Saints, Blesseds, Venerables, and Servants of God Quiz

Answer: St. Anthony of Padua

Born in Lisbon, Portugal, in 1195, St. Anthony came from a well-off family but, hoping to become a martyr for Christ, he joined the Franciscan Order after being a member of the Augustinian Order. He was a popular preacher and his correction of heresies gave him the nickname of "Hammer of Heretics".

For most of his life, he lived and worked in Padua, Italy, which gave him the name by which he is referred to today. He died 1231 at the age of 35. Some Catholics also refer to him as the Wonder Worker since miracles have been said to occur during his lifetime and after praying for his intercession. Pope Pius XII made him a Doctor of the Church in 1946.

Answer: Saint Eucherius of Lyon

Born in 380 AD, Saint Eucherius became a Bishop of Lyon around 434. He had lived a simple lifestyle with his wife and children, and after her death, he thought of becoming a hermit. It was after this that he became the venerated bishop.

He is known for his many letters and homilies, including the essay "De laude eremi" ("in praise of the desert"). Saint Eucherius died in 449.

Answer: Saint Bridget (Birgitta)

Saint Bridget was born in 1303 in Sweden. Upon the death of her husband, Ulf Gudmarsson, in 1344, she entered the Third Order of Saint Francis. She tried to establish a new order, the Order of the Most Holy Saviour, or the Bridgettines, in 1350, but it was not approved by the Pope until 1370.

She lived principally in Rome, where she died in 1373, after a life of kindness and good works. Her remains were later returned to Sweden.

Answer: Saint Francis de Sales

Saint Francis was born in France in 1567. He obtained a law doctorate at the University of Padua in Italy. With Jane Frances de Chantal, he founded the Order of the Visitation of Holy Mary in 1610. This was a women's order.

Unusually for the time period, Francis also wrote several works for laypeople, especially women; these texts were easier to understand than usual scholarly works, and included a "Treatise on the Love of God".

Answer: Alfred the Great

Born around 848 or 849, Alfred the Great was originally the King of the West Saxons, until 886 when he became the Anglo-Saxon King. Viking invasions had been plaguing Britain for centuries, and Alfred fought against the invaders, winning a great victory at the Battle of Edington in 878. After this, he divided Britain with the Vikings. He died in 899.

Alfred the Great is regarded as a Christian hero in many religious denominations; he oversaw the Viking King Guthrum's conversion to the religion. He is a saint in the Anglican tradition.

Answer: Saint John Chrysostom

Born in Antioch around 347, John became known for his skills in rhetoric and speaking, gaining him the name Chrysostom, which means "golden mouth." In 397, he became Archbishop of Constantinople after he was nominated without his knowledge for the position. Social unrest, however, soon saw John exiled from Constantinople, for reasons that are still not fully understood.

He became the patron saint of preachers in 1908.

Answer: Saint Paul of the Cross

Born Paolo Francesco Danei in 1694 in northern Italy, Saint Paul of the Cross began a life of prayer at the age of 19 and believed that the Passion of Christ was where God could be most found. Inspired by this and several dreams, he decided to form the Passionist Congregation, a group of people who came together around the Passion.

Pope Benedict XIII granted Paul official approval to form the congregation in 1725. The group's Retreats (monasteries) began opening in 1737. Paul himself died in 1775.

Answer: Saint Augustine

Saint Augustine of Hippo is perhaps one of the world's most famous saints. A long-time disbeliever in the Gospel, he converted to Christianity when he was 31, in 386. He became the Bishop of Hippo around 395.

He is the author of many famous Christian texts, including his autobiographical "Confessions", and "The City of God". He died in 430.

Answer: Saint Isaac Jogues

Isaac and his seven companions are the First North American Martyrs, or Canadian Martyrs, killed in 1646. He worked and preached amongst the Iroquois and the Huron, who were at war with each other. On a previous visit to New France, in 1642 Isaac had been captured by the Iroquois and severely beaten, but had been assisted in escape by Arent van Curler. After returning to France, he then made another mission to North America.

Possibly due to anti-French feeling that had been spread amongst the Mohawk by outsiders, the Mohawk killed Isaac and his companions upon his return to North America in 1646. Interestingly, the man who killed Isaac was captured and while awaiting execution, decided to become baptized. The name he chose was Father Isaac Jogues; thus, Isaac Jogues was martyred twice!

Answer: Blessed Maria del Transito de Jesus Sacramentado

She was born Maria del Transito Eugenia de los Dolores Cabanillas, and is also known as María del Tránsito Cabanillas. Her father, Felipe Cabanillas Taranzo married Francisca Antonia Lujan Sanchez five years earlier before her birth as the third of 10 or 11 children on the 15th of August, 1821.

She joined the Third Order of Saint Francis in 1859. On December 8, 1878, she helped launch the Congregation of the Franciscan Tertiary Missionaries of Argentina. This organization gave assistance to the poor and orphaned. She died in 1885.