Saint Polycarp
He had the grace of being a direct witness of the charisms of the apostles; he was a disciple of Saint John the Evangelist, who consecrated him Bishop of Smyrna
Ash Wednesday
Ash Wednesday marks, in the Roman rite, the beginning of Lent, that is, of the "intense" liturgical period and of a special call to penance ending before the Holy Thursday Mass in Coena Domini.
Saint Peter Damian
He drafted a Rule stressing the importance of the "rigour of the hermitage" and defining the monastic cell as the "parlour where God converses with men"
Saints Jacinta and Francisco Marto
The Church celebrates the memorial of the two little shepherds on February 20th: these are the first non-martyred children to be proclaimed saints
Saint Lucy Yi Zhenmei
This exemplary Chinese catechist, who suffered martyrdom at the age of 47, had demonstrated virtuousness from childhood
Saint Geltrude Comensoli
The Eucharist was "Heaven on earth" to Saint Geltrude Comensoli (1847-1903), founder of the Institute of the Sacramentine Sisters which was consecrated to the perpetual adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and born from her love for Christ.
Saint Juliana
She came from Nicomedia, the capital of the Eastern Roman empire under Diocletian
Saint Claude de la Colombière
He became the confessor of the nearby Visitation monastery, where Margaret Mary Alacoque was living. Then, he worked tirelessly, both writing and preaching to spread the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus
Saints Cyril and Methodius
They were proclaimed patrons of Europe by John Paul II with the apostolic letter Egregiae Virtutis
Saints Fusca and Maura
According to the most renowned Passio, Fusca was born into a pagan family of Ravenna. She confided her desire to learn more about Christianity to Maura, her affectionate nurse, who encouraged her...
Saint Benedict of Aniane
He was among the protagonists of the Carolingian Renaissance, defended orthodoxy and contributed to spreading the Rule of Saint Benedict of Nursia throughout the Holy Roman Empire.
