Dear Friends of Blessed Sacrament,
Every school year, our classrooms, instructional spaces, and offices are dedicated to the Saints of our Catholic Church. It is our hope that by invoking the names of these holy men and women, their protection and intercession will assist our faculty, staff, and students. I invite you to learn more about this year’s Classroom Patron Saints below or pray using the meditational video above. Holy men and holy women, pray for us!
Michael Fierro
Principal
Saint Joseph
Pre-Kindergarten 3
Joseph is a quiet hero, the man God trusted to be Mary’s husband and Jesus’ foster-father. Joseph showed deep faith during Mary’s pregnancy, great courage in leading his family into Egypt, and fatherly wisdom while teaching his son how to work and pray. A carpenter by trade, Joseph is the patron saint of workers. He died with Mary and Jesus by his side, and is invoked for a happy death.
Our Lady of Guadalupe
Pre-Kindergarten 4
In 1531, the Virgin Mary appeared to a Mexican Indian named Juan Diego. When Juan Diego’s bishop asked for proof of Mary’s appearance, Mary told Juan to gather roses in his tilma (cloak) in the middle of winter. When Juan Diego brought the flowers to the bishop, a miraculous image of Mary appeared on the tilma. Today, the beautiful image is enshrined in Mexico City for all to see.
St. Teresa of Calcutta
Kindergarten
“By blood, I am Albanian. By citizenship, an Indian. By faith, I am a Catholic nun. As to my calling, I belong to the world. As to my heart, I belong entirely to the Heart of Jesus.” This is how Mother Teresa, foundress of the Missionaries of Charity, described herself. Her life joyfully demonstrated the dignity of life, the value of little acts, and the impact of friendship with Jesus.
St. Cecilia
First Grade
Cecilia was a 2nd-century Christian from Rome. She was forced to marry, despite the fact that she had dedicated herself to Jesus. During her wedding, Cecilia sang praises to God in her heart (for which she is beloved as the patroness of musicians.) Cecilia’s husband soon converted as well, and honored Cecilia’s vow of virginity. It is said that for their purity and love, an angel brought Cecilia and her husband lilies and roses.
St. Vincent de Paul
Second Grade
Vincent de Paul was a French priest known for his compassion, humility, and generosity. At 24, he was kidnapped by pirates and spent two years as a slave in Africa before escaping. Back in France, Vincent led people to respond practically to the intensifying poverty of the 17th century. The Vincentian family includes both lay and religious men and women who serve the poor all over the world.
St. John the Evangelist
Third Grade
John was the only apostle who remained loyally with Christ at the crucifixion. There, Jesus entrusted John and Mary to each other. In his later years, when asked to record his experiences as an apostle, John strove to fill in the blanks left by the other three Gospel writers, whom it appears he admired greatly. Because of the high and spiritual tone of his writings, John’s symbol is the eagle.
St. Anthony of Padua
Fourth Grade
St. Anthony of Padua was a 13th-century Franciscan friar known for his rich knowledge of Church theology. Even more importantly, he had an incredible ability to explain the Faith so that anyone could understand even the deepest truths. Anthony is often seen holding the child Jesus, who once appeared to him and touched his face. St. Anthony has become beloved by millions as the patron saint of lost things.
St. Stephen
Fifth Grade
Critical of the corrupt religious leaders who rejected Jesus, Stephen was an outspoken deacon who did not hold back. “You stiff-necked people!” he yelled once while speaking in Jerusalem. “You always resist the Holy Spirit!” For proclaiming the divinity of Jesus, Stephen was dragged out of the city and stoned to death, thus becoming the Church’s first martyr and a symbol of courage for many as the persecution of Christians began.
St. Jude
Intermediate & Middle School Spanish
Saint Jude Thaddeus, not to be confused with Judas Iscariot, was one of the twelve apostles and likely a cousin of Jesus. He is the “patron saint of lost causes” because his epistle encourages us to persevere- even in desperate circumstances. During the Great Depression and World War II, devotion to him grew and the National Shrine of Saint Jude in Chicago was established. Saint Jude remains a source of strength and hope for many.
Nuestra Virgen de San Juan
Middle School ELAR
St. Gemma Galgani
Middle School Matematics
Gemma Galgani was born in 1878 in Italy. After her mother’s death, young Gemma longed for Heaven and grew in holiness. She received visions of Jesus, Mary and her guardian angel. She was miraculously healed of a spinal illness, and experienced the stigmata. Gemma wished to become a Passionist nun, but she suffered from tuberculosis and died at the young age of 25. She was buried in the Passionist habit.
St. Michael the Archangel
Middle School Religion
We know Saint Michael first from Scripture: “Then war broke out in heaven; Michael and his angels battled against the dragon.” (Revelation 12:7) Michael, whose name means “Who is like God?” was beloved by the Jewish faithful long before the days of Christ. Today, he is chief protector of the Christian faith. For his strength, courage, and mission to protect, Michael is the patron of the military and police officers.
St. Dymphna
Middle School Science
Dymphna was an Irish princess, whose mentally ill father became violent and dangerous. Accompanied by her chaplain, court jester, and servants, Dymphna fled to Gheel, in Belgium, where she used her wealth to build a hospital. When her father finally found Dymphna, he took her life while she defended her chastity. Under Dymphna’s patronage, Gheel remains a sanctuary of kindness, and sometimes miracles, for those suffering from mental illness.
St. Oscar Romero
Computer Lab
An advocate for freedom against oppression in El Salvador, Monsignor Oscar Romero was assassinated while presiding at a Mass on March 24, 1980. He was standing behind the altar, preparing for the Eucharist, when two mercenaries approached the chapel. A voice for all the less fortunate, he was canonized by Pope Francis in 2018.
St. Martin de Porres
Music Room
Martin de Porres was born in Lima, Peru, the son of a Spanish nobleman and an African former slave. After his father left the family, Martin worked for a barber and eventually became a Dominican lay brother. Through small tasks, like sweeping the monastery floors, he grew in holiness. Martin tended to the sick, miraculously cured the poor and noble alike, and founded a home for orphans. Martin also loved animals and kept an animal shelter at his sister’s house.
St. Catherine of Alexandria
School Library
Catherine was a brilliant young princess born around 287 in Egypt. During that time, Emperor Maxentius was brutally persecuting Christians. At the age of 18, Catherine visited him to denounce his cruelty. Hundreds, including the emperor’s own wife, were converted by her eloquence and faith. The furious Maxentius ordered Catherine to be executed by a spiked wheel. But when Catherine touched the wheel, it shattered! Maxentius then had her beheaded.
Saint Therese of Lisieux
School Office
Thérèse, often called “The Little Flower,” was an intelligent and loving child, but she experienced deep suffering and anxiety. In 1886, Jesus answered Thérèse’s struggle for peace. “I felt, in a word, charity enter my heart, the need to forget myself to make others happy,” she described. Thérèse soon became a Carmelite nun but died at 24, promising to “send down a shower of roses” from Heaven.
Blessed Carlo Acutis
Principal’s Office
From a young age, Carlo Acutis demonstrated a unique love for Jesus in the Eucharist. Creative and passionate, Carlo also found joy through computer programming and technology. He used his skills to build websites featuring topics including Mary and the Eucharist. He was a light to all who knew him and beloved by family, friends, and teachers. Carlo developed leukemia at a young age and offered all of his suffering for “the Lord, the Pope, and the Church.” He died in 2006 at the age of 15.