Author: Editor

(1107-1178) Anthelm was born in the South of France and did not begin his religious career until after a visit to the Carthusian Charterhouse at Portes when he was 30 years old Only two years past before he became the abbot of Le Grande Chartreuse. In this position he undertook reconstruction of the physical facility, […]

(284-304) A version of the story of today’s saint says that St. Febronia was raised during the reign of the Roman emperor Diocletian by her aunt Briena, the superior of a convent in Sibapoli, Syria. She was renowned for her beauty, piety and virtue. When she was about 19 years old Diocletian sent the prefect […]

(Martyred 30 AD) John the Baptist is a familiar figure in Christian lore. He was born to Zachary, a priest and Elizabeth, a cousin of Mary. It is told that the couple was on in years, pious and virtuous, but Elizabeth was barren, much to their disappointment. One day, when Zachary was about to offer […]

(1811-1860) If St. Joseph Cafasso were a book, you certainly could not know it by its cover. Born with a twisted spine, he was small in stature and a bit deformed. His pleasant face and commanding voice quickly earned the respect of those who encountered him. He was a riveting speaker and an admired teacher. […]

(1478-1535) Thomas More was an English Renaissance man, scholar, politician and a martyr for his Catholic convictions. An Oxford educated man, he was a master of Latin, Greek and logic. He was a writer of comedies and other works, including the first great histography in English, History of Richard III and Utopia, which criticized the […]

(1568-1591) By all rights, Aloysius Gonzaga should have lived a long and prosperous life. Sometimes divine fate takes the best of us before we can fulfill our earthly promise. Aloysius was born to one of the foremost families of Northern Italy in Stiviere, Republic of Venice. Trained for a military career, he received his education […]

(1270-1341) St. Juliana was born to a wealthy Florentine family during one of the city’s most turbulent times. Two parties, the Guelfs (supporters of the papacy) and the Ghibellines (supporters of the emperor) were in constant political and physical conflict. Having lost her father at an early age, Juliana was raised by her widowed mother […]

Mark and Marcellian were brothers of noble Roman birth. Though they converted to Christianity as boys, their families remained pagan. They later they each married, but their wives and children remained pagan. Under the persecutions of Emperor Diocletian they were arrested and put in prison. They were instructed to sacrifice to the Roman gods or […]

(1797-1856) St. Emily is the founder of the Sisters of St. Joseph of the Assumption. She is recognized for introducing a new level of dedication for the poorest of the poor. Her mission, together with a few companions, began modestly in 1832 in Gaillac, France. Encouraged by the archbishop of Albi, François-Marie de Gauly, her […]