It being All Saints day today I thought it would be fun to ask friends on Twitter about their favourite saints. All Saints day is a wonderful feast day to celebrate inspirational Christians, both dead and alive – what is wonderful is that I got a real mixture from my Twitter friends of just that, including a saintly dog (see below)!

My thanks to all the Twitter saints who shared their favourite saints and funny comments with me today!

Here is my Twitter hagiography

My favourite saint: St Blandina (or Blandine) of Lyon

@rev_gareth: St Elvis

 ” As with any visit in this part of Europe, shoes were removed at the door and before long the strong scent of thick black coffee was filling the tiny room. That’s when it happened. Out came the coffees, four cups, and then out came a plate with one cereal bar, broken in two for my friend and I to share. There was nothing for our hosts, just this precious item from the cupboard for their guests. Having left behind their homes and livelihoods, they had very little money – but their spirits were so generous. Who’d have thought a simple cereal bar could mean so much?”

@firdaus21: St Teresa of Avila

“Let nothing disturb you,
Let nothing frighten you,
All things pass away:
God never changes.
Patience obtains all things.
He who has God
Finds he lacks nothing;
God alone suffices.”

@MendipNomad: St Thomas

@cyteen02: St Cedd

“Cedd (c. 620 – 26 October 664) was an Anglo-Saxon monk and bishop from Northumbria. He was an evangelist of the Middle Angles andEast Saxons in England and a significant participant in the Synod of Whitby, a meeting which resolved important differences within the Church in England.”

@mrsfurmanator: St Catherine of Siena

“Saint Catherine of Siena, T.O.S.D, (25 March 1347 in Siena – 29 April 1380 in Rome) was a tertiary of the Dominican Order, and aScholasticphilosopher and theologian. She also worked to bring the papacy of Gregory XI back to Rome from its displacement in France, and to establish peace among the Italian city-states. She was proclaimed a Doctor of the Church in 1970. She is one of the two patron saintsof Italy, together with St. Francis of Assisi.”

@revpamsmith: St Anthony

I have to quote Pam’s tweet here (which spawned a very silly Twitter conversation about lost socks and other items of clothing including a cassock alb and a gym kit):

“St Anthony, finder of lost objects. Top saint, does a tough job without moaning about it :D”

@emptybelly: St John Chrysostom

“Chrysostomos, “golden-mouthed” so called on account of his eloquence.

Doctor of the Church, born at Antioch, c. 347; died at Commana in Pontus, 14 September, 407.”

@edwardbgreen: ‘My grandmother’

Edward shared these moving Tweets about his grandmother:

she had a quiet but stable Anglican faith, worshipping for many years in a difficult estate anglo-catholic church …

… in later life she moved, established a church herb garden and always supported me in my faith even though it was at the time …

… more charismatic. Today perhaps I have returned to where she was, centred in daily prayer and sacrament.

@clairemaxim1: St Peter

Here’s Claire’s full tweet:

St Peter (because he gets it wrong); my childhood neighbour Betty (because she got it right mostly); Twitter folk who keep trying!

@drgeorgemorley: St George

Here’s George’s tweet:

St George – who vanquished the dragon under the banner of the risen Christ. Where ‘here be dragons’ may I be so faithful today.

@hoosier1964: St Aidan

“Known as Saint Aidan of Lindisfarne, Aidan the Apostle of Northumbria (died 651), was the founder and first bishop of the monastery on the island of Lindisfarne in England. A Christianmissionary, he is credited with restoring Christianity to Northumbria. Aidan is the Anglicised form of the original Old IrishAodhán. In 2008, he was proposed as a possible patron saint of the United Kingdom.”

@willgrady: St Gregory of Nazianzus

I loved this little gem in Will’s tweet:

St Gregory of Nazianzus – was ordained & immediately headed 4 the hills b/c he was terrified!

@thederb: St Paul

And another mini sermon in a tweet:

St Paul – shows God still chooses the least of us – even if initially you stand by holding Stephen’s coat.

@karinrosner: St Mary Magdalene

“Mary Magdalene (original Greek Μαρία ἡ Μαγδαληνή) was one of Jesus’ most celebrated disciples, and the most important woman disciple in the movement of Jesus.”

@Andy_Shudall: St Francis of Assisi

And Andy’s reason:

Francis – surrendered much for Jesus, rejected establishment, built community & changed the world because he lookd to change his life

@raycrud: St Guinefort

“Saint Guinefort was a 13th-century French dog that received local veneration as a saint after miracles were reported at his grave.

His story is a variation on the well-travelled “faithful hound” motif, similar to the Welsh story of the dog Gelert. Guinefort the greyhoundbelonged to a knight who lived in a castle near Lyon. One day, the knight went hunting, leaving his infant son in the care of Guinefort. When he returned, he found the nursery in chaos – the cot was overturned, the child was nowhere to be seen and Guinefort greeted his master with bloody jaws. Believing Guinefort to have devoured his son, the knight slew the dog. He then heard a child crying; he turned over the cot and found his son lying there, safe and sound, along with the body of a viper. Guinefort had killed the snake and saved the child. On realizing the mistake the family dropped the dog down a well, covered it with stones and planted trees around it, setting up a shrine for Guinefort. Guinefort became recognised by locals as a saint for the protection of infants.”