Saint - Elsewhere in North America Quiz

Answer: Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts, Quebec

Saint Agatha of Sicily (231-251) was a devoted Christian. She turned down several marriage proposals, as she wanted to stay a virgin serving Christ. According to stories written down much later, she was tortured in several ways, one of which was cutting off her breasts - hence her selection as a patron saint for those who suffer breast cancer.

Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts in Quebec was named after Saint Agatha and after its location in the Laurentian Mountains, in the south of the province of Quebec.

Answer: St. Simons, Georgia

The Saint Simon (or Simeon) to which I refer, was a son of Cleophas. He would have been present on the first Pentecost and thus have received the Holy Spirit. After James the Greater was martyred, Simon took over as bishop in Jerusalem for forty years - until he too was martyred at the command of the Roman Emperor Trajan.

To differentiate Simeon from Simon Peter, most gospels mention him as Simon the Zealot.

The census-designated place Saint Simons in the American state of Georgia is a small town on a barrier island off the south coast of Georgia. It was probably inhabited by people of European (Spanish) descent since about 1600.

Answer: San Antonio, Texas

Saint Anthony of Padua was born in Portugal in 1195. He joined the Franciscan order and travelled to preach. Once, when the Franciscan congregation he had joined was visited by some Dominicans (known for their eloquent preaching), he was chosen to preach the homily - and impressed the eloquent Dominicans.

Saint Anthony had a valuable psalm book. When someone stole it, Anthony prayed for the return. The thief repented and gave the book back. Saint Anthony died in Padua in 1231.

The city of San Antonio, Texas (one of the most populated cities in this state) was named after Saint Anthony because Spanish explorers encountered a native settlement at the site on his feast day in 1691, and named the settlement and the nearby river in his honour. It was not until 1718 that a Spanish mission was constructed there.

Answer: Saint Albans, West Virginia

According to the (somewhat fragmentary and contradictory) records from the time, Saint Alban was probably a British pagan in the 3rd or 4th century, who converted after hiding a Christian priest from persecution. The priest escaped, but Alban was condemned to be tortured unless he sacrificed to the Roman gods. Alban refused, and after a few miracles he was beheaded near the present city of Saint Albans in England.

A little town in West Virginia was named after Saint Alban. A city in Vermont and a neighbourhood in New York's borough of Queens share the same name.

Answer: Saint John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

According to Biblical tradition, John the Baptist was the son of Zachariah and Elizabeth, a relative of Mary. He was born a few months before Jesus. John the Baptist called many to repent and baptized them in the name of the Lord.

Later John the Baptist reprimanded King Herod the Great several times for having wed Herod's former sister-in-law. Herod finally had John beheaded, and his head was served on a silver platter.

The capital city of the Canadian province Newfoundland and Labrador was named after Saint John the Baptist, and was inhabited by English colonists since about 1600.

There are also other Canadian and American towns and cities named after Saint John: in Ontario and in New Brunswick, in California and Florida, et cetera.

Answer: Helena, Montana

Saint Helena was born into a humble family, it seems. But she married the Emperor Constantius Chlorus and bore him a son, Constantine.

During the reign of her son, Helena commanded a mission to Jerusalem in search of the True Cross on which Jesus died. They found remnants of three crosses, and Helena decided to verify the authenticity by having a dying woman touch each cross in turn. On touching the third cross, the woman was miraculously cured, and Helena therefore concluded that this was the True Cross.

Helena, Montana is probably the best known city in the USA named after Saint Helena. A volcano in Washington state and a small town in Oregon were also named Saint-Helens.

Answer: St. Augustine, Florida

Saint Augustine of Hippo (354-430) was the son of a pagan and Saint Monica. During his youth, he committed many sins, including the mortal sins of lust. But his mother's prayers helped him to see the light, and he fought against various heresies. Many of his books remain. The most important are "Confessions", a sincere autobiography, and "City of God" - a collection of philosophical and religious contemplations about the difference between (Roman) paganism and Christianity.

The town of St. Augustine in Florida was founded in 1565. It served as capital of Florida during the Seventeenth Century.

Answer: Saint Matthews, Kentucky

Most Christian denominations recognize four gospel writers: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Of these four, Matthew started his life as a tax collector - until Jesus invited him to follow His footsteps. Because he dealt daily with money before he became one of the apostles, he has become patron saint of several financial occupations: bankers, bookkeepers, tax collectors, and even stock brokers.

A small city in Kentucky was named Saint Matthews. There are also a town of Saint Matthews in South Carolina and a city San Mateo in California.

Answer: St. Catharines, Ontario

According to stories written down more than 600 years later, Saint Catherine of Alexandria was a young girl, perhaps born in 287, who attracted the attention of the Roman Emperor. She was said to have thoroughly beaten the fifty most famous pagan philosophers in a public debate.

She is described as having been imprisoned without food, surviving on the food brought to her by doves. She is said to have been whipped several times, with her wounds being cured by angels. When she refused an offer in matrimony by the Emperor, he condemned her to be broken on the wheel, but the wheel broke at her first touch. So finally,according to the legend, she was beheaded.

St. Catharines in Ontario could have been named after Saint Catherine of Alexandria, although other theories have been advanced. After all, there are a number of saints (and other famous women) named Catherine. And it is far from clear why the original Catherine's became Catharines.

Answer: Santa Barbara, California

There is no evidence that Saint Barbara was a historical person. According to her hagiography, she was locked in a tower by her father, then cruelly tortured, and finally beheaded by her own father - who was instantaneously hit by lightning and burned to death.

The fate of her father explains why Barbara became patron saint of firefighters.

The city of Santa Barbara in California was built around a mission post opened on December 4, 1786 - the feast day of Santa Barbara.