Why I LOVE My Confirmation Saint - St. Brigid

Going through Confirmation in 10th grade, I wasn't very into my faith. I was doing Confirmation because I knew it was the next step in the CCD process. In about November, we had to pick our Confirmation name. I wanted to pick someone cool but I didn't have the patience to wade through all the patron saint lists, and a friend in my class had already picked Cecilia - the patron saint of music.

I was torn between choosing my Aunt or my mom's best friend, Bridget, as my sponsor. I decided to ask my Aunt to be my sponsor, but I still wanted Bridget to be involved somehow so I chose her namesake as my saint name - St. Brigid of Ireland. I liked the name, I liked Ireland. It sounded good with my names - Ansley Grace Brigid. Then I didn't think any more of it.

Until this week. Yesterday being Ash Wednesday and all, I started a Novena to St. Joan of Arc. For those who don't know, St. Joan of Arc is one of the coolest saints... and she's the "realest" patron saint of rape victims. I decided to look up some other saints because I was talking to a friend and suggested she pray for St. Joan's intercession.

While I was in saint-mode, I decided to check up on St. Brigid. I hadn't thought much about her other than I share her name now and every once in a while give an offering and pray in front of her statue at St. Patrick's Cathedral.

Here's where things get really cool.

She is the patron saint of (among other things) midwives, infants, and nuns. MIDWIVES, guys! I had no idea my sophomore year in high school that I would want to be a midwife. Wanna talk about divine coincidence? I think God's trying to tell me something there. Also, I just started considering religious life several weeks ago. And lo and behold, she's the patron saint of nuns, too. Intercession in my discernment process!

Now. This woman is, like, my new favorite person. Nearly ever. Next to St. Joan of Arc.
1. Her parents were baptized by St. Patrick. And she had a personal relationship with him.
2. After her father arranged her marriage, she prayed to be ugly, so no man would want to marry her and only regained her beauty after taking her vows.
3. It's also said that when St. Patrick heard her final vows, he mistakenly used the form for ordaining priests. When told of it, he replied, "So be it, my son, she is destined for great thing." (Source)

Finally, (my favorite part), here's a snippet of a prayer she wrote. I am not kidding with this one:
"I would like a great lake of beer for the King of Kings.
I would like to be watching Heaven's family drinking it through all eternity."

Girl after my own heart..