There was a good article in the Wall Street Journal today about Sinterklaas, or St. Nicholas in English. I found it interesting that he was the patron saint of mariners, but also prostitutes, merchants, butchers, thieves & pirates, and children. That's quite a mix, isn't it? Who'd have known there was a patron saint of thieves or prostitutes?

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Originally posted by Kalleh:
Who'd have known there was a patron saint of thieves or prostitutes?

Ummmm... Proofreader?

I shall not dignify that with an answer.

who knew

Everybody needs their tutelary saint or deity.

Ah, yes, St Fiacre! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiacre See "veneration," paragraph three.
Not quite the same as patron saint of hookers, but there's a connection fer sure! And paragraph four - OY!!!

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Originally posted by Geoff:
Ah, yes, St Fiacre! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiacre See "veneration," paragraph three.
Not quite the same as patron saint of hookers, but there's a connection fer sure! And paragraph four - OY!!!

Oh, yeah - just found this: Good old St Nick himself is the patron saint of prostitutes! This from the Mental Floss website: Saint Nicholas, commonly associated with Santa Claus, is said to have aided the poor father of three marriageable girls who could not afford their dowries. To save them from a life of prostitution (a common fate for unmarried women in third-century Asia Minor), he dropped three sacks of gold down their father’s chimney late one night. (Sound like another St. Nick we know?) Thus, he is known as the patron saint of prostitutes.

Read the full text here: http://www.mentalfloss.com/blo...s/4156#ixzz1hZLIJUX9
--brought to you by mental_floss!

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Everybody needs their tutelary saint or deity.

Apparently there are 3 options for patronhood for my profession: St. Jerome, St. Lawrence and St. Catherine of Alexandria.

Librarians are special.