Saint Luke (Lucas) the Evangelist is believed to be the author of both the Gospel According to Luke and the Acts of the Apostles. A frequent companion of St. Paul, he is considered the most accomplished of the New Testament writers. Paul writes in his Epistle to the Colossians (4:14) that Luke was a physician by profession and suggests that, unlike the other evangelists, he was a gentile. Eusebius, the fourth-century bishop and church historian, says that Luke was born in Antioch (present-day Antakya, Turkey). An ancient text called the "Prefatio vel Argumentum Lucæ" states that Luke never married, that he wrote his Gospel in Achaia (a region in western Greece), that he died at the age of seventy-four in Bithynia (perhaps a copyist's error for Bœotia [a region in central Greece]?), and that he was buried in Constantinople along with Saints Andrew and Timothy. Tradition holds that his relics were later removed to Padua, in Italy. He is a patron saint of physicians and artists (Luke is reported to have been an excellent artist as well as writer), and of course he is the patron of our mission church.

From Catholic Online:

Luke's unique perspective on Jesus can be seen in the six miracles and eighteen parables not found in the other gospels. Luke's is the gospel of the poor and of social justice. He is the one who tells the story of Lazarus and the Rich Man who ignored him. Luke is the one who uses "Blessed are the poor" instead of "Blessed are the poor in spirit" in the beatitudes. Only in Luke's gospel do we hear Mary 's Magnificat where she proclaims that God "has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty" (Luke 1:52-53).

Luke also has a special connection with the women in Jesus' life, especially Mary. It is only in Luke's gospel that we hear the story of the Annunciation, Mary's visit to Elizabeth including the Magnificat, the Presentation, and the story of Jesus' disappearance in Jerusalem. It is Luke that we have to thank for the Scriptural parts of the Hail Mary: "Hail Mary full of grace" spoken at the Annunciation and "Blessed are you and blessed is the fruit of your womb Jesus" spoken by her cousin Elizabeth.

Forgiveness and God's mercy to sinners is also of first importance to Luke. Only in Luke do we hear the story of the Prodigal Son welcomed back by the overjoyed father. Only in Luke do we hear the story of the forgiven woman disrupting the feast by washing Jesus' feet with her tears. Throughout Luke's gospel, Jesus takes the side of the sinner who wants to return to God's mercy.