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St. Joan of Arc is one of the most well-known martyrs in the Catholic faith, and is an image of bravery and confidence. Historians, military buffs, and Francophiles are as fascinated by her as hagiographers and those who seek to follow her example as a woman of faith, against enemy combatants as much as the political trial held against her.  Lifetime:  1412-1431 Region:  Normandy, France Patronages:  France; Martyr; Soldiers Iconograpy:  Armor; Sword; Flag Feast Day:  May 30 Young Joan was famously pious even as a child, but it was when she was thirteen that her faith reached a new level. At that age, she began to receive visions from St. Michael, St. Catherine , St. Margaret, and others. Joan didn't tell many about these visions, but it slowly became clear to her that through them God was calling her to defend her country. She took a vow dedicating her whole life to God, and at 17 managed to convince her prince to grant her an army and send her to battle. ...

St. Brendan of Clonfert, AKA St. Brendan the Voyager, AKA St. Brendan the Navigator, AKA St. Brendan the Abbot is famous for his legendary evangelical journey to the West. There's a lot of speculation as to whether Brendan may have reached the Americas 400 years before the Vikings did, and a thousand years before any other noteworthy Europeans (there may even be some evidence ). Bur regardless whether his voyage made him the first European in the New World, the narrative of St. Brendan is a fascinating tale rife with that famous Irish hyberbole that brings us saints like Muirgen the Mermaid . Lifetime:  ~500 Region:  Tralee, Ireland Patronages:  Sailors; Divers; Whales Iconograpy:  Boat; Whale; Preaching to fish Feast Day:  May 16 St. Brendan was fostered to St. Ita of Kileedy (the Brigid of Munster) when he was a year old. They became close friends and Brendan would visit her frequently between his travels throughout his life. He set up numerous monasteries thr...

As I mentioned in my post on Muirgen , the mermaid saint, I have a particular affinity for the more mythical side of the saints' stories. Perhaps it's just because I'm a fan of fantasy, but I like to think it's because myth has a way of sneaking deeper truths around our defenses. For an excellent example of the mythologized side of St. George, I highly recommend Margaret Hodges and Trina Schart Hyman's beautiful and moving St. George and the Dragon . Lifetime: ~300 Region: Cappadocia (modern Turkey) Patronages: England; Soldiers; Boy Scouts Iconograpy: Killing a dragon; Shield with red cross; Riding a horse Feast Day: April 23 Most of the popular story of St. George is not based on history. According to legend, George was a knight in shining armor, battling a vicious dragon on the green hills of Arthurian England to save a princess from certain death. In actuality, he was most likely an officer in the Roman military who was martyred for refusing to r...

There's a song in Just Dance called Isidora that is going to be in my head for the next 24 hours after writing this. In a world where the coronavirus has pushed many of our livelihoods and even social lives entirely onto the internet, Isidore of Seville, the patron saint of the internet, is a particularly appropriate intercessor for us to turn to. Lifetime: 560 to 636 Region: Seville, Spain Patronages: The internet; Students; Programmers Iconograpy: Crosier and miter; Book; Bees Feast Day: April 4 Isidore's parents were doing something right, because every child they raised ended up canonized as a saint. Isidore's brothers St. Leander of Seville and St. Fulgentius of Cartagena, and his sister St. Florentina of Caragena all join him among the Roman (and Eastern Orthodox) canon. As with St. Nicholas and St. Anthony the Great , St. Isidore was involved in combating the Arian heresy. I'm not sure there's any other movement in history that produced as m...

Today's saint is my first modern-era saint, Saint Oscar Romero. If you're interested in the life of Oscar Romero, I highly recommend the film Romero , which was created several years before Oscar Romero was even beatified. Oscar Romero is a particularly special saint for me personally, because I learned about his life and sacrifice before I converted. With all the ancient saints' many miracles and unbelievable tales, it can sometimes be easy to forget that the saints were real people who lived in a time and a place. But Oscar Romero's martyrdom doesn't let us forget that. His death was the same decade in which I was born. His sacrifice for peace and equality paid off in 1992 when the Salvadoran Civil War ended by the signing of the Chapultepec Peace Accords. Lifetime: August 15, 1917 to March 24, 1980 Region: El Salvador Patronages: El Salvador; The Americas; Persecuted Christians Iconograpy: Black cassock; Amaranth zucchetto and fascia; Glasses Feast Da...

St. Patrick is one of the most well-known saints in the world, and rightly so. His humility and boldness spurred one of the most amazing conversion stories. The conversion of Ireland occurred without bloodshed or conquest, and happened so rapidly that slavery (which was commonplace at the beginning of Patrick's mission) was completely eradicated in Ireland within his own life. One of the most well-known legends about Patrick -- chasing the snakes out of Ireland -- probably never happened, but his story is a fascinating tale even without it. Lifetime: ~386 to 461 Region: Ireland Patronages: Ireland; Snakes Iconograpy: Green robe; Miter and crosier; Shamrock; Snakes Feast Day: March 17 Patrick, known as Patricius in his native Latin, was born in Britain in what was then part of the Roman empire. Patrick's family was somewhat wealthy and Patrick would have experienced little hardship in his early life. But then, when he was a teenager, Patrick was captured by Iris...

I recently discvovered that the area where Saint Modomnoc died, Kilkenny, Ireland, is where my own Irish ancestors are from. Sometimes it's those little connections that imbue so much more meaning than even the big, flashy miracles. I first learned about Saint Modomnoc from a children's book which was recommended to me by Amazon. See, sometimes algorithms can be good! The book is called The Saint and his Bees and it's an adorable story with beautiful illustrations. There's not a lot of existing information on St. Modomnoc, so much of my post today will be inspired by this book. Also, as always, I've taken a few creative liberties of my own. Lifetime: ~500 to ~550 Region: Ireland & Wales Patronages: Bees & Beekeepers; Kilkenny, Ireland Iconograpy: Bees or beehive; Green robe; Red or gray hair & beard Feast Day: February 13 Modomnoc was named Dominic during his life (putting "Mo" in front was an Irish way of adding familiarity). He...