Home Page

St. Martha was a friend of Jesus and a hostess to him while he was in her house. St. Martha complained that her sister, St. Mary, was sitting at Jesus’ feet listening to him speak while she did all of the work in the house. Jesus told Martha that Mary had chosen better than she had. St. Martha, who died circa 80, is patron saint of homemakers.

St. Ignatius of Loyola was born in Spain in 1491. The youngest of more than 10 children in a noble family, St. Ignatius became a soldier in the army in 1517. After a bad leg injury during a battle in May 1521, the saint needed a lot of time to rest and heal. During that time he read religious books, and he also spent a lot of time in contemplation. He wrote his “Spiritual Exercises” during this time; Ignatian spirituality includes “finding God in all things.” After healing, St. Ignatius took a vow of chastity, became a Christian and received a degree in theology. The saint founded the Society of Jesus, which gained papal approval as a religious order in 1540. He served as General Superior from 1540 until his death in 1556. St. Ignatius of Loyola is patron saint of the Jesuits.

St. Alphonsus Maria De Liguori was born Sept. 27, 1696, near Naples, Italy. He received a doctorate in law at age 16 and had his own practice by age 21. When he realized his call to the religious life, he studied theology and was ordained at the age of 29. This preacher and home missioner began to write about theology, history and asceticism. He founded the Redemptoristines, an order for women, in 1730. In 1732, he founded the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer (Liguorians, Redemptorists). St. Alphonsus came to the rescue of the Redemptorists in 1777 when the government was threatening to disband them. The saint was able to gain the king’s approval for the order. He died in 1787. Pope Piux IX named him a doctor of the church in 1871. St. Alphonsus Maria De Liguori is patron saint of theologians and vocations.

St. Eusebius of Vercelli was born in Sardinia in 283. He was a priest in Rome who became the bishop of Vercelli, Italy, Dec. 16, 340. The saint fought against Arianism, a heresy which denied Christ’s divinity. At one point he was exiled to Palestine due to his battle with the heresy. Friends of St. Eusebius said he was a great writer, but none of the saint’s work has survived. Some say he was martyred by the Arians, but it is not known for sure. St. Eusebius died in 371.

St. Lydia Purpuraria was a lay woman who worked in Thyatira. She dealt purple cloth, which was the most expensive type of cloth in the first century. She is the first known convert of St. Paul the Apostle. St. Lydia Purpuraria is patron saint of dyers.

St. John Mary Vianney was born in the Lyons area of France in May 1786. As a child, he taught other children prayers and catechism. He was ordained in 1815 and sent to the parish of Ars in 1818. He visited his parishioners, most especially the sick and the poor, and he spent a lot of time in prayer. His preaching attracted large crowds, and he attracted 20,000 pilgrims by 1855. He was a parish priest for 40 years. He died in 1859. St. John Mary Vianney is patron saint of confessors and priests.

St. Oswald of Northumbria, the song a pagan king, was born circa 605 in England. After his father was killed, 11-year-old St. Oswald fled with his mother and six siblings. The young boy converted to Christianity soon after. A soldier, he formed is own army in 634 and defeated the king of Northumbria to take over the crown. St. Oswald built churches and monasteries, and brought monks from Scotland to start monastic life in the area. He died in 642 while in battle with non-Christian invaders. He was charitable toward the poor, devoted to his kingdom and was very pious. St. Oswald is patron saint of Zug, Switzerland.

St. Sixtus II, who was Greek, was a philosopher who converted to Christianity as an adult. He became a deacon in Rome and then became pope Aug. 30, 257. He was arrested while celebrating Mass during Valerian’s persecutions. St. Sixtus II was beheaded for his faith in August 258.

St. Dominic de Guzman was born in Old Castile in 1170. Born into Spanish nobility, he was the son of Blessed Joan of Aza. While pregnant with her son, Blessed Joan of Aza had a vision that her child would be a dog who caught the world on fire with the torch he carried in his mouth. A dog with the torch later became the symbol for the Dominicans, the order St. Dominic founded in 1215. St. Dominic worked for clerical reform, fought heresies and spread the devotion to the rosary. He died in August 1221. When St. Dominic was baptized, his mother saw a star on his chest and that is the reason he is patron saint of astronomy.

St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross was born with the name Edith Stein in what is now Wroclaw, Poland, in October 1891 to a Jewish family. She received a doctorate in philosophy in 1916. After seeing the strong faith of her Catholic friends, she began to study the catechism of the Catholic Church. She converted to Catholicism in Cologne, Germany, and was baptized Jan. 1, 1922. She became a Carmelite nun in 1934. Both Jewish and Catholic, she left Germany for an assignment in Holland in 1938. However, she was captured when the Nazis invaded the country. She died in Auschwitz in 1942. St. Teresa is patron saint of Europe and World Youth Day.

St. Lawrence was born in Spain sometime in the late second or early third century. Christianity was outlawed at the time, but St. Lawrence persevered in the faith. He served as an archdeacon of Rome. After St. Sixtus II (the pope) and deacons were captured and later martyred, St. Lawrence was the ranking church official of Rome. When St. Lawrence was told to appear for his execution with the church treasure the pope had entrusted to him, he appeared before the court with the crippled, blind and sick of Rome. He said they were the real treasures of the church. He died for his faith in August 258. St. Lawrence is patron saint of the poor because he went to great lengths to care for the poor during his life.

St. Clare was born July 16, 1194, in Assisi, Italy. She heard St. Francis of Assisi preaching and told him she wanted to live for God. After that, she became good friends with St. Francis. She took her veil and became a woman religious. The saint founded the Poor Clares, and she led the order for the next 40 years. When St. Clare was too sick to attend Mass toward the end of her life, she saw the service on the wall of her cell. It is because of this that St. Clare is patron saint of television. She died Aug. 11, 1253.