I grew up Catholic and continue to practice now, and one thing about the Catholic faith that has always inspired me and helped me grow, are the communion of saints. The saints are our teachers, role models, ancestors, friends, and family, in other words, they are just like us...real and truly human. They were human too and experienced the same things we did such as suffering, joy, pain, frustration, love, war, heart-break, etc. The most important thing, however, is that even through the messy life they might've had on earth, they know what it takes to live well for God. Here are some of the saints that have helped my faith.

1. St. Cecilia

St. Cecilia happens to be my Confirmation Saint! For Catholics, as you get confirmed, you choose not only a sponsor to help you through your spiritual journey, but you also choose a saint. We do this because we don't want to travel alone, and so we recognize how important it is to know your Confirmation saint not only by name, but also by story. The saints have so much to teach us about this journey. I chose St. Cecilia because she spoke to me and I also knew the power of her prayer. She is the patron saint of Music, musicians, Church music, composers, poets, and instrument makers. She holds a special place in my heart because music is such a large part of my life. I've sung in many different choirs throughout my life, and turning to St. Cecilia right before a performance gave me the protection and confidence I needed. St. Cecilia was also a really strong woman. She was ordered to be executed by suffocation in a bathhouse, stayed there for a day and a night, but was still alive when the soldiers opened the door. She then was ordered to be beheaded, got struck 3 times without being severed, and hung onto life for 3 days, preaching all the while and converting many. How crazy is that?

2. St. John Paul II

A more recently canonized saint, that has made a huge impact on my life was St. John Paul II, who was canonized in 2014. I got to witness a man who I studied in school, that I was intrigued by, get canonized while attending (at the time) Pope John Paul II High School! Our school had a huge celebration and we got to learn much more about his life, because he was the patron of our school. He lived quite an intriguing life and is one of the most influential people in the Catholic Church. He was an athlete, loved theatre, and helped many people in his native land of Poland during the World War II era when he was younger. He is also the patron of World Youth Day, a huge event that brings thousands of young Catholics from around the world together to praise God and learn celebrate the teachings of Catholic Church. He survived 2 assassination attempts and stayed strong for a long time, until his health started to decline. October 22nd is his feast day, which also is a special date I keep in my heart, because that is the day my grandfather passed away. Out of all the feast days, my grandfather passed away on a really special day, which is why St. John Paul II is also important to me. There's so much about his life I haven't mentioned, so I suggest you definitely look up all the amazing things he did in his life!

3. St. Francis Of Assisi

St Francis is best remembered in popular culture as the animal patron. I mean, who doesn't love a man who loves and takes care of animals? However, while it is true that there were many reports of miracles regarding animals in St Francis’ life, he is more known in the Church because of his strict poverty, stigmata and efforts to fix problems in the Church during a time of crisis. St Francis was received by the sultan (someone he wanted to convert) and suggested that his Muslim scholars undergo a test of true religion by fire. They all refused, and so St Francis offered to enter a fire pit and if he was able to leave it unharmed, they would have to agree that God had protected him and that his was the true religion. The sultan rejected his offer but was so impressed that he gave St Francis permission to preach Christianity unhindered in his lands St. Francis was definitely a man of steel.

4. St. Joan Of Arc

If you like true "girl power" than St. Joan of Arc is your girl! Her life has definitely inspired me in many ways. She was a warrior and led the French army to several important victories during the Hundred Years’ War. No matter how many times she got hit or hurt, she got right back up. She literally got hit in the head with a cannonball and just shook her head and kept climbing. If that's not endurance and strength, then I don't know what is! She has helped me with my spiritual battle. Just like she went to battle and got knocked down a few times, she got right back up, so when I get knocked down (such as when I sin, or don't pay attention as much to my faith) I know that I can be like her and get right back up and do even better.

5. St. Therese Of Lisieux

I got to know about St. Therese, otherwise known as "The Little Flower", when I read her book "Story Of A Soul" (which I recommend you read) for a summer reading assignment. I am not one who really enjoys summer reading (I like to choose the books myself), but this book really inspired me. She loved flowers and saw herself as the "little flower of Jesus," who gave glory to God by just being her beautiful little self among all the other flowers in God's garden. Because of this beautiful analogy, the title "little flower" remained with St. Therese. She described her life as a "little way of spiritual childhood." She lived each day with an unshakable confidence in God's love.Therese's spirituality is doing the ordinary, with extraordinary love. It's the little things in life that do a lot, and I learned that from her. Through sickness and nights of doubt and fear, she truly trusted in God's love, and so when I feel like I am having doubt and fear, I can remember and think about St. Therese. Her final words were "My God, I love you!" and that is truly beautiful.

6. St. Anthony Of Padua

This saint is a life saver for many people, including me who loses something every 10 minutes! St. Anthony is the patron saint of lost or stolen items, was a powerful Franciscan preacher and teacher, and is one of the Catholic Church's most popular saints. St. Anthony of Padua’s life is what every Christian’s life is meant to be; a steady courage to face the good and bad things in life, the call to love and forgive, to be concerned for the needs of others, to deal with crisis great and small, and to have total trusting love and dependence on God. His story is a really interesting one, so I suggest you look up more on his life and his sainthood. Praying to St. Anthony when I lose something helps me to continue my prayer life, and it really works. I have found many of my lost things thanks to St. Anthony. Thanks for pulling through man!

7. St. John Berchmans

St. John Berchmans is actually a saint I recently learned about. He is the patron saint of altar servers, and as an altar server myself (11 years as an altar server!), I look to him when I am preparing to altar serve. Being an altar server is very important to me because it's where I get to see the action of mass up close and participate more actively at church. Becoming an altar server was how I truly started to grow in my faith and having a patron saint for this specific thing in my life is really helpful.

There are so many more saints that I could talk about that have really helped my faith, but then this article would turn into a book! These are just a few of the many that have truly reminded me about what I should strive for, and how to get back on my feet when I start to fall. Saints are not God, so, Catholics do not worship or adore the Saints. We worship God alone. Therefore a “prayer” to a Saint is really asking ask them to intercede on our behalf, just as we would a friend on earth.