Published: November 8, 2007

Technology doesn’t always work the way that we would like it to. Strange viruses and blue screens of death can make it a challenge to try to get your PC to work when you need it the most. Even the most experienced nerds can be in the dark about how to fix some complex computer problems. When this happens, you need to call on some of the tech-related saints of the Church. These were people who prayed to God when they had their own difficulties and would probably be more than happy to send Him an e-mail with your prayer request.

St. Augustine = Printers

You may remember this colorful fellow from a philosophy or theology class. He was a sinner with an active sex life (‘Urban Cocktail’-worthy) until he saw the error of his ways and became a great Catholic theologian. Augustine wrote extensively on God and his conversion back to the faith in his autobiography “The Confessions”, as well as other documents about the Church, philosophy and heresies against Christianity. Remember: this was all done before printers were invented so you had to do everything painstakingly by hand. Thanks to the advent of technology, now we just have to click the ‘print’ button on our computers. The downside of this is the resulting reliance that we now have on printers. But don’t fret; the next time your printer runs out of ink, or has a paper jam, make sure to ask St. Augustine for some help (and patience).

St. Isidore = Internet

When it comes to tech-related saints, only one has the distinction of being the patron of the Internet. From the good (facebook.com), the bad (myspace.com) and the ugly (craigslist.com), St. Isidore is patron of them all. St. Isidore of Seville was a bishop who lived in Spain from 560-636 A.D. You’re probably wondering how a Catholic priest born over a millennium ago is patron of the Internet, but St. Isidore believed strongly in knowledge and the importance of educating others. He amassed an encyclopedia filled with all the relevant knowledge available in the world at that time. He also set up schools similar to modern day seminaries where people were taught how to read and write. Since the Internet is a big compilation of ideas, it is like an advanced encyclopedia. So the next time you need to do some research for a paper and Fordham’s Internet service is not working, try saying ‘hi’ to St. Isidore for some divine tech support.

St. Anthony of Padua = Lost Articles

St. Anthony is a more traditional saint; a holy man who prayed a lot and taught people about Jesus and love. As the patron saint of lost articles, he’s the person to go to when you can’t find that essay that you saved on your computer, or when it seems as though someone walked off with your iPod. The story behind Anthony’s role in all that is lost started when St. Anthony had a prayer book stolen from him by a fellow Franciscan. This Franciscan not only took the book, but also decided to leave his religious order all together. Anthony prayed to God about his lost book, and miraculously, the thief had a change of heart, deciding to return the book and his position in the priesthood. So the next time that you’re searching for a lost piece of technology, say this simple Christian prayer that has been passed down for generations, “Tony, Tony, turn around. Something’s lost and must be found.”

St. Jude = Lost Causes

When your computer screen is black, your printer out of is ink and there seems to be smoke coming from your PC, then there is only one saint to turn to: St. Jude, the patron saint of lost causes. Unfortunately for him, the name Jude was only a couple of letters away from Judas, Jesus’ betrayer. People in the early Church thought that there was some kind of connection between the two because of this similarity and would only pray to him after they had asked all the other saints for their help. Just remember, if your computer is on fire and you have a paper due the next day, and all the other saints haven’t answered your call, he’s the person to ask Jesus for a snow day on your behalf.