Many countries around the world have a patron saint. We all certainly know that Saint Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland and you may know that England has Saint George. But who is the patron saint of United States?
Is there even one at all?
Well, in this post I will explain exactly who it is and how you can celebrate their feast day.
So much choice!
There are many different patron saints that the United States of America could have decided upon.
They chose a saint that is very popular in many countries around the world.
America ultimately decided to adopt The Virgin Mary (Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception) as their patron saint.
But what about St Tammany?
It has recently been brought to my attention that I should also consider St Tammany, a Native American Chief who with William Penn founded Pennsylvania.
May 1st was decided to be the day to honor this great man. However, as of yet, there are no plans to make this day a national day of recognition.
So with that said it is ultimately up to you who you venerate, whether it be The Virgin Mary or Tammany, or maybe even both.
Special Date:
The Virgin Mary Feast Day – December 8th
Other names for this feast day include Feast of the Conception of Saint Anne and Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Please watch this!
Check out the following 4-minute video that shows the preparation for Patron Saints Day back in 2014.
Credit: Usasc 2014-2015
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When Is This Special Day?
The feast day of the Immaculate Conception of Mary is celebrated by the Catholic Church on December 8th. Mary was born on September 8th and so December 8th was the date of her conception.
It is a holy day of the Catholic faith, however, it is not recognized as a holiday or even a public holiday. It is though a holiday in various countries around the world.
Human Salvation of The Virgin Mary
The Virgin Mary is the patroness of all human activity, and most specifically any positive activity.
She is a patron saint for countries around the world, as well as professions and activities.
Other countries that honor Our Lady Peace as their patron saint besides the U.S. include Argentina, Brazil, Korea, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Philippines, Spain, and Uruguay.
Mary had a very special role in human salvation, which can be seen in the Gospel.
She was constantly by the side of her son, Jesus, when he was on his mission of salvation.
Mary’s role!
Her role also included accepting Christ into her womb and offering him to God at the Temple. She urged her son to perform his first miracle and even wanted to join Christ at his crucifixion.
These acts alone showed that she redeemed the human race together with Christ, as described by Pope Benedict XV in 1918.
As Mary was known for her kindness she has been made a patron saint for professions such as blood donors, nuns, mothers, and virgins, but also bicyclists and fishermen to name but a few.
Is she your patron saint?
But what is this Immaculate Conception that I am referring to The Virgin Mary?
Well, I will be coming to that in the next section, but suffice it to say it is one of four depictions as you were of The Virgin Mary.
Let me explain!
The Four Dogmas of The Virgin Mary
There are four different Catholic dogmas when it comes to The Virgin Mary. These dogmas are described as a definitive article of faith (de fide). These dogmas may have been solemnly promulgated by members of the church, i.e. bishops within a council.
Or, maybe by the pope when conducting a speech where he presents a particular doctrine for that Catholic faith.
I hope I didn’t lose you all with that description of a dogma?!
So, there are four different dogmas when it comes to The Virgin Mary.
And they are:
- Divine Motherhood
- Perpetual Virginity
- Immaculate Conception
- The Assumption
Each one of these declares Mary’s personal relationship with God and also her role in human salvation.
I will not define each of these four different dogmas except for the one that has been chosen by the United States, the Immaculate Conception.
I fear that I would only lose you further if I described these three other dogmas.
The Story of Our Lady Peace
The Immaculate Conception refers to the conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary who gave birth to Jesus Christ. Her mother was Saint Anne and was born by normal biological means.
Mary was free from original sin by the virtue of what her son would achieve. God acted upon Mary’s soul and so kept it immaculate.
Do not be confused!
We must not confuse this Immaculate Conception of Mary with that of her son Jesus.
After all, Christ was born on December 25th, and the feast day of The Virgin Mary is December 8th. Two different dates!
The archangel of revelation, Gabriel, was sent by God to inform her of his plan. God’s plan for Mary was for her to serve as Jesus’s mother on Earth.
It is believed that Mary was sinless and that she had an immaculate soul.
This doctrine of belief was not defined until 1854 by Pope Pius IX.
The original definition of the Immaculate Conception refers to that Mary was preserved from any stain.
The Roman Catholic definition though states:
That the most Blessed Virgin Mary, in the first instance of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege granted by Almighty God, in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, the Saviour of the human race, was preserved free from all stain of original sin.
The doctrine teaches us that she received sanctifying grace after she was baptized. This definition though does not clarify whether Mary was free from actual or personal sin.
What To Do On This Special Day?
As this is a holiday celebrating the redemption of Christ, (being brought into the world and sacrificing himself to God), many people will attend church. Certain readings from Genesis, Psalm, Ephesians, and Luke will be read out.
Attend church or not?
However, Catholics need not attend Mass if this holy day falls on a Saturday or a Monday.
The United States and other countries that observe The Virgin Mary as their patron saint have been permitted if this is the case.
Despite this confusion with Catholics as to whether to attend or not the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception is a holy day.
There is one more confusion though regarding when to celebrate The Virgin Mary.
And that is what if December 8th falls on a Sunday.
Well, surprisingly the Solemnity is then transferred to the Monday.
Confusing, yes?
What If The Virgin Mary Is Not My Saint?
Even if The Virgin Mary is not the patron saint of your country I believe that you should celebrate it in some way. If you are Catholic then you can attend Mass at your local church.
I am not a religious person but I must confess I find beauty in the architecture of these buildings and visit them from time to time.
It is not only an opportunity to visit and admire these buildings but also to discover my ancestors. After all, I am a genealogist and that’s what I do. I visit cemeteries looking for my ancestor’s graves.
Morbid hey?
Not really, I do that so that I can check readings on their graves and also just visit where my ancestors grew up, worked, and lived.
So, if you are not religious then why not spend this time researching your family history.
You could visit their church or the area in which your ancestors lived.
Or, if this is not possible then you could just stay at home, think of them there and also get to know them through researching them.
Were Your Ancestors Catholic or Even Religious?
Who knows maybe they were Catholic and they did celebrate the feast day of The Virgin Mary.
Or, they may have been devoted to a different faith. Why not find out which one it was and learn about your family tree.
I believe that religion is another area of research for the genealogist.
We as family historians look up their details such as names and dates of important events, as well as occupations, newspaper articles, and so on.
So, why should discovering their religious beliefs be any different?
Discover more about your ancestors!
No different at all from what I can tell you.
They would have attended church for important occasions such as baptisms, marriages, and also the burial of a relative or friend.
Religion after all is what made them who they were and it would have been an important part of their life and the decisions that they made.
If it were not for their life choices then we would not be here today. Yes?
If you have American friends then why not show them your knowledge of their patron saint. You might surprise them with the information on this page.
Please share this post, I encourage you.
So, why not research your American ancestors on this day?
You can use the many tips and guides found on this site to begin your family history journey.
There is just so much that you will discover and who knows it may quite surprise you. So take the first step today!
For more information please check out Who Is My Patron Saint?.
Thank You and Please Leave A Comment
I hope you enjoyed this article explaining who is the patron saint of the United States. If you have any questions or comments then please leave a comment below.
Please share with family and friends if you think this post will help others by using the social media buttons below.
“So with that said it is ultimately up to you who you worship, whether it be The Virgin Mary or Tammany, or maybe even both.”
Careful with your choice of words here. We DO NOT worship the Blessed Virgin Mary or any other saint. We venerate them and we only worship Christ. The Church is very clear on this, worship of anyone other than Christ is heretical and anathema. We merely ask for the intercession of these saints the same way someone might ask a friend to pray for them if they’re going through a tough time (except it’s a bit more powerful coming from someone saintly, especially the Mother of God).
My sincere apologies Anne. I had been meaning to edit this earlier. I have now made the change.
Thank you for bringing this to my attention.
Have a nice day,
Owain
Hey, when Teresa was 19 years old, her name became the battle cry of several local Mexican tribes who rebelled against the dictator Porfirio Diaz. They shouted “Long live Saint Teresa, little Saint Kabora” before rushing into battle. Although others called for being a symbol of the rebellion or even leading it, Urrea refused to do so, as she was against all violence. I think she may also deserve such a title.
Thanks
Thank you for your input Markos. Much appreciated.
Catholics to do “Worship” saints. They honor and venerate them, they pray to them and ask for their intercession, but they do not worship saints because they are not God.
Thank you. I need to edit this post.
I read that the patroness of the USA is really the Virgin of the Immaculate Conception, also each state has its patrons, and each city has its own. And it’s amazing that all the patroness are women … This is a very interesting fact, as for me.
Thanks for that information. Looks like I will have to delve deeper into this topic.
Hi Owain,
I enjoy reading this history. I am not Roman Catholic but am interested in learning about the beliefs and history of other religions.
Your article is very thorough and enjoyable to read. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you for enjoying this post Bryce. I became quite informed on the subject as I researched it.
According to the Bill of Rights , you were free to worship any religion or no religion. Therefore is was decided that Tammany would be the Patron Saint, who was also known as King Tammany. He was a Native American Chief who signed a peace treaty with William Penn. Only Catholics and Anglican have Saints. Presbyterians, Methodists, and Episcopalians of which the USA has more than Catholics, do not worship saints, due to the commandment. Thou shall worship no-one but the Lord, your God
Thank you very much for this information. I will have to update this post with this.
She was chosen in 1846 and decreed by the pope on 2nd July 1847.
Thanks for the information Jeannette. Will add that to the post.
I never knew that United States has a patron saint let alone this day is honored in different countries.
What do you think they do in Philippines? I maybe visit there next December.
Yes it did surprise me as well Furkan. I obviously knew about the patron saints of England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland. So I wanted to know whether the United States does to and was a bit surprised as to what I found.
But I wasn’t able to discover when The Virgin Mary was chosen or exactly how the day is celebrated apart from attending church.
I would imagine that they would go to church in the Philippines to honor their patron Saint.
Hi Owain,
This is a really interesting post. I learned a lot. Like you, I’m not particularly religious, but am curious and respectful of these customs and traditions, and the stories behind them. Also like you, I am fascinated by the architecture of many religious buildings and, quite frankly, find myself in awe of some of them.
Keep up your great work!
Kevin
Hey that’s great that we are both similar with what we belief in. Thought I was the only one that thought this way.
Whether it I should a church or cathedral I cannot but admire the effort that has gone into them. You can see just how much religion was a part of our ancestors lives. And as I have mentioned in this post it can only bring us closer to learning about them.
Didn’t know we had a Patron Saint here in the US. I’m not a religious person at all but spiritually I believe in something greater than us. The Virgin Mary is a good one to be the Patron Saint as she represents purity and all the goodness of a person should be. Very interesting information and appreciate you educating us on this.
My pleasure Grace. It is surprising what even I have found out. But if it is anything interesting and if it can bring us closer to our ancestors then I will put it up on this site.
Very good notice I would say. Many of us know of Mary but did not know the specifics down to her birthday. I know I love her because she was chosen by God to give us Jesus Christ. His teachings are what holds me where I am as a righteous person. So I thank you for this good information and I never even knew about her being a patron of my country.
That’s what I am here for Ronnie. I feel it is important to not only give detailed information like this but to also present it in an easy to follow manner that is also easy to digest as well. It did take me a while with this article to make sense of it all I must admit. But I got there in the end and have tried to simplify this piece.
Religion as I have mentioned has played an important part in the lives of our ancestors, so it is only right that as genealogists we understand this area of research.
I was not even aware that the United States had a patron saint. I am wondering how many other things I should probably know about the country I was born and raised in. The detail that you have revealed through your research shows me that you are passionate about your effort. I will have to check out more of this site to find out what other things I need more information on. Thank you for sparking a new interest in my life.
As I am not a religious person it was a bit of a struggle to make sense of it all and write it down. But I am glad that I achieved this. It is an interesting subject and researching religion can in a way bring you closer to your ancestors.