Saint Luke the Evangelist (Luke)

Feast Day: October 18th

Evangelist Symbol: winged ox

Patron Saint of artists, physicians, surgeons, and butchers.

Confirmation is a sacrament that leaves each and every one of us with a responsibility. It is not a graduation. It is an initiation. Confirmation allows us to carry out the Church's mission by the power of the Holy Spirit. The Church's primary mission is not only to care for the world but to evangelize to the world. Saint Luke devoted himself to this mission. That is why the Gospel of Luke and Acts of the Apostles are some of the most referenced and quoted books of the Bible. His writings have given the world a way to know the story of Jesus and the Church. A common misunderstanding with my Confirmation Saint is that I chose him because he is my namesake but this is not entirely true. I mainly chose Saint Luke because of the many similarities between us. Saint Luke was fascinated by the study of science and knowledge, his life's work was to take care of others through his central profession, he took an interest in art and its influence, and writing was something he cherished and was naturally gifted at. These are all things we have in common. Saint Luke also spent much of his life on great journeys. I love to travel and see all the cultures and natural wonders the world has to offer. In the time that Luke lived, as he writes in Acts of the Apostles, the Christian faith was brutally persecuted by many. I too have faced some forms of persecution in my life, not necessarily physically but emotionally. At times, words and actions can hurt as much as the torment many early Christians faced, a great deal of them becoming martyrs. But this has not beaten me down. It has only made me stronger. I am proud of my Confirmation Saint and I am ready to live up to the responsibilities of Confirmation as an initiated member of the Church.