St. Pelagia the Penitent was a dancer who converted to Christianity after hearing a bishop preach about a woman who worked to be a beautiful dancer but did not do anything for God. St. Pelagia confessed, was baptized, and moved to Jerusalem to live as a hermit. St. Pelagia is patron saint of actresses.Read More
St. Callistus I lived in the late second century, early third century. Although he was born a slave, he eventually became a free man. Pope Zephyrinus had Callistus lead the Roman public burial grounds, now called the Cemetery of St. Callistus. The saint became an archdeacon and was elected the 16th pope circa 218. He...Read More
St. Teresa of Avila was born to a noble family in March 1515 in Castile, Spain. She read about the lives of the saints as a young girl. When she suffered from a crippling disease as a child, she prayed to St. Joseph and was cured. Although her father did not want her to enter...Read More
St. Hedwig, daughter of the duke of Croatia, was born in Bavaria in 1174. She married Prince Henry I of Silesia and Poland when she was just 12 years old and went on to have seven children. She is the aunt of St. Elizabeth of Hungary. The saint founded hospitals and cared for the sick....Read More
St. John de Brebeuf was born in Normandy, France, in 1593. A Jesuit, he traveled to Canada at age 32 to be a missionary on the frontier. The climate was tough, but he did very well; his endurance led to the nickname “Echon,” meaning load bearer. It was difficult for him to learn the Huron...Read More
St. Bertilla Boscardin was born on Oct. 6, 1888, in Brendola, Italy. After working as a house servant when she was a young girl, she joined the Sisters of St. Dorothy, Daughters of the Sacred Heart in 1904. She began training as a nurse in 1907 and was later assigned to the hospital in Treviso....Read More
St. Wendelin was born in Scotland in 554. Although he was born a prince, he gave up his royal life in order to devote his life to God. The saint traveled to Rome in 574 and had an audience with Pope Benedict I. The pontiff advised Wendelin to follow his wish to live a life...Read More
St. Germanus, a friend of St. Benedict, was the bishop of Capua. As the papal legate to Constantinople, he worked to heal the Acacian schism. However, the schismatics did not treat him well and no progress was made. St. Germanus died circa 545 of natural causes.Read More
St. Martin de Porres was born Dec. 9, 1579, in Lima, Peru. He became a servant in a Dominican priory in Lima when he was just 11. When he served as the almoner (one who distributes alms), he begged from the rich to help the ill and poor in the city. He also cared for...Read More
St. Charles Borromeo was born to a noble family Oct. 2, 1538, in Italy. He joined the religious life Oct. 13, 1547. He became a civil and canon lawyer when he was 21 years old. At age 22, he was made a cardinal in 1560. He served the church in a number of ways, including...Read More
St. Domninus (a doctor) was martyred along with Philotheus, Sylvanus (a Syrian bishop), and Theotimus. The condemned men were forced to work in mines before they were executed.Read More