Patron Saint of Ecology

Category: Other

St. Francis of Assisi, who celebrated creation in his "Canticle of the Creatures" and was known for his preaching to birds and his relationship with animals, was formally proclaimed patron of ecology and the environment by Pope John Paul II in 1979. His feast day is October 4.

Pope Francis took his papal name in honor of St. Francis of Assisi and in 2015 issued the encyclical Laudato Si', subtitled "On Care for Our Common Home," making Francis of Assisi's vision of creation care central to the Church's contemporary social teaching.

Patron Saints of Ecology

Formally proclaimed patronage — sourced from canonized saints in the Roman Calendar.

Primary Patron
Saint Kateri Tekakwitha

Feast Day
July 14

Saint Kateri Tekakwitha is invoked as patron of ecology. Saint Kateri Tekakwitha was born in 1656 at the Mohawk village of Ossernenon, in the Iroquois Confederacy of present-day New York State, daughter of a pagan Mohawk chief and a captive Catholic Algonquin mother who had been baptized at Trois-Rivieres. When Kateri was four, a smallpox epidemic killed her parents and infant brother and left her with severely impaired vision and a scarred face; the name Tekakwitha ("she who bumps into things") reflects her near-blindness. Sources: https://www.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/en/homilies/2012/documents/hf_ben-xvi_hom_20121021_canonizzazione.html.

Read full biography of Saint Kateri Tekakwitha →

Saint Francis of Assisi

Feast Day
October 4

Saint Francis of Assisi is invoked as patron of ecology. Giovanni di Pietro di Bernardone, called Francesco, was born at Assisi in 1181 or 1182, son of the prosperous cloth merchant Pietro Bernardone. After a year as a prisoner of war at Perugia (1202-1203) and a serious illness, he experienced a conversion that culminated in 1206 with his renunciation of his patrimony before Bishop Guido of Assisi. Sources: https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/encyclicals/documents/papa-francesco_20150524_enciclica-laudato-si.html.

Read full biography of Saint Francis of Assisi →

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is the patron saint of ecology?

Saint Kateri Tekakwitha is the primary patron saint of ecology. Their feast day is July 14.

What is a patron saint?

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.

How do I ask for Kateri Tekakwitha's intercession?

To ask for a patron saint's intercession, Catholics typically pray directly to the saint, saying something like: "Kateri Tekakwitha, 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.