St. Anselm of Canterbury was born to a noble family in Piedmont, Italy, in 1033. He became a Benedictine monk in Normandy, France. He was a counselor to Pope Gregory VII, Pope Urban II and William the Conqueror. St. Anselm fought against the English king’s encroachment on the independence of the church. He died in...Read More

St. Galdinus, a Milanese noble, was born in Milan, Italy, in 1100. He supported the Roman pope during the schism in 1159. He left Milan in 1161 when the city was besieged in support of the anti-pope, and yet St. Galdinus was still elected bishop of the city. He later became a cardinal, an archbishop...Read More

Ss. Basilissa and Anastasia were disciples of Ss. Peter and Paul. Noble Roman women, Ss. Basilissa and Anastasia found and buried the remains of Ss. Peter and Paul. For that deed, Emperor Nero had the women arrested and beheaded. They died around the year 68.Read More

Ss. Tiburtius, Valerian and Maximus lived in the second or third century. They are included in the Acts of St. Cecilia, and their tombs were popular during the Middle Ages. St. Tiburtius was the brother St. Cecilia, who is patron saint of musicians, and St. Valerian was St. Cecilia’s husband. The two men were arrested...Read More

St. Julius I, the son of a Roman named Rusticus, became the 35th pope in the year 337. He built a number of churches in Rome. He supported St. Athanasius, bishop of Alexandria, when the Arians tried to keep him out of Alexandria. St. Julius I confirmed the right of bishops to appeal to the...Read More

St. Stanislaus was born to noble parents in 1079 in Poland. After the death of his parents, he gave his inheritance to the poor. He became a priest and then vicar-general of the Krakow cathedral. He then became bishop of Krakow in 1072 and preached against sinful living. St. Stanislaus was murdered by King Boleslaus...Read More

St. Julia Billiart was born in 1751 in France. From a very young age, she loved religious studies. She dedicated her time to teaching the poor. When she was 22, someone shot at her father while she was sitting next to him. As a result of the shock, she was partially paralyzed. After having a...Read More

St. Sixtus I was pope for 10 years during the persecutions under a Roman emperor. St. Sixtus I was concerned with the liturgy, and he instituted elements which are still in use today. One element attributed to St. Sixtus I is how the priest sings the Sanctus with the people. St. Sixtus I died around...Read More