Seven Patron Saints to pray to for a successful New Year in 2019

Now that 2019 is here, you might be busy planning how you are going to make the most of it. As most people do, you might want to list down new things you might want to learn, do, or see this year in a planner.

To help you achieve your goals this year, here are seven (7) of the most important intercessors you can pray to.

1. Planning to Lose Weight? Pray to Saint Sebastian

Saint Sebastian is identified in the Catholic faith as the Patron Saint of Athletes and Archers, but his whole nature of promoting healthy and active lifestyles has also led to him being named by the church as the saint to pray to if you need a little push in maintaining your workout routines.

Dedicating a period in your day to working out or eating healthily can be difficult, which is why praying a short intercessory to Saint Sebastian may be helpful, if not, necessary.

Pray to Saint Sebastian if you want to lose weight, get more active, or intend to begin with high-intensity training this year so you can qualify for more physical activities this year. Getting your body in shape, sticking to a healthy diet, and dedicating your time and effort on a very active lifestyle can be difficult, but Saint Sebastian understands and he awaits your intercessions.

2. Overcome Difficult Circumstances Under the Guidance of Saint Rita

Are you hoping to overcome a major hurdle this year at work and in your personal life? No matter what the nature of this challenge may be, there is a helpful saint who can grant you spiritual aid.

Saint Rita of Cascia lived a very difficult life in Italy, but despite all the challenges she underwent to become a wife, mother, and later on, a devoted nun, she kept her faith and fought through. Who knows what this year may bring, but if you ever feel like you are fighting a circumstance that is nearly-impossible to defeat, intercede your prayers of strength and guidance through Saint Rita.

Use her resolve as your personal inspiration to push through every difficulty you may encounter. Like Saint Rita, do not lose hope. If you need a physical reminder of St. Rita's courage, this blessed medal pendant makes for a great daily companion. Keep it close to you: either around a necklace, bracelet, or as a brooch.

3. Traveling to a Foreign Land this Year? Let Your Devotion to Saint Christopher Guide You

Is travelling to a foreign country in your New Year's resolutions this year? According to psychologists, planning a vacation can be one of the most stressful activities you could put your mental health and body through. Who knew that something so delightful in the end can actually start out confusing and puzzling? Fortunately, not all journeys have to start that way. With Saint Christopher's guidance, you too can plan safer travels, pray to encounter good people in your journeys, and most of all, request for a safe return to your family and friends.

4. Looking for a New Job? Pray to St. Cajetan

Saint Cajetan was not only a Catholic priest who had a heart for the poor, he played an important role in his country's development as well. For Saint Cajetan, it was important that the unfortunate around him could find a reliable source for assistance if they were ever cash-strapped. The wise priest realized that many people around him were becoming poorer and poorer due to their loans from loan sharks. Knowing he could not fight fire with fire, Saint Cajetan did the next best thing: he set up a financial institution where people from all walks of life could deposit their hard-earned income and loan money at fair interest rates. His brainchild later became Banco di Napoli, or the Bank of Naples.

Saint Cajetan was not only passionate about introducing fair banking practices, he was also passionate about teaching individuals who had no work qualifications the right skills they needed in order to find livelihoods. Because of his dedication, he is recognized as the Patron Saint of jobseekers.

5. Stop Smoking with the Help of St. Maximillian Kolbe

You may have been acquainted with another post of ours about St. Maximillian Kolbe who is found in our list of 7 healing saints to pray to.

If you have been battling any kind of dependence on any material or substance, ask St. Maximillian Kolbe to strengthen your resolve as you go about your journey of rehabilitation. In his lifetime, St. Maximillian Kolbe has assisted people who have been suffering from different kinds of ailments, diseases, and addictions even while under imprisonment. Pray to him if you need motivation to go to another rehabilitation meeting, or as you undergo another detoxification program, as well as for any other reason.

6. Getting Married Soon? Pray to Saint Monica

If you are finally entering the blessed sacrament of Matrimony this year, or if you are hoping to be engaged to your significant other in the coming months, here is a saint who can intercede for you in your prayers for a smooth-sailing, lifelong relationship.

Saint Monica is a special figure: not only is she the mother of Saint Augustine of Hippo, she was also the reason behind the young Augustine's conversion from being a troublemaker into being one of the most important saints in the Catholic faith.

Although Saint Monica is the patron saint of marriage, her married life was mostly difficult. Her husband was both adulterous and ill-tempered, but through Saint Monica's devout faith and prayers, she was able to turn him and her son into two renewed Christians. It's amazing what power can do!

Pray to Saint Monica for a healthy married life (she understands how difficult marriages can be!) or pray to her if you are in an unhealthy relationship.

7. Pray for a Better Year Ahead through Saint Sylvester

Whether you have prepared a list of resolutions for the year or not, here is one saint you can pray through for a generally positive year ahead. Saint Sylvester’s feast day has generally been overlooked by many countries and cultures due to its close proximity to another important day, New Year’s Day. However, in Switzerland, Brazil, and other predominantly Catholic nations, Saint Sylvester’s day is celebrated with the same fanfare as one would celebrate the New Year’s.

Saint Sylvester’s feast day falls on December 31st, making him the last celebrated saint in the Gregorian Calendar. If you want to enter the new year with the same faith and strength Saint Sylvester displayed when he was alive (he was burned at the stake for his faith), pray through Saint Sylvester.