St Sylvester

St. Sylvester became Pope in 314 when Emperor Constantine ruled. It was a time of change for the church because the rule of Emperor Diocletian had just ended. Diocletian hated Christians and had many of Jesus’ followers killed. Emperor Constantine did not like Christians either, at first. Many were afraid he would be mean like the emperor before him. Emperor Constantine found out he had leprosy, a very bad skin disease that had no cure in those days. One night the emperor had a dream he was visited by St. Peter and St. Paul. The saints told him to go visit Pope Sylvester and that he would be healed. Emperor Constantine hurried to see the pope and asked to be baptized. Pope Sylvester gladly did as the emperor asked and, during the baptism, the emperor was healed. Emperor Constantine then did everything he could to help spread the Good News of Jesus. St. Sylvester continued to be pope until his death in 335. He was a very wise and strong leader. With the help of Emperor Constantine, he was able to build up Christ's Church after it had been through such hard times.

Sys Anysia y Ergwin

Anysia was born in Salonika, Greece. Her family was very rich and were also very faithful Christians. When her parents died, Anysia used her family’s money to help the poor. She took private vows of poverty and chastity. During this time in Greece, Christians were treated very badly. People were not allowed to go to Mass. Despite this, Anysia always tried to go to Mass in secret locations. One day when she was on her way, she was stopped by a guard who demanded to know where she was going. She traced the cross on her forehead and told him what she was doing. He grabbed her by the arms and tried to take her to be sacrificed to the pagan sun god. She put up a struggle and he pulled out his sword and killed her. Later, her friends built a church in the place where she had been martyred.

St Thomas Becket

Thomas Becket was born in London, England. He was very well liked and had many friends, one of whom was the King of England, King Henry II. Thomas was studying to become a priest when the king asked him to be his chancellor. As chancellor, he was very prayerful and gave a lot of what he had to the poor. When the Archbishop of Canterbury died, King Henry II wanted his friend Thomas to finish his studies to become a priest so he could make Thomas the archbishop. Thomas warned his friend that it was not a good idea and that it would be hard on their friendship, but the king did not listen. As time went on, Thomas served God’s Church well but the king kept trying to take over more power in the church. At first, Thomas almost gave in to his friend but he stood for his faith in the Church instead. King Henry became so mad at Thomas that he sent out four of his knights to “rid him of this archbishop”. On December 29th, 1170, Thomas was killed in his own cathedral for defending Jesus and His Church.

Holy Innocents

During the time when Jesus was born in Bethlehem, three Wise Men from the East came to visit Him. They did not know where to find Jesus so they visited King Herod to see if he knew. When King Herod heard that they were looking for Jesus, the Messiah, he started planning a very evil plan. He was worried that this new king would take over his kingdom, so he wanted to get rid of Jesus. Herod asked the Wise Men to return to him once they found Jesus so that he could also visit him. Once the Wise Men found Jesus, they were warned in a dream not to return to Herod. Joseph was also warned in a dream to take Mary and Jesus to Egypt. When Herod found out that the Wise Men had disobeyed, he was very angry. He ordered his men to kill all the baby boys in Bethlehem who were two years old and younger, hoping to get rid of Jesus. Today we remember and honor all those innocent babies who were martyred. They are called the Holy Innocents.

St John the Apostle

St. John lived during the time of Jesus. His parents were Zebedee and Salome. He and his brother James were fishermen and were both called to be Jesus' apostles. John was the youngest of Jesus' apostles and is the only one who did not leave Jesus during his crucifixion and death. After Jesus' resurrection, the apostles had been out on their boat fishing but did not catch any fish. A man from the shore told them to cast out their nets and they came up full of fish. It was John who recognized the man as Jesus. After Pentecost, John was filled with the Holy Spirit and went out preaching the Good News of Jesus. He performed many miracles and hundreds of people became followers of Jesus. John lived to be over one hundred years old and never stopped preaching about Jesus' great love.

St Charbel

Youssef Zaroun Makhlouf was born in a mountain village in Lebanon. He lived a simple life with his parents. He loved Jesus and always hoped to become a monk when he grew up. His parents wanted him to get married, so Youssef asked Mother Mary to help him to become a monk. When he was twenty-three, his parents gave their permission for him to join the monastery of Our Lady. He chose the name Charbel, who was a martyr in the early church. Charbel spent many years of his life as a hermit. He took a vow of silence and prayed for long hours during the day. He ate very little and slept on the hard ground. He was a very peaceful and prayerful man. He lived a very simple life like he had when he was a boy. He did not look to money or things for happiness; instead he found joy in living with very little to show his love for Jesus.

St John of Kanty

were farmers and taught their son about Jesus. John was a smart boy and his parents were able to send him to Krakow to go to university when he was old enough. He studied to be a priest and a teacher. He worked at the university for a while but then some bad men told lies about him and he was fired from his job. He was sent to a small town of Olkusz to be their parish priest. At first, the people did not like him because he was from the big city. John decided to just be himself and he showed kindness and love to the people of his parish. He soon won their hearts. After seven years as their parish priest, he was asked to return to the city of Krakow. The people of his parish were so sad to see him go that they journeyed half way back to the city with him. Back in Krakow, John became well-known for his preaching. He was always helping the poor. He ate very little and always shared what he had with people who were in need. He died when he was 83 years old.

Sys Chaeremon & Ischyrion

In the third century, people who were Christians suffered terribly for the beliefs they had. Many were killed or lived in such terrible conditions that they ended up dying. Chaeremon was the bishop of a place called Nilopolis. When he was getting old, the persecution of Christians was getting verybad, and he and a friend went and hid in some nearby mountains. No one ever saw them again. Ischyrion lived in an Egyptian city, and the people he worked for wanted him to worship an idol. He refused because he knew that God commanded us not to do that; we are only supposed to worship Him. The person in charge of him was so mad that he refused to worship the idol, that he had Ischyrion killed. There were many others in Egypt and other places nearby who were killed because of their strong belief in Jesus, but they knew that even if they died here on earth, Jesus would be waiting to meet them in heaven.

St Peter Canisius

Peter was born in Holland and was very smart. By age 19, he had completed his schooling to become a lawyer. But once he started working, he knew that being a lawyer wasn’t for him. He attended a Jesuit retreat one day and realized that joining the Jesuits was what he wanted. He joined the order, studied and prayed for many years, and eventually became a priest. After that, he went to Germany to share the Good News about Jesus with the people there. He travelled all around the land, by horse or by foot, for 40 years sharing Jesus’ message. He was well-respected throughout the land and, when the Church leaders needed someone for a secret mission, they asked him. He travelled all throughout the land, even though it was very risky, with the important Church writings that he delivered to the Bishops. Even with all his travelling, he still found time to write some books about the Christian faith. People liked his books so much that they were translated into 15 different languages, so that people from all over the world could read them.

St Dominic of Silos

St Dominic was born in Spain. His parents raised sheep and did not have much money. Dominic spent many hours in the fields looking after the sheep. He enjoyed the peace and quiet and spent a lot of time praying. When he was old enough, he entered the Benedictine monastery and became a monk. He was appointed abbot of the monastery and he was a very good and loving leader. The King of Spain had a disagreement with Dominic over some land that the monks owned. The king wanted the land for his property but Dominic would not let him have it. The king was very angry and ordered Dominic and 2 other brothers to leave his kingdom. Dominic and the 2 other monks left their land and were welcomed in the neighboring kingdom. There, the new king gave them an old monastery called St. Sebastian of Silos, which became one of the most well known monasteries in Spain. 100 years after Dominic died, a young woman named Joan made a pilgrimage to his tomb. Dominic appeared to her and told her she was going to have another son. The woman, who we know as Blessed Joan of Aza, did have another baby and she called him Dominic after Dominic of Silos. Her son grew up and became the great St. Dominic, founder of the Dominican order.

Pope St Urban V

William de Grimoard was born in France and became a Benedictine monk. He was a very good leader and was appointed to lead the monastery he had entered. The Queen of France could see he was a wise man and she appointed him as her Advisor to help with important decisions. In 1362, the cardinals elected a new pope, The cardinal elected did not feel he was able to do the job so he declined the position. The cardinals could not find another man among them so they elected William de Grimoard. He humbly accepted and became Pope Urban V. As Pope, he served his people humbly and justly. He worked hard to bring the Eastern and Western Churches and their differences together. He lived a simple life and gave much of what he had to the poor. He reminded people of Jesus' great love and that they needed nothing else but Him. He was Pope for eight years and died in 1370. He was sixty years old.

St flannan

Flannan was the son of an Irish Chieftain (King). Flannan studied with monks as a child and wished to become a monk when he grew up. His family didn’t want him to be a monk, but he knew this is what God wanted him to do and so he left and joined a monastery. As a monk, he went on missionary trips to share the Gospel in many countries. He then went on a pilgrimage (a trip) to Rome and the Pope made him the first Bishop of Killaloe in Ireland. He led his people well, teaching them to have a closer relationship with Jesus. His father learned to love Jesus so well through Bishop Flannan’s teachings that he also became a monk. Bishop Flannan served his people well and many people came to know Jesus through him.

St Olympias

Olympias was born into a rich and important family. Both her parents died when she was only little and she was given to a very kind woman, Theodosia, to be taken care of. She married an important man but he died soon after they were married. Her parents had left her a lot of money and, because of that, many people tried to get her marry again, but she would always say no. She even had her money taken from her until she was 30 because she would not marry. Olympias only wanted to serve God and take care of His poor people. She was good friends with St. John Chrysostom, who became Archbishop of the Church in Constantinople, and he helped her to get closer to Jesus and serve Him. When her money was returned to her, she used it to build hospitals, orphanages, a chapel and to take care of monks who had nowhere else to live. A man named Arsacius wanted to be Archbishop of the Church, and he took the place of St. John Chrysostom, kicking him out of Constantinople. Olympias helped many Christians who were being kicked out of Constantinople by the new Archbishop, giving them a place to live and food. She refused to accept the new Archbishop; she believed he was not ruling the Church the way God wanted to and, because of this, she was also kicked out of Constantinople. The Archbishop stopped all the good things that Olympias was doing and she lived the rest of her life not being able to return to her home. She spent the rest of her life in prayer being guided and comforted by St. John Chrysostom through letters, helping her to stay close to God.

St Adelaide

Adelaide was born a princess to the King and Queen of Upper Burgundy in France. When she was only 2 years old, her father promised that Adelaide would marry the Prince of Italy when she grew up; this promise brought peace between the two countries. As promised, when Adelaide turned 16 years old she was married to the Prince who had become the King of Italy. Sadly, the King died after only 3 years of being married. King Berengar took his place and was not kind to Adelaide. He wanted her to marry his son, but she refused because she believed that King Berengar had poisoned her husband so that he could become King. Since she would not marry his son, he had her thrown into prison. She was rescued by Otto the Great and they were married and then became the Holy Emperor and Empress of Rome. They ruled the Holy Roman Empire (which included countries like Germany, Bohemia, Italy and Bergundy) in union with the Church, helping to make the Church strong and helping the Church grow. Together they had 4 children; one of them later became Emperor of Rome, Otto II. She held a lot of power as the Holy Roman Empress for many years, helping her husband, then her son and then her grandson, rule. She was devoted to the Holy Empire and to the Church and helped bring many people closer to Jesus.

St Maria Crocifssa

Maria was named Paula Frances Mary when she was born. Her family was rich and sent her to study with the Visitation Sisters. When her mother died, Paula was 17 years old and she left her studies to go home to help her father. She never wanted to get married; she only wanted to be a sister. So while she helped her father, she also taught the young girls working at her father’s mills about Jesus and helped at the hospital in town. She later started a home for girls who didn’t have anywhere else to live and for people who could not hear or speak. She was asked to lead a group of sisters who took care of the sick. She became a sister and took the name Maria Crocifissa di Rosa because she loved to pray and reflect on Jesus being crucified to save us from our sins. The sisters were called the Handmaids of Charity (which means to give to those in need). The sisters took care of the poor, the sic,k and the soldiers that got hurt during war. They did their work as if they were caring for Jesus who was suffering on the Cross, and they cared for the people that they served with the same love that they had for Jesus.

St John Of The Cross

John was born into a poor family, and he learned the importance of giving and sacrificing for other people from his mother and father. His father had given up many riches and importance from his family when he married John’s mother, who was poor and a weaver. When his father died and left his mother to care for John and his two brothers, she had to work hard to provide for her family. When John was only 14 years old he went to work at a hospital to help feed his family. These experiences taught John that even if this world only offers us suffering, Jesus always has joy and beauty to give us. His love for God called him to join the Carmelite order of priests; together with St. Teresa of Avila, he was called to bring the priests and sisters of this Order closer to Jesus. St. Teresa and St. John worked to bring prayers and order back to the Carmelite Order and many of the priests and sisters did not want this because they liked the easy life they had been living. John was treated badly for the work that he was trying to do, and even thrown into prison for 9 months. He managed to escape and continued with his work, starting a separate Order of Carmelites that was very strict and spent most of its time in prayer with Jesus. He wrote many amazing poems and books (some of them he wrote while he was in prison) and his writings are still read today. His writing has helped many people journey closer to Jesus, even through difficult times. He is called a Doctor of the Church because of the amazing teachings he left us.

St Lucy

Lucy was born into a rich and important family, but her father died when Lucy was young leaving her and her mother with no one to take care of them. When Lucy was very young she promised Jesus that she would live her life only for Him and no one else. Lucy’s mother became sick, and was sick for many years. This made their situation even harder. Her mother wanted Lucy to get married, because if she got married then they would be taken care of again. Her mother wanted Lucy to marry someone who did not believe in God and Lucy refused to marry him. Lucy wanted to tell her mother that she had given her life to Jesus, but she was afraid that this would make her mother angry. Since her mother was still sick, she asked God to heal her so that she would believe in Him and allow Lucy to save her life for Jesus. She took her mother to the shrine of St. Agatha and together they prayed for her mother’s healing and God answered their prayers. Her mother believed and when Lucy told her about her promise to Jesus, her mother agreed that she should not marry. This made the man that Lucy was supposed to marry very angry. He told the ruler of the land that Lucy was a Christian, which was against the law during this time. Lucy was arrested and treated very badly, but she never gave up her faith in Jesus and never gave her life to anybody but Jesus. She died a martyr for her faith in Jesus. Since her name means light, and she lived her short life in the light of Christ, some celebrate her feast day with lighting a wreath of candles. In Sweden, the oldest daughter in a family wears the wreath of lit candles on her head.

Our Lady of Guadalupe

Missionaries had gone to Mexico to share the gospel with the Mexican people there, but they were not able to bring many people to Jesus. Jesus and His Mother Mary loved the Mexican people so much and wanted them to understand who Jesus was, so Mary decided she would help the Missionaries. On December 9th, 1531, she appeared to a Mexican man named Juan Diego and told him she wanted to take care of the people of Mexico and lead them to her Son, Jesus. She asked Juan to tell the Bishop to build a Church where she appeared so that people could get to know Jesus. When Mary appeared to Juan Diego, she came as an Aztec Princess speaking his language. She came in a way that the Mexican people would know, understand, and love. Jesus healed Juan’s uncle from a very bad illness and let roses grow out of the frozen ground where Mary had appeared so that the people would believe that all that Juan said was true. Mary left her picture on Juan’s cloak so that many people would get to know her and, through her, get to know her Son, Jesus. These miracles brought 6 million Mexican people to Jesus; they were baptized and joined God’s family. Even today many people go to the Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe to get to know Jesus and His Mother.

Damascus I

Damasus grew up serving in the Church. His father was a priest for the Church and Damasus spent many hours there with his father, helping in the Church however he could. When he grew up he became a Deacon (the first step to becoming a priest) and, when Pope Liberius died, he was chosen to be the next Pope. At this time in the Church there was a lot of fighting between Rulers in Rome and Rulers of the Church. There ended up being two Popes: one in Rome (the true Pope following St. Peter) and one in Constantinople, as people fought to have control over the Church. Pope Damasus fought hard to keep the Catholic Church following the teaching of Jesus. He hired St. Jerome to translate the bible into Latin so that more people could read it. He also had the language of Mass changed from Greek into Latin so that people could understand what was happening during Mass. He wrote many short sayings that helped people learn more about God and get closer to Him. One of the things he wrote were short explanations about the names of Jesus – “Son” because He is the only Son of God; “Shepherd” because he is a guardian; “Life” because he is the Creator; “Lion” because he is the King; “Rock” because He is firm.

St John Roberts

John was born in England, which was a Protestant (another group of Christians that does not follow the Pope) country ruled by the King of England. He was raised in the Protestant faith, although as a child he was taught by a Catholic monk. Catholics were not treated well in England during this time and they were regularly martyred because of their faith. He was studying to become a lawyer when he decided to travel to Europe. It was during his visit to France, at the Notre Dame Cathedral, that he decided to become Catholic. He left his study of the law, joined the monastery of St. Benedict, and studied to become a priest. Once he was ordained a priest he went back to England to care for the Catholics in England who were not allowed to practice their faith freely. He knew it would be dangerous and he was thrown into prison many times for teaching the Catholic faith and celebrating Mass with Catholics. He was kicked out of England many times and told never to come back, but he always went back because he wanted to help the people of his country get closer to Jesus. The last time he returned to England to continue his mission and service to the Catholic people he was arrested for the last time. He was martyred for being a Catholic priest serving his people in England.

St Juan Diego

Juan Diego lived a very simple life and he was a very humble man. He loved God very much and he spent as much time in prayer as he could. He would attend Mass everyday, having to walk 15 miles to the go to Church. On December 9th, 1531, he was on this walk to Church and, as he was passing a hill named Tepeyac Hill, he heard music and saw a glowing cloud with a rainbow around it. He heard a woman calling him to go up the hill and, when he got there, he saw a beautiful woman who was dressed like an Aztec Princess. She explained that she was Mary, Jesus’ Mother, and she had come to give Juan a message for the Bishop. She wanted the Bishop to build a Church in that spot so that she could be with the people that come to the Church, help them in their life, and let them know how much she loves them because she is their Mother. When Juan told the Bishop what had happened, he didn’t believe Juan and he asked for a sign that what he was saying was true. Juan was on his way to meet with Mary again when he heard that his uncle was dying. Instead of going to meet with Mary, Juan went to look for a priest to visit his uncle. On his way to get the priest, Mary appeared to him on the side of the road and said not to worry about his uncle, because his uncle was healed. Then she told Juan to climb to the top of Tepeyac Hill again and, when he got there, he was amazed at what he saw. There were beautiful Castilian roses, that do not grow in Mexico, growing all over the hilltop in the frozen ground, for it was winter. He gathered up all the flowers he could in his cloak and brought them to the Bishop as a sign that what he was saying about Mary was true. When he opened up his cloak to show the Bishop the roses, the Bishop saw that Mary had left her picture on Juan’s cloak. The Bishop believed what Juan was saying and he did what Mary asked and built a Church on the hill. Many people have come to know Jesus through this miracle on Tepeyac Hill and through Juan’s example of deep and humble faith. People still go to the Church that Mary had built on the hill, to see her picture on Juan’s cloak, and to get closer to Jesus through his Mother.

Immaculate Conception

Today we celebrate that Mary, the Mother of Jesus, never had any sin from the very beginning of her life in St. Anne’s womb. All of us carry with us the effect of original sin (that Adam and Eve turned away from God and listened to the serpent in the Garden). We are saved from this sin by being baptized; saying yes to Jesus and joining God’s family. Because He created her, God knew that Mary would say yes to Jesus. Since God created Mary to carry His Son Jesus in her womb, He wanted her to be free from all Sin. So God saved Mary from original sin right at the moment of her creation - she was saved from sin before she was even born! This is a very important teaching of the Catholic Church but it is sometimes hard for people to believe. Mary wanted people to believe in this teaching because she knows that it can help people understand Jesus better, and so she appeared to St. Bernadette and called herself the Immaculate Conception. This helped a lot of people to believe in the Immaculate Conception.

St Ambrose

Ambrose was born and raised in the Roman Empire. His father was a very important Roman Govenor (ruler) of a big area of the Roman Empire. His father died when Ambrose was young and his mother and sister decided to move back to Rome. His mother, sister, and brother loved God. His sister was a nun and also became a Saint (St. Marcellina), and they brought Ambrose up to know, love, and serve God, too. Ambrose got a good education and he became a lawyer. Soon after, he became a Governor (ruler) like his father had been; he was the Governor of Milan in Rome (now in Italy). As a lawyer and Governor he was always very gentle, caring, and loving to everyone that he encountered; he was very respected by everyone that he worked with. During this time, the Bishop of Milan was ruling the Catholic Church very badly. He did not like some of the teachings and faith of the Catholic Church and did many things against the teaching of Jesus and the Church. When he died and it was time to elect a new Bishop, there was a lot of fighting among Catholics who wanted to follow the true teaching of the Church and the Catholics that liked how the Bishop had been running Milan. Since Ambrose was a lawyer, he was asked to speak to the people to try and find peace so that they could make a good decision of who to have as Bishop. He did such a great job working with the people that they decided that they wanted HIM to be the new Bishop. Ambrose was shocked, but accepted his calling by God. He gave up everything he owned and gave his whole life to serving the Church. He made sure that the teachings of the Church were true and, because of that, he is called a Doctor of the Church.

St Nicholas

Nicholas was born to rich parents who believed in God and taught Nicholas, their only child, to follow God too. Nicholas loved God from the time that he was a young child; he prayed, fasted, and went to Church regularly to get closer to God. When Nicholas was still young, his parents died, leaving him an orphan. His uncle, also named Nicholas, was a Bishop and he took care of his nephew and helped him to follow God. Nicholas' parents had left him a lot of money when they died and he used that money to help the poor whenever he could. He would give this money and gifts in secret because he did not want people to thank him but only to praise God for the gifts given to them. His Bishop Uncle made Nicholas a priest and then Nicholas became a Bishop; he was one of the Bishops to sign the Nicene Creed, which we sometimes say at Church instead of the Apostles Creed. Bishop Nicholas was very well loved by the people he served. Everyone knew how much he loved God, how very generous he was, and how many miracles were performed through him by God’s power. He was thrown into prison because of his faith but he never stopped loving God and, when he was released, he returned to his duties as Bishop of Myra. He continued to take care of the Catholic Church, making sure people followed the right teachings. He continued to perform miracles. He continued to give away what he had, in secret, so that people would thank God for the gifts and not him.

St Sabas

Sabas was born into a military family; his father was an officer with the army. When Sabas was only 8 years old, his father had to leave him to go to Egypt to serve in the army. He left Sabas with an uncle who had agreed to take care of him, but Sabas’ aunt did not treat him well. Sabas left and went to stay with another uncle, but then his two uncles started to fight over who got to have Sabas’ money and belongings. When Sabas saw how his uncles were fighting over him, he ran away and joined a monastery. Sabas finally found peace in the monastery and he became a monk. Later, Sabas joined a monastery in Jerusalem and, when he was 30 years old, he became a hermit, wanting to live alone with God. After 4 years of being alone, people started to hear about how holy Sabas was and they wanted to learn from him. So even though Sabas really just wanted to live by himself, soon he was taking care of 150 other monks who had come to live and learn with him. He was ordained a priest and guided his community well. He built many hospitals, as well as another monastery in Jerusalem. He was then put in charge of all the hermits that were living throughout Palestine, helping them to get closer to Jesus. He met with leaders of the Government at the time, helping to bring peace to his country. Under his guidance, many people came to know God very well and many Saints have come from the monasteries that he started. His monastery in Jerusalem still has monks living in it; it is one of the oldest monasteries in the world.

St Giovanni Calabria

Giovanni was born into a very poor family with 6 older brothers. His father died when Giovanni was only 10 years old, and he had to leave school to go to work to help his family. Even though he didn’t have much schooling, he still wanted to be a priest when he grew up. After serving with the Army of Italy for 2 years, he worked really hard to pass the exams needed to get into the Seminary. While he was still studying to be a priest, he found a boy on the doorstep of his house. This boy had run away from the gypsies (people who live on the streets and travel from place to place). Giovanni decided to take care of the boy, as he was an orphan and had nowhere to go. This event, as well as his experience growing up in poverty, led Giovanni to a life-long mission of taking care of the poor, sick, and orphaned. After serving as priest for 6 years, Fr. Giovanni started his own congregation of priests called the “Congregation of the Poor Servants of Divine Providence”. This Congregation spread quickly throughout Italy and many other countries. He also started the “Poor Sister Servants of Divine Providence” for women who wished to serve the poor, sick, and orphaned.

St Francis Xavier

Francis was born in a castle, to a very rich and important family that lived in the Kingdom of Navarre. This Kingdom was attacked by Spain when Francis was a child. Once the war ended 18 years later, Francis left to go study in France; he was a good student and he became a teacher. While teaching there, he met Ignatius of Loyola, and this friendship changed the direction of Francis’ life. Francis and Ignatius, along with 5 other men, started the Society of Jesus (The Jesuits). This Society was approved by the Pope and the 7 men became priests. They wanted to be missionaries, to spread the Gospel to people in other lands who did not know Jesus. With the Society of Jesus, Francis was asked by the King of Portugal to go to the new lands that Portugal had conquered in Africa and India. The original people of these lands did not know Jesus and the Portuguese people that were settling the lands had stopped following Jesus. Francis worked hard to bring thousands of people to God in these countries and in many more countries that he travelled to (Moluccas, Japan, Tuticorin, Malacca, and Morotai). He died on his way to China, never stopping his mission to spread the Gospel to the far ends of the earth!

St Bibiana

Bibiana was born into a Christian family during the early times of the Church. Her father was a Roman knight who was kicked out of Rome after Apronianus was made Governor. Governor Apronianus did not like Christians and he wanted to get rid of all the Christians in Rome. He then killed Bibiana’s mother, leaving Bibiana and her sister Demetria to take care of themselves. The Governor took everything that Bibiana and Demetria had so that they would have to suffer as poor people. Instead of being sad about their situation and panicking, Bibiana and her sister spent their time praying and fasting (not eating very much) so that they would become closer to Jesus and be strengthened by Him. This made the Governor mad and he had the two sisters brought to him. Demetria told the Governor that she believed in God and she died right after. Bibiana also told the Governor she believed in God and, as punishment, he gave her to a mean woman who tried to make her sin against God. No matter how mean the woman was to Bibiana she never gave up her faith in God. This made the Governor so mad that he had Bibiana put to death. As she was being killed, she praised God and was joyful because she knew she would be going to heaven to be with Jesus. She died a martyr for her faith in Jesus.

St Edmund Campion

Edmund was born into a Catholic family in 1540. He was raised in the Catholic faith and studied the faith at school. He was a very smart boy. He was so smart that people from the Queen’s court, and even the Queen herself, were interested in getting to know Edmund. Queen Elizabeth I had separated herself from the Catholic Church and made herself head of the Protestant Church in England. This caused a lot of trouble for the Catholic people of England and many were killed because of their faith in the Catholic Church. In order to show his support for the Queen, Edmund turned away from the Catholic faith and became a deacon (helper) in the Protestant Church. He never felt good about this decision and he always had questions in his heart and mind about whether the Catholic Church was the Church that Jesus left for His people. He wanted to study this more and went to Ireland. There, he decided that he had to live the Catholic faith because he found that it had all the truths that Jesus taught and left his followers. This meant he had to leave England because he knew he would not be treated well for becoming Catholic again, so he went to France and joined the Jesuit Order and became a priest. It was then decided that Fr. Edmund would return to England to help the Catholic people there. He knew that it would be dangerous, but he wanted to go back to preach the Gospel and take care of the Catholic people of England who were being treated badly by the Queen. He spent a year among the Catholic people celebrating Mass, helping the poor, and teaching them about the faith before he was captured by the Queen’s men. They tried to convince him to give up his faith - the Queen even offered him riches - but he refused and he was martyred for his faith in Jesus and His Church.

St Andrew Apostle

Andrew was a fisherman with his brother Simon Peter. When he heard John the Baptist preaching about turning away from sin and preparing the way of the Lord, he began to follow John. Andrew was with John the Baptist when Jesus came to be baptized by John. John told his followers that Jesus was the “Lamb of God”; Andrew didn’t quite understand what this meant, but he did understand that John was telling him that Jesus was greater then John and that he should follow Jesus – and so he did. When Jesus asked Andrew why he was following him, Andrew said that he wanted to know where Jesus lived so that he could go and stay with Him. Jesus said, “Come and see” and Andrew did. He stayed with Jesus and became one of Jesus’ first disciples. Andrew came to believe that Jesus was the Saviour the Jewish people had waited for, and he shared this with his brother Simon Peter who also came to follow Jesus. At first, Andrew kept fishing with his brother Simon Peter, but soon Jesus asked them to leave their lives and follow him as one of his 12 Apostles. After Jesus ascended into Heaven and sent the Holy Spirit to the Apostles, Andrew went to spread the Gospel in Greece, telling them about Jesus giving us Eternal life. Unfortunately, Christians were not always welcome by the rulers of that time and Andrew was put to death. He was tied to a cross and lived for 2 days, preaching to those who were there about Jesus’ life and death and resurrection.

St Francis Fasani

Francis was named Giovanniello (Johnny for short) and took the name Francis when he joined the Franciscan order. He went to study with the Order in Assisi, close to where St. Francis was buried. He became a priest and kept studying until he became a Doctor of Theology (the study of God and faith). He was put in charge of the young men studying to become a priest, taught philosophy, helped lead his Order, and became the priest for the town of Assisi. He spent lots of time in prayer and people who saw him pray said he would float (levitate) while praying. Lots of people came to him to get advice, ask for prayers, and receive forgiveness through confession. He taught many people in missions at churches, through retreats and devotions. He also helped the poor, always asking that people would give money to help with the needs of the poor. He followed the example of St. Francis of Assisi and the people he served loved him very much.

St Catherine Laboure

Catherine was named Zoe when she was born; she had 10 brothers and sisters and her father was a well-off farmer in France. She joined the Daughters of Charity when she was quite young, an Order of sisters started by St. Vincent de Paul in Paris. The sisters spent their days nursing the sick and the dying. Soon after joining the convent, the Virgin Mary appeared to Catherine while she was praying in the Church at her convent. Mary was sitting on the right side of the sanctuary (where the priest sits), and she pointed to the altar and said that from the altar of Jesus would come all that she needed. Mary told Catherine that she would have a lot of suffering in her life and there would be a lot of trouble against the Church. She appeared to Catherine again on another day and gave her the medal of the Immaculate Conception, which is known as the Miraculous Medal. She told Catherine to have the medal made, in the description that she gave her, and told her to get people to wear them so they would believe in her power to help them get closer to Jesus. After lots of investigation to see if Catherine was telling the truth and receiving a message from Mary, the Archbishop had the medal made just like Mary had told Catherine. Now this medal is worn by many Christians throughout the world. Catherine had only told her priest of her visions of Mary, and, after the medal was made, she continued her regular life as a nursing sister without any of the sisters knowing that Mary had appeared to her to give the world this medal. Before Catherine died, Mary again appeared to her and told her to share what had happened to her with the leader of the Convent, who then shared Catherine’s story with the others. After Catherine had been dead for many years, they looked at her body and it had not decayed like normal; it was incorrupt. Her body is still in the Church where Mary appeared to her the first time, and people can see her and ask for her prayers.

St James Intercisus

James was raised by his family to know and follow Jesus. He became a soldier in the Persian King’s army and became friends with the King, Yezdigerd I. When the King started to kill Christians because of their faith in Jesus, James got scared and he did not tell the King that he, too, was a Christian. Instead, he gave up living his life of faith. This made his family so sad and they prayed that James would have the courage to live his faith again. When King Yezdigerd died, the King that followed him (Yezdigerd’s son) was also putting Christians to death. This time, James had the courage to tell the King that he was a Christian. When the King told him to give up his faith or be killed, James refused to give up his faith in Jesus again. The King condemned him to die and he was killed by being cut into 28 pieces (this is what the name Intercisus means - cut to pieces). James died happy because he had the courage not to deny Jesus again.

St John Berchmans

John was the son of a shoemaker; he had 4 brothers and sisters. His mom and dad raised their children to know Jesus and 3 of them gave their lives to Jesus as religious (priests and nuns). John knew he wanted to be a priest from the time he was a little boy. He became an altar server and helped at every Mass he could. When he was 7 years old, his mother became sick and John spent many hours beside her, keeping her company and praying for her. When he was 16 years old, he joined the Jesuit College and started to study to become a priest. He was sent to Rome to continue his studies. He lived his life doing everything with great care, making sure it was all for God’s glory. In his 3rd year of studying to become a priest, he was asked to speak at a meeting at a Greek College, to tell people about the Catholic faith. After giving a wonderful speech he came home to his college and became sick with the Roman fever, a terrible illness that he could not overcome. He died when he was only 22 years old. St. John loved the Blessed Virgin Mary very much, and he left us the Chaplet of the Immaculate Conception, which he prayed every day so that Mary could help him to be pure his whole life. The Rosary has 3 groups of four beads, with a large bead separating them, and a medal of the Immaculate Conception is attached to remind us of Mary’s purity. On the large beads we say, “Blessed be the Holy and Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary” and then we pray the Our Father and Glory Be. On the 4 small beads we say the Hail Mary. Try finding or making a Chaplet like this and asking Mary to help you be pure for Jesus too.

St Catherine of Alexandria

Catherine was a princess; her mom and dad were the Queen and King of Alexandria. She was a very smart girl and she had a good education, which made her very wise. Her mom and dad did not know Jesus, so growing up Catherine did not believe in Jesus either. When she was about 14 years old, she had a vision of Mary giving Catherine to Jesus in marriage. From that day on, she believed in Jesus and gave her life to Him. When she was older, she went to visit the Roman Emperor Maxentius, who was killing Christians because of their faith. She tried to convince him that what he was doing was wrong and she shared the Gospel with him, hoping that he would also come to believe in Jesus. Even though all who heard her share the Gospel gave their lives to Jesus that day, the Emperor refused to believe and he had everyone who had just become Christians condemned to death. He threw Catherine into prison but, while she was there, over 200 people came to see her to hear about Jesus, including the wife of the Emperor! They all came to believe in Jesus and became martyrs for their faith in Jesus. The Emperor still tried to change Catherine’s mind about Jesus - he even asked her to become his wife and live a life of luxury in Rome - but she said no and told him she was the Bride of Jesus. This made the Emperor very angry and he had Catherine killed because of her faith in Jesus. St. Joan of Arc, hundreds of years later, said that St. Catherine appeared to her to encourage her to follow Jesus.

St Andrew Dung Lac

Andrew was named Tran An Dung when he was born. He was born in Vietnam where people were killed for living out their faith in Jesus. He came to hear about Jesus because of the work of many missionaries that brought the Gospel to Vietnam. Tran An Dung was baptized and took the Christian name Andrew. He later became a priest. It was very dangerous to be a priest in Vietnam so Fr. Andrew had to hide and celebrate Mass in secret. In order to not be found, Fr. Andrew changed his name to Lac; this is why he is known as St. Andrew Dung Lac. Eventually he was captured and he was martyred for his new faith in Jesus. On this day, we remember 117 people from Vietnam, some missionaries and some Vietnamese people, who were martyred for their faith and became Saints. Even though it was dangerous, these people accepted Jesus as their Lord and continued to share the Gospel with the people of Vietnam.

St Columban

Columban was born into a rich family in Ireland and he received a good education. He knew that he wanted to live his life for Jesus from the time that he was a young boy, but he found it very hard to leave behind the good things that the world wanted to give him. He knew that if he was really going to give his life to Jesus, then he would have to leave his home. He became a monk in Ireland and studied about Jesus. Then he felt called to leave Ireland and spread the Gospel in other lands. He went to the big country of Gaul, which is now many countries in Europe including France, Belgium, Switzerland, and Germany. People had heard of Jesus there, but they were not living their lives the way Jesus would want. Columban worked with the other monks that had journeyed with him, to teach the people about how Jesus wanted them to live. He gave a good example to everyone he met, living with great charity and humility with his community of monks, sharing everything they had. Although his community was given great castles to live in wherever they went, Columban preferred to live in the forest in caves, with only the things that he could find there to wear and to eat. It is said that all the animals of the forest listened to him and obeyed his commands. He started many large monasteries wherever he went, because so many people wanted to live the way that Columban taught so that they would be close to Jesus. He made all those that joined the monastery work hard and pray always, telling them that they should go to bed so tired that they would fall asleep on the way there and that they should get up before they had fully rested, so that they would always rely on God’s strength to get them through the day. Some of the Kings and Queens did not like what Columban preached and others thought that the way he lived was too strict. After 20 years of serving God in the land of Gaul, he and his monks were kicked out by the King and sent back to Ireland. Instead of returning to Ireland, he and his monks went to other lands to tell the people about Jesus and they ended up in Italy, where they built his last monastery. He found a cave which he made into a Chapel dedicated to Mary and he spent most of his days there in the cave, praying. Many miracles were said to have happened for those who visited his tomb after he died.

St Cecilia

Cecelia was a Roman, who came to believe in Jesus during a time when Christians were being killed because of their faith. She wanted to live her life only for Jesus, but her parents gave her to be married to a man named Valerian. Valerian did not believe in Jesus when he was married to Cecelia. During her wedding, she prayed that Jesus would help her to continue to live her life just for Jesus. After her wedding, she told Valerian about Jesus and she explained how she felt that Jesus was asking her to live just for Him. She explained that she had a special angel that was always with her to help her live a pure and holy life. She asked if he would be able to live this kind of life with her. He said that if he could see her angel, then he would believe. Cecelia explained that he had to give his life to God in order to see her angel, and so he agreed to be baptized. After his baptism, he came home and saw Cecelia praying and beside her was her special angel. This angel had two crowns, which she placed on both their heads, crowning them as children of God the King. Cecilia and Valerian shared their faith with Valerian’s brother, Tibertius, and he also came to believe in Jesus. Together, the three of them lived their lives only for Jesus. They made it their mission to bury all the Christians that were being martyred by the ruler of Rome. They were soon captured and put in prison because of their faith. Valerian and his brother were martyred first and then they tried to kill Cecilia. They put her into a burning chamber, but the flames would not harm her. Then they tried to behead her, but they could not. She died from the wounds that were caused by those who tried to kill her. She died as a martyr for her faith in Jesus.

Presentation BVM

God, in the temple in Jerusalem, to do His will in her life and for the salvation of the whole world. She was taught her whole life to say yes to God and, because of this, she was able to trust God and say yes to Him when He asked her to become Jesus’ mother. She was presented at the temple of God in Jerusalem and then she became the Temple of God, when she became pregnant with Jesus. She then made her home and family a holy Temple where Jesus, God’s Son, could live and grow and become ready for His mission. She is our example of how to make our own bodies and homes a Temple for the Holy Spirit and Jesus to live.

St Edmund

Edmund was made a King in England when he was only 14 years old. He tried to rule the land the way that God would have wanted. When Vikings invaded his land to take it over, King Edmund tried to fight them but he could not win. The Viking leader captured King Edmund and tried to make him say that he did not believe in God, but King Edmund never rejected God. Even when he was being killed, he called out to Jesus in faith, telling everyone that he believed in Jesus. He was first whipped like Jesus was, then they pierced him with arrows like St. Sebastian, the first martyr of the Church, and then he was beheaded like John the Baptist. The whole time, King Edmund called out to Jesus and told everyone he believed in Jesus no matter what. He died a martyr because of his great faith in Jesus.

St Nerses

Nerses was born in Armenia and spent most of his life there trying to help people follow Jesus. He was the son of a Princess and, when he was older, he married a Princess. Together they had a son who also became a Saint - St. Isaac the Great. When his wife died, Nerses decided to serve the Church and became a priest. He worked hard to make sure that the Church was following the teachings of Jesus. He helped build monasteries and hospitals in Armenia. The King of Armenia did not like Nerses, because Nerses told the King when he was doing something wrong. The King had killed his own wife and Nerses told the King that he had committed a very big sin. This made the King mad and he kicked Nerses out of Armenia. When the King died, Nerses came back to Armenia to continue his work of guiding the Church in the right direction; he hoped that he would be welcomed back. Unfortunately, the new King was not living a life that was pleasing to God and Nerses would not allow the King to come to Church unless he asked forgiveness and changed his life. This made the new King very angry and one day he invited Nerses to a party and he poisoned him. Nerses died a martyr because he died for his faith in Jesus.

St Rose Duchesne

Rose was born into a very important family in France. Her father was a lawyer and her mother came from the family of a past president of France. When she was 19 years old, she joined the Sisters of the Visitation, where she studied and became a nun. When the revolution started in France (a time of big changes for the rulers of France and the Church in France), her order of sisters fell apart, because the revolutionists where trying to break down the organization of the Church. After many years of trying to start up the Sisters of the Visitation again, she accepted an invitation to join another convent, the Society of the Sacred Heart. She was quickly sent to start their first house in Paris, France. Soon, God called her to another challenge: to bring the Order to North America in the United States. There was so much work to do in this new land and she and the sisters started the first free schools for children in Missouri. She worked hard with very little money, tried hard to learn English, and kept opening schools so that children could get an education. She then felt that God was calling her to work with the Aboriginal people, to help the sick and to open schools for the children. The Aboriginal people named Sr. Rose a name in their own language, which in English meant, “Woman Who Prays Always”. She started many convents throughout the United States and opened many free schools, working hard her whole life to help the people God put in her life.

St Hilda

Hilda was a princess because she was raised by King Edwin of Northumbria in England, after her father died when she was only a baby. She was born during a time when the people in England were just learning about Jesus. She was baptized with the King and her whole family, because they had come to believe that Jesus was the Son of God. Hilda had an older sister named Hereswith who lived a holy life, doing whatever God asked her. Because of Hereswith’s example, Hilda also wanted to live her life for Jesus. When Hilda was 33 years old, she joined a convent and became a nun. Soon, because of her wisdom and ability to organize things and guide people, the Bishop asked her to start a new monastery in a town called Whitby in England. Since she was so wise (able to make really good decisions), kings and princesses came to her to ask for advice when they had to make important decisions. She also helped train 5 Bishops in their work of leading the Church in their Diocese. Since the Catholic faith was so new in England, she helped guide the leaders of the Church to make good decisions. She also cared for all the ordinary people around her and helped them to use the gifts God gave them to give Him glory. Hilda always had lots of energy and never stopped doing the work God asked of her. She is considered one of the greatest women in England.

St Margaret of Scotland

Margaret was born in England; she was an English princess. She and her mother had to escape from England because the Norman King had taken their land. They took a ship to Scotland and asked the King, King Malcolm, if they could stay. The King welcomed them to his land and quickly fell in love with Princess Margaret and they were married. Margaret was then the Queen of Scotland and, as Queen, she helped her husband rule his country better. Queen Margaret was very wise, polite, pure, and devoted to God and she helped all the people in the court and in the country of Scotland come closer to God. Margaret helped the people of Scotland by making sure there were good teachers in schools so the people could get a good education and she built new Churches to make sure people could worship God. She took care of the orphans and the poor, giving them food every day before she ate and washing their feet, just like Jesus had washed the feet of his Apostles to show them how to be servants. Together with King Malcolm, Queen Margaret had 6 sons and 2 daughters; her children knew God and lived good lives; one son became St. David King of Scotland.

St Albert the Great

Albert was named Albertus when he born, and he earned the title Albert the Great because of the way he used his gift of intelligence in his life. Albertus loved to study and he got most of his education in Padua, Italy. He was a very smart man and his family had lots of ideas of what he should do with his great gift. Then he saw a vision of Mary from Heaven, who told him that he should give his life totally to God. So Albertus joined the Dominican Order, even though his family did not want him to. He kept studying and then became a teacher for the Dominicans. He even taught St. Thomas Aquinas, who went on to write many amazing things about our relationship with God. He was a great scientist who did lots of experiments and taught us so much about science; but the most important thing he taught people was that you could believe in God and also learn about science without denying that God existed. Most scientists, until St. Albert, thought that if you were going to study science you could not believe in God. He wrote many books and reports about what he was learning so that others could learn, too, and, because of the amazing things he learned and shared, he is called a Doctor of the Church. He was put in charge of the Dominican Order he lived with and was later a Bishop for three years. He did both these jobs very well and was always very humble and generous with those he served. After his time as Bishop, he spent the rest of his life continuing his studies, preaching the Gospel, and working towards peace in his country of Germany and in the Catholic Church. His body is said to be incorrupt (it has never decayed after he died), which is a miracle.

St Lawrence o'toole

Lawrence's father was a Chief (ruler) in Ireland and his mother was a Princess. When Lawrence was only 10 years old, he was kidnapped by the King of Leinster, another area in Ireland, who kept him for 2 years and treated him very meanly. Lawrence’s father finally convinced the cruel King to give his son to a Bishop and, under the Bishop’s care, Lawrence grew up to be a great man of faith and decided to become a priest. The Bishop was the Abbot (the person in charge) of the Monastery and, when the good Bishop died, Lawrence was picked to be the new Abbot, even though he was only 25 years old. He later became the Archbishop of Dublin. Once, he went on a trip to England to meet with King Henry II. The day after he arrived, he was about to celebrate Mass when a sick man came up to him and hit him on the head. He was hit very hard and fell to the floor and everyone thought he was going to die. But then Archbishop Lawrence asked for some water, blessed it, and poured it on his head where he was hurt. He was completely healed and he celebrated Mass. Archbishop Lawrence also helped the King of Ireland make peace with King Henry II by going to speak with him. King Henry was amazed by how holy, kind, and wise the Archbishop was that he agreed to follow whatever the Archbishop thought was right. Archbishop Lawrence worked hard to bring the Catholic Church closer with the Pope and Church in Rome. He rebuilt the Cathedral in Dublin and built many local churches so that people could worship and get closer to God. He took care of the poor in Dublin, giving them meals in his own home and also making sure that the orphaned children were well taken care of. When he died he had nothing left to give anybody because he had given everything he had to the people he served and he had given his whole life to God.

St Frances Xavier Cabrini

Frances had 12 brothers and sisters! She wanted to become a nun from the time she was 18 years old but, because she was sick all time, she couldn’t. Instead she stayed home, took care of her mom and dad, and worked on a farm with her brothers and sisters. Then a priest asked her if she would teach at a school for girls; she said yes and this changed her life forever. She taught at this school for 6 years until her Bishop asked her to start an order of sisters. This young girl who was too sick to join the convent when she was 18 years old was now being asked to start an Order herself! She started the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart. These sisters took care of poor children by running schools and taking care of the sick in hospitals. After running this Order in Italy very well, Pope Leo XIII asked Frances to bring some sisters to Chicago in the United States to help the Italian people living there. She trusted in God and travelled to the United States, where she worked hard with her sisters to help the Italian people by starting schools, hospitals, and orphanages. By the time she died, her Order had spread in England, France, Spain, United States, and South America.

St Josaphat

Josaphat was named John when he was born. His father was a merchant (he sold things) and his mother loved God very much. When John grew up he joined the order of St. Basil and chose the name Josaphat. He became the Bishop of Polotsk and helped his people get closer to God. Before he was even born, the Catholic Church had split because of different ideas on some important teachings of the Church. Bishop Josaphat was a leader in the Eastern Church, which did not follow the Pope in Rome. Many people had already tried to unite the Catholic Church and many people had died as martyrs trying to find peace. Bishop Josaphat continued this work towards finding unity with the Church of Rome, but it was very difficult because a lot of his work made many people angry. He worked very hard to rebuild the Church in Polotsk, where many Churches were falling apart and the priests were not following the ways of God. People from the Eastern Church and people from the Roman Church would often fight and go against what Bishop Josaphat taught; some even wanted to kill him. One day there was a big group of these people who wanted the Church to stay separated, and they were angry with Bishop Josaphat. Instead of avoiding the group, the Bishop went to speak with them to try to make peace. But this group of separatists ended up killing Bishop Josaphat; he died a martyr for his faith. Even though the separatists thought that by killing Bishop Josaphat they would keep the Church separate, his death actually caused healing and unity between the two sides of the Church. Bishop Josaphat became the first Saint of the Eastern Church to be canonized (made a saint) by the Church of Rome.

St Martin of Tours

Martin’s mom and dad did not believe in God, so Martin did not learn about God growing up. When he was only 10 years old, he went to the Christian church in his community and asked to be taught about the faith. In quiet times of prayer, he grew to love God more and more. Because Martin's father was a soldier, he also had to become a Roman soldier when he was 15 years old. His job was to protect the emperor and he went to France to do his job. Even though Martin had to be a soldier, he still spent as much time as he could praying. All that Martin wanted to do was to be a monk and spend all of his time with God but, because he couldn’t, he did whatever he could to live like a monk. He would serve anybody that he met, even his own servants. Then on a very cold winter day, when Martin was riding his horse through the city gates, he passed by a beggar whose clothes were so worn out that they could not keep him warm. Martin saw that the man was very cold and needed something to keep him warm, so he took off his cloak, used his sword to cut it in half, and gave the man half of his warm cloak. That same night Martin had a dream that Jesus appeared to him wearing the half of the cloak Martin had given the beggar. Jesus said to the angels and saints that Martin had given him the cloak and he wasn’t even baptized yet. When Martin woke up, he went straight to find a priest to baptize him. He was 18 years old. Martin was released from the army because he did not want to fight but, when he returned home, he was not accepted there either. He left and became a hermit. Martin soon started a monastery where people came to get closer to Jesus. The people of Tours then chose Martin to be their Bishop. He continued to live the very simple life of a monk and to serve everyone he could. He made sure that as many people as possible learned about Jesus and had a chance to give their life to Jesus. He built many churches and helped people turn away from worshiping idols. He performed many miracles and worked hard to serve his people.

St Leo The Great

Leo was born into a very important family in Rome. He studied a lot when he was growing up and was a very good student. He became a priest, wrote many books, and became a good preacher of the Gospel. He became the Pope on September 29, in the year 440. As Pope, he helped lead the early Church closer to Jesus by teaching them about who Jesus really was. He taught that Jesus was both human and divine (God), which is sometimes very hard for people to understand. He stopped Attila the Hun (the ruler of the Huns who was taking over a lot of Italy to gain power) from taking over Rome by making peace with him. He reminded the Catholic Church that there needed to be a leader for the whole Church, so that the people didn’t start going down the wrong path, and that the leader of the Church was the Pope who was chosen by God, just like Peter the Apostle was chosen by Jesus. He taught us that every human being is equal; no one is better than anyone else because Jesus came to save all of us! His leadership and teachings in the Church made him a Doctor of the Church and earned him the title “Leo the Great”.

St Benignus

Benignus’ father was a Chieftain (leader) in Ireland who came to know Jesus through the missionary work of St. Patrick in Ireland. Through his father’s faith, Benignus came to know Jesus, too, and he helped St. Patrick spread the good news of Jesus to the people of Ireland. Benignus used to sing for the Masses that St. Patrick would celebrate all over Ireland, and he had such a beautiful voice that many people came to know Jesus from listening to him sing. Benignus became the Bishop of Armagh in Ireland. He continued the work that he had done with St. Patrick and helped many more people in Ireland give their lives to Jesus by sharing the Gospel with them. His loving and gentle ways helped many people believe in God.

Blessed Elizabeth of the Trinity

Elizabeth was born into a military family and she was the oldest child. Her father was a captain and he died when Elizabeth was only 7 years old. Because she was the oldest child, she had many responsibilities as she grew up. But she had a very bad temper which she couldn't control very well... until she had her First Communion. Receiving Communion brought her closer to Jesus and this relationship helped her to control herself more. As she grew up she loved Jesus more and more and she decided she wanted to join the Carmelite convent close to home so that she could give her whole life to Jesus. Her mother did not want her to go; she wanted her to marry one of the many men who had asked Elizabeth to marry them. Elizabeth said no and she joined the convent when she was 21 years old. She felt so close to Jesus in the convent; whether she was doing a chore or praying, she knew Jesus was with her. She didn’t live a very long life - she was only 26 years old when she died - but she wrote down many things about God to help us get closer to Him, too. She tells us that we should hold on to God just by loving Him and to let God speak to us by being quiet and listening for His voice. She says that by holding on to God and listening to Him, He will change us slowly into Himself. She loved the mystery of God in the Trinity - Father, Son and Holy Spirit - and would spent a lot of time praying to God in His three person. One simple prayer that she left for us to say too is, “Holy Trinity Whom I Adore”. Before she died she said, “I am going to Light, to Love, to Life!”

St Willibrord

Willibrord’s family loved God very much. In fact, his father is a saint, too - St. Hilgis. Willibrord was sent to study with St. Wilfrid when he was a young boy. When he was old enough, he entered the Benedictine order. He studied for many years and then was sent to Frisia to preach the Gospel to people who did not believe in God, but worshiped idols. Many people started to believe in Jesus because of the work that Willibrord did in spreading the Gospel. He was made the first Bishop of Frisia and he built a Cathedral and lots of Churches there. Then a King who did not believe in God took power of Frisia and he kicked Bishop Willibrord out, burned many churches, and killed some missionaries who were there spreading the Gospel. Bishop Willibrord went back to Frisia when that King died and he rebuilt the Churches and continued to spread the Gospel there.

St Theophane

Theophane’s family loved God very much; his older brother was a priest and his other brother was a Bishop in France. So when Theophane was old enough, he became a priest, too. He wanted to be a missionary so that he could share the good news of Jesus with people who didn’t know about Him yet. This made Theophane and his family very sad, because they knew that they would probably never see each other again. Even though it was hard for Theophane to leave his family, he knew that God wanted him to go and share the Gospel. He went to Hong Kong and learned how to speak the language of the people he would be teaching. Then, he went to Vietnam. Christians in Vietnam were put into prison and killed, so Theophane was always in danger. He also suffered because he was would get sick often. Even though it was very difficult to be there, Theophane kept sharing about Jesus and many people gave their life to Jesus. He was very well loved by the people that he served but, one day, someone betrayed him, just like Judas betrayed Jesus. Theophane was thrown into prison for 2 months. While he was there, he shared the Gospel with the guards and they gave their lives to Jesus, too. Even though everyone wanted to save his life, the ruler of Vietnam did not like Christians and he had Theophane killed. Theophane was martyred for his faith in Jesus.

Elizabeth

Elizabeth was the cousin of Mary, Jesus’ mother. Elizabeth and her husband, Zacharias, wanted a baby, but they were never able to have one. Then one day, while Zacharias was praying in the temple, the Angel Gabriel told him that Elizabeth was going to have a baby boy. Elizabeth was very old and she thought she couldn't have a baby, but she did become pregnant just like the Angel said. Soon after, the Angel Gabriel told Mary she was going to have a baby and that her cousin, Elizabeth, was also pregnant. Mary left to go visit her right away. As soon as Elizabeth heard Mary’s voice, Elizabeth’s baby jumped in her womb. Elizabeth knew that Mary was going to have the Saviour. She said to Mary, “Blessed are thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of they womb. And why has the mother of my Lord come to me?” Elizabeth knew how special Mary was and she helped her during her pregnancy to prepare for the coming of Jesus. Elizabeth’s baby was John the Baptist, who helped people prepare their hearts for the life and mission of Jesus.

St Charles Borromeo

Charles was born into a very rich and famous family; he had 5 brothers and sisters. Charles’ uncle (his mother’s brother) was Pope Pius IV. His family sent him to study at the Benedictine abbey in their town when he was 12 years old, and he was put in charge of taking care of the money that the brothers at the Abbey made. Even though he was so young, he made sure that the money was spent on the things of God. When he was older, he went to University and he became a lawyer. His uncle Pope Pius IV asked him to come to Rome to work for the Church and made him a Cardinal. During this time he took care of the Franciscans, Carmelites, and Knights of Malta, he organized important meetings in the Church called the Council of Trent where lots of Church teachings were decided on, he helped write one of the Catechism books of the Catholic Church, and he started a college! His family wanted him to stop working for the Church and to come home to get married and have kids, but Charles had grown in his love for the Church and God and decided that he wanted to become a priest. He was later made Archbishop of Milan. Milan was a very big city, with over 3,000 priests, but they weren’t following the teachings of the Church. As Archbishop, Charles worked very hard to bring the Christians and the priests in the Church back to a good and holy relationship with God. He started good schools for people to study to become priests and he started Sunday school classes so that boys and girls could learn the truths about the Church. Even though it was hard to make these changes, Archbishop Borromeo didn’t let anyone stop him.

St Martin de Porres

Martin’s dad was a knight from Spain and his mother was a woman who used to be a slave. His family was very poor and so Martin and his sister had to work very hard to help the family. After working all day, Martin would spend many hours praying at night. When he was 15 years old he entered the Dominican Convent of the Rosary in Lima, Peru. He joined only as a servant at first and he did all kinds of work - whatever the Dominicans asked of him. Later in his life, he felt called to join the Dominican Order, but wasn’t allowed to become a friar because he had dark skin. After many years of serving the Dominicans, the leaders of the Order saw how holy Martin was. He was always praying, always helping others, and even healed the sick through miracles in God’s name. They finally allowed him to become a Dominican Friar and he was put in charge of the Dominican’s hospital. Martin served there until he died. He was always very patient with those who were sick and he performed many miracles there. He also served those who did not come to the hospital, helping anyone he saw who was sick and healing many people. Other miracles that people reported were that Martin would sometimes levitate (float) while he prayed, he was able to bilocate (be in more than one place at a time), and he was able to pass through locked doors without opening them. He shared God’s mercy and practiced charity (giving to others) his whole life, with everything he had.

All Souls

Today we pray for all the people that have left this earth and started their journey to heaven. When we die, our body stays here on earth, but our soul starts its journey into heaven where Jesus has promised us eternal life! As we learned yesterday, we are all part of the Communion of Saints and we must pray for each other to help one another get to Heaven. Today is a special day to remember those people we love who have died; we pray that Jesus will welcome them into Heaven with a big hug and kiss! We pray for those people who have died and have nobody to pray for their souls; they need our prayers the most so that they too can join Jesus in Heaven. We pray for the souls of people who had a lot of responsibility here on earth, like priests, rulers of countries, and doctors. Jesus expects these people to use their lives to do good things and their souls might have to go through a longer journey to be pure enough to get into heaven. Since today is such an important day, it is good to go to Mass and pray for all these souls to ask that Jesus would show His love and mercy on them and welcome them home into Heaven.

All saints

Today’s feast day is a time to celebrate the Communion of Saints, which we say we believe in when we pray the Apostles’ Creed. The Communion of Saints is made up of three groups of people: all the people who have made it to Heaven; all the people that are waiting to get into Heaven but are still in purgatory (where your soul is made pure before entering Heaven); and all the people that belong to the Church here on earth and are living their life the way Jesus asked us to. So this means that all of us are on a journey to sainthood. The saints that have made it into Heaven already are praying for us, to help us live our lives the way Jesus asks so that we can join them in Heaven. We pray for those saints who are waiting to get into Heaven and we ask the Saints already in Heaven to pray for us. All together we make up the wonderful Communion of Saints that belong to God’s family. Just like the stories of the Saints of the Day that are written here, we will have our own story of how we made it into Heaven.

St Wolfgang

As a young boy, Wolfgang studied with the Benedictines. He became a teacher when he grew up and, after teaching for a little while, felt Jesus was asking him to join the Benedictines. When he entered the monastery, he was put in charge of the school. He later became a priest and spent a year in Hungary with a group of monks, preaching and sharing the Gospel message. The Church could see what a good and smart man Wolfgang was and so, even though he had not been a priest for very long, he was made Bishop of Regensburg in Germany. He was very well known as a smart and energetic servant of the Church. He worked hard to make changes in the Church so that Christians could get closer to Jesus, more people could get into school, and the poor would be helped. He even taught the King, Emperor Henry II, and helped him to rule his country fairly and with faith in Jesus. Near the end of his life, Bishop Wolfgang became a hermit, leaving the city and going to a hidden spot to be alone with Jesus.

St Alphonsus Rodrigues

Alphonsus was born into a rich family and he was able to go to school with the Jesuit priests. While he was away at school, his father died and so, even though he was very young, Alphonsus had to go back home to take care of his father’s business. Eventually, he got married and had 3 children. Sadly, his children and wife died and Alphonsus decided that, instead of continuing his life as a business man, he wanted to live the rest of his life for Jesus. Because he had studied with the Jesuits, he wanted to join the Jesuit order. But because he had not studied very much before leaving school when his father died, and he was not a very healthy man, the Order did not have him study to become a priest. Instead he served the Order as a lay person (someone who is not a priest, brother, or nun). The Order sent him to the Island of Majorca to become a porter (someone who serves others by carrying their luggage or other loads). He did this job without complaining for 24 years and people came to know him and love him and ask for his advice. Even though Alphonsus did not hold an important position in the Jesuit Order, many people would come to him to hear his thoughts on God, ask him questions, and get help in becoming closer to Jesus. He was very obedient to the leaders of his Order and always did what he was told. He offered up sacrifices for his sins and the sins of the world, and he had a big devotion to Mary and her Immaculate Conception.

St Narcissus

From the time that Narcissus was a young boy, he loved Jesus and learning about Him through the preaching of other Christians. He grew up during the very early times of the Church and he became the 30th Bishop of Jerusalem when he was 80 years old. Even though he was quite old, he had so much energy to serve Jesus that he never slowed down. He performed miracles because of his great faith in Jesus. Once, when his Church had run out of oil to fill the lamps for the Easter Vigil, he changed water into oil so Mass could continue. Although Narcissus was loved by the Christian people of Jerusalem, there were still those who did not like him because he wouldn’t change the laws of the Church, and so they tried to harm him. Three of these people made up a horrible lie about Narcissus and claimed to be telling the truth. One said that if he was lying he would die by fire; another said he would get a sickness called leprosy; and the last person said that if he was lying he would go blind. After this happened, Bishop Narcissus escaped to the desert to spend time alone with Jesus. He was tired of all the unbelief and evil that was around him and he enjoyed being only with God. But the three men were indeed lying, and the horrible things that they had said would happen to them if they lied did occur, proving to all that Bishop Narcissus was innocent. Even though Bishop Narcissus could have stayed in the desert, he knew that the Christians of Jerusalem needed him and so he returned to serve the Church with all the energy of a young man, even though by this time he was very old. St. Alexander came to help Bishop Narcissus when he got too old to be Bishop by himself. Narcissus lived until he was 116 years old, serving the Church through prayer and teachings until He went to meet Jesus in Heaven.

Sys Simon and Jude

Jude and Simon were both one of the 12 apostles of Jesus. Jude was one of Jesus’ cousins and he knew Jesus very well and loved him. He was in the Upper Room when the Holy Spirit came upon the Apostles and Mary and they were given the gifts they needed to preach the Gospel to the whole world. Jude shared the Gospel with many people as he traveled to many places, including Persia, with Simon. He wrote a letter, which is in the New Testament of the Bible, encouraging Christians to be strong and to always believe in Jesus no matter what. He also tells us to help each other to follow Jesus because sometimes it is hard and we need support to follow our beliefs. Simon is called the Zealot, which means he followed the Jewish laws very closely. When Jesus called Simon to follow him and be his Apostle, he said yes because he believed that Jesus was the Saviour the Jewish people were waiting for. After Jesus died and rose from the dead, Simon became a great preacher of the Gospel, going to Persia with Jude to tell people about Jesus. There in Persia, Simon and Jude were killed for their faith, making them martyrs for Jesus.

St Gaudiosus

Gaudiosus was a Bishop in North Africa during a time when the King ruling the country kicked all the Christians out. Gaudiosus left North Africa in a boat with other Christian men and women and they went to Naples in Italy. Gaudiosus shared the teachings of St. Augustine with the people of Naples and he also brought some relics of saints (very special things which remind us of Jesus or saints) to Naples to help people get closer to Jesus. Even though he spent much of his life in Italy and died there, he is still remembered as “the African”.

St Evaristus

Evaristus was born in Greece shortly after Jesus died. His parents followed the Jewish faith and raised Evaristus to know and follow God. When Evaristus was grown up, he heard the Good News about Jesus’ life and he became Christian. He loved the Christian faith so much that he chose to become a priest. He was a priest during the very beginning of the Catholic Church and, when the 4th Pope of the Church, St. Clement, died, Evaristus was chosen to be the next Pope. He was Pope during a time when the ruler of Rome was treating Christians very badly and putting them to death. He was Pope for 8 years and served the Church and her followers as a good and faithful servant. No one is sure how he died, but some believe that he died as a martyr for believing in Jesus.

Bl. Richard Gwyn

Richard lived in England when Queen Elizabeth I was the ruler. Queen Elizabeth was trying to get rid of the Catholic Church in England and she treated all Catholics very badly. Richard was not born Catholic but learned about the Catholic faith as an adult. When he heard the Good News about Jesus, he began to believe and was baptized. Once he started to follow the Catholic faith, people tried to catch him to throw him into prison. He was put into prison because of his faith and he was treated very badly. Still, he refused to give up his faith. No matter what the prison guards did to him, he always stood up for his faith in Jesus through the Catholic Church. He wrote beautiful poems, which we can still read today, about his faith and his hope that one day his country of England would accept the Catholic faith again. The Queen’s guards tried to get Richard to tell them who the other Catholics were so that they could also throw them into prison, but Richard refused. He was taken to the Queen’s court and people made up lies about him so that the judge would sentence him to death. He was martyred for his faith and suffered very much, but while he was dying he proclaimed, “Jesus, have mercy on me!” He never gave up on his faith no matter what happened.

St Anthony Claret

Anthony’s father was a weaver, making things out of wool. When Anthony was old enough, he became a weaver like his father and then he went to study in the big city of Barcelona. When he was in his twenties, he began to feel called to become a priest and missionary. He wanted to join the Jesuits, and was studying in a Jesuit seminary when he became sick. Because of this, he went back home to be a priest. He served the poor there and worked hard as a parish priest. He still felt called to be a missionary and was sent to the Canary Islands to give retreats and share the Gospel. When he came back to Spain, he started an order called the Congregation of the Missionary Sons of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, now called The Claretians. The Queen of Spain, Queen Isabella, then asked Anthony to be the Archbishop of Cuba to help the people grow in their faith and make the Catholic Church stronger in that country. In only the first 2 years he was there, he helped make the priests in Cuba stronger, celebrated 9,000 weddings, and helped make the seminary better for the men studying to become priests. He also built schools, Churches, and hospitals and helped the poor in Cuba learn to make a living for themselves. He travelled throughout Cuba sharing the Gospel with everyone he could. He then went back to Spain where he served Queen Isabella as her confessor, helped the poor, and encouraged people to keep learning and growing in their faith. He wrote more than 100 books so that people could continue to learn after he was gone.

St John Capistrano

John’s father was a German knight and he died when John was very young. When John grew up, he studied in the city of Perugia in Italy and became a lawyer and governor of the city. A man called Sigismondo Malatesta started a war with Perugia and John was sent to Malatesta to try to make peace and end the war. Instead, John was sent to prison. During his time in prison, John began to study theology, which is all about trying to figure out the meaning of life. When he was released from prison, he gave up being a lawyer and governor and he joined a Franciscan community. St. Bernadine of Siena taught him about Jesus and encouraged him to start a devotion to the Holy Name of Jesus and Mary. He began to preach and share the Good News and everyone loved to hear him speak. He became a priest and traveled all over Europe, preaching about forgiveness and starting new Franciscan communities wherever he went. When John was 70 years old, the Pope asked him to lead a group of 70,000 soldiers to fight against the Turks who wanted to take over Rome. John led the group into battle and they won, keeping Rome and the Catholic Church safe. He died shortly after this battle after a life of service to Jesus.

St Joseph Moscati

When Pope John Paul was born, he was named Karol J. Wojtyla. He was the youngest of two boys and one girl. He loved playing sports, and he especially liked to be goalie in football (soccer). Unfortunately, Karol did not have an easy life. His sister died before he was born, his mother died when Karol was only 9 years old, his brother died when Karol was 12, and his father died when he was 21. He also grew up during a very difficult time in Europe, when the Nazi army was trying to take over all of Europe and make everyone live under their rules. Karol had gone to university to study acting, but the Nazis closed the university down after a few years and Karol had to work in a stone quarry and chemical factory for 4 years so he wouldn’t have to go to Germany and serve in the Nazi army. He soon started to feel that God was calling him to be a priest. However, the Nazis would not allow people to be Catholic, so he had to study to be a priest in hiding. He also loved to act, and he helped to start a drama group called the “Rhapsodic Theatre”. He acted in the theatre and even wrote some plays. After World War II was over and the Nazis had been defeated, he continued to study to be a priest and was ordained in 1946. As a priest he tried to help families and young people get to know Jesus more. He became Pope in 1978 and took the name John Paul II; he was Pope for 27 years until he died in 2005. He was such a well-loved Pope because he loved to spend time with the people of the Catholic Church all over the world. He also continued working with young people and families, and he started a gathering called World Youth Day where hundreds of thousands of young people came to be with him and learn about Jesus. When he first became Pope, and all throughout his years of being the Pope, he always reminded people to “Be not afraid”. He always told people to open the doors of our hearts wide for Jesus to come and be at the centre of our lives.

St Hilarion

Hilarion grew up in a family who did not believe in God. When he was a teenager, he went to study in Alexandria in Egypt, one of the places where there were first Christians. While he was there, he heard about Jesus. After hearing the good news, he fell in love with Jesus, was baptized, and started to live a Christian life. He turned away from evil and spent his time learning about Jesus and going to Church. He wanted to get away from the distractions of the world around him, so he decided to go to the desert to spend time with St. Anthony. St. Anthony was very popular during that time; many people would visit him to learn about Jesus and ask for healing from sickness. After being with St. Anthony, he went back home to see his family. He learned that his parents had died while he was away, so he gave all his money to his brothers and went to the wilderness in order to find a peaceful place where he could focus on Jesus. He moved from place to place, never calling anywhere home and living very simply with only the clothes he was wearing and eating one small meal a day. When he finally did settle in one place, he made a very small hut where he lived with only the little he had. He would make many sacrifices to try to get closer to Jesus and to fight the temptation to sin. He performed miracles, healing a women who could not have children, curing 3 children who were very sick, and casting out evil spirits in people.

St Paul of the Cross

Paul’s family were merchants; they bought and sold things in his community. They were good people who tried hard to follow what the Catholic Church teaches. When Paul turned 19 years old, he decided to become a soldier with the Italian army. After only 1 year he knew being a soldier was not what God wanted him to do with his life. He started have visions in his dreams about beginning a new order of priests, but he didn’t know what to do about these dreams - he wasn’t a priest and he didn’t know if this was God trying to speak to him. He asked his Bishop to help him figure out what God was trying to tell him and the Bishop said that he believed God wanted him to begin this new order. So Paul started the order called the Barefoot Clerks of the Cross and the Passion (known as the Passionists). Paul, his brother, John, and two other men were ordained priests and took the vows of poverty, chastity, obedience, and devotion to the passion of Christ. The order grew quickly and spread throughout Italy. The priests spent their time preaching and teaching people about the passion and death of Jesus Christ, helping them see the beautiful gift that God gave us in His Son Jesus. Paul worked hard his whole life to spread the Gospel of Jesus’ love for us and he died when he was 81 years old.

St Peter Alcantara

Peter was only 16 when he left home to join the Franciscans. He was such a holy man that the Franciscans asked him to be in charge of the group of brothers he lived with. Even though this was a very important job, all Peter wanted to do was live a life of making sacrifices for Jesus. So when he was 40 years old, Peter started a stricter order of Franciscan brothers called the Congregation of St. Joseph of the Strict Observance. This group followed St. Francis’ very strict life in order to get as close to Jesus as possible and to make sacrifices for the sins of the world. Although he had a hard time getting this order started, it has spread very far around the world. Many believe that this order and their sacrifices helped to fix a lot of things that were going wrong in the Church during that time. Peter spent 40 years of his life living as simply as he could and sacrificing as much as he could. He would only eat bread and drink water, he never lay down to sleep, and he only slept for 1.5 hours a day. He was St. Teresa of Avila’s spiritual guide and helped her to become closer to Jesus and to pray more; his guidance helped her to become a Saint too. He also had a mission to place crosses in as many places as he could, to remind himself and others of the suffering of Jesus, which was so close to his heart. He would carry these crosses on his own shoulders to wherever he wanted to place one, preach beside the cross, and then pray there for many hours. He was found by many floating in the air (levitating) as he prayed next to the cross. He died while kneeling in prayer saying the bible verse, “I rejoiced when they said to me, let us go unto the house of the Lord!”

St Ignatius of Antioch

Luke lived during the time of Jesus. He was born in Greece, a gentile, not Jewish, and a doctor. Because he was a gentile he did not grow up believing in God, but when he heard Paul preaching the Good News about Jesus, Luke believed what Paul said and gave his life to Jesus. He left Greece and followed Paul wherever he went, preaching the Good News with Paul, and helping many people come to know Jesus. He spent time with Mary, Jesus’ Mother, so that he could learn all about Jesus. He wrote two books in the Bible: the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles. Since he had spent time with Mary listening to her, the Gospel of Luke tells us the most about the Annunciation, the birth of Jesus, and the first years of the Holy Family. The Acts of the Apostles tells us about the first few years after Jesus’ death and resurrection and how the Apostles spread the Gospel. St. Luke’s yes to Jesus meant that people all over the world could read the Good News about Jesus and say yes to Jesus.

St Margaret Mary Alacoque

When Margaret was a little girl she was sent to a school run by the Poor Clare Sisters. She grew to love Jesus and was especially devoted to Jesus in the Eucharist. When she was 11 years old, she became very sick and had to be in bed for 5 years. She made a promise to Mary that she would become a nun if she got better and, when she was 17 years old, she was healed. After this miracle, she added Mary to her name and continued to spend a lot of time in prayer. She would often have visions of Jesus, which she thought was normal! One day Jesus reminded her that she had promised His mother Mary to join a convent if she was healed and that He loved her so much that He wanted her to live her life only for Him. At the age of 24, she joined the Visitation Convent in Paray-le-Monial. She continued to have visions where Jesus taught her to love His Sacred Heart and He told her that she needed to help other people grow in love of His Sacred Heart too. He told her that in order for people to grow in love of His heart, they should go to Mass and receive Communion on the first Friday of every month. They should also spend 1 hour adoring the Blessed Sacrament every Thursday and on the feast of the Sacred Heart. During this time in front of the Blessed Sacrament, Jesus told her to think about His Agony in the Garden of Gethsemane before He was crucified. When Margaret Mary tried to get people to follow these directions, they didn’t believe she was having visions of Jesus. After struggling for many years to spread this devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the new Mother Superior of her convent, as well as the confessor of the convent, St. Claude, believed her. Now many people follow this devotion and grow to love Jesus more through his Sacred Heart. After her death, her body never decayed and is still incorruptible; those who visit her tomb claim many blessings through her intercession.

St Gerard Majella

Gerard’s father died when Gerard was only 12 years old.  Because his father had been a tailor, Gerard's mother sent him to his uncle to learn the trade and make some money for the family.  But instead of becoming a tailor, Gerard always wanted to join a religious order and serve God. Gerard, however, did not have good health and so some orders would not accept him.  Finally, the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer accepted him as a lay brother, meaning he was not a priest but he was part of the community.  He performed many different jobs for the community and worked hard to help his brothers.  He was given many gifts from God: he levitated (floated in the air when he prayed), he could bi-locate (be in more than one place at a time) and he performed many miracles.  He multiplied loaves of bread when he was giving them to the poor; he walked on water to help a boat full of people get to shore safely in a storm; he brought a little boy back to life after he fell off a cliff; and he blessed the small harvest of a farmer and that farmer didn’t run out of wheat all winter.  Another miracle happened after he had died - when a woman who was having a hard time delivering a baby touched a handkerchief Gerard had given her, all her pain stopped and she delivered a healthy baby.  This miracle has made Gerard the Patron Saint of pregnant women.  Gerard died when he was only 29, of tuberculosis, a sickness of the lungs.

St Teresa of Avila

Teresa was born during a very difficult time in the Church.  Christians did not always want to live the way Jesus taught; they wanted to live easy lives.  Teresa’s father was a very strict man and he wanted Teresa to live a holy life.  When Teresa was young, she tried to live this holy life and, one day, she convinced her brother to walk with her to the land of the Moors, where they didn’t believe in God, so that they could become martyrs.  Their uncle saw them walking and brought them back to their parents.

When Teresa became a teenager, she got distracted by boys and parties and being beautiful; she put all these things before God.  Her father was afraid that Teresa was turning away from God and so he sent her to a Carmelite convent.  Unfortunately the convent was not being run very well and, instead of spending time in prayer, the nuns visited, spent time with men, and tried to look beautiful.  Everyone liked Teresa and she spent her time with her friends and not in prayer. This type of life did not help Teresa get closer to Jesus.  She had a very hard time concentrating on prayer and didn’t feel close to Jesus at all.

Her life changed when she got very sick and almost died.  She became paralyzed for 3 years and, during this time, she made up lots of excuses not to pray.  She thought she was too much of a sinner to spend time with God.  When she was 41, a priest told her she had to start praying again. As Teresa struggled with spending time in prayer, she learned that she didn’t have to worry about what to think and say as she prayed. All that mattered was she was taking time to be with Jesus who loved her, and all she had to do was love Him back.  The more she prayed, the more God blessed her prayer time, giving her visions, making her float in the air (levitate), warming her up so much that she felt like she was melting into the love of God.  She didn’t think she deserved these blessings and asked God to stop, but He didn’t because He knew that the more He blessed her, the harder it would be for her to sin.  God asked her to start a new convent where the sisters spent their time in prayer and chose to be poor.  She did what God asked, even though many people were angry at her for doing it, and these convents of St. Joseph spread throughout Europe.  She wrote a book about her life and, because the book teaches us so much about praying and getting closer to God, the Church made her a Doctor of the Church.