Saints Nicholas Tavelić and Companions
We should not forget the example of these four glorious Franciscan martyrs (†14 November 1391), who spent years in the Holy Land to guard the places of the life, death and resurrection of Our Lord. Imitating Saint Francis in his encounter with the Sultan, they announced Jesus Christ to the Muslims.
Saint Agostina Pietrantoni
Saint Agostina Pietrantoni (1864-1894) lived in the years immediately following the Unification of Italy, marked by radical hostility to Catholicism on the part of power. She served God by giving herself to the sick...
Saint Josaphat Kuncewycz
Saint Josaphat Kuncewycz (1580-1623) had such a love for the Church and her unity that he asked God for the grace of martyrdom. He wished to offer himself as a sacrifice to reconcile all the schismatic churches into the one fold.
Saint Martin of Tours
Many people know the episode of the cloak, but few are aware of the extraordinary mark left by St Martin of Tours (316-397) on the history of the Church...
Saint Leo the Great
Aware of the very high responsibility of the Petrine ministry, he was among the greatest pontiffs of all time. St. Leo the Great (c. 390-461) led the Church for over 21 years, protecting her from heresies and forces of disintegration, while in the West the Roman Empire was crumbling.
Dedication of the Lateran Basilica
The Lateran Basilica is the oldest in the West and above all, being the cathedral of Rome, the most important in all Christianity. This is evident from the title with which it is honoured and that sums up the reason for its commemoration today: Omnium Urbis et Orbis Ecclesiarum Mater et Caput, Mother and Head of all the Churches of Rome and the World.
Four Crowned Saints
Mindful of the example of St Peter and the apostles before the synedrium, they knew they had to obey God rather than men, beginning with the exercise of their profession. Thus it was that the stonemasons Simphorianus, Claudius, Nicostratus and Castorius, known as the Four Crowned Saints (†304), suffered martyrdom during Diocletian's persecutions.
Saint Vincenzo Grossi
This priest became a saint by carrying out his ministry in faithfulness to God, whom he served in his daily life. He spent hours in the confessional, educating consciences in the Christian virtues and nourished himself with prayer, penance and contemplation of the Blessed Sacrament.
Saint Leonard of Noblac
Very popular in the Middle Ages and especially in Central Europe, Saint Leonard of Noblac or Noblat († c. 559) was born into a family of noble Franks. He was baptised on Christmas Eve 496 by St Remigius, then Archbishop of Reims, with King Clovis as godfather.
Saint Guido Maria Conforti
Reading about the life of Saint Guido Maria Conforti (1865-1931) makes us long for pastors like him. The founder of the Xaverians never ceased to encourage the evangelisation of non-Christians in the world.
Saint Charles Borromeo
Few people have managed to work tirelessly for the common good and to make an impact on their century and beyond as St. Charles Borromeo (1538-1584). He was rightly called “a second Ambrose” and is considered one of the most shining examples of holiness that animated the Catholic Reformation.
Saint Martin de Porres
There are many supernatural gifts with which God adorned the humble soul of Martin de Porres (1579-1639), a great Peruvian saint who did not have an easy childhood. He was born of a Panamanian servant girl of African origin and a Spanish aristocrat.
