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St. Eusebius of Vercelli was born in Sardinia in 283. He was a priest in Rome who became the bishop of Vercelli, Italy, Dec. 16, 340. The saint fought against Arianism, a heresy which denied Christ’s divinity. At one point he was exiled to Palestine due to his battle with the heresy. Friends of St. Eusebius said he was a great writer, but none of the saint’s work has survived. Some say he was martyred by the Arians, but it is not known for sure. St. Eusebius died in 371.

St. Lydia Purpuraria was a lay woman who worked in Thyatira. She dealt purple cloth, which was the most expensive type of cloth in the first century. She is the first known convert of St. Paul the Apostle. St. Lydia Purpuraria is patron saint of dyers.

St. John Mary Vianney was born in the Lyons area of France in May 1786. As a child, he taught other children prayers and catechism. He was ordained in 1815 and sent to the parish of Ars in 1818. He visited his parishioners, most especially the sick and the poor, and he spent a lot of time in prayer. His preaching attracted large crowds, and he attracted 20,000 pilgrims by 1855. He was a parish priest for 40 years. He died in 1859. St. John Mary Vianney is patron saint of confessors and priests.

St. Oswald of Northumbria, the song a pagan king, was born circa 605 in England. After his father was killed, 11-year-old St. Oswald fled with his mother and six siblings. The young boy converted to Christianity soon after. A soldier, he formed is own army in 634 and defeated the king of Northumbria to take over the crown. St. Oswald built churches and monasteries, and brought monks from Scotland to start monastic life in the area. He died in 642 while in battle with non-Christian invaders. He was charitable toward the poor, devoted to his kingdom and was very pious. St. Oswald is patron saint of Zug, Switzerland.

St. Sixtus II, who was Greek, was a philosopher who converted to Christianity as an adult. He became a deacon in Rome and then became pope Aug. 30, 257. He was arrested while celebrating Mass during Valerian’s persecutions. St. Sixtus II was beheaded for his faith in August 258.

St. Dominic de Guzman was born in Old Castile in 1170. Born into Spanish nobility, he was the son of Blessed Joan of Aza. While pregnant with her son, Blessed Joan of Aza had a vision that her child would be a dog who caught the world on fire with the torch he carried in his mouth. A dog with the torch later became the symbol for the Dominicans, the order St. Dominic founded in 1215. St. Dominic worked for clerical reform, fought heresies and spread the devotion to the rosary. He died in August 1221. When St. Dominic was baptized, his mother saw a star on his chest and that is the reason he is patron saint of astronomy.

St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross was born with the name Edith Stein in what is now Wroclaw, Poland, in October 1891 to a Jewish family. She received a doctorate in philosophy in 1916. After seeing the strong faith of her Catholic friends, she began to study the catechism of the Catholic Church. She converted to Catholicism in Cologne, Germany, and was baptized Jan. 1, 1922. She became a Carmelite nun in 1934. Both Jewish and Catholic, she left Germany for an assignment in Holland in 1938. However, she was captured when the Nazis invaded the country. She died in Auschwitz in 1942. St. Teresa is patron saint of Europe and World Youth Day.

St. Lawrence was born in Spain sometime in the late second or early third century. Christianity was outlawed at the time, but St. Lawrence persevered in the faith. He served as an archdeacon of Rome. After St. Sixtus II (the pope) and deacons were captured and later martyred, St. Lawrence was the ranking church official of Rome. When St. Lawrence was told to appear for his execution with the church treasure the pope had entrusted to him, he appeared before the court with the crippled, blind and sick of Rome. He said they were the real treasures of the church. He died for his faith in August 258. St. Lawrence is patron saint of the poor because he went to great lengths to care for the poor during his life.

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.