The daughter of English nobility, Hilda was an abbess. She founded the influential Abbey of Whitby, a double monastery that educated both men and women. Her order was devoted to the arts and sciences, and she was the patroness of the first English poet, Caedmon. Her management skills and wisdom were legendary; many important rulers and kings asked for her advice and guidance.
As a wealthy young law student in Beirut, Gregory converted to Christianity. Upon his return to his native city he was named the bishop of the seventeen Christians who lived there. By the time of his death, all but seventeen pagans had been converted by him. Known for his healing abilities, he could dry up streams and move great boulders with the commands of his word.
Other patronages: Armenia; desperate and forgotten causes
Invoked: against flooding
Daughter of the king of Hungary, Elizabeth had a happy marriage to the prince of Thuringia. Her
in-laws were at odds with her interest in caring for the poor and sick. When her husband died on his way to the Crusades, she and her children were turned out by his family. She became a Franciscan tertiary, donating whatever money she had left to building a hospital for the abandoned sick.
Other patronages: Germany; charitable associations, Franciscans, hospitals, Knights of the Teutonic Order, Sisters of Charity; bakers; beggars, orphans, unjustly persecuted people, widows
Invoked: against in-law problems, plague, ringworm, toothache
Placed in the Cistercian abbey at Helfta in Saxony at the age of five, Gertrude never left the convent. She had a phenomenal intellect and was a student of Saint Mechtild. At the age of twenty-five, she had a vision of Christ that changed the course of her life. She lost all interest in secular studies, concentrating instead on religious literature. Her own mystical writings influenced many future saints, and she was the first to meditate on the sacred heart of Jesus. Her name was entered into the canon of the mass in 1677, and the king of Spain had her named as patron of the West Indies.
Other patronages: nuns, travelers
The military governor of Austria, Leopold married Agnes, daughter of the emperor. She was a widow with two children, whom he raised. He and Agnes had an additional eighteen children, eleven of whom survived childhood. Refusing the crown of the Holy Roman Empire, Leopold founded Benedictine, Cistercian, and Augustinian monasteries, developing new towns and cities in Austria.
Other patronages: Austria; death of children, large families
The first Eastern Orthodox saint recognized by the Vatican, Josaphat was intent on repairing the Great Schism, which divided the Eastern and Western churches. His virtuous example as a bishop in Belarus inspired many to reunite with the Roman Church. This became a political problem, and when rioting ensued, he traveled to Vitebsk to quell the violence. He was martyred by an angry mob who split his head open with an axe. When his uncorrupt body was recovered from the river, his enemies, ashamed of what they had done, had a complete change of heart on uniting the churches.
Born into a Hungarian military family, Martin was named for Mars, the Roman god of war. As a soldier, he converted to Christianity and was elevated to the office of bishop by the people of Tours. It is said he could turn water into wine, and he died on the day when the new wine is traditionally tasted. Immensely popular for his charity, he is known as the “Thirteenth Apostle.”
Other patronages: geese, horses; cavalrymen, cloth merchants, innkeepers, potters, tanners, vine growers, vintners; beggars, oppressed people
Invoked: against poverty
An ecclesiastical lawyer, Andrew left the law and devoted himself to the priesthood when he caught himself lying during a trial. He was assigned to close a convent in Naples that had become a brothel. When he succeeded, the local men threatened his life. He traveled through Italy reforming other religious houses. He had an attack of apoplexy and died while saying mass.
Other patronages: Naples, Sicily
Invoked: against sudden death
Born in England, Willibrord was a missionary in Denmark and Holland. He died founding a Benedictine monastery in Luxembourg. At his shrine there, a dance procession lasting several hours is performed in honor of his role in ending an epidemic of St. Vitus’ dance. The dance consists of three steps forward and five steps back, circling the saint’s tomb, and then leaving the church. This dance is also supposed to have curative powers for those with nervous disorders.
Other patronages: Luxembourg, the Netherlands
Invoked: against chorea, epilepsy, herpes, lumbago
The above Patron Saints are excerpted from the book: “Patron Saints: A Feast of Holy Cards” by Barbara Calamari and Sandra DiPasqua. All images are from the holy card collection of Father Eugene Carrella.
Universal healing and harmony are the themes of Saint Martin de Porres’s life. He was so in tune with the rhythms of nature and the universe that he was able to heal any sickness, read minds, and converse with animals. To Saint Martin, physical health was essential for spiritual growth; thus, he should be called on whenever wholeness in health or personal relationships are required. Multi-racial himself, he is the patron of racial harmony and invoked whenever racial tensions arise.
Saint Martin was born in Lima, Peru, just thirty-five years after the conquest of Pizarro. His father was a Spanish nobleman and his mother was a free black woman. Since people of mixed race were reviled, Saint Martin might have been just another social outcast in that country’s history. Instead, he became one of Peru’s national idols. When Martin was twelve he was apprenticed to a barber. In those times, besides being a haircutter, a barber was also a surgeon, doctor and pharmacist. By the time he was eighteen years old, Martin’s reputation as a healer was well established. Rather than pursue his profession, martin kept giving all of his money to the poor. His was a desire to serve God in a state of total childlike humility. He entered the local Dominican monastery as tertiary, the lowest possible level; there he swept the floors and dreamed of being martyred in some foreign mission. Instead, his undeniable talent as a healer became obvious, and he was put in charge of the infirmary. Tirelessly working, he tended to African slaves, the native population, and the Spanish nobility with the same all-consuming intensity. His power to heal any sickness was legendary, and he was so intuitive that his patients swore tha the could read their minds. Stories of his wondrous abilities spread and became more and more elaborate: he was seen walking through a locked door; he was seen in two places at one time; and some said that the could fly from one place to another.
Because of Saint Martin’s attunement to nature and its elements, animals flocked to him. He even set up a makeshift hospital to tend sick dogs and cats. Another story has it that he made a pact with the local rats and mice that he would feed them every day if they promised to stay out of the monastery. Each noon he opened the doors of the monastery and fed the poor. No matter how many hungry people were waiting, he never ran out of food.
Saint Martin’s holiness and miraculous cures made him famous in his own lifetime. Bishops and learned men routinely consulted him to resolve theological problems. This fame undoubtedly, was the most difficult aspect of his life, since humility and prayer were the most important things to him. Because of his earlier profession, Saint Martin de Porres is also the patron of hairdressers and barbers. In art he is often shown holding a lily for purity and a broom for humility, while standing with small animals at his feet to reflect his closeness to nature. Saint Martin de Porres died of quartan fever in 1639 when he was sixty years old. Immediately upon his burial, miraculous healings were reported all around his tomb site.
Feast Day: November 3, 2010
Patron Saint of: Racial Harmony, the Poor, Barbers, Hairdressers
Saint Martin de Porres, your concern and charity embraced not only your needy brethren, but also the animals of the field. You are a splendid example of charity; we thank and praise you. From above, hear the requests of your needy brethren.
(Mention your request).
By modeling our lives after yours, and imitating your virtues, may we live content knowing that God has looked favorably upon us. Because this is so, we can accept our burdens with strength and courage in order to follow in the footsteps of our Lord and the Blessed Mother. May we reach the Kingdom of Heaven through the intercession of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
Say this novena nine times in a row for nine days in a row.
(Excerpted from the book: “Novena: The Power of Prayer” by Barbara Calamari and Sandra DiPasqua.)
