There are other recipients that I have come to know through our blogs and sometimes when I pull the names I just gasp at how appropriate they are after reading about that persons particular struggles or needs.
I have never drawn a saint for anyone I have met in person and I do not choose a saint based on what little I might know about you. I randomly draw names out of a bag. The first year I did this I split up the male and female saints but that became too cumbersome and 99.9% of the time the saints sorted themselves out anyway. I always pray for you before I draw the names. As Sarah-Kala says - THAT is the key.
I researched a number of saints when I first started this devotion. Some saints I rejected because they were possibly legendary (Christopher) or so obscure that nothing was written by them or about them. I also rejected one saint because she left her child to be raised by others so she could enter religious life. As worthy as religious life is - a mother needs to raise her child to adulthood.
I also include Blesseds in this devotion. Perhaps some people are disappointed when they don't receive a full-fledged saint. Well....look at what happened to Damien of Molokai! He has been in the draw 3 years in a row and now he's a saint! (I am not saying that this little exercise of mine raised him to the honors of the altar....!!)
I've added a couple of new holy people to the list this year: Bl. Maria Restituta and Bl. Stanislaus Papczynski.
Bl. Stanislaus is particularly invoked for help with troubled pregnancies, pregnant mothers who are addicted to drugs, cancer of the womb or breast, sick children and Pro Life causes. He is the founder of the Marians of the Immaculate Conception, who are such tireless promoters of the Divine Mercy devotion!
I look forward to helping you meet a new saint every year and am continually blessed when you share your experiences with your special saint!
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