Meet Awake’s New Patron Saints
In a special prayer service this week, Awake introduced a group of patron saints recently chosen for our community, and launched a novena calling on the intercession of these saints. A recording of the service, just 16 minutes long, is available below.
The decision to choose patron saints came out of “a knowledge that so many in the Awake community have negative experiences and associations with aspects of the Catholic faith, and a desire to draw from parts of Catholic tradition that can be encouraging or inspiring or strengthening, regardless of someone’s current relationship with the Church,” explained Sara Larson, Awake executive director. The communion of saints offers many inspiring stories to draw upon, she said.
The process of selecting these saints took more than six months, and relied on input from the Awake Leadership Team, staff, Survivor Advisory Panel, and Board of Directors.
Instead of choosing a single patron saint, Awake selected a diverse group of saints to reflect different stories, ethnic backgrounds, genders, time periods, and connection points to our work, Larson said. Given the range of experiences among survivors and others in the Awake community, we hoped that this variety would allow everyone to find a saint whose story speaks to them.
During the prayer service, each patron was introduced by a member of the Awake community, who shared the saint’s biography along with art representing the saint. (Because two of the patrons are less well-known, Awake commissioned an illustration of them, to be completed soon.) Brief versions of the saints’ biographies are found below.
As the service closed, Awake prayed the first night of a novena for the intercession of these saints. Awake invites all to pray the novena daily for nine days, with the last day falling on November 1, All Saints Day. The novena prayer is found below.
AWAKE’S PATRON SAINTS
St. Charles Lwanga
Charles Lwanga was born in 1860 to the Baganda tribe in what is now modern Uganda. He converted to Catholicism during the reign of a king who tolerated Christianity. However, when a new king, King Mwanga II, came to power, he saw Christianity as a threat to his authority and began to persecute Catholics and Anglicans.
King Mwanga was also a sexual predator, who victimized the teenage boys and young men in his court, particularly the royal pages. When Charles Lwanga became chief of these pages, he did all he could to protect them from the king’s predation. He also preached the Gospel to the pages, encouraging them to remain faithful in the midst of fear, persecution, and abuse.
King Mwanga discovered that the pages were devout Christians and sentenced them all to death, including Charles Lwanga. On June 3, 1886, he was separated from the others and burned at the stake.
When we look to Charles Lwanga as an example of courage in the face of sexual violence, we remember that he found this courage in community—just as we do in the Awake community. We do not know if Charles Lwanga himself ever experienced sexual abuse, but we know he fought to defend the vulnerable, even when it meant risking everything.
Saint Charles Lwanga, pray for us.
St. Catherine of Siena
Catherine di Jacopo di Benincasa was born in the14th century in Siena, Italy, part of a working class family. She began to have mystical experiences from a young age and as she grew older she devoted her time to solitary prayer.
Eventually she felt called to re-engage with the wider community and faithfully served the poor, sick, and abandoned in her city. She developed a reputation for holiness, and people started to come to her for advice. She became involved in current affairs, first in Siena, and then throughout Italy. She dictated many letters to political and religious leaders, who were often persuaded by her suggestions.
Catherine lived at a time of great tumult, division, and corruption in the Church and worked passionately for unity and integrity. She was not afraid to call Church leaders to account, reminding them of their responsibility to the people of God. She carried on a long correspondence with Pope Gregory XI, urging him to return to Rome (he had relocated to Avignon, France), reform the clergy, and bring unity to the Church. In time, the Pope did return to Rome.
Catherine spent the rest of her life in Rome, serving the poor and sick, advising the Pope, and working for renewal in the Church.
We were drawn to St. Catherine because she saw that the Church of her time had gone astray from its mission and worked courageously for reform and renewal. She was deeply rooted in prayer, and even in the face of deep opposition by Catholic leaders, she never lost her love for Jesus or her beloved Church.
Saint Catherine of Siena, pray for us.
Saints Mary and Abraham of Edessa
Our next patron is actually two individuals that we are honoring together. Their story includes a mention of sexual assault.
Mary and Abraham lived in the fourth century in Edessa, Syria. Abraham left his wealthy family to follow Christ as a hermit, living in a cell outside the city so he could pray in solitude. He later adopted his niece, Mary, after her parents died when she was seven. Mary learned the faith from Abraham and lived near him as a female hermit or anchoress.
They lived a life of prayer and asceticism for 20 years. But a corrupt monk noticed Mary and began to visit frequently, building a sense of intimacy and trust. After a year of grooming, he raped her.
Filled with shame, Mary could not bring herself to tell her uncle what happened. She was convinced that she could never again be holy and fled. Abraham, who did not know what happened, had a series of dreams about a dove being eaten by a dragon. He realized that his niece was in danger, but had no way of knowing where to find her. He finally heard that Mary was living in a distant city as a prostitute. Although he had not left his cell for decades, Abraham went in search of Mary and found her in a brothel.
Mary eventually agreed to return home and recommit to prayer and holiness. God began granting miracles through Mary, and she lived for 50 years after Abraham’s death.
Mary’s story is sometimes told in a way that holds her responsible for the monk’s assault, not recognizing the power differential that made her consent impossible. Hearing her story now, it’s easy to understand the impact of this trauma on Mary, and how shame and guilt led her to painful choices after her assault. But it’s also a hopeful story: of an uncle who went without judgment to bring his niece home, and of a woman who eventually found healing and shared it with others.
As survivor of sexual abuse by a Catholic leader, Mary of Edessa is a powerful patron for all survivors in the Awake community, and Abraham provides an example for all who seek to support and accompany survivors.
Saints Mary and Abraham of Edessa, pray for us.
St. Michael the Archangel
St. Michael has a long history in Christian tradition, and is also revered in Judaism, Islam, and the Baha’i faith. The earliest surviving mentions of his name are in Jewish works from the 3rd and 2nd century BC, where he is described as the chief of the angels, responsible for the care of Israel. In Revelations, he is depicted as a powerful warrior, leading the angels in battle against the ancient dragon who represents Satan.
Since the early days of Christianity, St. Michael has been called upon for protection and guidance, particularly in the face of the forces of evil and darkness. He is also considered a symbol of divine justice
The word “saint” usually refers to a human being who is now in heaven with God, but the word comes from the Latin word “sancta,” meaning holy one, so the archangels Gabriel, Raphael, and Michael also are honored as saints.
While choosing patrons, we heard from many survivors that they are drawn to “warrior” saints like Michael the Archangel because they need to know that someone powerful is fighting for them. Asking for the intercession of St. Michael reminds us of the high stakes of this battle against abuse and corruption, and points us to the truth that any victory ultimately comes from God.
Saint Michael the Archangel, pray for us.
Our Lady Undoer of Knots
Catholics honor Mary under many beautiful names and titles, and this particular devotion has its roots in Germany in the year 1700. The story goes that a married couple on the verge of separation requested prayers from a local priest, who asked the Virgin Mary to untie all the knots in their marriage. When peace was restored between husband and wife, an artist was commissioned to create a painting of Our Lady Undoer of Knots, in gratitude for her intervention.
The original Baroque painting still hangs in a Bavarian church, but this specific devotion to Our Lady became more popular in the late 20th century, when it spread from Germany and Austria to Latin America, especially Argentina and Brazil. Pope Francis has shared his own devotion to this image of Mary as a problem-solver who can undo the knots in our world and in our lives.
The original German word used in this devotion implies that the knots are not just undone or untied but dissolved completely.
We recognize that the reality of sexual abuse and institutional betrayal in the Catholic Church has tied knots of all kinds in the Church and in our world, and the trauma of abuse can tie knots within victim-survivors, complicating their ability to relate to themselves, to God, to the Church, and to other people.
When we call on Our Lady Undoer of Knots, the Awake community recognizes that the problems we face are simply beyond our capacity to untie. Through Mary’s intercession, we place our trust in God who makes awakening, transformation, and healing possible.
Our Lady Undoer of Knots, pray for us.
A NOVENA TO AWAKE’S PATRON SAINTS
We invite you to join the Awake community in praying the following prayer once a day for nine days.
God of love, you hear the cries of all who have been wounded by abuse in the Catholic Church. Grant us your healing, justice, and peace.
Jesus, gentle companion, you accompany all those who suffer. Form Awake into a compassionate, survivor-centered, faithful community of welcome, humility, courage, and hope.
Holy Spirit, mighty advocate, you stir within us and awaken our hearts. Help us to see where you are leading us today and give us the strength to say yes to your call.
We offer the needs of the Awake community and our personal prayer intentions through the intercession of our patron saints.
Saint Charles Lwanga, pray for us.
Saint Catherine of Siena, pray for us.
Saints Mary and Abraham of Edessa, pray for us.
Saint Michael the Archangel, pray for us.
Our Lady Undoer of Knots, pray for us.
Amen.