Saints
Parents of Mary, patron saints of grandparents
Who are Saints Anne and Joachim?
The older sister of Moses and Aaron. She is the first woman in Scripture explicitly called a prophetess and led the Israelites in song after parting the Red Sea.
Who is Miriam?
A diverse movement blending early Christian ideas with Greek philosophy, maintaining that the material world is evil and salvation requires escaping through secret, divine knowledge (gnosis)
What is Gnosticism?
Famously released by Noah to find land after the flood, and later descended on Jesus as the Holy Spirit during his baptism
What is a dove?
"For God so loved the world...
that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life"
John 3:16
Patron of conversions and difficult children, mother of Augustine
Who is Saint Monica?
The only female judge mentioned in the Book of Judges. She served as a prophetess and military leader who guided Israel to victory against the Canaanites
Who is Deborah?
Led by the presbyter Arius, this 4th-century belief posited that Jesus was a created being rather than co-eternal with God the Father. It was condemned at the First Council of Nicaea in 325 AD
What is Arianism?
The first bird Noah sent from the ark, and the bird God used to miraculously feed the prophet Elijah
What is a raven?
"We know that all things work together for good...
for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose."
Romans 8:28
The patron saint of sailors and abdominal pain, this early Christian bishop was martyred by having his intestines wound out on a cutlass
Who is Saint Erasmus (also known as Saint Elmo)?
A Jewish orphan who becomes Queen of Persia and bravely thwarts a genocidal plot against her people. Her courage and calculated actions to save the Jewish community from destruction establish the foundation for the annual festival of Purim.
Who is Esther?
Championed by Nestorius, this view separated Jesus into two distinct persons—one human and one divine—essentially arguing that Mary was the mother of Christ's human nature but not his divine nature
What is Nestorianism?
Used by Jesus to remind humanity of God's tender, personal care. In Matthew 10:29-31, he notes that not a single one of these falls to the ground without the Father's knowledge
What is a sparrow?
"For as the body without the spirit is dead...
so faith without works is dead also."
James 2:26
The patron of prisoners and addicts, he volunteered to die in place of a man with children in the German death camp of Auschwitz
Who is St. Maximillian Kolbe?
When Sisera, the commander of King Jabin's army, was defeated and fled on foot, he sought refuge in her tent. She welcomed him in, fed him milk, and drove a tent peg through his temple while he slept, fulfilling a prophecy.
Who is Jael?
Rooted in the belief that the physical world is inherently flawed, this heresy claimed Christ was purely divine and that his human body was merely an illusion, meaning he did not genuinely suffer or die on the cross
What is Docetism?
God miraculously provided massive flocks of these to feed the Israelites in the desert (Exodus 16:13)
What are quail?
"Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them...
Are you not much more valuable than they?"
Matthew 6:26
One of the original 12 apostles, he was skinned alive for his faith. He is the patron saint of tanners, plasterers, tailors, leatherworkers, and bookbinders
Who is Saint Bartholomew?
When an Assyrian army besieges her town, she infiltrates the enemy camp using her wits and charm, and beheads the enemy general while he sleeps. This daring act causes the opposing army to flee in terror.
Who is Judith?
Originating with the British monk Pelagius, this 4th-century view rejected the concept of original sin and argued that humans possess the inherent free will to achieve salvation through their own good works without needing divine grace
What is Pelagianism?
Mentioned in Job 39 as a bird known for laying its eggs in the dust and neglecting them, showcasing the wild, mysterious ways of creation
What is an ostrich?
“If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world...
...it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you."
John 15:18-19