Saints Simon and Jude
The Church commemorates the holy apostles Jude Thaddeus and Simon the Zealot, also known as the Canaanite, on the same day. According to various ancient sources they suffered martyrdom together in Persia, where they met after evangelising other regions.
Saint Evaristus
Little information has reached us on St Evaristus (†108), the fourth successor of St Peter. What is known is contained mainly in the writings of St Irenaeus of Lyons (c. 130-202), in the Ecclesiastical History of Eusebius of Caesarea (c. 265-340), and in the Liber Pontificalis, a collection of short biographies of pontiffs, which was probably originally written before the siege of Rome in 546.
Saint Cedda
Founder of churches and monasteries, St Cedda (†664) carried out fundamental work in the complex historical and religious framework of 7th century Britain. At the time, the revival of paganism - following the Anglo-Saxon invasion that had begun two centuries earlier - made a new evangelisation necessary.
Saint Gaudentius of Brescia
Similarly to what had already happened in Milan to his contemporary and admirer Saint Ambrose, Saint Gaudentius of Brescia (†410) also accepted the office of bishop, overcoming his great initial reluctance.
Saint Anthony Mary Claret
The founder of the Missionary Sons of the Immaculate Heart of Mary and the Religious of Mary Immaculate, St. Anthony Mary Claret (1807-1870), was the fifth of 11 children. He was born to profoundly Christian parents who baptized him on December 25th (two days after his birth), with the name of Anthony Adjutor John.
Saint John of Capistrano
Saint John of Capistrano (1386-1456) was a great protagonist of his time. He is known, among other things, for his role in the siege of Belgrade, in defence of Christianity already shaken by the Muslim capture of Constantinople.
Saint John Paul II
“The greatest gift that my Immaculate Heart has obtained from the Heart of Jesus”, Our Lady said about St John Paul II during one of her apparitions in Civitavecchia. That message is an admirable synthesis of the life of Karol Wojtyla (1920-2005) and his 26 ½ years of pontificate, marked by a deep bond with the heavenly Mother.
Saint Laura Montoya
She was the first Colombian to be canonised. And one could say that St Laura Montoya or Laura of Saint Catherine of Siena (1874-1949), the latter her religious name, had a particular call to holiness from the start.
Saint Maria Bertilla Boscardin
Her unparalleled love for the Catechism, her sacrifices for the sick, her suffering offered with joy to God for His saving plan: the splendour of Saint Maria Bertilla Boscardin (1888-1922) is equal to the humility with which she lived every day on earth.
Saint Paul of the Cross
“It is an excellent and most holy thing to think about the Passion of the Saviour and meditate on it. This is the means to arrive at union with God”, taught St Paul of the Cross (1694-1775), who one day found himself mystically dressed in a black habit with a white cross on his chest and the name of Jesus in white letters.
Saint Luke the Evangelist
A learned Syrian doctor from Antioch, he was a disciple and collaborator of Paul, who mentions him in three of his letters. To Saint Luke (c. 9-93) we owe the third Gospel and the Acts of the Apostles, whose place is not random in the design of Divine Providence.
Saint Ignatius of Antioch
“The Christian is not the result of persuasion, but of power. When he is hated by the world, he is beloved of God”, wrote St Ignatius of Antioch (c. 35-107), converted by St John the Evangelist and second successor of St Peter at the head of the Antiochian Church.
