Author: Editor

(1577-April 24, 1622) Born with the name Mark Ray, today’s saint became a lawyer, championing the causes of the poor and oppressed people. He became known as “the poor man’s lawyer” but soon grew disgusted with the corruption and injustice he saw among his colleagues. He left his law career to become a priest, joining […]

(280-303) George, whose name in Greek means “farmer,” was born to a Christian family in Cappadocia at about the year 280. After moving to Palestine, he joined the army of the Roman emperor Diocletian. When the emperor issued the edict of persecution against Christians in 303, George gave all his belongings to the poor and, […]

(956 –997) Adalbert was born into a noble family in Bohemia and received part of his education from St. Adalbert of Magdeburg. At the age of 27, he was chosen as bishop of Prague. Those who resisted his program of clerical reform forced him into exile eight years later. In time, the people of Prague requested […]

(1033-1109) St. Anselm was born in Aosta, Italy, and died in Canterbury, England. He is remembered for three important contributions to the Church as we know it. First, as Archbishop of Canterbury he defended the rights and liberties of the Church against the encroachments of the English kings, who plundered the Church’s lands, impeded the […]

(1268-1317) St. Agnes of Montepulciano was born into a noble family in the village of Gracciano, Italy. Already at 4 years old, she began seeking solitude where she could pray privately for many hours to Jesus. At age 9, she told her parents that she desired to enter the Dominican monastery at nearby Montepulciano. She […]

(1922-1962) Gianna Beretta was born in Magenta near Milano, Italy, the 10th of Alberto and Maria Beretta’s 13 children. An active member of the St. Vincent de Paul Society and a leader in the Catholic Action movement, Gianna also enjoyed skiing and mountain climbing. She earned degrees in medicine and surgery from the University of […]

(Died 185 AD) Apollonius was well versed in philosophy and an illustrious man of his time. It is believed he was a Roman senator. He was denounced as a Christian to the Pretorian Prefect Perennius. Summoned to defend himself, he read to the senate. St. Jerome recorded that Apollonius gave “a remarkable volume” in which, […]

(1018-1110) Robert was born in Champagne, to Theodoric and Ermegarde, virtuous nobles who brought him up in learning and piety. At the age of 15, he became a Benedictine monk in the abbey of Montier-la-celle, where he made rapid progress and, though he was the youngest in that house, he was chosen prior, and sometime […]

(1844-1879) Bernadette was born to a miller and his wife in Lourdes, France. A poor businessman. Bernadette’s father lost the mill and earned money from time to time as a handyman, who turned to alcohol to deal with his depression. Her mother was very devout and bore her husband many children, only five of whom […]

(c 482-568) Paternus was born in Brittany to devout Christians. When Paternus was young his father left the family to become a hermit in Ireland. Paternus’ mother then raised the boy in her own making sure he was schooled in his Christian faith. The boy grew to follow in the footsteps of the father, becoming […]