St. Giles was an abbot of the seventh century. He lived in the neighborhood of Beziers on the coast of the Mediterranean. He founded a monastery, which in succeeding ages became a flourishing abbey of the Benedictine Order. The little monastery of St. Peter, where his body rested, became one of the most popular shrines…
Vaik, son of Geza, Duke of Hungary, was baptized about 985 by St. Adalbert of Prague who gave him the name of Stephen. He was chosen by God to bring his people to the Christian faith. With the assistance of monks from Burgundy he established bishoprics, founded several monasteries and reorganized the whole life of…
Joseph Sarto was born at Riese a small village in Venetia, on June 2, 1835, in humble circumstances. He was successively curate, parish priest, bishop of Mantua, patriarch of Venice—offices to which his keen intelligence, hard work and great piety caused him to be quickly promoted. He was elected Pope on August 4, 1903, and…
St. Rosalia Sinibaldi left her home when she was young to live as a recluse in a cave on Mount Coschina in Sicily. An inscription was found carved on its walls which reads: “I, Rosalia, daughter of Sinibald, lord of Quisquina and Rosae, decided to live in this cave for the love of my Lord…
St. Laurence, one of the great Italian saints of the fifteenth century, belonged to the illustrious Giustiniani family, but preferred a simple, holy life to the brilliant career that his mother planned for him. He entered the Canons of St. George of Alga where he led a life of constant prayer and penance until Eugenius…
Blessed Sante, who sprang from a noble family, achieved great success in his studies and intended to become a soldier. Following a duel in which he killed his adversary, Sante threw away the sword to put on the Franciscan habit as a lay brother. The two virtues most dear to him were humility and penance.…
St. Grimonia was an Irish maiden of illustrious birth, who left her country to consecrate herself to God. She was martyred in defense of her chastity in the place of her retirement in Picardy in the diocese of Laon. On the spot a chapel was built which became famous for her relics and miracles, and…
The Church in keeping a solemn festival for the birthday of the Blessed Virgin Mary celebrates the dawning of redemption over the world when, after a long period of waiting, there was born she who was to be the Mother of Our Savior. In memory of all that this birth implied the Church rejoices and…
Dorotheus was first chamberlain to the emperor Diocletian; Gorgonius and Peter were under chamberlains. They were the three principal eunuchs of the palace and had sometimes borne the weight of the most difficult affairs of state, and been the support both of the emperor and his court. When the palace of Nicomedia was set on…
St. Nicholas was born about the year 1245 in the March of Ancona. As a young man, but already endowed with a canon’s stall, he was one day greatly affected by a sermon preached by a Hermit of St. Augustine and decided to enter this newly-founded Order. At first he lived at the hermitage of…
