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St. Armogastes lived in the early 400s. He was the servant of the son of King Genseric. When Genseric renounced Christianity and became a pagan once again, he demanded that St. Armogastes also renounce Christianity. St. Armogastes refused to give up his faith, so Genseric tortured him and sent him to work in mines. St. Armogastes is patron saint of torture victims and against poverty.

St. John Climacus was born in Syria sometime between 505 and 579. He began to live as a monk and hermit at age 16 on Mount Sinai. St. John Climacus became an abbot at Mount Sinai around age 72, although he resigned his position to take up hermit life once again shortly before his death. He wrote “The Ladder of Perfection,” which talked about virtues and vices of monastic life.

St. Celsus of Armagh, a Benedictine monk, was born in Ireland in 1079. He is said to have been the last hereditary archbishop of Armagh in Ireland. He taught in Oxford, England. He traveled across Ireland to preach and reform. In 1111, he helped preside at a synod that helped align the Irish church with the rest of Europe. St. Celsus also brokered peace among kings and chieftans in Ireland. He died in 1129.

St. Isidore of Seville was born in Spain around the year 560. He loved to learn and was a great student. He succeeded his brother to become the archbishop of Seville, Spain, around 601. He encouraged the establishment of seminaries in every diocese. St. Isidore also wrote a dictionary, an encyclopedia and a history of the world, among other things. In addition to all this, he introduced Spain to the works of Aristotle. He died in 636 in Seville. St. Isidore is a doctor of the church and patron saint of students.

St. Vincent Ferrer was born in Valencia, Spain, in 1350. He became a Dominican friar at age 18 despite his family’s disapproval. He was a priest and missionary who taught theology. A great preacher, he converted many people across Europe, including people in France, Italy, Spain, Germany, England and Scotland, among others. He worked to end the schism in the church and saw it end before he died. St. Vincent Ferrer is patron saint of builders because helped to “build up” the church.

St. William of Eskilsoe was born in Paris in 1125. He became a priest and was known for leading an austere and holy life. St. William helped reform the liturgical devotion of Danish monasteries. He decided to stay at Eskilsoe and became its abbot. He founded the abbey of St. Thomas in Aebelholt, Zeeland, Denmark. His correspondence still survives today and is a source of Danish history for that time period. St. William died April 6, 1203.

St. John Baptist de la Salle was born in 1651 in Rheims, France. The first child in a noble family of 10 children, he studied in Paris and was ordained in 1678. He founded the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools (Christian Brothers) in 1681 to establish academic education for boys. St. John Baptist de la Salle also established teacher colleges and started high school sand trade schools. He was one of the first to emphasize classroom teaching. St. John Baptist de la Salle is patron saint of educators.

St. Waltrude was the daughter of St. Bertille and the sister of St. Aldegondes. She married a lord in the king’s court and had four children. She convinced her husband, St. Vincent of Siognies, to become a monk. St. Waltrude founded a religious community, but she was member and not a leader of the community. She died April 9, 686. She is patron saint of Hainault and Mons in Belgium.

St. Benedict Joseph Labre was born in March 1748 in France. He tried to join the Trappists, Carthusians and Cistercians, but he was rejected by all three orders. For years, the impoverished saint wandered around Europe, spending his time in adoration in cathedrals. St. Benedict Joseph Labre begged and would give anything extra to others who were less fortunate. He is said to have cured others who were homeless. In Rome, he counseled people in all paths of life. He died in April 1783. St. Benedict Joseph Labre is patron saint of homeless people and people rejected by religious orders.

St. Leo IX was born in June 1002 in Egisheim, Alsace. He was a deacon, and he was a soldier and officer in the imperial army. He became a bishop in France in 1021 and then became the 151st pope in February of 1049. He fought simony, which is the selling or purchase of spiritual goods. St. Leo IX enforced clerical celibacy, reformed parishes and encouraged the use of chant. Nicknamed the Pilgrim Pope, he traveled throughout Europe to enforce his reforms. St. Leo IX held a number of synods, and he proposed that only cardinals elect the pope. He died April 19, 1054.

St. Agnes of Montepulciano was born to a wealthy family in Italy in 1268. She was a pious child and knew she wanted to join a convent by age 6. She entered the convent in Montepulciano when she was 9 years old. She later went to Procena when her spiritual director was appointed abbess there. When St. Agnes was 15 years old, she received special permission from Pope Nicholas IV to become an abbess. She later returned to Montepulciano to work in a new Dominican convent, and she was the prioress there for the last 17 years of her life. St. Agnes died April 20, 1317. People reported miracles at her tomb, and her body was found incorrupt.

St. Epipodius was born in Lyons, France, in the second century. He devoted his time to working for God as a confirmed celibate bachelor, although he never joined an order. One of his servants betrayed him to the authorities, and he was beheaded because of his faith in 178. Miracles were reported at his tomb. St. Epipodius is patron saint of bachelors and victims of betrayal.