Gout / Gregory the Great, 540–604, Feast Day: September 3

A wealthy Roman patrician enjoying a luxurious life, Gregory turned his home into a monastery upon the death of his parents. Against his own wishes, he was named pope. He was responsible for groundbreaking advances in literature and music. Because of the rich diet and wines enjoyed in his youth, he suffered greatly from indigestion and gout.

Other patronages: music; popes, scholars, schoolchildren, singers, teachers

Invoked: against fires of purgatory, plague

The above patron saints have been extracted from the book “Patron Saints: A Feast of Holy Cards” by Barbara Calamari and Sandra DiPasqua. All images are from the collection of Father Eugene Carrella.