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St. Adrian III was elected pope in 884. He was opposed to a faction in Rome led Formosus. He also had a member of that group, George of the Aventine, tried and condemned for the murders he committed. St. Adrian III died while heading to Worms, Germany.

Blessed Pope Eugene III was a Cistercian monk and was friends with St. Bernard of Clairvaux. Blessed Eugene, the abbot of the monastery Tre Fontaine, became pope Feb. 15, 1145. He promoted the Second Crusade. Pope Eugene III was exiled from Rome from 1146-1149 and in 1150. As pope, he tried to reform clerical discipline. Blessed Eugene III died in 1151.

St. Maria Goretti was born in 1890 in Italy. In 1902, when St. Maria was 12, she was attacked by a farm-hand named Alessandra Serenelli. He tried to rape the young girl, but she fought him and yelled that it was a sin. Serenelli choked and stabbed her. St. Maria survived the attack for two days, long enough to forgive Serenelli and ask God to forgive him. She then died holding a medal of Our Lady and a crucifix. She is considered a martyr. While in prison, Serenelli had a vision of St. Maria. He converted to Christianity and testified at the cause for her beatification. The young girl was canonized in 1950 in front of about 250,000 people, including her mother. St. Maria Goretti is patron saint of girls and rape victims.

The Protomartyrs of Rome lived in the first century. Nero accused these Christian men and women of burning Rome, although Nero was the actual culprit. Some martyrs were fed to wild animals, some were crucified and others were burned at banquets. They are called the Protomartyrs of Rome because they died before Ss. Peter and Paul.

Ss. John and Paul were Christian brothers who lived in Rome. They were martyred in their home after refusing to serve in the household of Julian the Apostate, a pagan emperor. The brothers are listed in the “Communicantes” in the Roman Canon of the Mass. A basilica in Rome is named for the brothers.

St. Audrey, a princess, was born circa 640. She married but was widowed three years later. Although St. Audrey took a vow of virginity, she married again for political reasons. Her second husband became impatient with her vow and tried to convince the local bishop, St. Wilfrid of York, to release her from it. Instead, the bishop helped St. Audrey escape. Some consider the lengthy high tide that kept St. Audrey’s husband away divine intervention. After an annulment, St. Audrey founded an abbey at Ely. She died in 679. St. Audrey is patron saint of widows.

St. Aloysius Gonzaga was born to a noble family on March 9, 1568, in Lombardy, Italy. His kidney disease caused him to spend a lot of time in bed, but the saint considered it a blessing because it gave him plenty of time for prayer. He joined the Jesuits when he was 18 years old. The saint helped care for plague victims when the disease hit Rome in 1591. While caring for them, he caught the plague and died. St. Aloysius Gonzaga is patron saint of AIDS patients and AIDS caregivers.

St. Leo III, an Italian, was a priest and cardinal who was elected to the papacy Dec. 26, 795. After his election St. Leo sent the keys of St. Peter to Charlemagne, who in turn sent money to the pope. St. Leo used the money to build churches and give funds to charities. On Christmas Day in 800, St. Leo crowned Charlemagne the first Holy Roman Emperor. The pope died June 12, 816, and his relics are at St. Peter’s in Rome.

Blessed John Dominic was born in Florence, Italy, in 1356. He joined the Dominican order when he was 17 years old. He became a priest and preached in Venice, Italy, for a dozen years. Blessed John Dominic was a great supporter of Christian education for youths. He served as confessor and advisor to Pope Gregory XII and became a cardinal in 1407. He made an effort to heal a schism in the church. Blessed John Dominic died June 10, 1419, and was beatified in 1837 by Pope Gregory XVI.

St. Ephrem of Syria was born circa 306. He converted to Christianity and was baptized at age 18. A deacon and preacher, he may have gone to the Council of Nicaea in 325. During a persecution of Christians in his land St. Ephrem led believers to Edessa, where he founded a school of theology. The saint fought Gnosticism and Arianism through the poems, hymns and homilies he wrote. He died in 373. In 1920, he was named a doctor of the church. St. Ephrem is patron saint of spiritual directors.