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St. Callistus I lived in the late second century, early third century. Although he was born a slave, he eventually became a free man. Pope Zephyrinus had Callistus lead the Roman public burial grounds, now called the Cemetery of St. Callistus. The saint became an archdeacon and was elected the 16th pope circa 218. He died for his faith circa 223. St. Callistus is patron saint of people who work at cemeteries.

St. Teresa of Avila was born to a noble family in March 1515 in Castile, Spain. She read about the lives of the saints as a young girl. When she suffered from a crippling disease as a child, she prayed to St. Joseph and was cured. Although her father did not want her to enter the religious life, she left home at age 17 to join the Carmelites. Teresa became sick again after taking her vows and never fully recovered. The saint began having visions, which the Dominicans and Jesuits said were true. She founded a reformed convent of St. John of Avila. She died in October 1582 and was proclaimed a doctor of the church in 1970. She is patron saint of sickness.

St. Hedwig, daughter of the duke of Croatia, was born in Bavaria in 1174. She married Prince Henry I of Silesia and Poland when she was just 12 years old and went on to have seven children. She is the aunt of St. Elizabeth of Hungary. The saint founded hospitals and cared for the sick. After her husband died, she gave away her money and entered a monastery. She died in 1243. St. Hedwig is patron saint of brides, widows and difficult marriages.

St. John de Brebeuf was born in Normandy, France, in 1593. A Jesuit, he traveled to Canada at age 32 to be a missionary on the frontier. The climate was tough, but he did very well; his endurance led to the nickname “Echon,” meaning load bearer. It was difficult for him to learn the Huron language, but he did and eventually wrote a catechism in Huron and a French-Huron dictionary. St. John de Brebeuf named the present-day version of the game lacrosse because the stick resembled a bishop’s crosier. He was tortured and martyred by the Iroquois in 1649. St. John de Brebeuf is patron saint of Canada.

St. Bertilla Boscardin was born on Oct. 6, 1888, in Brendola, Italy. After working as a house servant when she was a young girl, she joined the Sisters of St. Dorothy, Daughters of the Sacred Heart in 1904. She began training as a nurse in 1907 and was later assigned to the hospital in Treviso. She was a gentle caretaker in the children’s ward of the hospital. In World War I, she cared for injured Italian soldiers. In 1919, she became supervisor of the children’s ward. St. Bertilla died of cancer in 1922.

St. Wendelin was born in Scotland in 554. Although he was born a prince, he gave up his royal life in order to devote his life to God. The saint traveled to Rome in 574 and had an audience with Pope Benedict I. The pontiff advised Wendelin to follow his wish to live a life for God. After this, the saint began to live as a hermit. He tended sheep to earn a living, but he always made sure he had time for prayer. He became abbot of Tholey in 597. St. Wendelin died in 617.

St. Germanus, a friend of St. Benedict, was the bishop of Capua. As the papal legate to Constantinople, he worked to heal the Acacian schism. However, the schismatics did not treat him well and no progress was made. St. Germanus died circa 545 of natural causes.

St. Martin de Porres was born Dec. 9, 1579, in Lima, Peru. He became a servant in a Dominican priory in Lima when he was just 11. When he served as the almoner (one who distributes alms), he begged from the rich to help the ill and poor in the city. He also cared for the sick in the infirmary. He took vows as a Dominican brother in 1603; before St. Martin, the Dominicans had a stipulation that black men could not take vows. This saint set up an orphanage and children’s hospital for poor children. He also nursed stray cats and dogs in a shelter he started. He died Nov. 3, 1639, of a fever in Lima. St. Martin de Porres is patron saint of black people, public education and poor people.

St. Charles Borromeo was born to a noble family Oct. 2, 1538, in Italy. He joined the religious life Oct. 13, 1547. He became a civil and canon lawyer when he was 21 years old. At age 22, he was made a cardinal in 1560. He served the church in a number of ways, including archbishop of Milan, prefect of the Tridentine Council and papal legate in Bologna. The saint also served as a member of the Apostolic Penitentiary. St. Charles Borromeo aided the sick and buried the dead during the plague. He began the Oblates of St. Ambrose in 1578. He enforced the Council of Trent’s decrees, and he founded schools, seminaries and hospitals. He died Nov. 3, 1584, in Milan, Italy. St. Charles Borromeo is patron saint of seminarians, spiritual directors and bishops.

St. Domninus (a doctor) was martyred along with Philotheus, Sylvanus (a Syrian bishop), and Theotimus. The condemned men were forced to work in mines before they were executed.

St. Josaphat was born in 1580 at Volodymyr, Lithuania. A merchant’s apprentice, he was offered partnership in the business and a chance to marry the partner’s daughter. However, Josaphat declined both offers because he was called to religious life. He joined the Ukrainian Order of St. Basil (Basilians) in 1604, at which time he took the name Josaphat. The monk was ordained a Byzantine rite priest in 1609. A preacher and later bishop, he tried to bring fallen away Christians back to the church and worked for unity in the church. In 1623, Josaphat was killed by a mob of people who invaded his residence. Canonized in 1876, Josphat was the first Eastern saint canonized by Rome.

St. Margaret of Scotland was born in Hungary circa 1045.The granddaughter of an English king, Margaret, along with her family, was exiled during an invasion of England. Her family ended up in Scotland when their ship crashed there. Scotland’s King Malcolm III helped the family. Margaret married the Scottish king in 1070 and had eight children. Margaret founded abbeys, worked for justice and aided the poor. She died Nov. 16, 1093, just a few days after her husband and son died. St. Margaret is patron saint of large families, queens, Scotland, death of children and widows.