Tradition - Patron Saints for Pilgrims

St. Julian the Hospitaller (Feast - February 12)

Julian was a Noble layman; friend and counselor to the king, he was married to a wealthy widow. A stag he was hunting predicted he would kill his own parents. Julian moved far away to avoid his parents, but they found him, and came to make a surprise visit. His wife gave them her and Julian's bed; Julian killed them, thinking they were his wife and another man.As penance, he and his wife traveled to Rome as pilgrims seeking absolution. On his way home, to continue his penance, he built a hospice beside a river, cared for the poor and sick, and rowed travelers across the river for free.Once, after having helped many, many travelers, Julian gave his own bed to a pilgrim leper who had nearly frozen to death. When they had him safely settled, the man suddenly revealed himself to be an angel. The visitor announced that Christ had accepted Julian's penance; the angel then disappeared.

St. Gertrude of Nivelles (Feast - March 17)

Gertrude (626 –659) was born in Belgium. At age 20 she became abbess of the Benedictine monastery of Nivelles, in present-day Belgium.  Her charity to widows and the poor was well known. She is the patron of pilgrims and travelers, especially those in search of accommodations or good lodging, because of the many hospices she established for travelers and for her hospitality to strangers. The water from the well at her convent and the cakes baked in her oven were said to have the miraculous effect of repelling rats and mice, thus her association with cats and being pictured with mice, sometimes crawling up her staff.

In modern Belgium, supposedly a drink-for-the-road is called a “St. Gertrude's Cup.” There is a legend relating that one day she sent some of her people to a distant country, promising that no misfortune would befall them on the journey. When they were on the waters, a large sea monster threatened to capsize their ship, but disappeared upon the invocation of St. Gertrude. Because of this legend, medieval travelers drank a toast known in German as the "Gertrudenminte" or "Sinte Geerts Minne" in the saint's honor before setting out on their journey. 

St. Benedict Joseph Labre  (Feast - April 16)

Oldest of fifteen children in a prosperous middle class family Benedict was educated by his uncle, a parish priest. Following his uncle’s death, he tried to join the Trappists, Carthusians, and Cistercians, but was rejected by them all. He spent years wandering Europe, especially Rome, Italy, in complete poverty, spending his days in perpetual adoration in the cathedrals. Given to religious ecstasies when contemplating the crown of thorns; reputed to float, soar, and bilocate when in these swoons. He begged in the streets, and if he was given more than he needed for the day, he would give the remainder to some one he considered more in need than he was. Benedict healed some of his fellow homeless, and was reported to have multiplied bread for them. Noted counselor to people of all walks in Rome. He died in a hospice, exhausted from his life of austerity. His biography, written by his confessor Marconi, describes 136 miraculous cures attributed to him within three months of his death.

St. Fridolin of Säckingen (Feast - March 6)

Fridolin (6th century) Also known as the Irish Wanderer or the Apostle of the Upper Rhine  was born to the Irish nobility. He became a Benedictine monk at Luxeuil Abbey and at Poitiers, France. Received a vision of Saint Hilary of Poitiers in which he was shown the location of Hilary‘s relics, which had been lost during a Vandal invasions. Fridolin found them, and built a chapel to house them. He built churches in Alsace, in Switzerland, and in Burgundy. Missionary among the Alamanni in the Upper Rhine; many thought he was a roaming cattle thief, and chased him away. He founded the monastery in Säckingen, Baden (part of modern Germany, and served as its abbot. On the date of his feast, the houses of Säckingen are decorated with the flags of Germany, Switzerland, and Ireland.

St. Bona of Pisa (Feast - May 29)

Patron saint of flight attendants and tour guides. Entering a convent as a child, at fourteen, she went to the Holy Land and later had a vision even in Santiago de Compostela. She dedicated her life to assisting pilgrims on their journeys, especially towards the Spanish sanctuary.

St. Anthony of Padua (Feast - June 13)

Anthony of Padua was inspired as young man to go on a mission to Morocco but returned because of ill health.  He became known as an extraorinarily gifted  preacher for his zeal and eloquence.  Anthony traveled throughout Italy to continue his preaching mission. Anthony settled in Padua, reformed the city, and aided the poor.  Anthony was called the “Wonder Worker” for his many reported miracles. He preached to crowds in the rain, but his audiences remained dry despite the downpour.  Among his many patronages Anthony is patron of children, travelers, married couples, women, animals, and miners and is a  popular saint for retrieving lost items. 

St. Theobald of Provence (Feast - June 30) 

Theobald was born to the French nobility.  He was lead to great sanctity by reading the lives of the saints. He traveled as a Pilgrim to several holy sites including Santiago de Compostella, Spain and Rome, Italy.   He became a Hermit at Sussy in the Trier and later was a leader of a group of hermits near Venice, Italy, so many that the local ordained him so he could minister the sacraments to them. 

St. Alexius (Feast - July 17)

The only son of a wealthy Christian Roman senator the young man wanted to devote himself to God, but his parents arranged a marriage for him. On his wedding day his fiancee agreed to release him and let him follow his vocation. He fled his parent‘s home disguised as a beggar, and lived near a church in Syria. A vision of Our Lady at the church pointed him out as exceptionally holy, calling him the “Man of God”. This drew attention to him, which caused him to return to Rome, Italy where he would not be known. He came as a beggar to his own home. His parents did not recognize him, but were kind to all the poor, and let him stay there. Alexis lived for seventeen years in a corner under the stairs, praying, and teaching catechism to small children. At his death an unseen voice was heard to proclaim him ‘The Man of God’, and afterwards his family found a note on his body which told them who he was and how he had lived his life of penance from the day of his wedding until then, for the love of God.

St. Brigid of Sweden (Feast - July 23, formerly Oct. 8)

Brigid had a privileged upbringing in a wealthy landowning family who were descendents of royalty. At age 13 she wed Prince Ulfo in an arranged marriage and became mother of eight including St. Catherine of Sweden. She was a guide to kings and queens of her time and after Ulfo’s death following a pilgrimage to Compostela Spain she pursued a religious life. She renounced her tilte of princess, founded the order of Bridgettines in Sweden and was a pilgrim to Rome and other holy sites along the way to the Holy Land. She was known for her visions and revelations of the passion and crucifixion of Jesus on the cross. She is a patron of Sweden and to widows. She is often pictured with a cross along with a staff and a shell, symbols of a pilgrim.

St. Christopher (Feast - July 25)

Also, Saint Christopher, the saint said to be a giant, is considered the patron saint of pilgrims and, in general, of all professions related to transportation, such as boatmen, commuters, porters, and railway workers. He is one of the fourteen Holy Helpers to invoke in the event of serious natural disasters or epidemics.

St. James (Feast - July 25)

Saint James is the Patron Saint of Spain and according to legend, his remains are held in Santiago de Compostela in Galicia (Spain). The traditional pilgrimage to the grave of the saint, known as the "Way of St. James", has been the most popular pilgrimage for Western European Catholics from the early Middle Ages onward.  Pilgrims completing the final 100 km walk (200 km by bicycle) to Santiago qualify for a Compostela certificate of completion. When 25 July falls on a Sunday, it is a ″Jubilee″ year.   James' emblem was the scallop shell (or "cockle shell"), and pilgrims to his shrine often wore that symbol on their hats or clothes.

St. Roch (Feast - Aug. 16)

Of French origin, Roch lost both parents at a very young age and decided to donate his possessions to the poor and embark on a journey as a pilgrim, heading to Rome. During the journey, he offered help and comfort to plague victims and the poor, gaining a reputation as a saint. Like Saint James, he is remembered not only as a saintly pilgrim but also among the saints to invoke in case of illnesses.

St. Sebaldus  (Feast - Aug. 19)

A Danish prince, he broke off an engagement with a princess after going on a pilgrimage to Rome, dedicating his life to evangelizing Franconia thereafter. Buried in Nuremberg, a city of which he is the patron, he is often depicted with a staff, a rosary, and the scallop shell. His tomb soon became a pilgrimage site.

St. Giles (Feast - Sept. 1)

Giles was born a wealthy noble, but when his parents died he used all his fortune to help the poor. Known as a miracle worker (one of the 14 Holy Helpers) Giles lived a solitary life outside the city walls in a cave. After his death his grave became a pilgrimage site and shrine for those looking for miracle cures. He became a patron of cripple and beggars since begging was sometimes the only source of income for many. Hospitals and safe houses for the poor, crippled, and leprous were constructed in England and Scotland in Giles name. Spanish shepherds come down from the Pyrenees on 1 September, attired in costume, sheepskin coats, staves, and crooks, to attend Mass with their best rams, an event that marks the beginning of autumn festivals, marked by processions and dancing in the fields.

St. Wendelin (Feast - October 21)

Prince of Scotland, the son of King Forchado and Queen Irelina, educated by the local bishop, Wendelin decided to abandon life in the royal family, and devote himself to God. Dressed as a pilgrim, Wendelin left his castle home in the middle of the night, and left the worldly life behind. Pilgrim to many holy sites, reaching Rome in 574. During an audience with Pope Benedict I, the pope told him to follow his desire for a life with God. He Lived for a while in Einsidel, Germany and then as a hermit in the forest wilderness of Westerich.  During a trip to the shrines in Trier, he reportedly met a wealthy highwayman. The thief admonished him for begging when he was so obviously capable of earning his living. He worked for the thief as a swineherd until he found there was no time for his prayers. He transferred to work tending cattle, Wendelin again had time for prayer. However, the herd he tending grew so fast that he soon found himself again overworked. This time he was transferred to tending sheep, traditionally a job for children or older men as it was less physically demanding. Even when his flock grew large, he still had time for prayer. Legend says that God transferred Wendelin and his flocks back to the old hermitage many times, and then brought them back in the evening.

Our Lady of Ghisallo (Feast - Nov. 2) 

Legend says that Count Ghisallo was travelling near the village of Magréglio Italy when he was attacked by highway bandits. Spotting an image of the Virgin Mary in a roadside shrine, he broke away from his attackers and ran to it. There he took refuge, plead for Our Lady’s protection - and was miraculously saved from the robbers.  The Madonna del Ghisallo became known as patroness of local travelers. More recently cyclists ride to the shrine to rest and pray at the chapel, which sits atop of a steep hill. The chapel is now a religious shrine and a cycling museum has been built beside it with artifacts and photos from the sport. There is an eternal flame that burns there in memory of the cyclists who are no longer with us. The feast of All Souls Nov. 2 is also the feast of Madonna del Ghisallo declared in 1949 by Pope Pius XII.

St. Jodocus (Feast - Dec. 13)

Jodocus was a seventh century king in Brittany, the son of King Juthael of Amorica. Following a pilgrimage to Rome, Italy c.636, he abdicated. He was ordained at Ponthieu, became a hermit at Runiacum, which was later renamed Saint-Josse-sur-Mer. He felt a special call to pray for sailors.  In the early 10th century, refugees from Brittany to England brought some of his relics with them, mainly clippings from his hair and nails which were reported to continue to grow after his death; they were enshrined in Winchester Cathedral. Joducus, often under the name Josse, was very popular in Middle Ages England, even used in oaths by the Wife of Bath in Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales.  He is a patron saint of both sailors and pilgrims.

Santo Niño de Atocha (Feast - Dec. 25 or Jan. 1)

During the 13th century Moorish invasions of Spain, the town of Atocha was lost in a battle during which many Christians were taken prisoner. The Moors would not allow adults to bring food or water to the prisoners, and the villagers prayed for the protection of their lost sons. A small child, dressed like a 13th century pilgrim, came to the prison camp with a bag of food and jug of water. The guards let him feed the prisoners; no matter how many he fed, and no matter how much they ate, the bag and jug never emptied.

A small statue of that apparition was venerated in the village of Atocha for many years, commemorating the feeding of the prisoners by the Christ child. It has since been relocated to Fresnillo, Mexico.