Saint Richard of Chichester
Generous with the poor and aware of the immense value of the Mass, the Englishman Saint Richard of Chichester (1197-1253) defended the Church from the king's interference and promoted a robust reform of the clergy in his diocese.
Saint Francis of Paola
The life of the Calabrian mystic and founder of the Order of Minims, called “the other Francis” for his charity, was marked by the gift of faith from his conception. His parents named him Francis in honour of St. Francis of Assisi, whom they invoked to receive the grace of having a child, who finally came to them after about 15 years of marriage.
Saint Hugh of Grenoble
The name of Saint Hugh of Grenoble (1053-1132) is linked to the Carthusian Order, whose foundation he facilitated, and to the Gregorian Reform, which he wholeheartedly supported.
Saint Benjamin
The saint celebrated today bears the name of the youngest of Jacob's sons. Saint Benjamin, deacon and martyr, lived between the fourth and fifth centuries AD. His martyrdom took place during the persecutions in Persia.
Saint Leonard Murialdo
“Do not make religion either solely supernatural or solely human, but supernatural and human. To virtue add goodness, kindness, the spirit of friendship, spontaneity, confidence, cheerfulness ...”. These words of Saint Leonard Murialdo (26 October 1828 - 30 March 1900) describe the whole life of this great priest from Turin, a life of trusting abandonment to Providence and tireless charity towards orphans, young people and labourers.
Saint Mark of Arethusa
This saint was bishop of Arethusa, today's Ar Rastan, in Syria. He exercised his episcopal ministry in the fieriest phase of the Arian controversy and for some time was suspected of holding ambiguous positions, perhaps due to his weakness of character.
Saint Stephen Harding
A painting that synthesises how the Cistercian Order was born depicts Saint Stephen Harding (c. 1060-1134) in the company of Saint Robert of Molesme and Saint Alberic of Citeaux, with the Madonna and Child in the centre.
Saint Rupert of Salzburg
Patron and initiator of the renaissance of Salzburg, founder of churches and monasteries, Saint Rupert (c. 660-718) carried out an important part of his apostolate in the lands inhabited by the ancestors of Austrians and Bavarians.
Saint Ludger
Saint Ludger (c. 742-809) was still a child when, in 753, he encountered the great evangelizer of Germany, St. Boniface, who was martyred on 5 June of the following year in Dokkum, Friesland, together with 52 companions.
Annunciation of the Lord
“Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.” The Archangel Gabriel's greeting to Mary uniquely sums up the mystery of the Annunciation, the central event in human history that reveals all of God's love for His creature, called to cooperate in His plan of salvation.
Saint Catherine of Sweden
Fourth of the eight children of Saint Bridget, the great Swedish mystic and co-patroness of Europe, Saint Catherine of Sweden (c. 1331-1381) shared the same attraction to the Christian virtues that inspired the whole of her mother’s life and, like her, she received heavenly revelations.
Saint Turibius of Mogrovejo
Twenty-five years of episcopal ministry in the New World, and thousands of kilometres travelled almost always on foot to proclaim Christ to the indigenous people of Peru (and beyond), where the fruits of his boundless charity are still reaped. Saint Turibius of Mogrovejo (1538-1606) was born into a noble family in Mayorga, in northern Spain.
