St. Simon the Zealot is one of the most obscure of all of the Apostles.  Little is known about him though it is thought that he was born in Judea.  In the Christian tradition, St. Simon is often considered part of an evangelizing team along with St. Jude.  In fact, they share the same feast day—October 28^th.  Where the two actually preached the word is not certain—some believe it was Persia, Armenia, or Lebanon, while others believe they proselytized in the Middle East and Africa.  As debated is what eventually happened to St. Simon.  One tradition says that he was crucified in Persia, another makes the claim he died in his sleep peacefully, while another theory says he was martyred by being sawed in half—lengthwise.

The statue of him in columbarium in the Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Hollywood, California, depicts St. Simon with a saw, the symbol he is associated with because of his gruesome method of martyrdom.  St. Simon is the patron saint of curriers, tanners, and, ironically, sawyers.  A sawyer is defined as “one who saws.”