A long life is not necessary for holiness, as Saint Teresa of Los Andes proves. Not quite 20 years old when she died, she left a legacy rich in virtue—rich enough for her to be considered a saint.
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Pope Saint Martin I is considered a martyr for the faith even though he was not killed outright. He witnessed to the true faith by his consistent and constant teaching, which resulted in physical and mental torture.
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Saint Magdalene of Canossa worked in hospitals and among the poor, opened her home as a lodging for girls, started a school, and founded two religious communities. She accomplished all of this without the support of her family.
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Saint Casilda grew up as a Muslim. Facing a serious illness as a young woman, she journeyed to a shrine in Spain where she was cured. As a result, she embraced Christianity.
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Saint Julie Billiart spent many years suffering from incapacitating ailments, but she never lost her drive to work for the Kingdom of God. Her desire to educate led her to help found the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur.
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Probably best known as the patron of many Christian Brothers’ schools, Saint John Baptist de La Salle originally had no intention of working with youth or founding a religious community. He saw himself as a comfortable diocesan priest. But God had other plans, and Saint John responded wholeheartedly.
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The story of Saint Crescentia Hoess is a twist on the story of rags to riches. Born into material poverty, she eventually rose to true spiritual wealth. But not without many obstacles, including a number of physical ailments.
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We presently have two living Popes, but they are not both contending for the papacy. That was not the case in the lifetime of Saint Vincent Ferrer.
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Saint Isidore of Seville was a prolific writer and capable administrator of his diocese. Following his brother as bishop of Seville, he founded schools and seminaries, and he was known for his encyclopedic knowledge. Perhaps Isidore’s greatest accomplishment is that he was a holy man.
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Saint Benedict the African, also called Saint Benedict the Moor and Saint Benedict the Black, lived the life of a slave until he was 18. After joining the Franciscans, he held positions of leadership. He was known for his poverty and humility.
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Saint Francis of Paola wanted to live a quiet life of solitude. He managed to do this in a cave near Paola, but soon followers began to gather. He formed them into a community which emphasized pretty severe penance and austerity. Saint Francis also had a public life assisting in the French court.
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Saint Stephen of Mar Saba, the nephew of Saint John Damascene, became acquainted with monastic life at the age of 10.
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Living right on the edge of some unsettling social and ecclesial changes, Saint Peter Regalado chose to turn to poverty and simplicity to find his path to God. Leading a small band of friars, he strove to live Franciscan poverty and penance more fully.
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The first part of Saint Ludovico of Casoria’s life was somewhat “ordinary,” but not the second. Having had what he called a mystical experience, he began establishing institutions for all kinds of people in need. He even founded two religious communities.
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The obscurity of the Poor Clare life seems somewhat expected, yet Saint Catharine of Bologna was well known for her holiness. Even in the quiet Poor Clare life, nuns can be examples for the whole Church.
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As the world observed the 100th anniversary of the Armenian genocide in the Ottoman Empire, Pope Francis concelebrated a Mass at the Vatican with Patriarch Nerses Bedros XIX Tarmouni and declared this monk, poet, and saint of the Armenian Apostolic Church a Doctor of the Church.
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Saint Catherine of Genoa wanted to be a nun, but was rejected due to her youth. Instead she married, converted her husband to a life of virtue, and together they cared for the poor.
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Some people consider today the feast of the Incarnation of Jesus—instead of Christmas—since it is today that we celebrate the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity becoming flesh in the womb of the Virgin Mary.
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Already considered a saint by the people of El Salvador and elsewhere, Oscar Romero was recognized as a martyr for the faith in 2015. The time when he was Archbishop of San Salvador was a period of civil unrest and great government-sponsored violence.
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Saint Nicholas Owen was a creative builder who helped the persecuted Catholic priests of England find hiding places. Because of his important work, the fact that he joined the Jesuits was held secret. Arrested a final time in 1606, Nicholas Owen was tortured and killed.
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Blessed John of Parma lived at a crucial time in the Franciscan Order and the Church. Saint Francis’ followers were in need of reorganization and the Church was in schism. Blessed John helped with both issues.
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Well aware of a person’s need to be in right relationship with God and others, Saint Salvator of Horta encouraged people seeking healing to go to confession and to receive Holy Communion. Good advice for all.
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We know very little about Saint Joseph, except that he was the husband of Mary and foster-father of Jesus. Scripture calls him a just man and points out a few incidences in which he showed virtuous behavior. After he and Mary found Jesus in the Temple, Saint Joseph is not mentioned again.
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Life in the fourth century was anything but dull, as the life of Saint Cyril of Jerusalem proves. The Church was facing a major crisis and Cyril was one of the men who worked through the controversies. Thanks to courageous men like him, we share the faith today.
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We probably know more legends about Saint Patrick than facts. But from the amount of work he did, and by the after-effects of that work, we can understand what type of man he was.
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Together Saint Clement Mary Hofbauer and his fellow Redemptorist Thaddeus, preached five sermons per day while working in Warsaw, Poland.
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Saint Louise de Marillac had an open heart for the poor. Along with Saint Vincent de Paul, she eventually formed what would become a religious order known as the Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul.
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Saint Maximilian of Tebessa—not to be confused with Saint Maximilian Kolbe who lived centuries later—refused military service and was martyred as a result.
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Blessed Angela Salawa was a maid for many years, eventually becoming a Secular Franciscan who instructed other young domestics in their faith.
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A convert from Calvinism, Saint John Ogilvie joined the Jesuits and was ordained to the priesthood. Doing secret ministry in Scotland, John was arrested and tortured for a number of days before being martyred on March 10, 1615.
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A student of Saint John Bosco, Saint Dominic Savio organized a group of students to minister to boys who needed guidance and help. Due to illness, however, Dominic never fulfilled his dream of becoming a priest.
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Saint Frances of Rome is a good example of what Vatican II hoped for—an active laity who take their baptismal call seriously. Although she lived centuries before the Council, her life shows that the call for an active, dedicated laity has been a part of the Church all along.
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Saint John of God’s life story is proof of the possibility of conversion and change with the grace of our merciful God. The first part of his life was not very praiseworthy, but once he turned to God and asked for mercy, he became the saint that we know.
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The Church faced persecutions early on in its history. Saints Perpetua and Felicity are two well-known names among the martyrs. While we don’t know much about them, we do have Saint Perpetua’s diary that gives a few facts about their last days.
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Saint Mary Ann of Jesus of Paredes was a Secular Franciscan who lived a life of quiet prayer and penance. She established a clinic where she helped to nurse plague patients, but seems to have succumbed to the disease herself.
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Saint John Joseph of the Cross entered the Franciscan community at the age of 16. A humble man, he was asked to serve his community in a number of leadership roles, including provincial minister. Yet he retained his simplicity throughout and retired to the quiet service of confessor.
Read MoreSaint Katharine Drexel founded the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament to minister primarily to Native Americans and African Americans in the United States. She used much of her inherited wealth to support both the sisters and the ministry.
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Saint Agnes of Bohemia never married, but had a number of nobles interested in her as a possible wife. Preferring the religious life, Agnes became one of Saint Clare of Assisi’s Poor Ladies, but not until after she had built a hospital and a friary for the local Franciscan friars.
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Saint David of Wales was by legend the nephew of King Arthur. He was educated under the tutelage of Saint Paulinus, whose sight he allegedly restored.
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Some people would call Blessed Daniel Brottier “lucky.” But in the eyes of faith, God’s providence and desire for Blessed Daniel to do great things in his kingdom is what protected him in some very dangerous situations. Blessed Daniel cooperated with that providence and became an example to all.
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Disappointments, setbacks, loss, and suffering seem to define the life of Saint Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows. But undeterred by whatever happened, Saint Gabriel kept his focus and lived life well─so well that he was an example to both young and old.
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Courage, perseverance, and hope seem to characterize Saint Maria Bertilla Boscardin. In spite of all odds, she kept going and, in the process, helped many people find healing and peace.
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Some holy people have a rather full life spread over a couple of vocations. Blessed Sebastian of Aparicio is such a person having been married twice before becoming a Franciscan.
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Was Blessed Luke Belludi just at the right place at the right time, or was there something more at work in his happening to meet Saint Anthony and become his protégé? We would all agree that this is how the Lord works─through convenient happenstances.
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Every cathedral has a “cathedra,” a bishop’s chair that is used only by the bishop when he presides in the cathedral. It’s a symbol of his authority as chief teacher and liturgist of the diocese. So, today we celebrate the authority of the chief bishop, Saint Peter and his successors, the popes.
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If it hadn’t been for an elder brother taking him under his wing, Saint Peter Damian may have taken a very different path in life. But with his brother’s guidance, he matured into a holy man, monk, and bishop. A man of prayer and devotion, Peter Damian was also a spiritual writer.
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Two young children who died early in life, Jacinta and Francisco Marto, gained the attention of the Church and the world when Mary appeared to them at Fatima. Without being martyred, they became witnesses and messengers of God’s goodness.
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Saint Conrad offers a different slant of holiness. Married, he and his wife opted to live separate lives─she as a Poor Clare and he as a Franciscan hermit. All this after he set a fire which was spread by the wind and destroyed the nearby fields, forests, and town.
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Blessed John of Fiesole, a Dominican Friar, is also known as Fra Angelico. Famous for his devotional artwork John used his talents to praise God through paint. All talents can be used to praise God.
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Rather than just talk about the problems of the day, the Seven Founders of the Servite Order did something about it─they consciously left all and formed a new religious congregation to address the issues. They put their money where their mouths were.
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