I have a dumb question: how do you know who your Guardian Angel is? And how do you know who your Patron Saint is?
I don’t know, but I’d like to find out.
Any guidance appreciated.
You choose your Patron Saint, either based on your name - your birth name or your confirmation name - or for some other reason. For example, my Confirmation patron is the Empress St. Helena, mother of the Emperor Constantine. However, I also consider St. Martha (grumpy housekeeper) and St. Matthew the Tax-collector patrons.
As for your Guardian Angel, that’s sort of intuition. Mother Angelica suggests addressing your Guardian Angel by a name, while recognizing that this is a convenience, rather than having identified a particular angel among the myriads who exists. Mine is “Amparo,” which means “helper” in Spanish.
To 'know' your guardian angel, you must begin with the belief that one has been assigned to you. As freeper 'tax-chick' noted, some people assign names to their gurardian angels. Scripture tells us that we humans have all been given a name by God so I presume that is true for our guardian angels. There are some who ask their guardian angels to 'reveal' their names and claim to have understood them, in dreams. Their names and responsibilities are known to God. That's sufficient for me. I am just very grateful to acknowledge my angel, a constant companion on this journey through the darkness of life. At the end of the Chaplet to the Archangel Michael, there are a series of prayers to honor the 'Archangels', followed by an 'Our Father' in honor of "my own guardian angel". Considering all that their job entails, a simple prayer seems rather mediocre. Surely those who "light and guard" and "rule and guide", deserve much more.
As for your patron saint, it was the ancient tradition of the Catholic Church to name a child after a saint, at Baptism. Today, that naming convention seems to have slipped to the dustbin of antiquity, as parents go for the 'unique' and even 'invented' name, that will set their child apart from the others. Personally, I find this concept to be debilitating. Patron saints, like guardian angels, watch over those entrusted to their care. With my Confirmation students, I insist that they research and choose the name of a saint, albeit an arcane one from nearly 2000 years ago. Those saints then become their 'patron saints'.
So, in answer to your question, look at the name you were given at Baptism by your parents and then research that saint to learn more about them. What about the name you chose at Confirmation? Here is yet one more opportunity to gain some understanding of the saint whose name you chose. Failing that, you may 'adopt' a saint and make them your patron. I am very devoted to St. Francis of Assisi but do not bear his name. I carry it in my heart.
Ultimately, it's all up to you! Instead of watching tv, pick up a book on the saints, read through their life stories and find one whose personal life mirrors yours. All the saints are ready and willing to be there for us and help us through the difficult passages of life.