Category: Arts & Communications
St. Clare of Assisi, the foundress of the Order of Poor Ladies (Poor Clares) and a close associate of St. Francis of Assisi, is the patron of television. This unexpected patronage was declared by Pope Pius XII in 1958 based on the account that on her deathbed, Clare miraculously "saw" the Mass celebrated far away as if on a screen before her — an experience interpreted as a forerunner of television. Her feast day is August 11.
The declaration of Clare as patron of television is one of the more distinctive modern patronage designations, blending a medieval mystical account with a 20th-century technology.
Formally proclaimed patronage — sourced from canonized saints in the Roman Calendar.
Saint Clare is invoked as patron of television. Saint Clare was born Chiara Offreduccio at Assisi on July 16, 1194, daughter of the noble Favarone Offreduccio and Ortolana di Fiume. Already as a child, formed by her devout mother, she lived a life of prayer and almsgiving. Sources: https://www.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/en/audiences/2010/documents/hf_ben-xvi_aud_20100915.html.
Saint Clare is the primary patron saint of television. Their feast day is August 11.
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: "Clare, 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.