. The interesting thing about St. Elizabeth, is that she was recently martyred in the nineteen-hundreds, so her story is very recent and she is one of the newer Saints. This woman had a heart for providing care to others on her own, even if it meant detriment to herself. She nursed sick and wounded soldiers back to health from battle.

St. Elizabeth’s husband was murdered by an assassin. She went to visit her husband’s killer and urged him to repent from his sins. She didn’t ask him for an apology, she begged him to repent from his sin to God; which means to live on and not kill anymore. St. Elizabeth was a very strong woman who was led by the Holy Spirit. She became a nun and served with her sisters faithfully up until her death. She was taken with others to be executed for their Orthodox Christian faith. She along with the others were thrown down a mine shaft, and grenades were then tossed into the mineshaft. St. Elizabeth did not die immediately, and she was seen attempting to nurse the other prisoners back to health. Before she died, she could be heard singing hymns, which is both haunting and miraculous.

St. Elizabeth’s persecution and death tugs at my heart, and draws me toward her icon. She has such a beautiful spirit and I’m thankful that our parish was consecrated and named after her. She inspires me, and I’m sure many others, to live out their Christian faith wholeheartedly, even if it causes ridicule, pain, sorrow, or even death. To be martyred for your faith was one of the most honorable deaths a Christian can die, but very few would be willing to do so. May her memory be eternal.