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St. Macrina the Younger was born in Cappadocia circa 327. She came from a Christian family. She was the granddaughter of St. Macrina the Elder, daughter of St. Emmelia, and sister of St. Basil the Great, St. Gregory of Nyssa and St. Peter of Sebastea. Although she was betrothed to a lawyer when she was 12 years old, she never married because the lawyer died before the wedding. Instead, she devoted herself to a religious life, becoming a nun. She headed a community of women in Pontus. She died there in 397.

St. Margaret of Antioch’s father was a pagan priest who disowned St. Margaret when she was converted to Christianity by her nurse. After being adopted by her nurse, the saint consecrated her virginity to God. A Roman prefect wanted to make St. Margaret his wife or mistress. When she refused, he brought her to trial. St. Margaret would not believe in the gods of the state, so she was sentenced to death. She died for her faith when she was beheaded, perhaps circa 303. She is said to have appeared to St. Joan of Arc and is one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers. It is said that St. Margaret was swallowed by the devil in the form of a dragon, but she was able to escape because her cross hurt the dragon. It is because of this that St. Margaret is patron saint of pregnant women and is patron saint against sterility.

St. Bridget of Sweden was born in 1302 or 1303 in Uppsala, Sweden. When she was 7 years old, she began having visions of the crucifixion. When she was 13 she married Prince Ulfo of Nercia and had eight children, including St. Catherine of Sweden. When her husband died in 1344, she went on a pilgrimage and decided to live a religious life. She became a Franciscan tertiary and a Cistercian. She founded the Order of the Most Holy Savior (Bridgettines) in 1346. She counseled three popes, Clement VI, Urban VI and Gregory XI. She encouraged each of the three popes to leave Avignon and return to Rome. She died in 1373. St. Bridget is patron saint of Sweden and widows.

St. Christina lived in the third century. It’s likely that she was a member of the Roman Anicii family, a pagan family. St. Christina became a Christian as a child and got rid of her father’s idols. Circa 250, her father tried to drown her because of her new faith. When she survived that, she suffered many other punishments, including being shot full of arrows. St. Christina, a martyr, is patron saint of archers.

Ss. Joachim and Anne are the parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the grandparents of Jesus Christ. The two saints were elderly when their only child, Mary, was born. It is believed that Ss. Joachim and Anne gave Mary to the service of the temple when Mary was 3 years old. St. Joachim is patron saint of grandfathers, and St. Anne is patron saint of mothers and grandmothers.

St. Pantaleon was a Christian and a physician who never married. He gave the poor money and medical treatment at no charge. Other doctors told authorities that St. Pantaleon was a Christian, and he was brought to trial. While on trial, St. Pantaleon healed a sick man by mentioning Jesus’ name; the pagan priests weren’t able to heal anyone. Witnesses converted to Christianity. The saint wouldn’t give up his faith, so he was martyred circa 305. St. Pantaleon is patron saint of doctors and bachelors.

St. Martha was a friend of Jesus and a hostess to him while he was in her house. St. Martha complained that her sister, St. Mary, was sitting at Jesus’ feet listening to him speak while she did all of the work in the house. Jesus told Martha that Mary had chosen better than she had. St. Martha, who died circa 80, is patron saint of homemakers.

St. Ignatius of Loyola was born in Spain in 1491. The youngest of more than 10 children in a noble family, St. Ignatius became a soldier in the army in 1517. After a bad leg injury during a battle in May 1521, the saint needed a lot of time to rest and heal. During that time he read religious books, and he also spent a lot of time in contemplation. He wrote his “Spiritual Exercises” during this time; Ignatian spirituality includes “finding God in all things.” After healing, St. Ignatius took a vow of chastity, became a Christian and received a degree in theology. The saint founded the Society of Jesus, which gained papal approval as a religious order in 1540. He served as General Superior from 1540 until his death in 1556. St. Ignatius of Loyola is patron saint of the Jesuits.

St. Alphonsus Maria De Liguori was born Sept. 27, 1696, near Naples, Italy. He received a doctorate in law at age 16 and had his own practice by age 21. When he realized his call to the religious life, he studied theology and was ordained at the age of 29. This preacher and home missioner began to write about theology, history and asceticism. He founded the Redemptoristines, an order for women, in 1730. In 1732, he founded the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer (Liguorians, Redemptorists). St. Alphonsus came to the rescue of the Redemptorists in 1777 when the government was threatening to disband them. The saint was able to gain the king’s approval for the order. He died in 1787. Pope Piux IX named him a doctor of the church in 1871. St. Alphonsus Maria De Liguori is patron saint of theologians and vocations.

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.