CV NEWS FEED // This Father’s Day brings an opportunity to take a moment and remember not only our own dads but all the heavenly ones who have gone before us.
In our Catholic heritage, countless saints from all different walks of life have shown heroic commitment not just in faith but also in fatherhood. Let’s look at several saints whose witnesses to Christ were also exemplified in their role as dads.
St. Louis Martin
Born in mid-19th century France, St. Louis Martin not only married a future saint but his daughter became one too. A devout young man, Louis tried to enter religious life but was turned away – so he became a watchmaker. When crossing a bridge one day he met the love of his life, St. Zélie, who similarly had been rejected in trying to become a nun.
Louis and Zélie had nine children together, with only five surviving infancy. Through all the joys and struggles of life, the couple prioritized making their home a domestic church where their children thrived in an environment of faith, education, and acts of charity. Louis eventually put watchmaking aside to help Zélie manage her successful lace business, and the two attended daily Mass together before work each morning.
Tragically, Zélie died of breast cancer, when their youngest child, St. Thérèse, was only four years old. Louis was heartbroken by the loss, but he did not let the pain stop him from raising his five girls in virtue and joy.
His witness of faith and sacrifice impacted his children who all entered religious life out of their desire for a total union with God. Louis supported their vocations, while it was hardest when Thérèse, who he was very close to, made her decision to become a Carmelite when she was only 15 years old.
However, Louis stood by his daughter when she was doubted for her young age, accompanying her to see the local bishop and even the pope to receive special permission. Louis’ health worsened afterwards, and he later died in 1894.
St. Thomas More
Best known for his unwavering commitment to conscience and faith as a statesman and lawyer, St. Thomas More was also a devoted father to his children and stepdaughter. Born in late 1400s London, Thomas excelled in school and after discerning religious life for a time, pursued law and the sacrament of marriage.
After the birth of his fourth child, Thomas’ beloved wife, Jane, died suddenly leaving him a widower. For his young children’s sake promptly married Alice Middleton – who was a widow herself with a young daughter – merely weeks after Jane passed away. Thomas and Alice developed a strong and beautiful partnership.
Despite his demanding career and public duties, he made time to engage with his children, providing them with a strong foundation in both secular and religious knowledge, personally tutoring them in Latin, Greek, and theology. He insisted that his daughters receive the same classical education as his son, which was uncommon for girls at the time. Thomas treated his stepdaughter no differently than his other children, and later adopted and took in two neighbor girls who needed a home.
Though he became Lord Chancellor of England, Thomas was martyred for his faith in 1535 after rejecting King Henry VIII’s claim as head of the Church of England and attempted divorce from his wife. Today, he is honored as one of the patron saints of CatholicVote.
King St. Louis IX of France
The famous king-saint put his faith first as a ruler, a crusader, and a devoted father to his 11 children. Louis was carefully raised to be an ideal monarch by his devout, yet politically savvy mother, Blanche of Castile. He inherited the throne at only 12 years of age after his father’s death. His mother arranged a marriage for him with Marguerite de Provence whom he had never met, but the young couple quickly fell in love and started their family.
King Louis was known as a just ruler who led his children through his example of fairness to all and magnanimous charity to the poor, opening the royal table to beggars throughout the week.
Louis maintained a structure of daily prayer and education as a family. He wrote several beautiful letters to his sons and daughters, where he assured them of his affection and encouraged them to stand steadfast in their faith and to stay close-knit as a family.
Louis led two crusades to the Holy Land, accompanied by Marguerite and several of his children. While the crusades themselves were not very successful, and Louis eventually died of illness when he was 56 years old, he had ensured that even amidst the tumult of war, he made time for his family and sought to build a legacy of faith and unity for them.
Blessed Franz Jägerstätter
An Austrian farmer turned martyr, Blessed Franz would courageously lead his family through intense instability during World War II. Franz was born to an unwed mother in 1907 and was adopted by his stepfather, gaining the surname Jägerstätter. Though in a small Catholic village, Franz loved his motorcycle and ran with a gang before settling down to marry a young woman named Franziska. After honeymooning in Rome, the couple eventually had three daughters.
The young family was hardworking but happy and Franz began to grow deeper in his faith. However, domestic bliss was interrupted when the Nazis annexed Austria in 1938. While not a revolutionary of any sort, Franz was the only member of his village to vote against the annexation. He was soon called upon to serve in the German army. Twice, through working with the mayor of his village, Franz was able to be relieved of this task and to return home from service. After the second return, he prepared himself to outright refuse to participate on grounds of conscience, while many Catholics around him sought to justify their collaboration with Hitler.
Franz eventually refused to take an oath of loyalty to the Nazis in 1943 and was imprisoned. From there he wrote beautiful letters of encouragement to his wife and daughters, thanking them for their own sacrifice during their separation. Facing imminent execution, Franz’s attorney asked him why he resisted when his family needed him, and he responded “I can only act on my own conscience. I do not judge anyone. I can only judge myself… I know that, if I do what I think God wants me to do, he will take care of my family.” He was soon beheaded and is now honored as a martyr.
St. Augustine of Hippo
Though an unconventional example as a single dad with an unplanned pregnancy, St. Augustine shows that what matters is not the start of the fatherhood journey but the finish. Born in Tagaste, North Africa to a Christian mother, St. Monica, and a pagan father, the brilliant Augustine rejected his mother’s faith in his youth, preferring a pursuit of secular studies.
Leaving home to pursue a profession in rhetoric, Augustine embraced a hedonistic lifestyle, including an extramarital affair with a young woman. When he was around 18, Augustine discovered that he had fathered a child. While initially surprised, Augustine adored his son and named him Adeodatus, meaning “gift of God.” After dabbling in multiple heresies and false sects in his pursuit of truth, Augustine found himself faced again with the beauty of Catholicism. For reasons not entirely clear, Augustine and Adeodatus’ mother separated, with their son left in Augustine’s care.
When Augustine finally converted at age 32, Adeodatus received Baptism at his side when he was 15 years old, much to the joy of Monica, who had prayed and wept for years for her son’s wayward soul. Though he would be considered one of the Church’s greatest minds himself, Augustine was in awe of his young son’s purity of mind and wisdom, writing that “The grandeur of his mind filled me with a kind of terror.” Augustine included their father-son dialogues in some of his earliest writings.
Sadly Adeodatus died of sickness prior to his 18th birthday, which deeply grieved his father. Augustine would later become bishop of Hippo and become one of the greatest Catholic writers in history. He died in 430 at the age of 76.
The post These Saints Were Also Dads – Father’s Day Special! appeared first on CatholicVote org.