St. John Bosco (Aug. 16, 1815 to Jan. 31, 1888)

"When tempted, invoke your angel. He is more eager to help you than you are to be helped."
     (St. John Bosco)

St. John Bosco was born in Becchi, near Castelnuovo, Italy in 1815. He was just two years old when his father died. He was raised a poor shepherd boy and enjoyed doing magic tricks to entertain his friends. At age 16, St. John Bosco entered the seminary in Chieri and was ordained a priest in 1841.

He set up a residence for poor and neglected boys with the help of his mother. He dealt with the youngsters as Jesus did the Apostles, being patient with their roughness, ignorance, and unfaithfulness. St. John Bosco treated sinners with kindness. As a follower of St. Francis de Sales, he founded the Society in his name. A Salesian motto: give me only souls and keep all the rest.
Along with being the patron saint of editors, publishers, and school children, St. John Bosco reminds us to treat youngsters with respect and give them the good guidance that they need.
He died on Jan. 31, 1888. Canonized: 1934.

St. Hyacinth Mariscotti (1585 to Jan. 30, 1640)

Even bad girls can become saints. Just look at St. Hyacinth Mariscotti who was born in Viterbo, Italy in 1585. St. Hyacinth Mariscotti's sister married the man she loved which some accounts say was the reason she became a nun of the Third Order of Francis. Other documentation notes that St. Hyacinth Mariscotti was placed in a monastic life because of her troublesome nature. In other words, she was forced to become religious.

Yet even though she became a nun, St. Hyacinth Mariscotti received and paid for visits of pleasure and lived a life of luxury. Eventually, she made a public confession of her faults. With that, she discarded her beautiful garments, wore an old habit, and went barefoot. St. Hyacinth Mariscotti scolded her body with severe scourging. When there was a plague outbreak, she devoted her time to helping the ill. She died on Jan. 30, 1640. Canonized: 1807.

St. Blath (? to 523)

One of my favorite cookbooks is "Twelve Months of Monastery Soups" by Brother Victor-Antoine d'Avila-Latourrette. Last time I looked at it, I pictured monks eating at banquet tables or alone in a dark, cool cave. And I discovered St. Blath, who we might call the personal chef to St. Brigid and the lovely sisters in the convent in Kildare, Ireland.
Nevermind the stars of the Food Network. I find it more intriguing to think about being in the company of the lovely nuns eating dishes made with the fresh vegetables and herbs that they picked that day.
St. Blath, who was often referred to as Flora, devoted her life to her dear friend Brigid. (Order St. Brigid crosses here.) She died in 523. Her feast day is Jan. 29.

St. Thomas Aquinas (c.1226 to March 7, 1274)

In the year that St. Francis of Assisi passed away, the man who would be called a Doctor of the Church, St. Thomas Aquinas, was born in 1226 in the castle of Roccosecca in Aquino, Italy. At age five, St. Thomas Aquinas was sent to live with the Benedictines of Monte Cassino. When I was a young backpacker in my twenties, I had the chance to visit the abbey at Monte Cassino where my maternal grandfather's cousin was the abbott.
In 1243, St. Thomas Aquinas joined the Dominicans of Naples. As a reward for his fidelity, God granted him the gift of perfect chastity, something the average person would consider a curse. St. Thomas Aquinas was a prolific writer who left his "Summa Theologica" incomplete. He is known as the foremost proponent of natural theology. He died on March 7, 1274. Canonized: 1323. He said, "The things that we love tell us what we are."

St. Angela Merici (March 21, 1474 to Jan. 27, 1540)

When I was 16-years-old, long before Angelina Jolie was a household name, my maternal grandmother asked a favor of me. The reason it was so significant is that she never asked me for anything.
Her mother's name was Angelina (Angela for short) and so my grandmother suggested that I take it as my confirmation name. We were told the name had to be that of a saint (St. Angela Merici). I did choose it and because of that, she gave me her diamond.
Unfortunately, when I got to college, I desperately needed money, so I sold the ring. It hurts to think about it. Yet, I've come to terms by reminding myself that we are only here for a short time and worldly goods are things that the saints, especially, did without.
St. Angela Merici was born on March 21, 1474 in Desenzano del Garda, Italy. She was orphaned at age 10. When her sister died without receiving the Last Rites, St. Angela was so upset and joined the Third Order of St. Francis so that her constant prayers might help her sister's soul rest in peace. It worked because she later had a vision of her sister in heaven.
St. Angela Merici founded the Order of Ursulines in 1535. She died in Brescia on Jan. 27, 1540. Canonized: 1807. Her feast day is Jan. 27

St. Paula (May 5, 347 to Jan. 26, 404)

When my maternal grandfather's younger sister, Vera, was 32-years-old, she became a widow. This was around 1937 and she had two young children. Aunt Vera devoted her life to raising Martha and Pat, and she never remarried. Yes, of course, she dated but her family came first. So, she ran a grocery store and, after the kids were grown, worked as a house mother to nursing students.
Aunt Vera was devoted to all the saints. She particularly loved St. Anne and St. Martha (Aunt Vera and her husband had a baby girl Anne who died at two days old). She was also extremely intuitive and had premonitions that came true.
"If God wants, I'll see you again," she'd say each and every time I left her house. This was something that she said since 1951, according to my dad. Aunt Vera lived to be 98-years-old
St. Paula, like Aunt Vera, became a widow at at age 32.
She was born on May 5, 347 in Rome, Italy. She and her husband, Toxotius, had five children. After his death, St. Paula devoted her life to caring for and helping the poor. One of her close friends was St. Jerome.
St. Paula moved with him to Bethlehem, the Holy Land. Together they opened up churches, and founded communities for nuns and monks. St. Paula died on Jan. 26, 404 in Bethlehem. She is the patron saint of widows and her feast day is Jan. 26.

St. Dwynwen (? to 460)

"I do not love you as if you were salt-rose, or topaz, or the arrow of carnations the fire shoots off.
  I love you as certain dark things are to be loved, in secret, between the shadow and the soul."
       (Pablo Neruda)

It's time to spread the love. There's no need to wait until St. Valentine's Day.
St. Dwynwen, a nun, was born in the 5th century and lived on the Isle on Anglesey, Wales. The G-rated version of her story is that she was one of 24 daughters of Brychan Brycheinog. He also had 11 sons.
St. Dwynwen fell in love with a lad named Maelon. Her dad forbade the marriage, so she ran off into the woods. There she encountered an angel's apparition which proclaimed her the Saint of Love.
We know that her church was established at Llanddwyn Island and she died in 460. In the 1960's it became fashionable in Wales to send St. Dwynwen cards for her feast day, Jan. 25. The tradition is still popular today.

St. Francis de Sales (Aug. 21, 1657 to Dec. 28, 1622)

"Do not wish to be anything but what you are, and try to be that perfectly." (St. Francis de Sales)

St. Francis de Sales was born near Annecy in Savoy, France in 1567. At age 13, he believed he was damned to Hell and by 1586 he became physically ill. It wasn't until a visit to a church in southern France a year later, that things changed for the better and St. Francis de Sales decided to devote his life to God.
Among the places where he studied was at the University of Padua in Italy and while there, he decided to become a priest.
St. Francis de Sales is recognized for his spiritual writings and working to convert Protestants back to the Catholic faith. In order to help a deaf man, he created a sign language. Hence he is the patron saint of the deaf.
St. Francis de Sales is also the patron saint of journalists.
He died in 1622 and is buried at the Basilica of the Visitation in Annecy. The relic of his heart is in Venice. Canonized: 1665.
Perhaps my favorite of his sayings is: "Make friends with angels, who though invisible are always with you."

St. John the Almoner (c.550 to Nov. 11, 616)

Each day, I try to somehow demonstrate the goodness and kindness of the saints. It was easiest to do when I was a journalist at a daily newspaper. The most fulfilling part of my job was writing about local charities or people in need that would not have been recognized otherwise. It was a small thing to do to emulate someone like St. John the Almoner (also known as St. John the Almsgiver or St. John the Merciful).
He was born c.550 in Cyprus. After the death of his wife and child, St. John the Almoner entered the clergy and devoted his life to helping the poor and needy. He is remembered for saving refugees from the Persian attacks on the Holy Land and was named the Patriarch of Alexandria, Egypt in 608.
St. John the Almoner died on Nov. 11, 616. His feast day is Jan. 23. Some people say his relics are in Venice, Italy and others believe they are in Slovakia.

St. Vincent Pallotti (April 21, 1795 to Jan. 22, 1850)

One day while I was sitting in my grandmother's kitchen, my Uncle Vinnie asked me if I remembered my grandfather.
"Of course I do," I answered. "He died last year."
Uncle Vinnie told me he was 7-years-old when his grandfather died in 1944 and although that was 37 years earlier, it was like he saw him yesterday.
"When someone you love dies, you never forget them no matter how many years go by," he said.
A few nights later, I had a dream that my deceased grandfather called me on the telephone and in a cheerful voice told me that Uncle Vinnie was going to be with him soon.
I woke up and ran into the living room to tell my mother what happened.
"I had a dream about grandpa and he told me Uncle Vinnie was going to die," I said, tears streaming down my cheeks.
"Go back to bed," my mother said. "You're overtired and probably have a cold."
That week, my Uncle Vinnie died unexpectedly from a heart attack. He was 44-years-old and left a wife and five children.
That was many years ago when I was 16. Still, I remember him like it was only yesterday when we had our last conversation in my grandmother's kitchen. I recall his words to me "when someone you love dies, you never forget them."
Our family could easily have fallen apart when my uncle died but in the words of another Vincent, "the love of Christ impels us."
St. Vincent Pallotti was born in Rome, Italy on April 21, 1795. He became a priest at age 16 and is best known as the founder of the Pious Society of Missions or the Pallottines.
If you visit St. Peter's Basilica Square at the Vatican during Christmas, you can see a nativity display made by St. Vincent Pallotti.
He was taken ill after giving his coat to a homeless person on a cold, rainy night and died on Jan. 22, 1850. He is buried at the Church of San Salvatore in Onda in Rome. Canonized: 1963.
St. Vincent Pallotti's feast day is Jan. 22.