St Felix II

Felix was the Great-Grandfather of Pope St. Gregory the Great. Pope St. Gregory wrote about his Great-Grandfather Felix's life. He wrote that when his aunt was dying, his Great-Grandfather Felix appeared to her and told her to come to heaven to be with him there. Felix was Pope during a really hard time in the Church, people were arguing about what the Church was teaching. Pope Felix proved that he was very brave by defending the truth in the Church. Pope Felix really tried to be a peacemaker for the Church around the world, just like Jesus taught us to be.

Sts Romanus & Lupicinus

Romanus and Lupicinus were brothers. Romanus wanted to live a simple life, so left his home and settled in the Jura mountains, between Switzerland and France. There he lived as a hermit, all alone with Jesus. He spent his time praying and growing his own food. He had not been gone very long when his brother Lupicinus came to live with him. Romanus and Lupicinus lived such simple and holy lives that soon many men came to live with them, to learn how to become closer to Jesus. They built 2 monasteries and focused their time on praying and hard work. They also started a convent for women, which was run by their sister. They decided to take a vow of silence to help them grow even closer to Jesus. Their sacrifices really helped them to live very holy lives.

St Gabriel of OLS

St. Gabriel was named Francis Possenti when he was born. He was born to a rich and important family. He loved to be around people and enjoyed going to parties and celebrations. When he was young, he became really sick, not just once but twice. Both times, he promised Mary, Jesus' Mother, that if she helped him get better, he would become a priest. He was miraculously healed from both his illnesses, but both times he did not become a priest. When he was 18 years old, he saw a procession with a picture of the Sorrowful Mother. It was as if the eyes of the picture were fixed on him, and then he heard a voice saying that this world was no longer for him. After that he knew he was supposed to give his life to Jesus and he joined the Passionist Order. That is when he took the name Gabriel of the Sorrowful Mother. Gabriel is remembered for his obedience, humility, and mostly for his great joy for Jesus and Mary. He shared this joy so happily with all those around him. He had only been a Passionist priest for 4 years when he died of tuberculosis (a sickness in his lungs) at the age of 24.

St Porphyry

Porphyry was born to a rich family. He his rich family when he was a young man and he left his home to go to Egypt, where he joined a monastery. He traveled to the Holy Land to visit the places where Jesus lived and he preached to the people there. He loved it so much that he stayed. He asked that all his possessions back in Greece be sold and he gave away all his money to help the poor in Palestine. He then lived as a hermit ( all by himself) in a cave near the river Jordan. When he turned 40, he became a priest and later became the Bishop of Gaza. He worked hard to serve the people of his Church and he taught many people about Jesus. He was loved and admired by his Christian community for how faithfully he loved and served Jesus.

St Caesarius Nazianzen

Caesarius was born into a family who loved and followed Jesus. His father and mother both became Saints, St. Gregory the Elder of Nazianzen and St. Nonna. His brother also became a Saint, St. Gregory of Nazianzen. Caesarius went to school to become a doctor and he worked hard to become a really great doctor. He was very well known and respected for how great of a Doctor he was. He was so good that the Emperor of Constantinople, whose name was Julius, asked Dr. Caesarius to become his personal doctor. Julius had once been a Christian but gave up his faith and was known to hate Christians. He made an exception for Dr. Caesarius because he was such a good doctor. Julian tried very hard to get Caesarius to give up his faith. He promised him lots of money and other possessions. With the help of his brother and father, Dr. Caesarius was able keep from being tempted by Julius to turn away from Jesus. A year before he died, a terrible earthquake almost killed Dr. Caesarius. He saw this as a sign from God to leave everything and follow Him. He gave everything he had to the poor and left his work as a doctor to live a peaceful and prayerful life. He died a year later after faithfully serving God and giving Him his whole life.

Sts Montanus

Montanus, Lucius and their companions were followers of St. Cyprian. Shortly after Cyprian was put to death, rebels nearly killed one of the Roman soldiers involved in Cyprian’s death. The soldier wrongly accused the followers of Cyprian as being responsible for the attack and he had them arrested. Montanus, Lucius, and their companions were put in dark dungeons and were given very little food or water. They were forced to work very hard during the day. This group of prisoners drew strength from their faith in Jesus and the support they had in each other. They were each killed because of their faith in Jesus, one right after the other. They all died a martyrs death for Jesus, their King and Savior.

St Polycarp

Polycarp was a disciple of St. John the Evangelist, he became a priest and later was made Bishop of Smyrna which is now Turkey. Polycarp was a very faithful follower of Jesus, who helped lead the new Catholic Church in the direction of Jesus' teachings. The people of Smyrna loved their Bishop and he lead many people to Christ with his humble service. At the age of 86, in the year 156 AD, he was arrested and brought to Rome to be put to death for his beliefs. He was told to give up his faith but he refused and he faced death by praising Jesus and asking that he could be with Jesus in Heaven. They tried to burn him with fire but the flames raged on either side of him but would not burn him. Since he wasn't being touched by the fire, they stabbed him and his blood put out the fire. St. Polycarp bravely served Jesus in both his life and his death as a martyr for Christ.

Chair

This feast day celebrates the authority that Jesus gave to Peter to build his church. "You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church" (Matthew 16:18). The name 'Peter' actually means rock. St. Peter was one of Jesus’ disciples and he became the first Pope of the Catholic Church, which was formed after the Holy Spirit came to the Apostles. After receiving the Holy Spirit, St. Peter went to Rome to preach the Good News of Jesus and he started the first Christian community that followed Jesus' teachings. St. Peter was put to death for following Jesus. Since St. Peter, there has always been a Bishop of Rome, a leader of the whole Catholic Church throughout the world, whose authority comes from Jesus himself. The Chair of St. Peter is the symbol of the Pope of the Catholic Church. In the place where St Peter was buried, early Christians built a small memorial. In the 4th century, the Emperor Constantine removed the memorial and built a basilica. In the 16th century, this basilica was replaced by St Peter’s basilica which is in Vatican City.

St Peter Damian

Peter Damian’s parents died when he was very young. He was sent to live with his oldest brother who treated him very badly. His brother often did not feed him and made him work very hard. When his other brother, whose name was Damian, learned how Peter was being treated he invited Peter to come live with him. Damian was a priest and he showed his younger brother great love and respect. When Peter was old enough to enter the monastery, he took the name Damian out of gratitude for all his brother had done for him. Peter Damian was a very prayerful and peaceful person. He was invited to many monasteries to help other monks grow in their faith and become closer to God. When he was older, he was called from the monastery to become a Bishop and then a Cardinal. He is remembered for his peacefulness and for always standing up for the Truth. He left the Church many wonderful teachings about Jesus and he has been made a Doctor of the Church.

Sts Jacinta and Francisco

In 1917, between May 13th and October 13th the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to 3 Portuguese children in a field near Fatima in Portugal. Blessed Francisco, who was 9, and Blessed Jacinta, who was 7, were brother and sister. They had been taking care of their flock of sheep, with their cousin Lucia dos Santos, when Mary the Mother of Jesus appeared to them. Mary appeared 6 times to the children, always on the 13th of the month. During each of these times, she had specific messages for them. One of the messages was that the rosary be prayed daily for peace in the world and for an end to war. Both Francisco and Jacinta died only a few years after the apparitions. In 2000, they were beatified, which is the first step to becoming Saints. Today millions of people visit the shrine of Our Lady of Fatima, where the apparitions happened.

St Barbartus

Barbartus was born into a Christian family and he grew up learning about Jesus. He loved to share the Good News of Jesus with others, so he became a priest. He preached with great courage and was not afraid to tell people to change their ways when they were not following God’s commandments. Although many people from Benevento, Italy called themselves Christians and said they believed in Jesus, they had a hard time letting go of their pagan rituals (things people do to honor fake gods). Barbatus warned the people that if they did not change their ways, the city would be attacked by their enemies. Shortly after, the Emperor of Constans attacked the city. Once the people of Benevento listened to Barbatus and turned from their pagan ways, peace return to their city. Barbatus was eventually made a Bishop. He lived a long and full life, serving Jesus through his vocation to the priesthood. He died in 682 AD when he was 70 years old.

St Bernadette

Bernadette was the oldest of 6 children and her family did not have very much money. One day when she was 15 years old, her father sent her out to gather firewood. All of a sudden the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to Bernadette; she was dressed in white and holding a yellow rosary in her hand. This was the 1st of 18 times that Mary appeared to Bernadette. During one of these times, Mary asked her to have a chapel built in her honor in the place where she appeared. On another day, she asked Bernadette to wash herself in the spring of water. Since Bernadette could not see any water, she began to dig in the mud and from that place a spring of water began to flow. At first, the spring was very small but it grew bigger and bigger and it still flows with water today! Many people who have visited Lourdes have sat in the spring and have been healed from many illnesses. When she grew up, Bernadette became a nun and helped many sick and elderly people. She died when she was 36 years old. Her body never decayed, it is still as beautiful as the day that she died, which was a very long time ago. Since her body never decayed she is called an incorruptible.

Seven founders

The 7 men that began the Servite Order were all from Florence, Italy. They all belonged to the confraternity (club) of the Blessed Virgin Mary. On the Feast of the Assumption (when Mary was taken into heaven) in 1233, the seven men had gathered for a time of prayer. It was then that Mary appeared to them asking them to form a new religious community called the “Servants of Mary.” The Servite Order, as it was later called, is dedicated to prayer and service. 6 of the 7 founders became ordained priests. The 7th founder, whose name was Alexis Falconieri, humbly chose not to be ordained because he felt he was not worthy of such an honor.

St Onesimus

Onesimus was the slave of a man named Philemon. He stole from his master and ran away, going to Rome. In Rome, he met Paul the Apostle who taught him about Jesus and baptized Philemon. Paul helped Onesimus to see that he was wrong to have stolen from his master Philemon. He encouraged Onesimus to return to his master and ask for forgiveness. Paul was also friends with Philemon so he sent a letter with Onesimus asking Philemon to forgive his servant and to accept him as a brother in Christ Jesus. This letter is found in the New Testament of the Bible; the Epistle to Philemon. Philemon did forgive Onesimus and he gave him his freedom. Onesimus went back to Rome to become a priest and later a Bishop of the Church. He is remembered for how passionately he preached the teaching of Jesus to others.

St Faustinus and Jovita

Faustinus and Jovita were brothers who were born into a noble family. From the time that they were very young, the two brothers loved to pray and to share the Good News of Jesus with others. They both became priests during a time when Christians were punished for speaking the Truth. They were arrested for preaching the Gospel and put into prison. They were treated very poorly in jail but Angels visited them and comforted them. At one point, the brothers were brought out of prison to be fed to hungry lions but when the lions came out, they laid down at Faustinus’ and Jovita’s feet and would not harm them. A large fire was built to burn them, but the flames of the fire would not harm them either. Many people who witnessed these events where converted and became followers of Jesus. They were eventually killed for their faith, dying as martyrs for their faith in Jesus.

Sts Cyril and Methodius

Cyril and Methodius were well-educated brothers who both became priests. They lived in an area of Greece where many people from the Slavic countries in Europe had moved. Growing up, they spoke Greek but also learned the Slavic language too. Both Fr. Cyril and Fr. Methodius loved to share the Good News of Jesus. When the Prince of Moravia asked for missionaries to come and teach his people in the Slavic nations about Jesus, Fr. Cyril and Fr. Methodius knew this was their calling because they already spoke the language. These brothers translated the Bible and the Mass into the Slavic language so the people could understand the teachings of Jesus. St. Cyril and St. Methodius are remembered for all the work they did to unite the Western and Eastern Christian churches. They are also considered the patron saints of Europe, along with St. Benedict.

St Meletius

St Meletius was born to a rich and important family. He became and priest and then later a Bishop. He loved to teach people about the Holy Trinity. There were people in his time that did not believe Jesus was God and did not believe in the Trinity. He spent many years trying to help them to understand the truth of the Trinity that God is 3 in 1 - God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. In 381 AD, the Bishops of the Church held a large meeting called the Council of Constantinople. St Meletius was in charge of leading these meetings. The people who did not believe in the Trinity were there. When they started to discuss the Trinity, St Meletius stood up. He faced the unbelievers and held out three fingers, to show the three Persons of the Trinity, then he held up one finger to show one God. He blessed the unbelievers and then a great light surrounded him and he said, “We understand three Persons and we speak of one God.” While these meetings were still happening he became sick and he died, but from these meetings the Catholic Church has a stronger belief in the Blessed Trinity.

St Catherine de Ricci

St. Catherine was named Alexandrina when she was born. Her mother died when she was just a baby; her father took good care of her and told her about Jesus. When she was only 6 years old, she started to pray on her own and became very close to Jesus. She could see and speak with her guardian angel and it was her guardian angel that taught her how to pray the rosary. Her father saw how much she loved Jesus and so he sent her to a convent to go to school. She later entered the convent to become a nun and she took the name Sister Catherine. Sister Catherine loved Jesus and spent a lot of time praying about his crucifixion and death. When she was older she received the wounds that Jesus received at his death. Every week for 12 years, she would suffer the pain of Jesus' wounds from Thursday at noon until Friday at 4pm. She was put in charge of the sisters because she did such a good job guiding the sisters and many others who asked for her advise. She wrote many letters to important people, some of them would be Pope, helping them to get closer to Jesus. St Catherine died when she was 68 years old.

Our Lady of Lourdes

On February 11th, 1858, Mary appeared to a young girl named Bernadette. Bernadette and her family lived near the town of Lourdes in France. They were very poor and so Bernadette wasn't able to go to school all the time and sometimes they weren't able to go to Church. One day when her father had sent Bernadette out to collect wood for the fire, Mary, the Mother of Jesus appeared to Bernadette. She would appear to Bernadette 18 times, each time Bernadette would pray the rosary. One day Mary told Bernadette to wash in the spring of water, but there was not spring. Bernadette started digging in the dirt and some water started coming up out of the dirt, until there was a stream of water flowing out. Today this spring fills the baths at the Shrine of our Lady in Lourdes. Many people make the pilgrimage to Lourdes to bath in the water and be healed. There have been more than 60 miracles approved by the church, although many more people have claimed to have been healed. On one of the last visits with Bernadette, Mary told Bernadette that she was the Immaculate Conception, which means that she never had any sin from the moment her life started in St. Anne's womb.

St Scholastica

Scholastica was the twin sister of St. Benedict of Nursia. She was very close to her twin brother as they grew up. When he left home to study and start his monastery, she also left and started a religious community for women only a short distance from her brother's monastery. Once a year, the two would meet at a farmhouse not far from their communities. They would pray and visit together. The last time they met, Scholastica knew she would not live much longer, so she begged her brother to stay until the next day. He told her that he couldn't because he had never spent a night away from his monastery. She prayed that God would help her with her request for him to stay and suddenly a terrible thunderstorm broke out. St. Benedict was unable to travel back to his community that night and instead stayed with his sister. That was the last time that they saw each other on earth as Scholastica died 3 days later. While in prayer, St Benedict saw his sister's soul go to heaven and he knew she had died and gone to be with Jesus.

St Apollonia

Apollonia was a very holy follower of Jesus. In the year 249 AD, many Christians in Alexandria were treated badly and martyred for believing in God and sharing the Good News of Jesus. Apollonia was one of these Christians. She was arrested and told to give up her faith in God, but she would not turn her back on Jesus. When the guards gave her a second chance to give up her faith or be thrown into a fire, she peacefully walked into the fire on her own. She chose to die rather than give up her faith in Christ. St Apollonia is the patron saint of dentistry and those suffering from tooth aches and other dental problems, because it is believed that she lost her teeth while she was being beaten by the guards.

St Jerome Emiliani

St Jerome came from a rich and important family. Growing up, he did not care about God. He relied on his own strength and ended up becoming a soldier. He was taken prisoner and chained in a dungeon where he had a lot of time to think about his life. He realized that not only was he chained up in the dungeon, he was chained up in the life he was leading without God. He began praying that Mary, Jesus' mother, would help him to be released not only from the dungeon, but also from the things that were keeping him away from God. By a miracle, he was able to escape from the dungeon. He went straight to a nearby church and hung his prison chains at the foot of a statue of Mary and gave his life to her Son Jesus. When he returned home he studied to become a priest and he began to help homeless and orphaned children. He used his money to rent a home to house, feed, cloth, and educate many children. He believed it was so important that all these children learn about Jesus and about the Catholic faith. He built many orphanages and founded the religious congregation of the Company of the Servants of the Poor.

St Giles

St. Giles Mary was given the name Francis when he was born. He always wanted to be a priest but he had not finished enough schooling to enter the seminary, so he became a monk instead. When he turned 25, he entered the Friars of St Peter Alcantara in Naples. As Brother Giles Mary of St. Joseph, he served God with simplicity and humility. He had a heart for the poor and the homeless. His job in the monastery was to go out begging in the streets for the needs of the poor and for the needs of the Brothers in the monastery. He would always generously give food and money to the poor. No matter how much he would give away, there always food and money left over for the Brothers. He believed St. Joseph was responsible for this miracle of always providing for the needs of the poor and the Brothers. Brother Giles always had a special devotion to St. Joseph because he was always providing for him and that is why he is now called St. Giles Mary of St. Joseph. Brother Giles Mary was peacefully praying when he left this world to be with Jesus in heaven.

Sts Paul Miki

Paul's father was a leader in the Japanese army. When he grew up he attended college to become a Jesuit priest. When he became a priest he taught the Good News of Jesus to many Japanese people. In 1587 there were many Catholic Christians in Japan thanks to the work of Fr. Paul Miki and other missionaries. Ten years later, a Japanese ruler became convinced that the Catholic missionaries in the country were working with the countries of Portugal and Spain to take over Japan. Out of fear that the Catholic people would fight for his country he had 26 Catholic missionaries and lay people arrested; Fr. Paul was one of the people arrested. Each of the 26 Catholic people were put on a cross and died as martyrs for their faith in Jesus.

St Agatha

St. Agatha was born into a rich and important family. From the time that she was very young the most important thing for her was loving Jesus. She loved Jesus so much that she had a very pure heart and she promised Jesus that she would live her whole life just for Him. It was her love for Jesus that kept her from being tempted to do bad things in her life. She was such a beautiful girl that many people wanted to marry her, but she refused them all. Other people would try to get her to do things that were wrong but she trusted Jesus and asked Him to help her stay free from sin and pure. One man was trying to tempt her to sin; he became so mad when she chose to be good, that he hurt her very badly. Since she would never give up her faith in Jesus and turn her back on Him, she eventually died a martyr for her faith in Jesus. She lived and died loving Jesus with all her heart.

St Jeanne Valois

Jeanne was the daugther of King Louis XI of France. She was a princess, but her father didn't pay attention to her because he wanted a son not a daughter. Even though Jeanne was not treated kindly by her father, she knew that Jesus loved her and treated everyone with kindness. She loved Jesus with all her heart and she wanted to spend her life with Jesus. Her father did not accept this decision and made her marry the Duke of Orleans. She obeyed her father's wishes and the Duke and Jeanne were married when they were still very young. Once the Duke became King, he sent Jeanne to live on her own. Instead of being sad, she said if this is what God's wants then let it be. Like Mary, she accepted whatever God wanted for her life. Jeanne gave her money to the poor and she started an Order of nuns called the Sisters of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

St Blase

Blaise learned about Jesus as a boy. He was always concerned about the troubles of the world but found great joy in Jesus. He became a priest and then a Bishop. He was always trying to do good and to help people. He was arrested for his belief in Jesus, because the ruler of Armenia did not believe in God and would not let Christians practise their faith. As he was being taken to prison, people gathered on the roadside to see him one last time. A young boy was choking on a fishbone and his mom brought him forward to Bishop Blaise. Bishop Blaise prayed for the boy and saved his life. That is why we ask St. Blaise for prayers to protect us from sickness of the throat. On his feast day we have our throats blessed with two candles. Bishop Blaise was martyred for his faith because he would not stop believing in Jesus.

Presentation

In the time of Jesus it was the Jewish law that all babies were to be brought to the great Temple to be presented to God. Mary and Joseph were obedient to God's law and brought Baby Jesus to the Temple for this presentation. An old priest named Simeon was at the temple that day. God had shown Simeon that Baby Jesus was the Savior of the world. Simeon rejoiced when he saw Baby Jesus. He then told Mary that she would have to suffer in her life; this was because she would have to give up her Son to save the world. On the Feast of the Presentation we celebrate our obedience to God because He is our Loving Father and we belong to Him.