Guiseppe Desa

In the old Calendar today is the feast of one St. Joseph of Cupertino. At the age of eight he started having ecstatic visions which he continued to have the rest of his life. He was rejected by the Conventual Franciscans for "being to dumb" and after a brief stint dismissed by the Capuchin Franciscans "for being too clumsy" (having ecstasies out of nowhere will cause you to drop the odd plate here and there). He was eventually accepted into the Third Order by a Franciscan convent near Cupertino as a stable worker. Over time was able to win the friars over and accepted him as a full lay brother and despite not being well educated or able to read well, was ordained a priest. Along with his trances he also levitated, thus his most famouse attribute. His ecstasies and levitatios were too much and was kept out of sight until his death.

He's the patron for people associated with aviation and air travel, because of his miraculous levitations, but if you are not one of those book smart people and are doing your best to improve your education, or have a difficult test coming up, this is the saint for you. The Conventuals rejected him for his lack of education and was said to be a poor reader, yet he was able to be ordained as a member of the Catholic sacerdotal ranks.

For a fuller story check out this biography at EWTN.com. His early life was pretty depressing. He should also be the patron of people with difficult parents, for his mother was tough on him, especially after he was dismissed by the Capuchins. She wanted nothing to do with him, but then she was kind of the catalyst that got him back into religious life... still, she was a bit difficult. He also makes a great patron for those that have been asked to leave a religious community after it has been decided that it was not the life for them.

Santus Iosephus or pro nobis