PATRON SAINTS
Expectant Mothers, Pregnant Women, Pregnancy
http://www.catholicpatronsaint.com/saintindex.html
Anne   Anthony of Padua    Dominic of Silos   Elizabeth   Gerard Majella  
Joseph   Margaret of Antioch   Raymond Nonnatus  Silvia of Rome  Ulric 
St Thomais is invoked by those seeking deliverance from sexual impurity.
Other saints whose intercession we seek for this purpose are:

St John the Much-Suffering (July 18) and St Moses the Hungarian (July 26).
Orthodox
1305 Saint Nicholas of Tolentino Patron of Holy Souls in Purgatory, and, with St. Joseph,
Patron of the Universal Church hundreds of miracles

The Prophet Nahum, 612 B.C., and St Nahum of Ochrid (December 23) are invoked for people with mental disorders.
St Bibiana {Dec 2} represented in her story as having been locked up with mad people she was widely honoured as a patron of the insane and epileptics. 
304 Jan 23 St. Emerentiana Martyr of Rome  invoked against colic and stomach ache
 Romæ sanctæ Emerentiánæ, Vírginis et Mártyris; quæ adhuc catechúmena, dum oráret ad sepúlcrum sanctæ Agnétis, cujus fúerat collactánea, a Gentílibus lapidáta est.
       At Rome, the holy virgin and martyr, St. Emerentiana.  Being yet a catechumen, she was stoned to death by the heathens while praying at the tomb of St. Agnes, her foster sister.

1968 of natural causes Coma   St. Padre Pio Memorial 23 September
1922 Blessed Maria Fortunata Viti: Patronage against poverty, against temptations, impoverishment, insanity, loss of parents, mental illness, mentally ill people, Canonization pending; if you have information relevant to canonization of Blessed Maria, contact Monastero S. Maria de’Franconi  P.zza de’Franconi 3 03029 Veroli FR, ITALY
1922 St. Maria Bertilla Boscardin  nursing very ill and disturbed children b.1888 
1917 St. Frances Xavier Cabrini; Nov 13; founded schools hospitals orphanages Patron of
immigrants; In 1946, Pope Pius XII named her patroness of all emigrants and immigrants.
1568 Stanislaus Kostka, SJ (RM); known for his studious ways, deep religious fervor, mortifications. After recovered
        from serious illness experienced several visions, he decided to join the Jesuits;
experienced ecstasies at Mass Venerated in Poland. Patron of young people (because of his youth). Invoked against broken limbs, eye troubles, fever, and palpitation. Also when in doubt (Roeder).
1450 May 15 Blessed Andrew Abellon, OP (AC) After his death, Blessed Andrew was buried in the Church of the Magdalen. His tomb soon became a place of pilgrimage; his help especially was sought in the cure of fevers (Benedictines, Dominicans, Dorcy).
1444 St. Bernardine of Siena was made the patron saint of advertisers and advertising in 1956 by Pope Pius XII because of his ability to illuminate the Catholic faith to audiences by the use of simple language and telling symbols. He is invoked against hoarseness, which he suffered in his early days of preaching, and is believed to have been cured by a prayer to the Blessed Virgin (White). He is also the patron of wool-weavers and invoked against diseases of the chest and lungs (Roeder).
Bernardino was made the patron saint of advertisers and advertising in 1956 by Pope Pius XII because of his ability to illuminate the Catholic faith to audiences by the use of simple language and telling symbols. He is invoked against hoarseness, which he suffered in his early days of preaching, and is believed to have been cured by a prayer to the Blessed Virgin (White). He is also the patron of wool-weavers and invoked against diseases of the chest and lungs (Roeder).
1345 Peregrine Laziosi received a vision of Our Lady who told him to go to Siena, Italy, and there to join the Servites healed by Jesus incorrupt fervant preacher, excellent orator, and gentle confessor Patron of Cancer Patients
St. Anthony of Padua is a saint ever ready to rescue persons from destructive accidents, such as the over-turning of wagons or carriages, the falling from windows or roofs of houses, the upsetting of boats, and such like; on any of these occurrences a person has only to call vehemently and with faith on St. Anthony in order to be rescued. The hundreds of small pictures we speak of represent these appealling scenes, with a figure of' St. Anthony in the sky interposing to save life and limb. On each are inscribed the letters P. G. R., with the date of the accident;—the letters being an abbreviation of the words Per Grazzia Ricevuto—for grace or favour received. On visiting the shrine, we remarked that many are quite recent; one of them depicting an accident by a railway train.
The other chief object of interest in the church is a chapel behind the high altar appropriated as a reliquary. Here, within a splendidly decorated cupboard, as it might be called, are treasured up certain relics of the now long deceased saint. The principal relic is the tongue of Il Santo, which. is contained within an elegant case of silver gilt, as here represented. This with other relics is exhibited once a year, at the great festival on the 13th of June, when Padua holds its grandest holiday.
It is to be remarked that the article entitled 'St. Anthony and the Pigs,' inserted under January 17, ought properly to have been placed here, as the patronship of animals belongs truly to St. Anthony of Padua, most probably in consequence of his sermon to the fishes.
1302 Bl. Andrew of Segni Franciscan mystic hermit visited by terrible demons invoked against such creatures.  Andrew was a member of a royal family of Anagni, the Contis. He entered the Franciscan Order and became a hermit in the Apennines, Italy. Andrew was visited by terrible demons throughout his life and invoked against such creatures.
1103 May 24 William Firmatus, Hermit; divine warning against avarice, gave all possessions to poor spent rest of life on pilgrimages (AC) He is invoked against headache (Roeder).
Saint William was both a canon and a physician at Saint-Venance. Because of a divine warning against avarice, William gave all his possessions to the poor and spent the rest of his life on pilgrimages and as a hermit at Savigny and Mantilly, where he is venerated (Benedictines).
In art, Saint William thrusts his arm in a fire. He may also be represented with a raven that shows him the way to the Promised Land.

1073 St. Dominic of Silos Benedictine abbot defender of the faith many miracles were recorded of Dominic in the course of his work, it is said that there were no diseases known to man not been cured by his prayers
1022 Bernward of Hildesheim, Nov 20 studied at the cathedral school of Heidelburg and at Mainz, where ordained in 987; patron of architects, goldsmiths, painters, and sculptors;
1012 St. Guy of Anderlecht; pilgrimage on foot to Rome and Jerusalem; patron of laborers and sacristans, and protector of sheds and stables.  He is invoked to calm infantile convulsions
994 St. Wolfgang Benedictine Bishop and reformer of Regensburg; Oct 31 Patron of carpenters, shepherds, woodsmen. Invoked against gout, hemorrhage, lameness, stomach troubles, and wolves; renowned for his charity aid to the poor,
869 St Edmund King and martyr Nov 20 Richard II invoked St. Edmund the Martyr as patron as to those threatened by the plague
779 St. Walburga Abbess of the double monastery at Heidenheim
 In monastério Heidenhémii, diœcésis Eistetténsis, in Germánia, sanctæ Walbúrgæ Vírginis, quæ fuit fília sancti Richárdi, Anglórum Regis, et soror sancti Willebáldi, Eistetténsis Epíscopi.
       In the monastery of Heidenheim, in the Eichstadt diocese in Germany, St. Walburga, virgin.  She was the daughter of St. Richard, king of England, and sister of St. Willebald, bishop of Eichstadt.
St. Walburga, Virgin  invoked against coughs, dog bite (rabies), plague, and for good harvests
782 St. Thomas of Antioch Syria Hermit saint for relief against pestilence
720 St. Otilie, virgin born blind, rejected by Lord Adalric, reared by abesses, baptized at 12 by Saint Erhard of Regensburg (Bishop of Bavaria) and immediately gained her sight.
 
In território Argentoraténsi sanctæ Othíliæ Vírginis; In the territory of Strasbourg,
Saint Odilia, (circa 660 - 720; Ottilia, Othilia, Otilie, Adilia, Odile; Virgin and Abbess,
patron of the vision, eye disease and eye problems, and opticians)
686 Erconwald of London founded Chertsey monastery in Surrey convent Barking Essex
invoked against gout OSB B
680 St. Ghislain founding abbot of a monastery; his intercession is sought to ward off convulsions from children
655 Saint Foillan of Fosses; Oct 31 the patron of children's nurses, dentists, surgeons, and truss-makers kept up close relations with Saint Gertrude's establishment at Nivelles OSB Abbot (RM)  (also known as Faillan)
650 May 15 Saint Dymphna Many miracles have taken place at her shrine on the spot where  buried in Gheel,
        Belgium Patron of suffering for  nervous &  mental affictions
; Dympna is invoked against insanity, mental illness of all types, asylums for the mentally ill, nurses of the mentally ill, sleepwalking, epilepsy, and demoniac possession (Roeder). A lovely set of nine prayers to Saint Dymphna are worth studying. 
7th v. Gerebernus  (also known as Gereborn, Gerebrand, Genebrard) 7th century. As an aged Irish priest Gerebernus accompanied Saint Dympna, whom he had baptized in her infancy, to Belgium and shared in her martyrdom at Gheel. He is the patron saint of the village of Sonsbeck (Santbeck), Cleves, in the Rhineland, Germany, where his relics are enshrined, except for his head, which is in Gheel. Curiously, he was the subject of "holy robbers of Xanten" who specialized in stealing holy relics, although they were unable to remove those of Dympna.
His intercession is sought against gout and fever (Benedictines, D'Arcy, Husenbeth).
470 St. Gratus Bishop Sept 7 and patron saint of Aosta Italy. He promoted evangelization and charity. He is the protector of vineyards and is invoked against dangerous animals, fire, insects, hail, lightning, rain, and storm (Roeder).
421 Saint Romanus the Wonderworker born in the city of Rosa;  Feast day Nov 27
St Romanus is one of many saints to whom we pray for deliverance from childlessness and barreness.
Some of the others are: St Stylianos (November 26), St Hypatius of Rufinus (March 31), Sts Theodore and John (July 12).

lived an ascetical life on the outskirts of Antioch, acquiring the gifts of clairvoyance and healing. Through his intercession, the Lord granted many childless women the joy of motherhood.
St Romanus was strict in his fasting, and he wore heavy chains beneath his hairshirt. The saint spent many years as a hermit without lighting a fire. Reaching old age, he departed to the Lord in peace.

368 St. Hilary of Poitiers fixed names of His nature: Patron saint of Snake Bites; (315?-368) a gentle courteous man devoted to writing some of the greatest theology on the Trinity Father Son Holy Spirit; His hymns are the first in the West with a known writer
4th v. St Catherine is called upon for relief and assistance during a difficult childbirth.
343. ST NICHOLAS, CALLED “OF BARI”, BISHOP OF MYRA Children, sailors, fishermen, merchants, the falsely accused, pawnbrokers, prostitutes, repentant thieves, many cities.
290 The Holy Martyr Boniface Dec 19 unharmed by boiling tin & tar relics glorified by numerous miracles
We pray to St Boniface for deliverance from drunkenness.
287 St. Quentin Oct 31 Patron of bombardiers, chaplains, locksmiths, porters, tailors, and surgeons; Invoked against coughs, sneezes, dropsy;  martyred Roman went to Gaul as missionary with St. Lucian of Beauvais
Apud Augústam Veromanduórum, in Gállia, sancti Quinctíni, civis Románi et ex órdine Senatório viri, qui sub Maximiáno Imperatóre martyrium passus est; cujus corpus post annos quinquagínta quinque, revelánte Angelo, invéntum est incorrúptum.
    At Saint Quentin in France, the martyr St. Quentin, a Roman citizen and senator, who suffered under Emperor Maximian.  By the revelation of an angel, his body was found incorrupt after a lapse of fifty-five years.
286 Saints Crispin & Crispinian Oct 25 patrons shoemakers cobblers leatherworkers
285 Zenobius, October 30 invoked by those suffering from breast cancer.
Bishop of Aegea
The Hieromartyr, and his sister Zenobia suffered a martyr's death in Cilicia
From childhood they were raised in the holy Christian Faith by their parents, and they led pious and chaste lives. In their mature years, shunning the love of money, they distributed away their inherited wealth giving it to the poor. For his beneficence and holy life the Lord rewarded Zenobius with the gift of healing various maladies. He was also chosen bishop of a Christian community in Cilicia.
270 St. Gregory Thaumaturgus Nov 17 (means the wonderworker); miracles; first recorded vision of Our Lady;
Patronage  against earthquakes, desperate causes, floods, forgotten causes, impossible causes, lost causes; in southern Italy and Sicily, where he is invoked in times of earthquake and, on account of his miracle of stopping the flooding of the River Lycus, against inunda­tions.
Saint Jude To be said when problems arise or when one seems to be deprived of all visible help, or for cases almost despaired of.    Most holy apostle, St. Jude, faithful servant and friend of Jesus, the name of the traitor who delivered your beloved Master into the hands of his enemies has caused you to be forgotten by many, but the Church honors and invokes you universally as the patron of hopeless causes, of things almost despaired of.
3rd v. Carpus, Papylus ( known for his gift of curing the sick Since his martyrdom, he has granted healing to all who pray to him with faith.), Agathodorus and Agathonike Martyrs suffered at Pergamun during the persecution of Decius

The governor of the district where the saints lived discovered that Carpus and Papylus did not celebrate the pagan festivals. He ordered that the transgressors be arrested and persuaded to accept the Roman pagan religion. The saints replied that they would never worship false gods. The judge then ordered them to be bound in iron chains and led through the city, and then to be tied to horses and dragged to the nearby city of Sardis.
Agathodorus and Agathonike voluntarily followed after Carpus and Papylus. St Agathonike was choked to death with ox sinews and Sts Carpus, Papylus and Agathodorus were beheaded in Sardis.
During his life St Papylus was known for his gift of curing the sick. 
Since his martyrdom, he has granted healing to all who pray to him with faith.
Dympha  Sleep 
Brigid of Ireland · Holy Innocents · Nicholas of Tolentino · Philip of Zell · Philomena   Babies
Catherine of Alexandria · Genesius · Ivo of Kermartin · Mark the Evangelist · Raymond of Penyafort
law lawyers attorneys barristers
Saint Rita of Cascia: St Joseph: Patron Saint of Those Selling   Housing
Convulsive children Guy of Anderlecht, John the Baptist, Scholastica,   St Ghislain, 
Erasmus (Elmo), Agapitus, Charles Borromeo, Emerentiana, Liborius  Abdominal pains
Bernadine of Siena   Against chest problems; lungs; respiratory ailments 
Cornelius, Polycarp of Smyrna Against earaches 
Andrew, Apostle, Coloman, Maurus, Gregory the Great, Killian, Maurice, Gerebernus, Totnan, Apollinaris, Erconwald of London   Against gout; gout sufferers
1167 Idesbald of Dunes court of Flanders OSB Cist. Abbot (AC) He is the patron of sailors and invoked against rheumatism, gout, and fever (Roeder).
Bernardine of Siena, Maurus  Against hoarseness 
Benedict Against inflammatory diseases 
Benedict, Drogo, Valentine, Margaret of Antioch, Ursus of Ravenna  Against kidney disease
Madron  Against pain; cures from pain; pain relief 
Drogo, Florentius of Strasburg, Osmund   Against ruptures 
Ursicinus of Saint-Ursanne   Against stiff neck 
Bartholomew the Apostle, Cornelius   Against twitching 
Adelard   Against typhus, against typhoid 
350 St. Matrona (3 of them) She suffered grievously from dysentery, and was supernaturally directed to go to Italy to find a cure, for the relief of which disease she is now invoked
Charles Borromeo, Job   Against ulcers; ulcer sufferers 
Blaise, Winoc Against whooping cough 
Aloysius Gonzaga, Peregrine Laziosi, Therese of Lisieux   AIDS patients 
John of God, Martin of Tours, Monica, Urban of Langres, Matthias The Holy Martyr Boniface  Alcoholism 
Anthony of Padua, Antony the Abbot  Amputees 
Swithbert  Angina sufferers 
Pancras of Taormina   Jobs
130 St. Balbina Martyr died for her faith was buried on the Appian Way She is invoked against scrofula
130 St. Balbina Martyr died for her faith was buried on the Appian Way She is invoked against scrofula
 Romæ sanctæ Balbínæ Vírginis, fíliæ beáti Quiríni  Mártyris, quæ, a sancto Alexándro Papa baptizáta, in sancta virginitáte Christum sibi sponsum elégit; et, post devíctum hujus sæculi cursum, sepúlta est via Appia, juxta patrem suum.
       At Rome, the virgin St. Balbina, daughter of the blessed martyr Quirinus.  She was baptized by Pope Alexander, and she chose Christ as her spouse in her virginity.  After overcoming the world, she was buried at her father's side on the Appian Way.
baptized by Pope St. Alexander. The daughter of Quirinus the martyr (St Quirinus the Jailer), Balbina died for the faith and was buried on the Appian Way. Her relics were later enshrined in St. Balbina's Church on the Aventine.

Balbina of Rome V (RM) The laus in the Roman Martyrology says: "At Rome, the birthday of Saint Balbina the Virgin, daughter of blessed Quirinus the martyr; she was baptized by Pope Alexander, and chose Christ as her Spouse in her virginity; after completing the course of this world she was buried on the Appian Way near her father." Later, her relics were enshrined in the church dedicated to her on the Aventine. Modern writers question the veracity of the laus (Attwater2, Benedictines). In art, Saint Balbina is portrayed with a chain in her hand or fetters near her.
At times she may be shown kissing the chains of captives. She is invoked against scrofula (Roeder).
To be said when problems arise or when one seems to be deprived of all visible help, or for cases almost despaired of.
 Most holy apostle, St. Jude, faithful servant and friend of Jesus, the name of the traitor who delivered your beloved Master into the hands of his enemies has caused you to be forgotten by many, but the Church honors and invokes you universally as the patron of hopeless causes, of things almost despaired of. Come to my assistance in this great need that I may receive the consolation and help of heaven in all my necessities, tribulations, and sufferings, particularly add your own request here and that I may praise God with you and all the elect forever. I promise, O blessed St. Jude, to be ever mindful of this great favor, to always honor you as my special and powerful patron, and to gratefully encourage devotion to you. Amen.

To be said when problems arise or when one seems to be deprived of all visible help, or for cases almost despaired of.

     Most holy apostle, St. Jude,faithful servant and friend of Jesus, the Church honors and invokes you universally, as the patron of hopeless cases,of things almost despaired of.  Pray for me, I am so helpless and alone.Make use I implore you, to bring visible and speedy help where help is almost despaired of.  Come to my assistance in this great need that I may receive the consolation and help of heaven in all my necessities, tribulations, and sufferings, particularly add your own request here and that I may praise God with you and all the elect forever.

     I promise, O blessed St. Jude,to be ever mindful of this great favor, to always honor you as my special and powerful patron, and to gratefully encourage devotion to you.Amen.

To encourage devotion to St. Jude, acknowledge in writing favors received.

     St. Jude, glorious Apostle, faithful servant and friend of Jesus, the name of the traitor has caused you to be forgotten by many, but the true Church invokes you universally as the Patron of things despaired of; pray for me, that finally I may receive the consolations and the succor of Heaven in all my necessities, tribulations, and sufferings, particularly (here make your request), and that I may bless God with the Elect throughout Eternity. Amen.

350 St. Matrona (3 of them) She suffered grievously from dysentery, and was supernaturally directed to go to Italy to find a cure, for the relief of which disease she is now invoked
Thessalonícæ sanctæ Matrónæ, quæ, cum esset ancílla cujúsdam Judǽæ, et occúlte Christum cóleret, ac furtívis oratiónibus quotídie Ecclésiam frequentáret, a dómina sua est deprehénsa et multiplíciter afflícta, atque novíssime, robústis fústibus usque ad mortem cæsa, in confessióne Christi, incorrúptum Deo spíritum réddidit.
     
At Thessalonica, St. Matrona, servant of a Jewess, who, worshipping Christ secretly, and stealing away daily to pray in the church, was detected by her mistress and subjected to many trials.  Being at last beaten to death with large clubs, she gave up her pure soul to God in confessing Christ.

ST MATRONA, VIRGIN AND MARTYR

THERE are three saints of this name who are commemorated in the Acta Sanctorum on March 15. One only of the three appears in the Roman Martyrology, where she is honoured with the following eulogium: “At Thessalonica, of St Matrona, the servant maid of a certain Jewess, who worshipped Christ by stealth and went daily to the church for secret prayer. She was discovered by her mistress and in many ways tormented until at last she was beaten to death with stout rods and in the confession of Christ rendered up her pure soul to God.” The same account, slightly developed, is found in the Greek synaxaries, and we meet it in the West in the early part of the ninth century with certain additional details describing how the martyr, on two occasions being left overnight bound with thongs to a bench, was found in the morning miraculously released. Of this St Matrona no cultus seems to survive. In Barcelona, however, there is, or was, what purport to be the remains of a virgin of the same name who, though born in that region, was taken to Rome, and there, on account of the services she rendered to the Christians in prison, was arrested and put to death, her body being brought back to her own country. A third St Matrona, who is not a martyr, is honoured on this day in the neighbourhood of Capua. She is said, however, to have been of royal birth and to have come from Portugal. She suffered grievously from dysentery, and was supernaturally directed to go to Italy to find a cure, for the relief of which disease she is now invoked.

See the Acta Sanctorum, March, vol. ii; A. B. C. Dunbar, Dictionary of Saintly Women, vol. ii, p. 77 Quentin, Les Martyrologes Historiques, p. 181.

According to the Roman Martyrology, Matrona was the Christian maid of a Jewish mistress in Thessalonica. When her mistress discovered she was Christian, she subjected her to many tribulations; Matrona was later beaten to death at the instigation of her mistress. Another Matrona, a native of Barcelona, Spain was taken to Rome and was executed there for ministering to Christian prisoners. And a third St. Matrona is reputed to have been a Portuguese of royal birth, was supernaturally instructed to go to Italy for a cure of her dysentery, and died there. She is venerated in Capua and is the patroness of those suffering from dysentery.

Matrona of Thessalonica VM (RM) Saint Matrona was the servant of a rich Jewess in Thessalonica. She was scourged to death upon the order of her mistress, when it was discovered that she was a Christian. Her acta are rather ambiguous (Benedictines).

Matrona von Thessaloniki  Orthodoxe Kirche: 27. März
Matrona lebte im 3./4. Jahrhundert in Soluneia (Theassaloniki). Sie war Sklavin der Jüdin Pautilla, der Ehefrau eines Offiziers. Pautilla verlangte von ihren Sklaven, zum Judentum überzutreten, aber Matrona blieb Christin und ging heimlich zu den christlichen Gottesdiensten. Pautilla schlug sie deshalb, fesselte sie und sperrte sie in ein enges Verlies. Nachdem Matrona zweimal von den Fesseln befreit das Verlies wieder verlassen konnte, erschlug sie Pautilla und ließ ihren Leichnam über die Stadtmauer werfen. Christen begruben ihren Leichnam und später ließ der Bischof Alexander (nach anderen Berichten Bischof Demetrius) eine Kirche errichten, in der ihre Reliquien aufbewahrt wurden. Es wird von mehreren Wundern berichtet, die sich hier zutrugen. Nach einer anderen Quelle heilte Matrona Pautilla von einer Krankheit.
368 St. Hilary (315?-368) a gentle courteous man devoted to writing some of the greatest theology on the Trinity
This staunch defender of the divinity of Christ was a gentle and courteous man, devoted to writing some of the greatest theology on the Trinity, and was like his Master in being labeled a “disturber of the peace.” In a very troubled period in the Church, his holiness was lived out in both scholarship and controversy.
Raised a pagan, he was converted to Christianity when he met his God of nature in the Scriptures. His wife was still living when he was chosen, against his will, to be the bishop of Poitiers in France. He was soon taken up with battling what became the scourge of the fourth century, Arianism, which denied the divinity of Christ.

The heresy spread rapidly. St. Jerome said “The world groaned and marveled to find that it was Arian.” When Emperor Constantius ordered all the bishops of the West to sign a condemnation of Athanasius, the great defender of the faith in the East, Hilary refused and was banished from France to far off Phrygia. Eventually he was called the “Athanasius of the West.” While writing in exile, he was invited by some semi-Arians (hoping for reconciliation) to a council the emperor called to counteract the Council of Nicea. But Hilary predictably defended the Church, and when he sought public debate with the heretical bishop who had exiled him, the Arians, dreading the meeting and its outcome, pleaded with the emperor to send this troublemaker back home. Hilary was welcomed by his people.

Comment:  Christ said his coming would bring not peace but a sword (see Matthew 10:34). The Gospels offer no support for us if we fantasize about a sunlit holiness that knows no problems. Christ did not escape at the last moment, though he did live happily ever after—after a life of controversy, problems, pain and frustration. Hilary, like all saints, simply had more of the same.
368 St. Hilary of Poitiers fixed names of His nature: Father Son Holy Spirit His hymns are the first in the West with a known writer
Patron against snake bites
"They didn't know who they were." This is how Hilary summed up the problem with the Arian heretics of the fourth century.
Hilary, on the other hand, knew very well who he was -- a child of a loving God who had inherited eternal life through belief in the Son of God. He hadn't been raised as a Christian but he had felt a wonder at the gift of life and a desire to find out the meaning of that gift. He first discarded the approach of many people who around him, who believed the purpose of life was only to satisfy desires. He knew he wasn't a beast grazing in a pasture. The philosophers agreed with him.
Human beings should rise above desires and live a life of virtue, they said. But Hilary could see in his own heart that humans were meant for even more than living a good life.

If he didn't lead a virtuous life, he would suffer from guilt and be unhappy. His soul seemed to cry out that wasn't enough to justify the enormous gift of life. So Hilary went looking for the giftgiver. He was told many things about the divine -- many that we still hear today: that there were many Gods, that God didn't exist but all creation was the result of random acts of nature, that God existed but didn't really care for his creation, that God was in creatures or images. One look in his own soul told him these images of the divine were wrong. God had to be one because no creation could be as great as God. God had to be concerned with God's creation -- otherwise why create it?

At that point, Hilary tells us, he "chanced upon" the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures. When he read the verse where God tells Moses "I AM WHO I AM" (Exodus 3:14), Hilary said, "I was frankly amazed at such a clear definition of God, which expressed the incomprehensible knowledge of the divine nature in words most suited to human intelligence." In the Psalms and the Prophets he found descriptions of God's power, concern, and beauty. For example in Psalm 139, "Where shall I go from your spirit?", he found confirmation that God was everywhere and omnipotent.

But still he was troubled. He knew the giftgiver now, but what was he, the recipient of the gift? Was he just created for the moment to disappear at death? It only made sense to him that God's purpose in creation should be "that what did not exist began to exist, not that what had begun to exist would cease to exist."
Then he found the Gospels and read John's words including "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God..." (John 1:1-2).
From John he learned of the Son of God and how Jesus had been sent to bring eternal life to those who believed. Finally his soul was at rest. "No longer did it look upon the life of this body as troublesome or wearisome, but believed it to be what the alphabet is to children... namely, as the patient endurance of the present trials of life in order to gain a blissful eternity." He had found who he was in discovering God and God's Son Jesus Christ.

After becoming a Christian, he was elected bishop of Poitiers in what is now France by the laity and clergy. He was already married with one daughter named Apra.

Not everyone at that time had the same idea of who they were. The Arians did not believe in the divinity of Christ and the Arians had a lot of power including the support of the emperor Constantius. This resulted in many persecutions. When Hilary refused to support their condemnation of Saint Athanasius he was exiled from Poitiers to the East in 356. The Arians couldn't have had a worse plan -- for themselves.

Hilary really had known very little of the whole Arian controversy before he was banished. Perhaps he supported Athanasius simply because he didn't like their methods. But being exiled from his home and his duties gave him plenty of time to study and write. He learned everything he could about what the Arians said and what the orthodox Christians answered and then he began to write. "Although in exile we shall speak through these books, and the word of God, which cannot be bound, shall move about in freedom."
The writings of his that still exist include On the Trinity, a commentary on the Gospel of Matthew, and a commentary on the Psalms. He tells us about the Trinity,

"For one to attempt to speak of God in terms more precise than he himself has used: -- to undertake such a thing is to embark upon the boundless, to dare the incomprehensible.
He fixed the names of His nature: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Whatever is sought over and above this is beyond the meaning of words, beyond the limits of perception, beyond the embrace of understanding."

After three years the emperor kicked him back to Poitiers, because, we are told by Sulpicius Severus, the emperor was tired of having to deal with the troublemaker, "a sower of discord an a disturber of the Orient." But no one told Hilary he had to go straight back to his home and so he took a leisurely route through Greece and Italy, preaching against the Arians as he went.

In the East he had also heard the hymns used by Arians and orthodox Christians as propaganda. These hymns were not based on Scripture as Western hymns but full of beliefs about God. Back at home, Hilary started writing hymns of propaganda himself to spread the faith.
His hymns are the first in the West with a known writer.

Some of use may wonder at all the trouble over what may seem only words to us now. But Hilary wasn't not fighting a war of words, but a battle for the eternal life of the souls who might hear the Arians and stop believing in the Son of God, their hope of salvation.

The death of Constantius in 361 ended the persecution of the orthodox Christians.
Hilary died in 367 or 368 and was proclaimed a doctor of the Church in 1851.

In His Footsteps: In Exodus, the Prophets, and the Gospel of John, Hilary found his favorite descriptions of God and God's relationship to us. What verses of Scripture describe God best for you? If you aren't familiar with Scripture, look up the verses that Hilary found. What do they mean to you?

Prayer: Saint Hilary of Poitiers, instead of being discouraged by your exile, you used your time to study and write. Help us to bring good out of suffering and isolation in our own lives and see adversity as an opportunity to learn about or share our faith. Amen
470 St. Gratus Bishop Sept 7  dangerous animals, fire, insects, hail, lightning, rain, and storm
470 St. Gratus Bishop Sept 7 and patron saint of Aosta Italy. He promoted evangelization and charity. He is the protector of vineyards and is invoked against dangerous animals, fire, insects, hail, lightning, rain, and storm (Roeder).
Gratus of Aosta B (AC)
Saint Gratus, former bishop of Aosta, is now its patron saint (Benedictines). In art, Saint Gratus is depicted as a bishop carrying the head of Saint John the Baptist and a bunch of grapes. There may be lightning flashing near him (Roeder). He is the protector of vineyards and is invoked against dangerous animals, fire, insects, hail, lightning, rain, and storm (Roeder).

680 St. Ghislain founding abbot of a monastery; his intercession is sought to ward off convulsions from children
He was a Frank who became a hermit in Hainault and was founding abbot of a monastery there called The Cell (now St. Ghislain) near Mons. He encouraged St. Waldetrudis to found a convent at Castrilocus (Mons) and St. Aldegundus to found a convent at Mauberge. An apophrycal legend has him a native of Attica who became bishop of Athens, resign his See, went to Rome and was sent to Hainault, where he became a hermit.
Confessor and anchorite in Belgium; b. in the first half of the seventh century; d. at Saint-Ghislain (Ursidongus), 9 October, c. 680.
   He was probably of German origin. Ghislain lived in the province of Hainault (Belgium) in the time of St. Amand (d. 679) and Saints Waudru, Aldegonde, and Madelberte. With two unknown disciples he made a clearing in the vicinity of Castrilocus (now Mons, in Hainault), taking up later his abode at a place called Ursidongus, where he built an oratory or chapel dedicated to Saints Peter and Paul. Aubert, Bishop of Cambrai, summoned him to the episcopal presence in order to sound the intentions of this almost unknown hermit, but he afterwards accorded him efficient protection. During his visit to Cambrai Ghislain spent some time in the villa of Roisin and received as a gift the estates of Celles and Hornu.
   He soon entered into relations with St. Waudru, who was induced by him to build a monastery at Castrilocus, his former place of refuge. It is probable that Ghislain influenced the religious vocation of St. Aldegonde, Abbess of Maubeuge, also of St. Madelberte and St.Aldetrude, of whom the first was the sister and the last two the daughters of St. Waudru.
   One day Aldegonde in her monastery of Maubeuge, had a vision in which, according to her biographer, the death of St. Amand, Bishop of Tongres, was revealed to her. Ghislain visited the saint in her villa of Mairieu, near Mabeuge, and explained to her that the vision was an announcement of her own approaching death.
  The intercourse between Ghislain and Aldegonde brought about a perfect understanding between Maubeuge and the monastery founded at Ursidongus under Ghislain's direction. St. Waudru rewarded her counsellor with a portion of the villa of Frameries and of the oratory of St Quentin, comprised within the boundaries of the villa of Quaregnon.
   Ghislain died at Ursidongus, and the monastery which he had founded took his name. The relics of the saint were first disinterred c. 929. They were transferred to Grandlieu, near Quaregnon, about the end of the tenth century or the begining of the eleventh, and in 1025 Gerard I, Bishop of Cambrai, removed them to Cateau-Cambresis. They were visited several times in the course of the Middle Ages by the Bishops of Cambrai. In 1647 they were removed to St Ghislain of which place our saint is patron.
   His feast is celebrated 9 October and his intercession is sought to ward off convulsions from children. In iconography he is frequently represented with a bear or bear's cub beside him. This is an allusion to the popular legend which relates that a bear, pursued in the chase by King Dagobert, sought refuge with Ghislain and later showed him the place where he should establish a monastery. Moreover, the site of the saint's cella was called Ursidongus, "bear's den"
.

680 St Gislenus, Or Ghislain, Abbot
Having led for some time an eremitical life in a forest in Hainault this Frankish saint founded there a monastery in honour of SS. Peter and Paul. He governed it with great sanctity and prudence; the abbey was long known as The Cell (now Saint-Ghislain, near Mons), but the original name of the place was Ursidongus, that is, “the bear’s den”, whence arose the legend that a bear, hunted by King Dagobert I, took refuge with Gislenus and showed him the site of his future monastery.
   St Gislenus is said to have had great influence on St Vincent Madelgarius and his wife St Waldetrudis and their family; with his encouragement Waldetrudis founded the convent at Castrilocus (Mons), where Gislenus had had his first hermitage, and St Aldegundis the convent of Maubeuge. With the last-named he was united in a very close friendship, and when they were both too old conveniently to make the journey to one another’s monasteries, they built an oratory in between and would there meet to converse of God and matters connected with their respective communities.
   The Roman Martyrology says that St Gislenus resigned a bishopric before becoming a hermit. This refers to the quite apocryphal legend that he was born in Attica, became a monk there, and was raised to the see of Athens. In consequence of a vision he resigned this office, went on pilgrimage to Rome with other Greek monks, and while there, received divine direction to go on into Hainault, which he did with two companions. There he met St Amandus, and was encouraged by him to settle by the river Haine. The legend also, explains why the eldest sons of a certain family at Roisin were all called Baldericus (Baudry). When the mysterious Greek stranger was on his way to give an account of himself to the bishop St Aubert at Cambrai, he received hospitality at Roisin, and during the night his host’s wife was overtaken by a difficult labour. The husband appealed for his prayers to Gislenus, who handed him his belt, saying, “Put this round your wife like a baldric (baudrei), and she will safely give birth to a son”. The saint’s promise was verified, and the grateful parents gave him two estates for the endowment of his monastery.

There is no very satisfactory account of the career of St Gislenus. An anonymous life is printed by Mabillon and the Bollandists; and another, by Rainerus, a monk of Saint ­Ghislain in the eleventh century, has been edited by Poncelet in the Analecta Bollandiana, vol. v (1857), pp. 212—239, with a third document, pp. 257—290. See also Van der Essen, Etude critique sur les saints ,merovingiens, pp. 249—260; U. Berlière, Monasticon Beige, vol. i, pp. 24.4—246; and Berlière in Revue liturgique et, monastique, vol. xiv (1929), pp. 438 seq. The story, as told in the early biographies, is very improbable.
782 St. Thomas of Antioch Syria Hermit saint for relief against pestilence
Antiochíæ sancti Thomæ Mónachi, quem Antiochéni, ob sedátam ejus précibus pestem, solemnitáte ánnua coluérunt.
    At Antioch, St. Thomas, a monk honoured with an annual solemnity by the people of Antioch, for bringing the end of a plague by his prayers.
Thomas spent most of his life as a hermit in the area near Antioch (modern Syria).
According to tradition, he is a special saint for relief against pestilence.
1012 St. Guy of Anderlecht; pilgrimage on foot to Rome and Jerusalem; patron of laborers and sacristans, and protector of sheds and stables.  He is invoked to calm infantile convulsions 
 Born near Brabant; died at Brussels, Belgium; c. 950-1012; feast day formerly on September 2.

Saint Guy, commonly called The Poor Man of Anderlecht, was the son of poor, but pious, parents who were richly blessed by their faith. They were not able to give their son a formal education, but were diligent in instructing him in the faith. They taught him the counsels of Saint Augustine that Christians should be detached from earthly possessions. Guy prayed throughout his life to be preserved from greed, to love poverty, and to bear all its hardships with joy. This detachment from the need to own, endowed the saint with love for his neighbor; he gladly fed the poor while he himself fasted and divided the little he had among them.

Legend says that when Guy grew to manhood, he was a farm laborer, who prayed as he plowed the fields, sometimes replaced at the plow by his guardian angel. He then wandered for a time until he arrived at the church of Our Lady at Laeken, near Brussels, whose priest was struck with his piety and hired Guy as sacristan. Guy gladly accepted the offer; and the cleanliness and good order that appeared in everything under his direction struck all who entered the church.

Like many other simple folk of every age, Guy was enticed by a merchant of Brussels to invest his small savings in a commercial venture, with the unusual motive of having more at his disposal to relieve the poor and leisure for contemplation. Unfortunately, the ship carrying their goods was lost leaving the harbor, and Guy, who had resigned his position as sacristan and been replaced, was left destitute. He recognized his mistake in following his own ideas and in forsaking secure and humble employment to embark, though with good intention, on the affairs of the world, and he blamed himself for the loss.

In reparation, Guy made a pilgrimage on foot to Rome and Jerusalem, wandering from shrine to shrine for seven years. Finally, he made his way back to Belgium and Anderlecht, where he was received almost immediately into the public hospital of Anderlecht and he died from exhaustion and illness.

His cultus did not arise immediately. In fact, his grave was forgotten until a horse uncovered it. The horse's owner hired two local boys to enclose the site in a high, solid hedge to ensure that others would not unwittingly trample on Guy's grave. The boys ridiculed the benefactor's act of reverence for the dead and were seized by strange stomach aches. Writhing in agony, they died. For some reason, this moved the local people to make pilgrimages to his grave and to build an oratory over it.
In 1076, a church was constructed and Guy's relics translated therein. Guy's sanctity was confirmed almost immediately thereafter by miracles wrought at his intercession. On June 24, 1112, a bishop acknowledged the relics with a grand ceremony and Guy's vita was composed. In 1595, the relics were enshrined in a new reliquary. During the 17th century, they were moved from place to place to escape pillage during wars. It seems that they were captured by the Protestants in the 18th century, although there is a "last acknowledgement of the venerable treasure" that occurred on September 11, 1851.

Over time his cultus increased locally, until now much folklore has accrued around his name and shrine, particularly associated with horses. Cabdrivers of Brabant lead an annual pilgrimage to Anderlecht until the beginning of World War I in 1914. They and their horses headed the procession followed by farmers, grooms, and stable boys leading their animals to be blessed. The description of the village fair that ended the religious procession sounds like fun. There would be various games, music, and feasting, followed by a competition to ride the carthorses bareback. The winner entered the church on bareback to receive a hat made of roses from the parish pastor (Attwater, Benedictines, Encyclopedia, Walsh).

In art, Saint Guy is depicted as a pilgrim with hat, staff, rosary, and ox at his feet. He might also be shown as a peasant or a pilgrim with a book (Roeder). Guy is venerated at Anderlecht, where he is considered the patron of laborers and sacristans, and protector of sheds and stables. He is invoked to calm infantile convulsions (Encyclopedia).

1167 Idesbald of Dunes court of Flanders OSB Cist. Abbot (AC) He is the patron of sailors and invoked against rheumatism, gout, and fever (Roeder).
1167 ST IDESBALD, ABBOT incorrupt 450 years after his death, now lies at Bruges.
THE celebrated abbey of our Lady of the Dunes arose from a small settlement formed in 1107 by a hermit called Ligerius on the sand-hills between Dunkirk and Nieuport. The monks followed the Savigny reform until 1137, when the monastery, which had been transferred to a neighbouring spot, became affiliated to the Cistercians. Thither there came one day from Fumes a canon of the church of St Walburga, Idesbald by name, asking to be given the monastic habit. He was a man no longer young, and with aristocratic connections, but it was not long before he won the affectionate esteem of the whole abbey by his meekness, his wisdom and his integrity.
   The post of cantor, which he held, was dear to him, for the Divine Office was his passion: he would become so much absorbed in it as to be oblivious to all things else. He eventually became abbot, and the monastery prospered greatly under his rule, his prestige being so great that outsiders eagerly assisted him in carrying out his schemes; and privileges were granted to the abbey by Pope Alexander III. When St Idesbald died, his brethren, in deference to his great sanctity, departed from the custom of the order and laid him in a coffin which they buried in their church. His body, which was found to be incorrupt 450 years after his death, now lies at Bruges.

There seems to be no early life of St Idesbald, but an account of him is given in the Acta Sanctorum, April, vol. ii. There is a good book in Flemish by J. De Cuyper, Idesbald van der Gracht (1946).
Born in Flanders, 1100; cultus confirmed in 1894. Saint Idesbald spent his youth at the court of Flanders. In 1135, he was made a canon of Furnes, but resigned his office to become a Cistercian at Our Lady of the Dunes between Dunkirk and Nieuport. He governed the foundation as its third abbot for 12 years (Attwater2, Benedictines, Coulson).
Saint Idesbald is portrayed in art as a Cistercian abbot holding a sailing ship in his hand (Roeder). He is the patron of sailors and invoked against rheumatism, gout, and fever (Roeder).

Coma   St. Padre Pio Memorial 23 September

Also known as Francesco Forgione ,Padre Pio of Pietrelcina ,Pio of Pietrelcina

Memorial 23 September

Profile Born to a southern Italian farm family, the son of Grazio, a shepherd. At age 15 he entered the novitiate of the Capuchin friars in Morcone, and joined the order at age 19. Suffered several health problems, and at one point his family thought he had tuberculosis. Ordained at age 22 on 10 August 1910. While praying before a cross, he received the stigmata on 20 September 1918, the first priest ever to be so blessed. As word spread, especially after American soldiers brought home stories of Padre Pio following WWII, the priest himself became a point of pilgrimage for both the pious and the curious. He would hear confessions by the hour, reportedly able to read the consciences of those who held back. Reportedly able to bilocate, levitate, and heal by touch. Founded the House for the Relief of Suffering in 1956, a hospital that serves 60,000 a year. In the 1920's he started a series of prayer groups that continue today with over 400,000 members worldwide. His canonization miracle involved the cure of Matteo Pio Colella, age 7, the son of a doctor who works in the House for Relief of Suffering, the hospital in San Giovanni Rotondo founded by Padre Pio. On the night of 20 June 2000, Matteo was admitted to the intensive care unit of the hospital with meningitis. By morning doctors had lost hope for him as nine of the boy´s internal organs had ceased to give signs of life. That night, during a prayer vigil attended by Matteo´s mother and some Capuchin friars of Padre Pio´s monastery, the child's condition improved suddenly. When he awoke from the coma, Matteo said that he had seen an elderly man with a white beard and a long, brown habit, who said to him: "Don´t worry, you will soon be cured." The miracle was approved by the Congregation and Pope John Paul II on 20 December 2001. Born 25 May 1887 at Pietrelcina, Benevento, Italy as Francesco Forgione

Died 23 September 1968 of natural causes Venerable 18 December 1997 by Pope John Paul II

Beatified 2 May 1999 by Pope John Paul II

Canonized 16 June 2002 by Pope John Paul II at Rome, Italy

1345 Peregrine Laziosi received a vision of Our Lady who told him to go to Siena, Italy, and there to join the Servites healed by Jesus incorrupt fervant preacher, excellent orator, and gentle confessor
 Also known as Peregrinus
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 converted.

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.

A victim of a spreading cancer in his foot, Peregrine was scheduled for an amputation. The night before the operation, he spent in prayer; that night received a vision of Christ who healed him with a touch. The next morning, Peregrine found his cancer completely healed.
Born 1260 at Forli, Italy Died 1345 at Forli, Italy of natural causes; body incorrupt
St. Peregrine Laziosi 1345  Peregrine Laziosi was born of a wealthy family at Forli, Italy, in 1260. As a youth he was active in politics as a member of the anti-papal party. During one uprising, which the Pope sent St. Philip Benizi to mediate, Philip was struck in the face by Peregrine. When Philip offered the other cheek, Peregrine was so overcome that he repented and converted to Catholicism. Following the instructions of the Virgin Mary received in a vision, Peregrine went to Siena and joined the Servites. It is believed that he never allowed himself to sit down for thirty years, while as far as possible, observing silence and solitude. Sometime later, Peregrine was sent to Forli to found a new house of the Servite Order. An ideal priest, he had a reputation for fervent preaching and being a good confessor. When he was afflicted with cancer of the foot and amputation had been decided upon, he spent the night before the operation, in prayer. The following morning he was completely cured. This miracle caused his reputation to become widespread. He died in 1345 at the age of eighty-five, and he was canonized by Pope Benedict XIII in 1726. St. Peregrine, like St. Paul, was in open defiance of the Church as a youth. Once given the grace of conversion he became one of the great saints of his time. His great fervor and qualities as a confessor brought many back to the true Faith. Afflicted with cancer, Peregrine turned to God and was richly rewarded for his Faith, enabling him over many years to lead others to the truth. He is the patron of cancer patients.
1922 Blessed Maria Fortunata Viti: Patronage against poverty, against temptations, impoverishment, insanity, loss of parents, mental illness, mentally ill people, poverty.
Also known as:  Anna Felice Viti
Maria, born 1827 in Veroli, Italy as Anna Felice Viti  where she died of natural causes, raised her siblings after her mother's early death, then became a Benedictine nun. Had a great devotion to the Blessed Sacrament. Daughter of Luigi Viti, a gambler and heavy drinker, and Anna Bono, who died when Anna was fourteen. Raised her eight siblings after her mother's death, often working as a domestic servant to support them. Joined the Benedictines at the San Maria de’Franconi monastery in Veroli, Italy on 21 March 1851 at age 24, taking the name Sister Maria Fortunata. She was over 70 years in the Order, her days spent spinning, sewing, washing, mending - and praying the whole time. Sister Maria never learned to read or write, and never held any position in her house, but she had a great devotion to the Blessed Sacrament, and whole generations of nuns and local lay people learned from her quiet, humble, happy, prayerful example.
Beatified 8 October 1967 by Pope Paul VI Canonization pending
1922 St. Maria Bertilla Boscardin  nursing very ill and disturbed children b.1888 
If anyone knew rejection, ridicule and disappointment, it was today’s saint. But such trials only brought Maria Bertilla Boscardin closer to God and more determined to serve him.
Born in Italy in 1888, the young girl lived in fear of her father, a violent man prone to jealousy and drunkenness. Her schooling was limited so that she could spend more time helping at home and working in the fields. She showed few talents and was often the butt of jokes.
In 1904 she joined the Sisters of St. Dorothy and was assigned to work in the kitchen, bakery and laundry. After some time Maria received nurses’ training and began working in a hospital with children suffering from diphtheria. There the young nun seemed to find her true vocation: nursing very ill and disturbed children. Later, when the hospital was taken over by the military in World War I, Sister Maria Bertilla fearlessly cared for patients amidst the threat of constant air raids and bombings.
She died in 1922 after suffering for many years from a painful tumor.
Some of the patients she had nursed many years before were present at her canonization in 1961.

1922 St. Bertilla Boscardin Virgin, also called Mary Bertilla
She was born in Brendola, in northern Italy. A member of the Congregation of Teachers of St. Dorothy, Daughters of the Sacred hearts, she spent her life caring for children and the sick. She was canonized in 1961.

Maria Bertilla (Ann Francis Boscardin) V (RM) Born at Brendola near Vicenza; Italy, in 1888; died at Treviso, October 20, 1922; beatified in 1952; canonized in 1961.

Anna Francesca Boscardin was a dull peasant girl, who was raised in a very dysfunctional family. She went primary school only intermittently because her father, Angelo Boscardin, was jealous, violent, and often drunk (according to his own testimony in the beatification process). While attending classes, she also worked as a domestic servant in a nearby home.

Although a local clergyman, the archpriest Gresele, called her a "goose" because of her slowness and she was turned down by one convent, in 1904, Annetta was accepted as a sister in the congregation at Vicenza known as the Teachers of Saint Dorothy, Daughters of the Sacred Heart. The new Bertilla (her name in religion) told her novice-mistress, "I can't do anything. I'm a poor thing, a goose. Teach me. I want to become a saint."

She worked for three years as a kitchen maid and laundress. After the first year she was sent to Treviso to learn nursing at the municipal hospital under the charge of the order, but the local superioress again put her to work in the kitchen. In 1907, Bertilla was promoted to help in the children's diphtheria ward at Treviso.

During the air-raid after the disaster of Caporetto in 1917, Sister Bertilla was imperturbably careful of her patients, especially those who were too ill to be moved to safety. She attracted the admiring notice of the authorities of a military hospital, especially the chaplain Peter Savoldelli and the officer Mario Lameri, at Viggiú near Como when the sisters were evacuated to that site to tend to the wounded soldiers. But the local superioress, who did not appreciate her work, assigned her to the laundry, from where she was rescued four months later by a more perceptive mother-general, Azelia Farinea.

In 1919, she was put in charge of the children's isolation ward at Treviso. In 1922, her health, which had been frail for 12 years from a painful internal malady, failed entirely, necessitating a serious operation that she did not survive.

Saint Bertilla's life was a simple record of devoted hard work. Her industry and loving care had made a deep impression. A memorial plaque described the saint as "a chosen soul of heroic goodness . . . an angelic alleviator of human suffering in this place."

Crowds flocked to her first grave at Treviso. After her tomb at Vincenza became the site of pilgrimage and miracles of healing were attributed to her intercession. This led to her canonization in 1961 in the presence of crowds that included members of her family and patients whom she had nursed (Attwater, Benedictines, Farmer, Walsh).

During the air-raid after the disaster of Caporetto in 1917, Sister Bertilla was imperturbably careful of her patients, especially those who were too ill to be moved to safety. She attracted the admiring notice of the authorities of a military hospital, especially the chaplain Peter Savoldelli and the officer Mario Lameri, at Viggiú near Como when the sisters were evacuated to that site to tend to the wounded soldiers. But the local superioress, who did not appreciate her work, assigned her to the laundry, from where she was rescued four months later by a more perceptive mother-general, Azelia Farinea.

In 1919, she was put in charge of the children's isolation ward at Treviso. In 1922, her health, which had been frail for 12 years from a painful internal malady, failed entirely, necessitating a serious operation that she did not survive.

Saint Bertilla's life was a simple record of devoted hard work. Her industry and loving care had made a deep impression. A memorial plaque described the saint as "a chosen soul of heroic goodness . . . an angelic alleviator of human suffering in this place."

Crowds flocked to her first grave at Treviso. After her tomb at Vincenza became the site of pilgrimage and miracles of healing were attributed to her intercession. This led to her canonization in 1961 in the presence of crowds that included members of her family and patients whom she had nursed (Attwater, Benedictines, Farmer, Walsh).

Apoplexy (Strokes) Andrew Avellino, Wolfgang
Appendicitis Erasmus (Elmo

Arm pain; pain in the arms Amalburga 
Arthritis; rheumatism Alphonsus de Liguori, Colman, James the Greater, Killian, Servatus, Totnan
Bacterial disease and infection Agrippina 
Blind people Raphael the Archangel, Lucy, Catald, Dunstan, Lawrence the Illuminator, Leodegarius, Lutgardis, Odilia, Parasceva, Thomas (Apostle), Cosmas and Damian 
Bodily ills Our Lady of Lourdes, John Bosco, John the Apostle
Breast cancer Agatha, Aldegundis, Giles, Peregrine Laziosi 
Breast disease, invoked against Agatha 
Broken bones Drogo, Stanislaus Kostka 
Burns John the Apostle 
Cancer victims/patients Peregrine Laziosi 
Childhood diseases Aldegundis, Pharaildis 
Childhood intestinal diseases Erasmus (Elmo) 
Children, sick Beuno, Clement I, Hugh of Lincoln, Ubald Baldassini 
Cholera Roch 
Colic Erasmus (Elmo)
Contagious diseases Robert Bellarmine, Sebastian 
Convulsions John the Baptist, Willibrord 
Convulsive children Guy of Anderlecht, John the Baptist, Scholastica,   St Ghislain, 
Coughs; against Blaise, Quentin, Walburga 
Deafness; Deaf people Cadoc of Llancarvan, Drogo, Francis de Sales, Meriadoc, Ouen
Depression; Insanity; Madness Benedict Joseph Labre, Bibiana, Christina the Astonishing, Drogo, Dymphna, Eustochium of Padua, Fillan, Giles, Job, Margaret of Cortona, Maria Fortunata Viti, Medard, Michelina, Osmund, Raphaela, Romanus of Condat, Veran
Desperate situations Jude, Gregory the Wonderworker, Rita of Cascia, Eustace 
Desperate, forgotten, impossible/lost causes or situations Jude Thaddeus, Rita of Cascia, Philomena, Gregory Thaumaturgus 
Disabled; handicapped; physically challenged people Giles, Alphais, Angela Merici, Gerard of Aurillac, Germaine Cousin, Henry II, Lutgardis, Margaret of Castello, Seraphina, Servatus, Servulus
Diseases of the eye Raphael the Archangel, Lucy 
Diseases, contagious Roch, Sebastian 

Diseases, nervous Dymphna 
Dizziness; vertigo Ulric
Drug addiction Maximillian Kolbe 
Dying people, invoked by Abel, John of God, Joseph, Catherine of Alexandria, James the Lesser the Apostle, Margaret (or Marina) of Antioch, Michael the Archangel, Benedict, Nicholas of Tolentino, Barbara
Dysentery Lucy of Syracuse, Polycarp 
Eczema; skin rashes; skin diseases Antony the Abbot, George, Marculf, Peregrine Laziosi, Roch
Epilepsy Dymphna, Vitus, Willibrord, Alban of Mainz, Antony the Abbot, Apollinaris, Balthasar, Bibiana, Catald, Christopher, Cornelius, Genesius, Gerard of Lunel, Giles, Guy of Anderlecht, John Chrysostom, John the Baptist, Valentine
Eye disorders; eye diseases; eye problems; sore eyes Sts. Herve, Clare, Lucy, Raphael the Archangel,
     Aloysius Gonzaga
, Augustine of Hippo, Cyriacus, Erhard of Regensburg, Leodegarius,
     Odilia, Symphorian of Autun

Fainting; faintness Urban of Langres, Ursus of Ravenna, Valentine 
Fever Genevieve, Adalard, Amalberga, Andrew Abellon, Antoninus of Florence, Benedict, Castorus, Cornelius, Dominic of sora, Domitian of Huy, Gerebernus, Gertrude of Nivelles, Hugh of Cluny, Jodocus, Liborius, Mary of Oignies, Nicostratus, Peterthe Apostle, Petronilla, Raymond Nonnatus, Severus of Avranches, Sigismund, Simpronian, Theobald Roggeri, Ulric, Winnoc
Fistula Fiacre 
Foot problems Peter the Apostle, Servatus 
Gall stones Benedict, Drogo, Liborius, Florentius of Strasburg
Glandular disorders Cadoc of Llancarvan 
Goitres Blaise 
Haemorrhoid sufferers Fiacre 
Head injuries John Licci 

Headaches Teresa of Avila, Acacius, Anastasius the Persian, Bibiana, Dionysius the Aeropagite, Gerard of Lunel, Gereon, Pancras, Stephen the Martyr, William Firmatus, Denis the Bishop of Paris
Health Infant Jesus of Prague
Heart patients John of God
Hemorrhage Lucy
Hernia Alban of Mainz, Drogo, Catald, Conrad of Piacenza, Cosmas and Damian, Gummarus
Hernia sufferers Cathal 
Herpes George 
Hopeless (or desperate) cases Jude, Rita of Cascia, Gregory the Wonderworker 
Hydrophobia, or rabies Hubert, Ubald, Dominic de Silos, Guy of Anderlecht, Otto of Bamberg, Sithney, Walburga
Insanity Dymphna 
Intestinal/Stomach Disease Brice, Charles Borromeo, Emerentiana, Erasmus (Elmo), Timothy, Wolfgang
Invalids Roch 
Jaundice Odilo 
Kidney stones; gravel Alban of Mainz, Liborius
Knee diseases or trouble Roch 
Lame, the Giles 
Leg disease or trouble Servatus 
Lepers; leprosy George, Giles, Lazarus, Vincent de Paul
Lumbago Lawrence 
Lungs; chest; respiratory problems Bernardine of Siena 
Mentally ill Dymphna 
Migraine; migraine sufferers Gereon, Severus of Avranches, Ubald Baldassini 
Mute people, muteness, dumbness Drogo 
Nervous diseases Vitus, Dymphna, Bartholomew the Apostle
Neuralgia Ubald Baldassini
Neurological disorders Dymphna, Bartholomew the Apostle
Open sores Peregrine Laziosi 
Paralysis, paralysed people Osmund, Catald, Wolfgang
Physically Disabled Giles 
Plague Gregory the Great, Roch, Adrian of Micomedia, Catald, Colman of Stockerau, Cuthbert, Edmund of East Anglia, Erhard of Regensburg, Francis of Paola, Francis Xavier, George, Genevieve, Macarius of Antioch, Valentine, Walburga, Sebastian 
Polio Margaret Mary Alacoque 

Prolonged Suffering Lydwina of Schiedam
Rabies Hubert, Ubald
Rabies, hydrophobia, mad dogs Dominic of Silos, Guy of Anderlecht, Hubert of Liege
Reformed alcoholics Martin of Tours, Matthias 
Rheumatoid sufferers; rheumatism, arthritis Coloman, James the Greater, Killian, Servatus, Totnan
Saint Vitus's dance;
rheumatic chorea Vitus 
Sickness; sick people
John of God, Camillus de Lellis, Alphais, Alphonsa of India, Angela Merici, Angela Truszkowska, Arthelais, Bathild, Bernadetteof Lourdes, Catherine del Ricci, Catherine of Siena, Drogo, Edel Quinn, Elizabeth of the Trinity, Gerard of Villamagna, Germaine Cousin, Gorgonia, Hugh of Lincoln, Isabella of France, Jacinta Marto, Julia Billiart, Julia Falconieri, Juliana of Nicomedia, Louis IX, Louise de Marillac, Lydwina of Schiedam, Maria Bagnesi, Maria Gabriella, Maria Mazzarello, Marie Rose Durocher, Mary Ann de Paredes, Mary Magdalen of Pazzi, Our Lady of Lourdes, Michael the Archangel, Paula Frassinetti, Peregrine Laziosi, Philomena, Raphael, Romula, Syncletica, Teresa of Avila, Rafka Al-Rayes, Teresa Valse Pantellini, Terese of the Andes, Therese of Lisieux
Skin diseases Antony the Abbot, George, Marculf, Peregrine Laziosi, Roch
Smallpox Matthias 
Spasms John the Baptist 
Stammering children Notkar Balbulus 
Stomach disorders Timothy, Erasmus (Elmo) 
Strokes Andrew Avellino 
Syphilis Fiacre, George, Symphorian of Autun
Throat ailments Blaise, Ludmila, Andrew the Apostle, Etheldreda, Godelieve, Ignatius of Antioch, Lucy, Swithbert
Toothache Apollonia 
Tuberculosis, consumption Pantaleon, Therese of Lisieux 
Venereal disease Fiacre 
wounds Aldegundis, Rita of Cascia