All of the Church Fathers are important in helping to form the apologist, but perhaps the patristic patron saint of lay apologists is Justin Martyr, the first-known lay apologist for the faith. You can learn more about him and his writings at the following links:
DISCLAIMER: Catholic Answers has turned over the archive to Catholic-Questions.org and no longer owns, manages, or moderates the forums. For additional apologetics resources please visit www.catholic.com.