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Oil Dedicated to St Hyacinth (Patron for Weightlifting)

St Hyacinth (Patron for Weightlifting) from A Blessed Call To Love, Ireland.

Saint Hyacinth, a Dominican missionary and bishop, is considered the Patron Saint of weightlifting, though his connection to this sport may be a bit unorthodox. He’s also the Patron Saint of Poland and Lithuania.

The association of St. Hyacinth with weightlifting comes from a story from his life. According to the story, during a Mongol invasion of Poland in the 13th century, Hyacinth was in a church in Kiev, which was under attack. He refused to leave without the Blessed Sacrament (a term for the Eucharist, especially after consecration in a Roman Catholic mass), which he took with him. But Hyacinth also said to have taken a large, heavy statue of Mary. Despite its great weight, Hyacinth carried the statue easily, which seen as a miracle.

Therefore, it’s this miraculous feat of strength that has led to his connection with weightlifting. However, it’s important to note that this connection is a modern and somewhat informal one, as the process of designating official patron saints is complex and steeped in Church history and tradition. As of my knowledge cutoff in September 2021, there no officially recognized patron saint of weightlifting in the Catholic Church.

However, if weightlifters have chosen to adopt Saint Hyacinth as their unofficial patron due to this story, it would be a matter of personal or communal devotion and not something officially recognized by the Catholic Church.