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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.

St. Medard was born around 456 in France. He was ordained when he was 33 and became a bishop in the year 530. The bishop was loved by his people, and eventually legends about him surfaced. He died June 8, 545, in Noyon, France. St. Medard is patron saint against bad weather because he is said to have been sheltered from the rain by a hovering eagle.

St. Erasmus was the bishop of Formiae, Campagna, Italy. During Emperor Diocletian’s persecution of Christians, St. Erasmus fled and was supposedly fed by a raven in order to keep hiding. The first time he was captured, an angel rescued him. The second time he was captured circa 303, he was martyred and became one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers. The saints in this group are known to be great helpers in times of trouble or sickness. St. Erasmus is patron saint of women in labor, and patron saint against abdominal pain.

St. Ferdinand III of Castile was born to a royal family near Salamanca, Spain, in 1198. He became king of Castile in 1217 and king of Leon in 1230. Later he became king of Palencia, Valladolid and Burgos. St. Ferdinand founded the University of Salamanca and rebuilt the Cathedral of Burgos. The saint also founded hospitals, monasteries and churches. He reformed Spanish law and tried to better his country. St. Ferdinand, who died in 1252, is patron saint of governors and authorities.