St. Paulinus of York was born circa 584 in Rome. He was a monk in Rome, and Pope Gregory the Great, a saint, sent him to be a missionary among the Anglo-Saxons in 601. He converted people in Kent for more than two decades before becoming bishop of York in 625. He converted many, including...Read More

St. Denis served as a missionary in Paris, and he later became the first bishop of Paris. The non-Christians were angry over the saint’s success in converting people, so the Roman governor imprisoned him. Along with Ss. Rusticus and Eleutherius, he was martyred during Valerius’ persecutions. The saint died when he was beheaded circa 258...Read More

St. Placid lived in the sixth century. It is said that he was placed into the care of St. Benedict after the saint saved him from drowning. St. Placid accompanied St. Benedict at Monte Cassino and Subiaco. One legend credits St. Placid with founding St. John the Baptist Monastery in Messina, Sicily. St. Placid’s disciples...Read More

St. Francis of Assisi was born in Italy circa 1181. During a serious illness, he converted to Christianity after a vision of Jesus. He literally followed the example of Jesus. He begged for sustenance and preached about peace and purity. He helped the sick, visited hospitals and treated all people as his siblings. After beginning...Read More

St. Therese of Lisieux was born Jan. 2, 1873, in France. At the age of 8, she was cured from an illness after a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary smiled at her. When she was 15, she became a Carmelite nun. St. Therese named her path to God as “the little way.” This “little...Read More

St. Jerome was born in 347 to a rich, non-Christian family. He studied in Rome to become a lawyer. He was baptized in 365, and began to study theology after he truly converted. Becoming a monk, he lived as a hermit in the desert. He became a priest and then secretary to Pope Damasus I,...Read More

St. Firminus of Amiens was born circa 272 in Pamplona, Spain. This son of a Roman senator was converted to Christianity by St. Saturninus. He was then ordained in Toulouse, France, by St. Honestus. He became a missionary in France and first bishop of Amiens when he was just 24 years old. The martyr was...Read More

Today is the feast of Our Lady of Mercy, which commemorates her apparition. She also is known as Our Lady of Ransom. When she appeared, she carried two bags of coins, which she used to ransom Christians whom the Moors had imprisoned. The Mercedarian Order was founded in Barcelona, Spain, on Aug. 10, 1218, after...Read More