Saints

Saint Aidan of Lindisfarne (d.651)

Saint Aidan was born in Ireland. It is said that he may have been a student of Saint Senan before dedicating himself to monastic life. At the request of the king of Northumbria, Aidan became the bishop of Lindisfarne. He …

Saint Jeanne Jugan (1792-1879)

Saint Jeanne Jugan, also known as Sister Mary of the Cross, was born in France in 1792. She and two other companions formed a Catholic community of prayer, dedicated to teaching the catechism and assisting the poor. Jeanne then set …

Saint John the Baptist (d.30)

Saint John the Baptist was a selflessly giving religious reformer. He is quoted in Matthew 3:11 as saying, "I am baptizing you with water, for repentance, but the one who is coming after me is mightier than I. I am …

Saint Augustine of Hippo (354-430)

Saint Augustine of Hippo is one of the most significant figures in the history of Western Christianity. The influence of his many books, sermons, and letters can be found on virtually every Christian doctrine, particularly the theology of Original Sin. …

Saint Monica (332-387)

Monica was the mother of Augustine of Hippo, a difficult young man who became a great theologian and bishop. He did everything he could to avoid God, but Monica never stopped praying for him. She once declared, “Nothing is far …

Saint Teresa of Jesus Jornet Ibars (1843-1897)

Saint Teresa was born in Catalonia, Spain. She faced many hardships in her youth, finally becoming a teacher at Lerida. Teresa yearned to begin religious life, but was not accepted into the convent that she wished to enter. After she …

Saint Louis of France (1214-1270)

Saint Louis, a king of France, was born in 1214. He lost his father at a young age, and was moved to a love of holy things by his mother. He married a virtuous women, and became king two years …

Saint Bartholomew (1st century)

Saint Bartholomew is listed in the Bible as one of the Twelve Apostles. Not much is known about this saint. Some scholars believe him to be the Nathanael who is mentioned in the Gospel of John. The Apostles were tirelessly …

Saint Rose of Lima (1586-1617)

Saint Rose was born in Lima, Peru, on April 20, 1586. She was given the name Isabel, but nicknamed Rose because of her great beauty. However, Rose did not want people to admire her beauty, because it might lead to …

Saint Antoninus (d.186)

Saint Antonius held a very gruesome profession; he was a Roman public executioner. He was involved in the trial proceedings of Saint Eusebius. During the proceedings, Antonius received a vision, and converted to Christianity. Because he proclaimed himself a Christian, …

Saint Pius X (1835-1914)

Saint Pius X is one of the 20th century's greatest popes. He had grown up in a poor family, and he was often embarrassed by the showiness and excess of the papal court. He often saw this insistence on grandeur …

Saint Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153)

Saint Bernard of Clairvaux was called at the age of 20 to leave his family and join the Monastery of Citeaux. He was soon joined in his new monastic lifestyle by numerous family members and friends. Bernard was fervent and …

Saint John Eudes (1601-1680)

Saint John Eudes was born in France in 1602. He felt called to religious life, and was ordained a priest at the age of 24. When plagues struck France in 1627 and in 1631, John ministered to those afflicted. He …

Saint Helen (d.330)

Saint Helen was the mother of the first Christian emperor, Constantine. She married the Roman general Constantius Chlorus. In 292 he divorced her to marry the emperor's stepdaughter. Helen's ex-husband and eventually her son each became emperor. Her son, Constantine, …

Saint Joan of the Cross (1666-1736)

Saint Joan was born in 1666 in France. Her parents owned a small business, which she took over upon their deaths. In her business dealings, Joan was notorious for her greed and heartlessness to beggars and the poor. However, Joan's …

Saint Stephen of Hungary (975-1038)

Saint Stephen of Hungary was baptized at a young age. His father was the chief of the Magyars, and Stephen succeeded his father as chieftain. Stephen married the daughter of Duke Henry II, and dedicated much of his time to …

Saint Tarsicius (3rd or 4th century)

Saint Tarsicius was either a layman or a deacon who lived sometime in the third or fourth century. He was attacked by a pagan gang while he was on his way to deliver the Eucharist to a bedridden Christian friend. …

Saint Maximilian Kolbe (1894-1941)

Maximilian Kolbe was born in Poland in 1894 with the name Raimund Kolbe. He attended a Franciscan seminary as a teen, where he took the name Maximilian. Despite having tuberculosis, he was ordained a Franciscan priest and earned two doctoral …

Saint Hippolytus (170-235)

Saint Hippolytus was a presbyter in Rome. He had a strong passion for discipline and was a very important theologian and a productive religious writer. He maintained that the pope should come down harder on heretics and stop listening so …

Saint Hilaria (d.304)

Saint Hilaria and her daughter, Saint Afra, hid their bishop from harm during the Diocletian persecutions. In turn, their bishop converted them. Saint Afra was martyred because she refused to sacrifice to pagan gods. After her daughter was martyred, Hilaria …

Saint Clare of Assisi (1193-1253)

Saint Clare of Assisi was of noble birth, but when she was 18 she was so moved by the Lenten sermons of Saint Francis of Assisi that she renounced all her possessions to become a nun. Her family and friends …

Saint Lawrence Martyr (d.258)

Saint Lawrence was a deacon martyred at Rome around the year 250. One tradition tells us that, during a time of persecution, Roman authorities demanded that Lawrence give up the Church's treasures to the emperor: Lawrence replied that he would …

Saint Edith Stein (1891-1942)

Edith Stein was born to a Jewish family in Breslau, Germany (now Wroclaw, Poland). As a teenager she turned away from Judaism and professed atheism. Years later, after becoming a noted philosopher, Stein was drawn to Catholic thought. Her reading …

Saint Dominic (1170-1221)

Saint Dominic de Guzman was a Spanish theologian and the founder of the Order of Friars Preachers. At the age of 14 he went to the university to study theology and philosophy, and was ordained a priest as a young …

Saint Cajetan (1480-1547)

Saint Cajetan began his adult life by first becoming a lawyer and then turning to the priesthood. He was ordained at 36, and at the age of 42 established a hospital in Venice, Italy, for those suffering from incurable ailments. …

Saint Hormisdas (d.523)

Saint Hormisdas was born in Frosinone, Italy, in 450. He was married before he was ordained, and had a son, Silverius, who followed in his father's footsteps and also became a pope. Hormisdas became a deacon during a time of …

Saint Addai (2nd century)

Legend has it that Saint Addai was ordered by Saint Thomas to go to the court of King Abgar the Black. Tradition tells us that Abgar, the king of Edessa, was stricken with an incurable sickness. Hearing of Jesus' power …

Saint John Vianney (1786-1859)

Saint John Vianney was born near Lyons, France, in 1786. He worked as a shepherd boy on his father's farm, and only attended the village school briefly when he was nine. When he entered the seminary to study for the …

Saint Peter Julian Eymard (1811-1868)

Saint Peter Julian Eymard was born in La Mure d'Isere, France. Peter joined the seminary at Grenoble, and was ordained a priest in 1834. At first, Peter's father opposed his choice to pursue religious life, which made the decision difficult …

Saint Eusebius of Vercelli (283-371)

Saint Eusebius was born on the island of Sardinia, Italy. After his father was martyred, he moved to Rome, where he eventually became a bishop. He stood up for the Church during one of its most difficult periods. This hard …

Saint Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787)

Saint Alphonsus Liguori was the forefather of the Redemptorists and a bishop. He was born into a noble family in Naples, Italy. He was educated at the University of Naples, where he earned a doctorate in law by the age …

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Lasallian Meditation on Saint Paul

June 30: Saint Paul 140.1 First Point The most admirable trait in Saint Paul is his all-embracing and ardent zeal, which he first showed by defending the faith of Moses, in which he had been very well instructed.1 Because he …

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Paul: Legacy of Love

[Love] bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. (1 Corinthians 13:7) Paul preached that the central message of Jesus Christ was love. Without love, no amount of faith or religious piety has any meaning. Paul …

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Paul: The Journey to Rome

If God is for us, who is against us? (Romans 8:31) In Paul's last trip to Jerusalem to say farewell before leaving to preach in Spain, he was arrested by the Romans. As a Roman citizen, Paul exercised his right …

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Paul: Missionary

[Paul] had opened a door of faith for the Gentiles. (Acts of the Apostles 14:27) Known as the apostle to the Gentiles (non-Jews), Paul was a leader in taking the Gospel message beyond Israel. With his trusted companions--Barnabas, John Mark, …

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Paul: Theologian

They were attempting to kill [Paul]. When the believers learned of it . . . they sent him off to Tarsus. (Acts of the Apostles 9:29–30) After his conversion, Paul began to preach, but when it became too dangerous, he …

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Paul: A Profound Conversion

[Saul] heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?" (Acts of the Apostles 9:4) It was on his way to Damascus that Paul was struck down by God and blinded. A brilliant light from heaven …

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Paul: Persecutor of Christians

Saul was ravaging the church by entering house after house; dragging off both men and women . . . To prison. (Acts of the Apostles 8:3) Convinced that following the teachings of Jesus was wrong, Paul pursued the early Christians …

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Paul: Religious Zeal

I advanced in Judaism beyond many among my people of the same age, for I was far more zealous for the traditions of my ancestors. (Galatians 1:14) A tent maker by trade, Paul's Jewish name was Saul. But because Paul …

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Our Lady of Guadalupe: Icon of Justice

"Commitment to human life and dignity, to human rights and solidarity"; these are elements of what is commonly understood as social justice. In the Church today we have numerous "icons" we can look to in order to guide us in …

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The Feast of Saint Cecilia

The Feast of Saint Cecilia "All their neighbors aided them with silver vessels, with gold, with goods,with animals, and with valuable gifts." (Ezra 1:6) Very little is known of Saint Cecilia. It is thought that she was martyred for her …

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February 14: Saint Valentine's Day

We love because he first loved us. (1 John 4:19) We celebrate loving and being loved on this special day. Of course most of us find it easier to love someone who loves us first, and that's what this verse …

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Sub Tuum Praesidium: The Most Ancient Marian Prayer

The oldest known prayer to Mary is the Sub Tuum Praesidium. It was discovered in Egypt on a fragment of papyrus. It is believed the prayer dates back to mid-late 200's A.D. The prayer follows: We fly to your patronage, …

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Month of the Rosary: Queen of the Rosary Prayer Service

Leader +In the name of the father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. All Amen Opening Song Leader Join us, Queen of the Rosary, as we offer praise to our Father All Join us, Queen of the …

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The Scandal of Love: The Unstoppable Passion of God

Saint Peter Chrysologus (406-450) was a man of passion. Often times, we look back at the saints and strip them of their power. They can become still pictures, of sorts. These pictures reveal beauty, yet they remain static. Such mental …

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You Were Called

The shadows are falling, and they are lush. The curtains are closing, the audiences hush. Your life's dawning was so long ago. All experiences mesh with vast undertow. You were called, but the voice was faint. No one called you …

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Glorious Nature

Theme: Francis proclaimed, "We are sister and brother to animals and plants, water and soil, earth and sky." Just as we meet the dancer in her dance, the painter in his art, and the poet in her finely crafted words, so …