Hi, Steve--

First, a quick answer on #1:

There are several patrons of mining, listed at http://saints.sqpn.com/pst00478.htm

St Barbara is perhaps the most prominent patron of miners, but some particular types of miners have additional saints, too:

• St. Kinga (a princess) is the patroness of salt miners;
• St Joseph of Arimathea is a patron of tin miners, as is a Cornish saint, St. Piran.
• St. Leonard of Noblac is a patron of coal miners.
• St. Eligius was a metal smith himself, so he has a connection with mining too.
  

Let's see if my colleagues have anything for #2....

--Richard Chonak

Hi Steve!

Thanks for the question.

My colleague Richard answered your first question.

I did a brief search and, to my surprise, DID find a miner's prayer.

You can probably modify it and give it more of a Catholic twist if you wish.

Hope this helps,

Mike

O Lord after I have worked my last day and come out of the earth and have placed my feet on Thy footstool; let me use the tools of prudence, faith, hope and charity.

From now until the day I sign my last pay roll, make all the cables in the machinery strong with Thy love. Supply all the gangways, slopes and chambers with the pure air of Thy grace and let the light of hope be my guidance, and when my last picking and shoveling is done, may my last car be full of Thy grace and give me thy Holy Bible for my last shift, so that Thou, the General Superintendent of all the collieries can say:

"Well done, thou good, faithful miner come and sign the pay roll and receive the check of eternal happiness."

Amen.

Copyright, 1904, C. ERB, York, PA

Hi Steve,

There are two Patron Saints of Miners

St Anne

As the Mother of Blessed Virgin Mary, the devotion to St Anne as the patron of miners arises from the mediaeval comparison between the Virgin Mary and Christ and precious metals - silver and gold. Anne's womb was considered the source from which these precious metals were mined.

St Barbara

Again a mediaeval background was confirmed by Pope Pius X11 in 1951 when he wrote that St Barbara was the patron of:

• Italian Marines,
• Military Engineers and
• Fireman

He went on to comment Barbara had been the patron of gunners since 16th century following a tradition of her father being struck down by fire descending from heaven. it was the suddenness of this event which caused Barbara to be invoked against disasters such as sudden disasters in mining.

Kind regards,

Terry
Source - Butlers lives of Patron saints