Friends in high places.

Whether it's Saint Teresa, Mother Teresa, or dear Aunt Teresa who died 15 years ago, U.S. CATHOLIC readers make a habit of looking to heavenly helpers for inspiration.

WHILE U.S. CITIZENS ARE trying to decide between George W. Bush or Al Gore, U.S. Catholics were casting their votes for a man who could easily blow these two candidates out of the water on the character issue. I'm not talking about Ralph Nader; I'm talking about Saint Francis of Assisi.

Saint Francis was the clear winner when U.S. CATHOLIC readers and Web site visitors were surveyed about their favorite officially canonized saint. He also received the most votes as the saint whose help or example would be most useful today, given the tendencies of our culture.

Francis is admired for his care and concern for creation, his detachment from materialism, and his willingness to be countercultural--all traits modern-day Catholics could stand to emulate.

Peter Buttitta of Chicago had a litany of reasons for selecting Saint Francis as his No. 1 holy role model, including "his idealism, simple lifestyle, communitarianism, nonviolence, and reliance on God's providence."

Others mentioned his famous prayer ("Lord, make me an instrument of your peace ..."). For John Duffy of Sandown, New Hampshire, "it has been a continuous source of solace, strength, inspiration, and repentance."

Another deeply spiritual role model--Therese of Lisieux, a French Carmelite nun whose "little way" of spiritual perfection became widely known through her spiritual autobiography--was readers' runner-up for favorite saint. Rounding out the top five were Saints Anthony, Teresa of Avila, and Jude.

Mary and Joseph weren't far behind. Also receiving more than one vote were Saints Thomas the Apostle, Thomas More, John of the Cross, Thomas Aquinas, Ignatius of Loyola, Patrick, and Bernadette.

But officially Vatican-approved saints aren't the only spiritual giants who inspire today's Catholics. Readers had no trouble naming a slew of individuals--some not even Catholic--whose faith or courage puts them in the same company as more "official" saints.

Most of those mentioned--including Mother Teresa, Dorothy Day, Pope John XXIII, and Oscar Romero--are already being investigated for possible official sainthood. Also receiving a substantial number of votes were Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr., Henri Nouwen, and Cardinal Joseph Bernardin.

And, finally, Catholics also see their own dearly departed as members of the communion of saints worthy of emulation and prayers. Carol Fueglein of St. Louis prays to her mother who died last year. "I believe she is in heaven and is with me spiritually. I often feel her presence, that she speaks to me in my heart."

Q: For me, the most meaningful thing about the Catholic Church's emphasis on saints has been ...

Catholic teaching about the communion of saints may confound Protestants, but for Catholics, it's a meaningful and often comforting idea. Saints--both officially canonized and otherwise--are role models with whom Catholics feel a special sort of unity, according to survey respondents.

"In the secular world people have sports figures, media stars, or even politicians as their models," says Deacon Robert Lane of Three Forks, Montana. "In the spiritual life, we have saints."

Donna Tidwell of Nashville, Tennessee appreciates the saints' humanity. "I can't be perfect like Jesus, because I'm not God, but I can aspire to being honest, ethical, and faithful like Thomas More."

Readers also like the sense of continuity between today's Catholics and yesterday's spiritual heroes and heroines that comes from the communion of saints. "We are all one," says Linda M. Hawkins of Visalia, California, "in this life and forever."

Q: For me, the most puzzling thing about the Catholic Church's emphasis on saints has been ...

While most Catholics appreciate having special friends in high places, some are puzzled by the idea of saints as "go-betweens."

"Praying for intercession seems bogus to me," says Marianne Jozovich of Salt Lake City. "If someone will answer my prayer, it will be God because I asked him, not because of some saint!"

Many readers also expressed concern about excessive devotion to saints, sometimes bordering on idolatry or superstition. "Like burying a Saint Joseph statue to sell a house--that's embarrassing!" says Joyce Bibzak of Park Forest, Illinois.

A number of respondents also are suspicious of the canonization process. "I have the gnawing feeling that saints are selected to appease various interest groups," says Jean Stokes of Flemington, New Jersey. Another problem: too many virgins, martyrs, monastics, and others whose lives are difficult for 21st-century lay Catholics to identify with.

Q: What kind of saints would you like to see canonized in greater numbers?

One way to rectify the problem of too many virgins and martyrs would be to canonize some everyday heroes and heroines whose lives could inspire today's Catholics. There was an overwhelming call from U.S. CATHOLIC readers for more "ordinary" saints with whom they could relate. Theresa Owen of Pocatello, Idaho urges more "common people who live lives of `unremarkable' holiness."

Dozens of respondents said they would like to see the faces of more lay men and women on holy cards and statues. "It would be great to put a 100-year moratorium on religious order saints, especially founders," says Father Dennis Andrews of Brookfield, Wisconsin.

There was an especially strong push for married saints. "We need more married couples as saints--but only if they enjoyed the marital bed," says Jeanne Sartor of Brighton, Michigan. She's not interested in "pietistic married `celibates' "--saints who abdicated their marital and parental responsibilities to become religious or clergy.

Readers' suggestions also revealed a concern that the pantheon of saints reflect the diversity of Catholicism, with more Asians and Africans, minorities, women, young people, and poor people canonized.

Bonnie Zulli of Riverhead, New York was among those wanting saints contemporary Catholics can relate to. "My daughter picked Augusta as her confirmation name, and we did some research. There's not too much said about Saint Augusta, except that her father chopped her head off because she became a Christian. It doesn't seem to say much to us living in today's world. We need more current figures with fuller lives."

Q: I wish there were a patron saint for ...

Although it sometimes seems that there must already be a patron saint for nearly every cause and concern, U.S. CATHOLIC readers came up with many creative ideas for new patrons--although some of the requests may already be filled.

Many suggestions reflected the need for help with common contemporary struggles. One reader would like a patron saint of Alcoholics Anonymous; another mentioned Adult Children of Alcoholics. Mary Lynch McCann of Madison, Wisconsin would like to see a patron saint for divorced and separated people.

Widows, people with mental illness, gays and lesbians, volunteers who work with the poor, Catholic women called to ordination, and victims of clergy sexual abuse also were highlighted as groups who could use their own patron.

Father John Swoger of Oil City, Pennsylvania would like to see a patron saint for people living on welfare and trying to break the yoke of poverty. He also suggested the need for a patron saint of golfers, "to help them when bad shots are made and to help them to always tell the true score!"

AND THE SURVEY SAYS ...

1. Out of the Catholic Church's official roster of canonized saints, who is your favorite?

Top five answers:

1-Saint Francis of Assisi

2-Saint Therese of Lisieux

3-Saint Anthony of Padua

4-Saint Teresa of Avila

5-Saint Jude

2. How would you characterize your relationship and/or interest in your favorite saint?

33% often pray to this saint, seeking intervention, intercession, or inspiration.

27% often pray with this saint--his or her life, words, or example--in mind.

20% I have learned from and admired this saint but do not invoke him or her in my prayer life.

15% My spirituality as a Catholic doesn't depend all that much on the tradition of canonized saints.

5% Other.

3. Considering all the spiritual giants who have gone before us, in both the church and the world, is there a person you consider your favorite "unofficial" saint?

1- Mother Teresa

2- Dorothy Day

3- Pope John XXIII

4- Oscar Romero (tie)

5- Thomas Merton(tie)

4. Pope John Paul II has canonized more saints than any previous pope. Is that a good thing?

yes           59%
don't know    29%
no            12%

5. Overall, my religious interest in saints has: increased

increased      51%
stayed same    25%
decreased      14%

6. Of the church's official, canonized roster of saints, which do you consider to be ...

The most heroic?

1- Saint Joan of Arc

2- Saint Maximillian Kolbe

3- Various martyrs

The most colorful?

1- Saint Augustine

2- Saint Patrick

3- Saint Francis of Assisi

The best patron of his or her "cause?

1- Saint Anthony

2- Saint Jude

The most spiritual?

1- Saint Francis of Assisi

2- Saint Therese of Lisieux

The best example for young girls today?

1- Saint Maria Goretti

2- Saint Mary of Magdala

3- Saint Mary

The best example for young boys today?

1- Saint Ignatius of Loyola

2- Saint Joseph

3- Saint Don Bosco

These results are based on survey responses from 172 U.S. CATHOLIC readers and Web site visitors.

Join the conversation--online. In addition to a sample of subscribers, all are invited to respond to

U.S. CATHOLIC'S monthly Sounding

Board survey at www.uscatholic.org. This month, join U.S. CATHOLIC readers as they talk about Lenten practices.

Visit us online for more resources about saints, including info on the canonization process for Dorothy Day: www.uscatholic.org.

HEIDI SCHLUMPF, assistant editor of U.S. CATHOLIC.