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St. Augustine of Canterbury was born in Rome. He was a monk and abbot at St. Andrew’s Abbey in Rome. In 597, the pope sent him to the British Isles to evangelize along with about 40 other monks. St. Augustine was successful in spreading the faith and even converted a king, who in turn brought thousands into the church. The saint also helped reconnect the Celtic and Latin churches. St. Augustine, who died in 605, is patron saint of England.

Today is the feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This is the day that Mary visited her cousin Elizabeth who was with child, despite being advanced in years, as the angel had told her. Upon hearing Mary’s greeting, Elizabeth knew that Mary was the mother of the Lord; the Gospel says that the child leaped in her womb. Mary responds, “My soul doth magnify the Lord.”

St. Justin the Philosopher was born around 100 in Palestine. He was a non-believer and philosopher who converted to Christianity when he was 30 years old after reading Scripture and seeing the great faith of the martyrs. He disputed non-believers and became a Christian apologist. St. Justin was beheaded for his faith in Rome around 165. He is patron saint of philosophers and apologists.

St. John the Great Sinner was born into a Christian family in March 1546 in Spain. When he was 19 he left his business and gave away his belongings to live as a hermit. He worked in prisons and hospitals in Jerez de la Frontera, and he later founded the Hospital of Our Lady of Candlemas in Jerez. He joined the Order of Hospitallers in 1574. In 1600 he died while caring for those who were dying of the plague. St. John the Great Sinner is patron saint of the diocese of Jerez de la Frontera.

St. Francis Caracciolo was born in Italy in October 1563. After being cured from a disease when he was 22, he sold his belongings, gave the money to the poor and began to study theology. He was ordained in 1587 and, along with another man, formed the Congregation of the Minor Clerks Regular to minister to the sick and imprisoned. He also helped the poor, worked miracles, preached and is said to have cured the sick. He died in 1608. St. Francis Caracciolo is patron saint of Naples, Italy.

St. Boniface was born in England in the 670s. He became a Benedictine monk and went to Germany as a missionary. He destroyed the worship sites of non-believers and built churches. As an archbishop, he reformed churches and founded or restored a few dioceses. He went to Holland to evangelize the people. There in 754 he was captured, along with St. Adaler, St. Eoban and a number of his followers, by non-believers and was killed for his faith. St. Boniface is patron saint of brewers and tailors.

St. Norbert was born circa 1080 in Xanten, Germany. He joined the Benedictines as a career move while working for Emperor Henry V. However, he started taking his vows seriously after a near-death experience. Later, he began a religious order which later became known as the Norbertines. St. Norbert reformed members of the clergy in his area, and he helped heal the schism in the church. He died in 1134 in Germany. St. Norbert is patron saint of peace.

St. Anthony Gianelli was born into a poor but religious family in Cerreto, Italy, in April 1789. He was ordained in May 1812 with a special dispensation because of his young age, and he became a parish priest. In 1827 he founded the Missionaries of St. Alphonsus, but the group only existed until 1848. He also founded the Sisters of Our Lady of the Garden, an order of women religious dedicated to working with the sick and teaching, in 1829. St. Anthony Gianelli died in 1846 and was canonized in 1951.

St. Barnabas the Apostle converted to Christianity soon after Pentecost. He is often mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles although he is not one of the original twelve. St. Barnabas worked with St. Paul in Cyprus and Asia, and he evangelized the people in Cyprus with St. Mark. Additionally, he founded the church in Antioch. He died for his faith around the year 61. St. Barnabas is patron saint of Antioch, Cyprus and against hailstorms.

St. Anthony of Padua was born to a wealthy family in Lisbon, Portugal, in 1195. He became a priest and a Franciscan. He later joined the Friars Minor so that he could travel to Morocco to evangelize. When he was shipwrecked in Sicily, he went to Portiuncula and lived in a cave, leaving only to go to Mass. He eventually began traveling through Italy and France to preach, teach and evangelize. This doctor of the church drew a large crowd wherever he spoke. The saint who died in 1231 was also a wonder worker. St. Anthony of Padua is patron saint against shipwrecks.

St. Methodius of Constantinople was born in Sicily in the eighth century. He built a monastery on an island named Chinos. The saint then worked with the patriarch of Constantinople to help oversee the diocese. Together, the two men worked against the iconoclasts, who did not believe in the use of images in worship. St. Methodius went to Rome to ask for the pope’s aid in the struggle with the iconoclasts. During his trip, he was exiled. He was only able to return about seven years later, in 842, at which time he became the patriarch of Constantinople. St. Methodius worked to unify the church until he died in 847.

St. Vito was born to a pagan senator, but his tutor (St. Modestus) and his nurse (St. Crescentia) converted St. Vito to Christianity when he was 12 years old. Angered, St. Vito’s father had the three arrested and imprisoned, but the saints were released by angels. After helping the emperor’s son, St. Vito refused to join in the un-Christian celebrations and he was therefore imprisoned and condemned to death. At the moment the saint died for his faith in 303, a storm blew over and destroyed some pagan temples. St. Vito therefore is patron saint against storms.