St Pius V

St. Pius was named Anthony Ghislieri when he was born. His parents were very important people but they lost their riches and became poor. Anthony always wanted to become a priest, but his parents did not have the money to send their son to school. One day 2 Dominican priests visited the family and offered to teach Anthony. When he was 14 years old, he joined the Dominican Order and became a priest. He spent a number of years traveling to different Dominican houses and teaching people by his words and his example of Jesus’ great love. He was appointed Bishop and then Cardinal. In 1566 he was elected Pope and became Pope Pius V. He was a good Shepherd of his people. He spent many hours praying to God and he lived very simply, giving lots of money that would have been spent on celebrations to the poor instead. He started many new seminaries and built hospitals for the sick. As Pope, he chose to continue to wear his white Dominican robe instead of the papal robes. It is because of Pope Pius’ example that the Pope today wears a white robe. He was a servant to the people and lovingly renewed the Church in many good ways. He died in 1572.

St Catherine of Siena

Catherine was the 25th child of Jacopo and Lapa Benincasa! She was a very holy and wise person, even as a little child. Her mother had always wished that she would be married, but she only ever wanted to be a nun. To convince her mother to let her join the convent, she cut off all her beautiful long hair so no man would want to marry her. Finally, her parents allowed her to enter the Dominican Third Order when she was 16 years old. Sr. Catherine had lots of visions of Mary and Jesus. She could also see peoples’ guardian angels as clear as she could she the people themselves. Although she had not gone to school, she had a very good understanding of God. She often used this gift to help different Kings, Queens, and Popes to make important decisions that were pleasing to God. She also wrote many letters that have helped guide the Church. She is considered an important Doctor of the Church. She died in Rome in the year 1380, at the age of 33.

St Peter Chanel

Peter's father was a shepherd and Peter helped care for the sheep. He loved Jesus and loved to learn about his faith. When he was old enough, he joined the seminary and became a priest. He was sent to the town of Corzet where many people had stopped going to church. He prayed hard for his parish and through his kindness and love, many people returned to the Church and their faith in Jesus. When Fr. Peter was 28 years old, he felt God was calling him to become a missionary. He joined the order of The Society of Mary and was sent to the islands of the South Pacific, Oceania. He and another brother were placed on the island of Futuna in New Hebrides. The people of the island were, at first, very closed to hear the message of Jesus but Father Peter was patient and kind and slowly their hearts started to change. The chief of the tribe on the island did not like that so many of his people were starting to follow Fr. Peter. When the chief’s own son was baptized, he became so angry that he sent men to kill Fr. Peter. He was martyred for his faith in Jesus on April 28th, 1841. Shortly after his death, most of the people on the island began to follow Jesus and became Catholic.

St Zita

Zita’s parents were very poor, but very faithful Christians. She grew up knowing and loving Jesus very much. When she was 12 years old, she was sent to the nearby town of Lucca to work as a servant in the home of the Fatinelli family. The family was very rich and had many servants. Zita was a very hard worker and always did her jobs very well. She would get up very early in the morning so she could finish her chores before going to daily mass. She was very prayerful and loved to care for the poor too. It is said that one day Zita had begun mixing bread, when she felt she had to leave the Fatinelli home to help a poor person in need. The other servants were very upset at her for leaving the work she had started. They went to inform Mr. and Mrs. Fatinelli. When they brought them in to see what Zita had done, there were angels in the kitchen baking the bread. The Fatinelli family admired her hard work and respected her faith. She worked for them for 48 years. Zita died peacefully in the Fatinelli home on April 27th, 1278. It is said that a star appeared above the Fatinelli home above Zita’s room in the attic on the day she died. To celebrate her feast day, many Italians prepare a loaf of bread.

St Radbertus

When Radbertus was just a baby, his parents left him on the doorsteps of the Notre Dame of Soissons convent, because they could not take care of him. The nuns loved and cared for him and when he was old enough to go to school he was sent to St. Peter’s monastery nearby. Radbertus loved to learn; his favorite subject in school was Latin. When he was old enough, he joined the monastery and became a monk. He wrote many books and was a very good teacher. He traveled all around Europe using his wisdom to bring peace to many different religious and political disagreements. He spent the last few years of his life as a hermit (living alone with God) praying and studying.

St Mark Evangelist

Mark lived in the time of Jesus but it is unclear if he had actually met Jesus. Some people believe that he had. Mark knew both St. Peter and St. Paul but he was a very close friend to St. Peter. When St. Peter died, Mark was asked to write down Peter’s stories about Jesus, as Mark had heard them many times. His Gospel is the shortest of all the four Gospels but one that holds lots of little details about Jesus and Peter's friendship. Mark was made Bishop of Alexandria in Egypt. He preached the Gospel with his whole heart and shared about Jesus’ great love. Many people became followers of Christ because of Mark’s work. Mark suffered a painful death and was martyred for his faith in Jesus. His remains were place in the basilica in the Piazza San Marco in Venice, Italy. He is the patron saint of Venice.s

St Fidelis of Sigmaringen

Fidelis was named Mark Rey when he was born. He studied to become a lawyer and felt called to help the poor. He was known as the “Poor Man’s Lawyer”. He would take the cases of poor people and work for free. He was an honest man who loved to pray. After working as a lawyer for a few years, he became sad at how other lawyers were not being truthful; so he left his work as a lawyer and became a priest. As a priest, he took the name Fidelis which means “faithful”. Fr. Fidelis was sent to Switzerland to preach the Good News of Jesus to people who had left the Catholic Church. He would preach during the day and pray at night. God used Fr. Fidelis' service to bring His people back to the Church. The mission was so successful that many people became angry with Fr. Fidelis, because some people did not want people to follow Jesus. During one of his sermons, a shot was fired at him but the bullet missed. Later, as he was returning home, a group of angry men attacked him and killed him. Before he died, he told the men that he forgave them for what they were doing. Fr. Fidelis was martyred for his faith in Jesus.

St George

George was a Roman soldier and fought under the Emperor Diocletian. Diocletian did not believe Jesus was Lord and Savior. He hated Christians and killed many believers. When George became a Christian, he met with Emperor Diocletian and told him that he was wrong and cruel to be treating Christians so poorly. He gave up his position in the Roman army and was than treated very badly until he died. George is often seen in pictures slaying a dragon and saving a fair maiden. There are many tales that tell such a story, but these are not believed to be true. What is true is that George was a great soldier who fought against evil (shown as the dragon) to defend the Church (shown as the maiden). He was a valiant warrior who stood for what was just and right. St. George is the patron saint of many European countries including England, Germany and Portugal. and is a favorite saint of soldiers.

St Maria Gabriela

Maria was the 5th of 8 children in her family. At the age of 20, she accepted God’s call to become a nun. She joined the Trappist community just outside of Rome where she devoted her life to prayer and penance (doing something hard because you feel bad for the sins you have done or the sins others have done). She felt called to pray and work for unity (being joined together) between all Christians. She felt so strongly about this cause that she offered herself as a spiritual sacrifice for this unity. Shortly after making her offering, she became sick with tuberculosis. Maria suffered for 15 months, offering all her pain to God so that Christians unity. She died when she was only 25 years old. Maria Gabriella Sagheddu was beatified on January 25th, 1983, at the end of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity by Blessed Pope John Paul II.

St Anselm

Anselm was born to parents that were very rich. When he was 15 years old he wanted to join the monastery but his father would not let him. Shortly after this, he became very sick and almost died. He eventually got better but then his mother died. After all this, he turned away from his faith and was not living a very good life. He began to feel that something was missing and he decided he would join the monastery again. His father was still against this decision so Anselm left his home for Normandy, France where he joined the monastery at Bec and became a Benedictine monk. Anselm was very respected and loved by his brother monks. He was very kind and patient. He loved to study his faith and started a school at the monastery. He was eventually appointed abbot (leader) of the monastery and led his brothers very well. When he was 60 years old, he was appointed Archbishop of Canterbury, England. He did not want to leave the monastery but he was obedient to the Pope who asked him to be Bishop. Life was more difficult as Archbishop because the King of England, King William Rufus did not like how he was running the church. Because of this, Archbishop Anselm was forced to leave England and was not allowed to come back. 6 years later, when the King died, Archbishop Anselm was allowed to return to England and to lead the Church as Archbishop. Archbishop Anselm is remembered for being a great leader in the Church.

St Agnes of Montepulciano

From a very young age Agnes felt God calling her to live a life of prayer and penance for Jesus. When she was 6 years old she asked her parents if she could live at the convent, but because she was so young they did not let her. She lovingly continued to ask them and when she was 9 years old they let her join the convent. She was a very holy woman who showed gentleness and kindness to others. When she was 40 years old she was made Mother Superior (the leader) of the convent. She served her sisters like she was serving Jesus himself. She truly believed that he was in charge of the convent and trusted everything to His care. Agnes believed in performing hard penances (sacrifices for sin); she slept on a stone floor with a rock for a pillow; she ate only bread and drank only water. She is remembered for her visions; she held the infant Jesus in her arms and also received Holy Communion from an angel. Many people go to see her body, which is incorruptible, which means it never decayed and is just like it was during her life.

Blessed James Duckett

James Duckett was not Catholic growing up. He made a living publishing and selling books in London. After reading a book called “The Firm Foundation of the Catholic Religion” his life changed and he really wanted to join the Catholic Church. During this time (in the late 1500s), Queen Elizabeth I was queen of England. She did not like the Catholic Church and made laws to punish people who believed in the Catholic Church’s teachings. James Duckett stopped going to his old church and was put in jail because of that decision. While he was in prison, he was very determined to become Catholic. He met an old priest named “Mr. Weekes” who taught him more about the Catholic faith and soon he was baptized into the Catholic Church. He had such a love for the Catholic faith that he printed many Catholic books and gave them to people everywhere. His work was very dangerous because there were many laws against printing, owning, and giving Catholic books to others. He married a Catholic woman and their son became a Carthusian monk. The couple was married for 12 years and he spent 9 of those years in prison because of sharing his faith. During his trial, a book binder named Peter Bullock told the court that he had bound many Catholic books for James and so James was sentenced to be killed. Peter Bullock was hoping that the Queen would be kind to him because he told her about James, but he was also sentenced to be killed for binding Catholic books. Both men were killed on the same day at the same place. Before they died, James forgave Peter Bullock for telling on him. He died a martyr because of his faith in Jesus. He is the patron saint of booksellers and publishers.

Blessed Mary of the Incarnation

Mary of the Incarnation was named Barbe Aurillot when she was born. She was 17 years old when she married Pierre Acarie; they had 6 children. Barbe was a loving wife and mother. She loved her Catholic faith too and taught her children, and many other people, about Jesus’ love. She was very busy with her own family, but she still found time to care for the sick and dying and to help the poor. Her husband died when she was 47 years old. She felt God was calling her to live the rest of her life as a nun, and since her children were grown up, she joined the Carmelite order. Her new name became Sister Mary of the Incarnation. Three of her daughters also became Carmelite nuns and one of her sons became a priest. She lived the rest of her life humbly loving and serving her fellow sisters in the convent

St Stephen Harding

Stephen’s parents had lots of money and were able to send him to good schools. Stephen loved to learn; his favorite subject was literature (the study of books). He went to schools in Scotland, Paris and Rome. When he was finished studying and was on his way home, he stopped at the monastery of Molesme in France. The head of the monastery was St. Robert. St. Robert was very holy and Stephen liked him so much that he decided to stay and join the monastery. After being at the monastery for a number of years, Stephen joined St. Robert and several other monks who felt they were being called to start a new monastery in France, which they called Citeaux. Here, the monks worked very hard and lived a poor life in strict silence. They were known as the Cistercians; Stephen was the leader of this monastery. There came a time when there were not very many monks left in the monastery and Stephen thought they would have to close the Citeaux. He prayed that God would send men to join the community and once he started praying 30 other monks (including St. Bernard) came to join the monastery. Stephen ended up opening 12 other monasteries during his life. He faithfully served the monks in these monasteries until he died, surrounded by his Brothers in Christ.

St Benedict Joseph Labre

Benedict was the oldest of 18 children; his parents ran a store. He was taught all of his schooling by his uncle who was the parish priest. Benedict was not sure what he wanted to do with his life; he had tried to join many monasteries but was not allowed. When he was 15 year old, he felt God was calling him to become a pilgrim (someone who travels to holy places and prays). He traveled around Europe visiting many famous shrines. He would live off the food that others would give him. If he had too much, he would give it to others in need. If he was given money, he would give it to the poor. He had a special love in his heart for Mary and for the Blessed Sacrament. He finally settled in Rome where he was known as the “beggar of Rome.” People who did not know him, were scared of him or avoided him, but the people who did know him, often visited him for prayer or advice. He was a very humble and holy man. On April 16th, 1783, he prayed for 2 hours at a church in Rome then laid down and peacefully died. He was only 35 years old.

St Damien of Molokai

Damien was born Jeff de Veuster; he was known for being a very kind and generous boy. Both he and his brother decided to become priests, because they wanted to be missionaries. Jeff took the name Damian and became known as Brother Damien. Before he was finished school to become a priest, he was given the opportunity to go on a mission to Hawaii. While there, he finished school and was ordained a priest. He spent 8 years serving and teaching the Hawaiian people about Jesus. He built many chapels during this time. The Bishop of Hawaii made a request for a priest to go to the Island of Molokai. Molokai was the place where people with leprosy were sent to live. In these times, leprosy was a dangerous disease that would usually lead to death. Anyone with leprosy was sent away to live far from healthy people, to keep the disease from spreading. (Today, the disease can be treated with medicine and isn’t as serious.) Fr. Damien volunteered to go and be with the people of Molokai, even though he knew it might mean he would get the disease. He was shocked by the horrible conditions the people of Molokai were living in. He could not believe that they were sent away without anyone to take care of them. He set to work to improve the lives of the people of Molokai. By teaching them of Jesus’ love through his humble service, many people came to believe in Jesus. Fr. Damien served and loved the people of Molokai like Jesus loved them. He did end up getting leprosy as well, but continued to serve his people until he died 4 years after becoming sick with the illness himself.

St Lidwina

Lidwina loved Jesus and Mary very much as a child. When she was only 15 years old, she fell and broke her rib while she was skating. The accident changed the rest of her life. Her body did not heal well and, instead of getting better, she became more sick. She became blind in one eye and could not move her body to get out of bed. She suffered terribly from pain and wondered why God let these things happen to her. With the help of her parish priest, she came to see she could use her suffering to grow closer to Jesus. Her suffering became a beautiful gift that she received with joy. During her life, many people would visit her at her bedside to bring their sufferings, which Lidwina would joyfully offer up to God. Lidwina lived for many years only eating the Holy Eucharist and nothing else. She had visions of Heaven and Purgatory and was visited by Saints. She died in 1433; she was 53 years old.

Pope St Martin I

When Martin finished school he became a priest right away. In the year 649 Martin became the Pope. During this time, the land was being ruled by Emperor Constans II of Constantinople. Emperor Constans II believed that Jesus did not think like a human being but only thought like God. The Church and Pope Martin believed that Jesus did think like God but that He also had human thoughts, just like we do. Pope Martin stood up against the Emperor when he tried to get others to believe that Jesus did not have human thoughts. This made the Emperor very angry. He had Pope Martin kidnapped and put in jail. The Emperor had plans to kill Pope Martin but changed his mind and decided to send him to a land far away where he was not able to return to Rome. Pope Martin lived the last few years of his life in what is now Russia. He had very little food and he suffered a lot. He died alone in the year 655. He has been called a martyr because he suffered for his belief in the Truth about Jesus. He is the last Pope to have died a martyr's death.

St Joseph Moscati

Joseph had eight brothers and sisters and his parents were very rich. While he was just a boy, one of his brothers died. Losing his brother, was very hard for Joseph and he spent a long time praying and thinking about why people need to suffer. He finally decided that he would go to school to become a doctor. Once he finished school he moved to Naples where he worked as a doctor for the rest of his life. Joseph was a very kind and gentle doctor. He listened carefully to his patients and helped them however he could. Many of his patients were poor and could not afford medicine, so he would buy it for them. He was always praying for his patients and he would even visit and care for the poor who could not get to the hospital for help. He was also very wise and knew how to use a patient's faith and the sacraments to help heal them. Joseph died on April 12th, 1927 when he was 47 years old. He was made a Saint by Pope John Paul II in 1987 and is the only modern doctor to be proclaimed a saint. After St. Joseph Moscati's death, many people who have asked for his prayers have been miraculously healed

St Stanislaus

Stanislaus was born to parents who had a lot of money. His parents had tried for many years to have children and when Stanislaus was born they showed their thankfulness to God by giving their son back to God. When his parents died, they left all their money to their son. He gave everything he had been given to the poor. Stanislaus went to school in Poland and in France and he became a priest. When he was 42 years old he was appointed Bishop of Krakow. He served his people very humbly and they loved their Bishop. Stanislaus always stood for what was right according to God. The King of Poland at this time was King Boleslaus II and he was not a very good king. He was very mean and did not live a holy life. Bishop Stanislaus felt God was calling him to help the King to turn from the sinful choices he was making. Bishop Stanislaus spoke many times with the King about Jesus and His mercy. For a while the King changed his ways and was trying to be better. He soon started making sinful choices but this time things were much worse. The King tried to have Bishop Stanislaus killed 3 different times. Finally, filled with so much anger King Boleslaus attacked Bishop Stanislaus while he was saying mass and the Bishop was killed.

St Anthony Neyrot

Anthony Neyrot in Italy but when he was old enough, he moved to Florence to become a priest in the Dominican Order. When he was sailing from Naples to Sicily, he was captured by pirates and taken to northern Africa where he was sold as a slave. He was eventually set free but he had lost his faith in Jesus while he was a slave. He gave up his Catholic beliefs and joined the Muslim faith, which does not believe Jesus is the Son of God, and he also got married. Then one day he had a dream and realized that he had made a mistake. He sent his wife back to her family and put on his Dominican habit (the special clothes that Dominicans wear). Anthony then went to the ruler of the city and admitted to everyone who was there that he had made a mistake in turning his back on Jesus. He told them that he loved Jesus and believed in His teachings. The crowd became very angry and threw large stones at him until Anthony died a martyr for his faith in Jesus.

St Waldetrudis

Waldetrudis came from a very faithful and holy family. Both of her parents became saints (St. Walbert and St. Bertilia) and so did her sister (St. Aldegondes). When she was old enough to get married, her parents chose a husband for her; as this was the custom at the time. Waldetrudis married Count Vincent Madelgar who also became a saint (St. Vincent). Vincent and Waldetrudis had four children, two boys and two girls. Their children amazingly have all become saints too (Saints Landericus, Madalberta, Adeltrudis, and Dentelin). After their children had grown up, Vincent felt that God was calling him to become a monk. He talked about this decision with his wife Waldetrudis and they both decided that he should go and start a monastery in France. Only a few years later, Waldetrudis felt called to become a nun, so she founded a convent in Mons, Belgium.

St Julie Billiart

Mary Rose Julie Billiart was born into a farming family; she had 6 brothers and sisters. Julie went to school and her favorite subject was religion. She loved Jesus and her Catholic faith. When she was only 15, she would work in the fields and teach her fellow workers about Jesus. A terrible person tried to hurt her father when Julie was just a young woman. She had seen the whole event and was so scared and shocked that she became paralyzed (unable to move). She suffered this poor health for 20 years. All that time she did not complain but offered her suffering to God to help others. She also continued to teach people about Jesus from her bed. During this time, many young women were inspired by her faith and came to visit her often. Because of this, Julie felt called to start a new religious order, The Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur. Julie was miraculously healed through the prayers of a visiting priest and was able to walk again. She spent the rest of her time, helping young women to know Jesus and to serve Him by becoming sisters.

St John Baptist de la Salle

John Baptist De La Salle was born into a rich family and they were able to give John a good education. When he was old enough, he decided to become a Benedictine monk. As a monk, he soon discovered that God was calling him to work with the poor. He knew how important education was and decided to focus his work on teaching poor young boys. He started the religious community called the Brothers of the Christian School. The community grew quickly and they taught many young boys who came from poor families; boys who otherwise would not have been able to go to school and learn. John Baptist De La Salle tried new ways of helping people to learn. He was one of the first to teach children in a classroom instead of only one child at a time. His work in the schools he built really helped to lead the way children are taught in schools today. St. John Baptist De La Salle is considered the patron saint of teachers.

Blessed Notker Balbulbus

Notker had been very sick as a child, but with God's help he survived through his childhood. When he was old enough he followed the call God had placed on his heart and he became a Benedictine monk at the Abbey of Saint Gall. All his life, he talked with a stammer (which means it is hard to say the words you want to say) but he was never discouraged. He accepted himself the way he was, because it was the way that God had made him. Many people admired this about him and this humility made him very well-liked. Notker became friends with two other monks at the abbey, Tutilo (who also became a Saint) and Radpert. They were all very good musicians and used their talents to make beautiful music to worship God.

St Vincent Ferrer

Vincent was a very smart boy and loved Jesus very much. When he turned 17 years old, he entered the Dominican Order and became a priest. Vincent was an excellent preacher and he loved to share the Good News of Jesus with others in a way that was easy to understand. During this time, the Church could not agree about some very important teachings; this time in the Church was called the great schism. Fr. Vincent believed that the only way to heal the schism was to bring people back to the most important thing, faith in Jesus. He traveled around many countries in Europe and many people who heard him speak became stronger in their faith. Fr. Vincent would teach people that if they really wanted to help their friends get closer to Jesus, then they should first ask God for help. He told people to ask God to fill their hearts with charity (love), because with great charity you can do anything. For all his work to heal the divided Church, St. Vincent is known as the patron saint of builders.

St Isidore of Seville

Isidore was born to a very holy and devout family. Two of his brothers and one of his sisters also became saints. Isidore’s father died when he was small and his older brother Leander was put in charge of Isidore's schooling. Leander became frustrated and angry at his younger brother because he felt that Isidore was not trying hard enough at his studies. He was very mean to Isidore. Isidore soon realized that if he tried hard enough, he could learn all that his older brother wanted him to. He started taking his schooling more seriously and he is now remembered for being one of the smartest people to have lived during his time. Isidore used his knowledge to start seminaries and Catholic universities in every Diocese in Spain. He also wrote many books; he wrote about the heros and heroines of the Bible; he wrote a dictionary; an encyclopedia and one book was on the history of the world, starting with God’s creation. Isidore later became a priest and then the Bishop of Seville; he served for 37 years in that role. The people of Seville loved their Bishop because he showed them Jesus’ love. Poor people were always welcomed in his home and in the last year of his life, his house was crowded with the poor, as he served them with Jesus’ love until he died. Because of the great teachings he left for the Church, St. Isidore was named a Doctor of the Church.

St Richard of Chichester

Richard was orphaned when he was very young; he was able to get a good education because his parents had left him a lot of money. Richard never got married because he wanted to focus on his studies and he went to university. While he was studying, he became good friends with Edmund Rich (who later became a Saint), who was the Archbishop of Canterbury at the time. When Archbishop Edmund died, Richard moved to France to attend the Dominican House of Studies. He was ordained a priest and then later became Bishop of Chichester. As Bishop, he served his people with kindness and perseverance. The King of England, Henry III, had wanted his friend to become bishop so he worked hard at making things very difficult for Bishop Richard. He told people that if they showed kindness to the Bishop they would be punished. Eventually the Pope got involved and defended Bishop Richard, telling King Henry III that he needed to treat the Bishop with respect. St. Richard is often seen in pictures with a chalice tipped over at his feet. One time when he was celebrating mass, he dropped the chalice but nothing spilled out even though it was full. Many other miracles happened both during St. Richard's life and after his death.

St Francis of Paola

Francis was born into a very poor family, but they loved God very much. He was named after St. Francis of Assisi. When Francis was 15, he went with his parents on a pilgrimage to Rome and Assisi. He felt God was calling him to become a hermit and live his life alone in prayer. After 5 years several other young men had come to live with him, so he started the religious order of the “Franciscan Order of Minim Friars”. Minim means “to be least of all”. Brother Francis was very humble and the brothers in his order became known for the humility they practiced. The people of Paola loved Brother Francis. He showed them Jesus’ love by his kindness and gentleness. God worked many miracles through Brother Francis. One of the most well known miracles happened when Brother Francis and some of his friends needed to sail from Italy to Sicily. The boatman refused to let them on the boat to sail across the sea. Brother Francis put his cloak on the water and tied the end of it to his staff and he and God sailed them all safely across the sea. It is for this reason that St. Francis of Paola is known as the patron saint of sailors.