St. Cecilia lived in late first and early second century. She promised God her virginity, but her parents arranged for her to marry Valerian. Cecilia told Valerian that she was with an angel, but he had to be purified so that he could see the angel. Valerian was purified and baptized, and he saw Cecilia...Read More
St. Felix of Valois was born in Valois, France, in 1127. While he was young, he was blessed by St. Bernard of Clairvaux and Pope Innocent II. He became a Cistercian monk at Clairvaux and lived as a hermit in the Italian Alps. Along with St. John of Matha, the priest founded the Order of...Read More
St. Elizabeth of Hungary was born in Presburg, Hungary, in 1207. A princess and daughter of Hungary’s King Andrew, Elizabeth married when she was 13 years old. She built a hospital and cared for the sick, despite her family’s opposition. One story goes that as she was bringing food to the hungry, her husband stopped...Read More
St. Albertus Magnus was born in Swabia (now Germany) in 1206. This Dominican priest taught theology; St. Thomas Aquinas was one of his students. He became bishop of Regensberg (in present-day Germany) and brought Greek and Arabic philosophy and science to Europe. He was interested in the natural sciences and wrote guides. The theological writer...Read More
St. Serapion lived circa 252. He was martyred in Alexandria, Egypt, when anti-Christian riots broke out in the city. A mob threw him from his roof, and he died.Read More
St. Nicholas I was born circa 825 in Rome. He became pope in 858. The pope tried to make the Holy See stronger, and he also found solutions for religious disputes. For example, he affirmed a bishop’s right to appeal against his archbishop to Rome. St. Nicholas I died in 867.Read More
St. Martin of Tours was born circa 316 in present-day Hungary. He became a Christian when he was a teenager and served in the Roman army. In France, he gave his officer’s cloak to a beggar. He then had a vision that Christ was wearing his cloak. Later on, he spent 10 years living as...Read More
St. Leo the Great was born to a noble family in Tuscany, Italy, circa 400. This priest led the church as pope from 440-461, during Attila the Hun’s invasion. When Attila was invading Rome, Leo greeted him and asked for leave. As Leo was speaking, Attila had a vision of a man carrying a sword;...Read More
Today is the feast of the four crowned martyrs, St. Castorus, St. Claudius, St. Nicostratus and St. Simpronian. Living in the third century, they were masons. After they refused to carve an idol for Diocletian, they were martyred. The four crowned martyrs are patron saints of masons and sculptors.Read More
St. Willibrord was born in Northumbria, England, in 658. This son of St. Hilgis was educated under St. Egbert. A Benedictine monk, he served as a missionary in Friesland and Luxembourg. He was the founding bishop of Utrecht in the Netherlands in 695, and he founded monasteries. He died Nov. 7, 739. St. Willibrord is...Read More
St. Leonard of Noblac lived in the sixth century. Part of the Frankish nobility, he was a member of the court of King Clovis I. The king won a battle when St. Leonard called on God for help. After this victory, St. Remigius converted the king to Christianity and brought thousands to Christianity with him....Read More