Saint Joachim of Nazareth was the husband of Saint Anne and the father of Mary, the mother of Jesus, according to the Catholic, Orthodox, and Anglican traditions. The story of Joachim and Anne first appears in the apocryphal Gospel of James. He is a holy patron of fathers, grandfathers and the island of Poerto Rico and his feast day is July 26.
Saint Peregrine Laziosi O.S.M. (Pellegrino Latiosi) (†1345) is an Italian saint of the Servite Order (Friar Order Servants of Mary) who afflicted his body with various forms of mortification and, as a result, at the age of sixty, suffered from varicose veins degenerated into cancer of the right leg. His condition deteriorated to the point that a physician decided to amputate the leg. The night before the surgery Peregrine dragged himself before the crucifix in the chapter room. There he became drowsy and seemed to see Jesus descend from the cross to heal his leg. The following day, the doctor arrived to perform the amputation but could find no sign of the cancer, or even of a wound. He was so shocked that he spread the news of the miracle throughout the town. Saint Peregrine’s body rests in the Servite church of Forlì, the Basilica of Saint Pellegrino Laziosi. Pope Paul V declared him blessed in 1609 and Pope Benedict XIII canonized him in 1726. The liturgical feast of Saint Peregrine is on May 4. He is the patron saint for persons suffering from cancer, AIDS, or other illness.