Lives Of The Saints

Pope St. Gregory VII (+1085) St. Gregory is one of the greatest of Catholic popes. His story reads as an exciting adventure for young boys; yet even the most stoic adult can not remained unmoved by his saintly witness. We most definitely need his spirit and intercession in these troubled times. Let us pray to him today as we consider great events of his life. THE REFORMING MONK FROM CLUNY Hildebrand of Sovana was born in Tuscany, educated in Rome, and then went to France to join the famous monastery at Cluny. In the century prior to his birth, Cluny had [...]

St. Julia of Carthage was crucified because she would not deny her Lord! St. Julia was born into the nobility of Carthage (North Africa) around the time of St. Augustine. It was a turbulent time in history, especially since the Roman Empire was crumbling. Genseric was the great King of the Vandals. He ruled them for fifty years (428-477) and established the Vandal Kingdom as a great Mediterranean power which wreaked great havoc upon the Western Roman Empire. Immigrating from southern Spain (Andalucia), Genseric led his 80,00 Vandals across the Strait of Gibraltar and swiftly conquered North Africa. He defeated the [...]

ST. BERNARDINE OF SIENA, OFM St. Bernardine (1380-1444) is considered the foremost Italian missionary of the fifteenth century, the greatest preacher of his day, the Apostle of the Holy Name of JESUS, and the restorer of the Order of Friars Minor. He remains one of the most popular of all Italian saints. A PROPHETIC VOCATION In 1405, while preaching in the Piedmont region of Italy (north), our patron saint, St. Vincent Ferrer once suddenly interrupted his sermon to declare that there was among his hearers a young Franciscan who would be one day a greater preacher than himself, and would be [...]

St. Paschal Baylon (1540-1592 AD) St. Paschal was a Spanish Franciscan friar and shepherd. He is best known for his devotion to the Blessed Sacrament and the holy Mother of God. THE YOUNG SHEPHERD St. Paschal was born in the small town of Torre Hermosa in Aragon (Spain). His parents were humble workers of great piety and devotion. From his earliest youth, St. Paschal showed sings of future holiness. Once when he was still a toddler, his mother lost him. She frantically searched for him, only to find him in the town church. He had crawled there all the way from [...]

St. Boniface OF Tarsus (+307) St. Boniface was a third century Roman. He experienced a great conversion and was martyred for the faith in Tarsus, the birthplace of St. Paul. THE NOBLE LADY, AGALE There lived in Rome a lady named Agale: young, beautiful and well born. She was so wealthy and found of being the center of attention that three times she funded great public shows and entertainments for the whole city. Among her many servants, one in particular, called Boniface, caught her eye. Boniface became Agale's chief steward and consort. Although he was man prone to many vices, including [...]

THE APPARITION OF ST. MICHAEL THE ARCHANGEL In the year 404 Anno Domini, a wealthy man had a large herd of cattle grazing on Monte Gargano in Italy, not far from the once famous city of Siponto. One day a steer went astray from the herd and did not return with the rest of the cattle at the usual time. The owner and his hired men went in search of the steer, and finally found him on the summit of the mountain, lying at the entrance of a cave. The animal refused to leave the spot. At length the owner, exasperated [...]

POPE ST. PIUS V Pope St. Pius V (1506-1572) only ruled the Church for six years (1566-1572), but is nonetheless one of the greatest of all pontiffs. EARLY LIFE Michael Ghisleri was born in 1504 at the small Italian town of Bosco. His family was of Bolognese nobility yet modest means. He studied grammar under the Dominicans and by his fifteenth year had donned their habit. One of the principles he always lived by was that apathy in the spiritual life always gave ground to the enemy, yet fervor and zeal is able to overcome all obstacles in the pursuit of [...]

ST. ATHANASIUS THE GREAT OF ALEXANDRIA St. Athanasius (293-373) was the greatest patriarch of Alexandria. He is the first Church Doctor and is known as the Champion of Orthodoxy, the Sword of Nicea and True Defender of the Faith. Excluding the Apostolic Age, we Catholics today probably owe more to him than anyone else for the fact that we have the true Catholic Faith. He stood alone in the Truth Faith when nearly all the other bishops of the world fell into heresy. Rightly did St. Jerome write that it was "Athanasius Contra Mundum (Against the World)". St. Athanasius did much [...]

ST. PETER OF VERONA, OP St. Peter Martyr (1205-1252) was a famous preacher of the Dominican order, opposing heretics from childhood. He never committed a mortal sin. He wished to die for this faith and God fulfilled that prayer. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND St. Peter was born in 1205 AD to parents who had fallen into the heresy of the Cathari. These heretics held errors very similar to those of the Albigensiens (conquered by St. Dominic) and the Manicheans (bested by St. Augustine). Their principal error was a dualism which meant they held that there were two great competing supernatural beings that rivaled [...]

ST. LOUIS DE MONTFORT St. Louis Marie Grignon, (1673-1716), born at Montfort in France, was sent as missionary to his own country by Pope Clement XI. He labored successfully in the conversion of his fellow countrymen from Jansenism and preached the devotions of the Way of the Cross and the Rosary. He founded an institute of Sisters and a congregation of Missionaries called the Society of Mary. He is also most certainly numbered among the saints most devoted to the Blessed Virgin Mary. EARLY LIFE St. Louis was born in the village of Montfort in Brittany (northwestern France) on Jan 31, [...]