I was running a bit late for work this morning and just as I was about to leave the house I heard a snippet on the Today programme about a book called ‘Lives of the Improbable Saints’. The author, Richard Coles, came across fantastically well as he talked about some of the lesser known Saints. If you missed it you can listen again here
The book is utterly fun and fascinating – for example St Adjutor, who is the patron saint of people who fall in ponds, was ‘very good at calming whirlpools mostly by throwing his chains into them and making the sign of the cross’
Or St Fiacre who has become the patron saint of piles (along with gardeners, cabbies, fistulae, hosiers, florists and those suffering from venereal disease)
My interest piqued I needed to find out who is the patron saint of booksellers. I am happy to report that we have a good one – St John of God How good would that look on a business card!?
So thanks to my tardiness this All Hallows morning and the good folk of Radio 4 we may well have unearthed a surprise Christmas bestseller for the shop.
Broad Conversation 