I have heard about saints “stalking” people, but I have never experienced it myself. That’s not the case for Melayna and Noah Alicea. They shared these stories with me and let me tell you, I got goosebumps reading them! Melayna shares her stories on 2 saints, St. Joan of Arc and St. Catherine of Siena, and how they sought out her friendship. Noah, a Catholic convert, tells his story about how St. Rita came to his aid while he was still learning about Catholicism, to provide for his future wife.
St. Joan of Arc
Many famous Catholic authors and speakers have said something along the lines of “we don’t choose our saints. Our saints choose us,” and this could not be more from the truth.
Most of my childhood, I was fearful and anxious, a trait I still wrestle with. None other than the saint of fortitude, herself, Joan of Arc, chose to accompany me closely throughout my younger years. I always felt a special connection to her, reading every book I could get my hands on about her. At the age of three, I proclaimed that she would be my confirmation saint, and that’s exactly what she is. Joan has always been my battle buddy through life, and I still lean into her heavenly friendship today in moments of fear and anxiety.
St. Catherine of Siena
“An even better example of a saint choosing me, however, is my relationship with Catherine of Siena. I didn’t know much about this fiery doctor of the Church until the summer before my Sophomore year of high school when she barged her way into my life.
I was spending five weeks as a junior counselor at a wilderness Christian camp, a great place to take a step away from the world and technology and really find God in the wilderness.
It all started with my monthly Confession, when the priest, (who didn’t know me from Adam), asked me if I had ever read about Cathering of Siena. “Not really,” I responded. “Why?”
“I’m pretty sure she is stalking you.” His comment was so casual and almost comical that I was tempted to not think anything of it.
Later that day, I sat down at a random seat amidst the 400 person dining hall, only to find a folded up piece of paper hidden under my plate.
“Be who you are meant to be, and you will set the world on fire.” A commonly quoted St. Catherine saying was scribbled onto this paper. I put it in my journal as a reminder of what it meant to follow God.
That was not the only occurence of that quote. Every day for the next three months, someone, stranger or friend alike, would come up to me and say that quote.
When I returned home from camp, I found a biography about Catherine of Siena written by one of my favorite authors, Sigrid Undset, sitting on our kitchen counter. Apparently, it had randomly been sent to my house the day before.
These seemingly coincidental occurences didnt stop there. Throughout the next months, Catherine of Siena would make her presence known wherever I went.
One moment in particular, even convinced my stricly Southern Baptist friend that we could have relationships with those who have passed on before us. We walked through the Christian section of a bookstore, and saint books kept falling from the shelves, opening right to the page on Catherine of Siena.
As I read more about her, and embraced this new heavenly friendship, I found that her life and words consoled me in my specific trials and helped me to grow in my relationship with God.
To this day, I have a very special relationship with this incredible woman.
St. Rita
I’m a convert; I grew up Southern Baptist. When I started dating my wife (we were high school sweethearts) it was my sophomore year and her freshman year. I had known nothing about the Catholic faith and she knew quite a lot because she was a cradle Catholic. I used to go to her church very early in the morning and help the priest with the gardens and prepping for mass. Even though I didn’t know what I was doing, he would let me come and he would teach me about the faith.
After mass, I would take my wife out for dates. My family was very poor; there wasn’t a lot of money in the home, so dates weren’t exactly easy for me. I had to get really creative. But I really wanted to take care of her and knew that I wanted to marry her, so, I would say these prayers every morning: “God, just give me enough to give her a wonderful time and let her know how much she matters to me.”
In the church on the right entering into the sanctuary, you would see a statue of St. Rita. And every time I did that prayer and was short on cash in my pocket, there would be just enough for what I needed to do that day in her hands. It would just show up! I would just walk into the church, (and never say anything to anyone because no one was there but the priest), and there would be no money in her hand. But the second after I said that prayer and I’d be walking around, the money would just show up and it would be the exact amount that I needed for that date.
It was really neat because it was like God was giving me a way to take care of my future wife, but it also got me learning more about St. Rita, which actually helped a lot with my conversion. It also helped me realized that the saints were a thing; when you grow up protestant, that’s not something you really learn about. This interaction with St. Rita helped me to grow even more in my faith. It was a beautiful introduction, and ever since then St. Rita has really been a part of my life. Not necessarily directly, more of just little hints here and there reminding me “hey, I’m here.”
She is the patron saint of, for better words, those women who have gone through many hardships in their relationships and marriages, etc. In my family, that is something that has been a huge problem. So, coming from a family history that was not the best (not necessarily my own, but extended family members) it was wonderful actually seeing a saint that comforted in that matter. She is also the saint of the impossible. Not many people remember that, but that was also something that was really amazing because my relationship with my wife seemed impossible at the time. And yet, here we are and we’ve been married for over 2 years now.
About the Authors
Noah and Melayna are parents of two boys. They are both work-from-home entrepreneurs. Together they run a health coaching business. Noah also owns his own Christian woodcrafting business and Melayna is a copy editor for Ascension Press. At their wedding, Noah and Melayna consecrated their marriage to the Holy Family, and they strive to live their lives changing the world by loving the family they’ve been blessed with.
