Good Boys

in response to So many pure saints... Only sometimes I, as a male, may ask: what about some patron saint of "male" chastity? I mean, I do take St Cecilia, St Maria Goretti, et al. as patrons for my own purity... But sometimes I would like an example of my same gender. May I think in the great St. Joseph. Any other ideas?,

Of course St. Joseph is a fine idea. He comes with aspirin and tools. What man doesn't need those things?

But there are others. There is St. Aloysius.  He wouldn't even look at girls. Even his mother. Not that you shouldn't be polite, shake hands and look people in the eye, and girls are people, but St. Aloyisus wished to avoid any temptation. I hope that was the reason. Because if it wasn't, he had very bad manners. He took a vow of chastity, much like our female patrons of purity. He was 9 years old. After he died three of his sister founded a religious order called "Noble Virgins of Jesus".  They were noblewomen, so I don't know if they meant for the order to be for noblewomen or they were just calling their order noble.  I suppose it works either way. The order is still around. It has two members left.

That was last year. Maybe they're gone by now. So there is a whole pile of purity there for you.

And St. Thomas Aquinas.  His parents were thrilled that he would follow the family plan of joining the priesthood. With the Benedictine order.

But Thomas wanted to become a Dominican (they were relatively new to the scene). His family kept him prisoner, locked up in the family castles for two years. At one point his brothers sent a prostitute to seduce him and Thomas drove her away with a fire iron.

I've never been able to fathom how sending a prostitute would have helped Thomas be a Benedictine and not a Dominican, since that was the issue. They wanted him to be a priest. I don't get it. Is there something I don't know about the Benedictines?

I jest.

I'm sure our readers will have a few  ideas for you! They always do.