Pray for us

I'm Catholic.

But don't worry, this post isn't about conversion or preaching.

It's about divine intervention.

Okay, not really.

It's about patron saints... well, one in particular.

Patron saints have always been an interest of mine growing up and that interest has grown in recent years. Heck, I named my car Jude Thaddeus after St. Jude Thaddeus, the patron saint of lost causes and desperate cases.

Because it's a lemon... but beggars can't be choosers.

Anyway...

The saint that started this whole debacle of a post is the patron saint of writers/authors, St. Francis de Sales. He was your run-of-the-mill 16/17th century Frenchman born into an affluent family, destined for greatness, educated at the best schools, and handed a rich noblewoman on a gilded platter.

Photo from Google Images
Is it just me or does Francis look 1000% done?

Despite Francis's father's desire that he become a lawyer, Francis's desire to become a priest was too strong. Unlike most stories that end in in anger and disowning, Francis's father eventually supported his decision to sign his inheritance to his younger brother and join the church. With, Francis's gentle demeanor, education, and devotion to the faith, he soared through the ranks and found himself Bishop of a Calvinist Geneva (which is actually a harder gig than you would expect if you don't know anything about the Calvinist vs. Catholic war).

During his tenure within the Catholic hierarchy, Francis devoted many, many hours to writing different books about the faith. His most famous, Introduction to the Devout Life, was written specifically for laypeople, which was very unique for the time.

Photo from Google Images
This isn't where I parked my car.

There was a point in here somewhere.... I really need to start bringing a map for these adventures.

Ah yes.

Writers need all the help we can get.

My parents often advised to pray to the patron saint of a particular situation for help and guidance (I prayed to St. Anthony a lot no matter how much of a Hufflepuff I am now) so when I was struggling with writer's block, I did a little googling to find out who I needed to have a chat with. St. Francis de Sales was the guy. I don't know if having a one-sided conversation with him helped much, but it was comforting to ask for help from a being bigger than myself.

Plus, he's been dead for like 300 years so there was no embarrassment from asking for help or whining a little.

Now, I'm not saying get religion and you'll have the answers. But I don't think there is anything wrong with sending thoughts out to the universe or prayers to your deity of choice for a little guidance when things get hard.

And you know what? Writing is hard.