Why We're Drawn to Certain Saints and Who Are Aleteia's Favourites?

I didn't know I could write-in, so I chose St Thérèse of Lisieux because she was a Carmelite. Had I known, I would have chosen St Elias the Prophet, Founder of Carmel

From Aleteia

By Daniel Esparza

When we feel drawn to a particular saint, it isn’t about ranking holiness. It’s about affinity — the meeting point between our story and theirs.

Can someone really have a favorite saint? At first glance, the idea might seem odd — after all, the saints form one great communion, united in love and praise before God. Yet the Church’s teaching on the “communion of saints” reminds us that holiness is not one-size-fits-all. It’s a tapestry woven from many lives, each thread carrying its own color and light.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church calls the communion of saints “a perennial link of charity” (CCC 1474). It includes all who belong to Christ — those on Earth, those being purified, and those already in glory.

Within this vast spiritual family, no saint stands in competition with another. Instead, each one mirrors a unique aspect of God’s goodness.

So when we feel drawn to a particular saint, it isn’t about ranking holiness. It’s about affinity — the meeting point between our story and theirs.

Some of us are moved by St. Thérèse’s simplicity, others by St. Francis’ joy, or by the courage of martyrs like St. Maximilian Kolbe. These devotions often reveal something of our own spiritual hunger, or a longing for a virtue we admire and need.

In a way, choosing a “favorite” saint is less about selection and more about recognizing kinship. The saints show us that God works through every temperament, background, and age. Their lives become windows through which divine grace shines in a form we can understand and imitate. Even within the Church, we often speak of “charisms” — gifts that express the Holy Spirit’s creativity. Loving a certain saint is often an embrace of the particular charisma they represent.

Of course, any list of saints is necessarily incomplete. The Church officially recognizes thousands. But countless others — known only to God — have lived lives of hidden sanctity.

But who won?

Our readers surely saw our recent Aleteia survey, asking you to share your favorite saints -- but, ok, it’s less a competition than a celebration of the great diversity of holiness in our family!

The communion of saints is not a roster — it’s a living conversation. Each of us, in our own way, is invited to join in.

Still, it seems that the fan favorite was definitely St. Joseph, with a full quarter of votes going to him. In fairness to all the other halo-wearers, we probably should have excluded Jesus' dad from the running (as we excluded his lovely bride). But we didn't, and 25% of our readers picked him.

We were not surprised to see Padre Pio come in next, with 18% of the vote. We weren't surprised because our stats tell us how much you love reading about St. Pio! (Here's the link to his dedicated page.)

While St. Thérèse got a notable percentage of votes (14%), we also appreciated the write-ins: everyone from Edith Stein (more properly, Teresa Benedicta of the Cross), to André Bessette, to Charbel and others. And perhaps to be expected: our new Doctor of the Church, and our new millennial saint!

All the saints of heaven, pray for us!!

And have fun with our next survey.