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Handcrafted Religious
Charms for Pendants and Keyrings
Made in the USA
Each medal comes with a card giving the
history of the saint. The originals are carved in clay, then
are cast in lead-free pewter. These charms can be added to a chain as a pendant
or a keyring for a keychain.
click on any image for larger view
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St. Andrew: Patron of
Fishermen, Golfers, and Scotland
St. Andrew is the patron of golfers (and Scotland) because of his
connection with the town of St. Andrews, birthplace of golf. Relics of
the saint, who was a fisherman and one of the apostles, were brought to
Scotland sometime before the 8th century and eventually enshrined at the
medieval cathedral at St. Andrews. From the towers of the cathedral one
can see the Old Course, and early histories of golf mention players
entreating the saint for assistance as they played the windblown links.
1" diameter.
(Item #15239) $20.00 |
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St. Bernadette of
Lourdes: Healer
Bernadette (1844-79) was born into abject poverty and was uneducated. In
1858, while collecting firewood near Lourdes, she saw a vision of the
Virgin Mary in a cave. Many were skeptical, but the visions continued
for weeks and drew great crowds. In the midst of one vision, a spring
began to flow where none had been. In 1866 Bernadette became a Sister of
Notre Dame and remained in obscurity until she died. The site of her
visions, however, became one of the greatest pilgrimage destinations of
Christianity, attracting millions to the curing waters that came from
her spring. 1.25" high
(Item #15268)
$20.00 |
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Chi Rho Cross: Symbol of
Good Fortune/ Prosperity
The Chi Rho cross, one of the earliest Christian symbols, combines the
first two Greek characters in Christ’s name: Χ (Chi) and Ρ (Rho). It is
associated with good fortune and hope largely because of a story about
the emperor Constantine: the night before the Battle of Milvian Bridge
(in 312), Constantine dreamed of the symbol and heard a voice say, “In
hoc signo vinces” (By this sign, you shall win). On waking, Constantine
ordered his soldiers to put the cross on their shields. Constantine’s
army then won the battle. The back of the medal contains the Greek
letters alpha (Α) and omega (ω), the first and last letters of the Greek
alphabet, which are associated with Christ and are often combined with
the Chi Rho cross. 1.5" high
(Item #15263)
$20.00 |
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St. Christopher: Patron
of Travelers
According to legend, St. Christopher was a huge, powerful man who made
his living carrying people across a river. One day one of his passengers
was a child who grew increasingly heavy as Christopher walked through
the water. The child eventually revealed himself as Christ (the name
Christopher means Christ-bearer), his great heaviness caused by his
having to carry the weight of the world. Because of this legend
Christopher is the patron of travelers and motorists in particular.
1" diameter
(Item #15241) $20.00 |
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St. Gregory: Patron of
Teachers and Musicians
Gregory the Great (540-604), the first monk to become pope, was raised
in a wealthy family but sold his extensive properties in 573,
distributed his money to the poor, and began building monasteries. As
pope he worked tirelessly to save Rome during times of plague, famine,
and siege. He is the patron of musicians and singers because of his
promotion of liturgical music: he was so influential musically that a
branch of music (the Gregorian chant) is named for him. He is the patron
of teachers largely because his written works set out clear instructions
for pastoral care and teaching. Gregory emphasized that teachers should
adapt their work to the needs of the poor and faltering and should set
personal examples for those in their care. 1.25"
diameter
(Item #15253) $20.00 |
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St.
Joan of Arc: Patron of Soldiers and France
St. Joan of Arc is the patroness of soldiers and of France. On January
6, 1412, Joan of Arc was born to pious parents of the French peasant
class, at the obscure village of Domremy, near the province of Lorraine.
At a very early age, she heard voices: those of St. Michael, St.
Catherine and St. Margaret.
At first the
messages were personal and general. Then at last came the crowning
order. In May, 1428, her voices "of St. Michael, St. Catherine, and St.
Margaret" told Joan to go to the King of France and help him reconquer
his kingdom. For at that time the English king was after the throne of
France, and the Duke of Burgundy, the chief rival of the French king,
was siding with him and gobbling up evermore French territory.
After
overcoming opposition from churchmen and courtiers, the seventeen year
old girl was given a small army with which she raised the seige of
Orleans on May 8, 1429. She then enjoyed a series of spectacular
military successes, during which the King was able to enter Rheims and
be crowned with her at his side.
In May 1430,
as she was attempting to relieve Compiegne, she was captured by the
Burgundians and sold to the English when Charles and the French did
nothing to save her. After months of imprisonment, she was tried at
Rouen by a tribunal presided over by the infamous Peter Cauchon, Bishop
of Beauvais, who hoped that the English would help him to become
archbishop.
Through her
unfamiliarity with the technicalities of theology, Joan was trapped into
making a few damaging statements. When she refused to retract the
assertion that it was the saints of God who had commanded her to do what
she had done, she was condemned to death as a heretic, sorceress, and
adulteress, and burned at the stake on May 30, 1431. She was nineteen
years old. Some thirty years later, she was exonerated of all guilt and
she was ultimately canonized in 1920, making official what the people
had known for centuries. Her feast day is May 30. Joan was canonized in
1920 by Pope Benedict XV. 1.25"
diameter
(Item #15299) $20.00 |
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St. John of God: Patron
of Nurses and Other Hospital Workers
St. John of God (1495-1550) spent his youth as a shepherd, was a
mercenary and debauchee, and then went through a brief period of
insanity. In his 40s, he had a vision of the Infant Jesus, who called
him John of God. To make up for the suffering he’d caused as a soldier,
he rented a house in Grenada, Spain, and began to care for the sick and
the poor. He gave away all that he had to the indigent and went so far
as to carry, like Mother Teresa, the ill from the streets into his home,
treating them with “infinite care and respect.” John founded the Order
of Hospitallers. For these reasons he is the patron of nurses, the sick,
especially heart patients, and all hospital workers.
1.25" diameter
(Item #15255) $20.00 |
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St. Jude: Healer and
Patron of Those in Difficult Times
Of the original twelve apostles, St. Jude is the one most commonly
called upon in prayer. Jude has evoked considerable attention and even
amusement over the years because of his association with “lost causes,”
but there is, as millions know, a far more serious side to his
patronage: Jude’s association with healing and bringing comfort to those
in any type of difficult situation is one of the reasons so many
hospitals and clinics have been named after him and why shrines to him
are filled with symbols of his healing power of the body, mind, and
spirit. 1.5" high
(Item #15295) $20.00 |
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Julian of Norwich:
Against Anxiety, “All Shall Be Well”
Julian, born in Norwich in 1342, was an anchoress who spent most of her
life in a cell built into the wall of a church, praying and offering
counsel to those who sought her advice. At a young age, Julian had a
series of visions that she later transformed into a book called
Showings. At one point in her visionary ordeal she became so ill she was
given the last rites. But she survived to arrive at a profound theology
of joy, mercy, and hope. Her most famous line in her book, which reveals
that theology, is: “All shall be well, all shall be well, and all manner
of things shall be well.” The phrase–indicating that all events and
things, no matter how seemingly trivial or painful, have meaning and
point to an ultimate goodness–has offered solace and hope to many
throughout centuries. This small medal, with the phrase engraved on the
back, depicts Julian holding her cat (she is one of the patron of cats).
1.25" high
(Item #15294) $20.00 |
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Julian of Norwich,
Patron of Cats: Cat Tag
Julian, born in England in 1342, was an anchoress in the medieval city
of Norwich. A medieval anchoress like Julian lived in a cell built into
the wall of a church. Julian's function was to pray and to give counsel
to any who sought her advice. Many medieval anchoresses kept cats as
mousers, and a longstanding legend has it that Julian too had a cat in
her cell. Cats, being great masters of stillness and contemplatives in
their own right, would have been fitting companions for those who, like
Julian, prayed for long hours. Julian died in 1416, and the site of her
and her cat's cell is a place of pilgrimage to this day.
1" high
(Item #15292) $20.00 |
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St. Lucy
A virgin and martyr of Syracuse in Sicily, whose feast is celebrated
by Latins and Greeks alike on 13 December.
According to the
traditional story, she was born of rich and noble parents about the
year 283. Her father was of Roman origin, but his early death left
her dependent upon her mother, whose name, Eutychia, seems to
indicate that she came of Greek stock.
Like so many of the
early martyrs, Lucy had consecrated her virginity to God, and she
hoped to devote all her worldly goods to the service of the poor.
Her mother was not so single-minded, but an occasion offered itself
when Lucy could carry out her generous resolutions. The fame of the
virgin-martyr Agatha, who had
been executed fifty-two years before in the Decian persecution, was
attracting numerous visitors to her relics at Catania, not fifty
miles from Syracuse, and many miracles had been wrought through her
intercession. Eutychia was therefore persuaded to make a pilgrimage
to Catania, in the hope of being cured of a hæmorrhage, from which
she had been suffering for several years. There she was in fact
cured, and Lucy, availing herself of the opportunity, persuaded her
mother to allow her to distribute a great part of her riches among
the poor.
The largess stirred
the greed of the unworthy youth to whom Lucy had been unwillingly
betrothed, and he denounced her to Paschasius, the Governor of
Sicily. It was in the year 303, during the fierce persecution of
Diocletian. She was first of all condemned to suffer the shame of
prostitution; but in the strength of God she stood immovable, so
that they could not drag her away to the place of shame. Bundles of
wood were then heaped about her and set on fire, and again God saved
her. Finally, she met her death by the sword. But before she died
she foretold the punishment of Paschasius and the speedy termination
of the persecution, adding that Diocletian would reign no more, and
Maximian would meet his end. So, strengthened with the Bread of
Life, she won her crown of virginity and martyrdom.
This beautiful story
cannot unfortunately be accepted without criticism. The details may
be only a repetition of similar accounts of a virgin martyr's life
and death. Moreover, the prophecy was not realized, if it required
that Maximian should die immediately after the termination of his
reign. Paschasius, also, is a strange name for a pagan to bear.
However, since there is no other evidence by which the story may be
tested, it can only be suggested that the facts peculiar to the
saint's story deserve special notice. Among these, the place and
time of her death can hardly be questioned; for the rest, the most
notable are her connexion with St. Agatha and the miraculous cure of
Eutychia, and it is to be hoped that these have not been introduced
by the pious compiler of the saint's story or a popular instinct to
link together two national saints. The story, such as we have given
it, is to be traced back to the Acta, and these probably belong to
the fifth century. Though they cannot be regarded as accurate, there
can be no doubt of the great veneration that was shown to St. Lucy
by the early church. She is one of those few female saints whose
names occur in the canon of St. Gregory, and there are special
prayers and antiphons for her in his "Sacramentary" and
"Antiphonary". She is also commemorated in the ancient Roman
Martyrology. St. Aldhelm (d. 709) is the first writer who uses her
Acts to give a full account of her life and death. This he does in
prose in the "Tractatus de Laudibus Virginitatis" (Tract. xliii, P.L.,
LXXXIX, 142) and again, in verse, in the poem "De Laudibus Virginum"
(P.L., LXXXIX, 266). Following him, the Venerable Bede inserts the
story in his Martyrology. 1.25" high
(Item #15303) $20.00
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Madonna del Ghisallo:
Patron of Cyclists
Medieval legend says Count Ghisallo was one day chased by robbers, took
refuge behind an image of the Virgin Mary, and was spared. A shrine at
the site in northern Italy later became a spot where cyclists would rest
and ask for assistance. In 1949, Pope Pius XII proclaimed Our Lady of
Ghisallo the patron of cyclists. The site is now part shrine and part
cycling museum. Services are held each Christmas Eve and on the Feast of
All Souls to commemorate cyclists and their sport. 1"
diameter
(Item #15243) $20.00 |
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St. Martin of Tours:
Patron of Horses and Their Riders
As a young man, Martin of Tours (b. ca. 316) became a cavalry officer in
the Roman imperial army. The most famous story associated with Martin
occurred while he was on horseback. The story is that Martin came upon a
beggar who was nearly naked. Martin had nothing but the clothes on his
back, so he took off his heavy officer’s cloak, cut it in half with his
sword, and gave half to the beggar. Later Martin had a vision of Christ
wearing the cloak. The story forever associated Martin with horses and
generosity, and he thus became the patron of horses.
1" diameter
(Item #15249) $20.00 |
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St. Michael: Patron of
Soldiers, Policemen, Paratroopers
In the Old Testament (Dan. 10; 12), Michael is called the leader of the
ranks of angels and the protector of the people. In the New Testament
(Rev. 12:7-9), Michael and his angels fight a dragon–symbol of evil–and
hurl him and his followers from heaven. Because of these and other
references and associations, Michael has become the patron of soldiers
and policemen and a figure who is appealed to for protection of
individuals. While he is the patron of soldiers in general, he is more
specifically also appealed to as the patron of paratroopers.
1.25" high
(Item #15296) $20.00 |
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Our Lady of Prompt
Succor: Patron of New Orleans and Procrastinators
A statue of Our Lady of Prompt Succor was brought to New Orleans in 1810
by a French Ursuline nun. The statue was installed at St. Louis
Cathedral and then moved to its current site uptown at Ursuline Academy.
As British troops prepared to attack New Orleans in 1815 before the
Battle of New Orleans, the Ursulines and citizens of New Orleans prayed
all night for victory before the statue. That morning a courier burst in
among them to announce the prompt American victory. Our Lady was also
credited with saving New Orleans from the great fire of 1812. As a
result Our Lady of Prompt Succor has become the patron of New Orleans
and Louisiana. Because of the promptness of her intercessions, she is
also the patron of procrastinators. 1" diameter
(Item #15252) $20.00 |
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St. Peregrine: Patron of
Cancer Patients and Those Cured of Cancer
St. Peregrine (1260-1345) was born wealthy and
lived a dissolute early life. During a dispute, he struck St. Philip
Benizi on the face. St. Philip turned the other cheek, and Peregrine
converted. He joined the Servite order and for thirty years, as penance,
lived and worked as much as possible in silence and solitude. Later in
life, he developed skin cancer on his foot, was scheduled for surgery.
He spent the night before the operation in prayer; had a vision of
Christ healing him with a touch to his foot. Next morning, Peregrine was
healed. Hundreds of miracles of healing have been attributed to
Peregrine, who was canonized in 1726. 1.5" diameter
(Item #15254) $20.00 |
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St. Roch, Patron of
Dogs: Dog-Tag
When as a young man St. Roch (b. 1295) heard the plague had reached
Italy, he walked from Montpelier to Rome to help the victims. While in
Rome, Roch caught the plague. Believing he was soon to die, he went into
the forest and began to pray and prepare himself for death. As he was in
prayer, a dog came to him holding a piece of bread in its mouth. Roch
took the bread from the dog. The dog licked the plague wounds on Roch's
leg, and the wounds were healed. Roch ate the bread, and, brought back
to wholeness by the dog and his gifts, he and the dog returned to Rome,
where they worked to heal others and comfort the dying. The story
demonstrates both the bond between humans and dogs and the power of each
to heal and rejuvenate the other. 1.25" high
(Item
#15279) $20.00 |
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St.
Rose of Lima
Virgin, patroness of
America, born at Lima, Peru 20 April, 1586; died there
30 August, 1617.
At her
confirmation in 1597, she took the name of Rose, because, when
an infant, her face had been seen transformed by a mystical
rose. As a child she was remarkable for a great reverence, and
pronounced love, for all things relating to God. This so took
possession of her that thenceforth her life was given up to
prayer and mortification. She had an intense
devotion to the Infant Jesus and His Blessed Mother,
before whose altar she spent hours. She was scrupulously
obedient and of untiring industry, making rapid progress by
earnest attention to her parents' instruction, to her studies,
and to her domestic work, especially with her needle.
After reading of
St. Catherine she determined to take that saint as her model.
She began by fasting three times a week, adding secret severe
penances, and when her vanity was assailed, cutting off her
beautiful hair, wearing coarse clothing, and roughening her
hands with toil. All this time she had to struggle against the
objections of her friends, the ridicule of her family, and the
censure of her parents. Many hours were spent before the Blessed
Sacrament, which she received daily.
Finally she
determined to take a vow of virginity, and inspired by
supernatural love, adopted extraordinary means to fulfill it. At
the outset she had to combat the opposition of her parents, who
wished her to marry. For ten years the struggle continued before
she won, by patience and prayer, their consent to continue her
mission.
At the same time
great temptations assailed her purity, faith, and constance,
causing her excruciating agony of mind and desolation of spirit,
urging her to more frequent mortifications; but daily, also, Our
Lord manifested Himself, fortifying her with the knowledge of
His presence and consoling her mind with evidence of His Divine
love. Fasting daily was soon followed by perpetual abstinence
from meat, and that, in turn, by use of only the coarsest food
and just sufficient to support life.
Her days were
filled with acts of
charity and industry, her exquisite lace and
embroidery helping to support her home, while her nights were
devoted to prayer and penance. When her work permitted, she
retired to a little grotto which she had built, with her
brother's aid, in their small garden, and there passed her
nights in solitude and prayer. Overcoming the opposition of her
parents, and with the consent of her confessor, she was allowed
later to become practically a recluse in this cell, save for her
visits to the Blessed Sacrament.
In her twentieth
year she received the habit of St. Dominic. Thereafter she
redoubled the severity and variety of her penances to a heroic
degree, wearing constantly a metal spiked crown, concealed by
roses, and an iron chain about her waist. Days passed without
food, save a draught of gall mixed with bitter herbs. When she
could no longer stand, she sought repose on a bed constructed by
herself, of broken glass, stone, potsherds, and thorns. She
admitted that the thought of lying down on it made her tremble
with dread. Fourteen years this martyrdom of her body continued
without relaxation, but not without consolation. Our Lord
revealed Himself to her frequently, flooding her soul with such
inexpressible peace and joy as to leave her in ecstasy for
hours. At these times she offered to Him all her mortifications
and penances in expiation for offences against His Divine
Majesty, for the idolatry of her country, for the conversion of
sinners, and for the souls in Purgatory.
Many miracles
followed her death. She was beatified by Clement IX, in 1667,
and canonized in 1671 by Clement X, the first American to be so
honoured. Her feast is celebrated 30 August. She is represented
wearing a crown of roses.
1.25" high
(Item #15301) $20.00
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St. Sebastian: Patron of
Athletes
Because Sebastian, an officer in the Roman guards, practiced his
Christianity openly, he was charged with worshiping a non-Roman God. He
was tied to a tree, shot with arrows, and left for dead. But he
recovered and went on practicing his faith. For centuries, artists
portrayed Sebastian as an extremely fit, handsome young man tied to a
tree and pierced with arrows. He became the patron of athletes because
of his physical endurance (surviving the attempted martyrdom) and
tenacity. 1" diameter
(Item
#15244) $20.00 |
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St. Teresa of Ávila:
“Let Nothing Disturb You”
St. Teresa (1515-82) is one of the greatest Christian authorities on
contemplation and prayer. She did much in the world of action (e.g., she
was an excellent businesswoman), but it was in the interior world that
she reached heights that few in Christian history have attained.
Recognizing her gifts (her greatest work is the Interior Castle), the
church named her a Doctor of the Church. Prayer for her was an intimate
dialogue (encompassing anger, tenderness, and humor) with God. This
dialogue also brought peace. Her most famous line is from a poem: “Let
nothing disturb you./All things pass away./God never changes.”
Four letters, LNDY (Let Nothing Disturb You), are carved on the back, as
a reminder of Teresa’s core message. 1.5" high.
(Item
#15298) $20.00 |
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