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Thanks for contributing to the discussion about my question.  I agree
completely, and think the scenario you describe very likely explains much
of the "how" and "why"---just not the "when."

Perhaps someone on the list can answer: when would a good cross-section of
the populace have had access to a good variety of saints' lives?  I don't
know of any general collections of saints' lives before the Golden Legend.
Anybody have any opinions/information on how the spread of such works
affected attitudes toward saints?

Phyllis

>While I have no further contributions for the exact dating of patronage, I
>want to add to what's already been said that many of the patronages have
>something to do with the saint's vita, although often in interesting or
>amusing ways: St. Lucy as patroness for those suffering from eye diseases,
>for example, because of the story of her having plucked out her own eyes to
>give to an unwanted suitor who admired them.  An interesting modern example
>is St. Maximilian Kolbe, who among other patronages is the patron of those
>recovering from drug addiction; St. Maximilian was killed in Auschwitz by
>having carbolic acid injected into his veins.
>
>People listening closely to the vitae of the saints see some connection to
>their own condition in one of the scenes, and began invoking the saint
>because of the similarity.  The vitae themselves suggest the
>"specialization".  Of course, at best this gets us into the "how" and not
>the "why" of specialized patronage.
>
>Donald Uitvlugt
>=================================
>Donald Jacob Uitvlugt
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>
>
>"For Wales?  Why, Richard, it profits a man nothing to give his soul for
>the whole world...But for Wales!"
>-----Thomas More in _A Man for All Seasons_

Phyllis G. Jestice
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