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St. Simon the Apostle was a convert who learned from St. Peter the Apostle. This saint evangelized in Mesopotamia and Egypt. According to some traditions, he also evangelized elsewhere. The saint was martyred, but sources do not agree on where or how he died. One story says that while in Persia, he was cut in half by a saw. St. Simon is patron saint of sawyers.

St. Frumentius was born circa the fourth century in what is now Lebanon. While on a sea trip, his ship wrecked on the shore of Ethiopia. St. Frumentius and his brother, St. Aedeius, were the only ones to survive. The brothers were taken to the king, who made them members of the court. After the king died, the brothers became members of the queen’s court. With the queen’s permission, they introduced Christianity to the region. St. Frumentius had St. Athanasius send missionaries to Ethiopia, where he became bishop. The saint converted many before he died circa 380. St. Frumentius is patron saint of Ethiopia.

St. Quodvultdeus was born in the late fourth century. He became a deacon circa 421 and was a friend and spiritual student of St. Augustine of Hippo. Carthage, where St. Quodvultdeus was serving as bishop, was invaded by Arians. After the invasion, the saint and his priests wee sent into exile by ship. The vessel ended up in Naples, Italy, where the saint continued his ministry. A Catholic bishop was not permitted in Carthage for another 15 years. St. Quodvultdeus died circa 450 in Naples.

Ss. Chrysanthus and Daria, a married couple, lived in the third century. They were very fervent about being Christian. They were martyred by being stoned to death circa 283 under Numerian and Carinus. They are patron saints of Salzburg, Austria.

St. Anthony Mary Claret was born Dec. 23, 1807, in Catalonia, Spain. Ordained in June 1835, he served as a missionary in Catalonia and the Canary Islands. He founded the congregation of Missionary Sons of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (Claretians) and the Teaching Sisters of Mary Immaculate. The saint became archbishop of Santiago de Cuba in May 1850. After returning to Spain, he became confessor to Queen Isabella II and was exiled with the queen. It is said he was able to prophesize and make miracles. He died in France in 1870. St. Anthony Mary Claret is patron saint of the Claretians.

St. John of Capistrano was born in Italy in 1386. He studied law and became a lawyer in Naples, Italy. However, when Perugia and Malatesta went to war in 1416, St. John became a prisoner after trying to broker peace. The saint later became a Franciscan in October 1416 and a disciple of St. Bernadine of Siena. He preached to thousands across Eastern Europe and began Franciscan renewal communities. When he was 70 years old, he led a march of 70,000 Christian soldiers in a crusade and died in 1456. St. John of Capistrano is patron saint of military chaplains.

St. Mark was the first bishop of Jerusalem who was not descended from a Jewish family. It is said that he was martyred after about 20 years.

St. Luke the Apostle was a physician who became one of the first converts to Christianity. According to legend, he was a painter who may have completed portraits of Jesus and Mary. After meeting St. Paul, the two evangelized Greece and Rome. St. Luke wrote the Gospel according to Luke and the Acts of the Apostles. He died circa 74 in Greece. He may have been martyred. St. Luke is patron saint of artists, bachelors and physicians.

St. Ignatius of Antioch was born circa the year 50 in Syria. He converted to Christianity and eventually become the bishop of Antioch, Syria. He served during the persecutions of Domitian and Trajan. The latter ordered that St. Ignatius be killed by wild animals in Rome. The trip to Rome took months, during which the saint wrote letters to churches. It is said that he was the first to use the term the Catholic Church. He was thrown to wild animals and died circa 107. St. Ignatius of Antioch is patron saint of the church in the eastern Mediterranean.

St. Theophilus lived circa 181. Although he intended to read Scriptures in order to attack Christianity, he converted. He was an apologist who wrote three books. The saint developed the doctrine of Logos (Word) and the word Triad to describe the relationship of the three persons in one God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit. He served the church as bishop of Antioch.

St. Bruno the Great, the youngest son of King Henry I and St. Matilda, was born in 925. He was a courtier for his brother, Emperor Otto I, before becoming abbot of Lorsch and Corvei. The saint later became archbishop of Cologne. He founded the monastery of St. Pantaleon at Cologne. He died in 965 in Rheims, France.

St. Paulinus of York was born circa 584 in Rome. He was a monk in Rome, and Pope Gregory the Great, a saint, sent him to be a missionary among the Anglo-Saxons in 601. He converted people in Kent for more than two decades before becoming bishop of York in 625. He converted many, including King Edwin (also a saint) in 627, while serving as the first missionary to evangelize in Northumbria. This saint also served as bishop of Rochester. He died Oct. 10, 644. St. Paulinus of York is patron saint of Rochester, England.