6 Holy Father Figures Who Also Became Saints
Each year, Father’s Day yields the perfect opportunity to reflect on the father figures in our lives. But did you know we have fathers within the communion of saints to look to regularly?
The six holy men below achieved sainthood in part by embracing their fatherly vocation and following God’s will for their lives!
Saint Louis Martin (1823-1894)
Saint Louis Martin is the father of Saint Therese of Lisieux and was canonized alongside his wife, Saint Zelie. He was a watchmaker and business owner and attended daily Mass.
Saint Louis Martin lived a life of great virtue amid hardship and grief.
According to EWTN UK,
“As a widower, Louis spent much of his day in prayer and reading in his room in the attic that overlooked the garden which he tended himself. He kept up his habit of daily Mass and frequent Communion, and loved his afternoon walk with Thérèse. In the evening, he would read aloud and discuss spiritual works and other writings with his daughters.”
After the death of her father, Saint Therese wrote of the closeness she felt with him.
Saint Thomas More (1478-1535)
Saint Thomas More had four children with his first wife, Jane. After her death, he promptly remarried. He happily accepted his second wife’s daughter from her previous marriage as his own.
It is said that Thomas More would write doting letters to his children while he was away for work and placed a high importance on their education.
During his life, he worked to defend the Catholic faith in England and eventually suffered martyrdom for doing so.
Saint Thomas More is the patron saint of lawyers, politicians, difficult marriages, and adopted children.
Saint Louis IX, King of France (1214-1270)
Saint Louis reigned with a sense of faith and peace.
He and his wife, Margaret, had eleven children.
In his last instructions to his eldest son before his death, Saint Louis of France advised the following:
"Fair son, the first thing I would teach thee is to set thine heart to love God; for unless he love God none can be saved. Keep thyself from doing aught that is displeasing to God, that is to say, from mortal sin. Contrariwise thou shouldst suffer every manner of torment rather than commit a mortal sin…”
Saint Joachim
Saint Joachim is the father of the Virgin Mary, husband to Saint Anne, and the maternal grandfather of Jesus Christ.
Although we know little about Saint Joachim, the life and holiness of his daughter, the Blessed Virgin Mary, points to a strong upbringing–and his fatherhood.
According to Catholic News Agency,
“Joachim and Anne began to devote themselves to rigorous prayer and fasting, in isolation from one another and from society. They regarded their inability to conceive a child as a surpassing misfortune, and a sign of shame among the tribes of Israel.
As it turned out, however, the couple were to be blessed even more abundantly than Abraham and Sarah. An angel revealed this to Anne when he appeared to her and prophesied that all generations would honor their future child: 'The Lord has heard your prayer, and you shall conceive, and shall bring forth; and your seed shall be spoken of in all the world.'"
Saint Francis Choe Kyong-Hwan (1804-1839)
Saint Francis Choe Kyong-Hwan was a Korean husband, father, and lay catechist. In July of 1839, he was arrested for his faith alongside his wife and children.
As the head of his household, Francis Choe Kyong-Hwan set an example of courage and faithfulness amidst hardship.
He died a martyr for the faith.
Saint Joseph
Saint Joseph is the most common saint we think of when it comes to fatherhood.
He is the most chaste spouse of the Virgin Mother Mary and the foster father of Jesus. He is also considered the patron saint of fathers.
Saint Joseph Marello perfectly summed up the holiness of Saint Joseph, the foster father of Jesus:
“Saint Joseph did not do extraordinary things, but rather by the constant practice of ordinary and common virtues, he attained that sanctity which elevates him above all the other saints.”
In addition to the fathers in this list, countless saints lived their priestly vocation with incredible spiritual fatherhood.
Take a moment to pray for the spiritual fathers in our Church with this prayer from Saint Therese of Lisieux:
O Jesus, eternal Priest,
keep your priests within the shelter of Your Sacred Heart,
where none may touch them.
Keep unstained their anointed hands,
which daily touch Your Sacred Body.
Keep unsullied their lips,
daily purpled with your Precious Blood.
Keep pure and unearthly their hearts,
sealed with the sublime mark of the priesthood.
Let Your holy love surround them and
shield them from the world’s contagion.
Bless their labors with abundant fruit and
may the souls to whom they minister
be their joy and consolation here
and in heaven their beautiful and everlasting crown.
And, lastly, a prayer for Fathers:
Dear Saint Joseph, Patron of Fathers,
just as you watched over Jesus,
guide and protect all Fathers
so that they in turn can guide
and protect their families.
Give them the graces
of wisdom, courage, understanding, and forgiveness.
Through your intercession,
help them show us the path to holiness.
We ask this through Jesus Christ, Our Lord.
Amen.