From Franciscan Media

October 28. Legend has it that Saints Simon and Jude traveled to Persia together where they were both martyred. This may explain why they share the same feast day. Saint Simon is usually referred to as "the Zealot,” and Saint Jude, also known as Thaddeus, is often considered the brother of Saint James the Lesser.

October 27. Blessed Bartholomew of Vicenza, a Dominican, challenged the heresies of his day. Known for his ability to preach, he overcame his adversaries and helped his diocese become more loyal to Rome in a time when anti-papal feeling ran high.

October 26. Saint Peter of Alcantara lived in the 16th century, a time of great Church reform. He was confessor for Saint Teresa of Avila, another great reformer. Saint Peter was known for his life of penitance and the virtue of patience. He founded a branch of the Franciscans known as the Alcantarines.

October 25. Born in Guarantingueta near São Paulo, Antônio attended the Jesuit seminary in Belem but later decided to become a Franciscan friar. Invested in 1760, he made final profession the following year and was ordained in 1762.

October 24. Anthony Claret was a missionary, religious founder, social reformer, queen’s chaplain, writer and publisher, archbishop and refugee. He was a Spaniard whose work took him to the Canary Islands, Cuba, Madrid, Paris, and to the First Vatican Council.

October 23. Born at a time when the bubonic plague had decimated the population and the Church was split with two, maybe three, claimants to the papacy, Saint John Capistrano was a voice of strength and hope. He was known for his preaching and his ability to reconcile warring factions. His talents were felt in the Church and in the Franciscan Order.

October 22. Born in Wadowice, Poland, Pope Saint John Paul II had lost his mother, father, and older brother before his 21st birthday. Then his promising academic career at Krakow’s Jagiellonian University was cut short by the outbreak of World War II, during which he worked in a quarry and a chemical factory while attending an underground seminary.

October 21. The life of a hermit living in the desert strikes many people as mysterious, if not inexplicable. Yet this is what Saint Hilarion, and many others, sought and hoped for and, in some cases, fought for. They teach the value of solitude and prayer to our noisy and busy world.

July 30. Blessed Solanus Casey became one of Detroit’s best-known priests, even though he was not allowed to preach formally or to hear confessions. Difficulties with studies led to his being limited in some areas of ministry, but he certainly shone in others. This well-beloved friar is a modern day example of humility and perseverance.

Our Lady of Guadalupe chose Juan Diego to help evangelize America. This month the Church recognizes him as a saint.