Author: Editor

(circa 385-461) One of the most famous of all saints, Patrick was born as Maewyn Succat in Roman Britain to a Christian family. When he was 15 or 16, he was kidnapped by Irish pirates who sold him in Northern Ireland as a slave. In his “Confession,” in which he signs himself Patricius and tells […]

(1751-1820) Today’s saint demonstrates that luck, or divine providence, plays an important role in our lives. He was born into a poor family with the name John in Moravia. He was the ninth of 12 children. Although he longed to be a priest, there was no money for studies, and he was apprenticed to a […]

(1581-1660) Louise was born in Paris in 1581, never having known her mother; she was raised by her father, a member of the aristocracy. When her father married, Louise had a difficult time adjusting and was placed in the royal Monastery of Poissy and educated by the Dominican Sisters. There, she learned art, music and literature […]

(895-968) Matilda, the daughter of a German count, was brought up at the monastery of Erfurt in Germany. She was betrothed at age 14 to Henry, who became the king of Germany. She would bear him two sons: Otto and Henry. Matilda became admired by her subjects almost like a mother. She visited and tended […]

(534 -600) Leander was born at Cartagena, Spain. St. Isidore and Fulgentius, both bishops, were his brothers, and his sister Florentina is numbered among the saints. He became a monk at Seville and then the bishop of the See. He was instrumental in converting the two sons Hermenegild and Reccared of the Arian Visigothic King […]

(Died 296 AD) Maximilian was the son of the Roman army veteran Fabius Victor. About 295, when Maximilian was 21 years old, the proconsul Dion went to Theveste to recruit soldiers for the third Augustan legion stationed there. At this time, the Roman army was mainly volunteers, but sons of veterans were obliged to serve. […]

(Died 859 AD) In the 9th century, Spain was ruled by the Moors, and it was in their capital, the city of Cordova, where we encounter today’s saint. The Muslim rulers had tolerated the Christian religion among the Goths, exacting only a certain tribute every new moon. Things would change, however. Eulogius was educated among […]

(1842-1857) One of our youngest saints, Dominic Savio was born into a peasant family at Riva, Italy. He joined St. John Bosco as a student at the Oratory in Turin at the age of 12. He impressed Don Bosco with his desire to be a priest and to help him in his work with neglected […]

(1384-1440) Frances lived at a time of upheaval in Rome. She endured family misfortune and the loss of children, yet she willingly served those less fortunate than she. Frances was born in 1384 at Trastevere in Rome to noble parents. Still a child, she already began to mortify her body and express interest in being […]