Patron saint

A patron saint is a saint considered the special intercessor for a person, place, occupation, or condition. In Orthodox tradition particularly, the saint after whom a person is named is their patron saint, and the saint's feast day is the person's name day (observed as more spiritually significant than the secular birthday). In Catholic and Hispanic Catholic tradition, a patron saint may also be chosen at confirmation as a confirmation name; many Hispanic Catholic families maintain a particular devotion to a patron saint of the family or the parish. Anglican tradition uses patron saints in a similar way, particularly for parishes (each parish typically has a patron saint).