Saint Zechariah
He should not be confused with the homonymous father of John the Baptist. Saint Zechariah is the penultimate of the Old Testament prophets and, after Isaiah, the most quoted in the New Testament.
Saint Teresa of Calcutta
“By blood, I am Albanian. By citizenship, an Indian. By faith, I am a Catholic nun. As to my calling, I belong to the world. As to my heart, I belong entirely to the Heart of Jesus.” The best presentation of St Teresa of Calcutta (1910-1997), known by all as Mother Teresa, could only be given by herself, the little nun who expanded her heart to embrace every man as her neighbour
Saint Rosalia
Rosalia was born into a family of the high nobility, namely Count Sinibaldo de' Sinibaldi and Maria Guiscardi, who had close ties of kinship with the Norman Hauteville dynasty. The day before her wedding, while she was looking in the mirror, she saw reflected the image of Jesus suffering. Later, she lived in caves dedicating herself to penance and contemplation of God
Saint Gregory the Great
While Italy was going through one of the darkest periods of its history, beset by famine and substantial anarchy, the figure of Saint Gregory I (540-604), known as ‘the Great’, was a beacon of light. In the 14 years of his pontificate he carried out a profound moral reform of the Church and played a decisive role as peacemaker in the most dramatic phase of the Lombard invasion.
Saint Elpidius (abbot)
We do not know much about the life of Saint Elpidius (4th century). A disciple of St John Chrysostom speaks of him. Elpidius was originally from Cappadocia and had lived for 25 years as an anchorite in the caves near Jericho, natural shelters for various other men eager to dedicate themselves to the contemplation of God
Saint Giles (abbot)
Saint Giles (Aegidius) (c. 640 - c. 720) was a hermit and abbot. According to the Vita sancti Aegidii (dating back to the 10th century) he was born in Athens and moved to France, where he is mainly referred to as Saint Gilles. He settled in the southern part of France, spending his days in prayer and contemplation
Saint Raymond Nonnatus
Saint Raymond Nonnatus (c. 1200-1240) lived during the Reconquista of Spain. He wore the habit of the Mercedarians, that is, of those religious who professed a fourth vow - called “of redemption” - and undertook to free the Christians enslaved by the Muslims. To this end they offered their goods in exchange or even took the place of prisoners at risk of renouncing the faith.
Saint Margaret Ward
Saint Margaret Ward (c. 1550 - 1588), called “the pearl of Tyburn”, held the Catholic faith as her most precious treasure. She suffered martyrdom during the persecutions of Elizabeth I Tudor, daughter of the schismatic Henry VIII
Martyrdom of Saint John the Baptist
The last and greatest of the prophets was beheaded by a guard of Herod. As soon as they heard the news, John's disciples “came, and took up the body and buried it, and went and told Jesus”
Saint Augustine
One of the greatest geniuses in the history of thought, the ecclesiastical writer most quoted in the Catechism, the man of faith capable of attracting an innumerable number of people to Christ, one of the first four Doctors of the Church, would have been like a pile of talents thrown to the wind had he not agreed to accept the Grace of God.
Saint Monica
Saint Monica (331-387), that exemplary model of bride and mother, powerfully reminds us of the meaning of our life down here: the conquest of eternal salvation, towards which she guided her loved ones with immeasurable love. She was in fact instrumental in the conversion of both her husband and her most famous son, St Augustine.
Saint Alexander
The patron saint of Bergamo, Saint Alexander († c. 303), is traditionally considered the standard bearer of the Theban Legion and one of several Christian soldiers who suffered martyrdom during the persecutions of Diocletian and Maximian.
