Holy men and women who show us the way to holiness
Mother of God and Queen of Saints
Mary was a young Jewish girl from Nazareth when the angel Gabriel appeared to her and announced that she would conceive ...
Guardian of the Holy Family
A carpenter from Nazareth engaged to Mary when she was found with child. Being a righteous man, he planned to divorce he...
First Pope and Prince of Apostles
Simon Peter was a fisherman from Galilee when Jesus called him to be "a fisher of men." impulsive and bold, Peter was of...
Apostle to the Gentiles
Saul of Tarsus was a zealous Pharisee who persecuted Christians. While traveling to Damascus to arrest believers, he was...
Founder of Franciscans, patron of animals
Born into wealth, Francis lived a wild youth until he heard God call him to "rebuild my Church." He renounced his inheri...
Doctor of the Church, Little Way
Marie Françoise Thérèse Martin was born in France in 1873, the youngest of nine children. Her mother died when she was f...
Angelic Doctor, theologian
Thomas was born in Italy in 1225 to a noble family. Against his family's wishes, he joined the Dominican order. His brot...
Doctor of Grace, bishop of Hippo
Augustine was born in North Africa in 354 AD. His mother Monica prayed constantly for his conversion, but he pursued a l...
Patron of lost things
Fernando Martins de Bulhões was born in Portugal in 1195. He joined the Augustinians but was inspired by the first Franc...
Patron of hopeless causes
Jude was one of the Twelve Apostles, also called Thaddaeus. He is traditionally believed to have traveled as a missionar...
Patroness of impossible causes
Rita was born in Italy in 1381. Despite wanting to be a nun, her parents arranged her marriage to a violent man. Through...
Mother of St. Augustine
Monica was born in North Africa in 331 AD and married a pagan official named Patricius, who had a violent temper. Throug...
Apostle of Ireland
Patrick was born in Britain around 385 AD. At age 16, he was captured by Irish pirates and sold into slavery, working as...
Doctor of the Church, mystic
Catherine Benincasa was born in Siena in 1347, the 24th of 25 children. From childhood she had mystical experiences and ...
Father of Western monasticism
Benedict was born in Italy around 480 AD. Sent to study in Rome, he was disgusted by the immorality he saw and fled to t...
Founder of Jesuits, Spiritual Exercises
Iñigo López de Loyola was born in Spain in 1491. A soldier and courtier, he was struck by a cannonball in battle. During...
Apostle of the Indies, missionary
Francis Xavier was born in Spain in 1506 and met St. Ignatius of Loyola at the University of Paris. Together they founde...
Little Flower, Doctor of the Church
Same as St. Thérèse of Lisieux above - this is an alternate entry for the same saint....
Founder of Dominicans, preacher
Dominic de Guzmán was born in Spain around 1170. A canon of the cathedral, he accompanied his bishop to southern France ...
Mother of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Anne was the wife of St. Joachim and mother of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Though not mentioned in the Bible, ancient tradi...
Father of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Joachim was the husband of St. Anne and father of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Tradition holds that he was a wealthy and pio...
Cure of Ars, patron of priests
John Marie Vianney was born in France in 1786, the son of a farmer. His studies for the priesthood were interrupted by t...
Pope who promoted frequent Communion
Giuseppe Sarto was born in Italy in 1835, the son of a poor cobbler and postman. He rose through the ranks of the priest...
Martyr of Auschwitz, apostle of Mary
Raymond Kolbe was born in Poland in 1894. At age 12, Mary appeared to him offering two crowns: one white representing pu...
Secretary of Divine Mercy
Helena Kowalska was born in Poland in 1905 to a poor peasant family. Despite having only three years of formal education...
Archangel of healing
Raphael is one of the seven archangels who stand before God's throne. His name means "God heals." In the Book of Tobit, ...
Archangel who announced to Mary
Gabriel is one of the seven archangels who stand before God's throne. His name means "Strength of God." He is God's mess...
Leader of heavenly armies
Michael is the archangel who led the heavenly armies against Satan and the fallen angels. His name means "Who is like Go...
Patron of social justice
Martin was born in Lima, Peru in 1579, the illegitimate son of a Spanish nobleman and a freed slave. Because of his mixe...
Patron of television, founder of Poor Clares
Clare was born in Italy in 1194 to a noble family. Inspired by St. Francis, she ran away from home at age 18 to follow C...
Promoter of Marian devotion
Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort was born in France in 1673. Ordained a priest in 1700, he traveled throughout France pr...
Founder of Redemptorists, moral theologian
Alphonsus was born in Italy in 1696. A brilliant lawyer, he lost his only case and left the legal profession to become a...
The Good Thief, patron of prisoners
Dismas is the name tradition gives to the "good thief" crucified alongside Jesus. While the other thief mocked Jesus, Di...
First martyr, deacon
Stephen was one of the first seven deacons ordained by the apostles. He was "full of faith and the Holy Spirit" and perf...
Deacon, martyr of Rome
Lawrence was a deacon in Rome in the 3rd century, responsible for the Church's treasures and the care of the poor. When ...
Martyr, patron of athletes
Sebastian was a Roman soldier who secretly became a Christian. He comforted persecuted Christians and converted many to ...
Patron of travelers
Christopher, whose name means "Christ-bearer," was traditionally a tall man who wanted to serve the greatest king. After...
Bishop of Myra, patron of children
Nicholas was born in Asia Minor in the 3rd century. He became Bishop of Myra and was known for his generosity and miracl...
Martyr, patron of lovers
Valentine was a priest in Rome during the 3rd century. Emperor Claudius II forbade young men from marrying, believing si...
Evangelist, author of Gospel
John Mark was a companion of St. Peter and St. Paul. His mother's home in Jerusalem was a meeting place for early Christ...
Evangelist, physician
Luke was a Greek physician from Antioch who never met Jesus personally. He carefully investigated the events of Jesus' l...
Apostle, evangelist, tax collector
Matthew was a tax collector in Capernaum when Jesus called him to leave everything and follow him. Tax collectors were d...
Beloved disciple, evangelist
John was a fisherman from Galilee, the brother of James, and one of Jesus' twelve apostles. He was especially close to J...
Apostle of Spain, Santiago
James was a fisherman, the brother of John, and one of Jesus' first apostles. With John and Peter, he witnessed the Tran...
Apostle, brought Nathanael to Jesus
Philip was from Bethsaida, the same city as Peter and Andrew. After Jesus called him, Philip immediately found Nathanael...
Apostle, flayed alive
Bartholomew, likely the same person as Nathanael, was from Cana. When Philip told him about Jesus, Nathanael asked "Can ...
Apostle, replaced Judas
After Judas Iscariot's betrayal and suicide, the apostles gathered to choose a replacement. They selected two candidates...
Doubting Apostle, patron of India
Thomas, called Didymus (twin), was one of the Twelve. He is most famous for doubting Jesus' resurrection, refusing to be...
First Pope, fisherman apostle
This is the same as St. Peter above. Simon Peter was a fisherman from Galilee when Jesus called him to be a fisher of me...
Apostle, patron of lost causes
Same as St. Jude above. Jude was one of the Twelve Apostles, also called Thaddaeus or Lebbaeus. He is the author of the ...