Holidays May Put Load On Some Saints

Has holiday shopping plunged you into hock?

Maybe it’s no coincidence that St. Nick that jolly, bloated symbol of commercial Christmas is the patron saint of pawnbrokers.

Toymakers and shopkeepers have their own patron saints. So do arms dealers.

Around the world, saints are invoked to cure ills from carbuncles to snakebites and to guide beleaguered souls who’ve lost their minds - or their car keys.

Many religions venerate their holy departed, though not all call them saints. Catholics have so many thousands of saints that some Belgian priests are making it their life’s work to count and catalog them.

Some saints are Vatican-approved. Fans documented their miracles and championed them through a process called canonization. Others are saints by tradition only.

Those believed to intercede for people in particular circumstances are called patron saints.

Here are some who might get a lot of business this time of year:

Patron saint of stress, Walter of Pontnoise. The 17th-century abbot felt overwhelmed by his job and hounded by zealots.

Patron saint of travelers, the Three Magi. Balthazar, Caspar and Melchior’s most famous travels, of course, followed the Star of Bethlehem to baby Jesus.

Patron saint of cooks and dietitians, Martha, sister of Mary and Lazarus, hostess to Christ.

Patron saint of brewers, Wenceslaus. The “good king” made famous by a Christmas carol was so devoted to the Mass that he made wine and milled grain for Communion.

Patron saint of hangovers, Bibiana. The fourth-century martyr may have won this dubious honor when revelers, confused about whether her name meant “full of life” or “full of drink,” began invoking it the morning after they were full of both.

Patron saint of peace in the family, Baldus. He killed his parents by accident. but repented and led a faithful life.

And, of course, St. Nick, patron saint of children, as well as of pawnbrokers - a generous fourth-century bishop we know best as Santa Claus. Legend says he pitied three young girls who lacked dowries, tossed three bags of gold through their kitchen window - and saved them from a life of poverty and prostitution.

St. Nick was imprisoned during the time of Christian persecutions.

More recently, he has been tortured in the popular culture, made a shill for materialism and turned into a plastic lawn ornament.