1. Throughout history, many have sought to become closer to God by isolating themselves from society. St. Simeon Stylites, a fifth-century Syrian, took the act of being a hermit to a new level. In what uninviting environment did he live for thirty-seven years? In a cave dug into a sheer cliff face In a tiny recess of the sewers of Rome On a remote sand bar in the Red Sea On a platform atop a tall pillar

2. St. Rose of Lima, the first person born in the Americas to be canonized, dedicated her life to God at a young age. Unfortunately, she had some trouble persuading her parents of her calling! Before entering a convent at the age of twenty, she took drastic measures to prevent the marriage her parents so dearly wanted. What did she do to make herself less attractive to men? She pretended to be mute whenever she was in public. She disfigured herself by wearing a spiked iron crown just above her eyes. She disfigured herself by applying pepper and lye to her face. She sang loud and angelic hymns whenever asked to meet an eligible bachelor.

3. Famous as a sixth-century missionary to Scotland, St. Columba did not always lead a holy and honorable life -- even after he became a priest. According to tradition, he had a dispute with his teacher, St. Finnian of Moville, that eventually led to the deaths of some 3000 people. Over what object did these two holy men have such a deadly argument? A fragment of the True Cross A book of psalms The knuckle-bone of St. Patrick A sword engraved with lines from the Book of Joshua

4. In 1802, archaeologists excavating the Roman catacombs discovered the grave of a young girl. Soon after these remains were removed, a frenzy of miracles and visions were reported, and she was canonized in 1837 -- at which point cooler heads began to object. What is the name of this historically dubious saint, who was removed from the church calendar in 1961? St. Apphia St. Barbara St. Philomena St. Priscilla

5. Although St. Jude is recognized as the patron saint of lost causes, the fourth-century Armenian St. Blaise surely has a claim on them too. A friend of wild beasts as well as of the poor, he came up with an unusual solution to the problem of a wolf who had carried off a pig belonging to a poor widow. What seemingly impossible feat did he perform? He raised the pig from the dead. He went into the forest and returned with two wild pigs for the widow. He killed the wolf and removed the (live!) pig from its belly. He talked the wolf into becoming a vegetarian.

6. According to legend, St. Christopher -- for whom historical records are sparse or non-existent -- had a surprisingly worldly reason for wishing to serve God. A large, strong, proud man, he dedicated himself to a king and then to the devil before converting to Christianity. What principle guided his allegiance? He wished to serve a master who would take care of his family. He wished to judge each master for himself, before committing to anyone's service. He wished to serve only the bravest, most powerful master. He wished to serve the master who promised him the most splendid riches.

7. Compared to modern Christians, members of the early church often had a very different take on what marriage was all about. St. Cecilia, a second-century Roman noblewoman, was one of many martyrs who valued her virginity as an homage to Christ. When she married the pagan Valerian, what unusual step did she take to preserve her status? She prayed for (and was granted) a constant guard of five dragons. She killed Valerian with a dagger when he refused to honor her choice to remain a virgin. She converted Valerian to Christianity and persuaded him to take a vow of celibacy. She never married Valerian! She was executed for her refusal to wed.

8. The French noblewoman St. Jane Frances de Chantal is viewed as a model holy woman, but a few of her choices look strange from the perspective of modern family values. Widowed at a young age and left with young children to raise, she eventually made her way to Annecy in order to found (and join) an order of nuns. What was unusual about her journey to the convent? She pressured her daughters to give up their dowry funds in order to endow the new religious order. She refused to hear any news of her children after entering the convent, declaring that she was instead a mother to the world. She renounced the memory of her late husband to gain entrance to the convent. To enter the convent, she had to step over the prone body of her grieving fourteen-year-old child.

9. St. Christina the Astonishing, a Belgian born in 1150, lived up to her name. After dramatically waking up during her own funeral (she had been presumed dead after suffering a seizure), she became extremely reluctant to spend time with ordinary people. In fact, in order to escape them, she climbed trees, hid in unusual places like ovens, and even levitated! What reason did she give for her extreme avoidance of people? They reminded her of what she had lost by not staying in Heaven. She could not stand the visions she received of them suffering in Hell. She could smell their sin, and wanted to avoid the stink. She felt that their stares mocked her for her holy life.

10. Our final saint is not quite like the others, and (despite more than 600 years of veneration) was never canonized by the Catholic church. His only known deed during life is beyond reproach: he defended an infant from a snake in its cradle, and the infant's father slew him when he mistook the snake's blood for the child's. What is unusual about the martyr Guinefort? Guinefort was not a Christian. Guinefort was a dog. Guinefort defended himself against his murderer. The child Guinefort saved grew up to work against the Church.