Author: Editor

(Died 1195) Legends say that Berthold was born in Limoges, France, studied in Paris, and was ordained a priest there. He was a relative of Aymeric, the Latin patriarch of Antioch who was installed in Antioch during the crusades. The story continues when Berthold accompanied Aymeric on the crusades and found himself in Antioch when […]

(1304-1346) Venturino was born at Bergamo and joined the Order of Friars Preachers on Jan. 22, 1319. By 1335 he became famous preaching in all the cities of northern Italy. In 1335, he planned to make a penitential pilgrimage to Rome with about 30,000 of his converts. Pope Benedict XII, then residing at Avignon, thought […]

(660- 710) Tradition states that Rupert was a descendent of the first kings of France (the Merovingians). Though regarded for his wisdom and devoutness, he was forced to leave his post as bishop of Worms by the largely pagan population there. He was invited by the duke of Bavaria to spread Christianity among the people […]

(1447-1510) Catarinetta (little Catherine) Fieschi, was a child of a noble family of Genoa. At 13, she wanted to enter a convent but was refused admission because of her youth. When she was 16, she was given in marriage to a young nobleman, Julian Adorno. For this reason, she is sometimes called St Catherine Fieschi-Adorno. […]

(1672-1732) Lucy Filippini was orphaned at an early age. At age 6, she went to live with her aristocratic aunt and uncle who encouraged her religious inclination by entrusting her education to the Benedictine nuns at Santa Lucia. Under the patronage of Cardinal Marcantonio Barbarigo, she was entrusted with the work of founding schools for […]

(1917-1980) Oscar Arnulfo Romero was born in 1917, in Ciudad Barrios in the province of San Miguel, El Salvador. His father trained him to be a carpenter, but at the age of 14, he left home to study to be a priest. He was ordained a priest for the Diocese of San Salvador in 1942 […]

(1538-1606) Imagine someone who had never been a priest, let alone a bishop, stepping out of layman’s shoes into those of archbishop of an episcopate 6,000 miles from home. If you can come up with a name, it would be Turibius of Mogrovejo. As a young man, Turibius was a brilliant scholar of the law […]

(Died 1606) Nicholas’ nickname was “Little John” for his small stature. It could have easily been “Little Fox” for all the times he deceived authorities to save Catholic priests and laymen from the religious persecution of the English crown. Over a period of 20 years Nicholas used his skills to build secret hiding places for […]

(Died 530) Just a few days after the feast of Ireland’s most famous saint, Patrick, we celebrate another Irish trailblazer, Enda of Aran. He is a remarkable character in Catholic and Irish history, as his life’s path took a 180-degree turn. Enda inherited control of a large territory in present-day Northern Ireland from his father […]

(1520-1567) St. Salvator of Horta was born of poor parents in 1520. Orphaned when still quite young, he tended cattle and was later sent as an apprentice to a shoemaker in Barcelona. When he was 20 years old, he entered the Franciscan Order as a lay brother. He distinguished himself among his brethren by rigorous […]