PROVIDENCE — Who knew such a tragic loss could lead to the creation of a heartwarming trinket that’s brought millions closer to the saints?
That’s the story behind Tiny Saints, a company that sells travel-sized rubber saints. Each can clip onto a keychain, backpack, purse, and while they’re only about an inch long, they’ve made an enormous impact on people’s lives and have been found in Christmas stockings for more than a decade.
“I think the number one reason you would give a Tiny Saint is to give a little joy to somebody by aligning something they care about with a saint in heaven so that they can have a friend for life,” said Matt Meeks, a co-owner of Tiny Saints who spent his childhood summers in Warwick.
As Meeks recounted, the Tiny Saints story begins when founders Joe and Colleen Klinker sadly lost a child at birth. But what followed was a story of hope.
“The original intention of Tiny Saints was for their family,” Meeks said. “Their goal in creating Tiny Saints was to teach their children who the friends of their daughter in heaven were, and present them in a way that would be relatable to their kids… And then from it, it just blew up.”
Meeks initially built a relationship with the company after he started selling their products on his website for the Lion and the Lamb Book Club, a subscription service that delivers Catholic books for kids 11 and under. Eventually, Tiny Saints founders Joe and Colleen asked if he was interested in taking over as a co-owner.
After a period of discernment, Meeks said yes to coming on board with the Klinkers as they took a step back. Tiny Saints’ aligned with his career goals of promoting Catholic family life.
“The lived reality of most Catholics is they don’t have time to be at the parish all the time, and that isn’t the Center for Learning, that isn’t the center for faith. It’s their home.”
Meeks said that while the style of the Tiny Saints appeals to a younger crowd, he sees it as a family product, especially since its origin story is rooted in family.
Since becoming an owner, Meeks has set up shop at countless Catholic conferences, including the National Catholic Youth Conference this month and the National Eucharistic Revival which was held in Indianapolis last July. He recalls talking to customers in a line of at least 50 people in front of his booth for the entire duration. Many had interesting stories on how this product had a positive impact on their life.
On one occasion, Meeks asked a man why he was buying so many of St. Isadore, the patron saint of farmers. He responded that he was a farmer himself and wanted to attach them to each of his cattle.
One girl Meeks met in Indianapolis said she converted because of this company. She’d been struggling mentally in college and a friend gave her a Tiny Saint. She only found out it was a Catholic product after researching where it came from.
Tiny Saints isn’t the only stocking stuffer hoping to increase that devotion. Sock Religious, founded by husband and wife team Scott and Elisabeth Williams, is doing the same with their lines of socks, T-shirts, and other products that depict the saints.
Scott said his target audience for his business is “Catholics who take their faith seriously, but not themselves.”
That sentiment certainly rings true in the t-shirt section of the Sock Religious online store. The t-shirt with a picture of St. Peter, for example, reads “Classic Rock.”
Just like Meeks, Scott has heard all kinds of customer stories. “We know people who have been ordained in their socks, married in their socks,” he said.
Meeks had a hand in creating catholic.store, an online shop that carries products from hundreds of catholic small businesses, including Tiny Saints and Sock Religious. He encourages anyone to check it out to find the perfect faith-based Christmas gift.
