We need all the help we can get

In a statement Monday, Cardinal Roger Mahony invoked the name of the patron saint of workers -- Saint Joseph -- while calling for workers and students to take care of business before joining a protest rally.

Though I'm a Protestant, not a Catholic, I have always been fascinated by the stories of the Catholic saints and how they came to be honored. As a teenager, it was very cool to wear a St. Christopher medallion so, of course, I had to have one though I hadn't a clue about the life of this revered man.

A few years later, when I was The Bee's features editor, I remember a luncheon at the home of the late Beverly Kees, who executive editor of The Bee from 1988 to 1993. She had divided the newsroom into a number of task forces to brainstorm new ideas. Part of the fun of serving on a task force was meeting at her lovely historic home on Huntington Boulevard. She was a great cook, so she made us all lunch after each meeting.

At one of the task force luncheons, she gave each of us little metal medallions of the patron saint of journalism, which according to the American Catholic directory, is St. Francis de Sales. (I wonder if Wall Street's investment bankers know that?)

As she pointed out the little gifts, she noted that while she wasn't a Catholic, she figured, "Can't hurt, might help."

Curious? Here's a full listing of all the saints and their stories.