Snow, a writer, and saints

A rare Memphis snow brought March in like a lion.  This is St. Fiacre (7th C.) who guards our rosemary and other herbs in the backyard. I enjoy him because he’s known to fewer people than St. Francis of Assisi who stands in so many gardens and yards. Francis is the patron saint of animals, the environment and even a whole country–Italy.  Fiacre, on the other hand, is the patron saint of gardeners and you can tell him apart, when he’s not cloaked in snow, by his spade and a bouquet of flowers that loosely makes a cross.

There are patron saints for just about everything.  Some designations are official while others are just invented and perpetuated for fun (probably by irreverent copywriters). St. Hedwig as the patron saint of baldness, for example.

This photo got me to wondering. Who is the patron saint of writers? Turns out it’s another Francis––St. Francis de Sales––an important bishop in 17th Century France. He wrote some extremely influential books including Introduction to the Devout Life in 1608, and, as a result, was named patron saint of writers and journalists in 1923.

I wonder if his patronage extends to advertising copywriters. With a name like St. Francis de Sales you’d think so.

Of course there is, believe it or not, a patron saint of advertising: St. Bernardine or Bernardino of Siena.  He was a great preacher and communicator who  had an aversion to “indecent talk.” Just the guy the ad business needs.