The Patron Saint of Athletes By Sarah Baird

The Patron Saint of Athletes By Sarah Baird

It doesn’t matter if you’re a top-tier athlete with a million-dollar sponsored sneaker deal or a first-time player still figuring out the ropes of your sport: Pregame jitters are a frequent occurrence. For some, this means putting in dozens of extra hours during practice to help build confidence, running the same plays ad nauseam to ensure that they’re seared into your body’s muscle memory. For others, it means wearing a lucky sweatband or pair of socks that you’re confident, deep down, are going to be the deciding factor between fist-pumping victory and certain defeat. Even Cam Jordan and the rest of the New Orleans Saints’ defensive linemen aren’t immune from embracing some luck-making, nerve-calming rituals before they play. During a 10-game winning streak back in 2018 — the second-longest in franchise history — the players ate lunch at Wingstop, the lick-your-fingers, deliciously messy chicken wing restaurant, for 10 consecutive weeks while racking up the wins.

For Catholic athletes hoping to assuage some of their performance anxieties before taking the field, a prayer to St. Sebastian, the patron saint of athletes, might be a wise choice.

St. Sebastian, an early Christian martyr who lived sometime between 255 A.D. and 288 A.D., served as a top-ranking soldier for Roman emperor Diocletian while keeping his Christianity a secret and stealthily encouraging Christian prisoners to hold fast to their beliefs. Once his faith was discovered, Diocletian ordered that Sebastian be executed. He was tied to a tree and shot with dozens of arrows, but miraculously lived through the brutality and was nursed back to health by Saint Irene of Rome. His survival shocked Diocletian, and when Sebastian — back from what the emperor assumed was certain demise — publicly rebuked him for persecuting Christians, Sebastian was immediately clubbed to death.

In the intervening centuries, St. Sebastian has been depicted hundreds of times in legendary works of art both inside and outside of the church — by Renaissance master Botticelli, Baroque

icon Guido Reni and 20th-century contemporary artist Louise Bourgeois, among others — most commonly painted, drawn or sculpted as an extremely physically fit and attractive man riddled with arrows. The story of the third-century martyr also served as inspiration for the infamous 1968 Esquire cover in which Muhammad Ali is shot with multiple faux arrows, recreating the imagery of St. Sebastian’s first attempted execution.

Ali’s connection to the saint also stems from the martyr’s role as patron saint of athletes, which, in the grand scheme of history, is a relatively modern connection. In more classical associations, St. Sebastian has served as patron saint of pin-makers and soldiers, as a protector from plagues (particularly during the Middles Ages) and, perhaps most curiously, the patron saint of archers.

“During the early centuries of the church, preachers often spoke of the martyrs as God’s athletes. Just as a boxer, a runner, or a gymnast practiced daily to develop strength and stamina, Christians were expected each day to grow a little closer to God and further from the temptations of the world,” writes Thomas J. Craughwell, author of 2011’s Patron Saints: Saints for Every Member of Your Family, Every Profession, Every Ailment, Every Emergency, and Even Every Amusement. “Both secular and Christian athletes trained for the ultimate prize: a crown of laurel or oak leaves for the secular athlete, the crown of eternal salvation for the Christian. The martyr St. Sebastian is always depicted as a strong young man, someone who possesses both physical and spiritual strength.”

So, for those looking to flex their spiritual muscles, take note: St. Sebastian’s feast day happens every year around January 20, just in time for NFL playoffs and the Super Bowl, making it the ideal occasion for any Catholic rooting for the Saints (or even playing for them) to ask the patron saint of athletes, St. Sebastian, for a little extra assistance.