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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.

Blessed Innocent XI, pope, was born May 19, 1611, in Como, Italy. A priest, he earned a law degree in 1639 and served the church in a number of roles over the years, including papal legate, bishop and cardinal. He was elected the 240th pope on Sept. 21, 1676, and he was installed Oct. 4, 1676. He worked against Jansenism, Quietism and heresies. The pontiff also had high expectations about education in the seminaries. He lived a simple and pious life. Blessed Innocent XI died Aug. 12, 1689, of natural causes.

Today is the feast day of Ss. Pontian and Hippolytus. St. Pontian was born in Rome. He was elected the 18th pope July 21, 230. He ended a schism in the church. Emperor Maximinus Thrax forced him to go to Sardinia to work in mines. The saint stepped down as pope on Sept. 28, 235, to let another lead the church. St. Pontian died in Sardinia in 235. St. Hippolytus of Rome was a Roman soldier who lived in the third century. Although he was supposed to guard Christian prisoners, he ended up converting to Christianity. He was martyred after helping with the burials of some of the martyred Christians who were under his watch. St. Hippolytus is patron saint of prison guards.

St. Maximilian Kolbe was born in Poland Jan. 7, 1894. Although he was a rather mischievous child, his life changed when he had a vision of the Virgin Mary when he was 12. He took his final vows for the Conventual Franciscan Order Nov. 1, 1914. He received a Doctor of Theology in 1922, taught in a Polish seminary and did some missionary work before returning to Poland. After the Nazi invasion of Poland, Maximilian housed refugees (many of whom were Jewish) and published anti-Nazi material in his magazine, Knight of the Immaculate. The saint was imprisoned in Pawiak in February 1941 and transferred to Auschwitz in May 1941. He ministered to other prisoners, celebrated the Mass and heard confessions. When the Nazis sentenced to death a man with young children because other prisoners broke out, Maximilian volunteered to take his place. He died Aug. 14, 1941. St. Maximilian Kolbe is patron saint of prisoners.

St. Jane Frances de Chantal was born in January 1572 in France. She was married at age 20, had four children and was widowed at age 28. She then took a personal vow of chastity. After meeting St. Francis de Sales, she kept in touch with the saint and became his spiritual student. St. Jane Frances founded Order of the Visitation of Our Lady in 1610 in France, and about 69 other convents were founded under her watch. She died in 1641. St. Jane Frances de Chantal is patron saint of widows and forgotten people.

St. Bernard of Clairvaux was born in 1090 in Burgundy, France. He joined the abbey of Citeaux when he was 22 with four brothers and about 25 friends. He founded the monastery at Clairvaux. Under his direction, the monastery soon had more than 700 monks and more than 150 daughter houses. The saint worked to reform the Cistercians and helped end a schism in the church with anti-Pope Anacletus II. The spiritual advisor to Pope Eugenius III also helped organize the Second Crusade. St. Bernard was the first Cistercian monk put on the calendar of saints, and Pope Pius VIII named him a doctor of the church. He died in 1153. St. Bernard of Clairvaux is patron saint of beekeepers.

St. Rose was born in 1586 in Lima, Peru, to Spanish immigrants. She took a vow of chastity, and she lived in a garden where she prayed and grew vegetables to help support her family. She also did embroidery to help her family and the poor living around her. This mystic and visionary is said to have received invisible stigmata, and she was a Dominican tertiary. St. Rose was the first saint born in the Americas, and she founded social work in Peru. She died in 1617. She is patron saint of the Americas, Peru and embroiderers.

St. Bartholomew was one of the Twelve Apostles and a friend of St. Philip, who brought him to Jesus. Local tradition says that he preached in Ethiopia, India and Armenia, possibly leaving his writings behind. The saint died for his faith when he was flayed alive in Armenia. St. Bartholomew is patron saint of Armenia.

St. Augustine of Hippo was born Nov. 13, 354, in North Africa to St. Monica and her husband. Although he was born a Christian, he wandered from his faith and lived wildly. He was a Manichaean for a number of years before he converted; St. Ambrose of Milan baptized him. After his mother’s death, he sold his property, gave the money to the poor and founded a monastery. This monk and priest became bishop of Hippo in 396. He fought a number of heresies, including Pelagianism, Manichaeism and Donatism. He was named a doctor of the church. St. Augustine, who died in 430, is patron saint of brewers, sore eyes and theologians.

St. Medericus was born in Autun, France, in the 600s. When he was 13 years old, he entered St. Martin’s monastery; he later became abbot of that monastery. He was a recluse at the end of his life. St. Medericus died in 700.

Ss. Felix and Adauctus lived in the third century. St. Felix was a priest in Rome. After refusing to make a sacrifice to the pagan gods, he prayed and the idols broke. He was then arrested, tortured and beheaded for his faith in 303. St. Adauctus professed his faith when he saw St. Felix being dragged towards his death. St. Adauctus was then martyred.

St. Zeno lived in the third century. Along with his sons, Concordius and Theodore, he was put to death for his faith in Nicomedia in 302. This happened when Emperor Diocletian was persecuting Christians.