St. Remigius, the great apostle of the French nation was one of the brightest lights of the Gaulish church, illustrious for his learning, eloquence, sanctity and miracles. An episcopacy of seventy years and many great actions have rendered his name famous. His father Emilius and mother Cilinia, both descended of noble Gaulish families, lived to…

The reputation of St. Benedict attracted the noblest families in Rome to Subiaco in order to commit the education of their children to him. Placidus was brought to St. Benedict when he was no more than seven. One day, as Placidus was fetching some water in a pitcher, he fell into the lake of Subiaco.…

Canon of St. Cunibert’s of Cologne and professor of theology at Rheims, St. Bruno, decided to leave the world. After a trial of monastic life at Molesmes he withdrew to a lonely mountain in Dauphine, not far from Grenoble, and with six companions founded the hermitage of the Grande Chartreuse. Taken from his hermitage by…

St. Bridget belonged to the royal family of Sweden. She had eight children among whom was St. Catherine of Sweden. Her husband, with her full consent, became a monk and had a holy death in the Cistercian habit. Bridget followed his example and founded the famous monastery of Vadstena which for centuries was to become…

St. John Leonardi who was canonized by Pope Pius XI, in 1938, was one of the greatest figures among the Italian clergy in the sixteenth century. God’s intervention was marvelously manifest in his works; he was indeed one of the workers whom God raises up in His Church to extend His kingdom. As a young…

A descendant of the notorious Alexander VI, Francis Borgia spent a part of his life in collecting titles and offices of importance—at one time or other he was Marquis of Lombay, high steward of Charles V and the Empress, Viceroy of Catalonia and Duke of Gandia. Certain reverses of fortune caused him to reflect. He…

St. Seraphim, who from early childhood looked after his father’s flocks, had acquired a love of solitude and prayer. After his father’s death he endured, with patience, continuous ill treatment from his older brother, until the age of sixteen when he entered the Capuchins. There he made great progress in all the virtues: regularity, penance,…

St. Edward, King of England from 1042 to 1066, was known as the Confessor to distinguish him from his uncle Edward the Martyr. He restored Westminster Abbey, was much addicted to alms, affable and peace-loving. His popularity spread throughout the kingdom soon after the Norman conquest, and it was the Norman dynasty which secured his…

St. Callistus I (217-222) was one of the great popes of the third century. As a deacon he was charged with the administration of the Church’s property and with gathering together the bodies of the martyrs; he organized the famous cemetery on the Appian Way, called after him San Callisto. As pope he regulated the…

St. Hedwig was of royal parentage and was the maternal aunt of St. Elizabeth of Hungary. She married Henry, Duke of Silesia and after his death completely renounced the world and entered the monastery of Trebnitz which she had founded. All of her children (three sons and three daughters) predeceased her save one of her…

Born in 1647 in the diocese of Autun in France, Margaret Mary entered the Visitation convent at Paray-le-Monial at the age of twenty-three. She was chosen by our Lord to remind the world of the greatness of His love. The three great revelations that she had in the chapel of her monastery are the origin…

Author of the third Gospel and the Acts of the Apostles, St. Luke came from Antioch and was one of the first converts to Christianity. He accompanied St. Paul on his missionary journeys. He was still with him in Rome when St. Paul was in prison awaiting death. We hear no more of him afterwards…

At sixteen, Peter, a native of Alcantara in Spain became a Franciscan at Valencia. He was a faithful follower of the primitive Rule and led a very austere life. He was one of St. Teresa’s spiritual directors and encouraged her in her reformation of the Carmelite Order. His great devotion to the passion of our…

A Canon and professor of theology at Cracow and later parish priest of Ilkusi, St. John Cantius led a life of great humility and wonderful charity. The Church honors his love of his neighbor; he even gave away his clothes and shoes, letting his cloak trail on the ground as he returned home in order…

St. Hilarion was the founder and organizer of monastic life in Palestine and the spiritual father of many monks. He was born to the south of Gaza in Palestine and studied in Alexandria; in Egypt he came to know St. Antony, desired to share his solitary life with him and then introduced this form of…

Philip, a venerable old man, bishop of Heraclea, the metropolis of Thrace, was an illustrious martyr of Christ in the persecution of Diocletian. He was careful to train many disciples in the study of sacred learning, and in the practice of solid piety. Two of his disciples, Serverus, a priest, and Hermes, a deacon, had…

Born in Barcelona in 1807, Antony Mary Claret felt called to the foreign missions in far off lands. Instead he was asked to exercise his missionary apostolate in his own country. He went everywhere in Catalonia and in the Canary Islands where his burning zeal and deep piety was the means of converting many souls.…

Born in Barcelona in 1807, Antony Mary Claret felt called to the foreign missions in far off lands. Instead he was asked to exercise his missionary apostolate in his own country. He went everywhere in Catalonia and in the Canary Islands where his burning zeal and deep piety was the means of converting many souls.…

Our knowledge of the Archangel Raphael comes to us from the book of Tobias. His mission as wonderful healer and fellow traveler with the youthful Tobias has caused him to be invoked for journeys and at critical moments in life. His Mass invites us to see in the angels perpetual adorers who live constantly in…

St. Evaristus became Pope in 112 and governed the church for 9 years. The institution of cardinal priest is by some ascribed to him, because he first divided Rome into several parishes, according to the Pontifical, assigning a priest to each: he also appointed seven deacons to attend the bishop. He was honored with the…

The only survivors of a capture during a voyage back from Persia, cousins Frumentius and Edesius were raised by a prince of Abyssinia and eventually assisted his widow in the government of the state. Frumentius supported Christian merchants and strongly recommended the true religion to the infidels. After release from his duties, Frumentius entreated St.…

Celebrated on the same day, Saints Simon and Jude appear together in the Canon of the Mass, possibly because they both preached the Gospel in Mesopotamia and Persia. St. Simon was zealous for the honor of his Master, and exact in all the duties of the Christian religion. He showed a pious indignation towards those…

When almost 80 years old, about 195, St. Narcissus was placed at the head of the church of Jerusalem. He presided over a council of the bishops of Palestine which decreed that Easter is to be kept always on a Sunday, and not with the Jewish Passover. One famous miracle of this holy bishop was…

St. Alphonsus was born in Spain in 1532.  His wife and child died and so he entered the newly formed Jesuit order at about age 40.  His lack of formal education led his superiors to appoint to be the porter.  In this capacity he assisted many in their troubles.  He helped a fervent seminarian who…