Dear Sister Mary Martha - Is Saint Joanna patron saint for anything?
Actually, no, she isn't. That is to say, as far as I can tell, there is no specific designation of patronage for her.
That won't stop us!
Let's have a look at St. Joanna. You remember in the New Testament, there always seemed to be a group of very faithful women who were very near to Jesus a lot of the time. The loaves and the fishes was not an every day event. These women helped fund Jesus' ministry by feeding the disciples and putting them up in their travels, that sort of thing. There were at least 13 people to feed on a daily basis. Mary Magdelene and Susanna were the other two well to do ladies who chipped in.
And in the end, they were at the foot of the cross. They were rewarded by being the first people to discover that Jesus had risen from the dead.
St. Joanna has the cheery nickname "the myhrr-bearer", because that's what she was carrying on the big day when they went to embalm Jesus and found He didn't need embalming.
Or food anymore, or a place to stay.
The only other thing we know about her is that she was a married lady. Her husband was a steward for King Herod.
So let's see. She could be the patron saint for undertakers, innkeepers, Red Hat Ladies and society dames. She would make a great patron saint for Catholic women's groups, like the Ladies of Charity and those ladies who tirelessly organize fundraisers and card parties, bake sales and car washes.
She would also make a lovely patron saint for those types who are always first on the bandwagon with a good new idea, like solar panels and IPhones.
I'll be interested to hear what our readers think.
