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Walking through the renovations of our Tuscan apartments, located in a Franciscan monastery from the 1200’s, one can’t help but feel a connection to those who once shared these spaces.

I was never a religious person, but an unsettling dream planted a seed in my mind. In the dream, a monk-like figure appeared to me. He did not say a word but the numbers above his head foretold the exact day of my impending death, 18 months into the future. When I woke up, I told my new girlfriend (now my wife) about the dream. She agreed that it was indeed strange but couldn’t talk much. She had to help her mother take the dogs to church for “the blessing”. It was, as she said, the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi.

Blessings the dogs?
St. Francis? What are you talking about?!

When she left, I Googled St. Francis and found paintings and information about the man. He looked similar to the monk in my dream and as it turned out he was also the patron saint of animals. What did this all mean?

Jump ahead 18 months – only 1 week before my “death date”. The metal plates in my arm kept breaking as a result of a broken arm not healing. I received a call from the hospital. There was a last minute cancellation and they asked me to come in for surgery. It was only 4 days before the death date. Somewhat spooked, I presented myself at the hospital, overcoming any superstitious concerns… I subscribe to the scientific method after all.

The first red flag was raised when the hospital staff had no clue who I was or why I was there. Then a fire alarm mysteriously went-off while an angry nurse berated me to get back in my room (I didn’t have a room yet and was wandering the halls). I took this as a clear warning sign… literal alarms bells!

Once the alarm was silenced, a doctor approached and apologized for the confusion… they had everything “sorted-out” and were ready to operate on my right arm. This was the 3rd and final sign. Wrong arm. The surgery was meant to be on the left arm. Heeding the dream’s warning, I quickly left the hospital. Better safe than sorry.

Years later my wife bought her first Italian property. It was oddly coincidental that the property was part of a former Franciscan monastery, further fueling the curiosity for the man in my dream. I began researching St. Francis which eventually led me down the rabbit-hole of saints in general. I was amazed by the historical accounts of regular people who experienced extra-ordinary circumstances.

Delving deeper into the lives of these men and women, I quickly realized these stories still held lessons we could learn from today. The connection of patron saints to particular subject matter was especially interesting (if not sometimes ironic). As it turns out there’s a patron saint for just about anything. Take for example St. Joseph Cupertino; an Italian Friar from the 1600’s. Acknowledged as being “remarkably unclever”, Joseph would pray, fall into trances of ecstasy and then levitate a few feet off the ground. Over 70 documented incidents of this exist. Because of his levitation, Cupertino is connected to flight and is now regarded as the patron saint of Astronauts, Pilots, air travelers and those with learning disabilities. Interesting how that worked out.

Devotees Saintly T-shirts

Whether you are a religious person or not, acts of devotion & bravery in the face of adversity & ridicule serve as examples that transcend time, space and religious belief. They can serve as a source of strength in our own personal journeys.

Intrigued by these stories I was inspired to combine the new-found curiosity for saints with my passion for storytelling and creating imagery. The DEVOTEES t-shirt project was born. Using humor, irony and graphic design, patron saints are depicted in the context of contemporary people.

We hope you enjoy the first Devotees series as much as we enjoyed creating it. We have designed 12 Devotees and are starting with the initial release of four. Subscribe to the newsletter to stay in the loop for new Devotees drops.