Category: Other
In Catholic tradition, patron saints are holy men and women whose lives and intercession are considered especially suited to particular needs, groups, or situations. The Church's practice of invoking saints reflects the doctrine of the Communion of Saints — the belief that the faithful departed remain united with the living in the one Body of Christ and can intercede before God on our behalf.
The designation of a patron saint for "Astronauts" reflects centuries of Catholic popular devotion and, in many cases, formal proclamations by popes or bishops recognizing a saint's particular connection to this intention through the circumstances of their life, death, or documented miracles.
Formally proclaimed patronage — sourced from canonized saints in the Roman Calendar.
Saint Joseph of Cupertino is invoked as patron of astronauts. Joseph Desa was born in 1603 in the small village of Cupertino in the Kingdom of Naples. He was an extraordinarily poor student and was widely thought to be slow-witted; in his early years he was dismissed from one religious community after another for inability to learn. Sources: https://www.vatican.va/news_services/liturgy/saints/ns_lit_doc_20040918_giuseppe-copertino_en.html.
Saint Joseph of Cupertino is the primary patron saint of astronauts. Their feast day is September 18.
A patron saint is a holy man or woman canonized by the Church whose life and heavenly intercession are considered especially powerful for particular needs, groups, or situations. Catholics ask patron saints to intercede — to pray to God on their behalf — drawing on the doctrine of the Communion of Saints.
To ask for a patron saint's intercession, Catholics typically pray directly to the saint, saying something like: "Joseph of Cupertino, pray for us." You may also light a candle, attend Mass on their feast day, or make a novena — nine days of consecutive prayer — asking for their help before a particular need.