A Patron Saint For Divorced, Catholic Fathers & Children of Divorce
By
My apologies. I just realized that when I originally published this post, I got the story wrong. I thought that St. Eugene was the father but, it turns out, he was the son. I still believe, though, that he should be the patron saint of divorced fathers because he witnessed what his father went through. He should ALSO be the patron saint of children of divorce!
If you’re a Catholic dad whose wife left him and, also, left you with financial problems, AND left your children, too…..well, this scenario is not new. St. Eugene De Mazenod knows something of what you’re going through.
Back in 18th century France, the family had to flee the country due to the French Revolution (they were aristocrats and had reason to believe that death by guillotine awaited them). Once the danger passed, his mother left him and his father in Venice and returned to France, then divorced his father, reclaimed her dowry (which her family made sure remained in her name…hmm, one of the first prenuptial agreements?) and sent his father a note saying, “You now have nothing.” (Which goes to show what kind of a mother she was if she considered money to have value but not their son….)
So, there he was in a foreign country with his father and no money. (You see, even though his father was from an aristocratic family, he entered the marriage a poor man.) I’m sure there are many divorced, Catholic men who can understand how he must have felt and the pain and troubles he had to endure.
My point here, though, is that this man…this saint…understands what YOU’RE going through! He’s there for you – talk to him, ask his prayers, guidance and support.
I wish each of you a very Happy Fathers’ Day.
May God bless you & your children and bring you peace.
Manya
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=b8f5a3c4-f0c0-4aef-9571-9cd3aa3eaef8)
This is very interesting I had no idea there was such a patron saint. I am going to try and find a St. Eugene medal for our site. Thanks for the information!
Thomas
Thomas,
I don’t know that he’s an “official” patron saint. (Hmmm…how does a saint officially become a patron saint?) However, I think he SHOULD be the official patron of divorced fathers…given his experience with being one and the agony he must have gone through.
If you find a medal, please come back and let us know!
Thanks for your comment.
Manya
In the Gospel of Matthew, it was taught that one could marry again and it is not cosidered a sin if the party is not the cause of the matrimonial split. What is the real purpose of Catholic annulment? Is it not just a mere form of a church traditions rather than doctrines derived from sacred scriptures? If annulments are not easily obtained, what can the abandoned spouse do? Are annulments given simultaneosuly to the spouse who called the shots as well if it is given to the abandoned spouse? How could this bring about healing and forgiveness for the one being abandoned?
I’m not sure what you’re asking and all I can do is relate my experiences. I know from personal experience that going through the annulment process brings some (quite a lot in my case) healing and it led me to forgive my ex-husband AND myself (because it also showed me quite clearly how I contributed to the breakdown of our marriage).
I hope that helps.
Manya
My friend is in a divorce situation and I trying to give her help. Now that i read about this saint, I can tell her to pray to him and that he’ll understand. Thanks for your help:)
Thanks for your ealier reply. Isn’t the annulment process similar to that of counselling for the loss of a loved one? You gave a very assuring idea that the annulment brings you to forgive your ex and to discover the root of the marital breakdown.My impression of the annulment process is investigative, probing and invasive to one’s personal attributes which caused the divorce. How long, on the average can the enitre annulment process last? How soon can one expedite the process and what takes to expedite it?
I’m sure not every annulment process is the same for every person. Yes, it can seem invasive…it needs to be. That never bothered me but I’m sure it bothers some. It has everything to do with how you view it. On average, I’ve heard that getting to the final decision takes 18 months. That is actually almost exactly how long mine took once I submitted my paperwork. “How soon can one expedite the process?” – I’m not sure what you’re asking here. If you mean, when can you start the process, the answer is – as soon as your civil divorce is completed. I suggest contacting the Tribunal in your diocese for information on how to proceed.
Manya
If Nullity is difficult to obtain and invasive by nature, can a Catholic proceed with a civil marriage and to seek reconciliation with the Catholic Church later? Is’nt this a better way than leaving the catholic church for another fold with different doctrines on marriage/divorce?
This is like trying to find a loophole or trying to trick God and the Church…so I’d have to say “no,”…I don’t believe this is a better way to proceed. And, also, it would be going into a marriage with the idea that you might want to divorce later, so let’s set it up so it will be as easy as possible….this, of course, is not the way to go into a marriage. As for…”…isn’t this a better way than leaving the catholic church for another fold with different doctrines on marriage/divorce?”…..all I can say is, either a person is Catholic or a person is not. Either a person wants to be a practicing Catholic or they don’t…if a person picks and chooses which doctrines to follow and which to ignore, that person is not a practicing Catholic.