The Catholic Writers Guild

A saying I once heard goes, “Parenting is not for cowards!” I doubt this expression would have as much meaning for me if I were a man without children. You can study a topic and comprehend it academically, but there is no education as profound as doing the actual work. Studying involves the brain in a neutral manner; actually doing the work activates the senses and your feelings. Doing the work reaches deep within you and can even leave scars.

Parents hope for the best future for their children. To this end, they aspire to put them in good schools, seek good companions for them, guard them against the poison that is all too prevalent in the world, and work to provide for their physical needs. In addition, many parents go a step further and early on nurture the souls of their children with a vision of their heavenly inheritance.

The above is true for all parents, and for Catholic parents one way to do this is to enlist the help of the saints. A patron saint will be chosen at Baptism and another at Confirmation. This is straightforward most of the time, but for those children with a disability, it can be a bit more challenging.

A little bit of digging, though, can yield some possibilities for those who live life with various difficulties. Here is a list of saints you may wish to consider:

For those dealing with Blindness and Physical Deformities
Saint Margaret of Castello (Feast Day: April 13)

Margaret was born blind and had severe curvature of the spine. Her leg and arms were also deformed. Her parents prayed for a miracle, but their prayer went unanswered and they abandoned her at age six. She was adopted by a loving family who raised her as their own. She joined a convent at age thirteen, but within two years was asked to leave, as her devotion to the religious life made the other nuns feel inadequate. She became a Third Order Dominican and spent her adult life caring for the sick and needy. At her funeral, a crippled person touched her casket and was instantly cured.

For those with Mental and Emotional Illness
Saint Benedict Joseph Labre (Feast Day: April 16)

Born into a large and well-to-do family, Benedict from his earliest days was a person apart. He was prone to wander, but often ended his wandering at the church, in front of the tabernacle. His parents hoped he would be a priest, and an uncle who was a priest offered to tutor him, but Benedict’s wandering ways sabotaged the lessons. He tried numerous times to join various monasteries but was found to be unfit for their way of life. While within him he craved the solitude of the monastic cell, his overriding need to wander and explore God’s world made confinement unbearable. Benedict became a monk of his own design, wandering about while making no provision for his physical needs. He cheerfully helped any poor person he met and was always quiet and kind to those around him, but at the same time, he maintained a distance that others found impenetrable. His traits were known among the people, and when he died, his fame grew. Miracles attributed to him occurred and his confessor felt impelled to write Benedict’s biography.

For those with Autism
Servant of God Léonie Martin

The sister of Saint Thérèse the Little Flower, Léonie is described in a letter by her mother as having an undisciplined nature and being mentally undeveloped. She also described her as possessing a will of iron, by which she would battle past any obstacle to achieve what she wanted. Was she on the spectrum? We can’t say for sure, but she did exhibit some of the classic characteristics — so much so that the Léonie League for the Advancement of Autistic Persons has taken her as their patron.