When the saints go marching in

I have serious pedigree as a Roman Catholic. So the religious iconography of Paris churches is something I enjoy. One thing I get a kick out of is visiting the side altars in churches and playing “Name that Saint.” St. Peter always has the keys, St. Theresa of Lisieux the flowers and so on, so it is fun moving around the churches of Paris building my repertoire of saints. One of the most useful saints of my adult life has been Saint Anthony. For those who do not know, St. Anthony is the patron saint of lost items. I half expect to come upon a statue of him one day carrying my grade book in one arm and my car keys in the other.

Well yesterday I stumbled on to a new saint. In fact, I stumbled upon a whole new church which is not hard to do in Paris. I was familiar with the church named after St. Germain-des-Pres but this new church I found is named St. Germain l’Auxerrois and was the church for the Louvre when it was still a royal palace. Inside was an altar dedicated to St. Charles Borommee.

Now on my scale of saints, this new saint is not very interesting. I like the sorts of saints where the question,”what can you do for me today, Mr./Ms. Saint?” is easily answered. But Charles, an Italian, lived in the 16^th century and was a real mover and shaker in the much needed Catholic Counter Reformation. So I add Charles to my litany of saints as an intellectual and a power broker. I may not need to call on him as much as I do St. Anthony, but it’s always good to let a new saint march into your life.