Small, colorful plastic Catholic saints can be seen hanging from
key chains, zippers and backpacks alongside Hello Kitty and Pokémon. They’re
called Tiny Saints, and founders Joe and Colleen Klinker conceived the idea as
they explained the death of their stillborn daughter, Melody Paige, to her
older siblings.
The loss of their daughter was unexpected and devastating. It
also prompted questions from their children Gracie, 9, and JT, 8. Death was a
topic the Klinkers hadn’t anticipated discussing until much later, but it
opened a conversation about heaven and who Melody was with there.
Joe and his wife, Colleen, former parishioners of Church of the
Nativity in Burke, began to tell their children stories about saints. But the
images they found online didn’t resonate with their children. To bridge the
gap, they created tiny, simplistic images of saints.
“Most saints don’t have the appeal to children, unlike Disney or
Hello Kitty,” said Joe.
Their digital drawings captured their children’s gaze. JT imagined
St. George playing swords with his little sister, while Gracie pictured Melody chasing
after butterflies with St. Kateri Tekakwitha.
“We weren’t going to fall down as a family, and we weren’t going
to allow our children to miss out on the grace that comes from a loss like that,”
said Joe.
Noticing their children’s reaction, the Klinkers decided there
was a potential market. In 2013, they created Tiny Saints. Joe’s brother, Mark,
joined the team and guided the artistic vision.
Just a few weeks after starting their online store, their
products were available in 10 stores. Today, Tiny Saints can be found in about
175 bookstores and gift shops nationwide. Their product line now includes rosaries,
bracelets and a children’s book.
Since then, Mark left and Colleen took on his role in the
company. In 2015, Joe left the U.S. Coast Guard after 12 years, and moved the
family to Winter Garden, Fla., to run Tiny Saints full-time.
“There’s a tremendous amount of freedom, but there is still this
uncertainty, (and) eventually I had to stop worrying,” said Joe. “Worrying
implied that I didn’t trust in God.”
Tiny Saints changed from a necklace to a charm, about the size of
a quarter, with a clip above the saint’s head to make it very portable.
“To say that it is a key chain gave it one value, but calling it
a ‘charm’ gave it multiple values,” said Joe. “I’m piggybacking on a century-old
concept of (saints medals).”
The communion of tiny saints
now numbers more than 100. The Klinkers add saints to the line-up and
suggestions come via email from their website. Two factors are taken into
consideration: how helpful will the charm be to people, and how profitable will
it be.
“A good example — St. Mary and St. Michael — they were no
brainers,” said Joe. “Then you get ones like St. Dymphna — because (she’s the
patroness) of mental illness — this saint has a significant role to people.”
The design process begins with research and prayer as Joe gets to
know the saint. He reviews popular imagery of the saint and sometimes takes
creative liberties, such as putting St. Agatha in pink clothing to reflect her
role as the patron saint of breast cancer.
Once the design is finished in Adobe Illustrator, Joe sends the
digital file to their overseas manufacturer who he credits with bringing the
charms to life.
Sometimes a particular saint is selected because it relates to
current affairs, such as St. Thomas More during the presidential election.
“One of my favorites is St. Sebastian,” he said. “Obviously, we had to put the arrow in his
chest.” St. Sebastian was put to death in the third century by a troop of
archers.
They hope to double the roster of saints to 200. The newest saint to be added will be St. Francis de Sales, the patron of writers.
The company has donated hundreds of its products to missions, including
in Haiti. Because the charms are weatherproof, they can withstand harsh
climates.
Tiny Saints can be an introduction to a saint that might lead to
a conversation or a prayer.
Joe admits that until he created Tiny Saints he had no special
devotion to the saints. He credits Melody for introducing them.
“This beautiful church that we’re a part of can be overwhelming
and terrifying after 2,000 years. I think that’s what Pope Francis is getting
at: go back to these simple things, get to know the saints,” he said.
