St. Matthias the Apostle replaced Judas Iscariot. For more than three decades, he preached the Gospel in Egypt, Judea and Ethiopia. St. Matthias preached about the necessity of mortification of the flesh regarding its desires. Around the year 80, he was stoned to death for his faith. St. Matthias is patron saint of reformed alcoholics.Read More

St. Torquatus lived in the first century. Along with Ss. Ctesiphon, Caccilius, Secundus, Euphrasius, Indaletius and Hesychius, St. Torquatus was a Christian missionary in Spain and a disciple of Ss. Peter and Paul. St. Torquatus concentrated his missionary work in the Granada area. Most of these saints were martyred and share a feast day.Read More

St. John I was born in Italy and became the 53rd pope in 523. He was the first pope to go to Constantinople when he traveled there to speak to and crown Emperor Justin I. When St. John returned to home, the Italy’s ruler, Theodoric, thought the pope had plotted against him with the emperor....Read More

St. Eugene de Mazenod was born in Aix-en-Provence in France on Aug. 1, 1782. There was constant fighting in his family and interference from relatives when St. Eugene was a child. His parents eventually divorced. In 1790, St. Eugene had to flee with his family to escape the French Revolution. He spent the next 11...Read More

St. Simeon Stylites the Younger was born in Antioch around in 521. When St. Simeon was 5 years old his father died, and a monk nearby undertook his care. At age 7, St. Simeon and the monk began to live solitary lives on top of platforms. The saint attracted a number of followers and eventually...Read More

St. Philip Neri was born in Florence, Italy, on July 22, 1515. He studied under the Dominicans until he had a vision, one of many he would receive, which told him he needed to go to Rome. St. Philip Neri took care of the sick and the poor in Rome. He became a priest in...Read More

Today is the feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This is the day that Mary visited her cousin Elizabeth who was with child, despite being advanced in years, as the angel had told her. Upon hearing Mary’s greeting, Elizabeth knew that Mary was the mother of the Lord; the Gospel says that...Read More

St. Justin the Philosopher was born around 100 in Palestine. He was a non-believer and philosopher who converted to Christianity when he was 30 years old after reading Scripture and seeing the great faith of the martyrs. He disputed non-believers and became a Christian apologist. St. Justin was beheaded for his faith in Rome around...Read More