Whether you're an accountant, a construction worker or acomedian, there's a special saint just for you. The saints are alsothere when you face life's special challenges: St. Columbanus willprotect you against floods, St. Katherine Drexel against racism, andSt. James the Greater against arthritis.
"Some saints are patron saints, which means they are invoked fora particular cause, or against a particular illness, or to bless aparticular profession," explains Thomas J. Craughwell, author of"Saints Behaving Badly." "Sts. Cosmas and Damian are the patrons ofdoctors because they were doctors. St. Bernadette is the patron ofasthma sufferers because she was asthmatic."
Sometimes, he explains, it works in reverse: St. Sebastian, thegood-looking martyr usually depicted as shot through with arrows, isthe patron saint of archers. In this case, he wasn't the archer, butthe archer's target.
There are 40,000 Catholic saints.
Here is Craughwell's list of some special saints and the feastdays on the Church's liturgical calendar when that particular saintis commemorated.
Popular saints
St. Anne (1st century). The mother of the Virgin Mary and thegrandmother of Jesus, St. Anne has been beloved by Catholics andOrthodox Christians for more than 1,500 years. Feast day: July 26.
St. Jude (1st century). Although he was one of the 12 apostlesand a cousin of Jesus, there was almost no devotion to St. Judeuntil the 20th century. During the Great Depression of the 1930s, apriest on the South Side of Chicago urged his unemployedparishioners to pray to this almost forgotten saint. So many prayerswere answered that devotion to St. Jude spread rapidly across theUnited States. Feast day: Oct. 28.
St. Therese the Little Flower (1873-1897). This French Carmelitenun is considered one of the great wonder-working saints of alltime. It is said that through the prayers of St. Therese, miraclesdrop from heaven like a shower of roses. Feast day: Oct. 1.
St. Anthony of Padua (1195-1231). Anthony' canonization processwas the fastest in history: He was proclaimed a saint less than ayear after his death. Feast day: June 13.
St. Francis of Assisi (1181-1226). It is said that of all thesaints, Francis of Assisi most closely imitated Jesus Christ. He isalso the first person to receive in his hands, feet and side thestigmata -- the wounds that Christ suffered on the cross. Feast day:Oct. 4.
More obscure saints
St. Tarsicius (died 3rd century). A Roman altar boy, Tarsiciusconcealed the Eucharist, the bread consecrated at Mass, under hisclothes so he could bring Holy Communion to imprisoned Christians. Agang of men and boys suspected Tarsicius was hiding something anddemanded that he show them what he had; when Tarsicius refused, theybeat him to death. Feast day: Aug. 26.
St. Expeditus (died 4th century). Expeditus was a Roman soldierwho, with six fellow Christians, was martyred in Armenia. In 19thcentury France, Catholics began to invoke St. Expeditus againstprocrastination. Feast day: April 19.
St. Marcellus of Paris (died. c.430). There is a legend that in acemetery outside Paris there was a female vampire who fed on thepeople of Paris. To protect his flock, Bishop Marcellus entered thetomb, confronted the vampire and killed her. Feast day: Nov. 1.
St. Isidore of Seville (c.560-636). This Spanish bishop compileda 20-volume encyclopedia of all existing knowledge. In the 1990s,when online technology was young, Catholics in the new industryinterpreted St. Isidore's encyclopedia as the world's first databaseand adopted him as patron saint of the Internet. Feast day: April 4.
Not yet canonized
Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha (1656-80). A Mohawk Indian, Tekakwithawas born near present-day Auriesville, New York, in the MohawkValley. In 1675, a French Jesuit missionary arrived in Tekakwitha'svillage -- she became his only convert to Christianity and took thename Kateri (Mohawk for Catherine). Subjected to relentlessharassment, Kateri fled to a village of Christian Indians nearQuebec, where she could practice her faith in peace. Feast day: July14.
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