1. Genevi¸ve -- Patron Saint of Disasters and Paris
Feast day: January 3
By age 15, Genevi¸ve was a nun. When her hometown of Paris was under siege by Childeric, King of the Franks, she risked her own safety to go into the city to find food and supplies for the suffering. Years later, she faced another dangerous conqueror -- Attila the Hun. As Parisians prepared to leave their homes rather than face the wrath of the barbarians, Genevi¸ve convinced them to stay in their homes and pray instead. Today, it is still unknown why Attila the Hun didn't attack Paris. Genevi¸ve died in a.d. 500.
 St. Blaise is the patron saint of throat infections, among other things. |
Feast day: February 3
As a bishop, Blaise was arrested for praying and went into hiding to avoid martyrdom. He shared a cave with wild animals that he cared for. He was eventually found and ordered to stand trial, but on his way to the trial, he convinced a wolf to return a woman's stolen pig. When he was sentenced to a slow, painful death by starvation, the grateful owner of the pig secretly slipped him food so that he wouldn't die. During this time, a woman came to Blaise in need of help. Her son was choking on a fish bone, but Blaise was able to save his life. When the governor learned that Blaise hadn't yet starved to death, he ordered him skinned alive and then beheaded. He died in a.d. 316.
Read on to discover more obscure patron saints such as Saint Denis and Saint Felicity, the patron saint of parents who have children who died.
