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St. Patrick was born in Scotland around the year 387. When he was about 16, he was captured and sent to Ireland to become a slave. At the time, Ireland was pagan. During his captivity, St. Patrick spent much time in prayer. Around the age of 20, he had a dream that he should return to Britain and his family, and he did. He studied and became a priest and then a bishop. He evangelized England then he started in Ireland. He worked to convert people in Ireland for 40 years, and he died around 461. The shamrock is associated with St. Patrick and Ireland because St. Patrick used the shamrock to help explain the Trinity. He is patron saint of Ireland.

St. Joseph, a carpenter, was the husband of Mary and the foster father of Jesus Christ. A descendant of David, St. Joseph did whatever God asked of him without question or hesitation – he took Mary as his wife, he fled to Egypt for the safety of his wife and child, and he took his family to Nazareth when the angel said it was safe. St. Joseph treated Jesus as his own child. He was not a rich man, but he did everything he could for his family. It is believed he died before Jesus began his public life because he is not mentioned in the Scriptures during that time in the life of Jesus. St. Joseph is patron saint of the universal church and of fathers.

St. John of Parma was a Franciscan priest born in 1209 in Italy. He taught theology in Bologna and Naples, Italy. He became the Franciscans’ seventh minister general in 1247, and he traveled to the Franciscan provinces of various countries. St. John of Parma also served as papal legate to Constantinople. He is patron saint of Parma, Italy.

St. Lea lived in the fourth century. After she became a widow, she went to a Roman monastery and would later become the superior there. Writing after St. Lea’s death, St. Jerome praised St. Lea for living such a devout life free of the things of the world. He proposed a life of renunciation.

St. Turibius of Mogrovejo was born in Spain in 1538. A nobleman, St. Turibius was a lawyer and a law professor. He was ordained when he was age 40 in 1578 and became archbishop of Lima, Peru, in 1579. St. Turibius founded the first seminary in the Western Hemisphere. He worked to secure the rights of the people native to Peru. He died in Peru in 1606. St. Turibius is patron saint of Peru and Latin American archbishops.

St. Catherine of Sweden, born in 1331, was the daughter of St. Bridget of Sweden. Although she married at age 13, she took a vow of chastity. Around 1350, she went to Rome to see her mother and was widowed soon after. The two women went on a series of pilgrimages. When they were not traveling, they worked with the poor. The women also had to fend off would-be suitors. After her mother died, St. Catherine became abbess of the convent her mother had founded, and she wrote a devotional. St. Catherine of Sweden is patron saint against abortion and miscarriages.

St. Guntramnus was the son of King Clotaire and St. Clothildis. He was king of Orleans and Burgundy in 561. His wife, whom he had divorced, became very ill. When her doctor couldn’t help her, St. Guntramnus had the doctor murdered. However, when he converted to Christianity he felt so wretched over his actions that he devoted his life to building up the church. He helped the oppressed, cared for the sick and helped others during plague and famine. St. Guntramnus, who died in 592, is patron saint of divorced people and murderers.

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.