St. Margaret of Scotland was born in Hungary circa 1045.The granddaughter of an English king, Margaret, along with her family, was exiled during an invasion of England. Her family ended up in Scotland when their ship crashed there. Scotland’s King Malcolm III helped the family. Margaret married the Scottish king in 1070 and had eight...Read More

St. Rose Philippine Duchesne was born Aug. 29, 1769, in Grenoble, France. As young as age 8, she knew she wanted to evangelize in America because she’d heard a Jesuit discuss his missionary work there. In 1788, she joined the Visitation nuns in Grenoble without her family’s knowledge. Her convent was closed in 1792 during...Read More

Today is the feast of the presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which honors her presentation in the temple when she was just a child. The feast began circa the seventh century; however, it was brought to the Western church in the 14th century. Pope Pius V eliminated the feast, but Pope Sixtus V brought...Read More

St. Clement I, who was born in Rome, became the fourth pope circa 88. He wrote “Epistle to the Corinthians,” and his name is in the canon of the Mass. He worked with St. Paul the Apostle, according to St. Jerome and Origen. The pope was martyred under Trajan’s persecutions in 101. St. Clement I...Read More

St. Eligius, a metalworker born in France circa 590, was the “master of mint” under King Clotaire II. As Eligius became famous for his work, he also became rich. He generously helped the poor, and he built churches and a monastery. Eligius was ordained a priest circa 640 and later became a bishop. He converted...Read More

St. Francis Xavier was born in Spanish Navarre in 1506. St. Ignatius of Loyola convinced his friend Francis Xavier to help spread the Gospel. Francis was one of the founding Jesuits and the first Jesuit missionary. Also a priest, he preached, helped the sick and taught the catechism to children in Goa. He served as...Read More

St. Sabbas was born in Cappadocia in 439. An anchorite as of age 30, he renounced the world in order to devote his life to prayer and work. He wove baskets, which he took to a monastery led by St. Euthymius to trade for food and materials to make more baskets. When St. Euthymius died,...Read More

St. Nicholas was a priest, abbot and bishop of Myra (located in present-day Turkey) who was very generous to those who were in need. He also protected the innocent. He is known by many as Santa Claus. There are many stories about St. Nicholas. Once he heard of a poor man who was going to...Read More