St. Felix III was born in Rome and became the 48th pope in March of 483. He may be an ancestor of St. Gregory the Great. While he was pope, the church faced many divisions due in part to actions of Emperor Zeno. St. Felix helped make way for the reunion of the church, which...Read More

St. Faustinian, the second bishop of Bologna, Italy, lived in the 300s. St. Faustinian helped strengthen the church during the persecution of Emperor Diocletian.Read More

St. Peter Damian was born in Italy in 1007. He left his career as a professor to become a Benedictine monk. St. Peter Damian’s health suffered when he tried to replace sleep with prayer. The Vatican called on him to help make peace among clergymen. In 1828 he was declared a doctor of the church.Read More

St. Leo of Catania lived circa 787. He was the bishop of Catania, Sicily. Known for his holiness and learning, he was called “the wonder-worker.”Read More

St. Onesimus, as mentioned in St. Paul’s Letter to Philemon, was a slave of Philemon in Phrygia circa the year 90. St. Onesimus ran away and was eventually befriended by St. Paul, who converted St. Onesimus. St. Paul sent him back to Philemon with an epistle asking Philemon to free St. Onesimus, who eventually died...Read More

Ss. Cyril and Methodius, Greek brothers and priests, were born in 827 and 826. The emperor sent them to Russia in 861 to convert the Khazars to Christianity. They began to convert Moravians in 863 using their native language. The brothers developed a Slavonic language that eventually became what is currently known as Cyrillic. They...Read More

St. Richard was the father of three saints. He died during a pilgrimage from his home in England to Rome. People reported miracles at his tomb, and he was venerated by the citizens of the Italian town in which he died. Some called him the “king of the English.”Read More

St. Paul Miki was born in Japan and joined the Jesuits in 1580. He preached despite an anti-Christian sentiment in the political atmosphere. Along with 25 other Catholics, he was crucified Feb. 5, 1597, in Nagasaki, Japan, during a persecution of Christians. He was canonized as a martyr of Japan in 1862 by Pope Pius...Read More