Saints of Cancer

This book is a collection of small articles, profiles of

Saints, Beati and Venerables of the Church who have
suffered with cancer, healed people with cancer, or
have a tradition of patronage against cancer and for
its sufferers. Articles are taken from the web site
http://saints.SQPN.com.

Expanded versions of these and thousands of similar

profiles of Christian saints with images, support
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Saint Agatha of Sicily

Memorial

5 February

Profile

We have little reliable

information about this martyr,
who has been honoured since
ancient times, and whose
name is included in the canon
of the Mass. Young, beautiful
and rich, Agatha lived a life consecrated
to God. When Decius announced the
edicts against Christians, the magistrate
Quinctianus tried to profit by Agatha's
sanctity; he planned to blackmail her
into sex in exchange for not charging
her. Handed over to a brothel, she
 refused to accept customers. After
rejecting Quinctianus's advances, she
was beaten, imprisoned, tortured, her
breasts were crushed and cut off. She
told the judge, "Cruel man, have you
forgotten your mother and the breast that
nourished you, that you dare to mutilate
me this way?" One version has it that
Saint Peter healed her. She was then
imprisoned again, then rolled on live
coals; when she was near death, an
earthquake stuck. In the destruction that
followed, a friend of the magistrate was
crushed, and the magistrate fled. Agatha
thanked God for an end to her pain, and
died.

Legend says that carrying her veil, taken

from her tomb in Catania, in procession
has averted eruptions of Mount Etna.
Her intercession is reported to have
saved Malta from Turkish invasion in
1551.

Born

in prison at Catania or Palermo, Sicily (sources

vary)

Died

martyred c.250 at Catania, Sicily by being

rolled on coals
Name Meaning

good

Patronage

against breast cancer

against breast disease
against earthquakes
against eruptions of Mount Etna
against fire
against natural disasters
against sterility
against volcanic eruptions
Ali, Sicily, Italy
bell-founders
Capua, Italy
Catania, Sicily, Italy
fire prevention
jewelers
Malta
martyrs
nurses
Palermo, Sicily, Italy
rape victims
San Marino
single laywomen
torture victims
wet-nurses
Zamarramala, Spain

Representation
 breasts on a dish
embers
knife
loaves of bread on a dish
pincers
shears
tongs
veil
virgin martyr wearing a veil and bearing her
severed breasts on a silver platter

Readings

Jesus Christ, Lord of all things! You see

my heart, you know my desires. Possess
all that I am - you alone. I am your
sheep; make me worthy to overcome the
devil. - Saint Agatha

Lord, my creator, you have protected me

since I was in the cradle. You have taken
me from the love of the world and given
me patience to suffer. Now receive my
spirit. - Saint Agatha

My fellow Christians, our annual

celebration of a martyr's feast has
brought us together. Agatha achieved
renown in the early Church for her noble
victory. For her, Christ's death was
recent, his blood was still moist. Her
robe is the mark of her faithful witness to
Christ. Agatha, the name of our saint,
 means "good." She was truly good, for
she lived as a child of God. Agatha, her
goodness coincides with her name and
her way of life. She won a good name by
her noble deeds, and by her name she
points to the nobility of those deeds.
Agatha, her mere name wins all men
over to her company. She teaches them
by her example to hasten with her to the
true Good, God alone. - from a homily
on Saint Agatha by Saint Methodius of
Sicily

Saint Alberto Hurtado Cruchaga

Memorial

18 August

Profile

Alberto's father died when

the boy was four years old,
and he grew up in poverty.
Educated at the Jesuit
College in Santiago, Chile.
He early felt a call to
religion, and to work with those as poor
as himself. He entered the Jesuit
novitiate in 1923, and was ordained in
1933. He taught religion at Colegion San
Ignacio, trained teachers at Catholic
 University in Santiago, led retreats for
young men, and worked in the poor
areas of the city whenever he could. In
1941 he wrote Is Chile a Catholic
Country?, and became national chaplain
to the youth movement Catholic Action.
During a retreat in 1944, Father Alberto
started the work that would lead to El
Hagar de Cristo which shelters the
homeless and tries to rescue abandoned
children, and was later modelled
somewhat on the American Boys Town
movement. In 1947, Hurtado founded
the Chilean Trade Union Association
(ASICH) to promote a Christian
labour-union movement. He founded the
journal Mensaje, dedicated to explaining
the Church's teaching, in 1951. He wrote
several works in his later years on trade
unions, social humanism and the
Christian social order.

Born

22 January 1901 at Vina del Mar, Chile

Died

18 August 1952 at Santiago, Chile of

pancreatic cancer

Venerated
 21 December 1991 by Pope John Paul II
(decree of heroic virtues)

Beatified

16 October 1994 by Pope John Paul II

Canonized

23 October 2005 by Pope Benedict XVI at

Rome, Italy

Readings

I am happy, Lord. - Saint Alberto's

frequent prayer during his fight with
cancer

Saint Aldegundis
Also known as

Adelgundis
Aldegonda
Aldegonde
Aldegondes
Aldegun
Aldegunais
Aldegund
Orgonne

Memorial
 30 January

Profile

Daughter of Saint Walbert and Saint

Bertilia; sister of Saint Waldetrudis; aunt
of Saint Madalberta. Lived in the
convent at Mons, Belgium with
Waldetrudis. Benedictine abbess.
Hermitess at Maubeuge Abbey; her cell
became the core of a Benedictine
monastery she founded, and she served
as its first abbess. Visionary. Friend of
Saint Humbert of Pelagius.

Born

c.633 at Hainault, Belgium

Died

30 January 684, probably of breast cancer, at

Maubeuge Abbey, France
buried there

Patronage

against breast cancer

against cancer
against childhood diseases
against sudden death
against wounds
cancer patients
Blessed Artemide Zatti

Memorial

15 March

Profile

One of three sons born to

Albino Vecchi and Luigi
Zatti. His was a poor family,
and the boy had to drop out
of school at age nine to work
for a wealthy neighbor. The
family eventually immigrated to Bahia
Blanca, Argentina to find work, arriving
in Buenos Aires on 9 February 1897.
There Artemide worked in a tile factory,
and attended a local parochial school run
by the Salesians. He felt drawn to the
Salesians, and at age 20 entered their
seminary, Casa di Bernal.

Artemide contracted tuberculosis while

caring for a young Salesian priest with
the disease, a man who died from it in
1902. He was sent to San Josè Hospital
for what little treatment there was in that
day, but with little hope. With his friend
and unofficial doctor, Father Evarisio
Garrone, Artemide prayed for the
intervention of Our Lady, Help of
Christians, offering to dedicate his life to
 the care of the sick; the young Salesian
was miraculously and completely healed.

He kept his promise. He worked in the

San Jose pharmacy, and learned about
hospital management from Father
Garrone. Upon his mentor's death,
Artemide took charge of the hospital,
and what time he could spare from his
administrative duty was spent caring for
patients. Today the hospital is now
named in his honour.

Born

12 October 1880 at Boretto, Reggio Emilia, in

northern Italy

Died

15 March 1951 of cancer at Bahia Blanca,

Argentina
relics interred in the Salesian chapel at Viedma,
Argentina

Venerated

7 July 1997 by Pope John Paul II (decree of

heroic virtue)

Beatified

14 April 2002 by Pope John Paul II

Blessed Carlos Manuel Cecilio Rodriguez
Santiago
Memorial

13 July

Profile

Second of five children

born to Manuel Baudilio
Rodriguez and Herminia
Santiago; one of his
sisters is a Carmelite nun,
one brother a Benedictine
monk, the first Puerto Rican to be an
abbot. At age 6, the family store and
home were burned to the ground; the
family moved in with his mother's
family, and Carlos spent time with his
pious maternal grandmother
Alexjandrina Esteras. At age 9 he
wrestled a rabid dog that had snatched
up his 1-year-old cousin; Carlos was
badly wounded in the fight; the cousin is
now his 70's. Carlos suffered from
ulcerative colitis from age 13, which
interrupted a brilliant scholarly career;
he completed high school, but it was
several years before he could move on to
college.
Carlos never passed up a chance to serve
as an altar boy. He worked as an office
clerk until 1946, and tried to attend the
University of Puerto Rico, but his health
prevented it. After a few lessons, he
taught himself to play piano and organ,
and he loved to spend days hiking in the
countryside.

Worked as an office clerk at Caguas,

Puerto Rico, and at the University of
Puerto Rico Agriculture Experiment
Station. Translator, converting English
documents to Spanish. Used his
translating skills to write, and with his
modest salary to publish Liturgy and
Christian Culture magazines. With the
help of Father McWilliams, he founded a
Liturgy Circle at Caguas. With Father
McGlone, he organized the chorus Te
Deum Laudamus.

His principal apostolic work was at

Catholic University Center, Rio Piedras,
Puerto Rico where he evangelized to
students and teachers. Carlos organized
another Liturgy Circle (Circulo de
Cultura Christiana: Christian Culture
Circle), and published Christian Life
Days to help university students enjoy
the liturgical seasons. Member of the
Brotherhood of Christian Doctrine,
 Holy Name Society, and Knights of
Columbus. Taught catechism to high
school students. Encouraged liturgical
renewal among clergy and laity, and
worked for active participation of the
laity, the use of vernacular language, and
devotion to the Paschal Vigil - all prior to
Vatican II.

His health declined further; he suffered

from rectal cancer, and the misery of
aggressive surgery in 1963. At one point
he felt himself abandoned by God, but
soon rediscovered his faith, and his
enthusiasm. Puerto Rico's first Blessed.

Born

22 November 1918 at Caguas, Puerto Rico

Died

13 July 1963 of cancer at Caguas, Puerto Rico

Venerable

7 July 1997 by Pope John Paul II

Beatified

29 April 2001 by Pope John Paul II

the miraculous cure of a patient's
non-Hodgkins malignant lymphoma in 1981 is
 attributed to him
his Cause is unique, being carried forward by
the laity

Readings

We need Catholics who are alert to the

present moment...modern Catholics who
know how to nourish themselves in the
past but whose eyes are fixed on the
future. - Blessed Carlos

Venerable Chiara Badano

Also known as

Luce Badano

Profile

Young lay woman in the

Diocese of Aqui Terme,
Italy. Daughter of
Ruggero Badano, a truck
driver, and Maria Teresa
Caviglia. A kind, happy
and pious girl, she enjoyed tennis,
swimming, hiking, singing, dancing and
initially wanted to be a flight attendant.
Member of the Focolare Movement at
age nine. At age 16 she began to feel
drawn to religious life; soon afterward
 she was diagnosed with cancer in her
shoulder. Chiara insisted that she could
become a missionary, but the cancer
spread quickly, affecting her spine, and
she lost the use of her legs. She finally
accepted that she wasn't going anywhere
and spent her remaining time praying
and being supportive of her family and
friends.

Born

29 October 1971 in Savona, Italy

Died

7 October 1990 in Sassello, Savona, Italy of

natural causes

Venerated

3 July 2008 by Pope Benedict XVI

Beatified

25 September 2010 by Pope Benedict XVI

Readings

"Don’t cry for me. I am going to Jesus.

At my funeral I don’t want people to cry,
but rather to sing with all their voices." -
Venerable Chiara during a medical
crisis near the end of her life
Blessed Claudio Granzotto
Also known as

Claudius Granzotto
Riccardo Granzotto

Memorial

15 August

Profile

Youngest of nine
children in a peasant farming family. His
father died when Claudio was nine years
old. Drafted into the Italian army at age
15, he served three years. Sculptor,
studying and graduating with honours
from the Academy of Fine Arts in
Venice, Italy in 1929. Professed brother
of the Order of Friars Minor in 1933.
Known for his life of prayer, his work
with the poor, and his unquestioned
artistic skill.

Born

23 August 1900 at San Lucia di Piave, Treviso,

Italy

Died
 15 August 1947 in Padua, Italy of a brain
tumor

Venerated

7 September 1989 by Pope John Paul II

(decree of heroic virtues)

Beatified

20 November 1994 by Pope John Paul II at

Rome, Italy

Blessed Edward Oldcorne

Memorial

7 April

Profile

Jesuit priest, ordained in Rome, Italy,

and received into the Society in 1587.
Worked in the English mission in
Worcestershire for 16 years. Father
Edward developed throat cancer, but
kept preaching through the pain. He
made a pilgrimage to the shrine of Saint
Winifred of Wales in Flintshire to seek a
cure; his cancer healed, and he returned
strong and healthy to his vocation.
 Edward fell victim to the revenge
following the Gunpowder Plot, a foolish
conspiracy hatched by a small group of
frustrated Catholic Englishmen to blow
up the king and parliament. All it did was
provide an excuse for renewed
persecution of Catholics, especially
Jesuits. Edward was arrested, falsely
accused, and tortured on the rack for
five days for information about the Plot.
Martyred with Blessed Ralph Ashley.

Born

1561 at York, North Yorkshire, England

Died

hanged, drawn, and quartered on 7 April 1607

at Worcester, Worcestershire, England

Venerated

8 December 1929 by Pope Pius XI (decree of

martyrdom)

Beatified

15 December 1929 by Pope Pius XI

Saint Emily de Rodat

Also known as

Marie Guillemette Emilie

de Rodat
Emilie de Rodat

Memorial

19 September

Profile

Raised by her grandmother. Educated at

Maison Sain-Cyr, Villefrance, France,
and at age 18, she became a teacher
there. Drawn to religious life, she joined
three different orders, but was not
comfortable with any of them. In 1815
she began tutoring poor children on her
own time, and by 1816 had founded a
free school with three assistants and 40
students. This formed the foundation of a
teaching institute that has since become
the Religious Congregation of the Holy
Family of Villefranche. Within her life
they had established 38 institutions, and
were caring for women in unfortunate
circumstances, orphans, prisoners,
retirement homes for aged religious, and
the elderly in general.

Born
 6 September 1787 at Chateau Druelles, Rodez,
Aveyron, France as Marie Guillemette Emilie
de Rodat

Died

19 September 1852 in Villefranche, Aveyron,

France of cancer

Venerated

19 May 1901 by Pope Leo XIII (decree of

heroic virtue)

Beatified

9 June 1940 by Pope Pius XII

Canonized

23 April 1950 by Pope Pius XII

Readings

I was sixteen years of age when I learned

to know Our Lord. This experience
overwhelmed me and I wanted God and
only God. - Saint Emily de Rodat

Saint Eugene de Mazenod

Also known as
 Charles Joseph Eugene
de Mazenod

Memorial

21 May

Profile

Eldest son of Charles-

Antoine De Mazenod and Marie-Rose
Joannis. His mother was of the French
middle class, convent educated, and
wealthy; his father was an aristocrat,
classically educated, and poor. Their
marriage, and Eugene's home life, were
plagued by constant family in-fighting,
and interference from his maternal
grandmother and a neurotic maternal
aunt. The women never let his father
forget that they brought the money to the
family.

On 13 December 1790, at age eight,

Eugene fled with his family to exile in
Italy to escape the French Revolution.
He spent eleven years in Italy, living in
Nice, Turin, Venice, Naples, and
Palermo. While he learned Italian and
German from dealing with people day to
day, the bulk of his education came in
Venice from Father Bartolo Zinelli, a
local priest. In Palermo he was exposed
to a wild and worldly life among rich
young Italian nobles.

After the Revolution, his mother

returned to France, but his father stayed
in Italy, ostensibly for political reasons.
Upon his own return to France in 1802 in
an attempt to reclaim the family lands,
Eugene tried to reunite his parents, but
failed, and they were divorced, an
unusual event in the early 19th century.
His often unsupervised youth, the
constant fighting at home, and the
eventual break up of his family led to his
patronage of dysfunctional families and
those in them.

For years, Eugene struggled in himself,

drawn on the one hand to the wordly life
he knew from Palermo, and the beauty
of the religious life he had seen in Venice
with Don Bartolo. In an effort to work it
out, Eugene began teaching catechism
and working with prisoners in 1805. God
won at last, assisted by a mystical
experience at the foot of a cross on
Good Friday 1807 when Eugene was
momentarily touched by the full force of
the love of God. He entered the
seminary of Saint Sulpice, Paris in 1808.
Ordained on 21 December 1811 at age
29 at Amiens, France.
Because of his noble birth, he was
immediately offered the position of Vicar
General to the bishop of Amiens. Eugene
renounced his family's wealth, and
preferred to become a parish priest in
Aix-en-Provence, working among the
poor, preaching missions and bringing
them the church in their native
Provencal dialect, not the French used
by the upper classes. He worked among
the sick, prisoners, the poor, and the
overlooked young. Eugune contracted,
and nearly died from, typhus while
working in prisons.

Eugene gathered other workers around

him, both clergy and laymen. They
worked from a former Carmelite
convent, and the priests among them
formed the Missionaries of Provence
who conducted parish missions
throughout the region. They were
successful, and their reputation spread,
bringing requests for them outside the
region. Eugene realized the need for
formal organization, and on 17 February
1826 he received approval from Pope
Leo XII to found a new congregation,
the Oblates of Mary Immaculate
founded on his core of missionaries.
Though he would have preferred to
remain a missionary, Eugene knew that
position with the Church hierarchy
would allow him to insure the success of
his little congregation. He was appointed
Vicar-General of Marseille in 1823.
Titular bishop of Icosia on 14 October
1832. Co-adjutor in 1834. Bishop of
Marseille, France on 24 December 1837,
ordained by Pope Gregory XVI.

He founded 23 parishes, built or retored

50 churches, cared for aged and
persecuted priests, restored ecclesiastical
discipline, and developed catechetics for
young people. Started work on the
cathedral and shrine of Notre-Dame de
la Garde in Marseille. Welcomed 33
congregations of religious brothers and
sisters into the diocese. More than
doubled the number of priests in his
diocese, and celebrated all ordinations
himself.

Eugene realigned parishes and

maneuvered behind the scenes to
weaken the government monopoly on
education. He was an outspoken
supporter of the papacy, and fought
government intervention into Church
matters. Publicly endorsed the dogma of
the Immaculate Conception, and worked
 for its promulgation. His printed writings
run to 25 volumes. Made a peer of the
French Empire. Archbishop of Marseille
in 1851 by Pope Blessed Pius IX. Helped
Saint Emily de Vialar re-build the Sisters
of Saint Joseph of the Apparition after
their move to Marseille. Named senator
and member of the Legion of Honour by
Napoleon III in 1856. Proposed as
cardinal in 1859.

On 2 December 1841, Bishop de

Mazenod's first overseas missionaries
arrived in Canada. By the time of his
death in 1861, there were six Oblate
bishops and over 400 missionaries
working in ten countries. The Oblates
continue their good work to this day with
some 5,000 missionaries in 68 countries.

Born

1 August 1782 at Aix-en-Provence, southern

France as Charles Joseph Eugene de Mazenod

Died

21 May 1861 at Marseille, France of cancer

on 12 December 1936, his body was exhumed
and found to be intact
part of his heart is venerated at Blessed
Sacrament Chapel at the Oblate-owned
Lourdes Grotto of the Southwest in San
 Antonio, Texas

Venerated

19 November 1970 by Pope Paul VI

Beatified

19 October 1975 by Pope Paul VI

Canonized

3 December 1995 by Pope John Paul II at Saint

Peter's Square, Rome, Italy

Patronage

dysfunctional families

Readings

I am a priest, a priest of Jesus Christ.

That says it all. - Saint Eugene

To love the Church is to love Jesus

Christ, and vice versa. - Saint Eugene

We glorify God in the masterpiece of his

power and love...it is the Son whom we
honour in the person of his Mother. -
Saint Eugene

Leave nothing undared for the Kingdom

of God. - Saint Eugene
 Learn who you are in the eyes of God. -
Saint Eugene

Blessed Eugenie Smet

Also known as

Marie de la
Providence
Mary of Providence

Memorial

7 February

Profile

Friend of Saint John Vianney. Felt a call

to acts of charity made on behalf of souls
in purgatory. Founded the Auxiliatrices
des Ames du Purgatoire (Society of
Helpers of the Holy Souls) in Paris,
France on 19 January 1856. The Society
continues its missionary work today in
22 countries.

Born

25 March 1825 at Lille, France

Died
 7 February 1871 at Paris, France of cancer

Venerated

22 February 1955 by Pope Pius XII (decree of

heroic virtues)

Beatified

26 May 1957 by Pope Pius XII in Rome, Italy

Patronage

people rejected by religious orders

Readings

If one of our friends was imprisoned in a

house of fire, how we should rush to her
help. Then think how we should try to
deliver the souls in Purgatory. - Blessed
Eugenie Smet

Saint Ezekiel Moreno y Diaz

Also known as

Ezequiel Moreno y Díaz

Memorial

19 August
Profile

Raised in a pious family

in a pious town. Joined
the Augustinian Recollects on 21
September 1864 at Montegudo, Navarra,
Spain. Prior of his monastery. Ordained
at Manila, Philippines on 3 June 1871,
and became a well-known missionary.
Vicar apostolic of Casanare and bishop
of Pinara, Colombia on 23 October
1893. Bishop of Pasto, Columbia on 2
December 1893. Noted for his generous
charity to the faithful of his diocese.

Born

9 April 1848 at Alfaro, Tarazona, Spain

Died

19 August 1906 at Montegudo, Navarra, Spain

of cancer of the palatte
the miracles related to his beatification and
canonization involve cures of cancer patients

Venerated

1 February 1975 by Pope Paul VI (decree of

heroic virtues)

Beatified

1 November 1975 by Pope Paul VI

Canonized

11 October 1992 by Pope John Paul II at Santo

Domingo, Dominican Republic

Patronage

against cancer

Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos

Also known as

Father Seelos
Francesco Saverio Seelos
Franz Xaver Seelos

Memorial

5 October

Profile

One of twelve children born to Mang

and Frances Schwarzenbach Seelos; he
was named for Saint Francis Xavier. His
father was a textile merchant who
became parish sacristan. Francis was
Confirmed on 3 September 1828, and
made his first Communion on 2 April
1830. The boy wanted to be a priest
from an early age, and often claimed he
would be another Francis Xavier.

He completed his basic studies in Füssen,

Germany, and graduated from the
Institute of Saint Stephen in Augsburg,
Germany in 1839. Received a degree in
philosophy and theology from the
University of Munich, and entered the
Saint Jerome seminary in Dillingen an
der Donau, Germany on 19 September
1842.

Francis became familiar with the

Congregation of the Most Holy
Redeemer, and their mission to work
with the poorest, the abandoned, and
immigrants. He joined on 22 November
1842. Feeling a call to minister to
German immigrants to America, he left
the seminary on 9 December 1842,
sailed for the America on 17 March
1843, and arrived in New York on 20
April. Ordained in the Redemptorist
Church of Saint James in Baltimore,
Maryland on 22 December 1844.

Worked nine years at Saint Philomena

parish in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, six of
those years as assistant pastor to, and
spiritual student of Saint John Neumann,
and the other three as superior and
novice master of his Redemptorist
community. Faithful to the Redemptorist
teachings, he led a simple life, preached
a simple message, and was always
available to those in need. His sermons
drew crowds from neighboring towns,
there were lines outside his confessional,
and he never tired of working with
children. He heard Confessions in
English, German, and French, from black
and whites and anyone else with a
burden.

Transferred to parish ministries in

Baltimore in 1854, Cumberland,
Maryland in 1857, and Annapolis,
Maryland in 1862. Proposed as bishop of
Pittsburgh in 1860, but he begged to be
excused "from this act of God", and his
desire was granted by Pope Pius IX.

In 1863, during the American Civil War,

all men were obliged to be available for
active military duty. Seelos, as Superior
of the Redemptorist Seminary, met with
President Abraham Lincoln, and
obtained an agreement not to send
seminarians to the front. Seelos soon
after lost his position as Prefect of
Students for being "too lenient".

From 1863 to 1866 he lived as an

itinerant mission preacher in both
 English and German in Connecticut,
Illinois, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey,
New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode
Island, and Wisconsin. Hearing of an
influx of German immigrants to New
Orleans, Louisiana, he pastored a
Redemptorist church there beginning in
1866. He worked with yellow fever
victims until he was taken by the illness
the next year.

Born

11 January 1819 at Füssen, Bavaria, Germany

baptized on the same day

Died

4 October 1867 in New Orleans, Louisiana of

yellow fever
buried in a crypt beneath the floor of Saint
Mary's Assumption Church, New Orleans

Venerated

27 January 2000 by Pope John Paul II (decree

of heroic virtues)

Beatified

9 April 2000 by Pope John Paul II at Rome,

Italy
responsible for the miraculous healing from
 inoperable liver cancer of Angela Boudreaux in
1966

Readings

O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer,

let the words of my mouth and the
meditation of my heart be pleasing in
Your sight. I offer praise to You for the
grace You have bestowed on Your
humble missionary, Father Francis
Xavier Seelos. May I have the same
joyful vigor that Father Seelos possessed
during his earthly life to love You deeply
and live faithfully Your gospel. Amen. -
Byron Miller, C.Ss.R.

Faithful to the spirit and charism of the

Redemptorist Congregation to which he
belonged, Father Francis Xavier Seelos
often meditated upon these words of the
Psalmist. Sustained by God's grace and
an intense life of prayer, Father Seelos
left his native Bavaria and committed
himself generously and joyfully to the
missionary apostolate among immigrant
communities in the United States.

In the various places where he worked,

Father Francis Xavier brought his
enthusiasm, spirit of sacrifice and
apostolic zeal. To the abandoned and the
lost he preached the message of Jesus
 Christ, "the source of eternal salvation"
(Heb 5: 9), and in the hours spent in the
confessional he convinced many to
return to God. Today, Blessed Francis
Xavier Seelos invites the members of the
Church to deepen their union with Christ
in the sacraments of Penance and the
Eucharist. Through his intercession, may
all who work in the vineyard for the
salvation of God's people be encouraged
and strengthened in their task. - Pope
John Paul II at the beatification
recognition for Blessed Francis

Saint Galla of Rome

Memorial

5 October

Profile

Born to the Roman nobility, the daughter

Symmachus the Younger who served as
consul in 485; sister-in-law of Boethius.
Lay woman, marrying soon after her
father's murder, but widowed after a
year of marriage; legend says she grew a
beard to avoid further offers of marriage.
She became a wealthy and pious recluse
on Vatican Hill, joining with a
community of women near Saint Peter's
 Basilica, caring for the poor and sick, she
founded a convent and hospital. Reputed
to have once healed a young deaf and
mute girl by blessing some water, and
having the girl drink from it.

A brief biography of her was written by

Saint Gregory the Great in his
Dialogues. Believed to have been the
inspiration for Concerning the State of
Widowhood written by Saint Fulgentius
of Ruspe. An image now above the altar
of Santa Maria in Campitelli, Italy and
formally housed in a church dedicated to
Galla, is thought to have been based on a
vision Galla received of Our Lady.

Died

c.550 of breast cancer

Saint Giles
Also known as

Aegidus
Egidio

Memorial

1 September
Profile

Born a wealthy noble. When his parents

died, Giles used his fortune to help the
poor. Known as a miracle worker. To
avoid followers and adulation, he left
Greece c.683 for France where he lived
as a hermit in a cave in the diocese of
Nimes, a cave whose mouth was guarded
by a thick thorn bush, and a lifestyle so
impoverished that, legend says, God sent
a hind to Giles to nourish him with her
milk.

One day after he had lived there for

several years in meditation, a royal
hunting party chased the hind into Giles'
cave. One hunter shot an arrow into the
thorn bush, hoping to hit the deer, but
instead hit Giles in the leg, crippling him.
The king sent doctors to care for hermit's
wound, and though Giles begged to be
left alone, the king came often to see
him.

From this, Gile's fame as sage and

miracle worker spread, and would-be
followers gathered near the cave. The
French king, because of his admiration,
built the monastery of Saint Gilles du
Gard for these followers, and Giles
became its first abbot, establishing his
own discipline there. A small town grew
up around the monastery, and upon
Giles' death, his grave became a shrine
and place of pilgrimage; the monastery
later became a Benedictine house.

The combination of the town, monastery,

shrine and pilgrims led to many
handicapped beggars hoping for alms;
this and Giles' insistence that he wished
to live outside the walls of the city, and
his own damaged leg, led to his
patronage of beggars, and to cripples
since begging was the only source of
income for many. Hospitals and safe
houses for the poor, crippled, and
leprous were constructed in England and
Scotland, and were built so cripples
could reach them easily. On their
passage to Tyburn for execution,
convicts were allowed to stop at Saint
Giles' Hospital where they were
presented with a bowl of ale called Saint
Giles' Bowl, "thereof to drink at their
pleasure, as their last refreshing in this
life." Once in Scotland during the
seventeenth century his relics were
stolen from a church and a great riot
occurred.

In Spain, shepherds consider Giles the

protector of rams. It was formerly the
 custom to wash the rams and colour their
wool a bright shade on Giles' feast day,
tie lighted candles to their horns, and
bring the animals down the mountain
paths to the chapels and churches to
have them blessed. Among the Basques,
the shepherds come down from the
Pyrenees on 1 September, attired in full
costume, sheepskin coats, staves, and
crooks, to attend Mass with their best
rams, an event that marks the beginning
of autumn festivals, marked by
processions and dancing in the fields.
One of the Fourteen Holy Helpers.

Born

at Athens, Greece

Died

between 710 and 724 in France of natural

causes

Patronage

against breast cancer

against epilepsy
against fear of night
against insanity
against leprosy
against mental illness
against noctiphobia
 against sterility
beggars
blacksmiths
breast feeding
cancer patients
cripples
disabled people
Edinburgh, Scotland
epileptics
forests
handicapped people
hermits
horses
lepers
mentally ill people
noctiphobics
physically challenged people
paupers
poor people
rams
spur makers
Tolfa, Italy
woods

Representation

arrow
crosier
hermitage
hind
saint accompanied by a hind
Blessed Isidore of Saint Joseph

Also known as

Brother of the Will of God

Isidore de Loor
Isidoor de Loor
Isidoor of Saint Joseph
Isidoro De Loor di San
Giuseppe

Memorial

6 October

Profile

Oldest of three children born to a pious

farm family, and loved working the
fields. Passionist lay brother, entering the
congregation in 1906, and making his
vows on 13 September 1908, taking the
name Isidore of Saint Joseph. Known
for an intense prayer life, and for his
personal simplicity and charity. Lost his
right eye to cancer in 1911, and suffered
through cancer during his few remaining
years.

Born

18 April 1881 at Vrasene, diocese of

Gent-Gand, Flanders, Belgium
Died

6 October 1916 of cancer and pleurisy at

Kortrijk, West Flanders, Belgium

Venerated

12 July 1982 by Pope John Paul II

Beatified

30 September 1984 by Pope John Paul II

Blessed James Salomone

Also known as

Father of the Poor

James of Salomonio
James Salomonelli
James Salomonio
James Salomonius
James the Venetian

Memorial

31 May

Profile

Born to the nobility, and an only child.

His father died when James was very
small, his mother left the family to
 become a Cistercian nun, and James was
raised by his grandmother. Tutored by a
Cistercian monk who taught the boy to
meditate. When he came of age, he
became a Dominican at Santa Maria
Celeste in Venice, Italy. On his way to
the monastery he gave away his money
to the poor he met on the way, keeping
only enough to buy books; on arrival, he
found a lay-brother in need of clothes;
he gave the man the rest of his money,
and entered empty-handed. Dominican
for 66 years, holding offices in several
houses in and around Venice. When
word got out about his gift for spiritual
direction, he feared the noteriety, and
tried to withdraw from public life,
transferring to the house in Forli, Italy, a
place noted for its poverty and strict
observance. Worked with the sick, heard
confessions by the hour, and gave away
everything that came to hand. Noted
healer with hundreds of miraculous cures
attributed to his intervention.

Born

1231 at Venice, Italy

Died

31 March 1314 of cancer at Forli, Italy

buried in the chapel at Forli
Beatified

1526 by Pope Clement VII

Patronage

against cancer
cancer patients
Forli, Italy

Representation

Dominican surrounded by a horde of

petitioners
Dominican with a staff and book and the
Christ-child over his heart
Dominican holding a heart with the letters
"IHS" on it

Prayers

God of endless ages, in your providence

you gave your people Blessed James to
attain the mystery of salvation. By his
life and prayers may we come to know
your Son and so experience his presence
more fully in our lives. We ask this
through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the
Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. -
General Calendar of the Order of
Preachers
Venerable Janez Francišek Gnidovec

Also known as

Ivan Franjo Gnidovec

Profile

Born to a small, poor, pious

farm family, Janez began
working the cows and hogs
as a small boy. His mother
died when the boy was
seven. An excellent student,
Janez helped support his family by
tutoring other boys. When his father died
in February 1892, Janez prayed for
guidance - and felt a call to the
priesthood. Ordained as a Vincentian
priest on 23 June 1896. Taught
catechism, and in 1905 became a teacher
and rector of a diocesan college. During
World War I the college served as a
hospital, and Janez ministered to all the
soldiers brought there for recovery,
learning Hungarian to help the men who
spoke it.

During all this time as a priest, Father

Janez felt that he was in the wrong place.
On 7 December 1919, he resigned from
the college and began a Lazarist
novitiate. His skills and spirituality were
immediately recognized, and he was
appointed assistant to the seminary
director.

Reluctant bishop of Skopje, Macedonia

on 30 November 1924. Catholics in his
diocese were a small minority, and the
region was in great turmoil following the
Balkan War and World War I. Bishop
Janez came in as a highly spiritual
outsider whose skill with languages
allowed him to communicate with
everyone in his troubled diocese. There
was a shortage of priests, and the new
bishop brought in priests from other
areas, and founded a seminary for locals.
Local Muslim and Orthodox officials
objected to activist Catholics, and
opposed the construction of Catholic
churchs. Janez helped the poor and
started charity work, which also brought
official objection. He supported
organizations such as fraternities of the
Blessed sacrament, fraternities of the
Sacred Heart, Catholic Action, and the
Legion of Mary to support a revitalized
spirituality in his diocese; Blessed Teresa
of Calcutta was a member of the Legion
in his diocese. Founded the magazine
Blagovijest (The Good News) on 25
March 1928 to reach the remote areas of
his diocese. He worked for Ecumenism
 and for less oppression of Catholics,
many of whom publicly claimed to be
Muslims and lived as covert Christians.
He won over many people by ministering
to anyone in need, regardless of
background or religion.

Born

29 September 1873 in Veliki Lipovec,

Žužemberk, Slovenia

Died

3 February 1939 in Ljubljana, Slovenia of a

brain cancer

Venerated

27 March 2010 by Pope Benedict XVI (decree

of heroic virtues)

Saint Josemaria Escriva

Also known as

Josemaria Escriva de
Balaguer

Memorial

26 June
Profile

One of six children born

to Jose and Dolores Escriva; three of his
siblings died in infancy. His father was a
small businessman, and when his
business failed in 1915, the family
moved to Logroño, Spain. As a young
man, Josemaria saw the bare footprints
left in the snow by a monk; the sight
moved him, and kindled a desire for
religious vocation. He studied for the
priesthood in Logroño and Zaragoza,
Spain. His father died in 1924, and
Josemaria had to simultaneously support
the family while studying. Ordained in
Zaragoza on 28 March 1925.

Assigned for a while to a rural parish,

and then in Zaragoza. Moved to Madrid,
Spain in 1927 to study law. Following a
profound spiritual retreat, Josemaria
founded Opus Dei in Madrid on 2
October 1928, opening a new way for
the faithful to sanctify themselves in the
midst of the world through their work
and fulfillment of their personal, family
and social duties. The next few years
were spent studying at the University of
Madrid, teaching to support his mother
and siblings, ministering to the poor and
sick, and working to build the foundation
 of Opus Dei.

Religious persecution in the Spanish

Civil War forced Josemaria into hiding,
and he ministered covertly to his
parishioners. He escaped across the
Pyrenees to Burgos, Spain. At the end of
the war in 1939, he returned to his
studies in Madrid. Doctor of law. Retreat
master for laity, priests, and religious.

On 14 February 1943 he founded the

Priestly Society of the Holy Cross,
united to Opus Dei. Josemaria moved to
Rome, Italy in 1946, and earned a
doctorate in theology from the Lateran
University. Consultor to two Vatican
Congregations. Honorary member of the
Pontifical Academy of Theology. Named
a prelate of honor by Pope Pius XII.

Opus Dei received the approval of the

Holy See on 16 June 1950. Josemaria
travelled frequently throughout Europe
and Latin America to work for the
growth of Opus Dei, and by the time of
his death, it had spread to five continents
with over 60,000 members of 80
nationalities, and today has over 80,000
members, most laymen.

Born
 9 January 1902 at Barbastro, Spain

Died

26 June 1975 of natural causes in his office in

Rome, Italy
interred at Prelatic Church of Our Lady of
Peace at Viale Bruno Buozzi 75, Rome, Italy

Venerated

9 April 1990 by Pope John Paul II (decree of

heroic virtues)

Beatified

17 May 1992 by Pope John Paul II

the beatification miracle involved the cure in
1976 of Carmelite Sister Concepcion Boullon
Rubio from the nearly-fatal cancerous form of
lipomatosis following prayers by her family for
the intercession of Father Josemaria

Canonized

6 October 2002 by Pope John Paul II

the canonization miracle involved saving a
surgeon's hands from a career-ending disease

Readings

With supernatural intuition, Blessed

Josemaria untiringly preached the
universal call to holiness and apostolate.
 Christ calls everyone to become holy in
the realities of everyday life. Hence
work too is a means of personal holiness
and apostolate, when it is done in union
with Jesus Christ. - Pope John Paul II in
his homily at the beatification of Saint
Josemaria

Saint Joseph of Leonessa

Also known as

Eufranio Desiderio
Joseph Desideri

Memorial

4 February

Profile

Third of eight children

born to John Desideri, a wool merchant,
and Serafina Paolini. His parents died
when the boy was 12 years old, and he
was raised and educated by his uncle
Battista Desideri, a teacher in Viterbo,
Italy. Desideri arranged a marriage for
Eufranio with a local noble family, but
the young man felt a call to religious life.
Worry over his vocation, and fear of
hurting his uncle, made Eufranio sick; he
returned to Leonissa to recover. There
he met, and was greatly impressed by, a
group of Capuchin monks. When
Eufranio told his uncle of his desire to
join them, Desideri insisted that he
continue his studies.

Eufranio agreed, and moved to Spoleto,

Italy to do so, but kept in contact with
the monks. Following a novitiate year in
which the monks did everything to test
and dissuade the young man, he joined
the Capuchin Franciscans on 8 January
1573 at age 18, taking the religious name
Joseph. Suffered through several
self-imposed austerities including fasting
three days a week and sleeping on bare
boards. Ordained at Amelia, Italy on 24
September 1580. Preacher throughout
the regions of Umbria, Lazio and Abruzzi
regions of Italy. Father Joseph once
converted an entire band of 50 highway
bandits, who then showed up as a group
for his Lent sermons.

Missionary to Muslim Pera near

Constantinople (modern Istanbul,
Turkey), receiving his commision on 1
August 1587. Chaplain for 4,000
Christian galley slaves. Often offered to
take the place of some slave who was
being worked to death, but the
authorities never accepted. Ministering
to prisoners in a remote camp, he got
home late, and was forced to sleep
outside the walls of his assigned area;
spent a month in jail, charged as a spy
for being in the wrong place. Preached to
any who would listen, brought lapsed
Christians back to the Church and
converted Muslims. Worked with
prisoners during a plague outbreak.

Joseph repeatedly sought an audience

with the Sultan; he planned to ask for a
decree of religious freedom. His forceful
methods led to his being arrested and
condemned to death for trespassing on
royal property. Hung by hooks over a
smoky fire for three days, he was freed
(legend says by an angel), and returned
to Italy, in autumn 1589.

There he resumed his vocation of

wandering preacher to small villages
throughout the country. Preached to and
for the poor, and spread the teachings of
the Council of Trent. Helped establish
hospitals, homeless shelters, and food
banks. Ministered in prisons, to the sick,
and the poor. With his crucifix in hand,
he would wade into gang fights and
brawls, praying, and preaching peace
and good sense.
Born

8 January 1556 at Leonessa, Umbria, Italy as

Eufranio Desiderio

Died

Saturday 4 February 1612 at Umbria, Italy of

cancer and post-operative problems from
surgery for that cancer

Name Meaning

whom the Lord adds (Joseph)

Beatified

22 June 1737 by Pope Clement XII

Canonized

29 June 1746 by Pope Benedict XIV

Patronage

Leonessa, Italy

Representation

with Saint Fidelis of Sigmaringen

Readings

Every Christian must be a living book

 wherein one can read the teaching of the
gospel. This is what Saint Paul says to
the Corinthians, 'Clearly you are a letter
of Christ which I have delivered, a letter
written not with ink, but by the Spirit of
the living God, not on tablets of stone
but on tablets of flesh in the heart' (2
Corinthians 3:3). Our heart is the
parchment; through my ministry the
Holy Spirit is the writer because 'my
tongue is nimble as the pen of a skillful
scribe'(Psalms 45:2). - from a sermon by
Saint Joseph of Leonissa

Blessed Ladislao Batthyany-Strattmann

Also known as

Ladislaus Batthyány-
Strattmann
László Batthyány-
Strattmann

Memorial

22 January

Profile

Born into an ancient noble Hungarian

family, the sixth of ten brothers. His
family moved to Austria when he was six
years old, and his mother died when he
was twelve. When of age he studied
agriculture, chemistry, physics,
philosophy, literature, music, and
medicine at the University of Vienna,
graduating with a medical degree in
1900. On 10 November 1898 he married
Countess Maria Teresa Coreth, a pious
woman, and the couple had thirteen
children; the whole family attended
Mass and prayed the Rosary every day.

In 1902 Ladislaus opened a private

25-bed hospital in Kittsee, Austria. He
worked there as a general practitioner,
and when he had sufficient staff,
specialized as a surgeon and eye doctor.
During World War I the flood of injured
soldiers required him to expand the
hospital to 120 beds.

In 1915 Ladislaus inherited the castle of

Körmend, Hungary, and with it the
family name Strattman and the title of
Prince. In 1920 he moved his family to
the castle, and turned one wing into a
hospital specializing in eye diseases.
Ladislaus' skills led him to become an
internationally known specialist in
opthamology.

Dr Ladislaus never turned away a patient

 because they could not pay, and
provided funds to the destitute. He
treated all, kept them in hospital as long
as necessary, gave away medications,
accepted what patients would pay when
they would, but never asked a fee from
anyone except that they pray an Our
Father for him. He prayed over each
patient before working on them, knew
that his skills were simply God working
through his hands, and saw his family
fortune as a way to help the poor. He
was considered a saint in life by his
family, his patients and fellow healers.

Born

20 October 1870 in Dunakiliti, Hungary

Died

22 January 1931 at Vienna, Austria of bladder

cancer
buried in the family tomb in Güssing, Hungary

Venerated

11 July 1992 by Pope John Paul II (decree of

heroic virtues)

Beatified

23 March 2003 by Pope John Paul II

Readings

When I grow up, I will be a doctor and

give free treatment to the sick and the
poor. - Blessed Ladislao as a little boy

In fidelity and charity. - Blessed

Ladislao's life motto

I am happy. I am suffering atrociously,

but I love my sufferings and am consoled
in knowing that I support them for
Christ. - Blessed Ladislao to his sister,
discussing his terminal cancer

Blessed Ladislaus Findysz

Also known as

Wladyslaw Findysz

Memorial

21 August

Profile

Born to pious peasants, the

son of Stanislaus Findysz
and Apollonia Rachwal. Received his
early education from the Felician
Sisters. Joined the Marian Solidality as
a young student. Entered the major
seminary in Przemysl in the autumn of
1927. Spiritual student of Blessed John
Balicki. Ordained on 19 June 1932.

Assistant parish priest at Boryslaw,

Poland (in modern Ukraine) on 1 August
1932. Assistant parish priest at
Drohobycz, Poland (in modern Ukraine)
on 17 September 1935. Assistant parish
priest at Strzyzów, Poland on 1 August
1937. Assistant parish priest at Jaslo,
Poland on 10 October 1940. Parish
administrator and then parish priest in
Nowy Zmigród beginning on 8 July
1941.

On 3 October 1944 Ladislaus and the

rest of the town were expelled by the
retreating German army. Having
survived the oppression of the Nazis, he
returned on 23 January 1945 to rebuild
the parish, and to care for war refugees
under the oppression of the Communists.
He saved several Greek Catholic families
who were being persecuted and exiled
by the Communists. From 1946 until his
death he was under surveillance of the
secret police; that same year he was
recognized for his good work by being
declared an honorary canon. Ordered to
stop teaching the catechism in 1952. In
order to hinder his work, in 1952 and
1954 he was ordered to live outside the
area of his parish. Vice-dean of the
Nowy Zmigród deanery in 1957; dean in
1962.

In 1963 he started the Conciliar Works

of Charity, a letter writing campaign to
parishioners to exhort them to return to
the Church, and to spread the word of
the reforms of Vatican II. The
Communists took a very dim view of this
work, and on 25 November 1963 Father
Ladislaus was arrested and imprisoned in
the Rzeszów Castle, two months after
major surgery to remove Ladislaus'
thyroid gland. A standard show trial was
conducted on 16 and 17 December 1963,
and Ladislaus was given a 30 month
sentence for the crime of "forcing"
religion on his parishioners. This was
followed by (also standard) series of
published slanders and lies to discredit
Ladislaus while he was being abused and
starved in prison. Transferred to the
central prison hospital on 25 January
1964, his health broken, and suffering
from cancer of the esophagus. Surgery
was postponed, and Ladislaus was
permitted to suffer and deteriorate.
Released from prison to his parish, Nowy
Zmigród, on 29 February 1964 due to his
 health, but civilian doctors proclaimed
his tumors inoperable. Martyr.

Born

13 December 1907 in Kroscienko Nizne, near

Krosno, Poland

Died

morning of 21 August 1964 of cancer of the

esophagus in the presbytery of Nowy Zmigród,
Poland
buried the same day in the parish cemetery

Venerated

20 December 2004 by Pope John Paul II

(decree of heroic virtues)

Beatified

19 June 2005 by Pope Benedict XVI

recognition celebrated by Cardinal Jozef
Glemp in Pilsudski Square, Warsaw, Poland
the Cause for canonization began on 27 June
2000, the first Cause from the diocese of
Rzeszów
beatification approved on 20 December 2004
by Pope John Paul II
first successful cause for beatification of a
martyr of the Communist persecution in Poland
recognition originally scheduled for 24 April
 2005, but delayed due to the death of Pope
John Paul II

Blessed Laura of Saint Catherine of Siena

Also known as

Laura Montoya y Upegui

María Laura de Jesus
Montoya Upegui

Memorial

21 October

Profile

Educated at the Holy Spirit School in

Amalfi, Colombia, and in Medellín,
Colombia. Teacher. Beginning in 1908,
she worked as missionary to the natives
in the Uraba and Sarare regions.
Founded the Works of the Indians and
the Congregation of Missionary Sisters
of Immaculate Mary and of Saint
Catherine of Siena who minister to the
poor throughout South America. Known
for her defense of Indian rights, and as a
strong role model for South American
girls.

Born
 26 May 1874 in Jerico, Antioquía, Colombia as
Laura Montoya y Upegui

Died

21 October 1949 in Medellín, Colombia of

natural causes

Venerated

22 January 1991 by Pope John Paul II (decree

of heroic virtues)

Beatified

25 April 2004 by Pope John Paul II

the miracle involved the 1994 cure of an 86
year old woman with uterine cancer

Saint Leopold Bogdan Mandic

Also known as

Adeodato Bogdan Mandic

Apostle of the Confession
Apostle of Unity
Bogdan Ivan Mandic
Brother Leopold
Leopoldo of Castelnuovo

Memorial
 12 May

Profile

Saint Leopold was a contrast between

physical frailty and spiritual strength.
Four foot five inches tall, and physically
weak, his health became worse with age.
He had a stammer, suffered abdominal
pains, and was gradually deformed by
chronic arthritis, making his frame
stooped, his hands gnarled, and his life
one of endless pain. Spiritually, Leopold
Mandic was a giant, full of Christian
strength. His humility and faith in God
enabled him to accept his poor physical
condition, and realize God's power - for
without God he could do nothing.

Twelfth child born to Peter and Caroline

Mandic. Physically malformed and
delicate of health, Bogdan early showed
signs of great spiritual strength and
integrity. At age 16, Bogdan left
Dalmatia for Italy where he became a
student at the Capuchin Seraphic School
at Udine, and an aspirant to the
Capuchins. He applied himself to his
studies, and entered the Capuchin Order
as a novice on 20 April 1884 at Bassano
del Grappa, taking the religious name
Brother Leopold. After his Profession of
Vows in May 1885, Leopold began
 clerical studies at Padua and Venice.
Ordained in Venice on 20 September
1890.

He wanted to be a missionary in Eastern

Europe, an area torn apart by religious
strife, but he was denied by his superiors
because of his frailty and general
ill-health. Stationed at various Friaries in
the Venetian Province from 1890 to
1906, including his homeland of
Dalmatia, where the Italian friars had a
mission. Posted to Padua, Italy in 1906
where, except for a year spent in a
prison camp in World War I because he
would not renounce his Croat
nationality, he remained for the rest of
his life. In Padua he became a Confessor
and Spiritual Director for almost forty
years. Father Leopold encouraged many,
especially the hopeless in enslavement to
sin. Though he did not go to the
missions, his long service in the
confessional proved it to be his own
apostolate. For nearly forty years, twelve
hours a day, he absolved and councelled
thousands of penitents, always weak but
always available.

Born

12 May 1866 at Herceg Novi, Dubrovacko-

Neretvanska Croatia as Adeodato
Died

30 July 1942 at the Friary in Padua, Italy of

oesophageal cancer

Venerated

1 March 1974 by Pope Paul VI (decree of

heroic virtues)

Beatified

2 May 1976 by Pope Paul VI

Canonized

16 October 1983 by Pope John Paul II

Prayers

O God, source of life and love, you gave

Saint Leopold a tremendous compassion
for sinners and a desire for church unity.
Through his prayers, grant that we may
acknowledge our need of forgiveness,
show love to others, and strive to bring
about a living unity among Christians.
Through Our Lord Jesus Christ, who
lives and reigns for ever and ever. Amen.

Readings

Have faith! Everything will be alright.

Faith, Faith! - advice from Saint Leopold
 Mandic

I am like a bird in a cage, but my heart is

beyond the seas. - Saint Leopold Mandic
when he realized that he would never be
a missionary

We have in heaven the heart of a

mother, The Virgin, our Mother, who at
the foot of the Cross suffered as much as
possible for a human creature,
understands our troubles and consoles
us. - Saint Leopold Mandic

Blessed Liduina Meneguzzi

Also known as

Ecumenical Flame
Elisa Angela Meneguzzi
Sister Great (meaning of
Gudda)
Sister Gudda (Ethiopian
nickname)
Sister Liduina

Memorial

2 December

Profile
Born to a poor farm family. Noted as a
child for her piety, attending daily Mass,
praying often, teaching catechism as
soon as she was old enough, and
considering the religious life. At age 14
she began working as a servant to local
wealthy families, and in the hotels
around the hot springs of Abano. On 5
March 1926 she answered the call to
religious life and joined the Sisters of the
Congregation of Saint Francis de Sales.

She worked for years at the Santa Croce

boarding school as housekeeper,
sacristan, nurse and big sister to the girls.
In 1937 she was finally allowed to enter
the mission fields, working at
Dire-Dawa, Ethiopia, a cosmopolitan,
crossroads city with people of many
backgrounds, races and religions
including Catholics, Copts, Muslims and
native pagans. Liduina worked as a nurse
in the Parini Civil Hospital first with
civilian patients, and after the outbreak
of World War II, with injured soldiers.
When the city was bombed she worked
in the streets, carrying the wounded to
shelter, baptizing dying children, leading
dying Christians through acts of
contrition.

Her work with the Ethiopians, black and

 white, Christian, Muslim and neither,
gave her the chance to speak to them all
about the faith. She would tell any who
would listen about the goodness of God
the Father; her example led many to ask,
and her ecumenism anticipated the later
work of Vatican II.

Born

12 September 1901 in Albano Terme, Padua,

Italy as Elisa Angela Meneguzzi

Died

2 December 1941 of cancer in Dire-Dawa,

Ethiopia
at the insistence of the injured soldiers who
loved her, she was buried in the military
graveyard at Dire-Dawa
relics translated to the motherhouse of the
Sisters of the Congregation of Saint Francis
de Sales in Padua, Italy in July 1961

Venerated

25 June 1996 by Pope John Paul II

(promulgation of decree on heroic virtues)

Beatified

20 October 2002 by Pope John Paul II

Readings
 The message that the Blessed Liduina
Meneguzzi nowadays brings to the
Church and to the world is that of hope
and love. A kind of hope which redeems
men both from their selfishness and from
aberrant forms of violence. A kind of
love which is an urge to solidarity, to
sharing out and to service, following the
example of Christ who came not to be
served, but to serve and to give his life to
save all of us. - from the Decree on the
Heroicness of the Virtues of Blessed
Liduina by the Congregation for the
Causes of Saints

I've never seen someone dying with such

joy and bliss. - the doctor who attended
Liduina at the end

Saint Lucia Filippini

Also known as

Lucy Filippini

Memorial

25 March

Profile

Orphaned when very

 young. Worked under
Blessed Rose Venerini to train
schoolmistresses. Founded the Pious
Matrons, a group devoted to the
education of young girls. Founded
several schools throughout Italy. Called
to Rome, Italy by Pope Clement XI in
1707 to establish the first school there.
Victim of a number of illnesses and
ailments throughout her life.

Born

13 January 1672 at Corneto, Tuscany, Italy

Died

25 March 1732 of cancer at Montefiascone,

Italy
buried at the Cathedral of Montefiascone

Beatified

13 June 1926 by Pope Pius XI

Canonized

22 June 1930 by Pope Pius XI

Readings

After she had lost both her parents,

Cardinal Marc'Antonio Barbarigo of
blessed memory took her into his care.
 He later availed himself of her services
in the founding of schools of Christian
doctrine for young girls. Active with the
greatest ardor for this foundation and its
propagation, she fully realized the
importance of this work for the glory of
God, the saving of souls, and the
Christian education of women. Her
ability and experience made her work
flourish and spread to our diocese and to
many others. Her endeavors earned her
the name of una donna forte--a strong
woman. Though she lived wholly for her
foundation, she never ceased praying at
the feet of the Lord, thus uniting, in
admirable fashion, the virtues of Martha
and Mary. To set her up also as a model
of invincible patience, God put her to the
severest tests. She died on the Feast of
the Annunciation, March 25, 1732, at
the age of 60, of cancer, in terrible pain,
which she endured with supreme
patience. - on a parchment found in the
grave of Saint Lucia

Blessed Margarita de Maturana

Also known as

Margarita María
Margarita María López
 de Maturana y Ortiz de
Zárate
Margarita Maturana
Mother Margarita de
Maturana
Mother Maturana
Pilar López de Maturana
Ortiz de Zárate

Memorial

23 July

Profile

Pilar and her twin sister Leonor were the

youngest of five children born to Juana
Ortiz de Zarate and Vicente Lopez de
Maturana. Both girls were known for
their piety in their youth, and Leonor
eventually joined the Carmelites of
Charity. On 10 August 1903, Pilar
entered the novitiate of the Vera Cruz
Mercedarian Monastery at Berriz, Spain,
taking the name Margarita. She taught
school and later served as principal. By
1922 her health began to suffer, and she
developed a duodenal ulcer that plagued
her the rest of her life.

Even within a cloistered contemplative

order, Margarita was drawn to
missionaries, and every night spent time
in prayer for their work; when interest in
missionaries developed at her school, she
formed a group dedicated to praying for
them. She eventually felt the call to
move from the contemplative life to
missionary work, and to take like minded
sisters with her. In September 1924 her
house asked the superior general of their
order to make the case for them, and on
23 January 1926 they were given
approval for an experimental move to
the missions. On 5 November 1926 a
group reached Wuhu, China, and on 4
March 1928 another arrived in Saipan in
the northern Marianas islands. Margarita
was named Mother Superior of her house
on 16 April 1927. On 11 November 1928
she arrived in Ponape in the Marianas on
her first mission trip.

The work that she and her sisters did was

so successful that on 17 May 1930 the
Sacred Congregation for the Religious
approved making the house in Berriz a
Missionary Institute. On 30 July 1931
Mother Margarita was chosen first
Superior General of Mercedarian
Missionaries of Bérriz, a position in
which she served her remaining years.
She made two more lengthy mission trips
to the south Pacific, but the ulcer
eventually led to cancer, her health
 failed, and she returned home for
treatment and to run the administration
of her house. Today there are over 500
Missionary sisters working all over the
planet.

Born

25 July 1884 on the 3rd floor of 52 Tenderia

Street, Bilboa, Vizcaya, Spain as Pilar López
de Maturana y Ortiz de Zárate

Died

12:15 am on 23 July 1934 at Donostia-San

Sebastian, Berriz, Vizcaya, Spain of stomach
cancer

Venerated

16 March 1987 by Pope John Paul II (decree

of heroic virtues)

Beatified

22 October 2006 by Pope Benedict XVI

recognition celebrated at Santiago Cathedral,
Bilbao, Vizcaya, Spain by Jose Cardinal
Saraiva

Readings

There are moments in life of special

importance such as when the Lord shows
 us the way to be followed and then
leaves it up to our will to respond. -
Blessed Margarita

I want to make good use of the time God

gives me and be ready when He finally
calls me to cast myself into His arms
forever; in an act of supreme
abandonment. What a joy! So be it. -
Blessed Margarita

Blessed Maria Anna Sala

Memorial

24 November

Profile

Daughter of Giovanni and Giovannina

Sala; fifth of eight children in a pious
family. Educated in the convent school
by the Sisters of Saint Marcellina in
Vimercate, Italy. She wanted to join the
Sisters, but her family needed her help,
and Maria returned home. In 1848, her
family obligations fulfilled, she returned
to the Sisters, and made her profession
on 13 September 1852. Over the next
four decades she taught at the Marcellina
schools in Cernusco, Chambery, Genoa,
and Milan. Diagnosed with throat cancer
 in 1883, she kept the matter to herself
and continued to work for another eight
years. Throughout the beatification
investigation and recognition everyone
involved stressed Maria's quiet dignity
and her unwavering devotion to Christ
no matter how severe her pain or trying
her circumstances.

Born

21 April 1829 at Brivio, Italy

Died

24 November 1891 at Milan, Italy of throat

cancer
remains found to be incorrupt when her Cause
was introduced in 1920

Venerated

14 April 1977 by Pope Paul VI (decree of

heroic virtues)

Beatified

26 October 1980 by Pope John Paul II

Saint Maria Bertilla Boscardin

Also known as
 Ann Francis Boscardin
Anna Francesca Boscardin
Maria Bertilla

Memorial

20 October

Profile

Born to a poor peasant family headed by

Angelo Boscardin who, by his own
account, was a violently abusive drunk.
Anna had little education, was simple
and innocent, and was considered
mentally slow; referred to as the goose
(as in, "silly as a...."). Worked as a house
servant in her youth. Joined the Sisters
of Saint Dorothy, Daughters of the
Sacred Heart at Vincenza, Italy in 1904,
taking the name Bertilla. After working
in the convent's kitchen and laundry, she
trained as a nurse in 1907.

Assigned to the hospital in Treviso, Italy,

a facility managed by the Sisters of Saint
Dorothy. Sister Maria worked in the
children's ward, becoming a great
favorite for her simple, gentle way with
the young patients. She cared for
wounded Italian soldiers during World
War I, and was noted by local authorities
for staying with patients in 1917 while
 the area was being bombed. A
supervisor, angry at Bertilla's growing
reputation, reassigned her to the hospital
laundry. Her congregation's mother-
general heard of this vindictive
treatment, and transferred Bertilla back
to nursing, making her the supervisor of
the children's ward in 1919.

Born

6 October 1888 at Brendola, Italy as Anna

Francesca Boscardin

Died

20 October 1922 of cancer at Treviso, Italy

many healing miracles reported at her tomb

Venerated

31 July 1949 by Pope Pius XII (decree of

heroic virtues)

Beatified

8 June 1952 by Pope Pius XII

Canonized

11 May 1961 by Pope John XXIII

the crowds gathered for the recognition
included family members and an unknown
number of her patients
Blessed Maria Euthymia Üffing
Also known as

Emma Uffing
Maria Eutimia

Memorial

9 September

Profile

One of eleven children

of August Üffing and Maria Schmidt,
Emma grew up in a pious family in a
small town. At 18 months, she developed
a form of rickets that stunted her growth
and left her in poor health the rest of her
life. Made her First Communion on 27
April 1924, and was Confirmed on 3
September 1924. Emma worked on her
parents' farm as a child, and by her early
teens began to feel a call to religious life.
She worked as an apprentice in house
keeping management at the hospital in
Hopsten, Germany, completing her
studies in May 1933. Entered the Sister
of the Congregation of Compassion
(Klemensschwestern) on 23 July 1933,
taking the name Euthymia; she made her
simple vows on 11 October 1936, and
 her final profession on 15 September
1940. Assigned to work at Saint
Vincent's Hosptial in Dinslaken,
Germany in October 1936. Graduated
with distinction from the nursing
program on 3 September 1939. Worked
as nurse through World War II, and in
1943 she was assigned to nurse prisoners
of war and foreign workers with
infectious diseases. She worked tirelessly
for her charges, caring for them, praying
for them, and insuring they received the
sacraments. After the war she was given
supervision of the huge laundry rooms of
the Dinslaken hospital, her order's
mother-house, and the Saint Raphael
Clinic in Münster, Germany; what little
spare time she had was spent in prayer
before the Eucharist.

Born

8 April 1914 in Halverde, Germany as Emma

Uffing

Died

morning of 9 September 1955 at Münster,

Germany of cancer

Venerated

1 September 1988 by Pope John Paul II

 (decree of heroic virtues)

Beatified

7 October 2001 by Pope John Paul II

Readings

Her life shows us that seemingly small

things can be very important in God's
eyes. From the human viewpoint this
sister was not a "star" in the limelight,
but her silent work was a ray of light to
many people that is still shining today. -
Pope John Paul II during the
beatification ceremony for Blessed
Maria

Sister Euthymia's life was a canticle of

hope in the midst of the war. - Father
Emile Esche, one of Blessed Euthymia's
patients

Blessed Mariano de Jesus Eues Hoyos

Also known as

Padre Marianito

Memorial

13 July
Profile

Eldest son of a religious

rural Colombian family in
a time when the state was hostile to the
Church. From age 16 he wanted to
become a priest; he entered the new
Medellin Seminary at age 24, and was
ordained in 1872. Worked in the parishes
of San Pedro and Yarumel, and in 1878
he was assigned as priest to Angostura,
Colombia where he spent the rest of his
life.

Mariano had a great love for the poor,

especially rural labourers. His preaching
was simple and effective, his time spent
ministering to the spiritual and social
needs of his flock, and the people who
knew him considered him a saint in life.
However, his parish was in an area beset
by civil war, and neither side seemed
sympathetic to the Church; several times
Mariano had to hide in nearby caves to
escape the fighting.

Padre Marianito was beatified after

confirmation of a miracle in the life of
Father Rafael Gildardo Velez Saldarriaga
of Medellin. Velez underwent prostate
surgery in 1970; in 1982 he developed
cancer on the scar. He had surgery,
 cobalt and estrogen therapies, and
seemed to have recovered. In March
1987 he developed an oedema of the
legs that turned into elephantiasis
followed by metastasis of the spinal
column, and the 75 year old priest was
pronounced terminal. But in September
1987 he began to improve. In two
months the oedema was reduced, the
cellulitis and bone metastasis had
disappeared. Doctors and scientists
examined Father Velez in June 1991, and
declared his cure had no scientific
explanation. Additional analyses carried
out in 1997 showed complete recovery,
and on 4 April 1998, the Medical
Commission of the Vatican Congregation
for the Causes of Saints acknowledged
unanimously that the priest's cure could
not be scientifically explained, and was
attributed to Padre Marianito's
intercession.

Born

14 October 1845 at Yarumal, diocese of

Antioquía, Colombia

Died

13 July 1926 at Angostura, Antioquia,

Colombia of severe urinary system infections
Venerated

3 March 1990 by Pope John Paul II (decree of

heroic virtues)

Beatified

9 April 2000 by Pope John Paul II

first Colombian to be beatified

Readings

I have already lived long enough. Now

my greatest desire is to be united to my
Jesus. - Blessed Mariano on his death
bed

[Father Mariano] knew how to integrate

himself totally in the life of the people,
sharing in the sorrows and joys of all. For
all of them he was a diligent Father,
teacher and trustworthy counselor, and a
faithful witness of Christ's love among
them. The poor, whom he called 'Christ's
nobles,' were his favorites. He never
hesitated to use his own goods to
alleviate the penury and indigence of the
weakest. He frequently visited the sick,
and was available at all times of the day
and night to help them. He took care of
children and youth with infinite
gentleness and simplicity to lead them on
the road of good habits and prudence. -
 Vatican Information Office

Blessed Marie-Azélie Guérin Martin

Memorial

13 July

Profile

Lifelong lay woman.

Lace maker. Married to
Blessed Louis Martin on
12 July 1858. Mother of
nine children; five of
them, all girls, survived
to adulthood and became nuns; the
youngest was Saint Therese of Lisieux.

Born

23 December 1831 in Saint-Denis-sur-Sarthon,

Orne, France

Died

28 August 1877 in Alençon, Orne, France of

breast cancer

Venerated

26 March 1994 by Pope John Paul II (decree

 of heroic virtues)

Beatified

Mission Sunday, 19 October 2008 by Pope

Benedict XVI
recognition celebrated at the cathedral at
Lisieux, France
on 3 July 2008 Pope Benedict XVI issued a
decree acknowledging a miracle involving the
2002 repair of a normally-fatal congential lung
condition suffered by the infant Pietro Schiliro
of Monza, Italy following a novena prayed by
Pietro's mother asking for the intervention of
Blessed Louis and Blessed Marie-Azelie

Blessed Mark of Aviano

Also known as

Carlo Domenico
Cristofori
Marco D'Aviano
Marco of Aviano

Memorial

13 August

Profile

Son of Marco Pasquale Cristofori and

Rosa Zanoni. Educated at home and at
the Jesuit school in Gorizia, Italy. He
was especially fascinated with stories of
the saints. At age 16 he left home to
walk to Crete, where Venice was at war
with the Ottoman Turks; he planned to
preaching Christianity to Muslims and
take his chance on martyrdom. After a
few days of hiking, he stopped at the
Capuchin house in Capodistria (modern
Kopar, Slovenia), seeking food and
shelter. The brothers took him in, fed
him, prayed with him, and advised him
to return home, which he did.

His time at the monastery affected Carlo

deeply, and in 1648 he became a
Capuchin novice at Conegliano, Italy.
He made his formal vows in 1649, taking
the name Mark. Ordained on 18
September 1655 at Chioggia, Italy. He
lived several years in the cloister, but in
1664 he was called to missionary duty,
preaching throughout Italy. Elected
superior of the Belluno, Italy house in
1672. Elected superior of the Oderzo,
Italy house in 1674.

On 8 September 1676, while preaching

at a monastery in Padua, Italy, Mark
prayed over Sister Vincenza
Francesconi, who had been bed-ridden
for 13 years; she was miraculously
healed. Word spread, and while he
continued preaching, Mark was soon
beseiged by people seeking miracles;
many were healed, and many were
brought to the faith.

His fame led his to become counselor on

religious and political matters to Leopold
I, emperor of Austria for nearly two
decades. Papal legate and Apostolic
Nuncio to Austria for Pope Blessed
Innocent XI. He secured the release of
Vienna from the Ottoman Turks on 12
September 1683. Travelled with the
army from 1683 to 1689 as advisor and
chaplain to soldiers of all ranks. He
helped negotiate the liberation of Buda
on 2 September 1686, and of Belgrade
on 6 September 1688. He worked as a
peacemaker throughout Europe, bringing
unity to warring Catholic powers,
educating them on the threat posed by
the Ottoman's - and never letting them
forget that all wise counsel was given by
God.

Legend has it that when the Ottomans

fled before the European army, they left
behind a lot of their strong, bitter coffee.
The Christian soldiers, to make this
liberated coffee more palatable, mixed it
 with honey and milk; they named the
drink after Mark's Order, the Capuchins,
and thus cappuccino was created.

Born

17 November 1631 at Aviano, Italy as Carlo

Domenico Cristofori

Died

13 August 1699 of cancer in Vienna, Austria

Venerated

6 July 1991 by Pope John Paul II (decree of

heroic virtues)

Beatified

27 April 2003 by Pope John Paul II

Readings

God knows that the scope of all of my

works is only to do His will. My only
interest is God's glory and the good of
souls. I am always an obedient son of
Holy Mother Church and am ready to
shed my blood and give my life for Her. -
Blessed Mark of Aviano

Blessed Mark of Aviano shone with

holiness as his soul burned with a longing
 for prayer, silence and adoration of
God's mystery. This contemplative who
journeyed along the highways of Europe
was the centre of a wide-reaching
spiritual renewal, thanks to his
courageous preaching that was
accompanied by numerous miracles. An
unarmed prophet of divine mercy, he
was impelled by circumstances to be
actively committed to defending the
freedom and unity of Christian Europe.
Blessed Mark of Aviano reminds the
European continent, opening up in these
years to new prospects of cooperation,
that its unity will be sounder if it is based
on its common Christian roots. - Pope
John Paul II in his homily at the
beatification of Blessed Mark of Aviano

Blessed Nazju Falzon

Also known as

Ignatius Falzon

Memorial

1 July

Profile

Son of Francis Joseph,

a judge, and Mary
Teresa, the daughter of judge. Ignatius
and all three of his brothers became
lawyers; two of his brothers entered the
priesthood. Ignatius received minor
orders at age 15. He earned a degree in
theology, but did not feel worthy of the
priesthood, and though his bishop
encouraged him, Ignatius never took the
final step of becoming ordained. Taught
catechism to children at the Institute of
the Good Shepherd; known to help the
poorer children with money, as well.

Worked with the British soldiers and

sailors stationed on Malta, meeting them
by hanging around the docks and other
places where they were assigned. They
were rough men in a rough district of
bars and and prostitutes, but when
Ignatius found those who interested in
the faith, he brought to his own home for
services. When more and more men
grew interested, he moved them to the
Jesuit Church in Valletta, Malta. To
explain the faith, he imported simple
religious works in assorted vernacular
languages, and distributed them to the
men. Wrote The Comfort of the
Christian Soul. He converted hundreds,
and for those who stayed on the island,
he became their pastor, performed their
 marriages, baptized their children, said
homilies at their funerals.

Born

1 July 1813 at Valletta, Malta

Died

1 July 1865, Valletta, Malta of cancer

buried in the family vault in the Chapel of the
Immaculate Conception in the Church of the
Franciscan Minors, Mary of Jesus in Valletta

Venerated

23 October 1987 by Pope John Paul II (decree

of heroic virtues)

Beatified

9 May 2001 by Pope John Paul II

beatification miracle involved the complete
disappearance of cancer in 64 year old man in
1981

Readings

The Servant of God Ignatius Falzon also

had a great passion for preaching the
Gospel and teaching the Catholic faith.
He too put his many talents and his
intellectual training at the service of
catechetical work. The Apostle Paul
wrote that "each one must do as he has
made up his mind, not reluctantly or
under compulsion, for God loves a
cheerful giver" (2 Cor 9:7). Blessed
Nazju was one who gave abundantly and
cheerfully; and people saw in him not
only boundless energy but also deep
peace and joy. He renounced the worldly
success for which his background had
prepared him, in order to serve the
spiritual good of others, including the
many British soldiers and sailors
stationed in Malta at the time. In his
approach to them, few of whom were
Catholic, he anticipated the ecumenical
spirit of respect and dialogue, which is
familiar to us today but which was not
always prevalent at that time.

Ignatius Falzon drew his strength and

inspiration from the Eucharist, prayer
before the Tabernacle, devotion to Mary
and the Rosary, and imitation of Saint
Joseph. These are fountains of grace
from which all Christians may drink.
Holiness and zeal for God’s Kingdom
flourish especially where parishes and
communities encourage prayer and
devotion to the Blessed Sacrament. I
urge you therefore to cherish your
Maltese traditions of piety, purifying
them where necessary and strengthening
 them with sound instruction and
catechesis. There would be no better
way of honouring the memory of Blessed
Nazju Falzon. - Pope John Paul II
during the beatification Mass for
Blessed Nazju

Saint Peregrine Laziosi

Also known as

Peregrinus Laziosi
Pellegrino Laziosi
Peregrinus Latiosi
Pellegrino Latiosi
Peregrine Latiosi

Memorial

1 May

Profile

Born wealthy, he spent a worldly youth,

and became involved in politics.
Peregrine was initially strongly
anti-Catholic. During a popular revolt, he
struck the papal peace negotiator, Saint
Philip Benizi, across the face. Saint
Philip calmly turned the other cheek,
prayed for the youth, and Peregine had a
conversion.
 He received a vision of Our Lady who
told him to go to Siena, Italy, and there
to join the Servites. After training and
ordination, they assigned him to his
home town. He lived and worked, as
much as possible, in complete silence, in
solitude, and without sitting down for 30
years in an attempt to do penance for his
early life. When he did speak, he was
known as a fervant preacher, excellent
orator, and gentle confessor. Founded a
Servite house at Forli, Italy.

A victim of a spreading cancer in his

foot, Peregrine was scheduled for an
amputation. He spent the night before
the operation in prayer; he received a
vision of Christ who touched the
diseased area. The next morning,
Peregrine found his cancer completely
healed.

Born

1260 at Forli, Italy

Died

1 May 1345 at Forli, Italy of natural causes

body incorrupt

Beatified
 11 September 1702 by Pope Clement XI
(cultus confirmation)

Canonized

27 December 1726 by Pope Benedict XIII

Patronage

against cancer
against breast cancer
against open sores
against skin diseases
AIDS patients
cancer patients
sick people

Saint Syncletica
Memorial

5 January

Profile

Wealthy Alexandrian lady who

abandoned her wealth and lived till age
84 as a hermitess in a tomb. Suffered in
her youth by temptations and spiritual
desolation; suffered in her maturity by
cancer and consumption.
Canonized

Pre-Congregation

Patronage

against bodily ills

against loss of parents
against sickness
against temptations
sick people
single laywomen

Saints who had Cancer

Blessed Artemide Zatti
Blessed Carlos Manuel Cecilio Rodriguez
Santiago
Blessed Claudio Granzotto
Blessed Edward Oldcorne
Blessed Eugenie Smet
Blessed Isidore of Saint Joseph
Blessed Ladislao Batthyány-Strattmann
Blessed Ladislaus Findysz
Blessed Liduina Meneguzzi
Blessed Margarita de Maturana
Blessed Maria Anna Sala
Blessed Marie-Azélie Guérin Martin
Blessed Mark of Aviano
Blessed Nazju Falzon
Saint Alberto Hurtado Cruchaga
Saint Aldegundis
 Saint Emily de Rodat
Saint Eugene de Mazenod
Saint Galla of Rome
Saint Joseph of Leonissa
Saint Leopold Bogdan Mandic
Saint Lucia Filippini
Saint Maria Bertilla Boscardin
Saint Peregrine Laziosi
Saint Syncletica
Venerable Chiara Badano
Venerable Janez Francišek Gnidovec

Patrons Against Cancer

Saint Aldegundis
Saint Ezekiel Moreno
Saint Giles
Blessed James Salomone
Saint Peregrine Laziosi

Patrons Against Breast Cancer

Saint Agatha of Sicily

Saint Aldegundis
Saint Giles
Saint Peregrine Laziosi

SQPN