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Saints Anne and Joachim are the parents of Mary, the Mother of God, and thus the grandparents of Jesus. Not much is known about them, and what is part of the tradition mostly comes from apocryphal texts such as the Gospel of James, as well as the Quran. According to tradition, Anne and Joachim were not able to conceive any children until old age, where God rewarded their piety and they conceived Mary shortly before Joachim's death. Lifetime:  1st century BC Region:  Judea Patronages:  Grandparents; Married couples; Child care providers Iconograpy:  Often portrayed together; Holding young Mary Feast Day:  July 26 (Western); September 9 (Eastern)

Very little is known about St. Sebald's life, but he has been venerated since at least the 11th century in Nuremberg, Germany, where his major shrine is still located. He was a hermit who became a missionary and performed many miracles. His most famous miracle was when he was visiting a poor man in the depths of winter. The fire was low and Sebald and the man grew very cold, so Sebald asked him if he could put more wood on the fire, but the man said he was so poor to keep up such a fire. Sebald then asked for a bundle of icicles, which he threw on the fire. To the man's amazement, the ice burned like logs of wood! Lifetime:  800s or 900s Region:  Modern Nuremberg, Germany Patronages:  Cold weather; Nuremberg Iconograpy: Staff and cap; Burning icicles Feast Day:  August 19

St. Clare of Assisi was one of the first followers of St. Francis of Assisi , and went on to form her own order for women in the style as his Franciscans, known commonly as the Poor Clares. She is known for several miracles - once, when she was sick and unable to attend Mass, the image of the liturgy she was missing appeared on her bedroom wall so that she could still participate (for this reason she is the patron saint of television). Another time, soldiers tried to storm Assisi, she placed a monstrance displaying the Blessed Sacrament and prayed, and following a bright light, the soldiers were overcome with fear and fled the city. Lifetime:  1194 to 1253 Region:  Assisi, Rome (modern Italy) Patronages:  Eye disease; Needle workers; Television Iconograpy:  Monstrance or lamp sending out a beam of light; Poor Clares habit Feast Day:  August 11

St. Olga of Kyiv (also spelled Kiev) was the first woman to rule Kievan Rus', an empire in the land that is now part of Ukraine, Russia, and other eastern European countries, after her husband was assassinated by members of a nearby tribe who had once served as allies. Olga is especially famous for her brutal revenge against her husband's killers, including burning down their village by sending messenger pigeons carrying embers back to their homes, though her conversion to Christianity would occur later, when she was visiting Constantinople. Following her conversion, Olga tried to convert her son, now emperor of Kievan Rus' since he had come of age, but he had no respect for her faith. Still, her efforts convinced him to disallow persecution of Christian converts in the empire, which would pave the way for future conversion efforts. Lifetime:  ?? to 969 Region:  Kievan Rus' (Modern Ukraine) Patronages:  Widows; Converts; Ukraine Iconograpy: Empress attire; Cross; Pigeon

Thomas More was a lawyer and judge, as well as the Lord High Chancellor under king Henry VIII before the protestant reformation. However, his success as a politician would come at odds with his faith when the Church of England separated from the Catholic Church and appointed the King of England as its supreme head. More refused to swear allegiance to the king as the head of the church, and for this he was convicted of treason and beheaded. Up until his death, More wrote against the reformation. Just before he was killed, he kissed his executioner and forgave him. Lifetime:  1478 to 1535 Region:  London, England Patronages:  Lawyers; Adopted children; Politicians; Difficult marriages Iconograpy:  Fur hood; Robe; Quill pen; Chain of office Feast Day:  June 22

St. Marina's mother died when she was young, and in his mourning, her father decided to give all he had to the poor, marry off Marina, and become a monk. Marina didn't want this and convinced her father to let her join the monastery with him as a man, calling herself Marino. Nobody in the monastery knew that their new brother was actually a woman, and Marino developed a reputation for extreme piety, humility, and holiness. However, one day Marino and some of the other monks were sent on a trip, during which Marino was accused of fathering the child of an innkeeper's daughter. Though this was obviously impossible, the monk chose to accept exile as punishment rather than reveal herself as a woman. When the child was born, she adopted him and raised him as her own, feeding the baby with sheep milk. Eventually Marino and the child were accepted back into the monastery. The child became a monk himself, and Marino lived there until he died, whereupon his brothers finally learned