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St. Botulph was born circa 610 in East Anglia (which is a part of present-day England). He became a Benedictine monk in what is present-day France and then established the Benedictine Order in the British Isles in 647. He founded the Ikanhoe monastery in East Anglia. The area around the monastery required the religious men to do plenty of work to be able to farm the land. The saint also served as a traveling missionary throughout the area. St. Botulph died in 680 and is patron saint of agricultural workers.

Ss. Mark and Marcellian were twin brothers and deacons who lived in the third century. The two men were arrested because they would not make sacrifices to the Roman gods. Although they converted their captors and escaped, the deacons were recaptured soon afterwards. They died for their faith in Rome.

St. Romuald was born to a noble family in Ravenna, Italy, circa 951. After seeing his father kill a man in a duel, he became a Benedictine monk in Classe, Italy. From 996 to 999 he served as abbot. St. Romuald traveled and started monasteries throughout Italy. He also founded the Camaldolese Benedictines and was a spiritual teacher of St. Wolfgang. He died in 1027 in Italy and his body was later found incorrupt. St. Romuald was canonized by Pope Gregory XIII in 1582.

St. Silverio was born in what is now Italy in 480. His father, Pope Hormisdas, only entered the religious life after having a family. St. Silverio became pope on June 8, 536. However, he was caught in the middle of political troubles and was kidnapped, falsely convicted of treason and then exiled to Ponza, Italy. He died for his faith by starvation in 537. St. Silverio is patron saint of Ponza.

St. Thomas More was born in London in 1478. A lawyer, he eventually became the Lord Chancellor of England, which was the most powerful position in England after the king. In addition to working with King Henry VIII, he was also friends with the king. However, the friendship ended when the king demanded a divorce. St. Thomas More refused to swear an oath which declared King Henry VIII to be the head of the church in England. The saint resigned the chancellorship and was imprisoned. He died for his faith in 1535. St. Thomas More is patron saint of lawyers.

St. John the Baptist’s birth was announced by a heavenly messenger. The Angel Gabriel told St. John the Baptist’s father that his wife, Elizabeth the relative of the Virgin Mary, would have a child despite her old age. St. John the Baptist lived as a hermit until around the year 27. He began to preach at age 30 and later baptized Jesus, whom he called the Lamb of God. The saint, who had many followers, encouraged people to follow Jesus. St. John the Baptist was beheaded.

St. William of Vercelli was born to a noble family in 1085 in Vercelli, Italy. After making a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela, Spain, when he was 14, he decided to devote his life to God. He attracted many followers while living as a hermit in Monte Vergine. He formed the Hermits of Monte Vergine (Williamites) with a Benedictine-based rule, in 1119. He served as an advisor to King Roger I of Naples and founded monasteries in that region. St. William of Vercelli died in 1142 of natural causes.

St. Cyril was born in Alexandria, Egypt, in 376. This monk and priest became bishop of Alexandria in 412 and later became patriarch of the city. He worked at the Council of Ephesus to fight the heretic Nestorius who said that within Christ there were two persons. St. Cyril also wrote a book against Julian the Apostate, a Roman emperor who worked against Christianity. St. Cyril, a doctor of the church, died in 444. He is patron saint of Alexandria.

St. Irenaeus of Lyons was born circa 130 in Asia Minor. This disciple of St. Polycarp of Smyrna became a priest in 177 and later became bishop of Lyons. He wrote against Gnosticism and was a great Western ecclesiastical writer. A father of the church, he emphasized the fact that Christ had a divine and human nature. He died for his faith in Lyons, France, in 202.

Ss. Peter and Paul are early leaders of the church. St. Peter, born with the name Simon, was a fisherman and an Apostle of Christ. Jesus named him Peter, which means rock, because Peter would be the foundation or “rock” of the church. St. Peter was a miracle worker who became the first pope. He was martyred circa 64; the saint was crucified with his head downward because he said he wasn’t worthy of dying the way Christ died. St. Peter is patron saint of fishermen, Rome and the papacy. St. Paul was born with the name Saul. He was a pharisee who persecuted Christians until he fell to the ground on the way to Damascus. He received a message saying he was persecuting Christ by persecuting Christians. After that, he converted to Christianity, changed his name to Paul and began to preach in various places. He was martyred for his faith circa 65. St. Paul is patron saint of writers, evangelists and missionary bishops.

Blessed Junipero Serra was born in 1713 in Spanish Majorca. He joined the Franciscans when he was 17 and was ordained in 1737. He became a missionary in western North America in 1749. He took over missions in Mexican provinces in 1768. Blessed Junipero Serra is credited with spreading the faith on the West Coast of the United States. He began 21 missions and converted and trained thousands of people. He died of tuberculosis in 1784 in California, and he was beatified by Pope John Paul II in 1988. The Serra Club, a Catholic organization which promotes vocations, gets its name from Blessed Junipero Serra.

Ss. Processus and Martinian worked as guards at a prison in Rome. They guarded Ss. Peter and Paul, Apostles, while they were in prison in Rome. Ss. Peter and Paul converted and baptized Ss. Processus and Martinian. The newly converted Christians were martyred in Rome. Ss. Processus and Martinian are mentioned in the Martyrologium Hieronymianum, a list of martyrs thought to be compiled in the sixth century.