Daily Saints

Lawrence was born on July 22, 1559, and died 60 years later on his birthday in 1619. His parents William and Elizabeth Russo gave him the name of Julius Caesar, Caesare in Italian. After the early death of his parents, he was educated by his uncle at the College of St. Mark in Venice. Lawrence’s …

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According to tradition, Saint Peter sent Apollinaris to Ravenna, Italy, as its first bishop. His preaching of the Good News was so successful that the pagans there beat him and drove him from the city. He returned, however, and was exiled a second time. After preaching in the area surrounding Ravenna, he entered the city …

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These sister-martyrs were two Christian women from Seville in Spain who maintained themselves by selling earthenware or clay pots. Not to concur in idolatrous superstitions, they refused to sell vessels for the use of heathen ceremonies and when the worshipers broke up their stock-in-trade, Justa and Rufina retorted by overthrowing the image of a false …

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Born to the Italian nobility. He studied theology at the Benedictine Monastery of Saint Perpetuus at Asti, Italy, and at Bologna, Italy. He was ordained in 1079, and assigned to a parish at Siena, Italy. Noted for defending orthodox Church wisdom, for his knowledge of Scripture, and for his teachings on the Blessed Sacrament. He …

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St. Alexius was the only son of a wealthy senator of Rome, Euphemian, and his wife, Aglaë. He was born and educated in that capitol in the fifth century. From the charitable example of his parents he developed a compassionate attitude at an early age. And joining a church dedicated to the Mother of God …

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The Order of Carmelites takes its name from Mount Carmel, which was the first place dedicated to the Blessed Virgin and where a chapel was erected in her honor before her Assumption into Heaven. July 16 is also the feast of the “Scapular of Mount Carmel”. On that day in 1251, pious tradition says, the …

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St. Bonaventure, born as John, known as “the seraphic doctor,” was born at Bagnoregio, in the Lazio region of central Italy, in 1221. He received the name of Bonaventure in consequence of an exclamation of St. Francis of Assisi, when, in response to the pleading of the child’s mother, the Francis prayed for John’s recovery …

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St. Kateri Tekakwitha is the first Native American to be recognized as a saint by the Catholic Church. She was born in 1656, in the Mohawk village of Ossernenon. Her dedication to virginity was instinctive: Kateri did not know about religious life for women until she visited Montreal. She humbly accepted an “ordinary” life. She …

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As German king and Holy Roman Emperor, Henry was a practical man of affairs. He was energetic in consolidating his rule. He crushed rebellions and feuds. On all sides he had to deal with drawn-out disputes so as to protect his frontiers. This involved him in a number of battles, especially in the south in …

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These two friars were martyred in England in the 16th and 17th centuries for refusing to deny their faith. On one hand, John Jones was Welsh. He was ordained a diocesan priest and was twice imprisoned for administering the sacraments before leaving England in 1590. He joined the Franciscans at the age of 60. He …

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