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Saint Thomas of Villanova in a white mitre and gold cope, painted by Francisco Camilo in the seventeenth century

Saint Thomas of Villanova

Archbishop of Valencia called “Father of the Poor”, who fed hundreds at his palace daily

Western calendar
8 September
Orthodox calendar
Not kept

Thomas taught philosophy at the University of Alcalá, joined the Augustinians at Salamanca in 1516 and became court preacher to the Emperor Charles V, and he accepted the archbishopric of Valencia in 1544 only out of obedience to his superiors. As archbishop he fed four to five hundred poor people a day at his palace, sent almoners to find those too ashamed to beg, gave tools to poor workmen, and set up a home for foundlings, while he mended his own clothes with his own hands. Paul V named him "Almsgiver" and "Father of the Poor", and he died at Valencia on 8 September 1555 after Mass in his bedroom.

Sources

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What is a saint’s feast day?

It is the day each year when the Church remembers a saint in its prayers, and for most saints it is the day they died and went home to God. Many saints here have two dates, because the Western and Orthodox Churches keep their own calendars, and some Orthodox churches still count by the old Julian calendar, which runs thirteen days behind ours.

What is a patron saint?

A patron saint is one we ask to pray for us in a particular place, work or need, as many ask Anthony of Padua for help when something is lost, and as Ireland looks to Patrick. A few patronages were declared by a pope, and most grew from long custom. A card says “Patron of” only where a source we checked names one.

A saint I’m looking for is missing. Can you add it?

Yes. Try the name another way first, or the saint’s feast day, because some saints are better known by a title. If they are still not here, send us the name through our contact page, and we will add the saint once we have checked their life and feast days in sources we trust.

Why did you choose these saints and not others?

We began with the saints people search for most, by name, by need and by date, along with the apostles and the saints Orthodox Christians look for. Then we made sure every day of the year has at least one saint. That gives 378 so far, and we keep adding the saints readers ask for.

Every saint here, by feast day

Choosing a confirmation saint

Catholics preparing for Confirmation often choose a saint as a patron and take that saint’s name. It is a custom, and a candidate may keep their baptismal name. The norms of the Diocese of Honolulu say that candidates “may use their baptismal name for Confirmation,” and that “by custom” they may take another from the holy men and women of Scripture, the saints or the virtues. Dioceses differ, so ask your parish what it expects.

Ways to find a saint

  • Start with your own name. Type your first name in the finder above. Many names belong to more than one saint, and the finder lists them.
  • Try a date that matters to you. Type your birthday or baptism day to see whose feast it is.
  • Look for what you do or care about. Type a job, a study or a need, or begin with one of the patrons below.
  • Read the life before you choose. Each entry gives a short life and the sources it came from, including where the history is uncertain.
  • Talk it over with your sponsor. Canon law asks the sponsor to help the person confirmed live “as a true witness of Christ.”

Some patrons to begin with

At the ceremony the name is usually said on its own. In the Honolulu norms, the title and the place are left off, so Saint Catherine of Siena becomes “Catherine.”

About this list

What this shows

378 saints of the Western and Orthodox churches: each saint’s feast day in both calendars, what the saint is patron of where a source says so, a short life, and the pages we took it from.

Sources

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Saint list (CSV)

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Cite this page

Christian Pure. "Saint Finder: Feast Days, Patronages and Sources." Updated November 8, 2026. https://christianpure.com/saint-finder/.

Made by the Christian Pure editorial team. Last updated . Found a mistake? Tell us, and see the corrections log.