Miniature Stories of the Saints

Anthony's wealthy family wanted him to be a great nobleman, but for the sake of Christ he became a poor Franciscan. Priest.

When the remains of Saint Berard and his companions, the first Franciscan martyrs, were brought to be buried in his church, Anthony was moved to leave his order, enter the Friars Minor, and go to Morocco to evangelize. Shipwrecked at Sicily, he joined some other brothers who were going to Portiuncula. Lived in a cave at San Paolo leaving only to attend Mass and sweep the nearby monastery. One day when a scheduled speaker failed to appear, the brothers pressed him into speaking. He impressed them so that he was thereafter constantly travelling, evangelizing, preaching, and teaching theology through Italy and France.

A gifted speaker, he attracted crowds everywhere he went, speaking in multiple tongues; legend says that even the fish loved to listen. Wonder worker. One of the most beloved of saints, his images and statues are found everywhere. Proclaimed a Doctor of the Church on 16 January 1946.

Profile

French nobility. At age 22, fearing the ways of the world, he, four of his brothers, and 25 friends joined the abbey of Citeaux; his father and another brother joined soon after. Benedictine. Founded and led the monastery at Clairvaux which soon had over 700 monks and 160 daughter houses. Revised and reformed the Cistercians. Advisor to, and admonisher of, King Louis the Fat and King Louis the Young. Attended Second Lateran Council. Fought Albigensianism. Helped end the schism of anti-Pope Anacletus II. Preached in France, Italy, Germany. Helped organize the Second Crusade. Friend and biographer of Saint Malachy O'More. Spritual advisor to Pope Eugenius III, who had originally been one of his monks. First Cistercian monk placed on the calendar of saints. Proclaimed a Doctor of the Church by Pope Pius VIII.

Every morning Bernard would ask himself, "Why have I come here?", and then remind himself of his main duty - lead a holy life.

Born
    1090 at Fontaines-les-Dijon, Burgundy, France

Died
    20 August 1153 at Clairvaux

Canonized
    1170 by Pope Alexander III

Born - 1090 at Fontaines-les-Dijon, Burgundy, France
Died - 20 August 1153 at Clairvaux

Profile
Son of Zebedee and Salome, brother of Saint John the Apostle, and may have been Jesus' cousin. He is called "the Greater" simply because he became an Apostle before Saint James the Lesser. Apparent disciple of Saint John the Baptist. Fisherman. He left everything when Christ called him to be a fisher of men. Was present during most of the recorded miracles of Christ. Preached in Samaria, Judea, and Spain. First Apostle to be martyred.

The pilgrimage to his relics in Compostela became such a popular devotion that the symbols of pilgrims have become his emblems, and he became patron of pilgrims. His work in Spain, and the housing of his relics there, led to his patronage of the country and all things Spanish; for centuries, the Spanish army rode to battle with the cry "Santiago!" ("Saint James!")

Like all men of renown, many stories grew up around James. In one, he brought back to life a boy who had been unjustly hanged, and had been dead for five weeks. The boy's father was notified of the miracle while he sat at supper. The father pronounced the story nonsense, and said his son was no more alive than the roasted fowl on the table; the cooked bird promptly sat up, sprouted feathers, and flew away.

Died
44 at Jerusalem; stabbed with a sword by King Herod Agrippa; legend says his body was taken by angels, and sailed in a rudderless, unattended boat to Spain where a massive rock closed around it; relics at Compostela, Spain

Also known as
    Joseph the Betrothed; Joseph the Worker; Foster father of the Lord 

Feast Days are both March 19 and May 1

Profile
    Descendant of the house of David. Layman. Carpenter. Tradesman. Earthly spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Foster and adoptive father of Jesus Christ. Visionary who was visited by angels. Noted for his willingness to immediately get up and do what God told him.

Died
    1st century, prior to the Passion of Our Lord, of natural causes

Name Meaning
    whom the Lord adds (Joseph)

Profile
Third-century archdeacon of Rome, distributor of alms, and "keeper of the treasures of the church" in a time when Christianity was outlawed. On 6 August 258, by decree of Emperor Valerian, Pope Saint Sixtus II and six deacons were beheaded, leaving Lawrence as the ranking Church official in Rome.

While in prison awaiting execution Sixtus reassured Lawrence that he was not being left behind; they would be reunited in four days. Lawrence saw this time as an opportunity to disperse the material wealth of the church before the Roman authorities could lay their hands on it. On 10 August Lawrence was commanded to appear for his execution, and to bring along the treasure with which he had been entrusted by the pope. When he arrived, the archdeacon was accompanied by a multitude of Rome's crippled, blind, sick, and indigent. He announced that these were the true treasures of the Church. Martyr.

Lawrence's care for the poor, the ill, the neglected have led to his patronage of them. His work to save the material wealth of the Church, including its documents, brought librarians and those in related fields to see him as a patron, and to ask for his intercession. And his incredible strength and courage when being grilled to death led to his patronage of cooks and those who work in or supply things to the kitchen. The meteor shower that follows the passage of the Swift-Tuttle comet was known in the middle ages as the "burning tears of Saint Lawrence" because they appear at the same time as Lawrence's feast.
Born
at Huesca, Spain
Died
10 August 258; cooked to death on a gridiron; buried in the cemetery of Saint Cyriaca on the road to Tivoli; tomb was opened by Pelagius to inter the body of Saint Stephen the Martyr; his mummified head removed to the Quirinal Chapel; the gridiron believed to have been his deathbed is in San Lorenzo in Lucina; garments in Our Lady's Chapel in the Lateran Palace

Also known as
    Apostle of Ireland; Maewyn Succat; Patricius; Patrizio
Memorial
    17 March
Profile
    Kidnapped from the British mainland around age 16, and shipped to Ireland as a slave. Sent to the mountains as a shepherd, he spent his time in prayer. After six years of this life, he received had a dream in which he was commanded to return to Britain; seeing it as a sign, he escaped. He studied in several monasteries in Europe. Priest. Bishop. Sent by Pope Saint Celestine to evangelize England, then Ireland, during which his chariot driver was Saint Odran, and Saint Jarlath was one of his spiritual students. In 33 years he effectively converted the Ireland. In the Middle Ages Ireland became known as the Land of Saints, and during the Dark Ages its monasteries were the great repositories of learning in Europe, all a consequence of Patrick's ministry.
Born
    387-390 at Scotland as Maewyn Succat
Died
    461-464 at Saul, County Down, Ireland
Canonized
    Pre-Congregation
Name Meaning
    warlike (Succat - pagan birth name);
    noble (Patricius - baptismal name)
Patronage
    archdiocese of Adelaide, Australia against ophidiophobia; against snakes; archdiocese of Armagh, Ireland; diocese of Auckland, New Zealand; diocese of Ballarat, Australia; archdiocese of Boston, Massachusetts; diocese of Burlington, Vermont; archdiocese of Cape Town, South Africa; diocese of Dromore, Ireland; engineers; diocese of Erie, Pennsylvania; excluded people; fear of snakes; diocese of Fort Worth, Texas; diocese of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; Ireland; diocese of Kilmore, Ireland; Loiza, Puerto Rico; archdiocese of Melbourne, Australia; diocese of Mymensingh, Bangladesh; archdiocese of New York; Nigeria; diocese of Norwich, Connecticut; ophidiophobics; diocese of Poona, India; diocese of Port Elizabeth, South Africa; diocese of Portland, Maine; diocese of Sacramento, California; snake bites

Memorial
    25 January (celebration of his conversion)
    29 June (celebration of Saints Peter and Paul co-founders of the Church of Rome)
    18 November (feast of the dedication of the Basilicas of St. Peter and of St. Paul)
Profile
    Saul was a Jewish Talmudic student. Pharisee. Tent-maker by trade. Saul the Jew hated and persecuted Christians as heretical, even assisting at the stoning of Saint Stephen the First Martyr. On his way to Damascus to arrest another group of them, he was knocked off his horse and to the ground, struck blind by a heavenly light, and given the message that in persecuting Christians, he was persecuting Christ. The experience had a profound spiritual effect on him, causing his conversion to Christianity. He was baptized, changed his name to Paul to reflect his new persona, and began travelling, preaacing and writing. Author of much of the New Testament of the Sacred Scriptures and is often called the 13th Apostle. He was martyred by the sword in Rome.
Born
    c.3 as Saul at Tarsus, Cilicia (modern Turkey)
Died
    A martyr, beheaded c.65 at Rome, Italy
Patronage
    against snakes; authors; Bath Abbey; Bath, England; Catholic Action; Cursillo movement; diocese of Birmingham, Alabama; diocese of Calbayog, Philippines; diocese of Covington, Kentucky; evangelists; hailstorms; hospital public relations; journalists; Kavala, Greece; diocese of Las Vegas, Nevada; lay people; Malta; diocese of Maralal, Kenya; missionary bishops; Münster, Germany; musicians; Naumburg, Germany; newspaper editorial staff; archdiocese of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; poisonous snakes; Poznan Poland; diocese of Providence, Rhode Island; public relations personnel; public relations work; publishers; reporters; Rome; rope braiders; rope makers; saddlemakers; saddlers; snake bites; tent makers; Umbria, Italy; diocese of Worcester, Massachusetts; writers
 

Also known as
    Cephas; Prince of the Apostles; Simon
Memorial
    29 June (feast of Peter and Paul)
    22 February (feast of the Chair of Peter, emblematic of the world unity of the Church)
    18 November (feast of the dedication of the Basilicas of Peter and Paul)
Profile
    Fisherman. Brother of Saint Andrew the Apostle who led him to Christ. Apostle. Renamed "Peter" (rock) by Jesus to indicate that Peter would be the rock-like foundation on which the Church would be built. Bishop. Miracle worker. First Pope.
Born
    as Simon
Died
    martyred c.64 crucified head downward because he claimed he was not worthy to die in the same manner as Christ
Canonized
    Pre-Congregation
Name Meaning
    rock
Patronage
    against frenzy; bakers; Bath Abbey; Berchtesgaden Abbey; Bremen, Germany; bridge builders; butchers; diocese of Calbayog, Philippines; Chartres, France; clock makers; cobblers; Cologne, Germany; Corbie Abbey; archdiocese of Davao, Philippines; Exeter College Oxford; Dunajská Streda, Slovakia; feet problems; fever; fishermen; foot problems; harvesters; diocese of Jackson, Mississippi; Köpenick, Germany; diocese of Las Vegas, Nevada; Lessines, Belgium; Leuven, Belgium; locksmiths; longevity; diocese of Maralal, Kenya; diocese of Marquette, Michigan; masons; Moissac, France; Naumburg, Germany; net makers; Obermarsberg, Germany; papacy; archdiocese of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Popes; Poznan Poland; diocese of Providence, Rhode Island; Regensburg, Germany; Rome; Saint Petersburg, Russia; diocese of Scranton, Pennsylvania; ship builders; shipwrights; shoemakers; Sint Pieters Rode, Belgium; stone masons; Toa Baja, Puerto Rico; Umbria, Italy; Universal Church; watch makers; Worms, Germany

Also known as

Angelic Doctor; Doctor Angelicus; Doctor Communis; Great Synthesizer; The Dumb Ox; The Universal Teacher