Category: Clergy & Religious Life
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 "Secular Clergy" 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 Thomas Becket is invoked as patron of the secular clergy. Thomas Becket was born on December 21, 1118, in Cheapside, London, the son of a Norman merchant family. After studies in London, Paris, Bologna, and Auxerre he entered the household of Theobald, Archbishop of Canterbury, in 1143 and was ordained deacon. Sources: https://www.usccb.org/resources/2026cal.pdf.
Saint Thomas Becket is the primary patron saint of secular clergy. Their feast day is December 29.
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: "Thomas Becket, 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.