Today is the feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This is the day that Mary visited her cousin Elizabeth who was with child, despite being advanced in years, as the angel had told her. Upon hearing Mary’s greeting, Elizabeth knew that Mary was the mother of the Lord; the Gospel says that...Read More

St. Justin the Philosopher was born around 100 in Palestine. He was a non-believer and philosopher who converted to Christianity when he was 30 years old after reading Scripture and seeing the great faith of the martyrs. He disputed non-believers and became a Christian apologist. St. Justin was beheaded for his faith in Rome around...Read More

St. Francis Caracciolo was born in Italy in October 1563. After being cured from a disease when he was 22, he sold his belongings, gave the money to the poor and began to study theology. He was ordained in 1587 and, along with another man, formed the Congregation of the Minor Clerks Regular to minister...Read More

St. Boniface was born in England in the 670s. He became a Benedictine monk and went to Germany as a missionary. He destroyed the worship sites of non-believers and built churches. As an archbishop, he reformed churches and founded or restored a few dioceses. He went to Holland to evangelize the people. There in 754...Read More

St. Anthony Gianelli was born into a poor but religious family in Cerreto, Italy, in April 1789. He was ordained in May 1812 with a special dispensation because of his young age, and he became a parish priest. In 1827 he founded the Missionaries of St. Alphonsus, but the group only existed until 1848. He...Read More

St. Barnabas the Apostle converted to Christianity soon after Pentecost. He is often mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles although he is not one of the original twelve. St. Barnabas worked with St. Paul in Cyprus and Asia, and he evangelized the people in Cyprus with St. Mark. Additionally, he founded the church in...Read More

St. Methodius of Constantinople was born in Sicily in the eighth century. He built a monastery on an island named Chinos. The saint then worked with the patriarch of Constantinople to help oversee the diocese. Together, the two men worked against the iconoclasts, who did not believe in the use of images in worship. St....Read More

St. Vito was born to a pagan senator, but his tutor (St. Modestus) and his nurse (St. Crescentia) converted St. Vito to Christianity when he was 12 years old. Angered, St. Vito’s father had the three arrested and imprisoned, but the saints were released by angels. After helping the emperor’s son, St. Vito refused to...Read More