Daily Saints

Saint Veronica Giuliani

Veronica’s desire to be like Christ crucified was answered with the stigmata. Veronica was born in Mercatelli, Italy. It is said that when her mother Benedetta was dying she called her five daughters to her bedside and entrusted each of them to one of the five wounds of Jesus. Veronica was entrusted to the wound below Christ’s heart.
At the age of 17, Veronica joined the Poor Clares directed by the Capuchins. When she was 37, Veronica received the stigmata. Her life was not the same after that.
Church authorities in Rome wanted to test Veronica’s authenticity and so conducted an investigation. Though she protested against it, at the age of 56 she was elected abbess, an office she held for 11 years until her death. Veronica was very devoted to the Eucharist and to the Sacred Heart. She offered her sufferings for the missions, died in 1727, and was canonized in 1839.

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Saint Augustine Zhao and companions

Daily Saints

Christianity arrived in China by way of Syria in the 600s. Depending on China’s relations with the outside world, Christianity over the centuries was free to grow or was forced to operate secretly.

Augustine Zhao Rong was a Chinese soldier who accompanied Bishop John Gabriel Taurin Dufresse of the Paris Foreign Mission Society to his martyrdom in Beijing. Not long after his baptism, Augustine was ordained as a diocesan priest. He was martyred in 1815.

The 120 martyrs in this group died between 1648 and 1930. Eighty-seven of them were born in China, and were children, parents, catechists, or laborers, ranging in age from nine years to 72. This group includes four Chinese diocesan priests. The 33 foreign-born martyrs were mostly priests or women religious. These 120 martyrs were canonized together in Rome on October 1, 2000.

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Saint Gregory Grassi and companions

Daily Saints

Gregory Grassi was born in Italy in 1823, ordained in 1856, and sent to China five years later. Gregory was later ordained bishop of North Shanxi. With 14 other European missionaries and 14 Chinese religious, he was martyred during the short but bloody Boxer Uprising of 1900. Twenty-six of these martyrs were arrested on the orders of Yu Hsien, the governor of Shanxi province. All these martyrs were beatified in 1946, and were among the 120 martyrs canonized in 2000.

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Blessed Emmanuel Ruiz and Companions

Daily Saints

Not much is known of the early life of Emmanuel Ruiz, but details of his heroic death in defense of the faith have come down to us. Born of humble parents in Santander, Spain, he became a Franciscan priest and served as a missionary in Damascus. This was at a time when anti-Christian riots shook Syria and thousands lost their lives in just a short time.
Among these were Emmanuel, superior of the Franciscan convent, seven other friars, and three laymen. When a menacing crowd came looking for the men, they refused to renounce their faith and become Muslims. The men were subjected to horrible tortures before their martyrdom.
Emmanuel, his brother Franciscans and the three Maronite laymen were beatified by Pope Pius XI in 1926.

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Saint Maria Goretti

Daily Saints

She was the daughter of a poor Italian tenant farmer, had no chance to go to school, never learned to read or write. When she was only eleven years old, Maria suffered a brutal assault. After she refused the advances of an older farmhand named Alessandro Serenelli, he stabbed her multiple times. She was taken to the hospital, but her wounds were too severe, ultimately taking her life. In the last hours of her life, Maria forgave her attacker, expressing her wish that he would repent and turn to Christ. Devotion to the young martyr grew, miracles were worked, and in less than half a century she was canonized. At her beatification in 1947, her 82-year-old mother, two sisters, and her brother appeared with Pope Pius XII on the balcony of St. Peter’s. Three years later, at Maria’s canonization, a 66-year-old Alessandro Serenelli, who became a lay brother of the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin, knelt among the quarter-million people.

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Saint Anthony Zaccaria

Daily Saints

During the same time when Martin Luther was attacking abuses in the Church, a reformation within the Church was already being attempted. Among the early movers of the Counter-Reformation was Anthony Zaccaria. His mother became a widow at 18, and devoted herself to the spiritual education of her son. He received a medical doctorate at 22, and while working among the poor of his native Cremona in Italy, was attracted to the religious apostolate. Greatly inspired by Saint Paul—his congregation is named the Barnabites, after the companion of that saint—Anthony preached with great vigor in church and street, conducted popular missions, and was not ashamed of doing public penance. While on a mission of peace, Anthony became seriously ill and was brought home for a visit to his mother. He died at Cremona at the age of 36.

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Saint Elizabeth

Daily Saints

Elizabeth was a Spanish princess who was given in marriage to King Dennis of Portugal at the age of twelve. She was very beautiful and very lovable. She was also very devout, and went to mass every day. Elizabeth was a holy wife, but although her husband was found of her at first, he soon began to cause her great suffering. St. Elizabeth lived for eleven more years after the death of her husband, doing even greater charity and penance. she was a wonderful model of kindness towards poor and successful peacemaker between members of her own family and between nations.

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Saint Thomas

Daily Saints

Poor Thomas, little is known about him, yet he made one remark and has been branded as the “Doubting Thomas” ever since. But if he doubted, he also believed. He made what is certainly the most explicit statement of faith in the New Testament: ” My Lord and My God!’ and, in so expressing his faith, gave Christians a prayer that will be said till the end of time. To this day, Saint Thomas is venerated as the Apostle f India. In fact, in the Western coast of India, there holds that he built seven churches, was martyred during prayer by a spearing on the “Big Hill” near Madras, and was buried in Mylapore, on the east coast of India. Ultimately, St. Thomas’ remains were transported to Ortona, Italy, Where they reside today.

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Saint Oliver Plunkett

Daily Saints

Born in Country Meath in 1629, Oliver studied for the priesthood in Rome and was ordained there in 1654. After some years of teaching and service to the poor of Rome he was appointed Archbishop of Armagh in Ireland.

Archbishop Plunkett was arrested and imprisoned in Dublin Castle in 1679, but his trial was moved to London. After deliberating for 15 minutes, a jury found him guilty of fomenting revolt. He was hanged, drawn, and quartered in July 1681.

Pope Paul VI canonized Oliver Plunkett in 1975.

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Saint Junipero Serra

Daily Saints

Born on Spain Island of Malloroca, Serra entered the Franciscan Order taking the name of Saint Francis, childlike companions as Brother Juniper. Until he was 35, he spent most of his time in the classroom first as a student of theology and then as a professor. He also became famous for his preaching. Suddenly he gave it all up and followed the yearning that had begun years before when he heard about the missionary work of Saint solano in South America. Junipero’s desire was to convert native peoples in the New World. Shortly, he won their love, as witnessed especially by their grief at his death in 1988. Pope Francis canonized him in Washington D.C., on September 23,2015.

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Saint Veronica Giuliani

Saint Augustine Zhao and companions

Saint Gregory Grassi and companions

Blessed Emmanuel Ruiz and Companions

Saint Maria Goretti

Saint Anthony Zaccaria

Saint Elizabeth

Saint Thomas

Saint Oliver Plunkett

Saint Junipero Serra

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