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(Died 304 AD) Vincent was ordained deacon by his friend St. Valerius of Zaragoza in Spain. The Roman emperor had published his edicts against the clergy in 303, and the following year against the laity. Vincent and his bishop were imprisoned in Valencia. Hunger and torture failed to break them. In fact, they seemed to thrive […]

(291-304) St Agnes is among the seven women listed, together with the Blessed Virgin, embedded in the Roman Catholic Cannon of the earliest saints and martyrs. She was only 12 years old when she was led to the altar of Minerva in Rome and commanded to obey the persecuting laws of Diocletian by offering incense. […]

(256-288) St. Sebastian was a 3rd century Christian saint and a martyr. He was educated in Milan then joined the Roman Army in order to help the suffering Christians. For his incredible service to the army, Sebastian was promoted to serve in the Praetorian Guard, the elite unit of the Imperial Roman Army whose members […]

(Died 250 AD) In the year 236, Fabian, a layman, came to Rome, perhaps out of curiosity, to witness the choosing of a new Pope. Suddenly during the discussion, a dove descended from the ceiling. The story, according to Eusebius, says the dove “settled on (Fabian’s) head as clear imitation of the descent of the […]

(1613- 1670) Born in Sezze, southeast of Rome, Charles was inspired by the lives of Salvator Horta and Paschal Baylon to become a Franciscan in 1635. He was determined to become a lay brother with a great desire to be poor and to beg alms for his love. He served as cook, porter, sacristan, gardener […]

(3rd century) Antony lost both his parents by the time he was 20 years old. He gave away his worldly goods and lived as a hermit in the desert. He established “families” of monks who under the guidance of a spiritual father, dedicated themselves to the service of God. St. Anthony is often depicted next […]

(Died 310) In 304 Marcellus was elected pope, succeeding Pope St. Marcellinus, who had been tortured by the Roman emperor Diocletian. Marcellus found a church in disarray thanks to hundreds of years of persecution, as well as lapsed and disaffected followers. Three years of relative peace were given the church when Maxentius became emperor in […]

(510-584) Maurus (or Mauro) was the son of Equitius, a nobleman of Rome. When he was about 12 years old, his father placed him under the care of St. Benedict at Subiaco, to be educated. As he matured, Maurus was considered a model to all his brethren, but especially in the virtue of obedience and […]

(Died 340 AD) Macrina the Elder was the matriarch of a distinguished holy family. She was the mother of Basil the Elder, and the grandmother of Basil the Great, Gregory of Nyssa, Peter of Sebaste, and Macrina the Younger. She studied under Gregory Thaumaturgus, and it was his teachings that she handed down to Basil […]

(315-368) St. Hilary was born in Poitiers, a town in southwest France, in 315, into an upper-class, non-Christian family. He was raised as a pagan, given a solid liberal education, and was fluent in both Latin and Greek. He was married as a young man, and had a daughter named Apra. In 350, inspired by […]