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Today is the feast of St. Andrew Kim Taegon and the Martyrs of Korea. St. Andrew’s parents were converts and his father was a martyr. St. Andrew converted at age 15 and became the first native priest of Korea. Additionally, he was the first priest martyred in Korea; he was tortured and beheaded in Seoul in 1846. St. Andrew is the leader of the Martyrs of Korea, a group including about 103 priests, missionaries and laypeople who were martyred when the church was just starting in Korea.

St. Januarius served as bishop of Benevento, Italy, during the persecutions under the Roman Emperor Diocletian. St. Januarius was arrested while spending time with imprisoned deacons. The saint and the deacons were all martyred circa 304. St. Januarius was thrown to wild beasts, but he was beheaded after the animals would not attack him. The saint’s blood was preserved and dried. Since 1389, his blood liquefies on his feast day and on the Saturday before the first Sunday in May. St. Januarius is patron saint of blood banks.

Today is the feast of the Holy Cross. Celebrated in Rome before the end of the seventh century, the feast celebrated the recovering of the portion of the holy cross which had fallen into the control of the Persians after it was preserved in Jerusalem. The portion of the cross was returned to Jerusalem in 629.

St. John Chrysostom was born circa 347 in Antioch. He served as a monk and priest in Syria for more than 10 years. The saint’s sermons clearly explained the Scriptures and earned him the title Chrysostom, which means golden-mouthed. He became bishop of Constantinople in 398 and later became archbishop and finally patriarch. The saint died in 407. He is a Greek father of the church and was proclaimed a doctor of the church in 451. St. John Chrysostom is patron saint of Constantinople.

Today is the feast of the Most Holy Name of Mary. The Blessed Virgin Mary is the mother of Jesus Christ.

St. Nicholas of Tolentino was born in the diocese of Fermo in 1245 to parents who had been childless until visiting the shrine of original St. Nicholas. St. Nicholas of Tolentino became an Augustinian friar when he was 18 years old, later became a monk and finally was ordained at age 25. After having a vision of angels mentioning Tolentino, he moved to that city in 1274 to become a peacemaker. He preached, healed and visited prisoners. It is said that the saint had visions of purgatory and made a special effort to pray for all of the souls there. He died in Tolentino in 1305. St. Nicholas of Tolentino is patron saint of souls in purgatory.

St. Peter Claver was born in Spain in 1581. He became a Jesuit at age 20 and was ordained a priest. Under the influence of St. Alphonsus Rodriquez, he became a missionary in the Americas. He ministered to slaves as they arrived in Colombia and is said to have converted about 300,000. For 40 years, the saint also pushed for humane treatment of plantation slaves. He did in 1654. St. Peter Claver is patron saint of African-Americans, Colombia and African missions.

Today is the feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. On this feast, the church celebrates with joy the birth of Mary, the mother of Jesus.

St. Regina lived in the third century. The daughter of a pagan, she was kicked out of her home for converting to Christianity. The poor shepherdess would not marry the Roman proconsul Olybrius, so she was imprisoned and tortured. She was martyred circa 286 in Autun, which is in modern-day France. St. Regina is patron saint of shepherdesses and poverty.

St. Donatian lived in the fifth century. Along with Fusculus, Germanus, Laetus, Mansuetus and Praesidius (all northern African bishops), he was against the church closings by King Hunneric of the Vandals, who was not a Christian. The bishops were tortured and left to die in the desert circa 484.

St. Boniface I was born in Rome circa 350. Ordained a priest, he became papal legate to Constantinople circa 405 for Pope Innocent I. St. Boniface was elected the 42nd pope in 418. Anti-pope Eulalius opposed Pope Boniface, so the Roman emperor exiled both men from Rome in an effort to keep peace. After Eulalius tried to return against the will of the emperor, he was exiled again and St. Boniface was declared pope. The saint strongly opposed Pelagianism. St. Boniface I died Sept. 4, 422, in Rome.

St. Gregory the Great was born circa 540 in Rome. He was prefect of Rome for a year before selling his possessions and turning his house into a Benedictine monastery. With his money, he built six monasteries in Sicily and one monastery in Rome. The future pope also served as a missionary to England. On Sept. 3, 590, he was elected the 64th pope. He sent St. Augustine of Canterbury and other monks to spread the word of God to England. The pope also sent missionaries to France, Spain and Africa. Since he collected melodies and plain chant, they became associated with him and are called Gregorian chants. He is one of the four great doctors of the church. He died in Rome in 604. St. Gregory the Great is patron saint of singers and England.