Saints

 

The term Saint refers to someone who is exceptionally virtuous and holy. The word itself means “Holy” and is derived from the Latin “sanctus”.  It can be applied to both the living and the dead and is an acceptable term in most of the world's popular religions.

The Saint is held up by the community as an example of how we all should act, and his or her life story is usually recorded for the edification of future generations.

 

A B C D E F G H I J K L M

N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

 

A

St Aelred of Rievaulx. 1110-1167 ~ Aelred was born in Hexham in the North of England where his grandfather and father were parish priests. He lived and worked in the royal court of King David of Scotland and was a kind and gentle man. At twenty-four years of age he decided he wanted to lead a simple and holy life, so he entered the newly established Cistercian monastery at Rievaulx in Yorkshire.

After ten years there, he was given the post of abbot at another monastery at Revesby in Lincolnshire. He stayed in the post for five years then returned as abbot at Rievaulx. He was in charge of over one hundred choir monks and five hundred laymen, in his ten years as superior. He was known as an outgoing and energetic man, but he also had a gentle and compassionate nature, liked by all who met him. The new abbey at Rievaulx grew in size and flourished thanks to Aelred’s hard work.

As well as being in charge of the abbey, he visited all the other Cistercian houses in England and Scotland every year and travelled to Europe as well. All this travelling and extra work as he got older, took its toll on his health. He suffered from very painful kidney stones and after many years of his hectic lifestyle, he was near to collapse and physically exhausted. He knew he would soon die and built a cell next to the infirmary so he could be nursed and so he could be alone to pray. The monks came every day to consult him on their spiritual problems right up to the end and he died peacefully in his cell in 1167 on January 12th.

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St Agatha. Date unknown, circa 4th C. ~ Detail of Agatha’s early life is not known. She was born in Carinthia, which is now part of South Austria and when of age, married Count Paul of Carinthia. He was a cruel husband and harshly treated her. Because of her courage and dedication to God, Agatha managed to convert him to Christianity. Today she is honoured as the patron saint of model wives and also of nurses.

 

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St Aloysius Gonzaga. 1568-1591. ~ Born in Lombardy in Spain, Aloysius was the eldest son of Marquis Ferrante of Castigione. His father wished for Aloysius to follow him in a military career, but he decided, when he was only seven that he wanted to be a saint. His father sent him to be educated in Florence when he was only nine. At eleven, he joined the royal court when his father took up the position of governor of Montserrat.
Aloysius suffered from a kidney complaint which troubled him most of his life. He led his life according to strict rules and austerities and devoted himself to teaching religious education to poor children. He very much wanted to join the Jesuits, but his father refused to give permission and tried to distract him from requesting again. Some time later, Aloysius asked his father again and this time, knowing how serious Aloysius was, he gave his consent. He joined the order in 1585 in Rome at seventeen years of age. He was immediately sent to Milan to study. When he returned to Rome, it was to take his vows, but the plague struck the city and rapidly spread throughout the country. Aloysius worked in the Jesuit hospital nursing the sufferers. He contacted the disease himself and died soon after at only twenty-three years old. He was canonised in 1726 and is the protector of young students and patron of the Catholic youth.
 

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St Alphonsus Liguori. 1696-1787 ~ Founder of the Redemptorists. Alphonsus was born In Naples, son of a captain of the royal galleys. As a young man he studied law and at sixteen received his doctorate in both canon and civil law at the University of Naples. After practicing law for eight years, he unexpectedly announced he was going to train for the priesthood and joined the Oratorians (Congregation of Oratory of St Philip Neri), which is an order of lay priests. He was ordained in 1726 aged thirty.
At first he was engaged in local missionary work for a period of two years and then taught for one year. While teaching, he met Bishop Falcoia, who asked him to come to Castallamare. This he did and he was given the task of organizing a retreat for some local nuns. This is where he met Sister Mary Celeste. She explained to Alphonsus that she had a vision telling her to establish a new religious order and also the rules to live by. Alphonsus reorganised her order to the rules she was given and he was convinced her vision was genuine as Bishop Falcoia had experienced a similar vision.
Alphonsus moved to Scala and set up an order called the “Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer”, dedicated to missionary work around Naples. The organisation became known as “The Redemptorists”. He used the nun’s convent as headquarters and Bishop Falcoia was appointed superior.
Unfortunately disagreements arose within the community, Sister Mary Celeste left to found another convent at Foggia, and all Alphonsus’ members left except one lay brother who remained loyal to him. Alphonsus founded a new order, but after a few initial difficulties, it began to grow. When Bishop Falcia died, Alphonsus succeeded him as superior. The pope approved the order and he went personally to work in the missions for a time.
Over the years, Alphonsus began to spend more time writing and developing a plan to revise and reform the clergy and the monastic communities, but he became ill with rheumatism. In time he became paralyzed, forcing him to give up his see and retire. It was while he was ill that he was tricked into signing a document which split the Redemptorists into two separate parts. As a result, Alphonsus was excluded from the society he had founded and he died before the dispute was settled and before the society reunited.
He is the patron saint of theologians.

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St Ambrose. 340-397 ~ Ambrose was born in the city of Trier in Germany. His father, also named Ambrose, was a magistrate in France. As a young boy, his father died and he was taken to Rome, where he grew up, studied law and gained employment as a lawyer. Ambrose was an intellectual man, a gifted public speaker and preacher. Because of this talent, he was appointed governor, covering the towns of Liguria, Aemilla and Milan. He was excellent in this role, worked hard and was full of enthusiasm. The bishop of Milan who was an Arian, died and the diocese was left in confusion as the Catholics and the Arians fought to elect a new bishop. There were arguments and unrest in the city and in the cathedral, Ambrose tried to calm the situation, but to his amazement, he was elected to succeed the bishop.
Ambrose lived a Christian life, but had never actually been baptised and he felt he could not fulfil the post. The emperor ordered him to take the role and he was baptised and consecrated bishop in 374. He gave his goods to the poor and started to study theology and the Bible. His life changed dramatically and he lived to strict rules. He became the best preacher of his day and he continued his fight against Arianism, which was a threat to orthodoxy.
Ambrose became advisor to Emperor Gratian and talked him round to banning the Arian heresy. In 383, the emperor was killed in battle against Emperor Maximus and the conflict of the Catholics and Arians increased. Maximus intended to invade Rome, and Ambrose pleaded with him not to attack. He agreed and confined his attacks on France and Spain. Ambrose was at last successful in driving out the Arians. He continued to be involved in the politics of his time and was responsible for the increase in Christianity in the West. He wrote many letters and religious sermons and composed numerous hymns, which are still sung today. He died in 397 and he was later made a Doctor of the Church. He is the patron saint of learning and candle makers.


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St Andrew, the Apostle 1st C ~ Andrew, the son of John and the brother of Simon, was born in Bethsalda in Galilee and was a fisherman by trade. He became a follower of John the Baptist John 1:35-42, but when he met Jesus, he was immediately drawn to him and he knew he had met the Messiah and joined him. Jesus made Andrew his first disciple and Andrew brought his brother, Simon to see Jesus, and he too was made a disciple. Jesus renamed Simon, Simon Peter Mark 1:16-20 Andrew helped Jesus at the miracle of the loaves and fishes. While Jesus was preaching to a huge crowd, Andrew noticed a boy with some loaves and fishes in a basket and brought him to Jesus. By miraculous means, Jesus provided enough food to feed five thousand people John 6:8-10
It is not certain what Andrew did after Jesus died on the cross, but it is thought, he preached in Greece, but it is not known where he died. There is an old legend, which tells of Andrew being crucified on an X- shaped cross, in Patras, Greece. Andrew is the patron saint of Scotland, as folklore tells of his relics being taken there in 4th Century by St Rule. Rule was the keeper of the relics and it is said that an angel guided him to Scotland to a town now called St Andrews. Rule then became its first bishop and he converted the Scots in that area. He is also patron of fishermen.
 

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St Andrew Dung-Lac and Companions. 18th Century ~ French missionary workers began to introduce Catholicism into Vietnam in the 17th century and many of the people converted, risked their lives for God. Amongst them were Andrew Dung-Lac and ninety-six Vietnamese, eleven Spaniards, ten French missionaries, eight Spanish and French bishops, fifty European priests and fifty-nine laypeople. All these saints are remembered by the universal Church on November 24th.

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St Andrew Kim Taegon and Companions. 19th Century ~ During the conversion of Korea, one hundred and three Catholics were martyred. Amongst them was Andrew Kim Taegon, a priest and Paul Chong, a preacher. Also martyred were numerous bishops, priests and laypeople.

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St Anthimus. Died 303. ~ Anthimus was the bishop of Nicodemia. He and eleven of his followers were beheaded on the order of Emperor Diocletian, for being Christians.
 

 

 

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St Antony.  251-356 ~ Antony was born in Koman in Egypt into a respectable Christian family. On the deaths of his parents, he gave his inheritance away; arranged for his sister to enter a convent and he himself became a hermit, living in a tomb in a local cemetery. He spent his days in prayer, doing penances and eating only bread and water. People came to visit him as word got around of his holiness, but he longed for more solitude, so he moved to an old partially derelict fort on a mountainside. He went all day without seeing anyone and only ate the scraps of bread thrown over the wall from the soldiers in the fort. After twenty years, he came down from the mountain and organised his numerous followers into a community. During the persecutions of the Christians, he went to Alexandria to encourage his fellow Christians to stand up to their tormenters. When he returned he founded another monastery and lived on a mountain near the Red Sea. Antony had many visitors to his monastery and gave them spiritual advice and encouragement. He lived in his monastery until he was one hundred and five. Antony will always be remembered for his total devotion to God, his holiness and his wisdom.

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St Anthony of Padua. 1195-1231. ~ Named Ferdinand de Bulhoes at birth, he was born in Lisbon, Portugal, son of an imperial knight. Ferdinand received his education from the priests of Lisbon cathedral school and became a member of the Canons Regular of St Augustine at the age of fifteen. He later moved to another house in Coimbra Priory and was ordained in 1219, aged twenty-four. From there, he transferred to the Franciscan order taking the name Anthony. During his student years, Anthony acquired extensive knowledge of the Scriptures, Bible and all spiritual issues. In his heart, he wanted so much to do missionary work that he was allowed to go to Morocco to try to convert the Moors, but unfortunately, he fell ill and had to return to the monastery. He was assigned to kitchen duties while he recuperated, but one evening during a religious celebration, he was asked to address the congregation. All that heard him were enthralled and his superiors were so impressed with his vast knowledge and preaching techniques that they insisted that the authorities should introduce the teaching of Scripture and Bible study into their monasteries. St Francis of Assisi appointed Anthony as the first lecturer in theology to teach in the religious community.
The practice of praying to St Anthony when items are lost, originated from an occasion when a young monk stole a manuscript that belonged to Anthony. Anthony prayed it would return and immediately the monk experienced a vision and brought it back. After five years preaching and teaching, Anthony was worn out and exhausted. He died in Padua of the plague at only thirty-six years of age. He achieved so much in his short life, working endlessly preaching, converting, and striving to abolish the debtors’ prison and also to improve the living conditions of the poor. At various stages of his life, he was called “Hammer of the Heretics”, “Living Ark of the Covenant” and “Wonder Worker”. He is the patron saint of Portugal, lost items and also of alms giving. Anthony was canonised in 1946 by Pope Pius XII.
 

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 St Asicus. Died 470. ~ Born in Ireland, Asicus is believed to have been a follower of St Patrick . He earned his living as a coppersmith and was also a layman at the monastery at Elphin in Roscommon. Despite not being a member of the order, he was elected by the community to be the first bishop and abbot of the monastery. Asicus was a shy and reserved person and did not think he had the capability to rule, so he fled to an island off Donegal where he lived alone. After seven years searching for him, his monks eventually found him and attempted to bring him back, but he died on the return journey.

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St Athanasius. 297-373. ~ Athanasius was born in Alexandria of Christian parents. As a child he knew the desert hermits well and as he grew up, he became a follower of their superior, St Antony (he wrote Antony’s biography later in life). Athanasius received a good education and was a bright scholar, outstanding in theology and the Scriptures.
On completion of his studies, he became a deacon, was ordained a priest and found employed as Bishop Alexander’s secretary in Alexandria. He was with Alexander at the Council of Nicaea, which banned the heresy, Arianism and excommunicated its leader, Arius. When Alexander died, Athanasius took up the post of bishop of Alexandria and he also held the office of bishop of Ethiopia. He was the spiritual leader of the desert hermits as well. Dedicated in his role, he ruled so successfully that he is considered one of the best Christian leaders in the history of the church. However, he had a hard task, as there was a surge in Arianism at that time and the diocese was split, with strong supporters of the heresy. Their followers extended into all the Mediterranean areas and the cult spread out of control.
The fight against Arianism took over his life and he had a constant battle, preaching and writing in opposition. There was a final blow when the emperor became a follower of Arius and Athanasius was asked to allow Arius back into the church and give him Communion, but he absolutely refused. The emperor’s followers ganged up on Athanasius and he was exiled. This happened time and time again; he was allowed back then banished again. At one time, he had to flee into the desert for fear of his life and the desert hermits protected him for six years until it was safe to go back, when the emperor died.
Athanasius returned and concentrated on building up the Orthodox Church, which was made possible by Emperor Constant’s support. When the Constant died and his brother Constantius took over, Athanasius was exiled once more. This lasted for seventeen years on and off. Eventually he triumphed over the Arians and the last seven years of his life were spent arranging and reorganising the Church.
He died in Alexandria having realised he had won the battle against the heretics. Athanasius was made Doctor of the Church.

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St Augustine of Hippo. 354-430 ~ Aurelius Augustine was born in Thagaste (now Algeria) to a pagan father and a Christian mother, St Monica). He was brought up a Christian, but not baptised at birth. He studied rhetoric (the art of persuasive writing and expression) and philosophy at Carthage University and was a brilliant scholar, but he was a rebellious, wild youth and scorned at religion which deeply upset his mother. He formed a relationship with a young woman and they lived together for fourteen years and had a son, whom Augustine treasured. On completion of his studies, he went into teaching, but found it difficult to settle down at first and became interested in Manichaeism (teachings of Mani, a Persian philosopher) which he followed for a time.
While in Milan, he heard St Ambrose preach and was so impressed that he realised he must re-assess his life and came to the decision that he wanted to be baptised, much to his mother’s delight. He left his mistress, Lucille and she returned to North Africa. Augustine joined his mother and his son, Adeodatus and was baptised on Easter Eve 387. They then returned to North Africa, but sadly Monica, his mother died on the journey home. Saddened by this, Augustine was consoled by the fact they were reconciled before her death.
On arriving home, he sold all his processions and his estate to enable him to start a religious community and it was not long before he was ordained. He lived a monastic life and started preaching with great success. Having just recovered from his mother’s death, Augustine suffered another family tragedy when his son died about a year after arriving home.
The bishop of Hippo asked Augustine to administer to the Latin speaking community and he accepted the offer and worked amongst them for four years. He was then chosen to succeed as bishop of Hippo, a role he remained in for thirty-three years. During this time, he was one of the greatest bishops in Church history. His diocese was in North Africa and he lived amongst the clergy in the community, administering with kindness and fairness.
He was a popular man and he preached every Sunday to his people and took daily service in the cathedral. As well as being a great speaker, he was also a gifted writer, having a huge effect on the Christian Church. Most of his writings are still in existence. He composed over two hundred essays, three hundred letters and over four hundred sermons. His most famous writing is “Confessions”, which tells of his conversion. For his service to the Church, he was made a Doctorate of the Church.
He died at the age of seventy-seven. He is known as the patron saint of theologians and printers.



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 B

 

St Barnabas - Apostle. 1st C. ~ The only source of information on Barnabas’ life is taken from the Acts 11:23. Born in Cyprus into a Jewish family, he was named Joseph at birth. He grew up on the island and became one of Christ’s seventy-two disciples sent out to neighbouring countries to spread the word. He was given the name Barnabas by the apostles, the meaning of which is “son of encouragement” Acts 4:36 . Sometimes Barnabas is wrongly identified as one of Jesus’ apostles.

Barnabas sold all his possessions and gave the money he made to the apostles to distribute to the poor. His first missionary assignment was to Jerusalem with Saul of Tarus, later known as St Paul. Having had a successful mission, Barnabas was chosen to go to Antioch to help the struggling church in those early days of Christianity, Acts 12:25. He met up with Paul again and they worked together for over a year. Paul’s next mission took him to Cyprus and across to Asia Minor Acts 13:5 Barnabas took along his nephew (some reports call him his cousin), called John Mark with him, but Mark, 25th March deserted them part of the way through the journey. Before his next assignment, Barnabas and Paul fell out over a minor disagreement. Barnabas wanted to take his nephew, Mark with them again and Paul did not, so they went their separate ways. Acts 15:36-40. Barnabas returned to Cyprus with Mark, they began to convert the islanders and this was the foundation of the Cypriote Church. Barnabas and Paul were reconciled.

It is not quite sure what happened to Barnabas next, but it is thought he returned to Cyprus in his retirement, but he is known to have travelled some time after that date to Alexandria and Rome. He was stoned to death in Salamis, Cyprus after a dispute with some local Jews. His body was buried near where he was martyred, but four centuries later, it was moved to Constantinople. Barnabas’ writings have been a great cause of disagreement over the centuries. “The Apocryphal Epistle of Barnabas” which has always been attributed to him is known now to have been written by an unknown Christian living in Alexandria at that time. The “Gospel of Barnabas” was probably written by an Italian and “The Acts of Barnabas” were said to be by St Mark.

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St Bartholomew, Apostle. 1st Century ~ Bartholomew was one of Christ’s twelve apostles. Mark 3:14-19 His name means “Son of Tolomai”. There is little known of Bartholomew’s life and it is thought he may be the same person referred to as Nathanael in St John’s gospel, John 1:45-51. It is believed he may have travelled to India after the crucifixion to preach the Gospels and he left behind a copy of the Gospel of Matthew. Some historians say he went to Armenia to preach and was martyred there.

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St Basil the Great 329-379. ~ Basil was the son of St Basil, the Elder and St Emmelia.. He was born in Caesarea, Asia Minor, one of ten children. Basil was taught initially st basil the great.jpg (52770 bytes)by his father and grandmother and later gained further education in the universities of Constantinople and Athens. After graduation, he was first employed as a teacher, but was persuaded to enter the religious life by his sister, St Macarius the Younger
After being baptised, Basil visited a number of monasteries in Palestine, Syria and Egypt, before finally settling at Pontus as a hermit. He was ordained in 363 and went back to Pontus and stayed for two years.
All his life, Basil had a constant battle against the heresy, Arianism and his friend St Gregory Nazianzen asked him to help fight its increase in Nazianzus. On his return to Caesarea, he was made archbishop, but experienced a difficult time in office by being drawn into many arguments and disagreements with the authorities. He put in a lot of time and effort helping the poor of the area and was involved in the building of a hospice for the sick. Basil was a very holy man, and a great speaker. Large crowds gathered each day to hear his sermons. He died at Caesarea in 379 at the age of forty-nine, just a few years before Arianism was stamped out on the death of the Arian king. During his lifetime, Basil wrote hundreds of spiritual letters and had a great influence on Eastern Christianity. He was made a Doctor of the Church .

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St Benedict. 480-547. ~ Founder of the Benedictine Order . Benedict was born into a comfortable life in Nurcia, Umbria (which is an old region of Italy) with his twin sister, St Scholastica. He spent his school days in Rome and as a youth, he was so horrified to see the immorality of the city life. This made him run away into the countryside fifty miles away and set up a home in a remote cave near Subiaco. He lived there in alone for three years, surviving on berries, herbs and some bread brought to him by another hermit who lived nearby. Benedict spent his days praying and thinking, but he had yearnings for his comforts back home so he tried to clear these thoughts from his mind by doing penances.
Benedict’s holy name spread far and wide and people came to see and consult him. He was approached by the nearby monastery to be their superior, a post he accepted, but the monks complained of the harsh rules he enforced so he decided to return to his cave. Over the next few months, the crowds visiting him increased at such a fast rate that he had to build accommodation for them. He constructed twelve wooden huts to give them shelter and each house housed twelve monks. They still continued to congregate and a nearby community became resentful of his success and complained to him. Therefore, Benedict agreed to move away from the area after being there for thirty-five years. He found an isolated spot situated on a hill at the site of an old pagan temple. He pulled down the temple and using the stone, built two chapels, one dedicated to St John the Baptist and one to St Martin of Tours. This establishment was the beginning of the world famous Monte Casino Monastery, which became the finest Benedictine religious house of all time. He introduced his” Benedict Rule” which is unique to his order.
His sister, Scholastica founded a convent nearby and Benedict made a set of rules modified for the nuns. They only met each other once a year and when she became ill and died, Benedict knew she had departed before he was told of her death. He said he was told in a vision.
Forty days later he became ill with a fever and knowing he was about to die, asked the monks to take him to St John the Baptist Chapel where Scholastica is buried. There, he ordered her tomb to be opened, and then receiving Holy Communion he died standing up, supported by the monks.

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St Bernard.1090-1153 ~ Bernard was born in the family castle, Fontaines Les Dijou in Clairaux, France. His father was a wealthy nobleman named Tescelin Sorrel and his mother, the daughter of a French lord. There were six other children in the family and their mother wished for one or more of her children to take up the religious life, especially Bernard. She had a dream prior to his birth telling her that the child to be born would be a “shining light in the Church” As Bernard was an intelligent boy and as he grew up, he became interested in philosophy and wanted to go to university to study rather than join a religious order. He was very close to his mother and heart broken when she died. Bernard was still very young, but in his grief, he decided to fulfil his mother’s wish and enter a Cistercian monastery at Citeaux to be a monk. It was a small community, but a popular one and many people wanted to be a member. With its success, it increased in size and spread out to neighbouring regions.
Bernard was asked to head a branch of the main monastery. He began by building a house to accommodate twelve monks; this was the start of Clairvaux Abbey. They managed to complete it in its basic form by the time winter set in, but they had not had time to grow and gather provisions and the monks almost died of the cold and hunger. Bernard was always optimistic and encouraged the monks to pray. They prayed non-stop, day and night and eventually help arrived in the form of a nearby monastery who gave them their surplus food to keep them going until their own crops had established in the spring. Bernard stayed at Clairvaux for the next fifteen years and was responsible for its fame.
He was an excellent preacher and hundreds of people came from miles around to hear him. Bernard was a popular and fair abbot. He had strict rules, but the monks respected him and never complained. The pope, Honorius II died in 1130 and Innocent was elected to replace him, but a rival anti-pope was also elected known as Anacletus II. Innocent was exiled to France and Bernard supported him throughout. He had the support of a number of high-ranking nobles from all over Europe including Henry I of England, the German emperor and many others. Innocent regained his position as pope and Bernard accompanied him to Rome for his re-instatement. Bernard stayed in his abbey for the next ten years ten years.
The pope asked him to lead a crusade to recover the Holy Sepulchre from the Turks. Bernard accepted the challenge and set-off, preaching as he travelled through Europe. He collected thousands of men along the way willing to fight for the pope. Unfortunately, many died on the route from the plague; some were killed in skirmishes and hundreds taken prisoner. Bernard realised it was a mistake and returned home.
In his bitter disappointment, his health began to suffer. He grew weak and found it hard just to do his usual daily tasks. He took to his bed, but when the Archbishop of Treves asked him to act as peacemaker in a religious campaign, he pulled himself from his bed to try to help, but was too weak to do anything so he returned to his abbey and soon after he died at the age of sixty-two. During his time at Clairvaux he made it into a thriving community which he began with only twelve monks and by the time of his death there were seven hundred. He also founded one hundred other monasteries around the world.

 

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St Boniface. 680-754. ~ Boniface is believed to have been born in Devon in England. He was baptised and given the name Wynfrith. At only seven years old, he was sent to be educated at the monastery school near Exeter and as a small boy, he would listen to the monks talking about their experiences as missionaries in Europe and he wished to be a monk one day and go abroad to teach the pagans about God. At the age of fourteen, he entered the Benedictine abbey of Nursling in Winchester and became a brilliant Latin scholar and Bible preacher. Boniface remained at Nursling as an ordinary monk until he was ordained at the age of thirty. He became a director of Nursling school and began preaching and teaching, a task at which he excelled. However, he knew in his heart he wanted to be a missionary. His first attempt was in Friesland (now part of the Netherlands), but he was unsuccessful so he visited Pope Gregory II in Rome and the following year was sent to Germany in an attempt to convert all the pagan tribes to Christianity. St Willibrord in Friesland for the next three years. He then was transferred to Hesse in Germany. The pope recalled Boniface to Rome and promoted him to regionary bishop for Germany. It was not long before he was back in Hesse and was put in the care of Charles Martel, leader of the Franks who protected and aided Boniface in his missionary quest. As he was a very sociable person and made friends quite quickly, Boniface gained the trust of the local people. He began to gradually destroy pagan influences, icons and temples and replaced them with Christian churches and religious communities.
Over the years, Boniface became a popular figure and was loved by his people who crowded round in their hundreds to hear him speak. The pope appointed him archbishop of all Germany with his see situated in Mainz. Boniface continued to work for the next thirty years, creating new Christians all over Germany.
As he grew older and slower, he resigned his see, but he was asked to go back to Friesland on the death of Willibrord, to organise the conversion of those who had lapsed. Although Boniface “retired”, he did not stop working. On the night before Pentecost in Friesland in 754, he was preparing for the confirmation of some of his converts when he and a number of his helpers were killed by a small group of pagans. He was called the “Apostle of Germany” and he was canonised in 1874.
 

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St Bridget of Sweden. 1303-1373. ~ Bridget or Brigitta was born in Sweden, daughter of a wealthy governor of Upland Sweden. Her mother died when Bridget was only twelve years old and she was brought up by her aunt. It was at this time she began to experience visions and religious episodes. These became more frequent and powerful over the years. At fourteen she was married to a young man aged eighteen and during their married life, had eight children, one of whom was St Catherine of Vadstena .
Bridget was employed as a lady- in-waiting at the royal court and when her husband died, she left the court to stay in a Cistercian monastery at Alvastra. She remained there for four years, living a strict and humble life. During her time in the monastery, she experienced a vision telling her to form a strict religious order for women. She formed a community and gave it the name “Order of the Holy Saviour” or “Brigettines” as it became known. The mother house was in Sweden at Vadstena.
She then went to Rome and worked with the sick and homeless. Apart from a few pilgrimages, she remained in Rome all her life. Her visions continued and she put in writing her experiences. In her book called “Revelations”, she claimed to be able to see into the future, causing strong controversy at that time. She continued her good charitable works and died while on the way back from a pilgrimage to the Holy Land.
 

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 C

 

St Cecilia. Circa 3rd C ~ Born in Rome and brought up as a Christian, Cecilia had a marriage arranged for her to Valerian, a young pagan man. She managed to make him respect her virginity and successfully converted him and his brother, Tiburtius. The two brothers were occupied in helping the sick and underprivileged as well as other charitable works around Rome. They were discovered burying bodies of martyred Christians and were arrested by the authorities. As they refused to honour the pagan gods, they were beheaded. Cecilia buried the brothers’ bodies and she was arrested for doing so and sentenced to death. An attempt to kill her by suffocation in her own home, failed, it is said by a miracle. The emperor ordered Cecilia to be beheaded, but the soldier sent to execute her, failed to kill her outright and she lay dying for three days before she died. Cecilia is the patron saint of music and musicians, singers and poets because when she was married she did not hear any of the wedding music as she said she sang in her heart to God alone.

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St Clare of Assisi. 1194-1253 ~ Founder of the Poor Clares. ~ Clare was born in Assisi in Italy into a noble, well-do family. At twelve years old, her father arranged a marriage for her, but she refused. It was when Clare heard St Francis of Assisi giving a sermon that she was determined to give her life to God. Her parents refused her permission to be a nun so she ran away from home. She went to Portiucula monastery, one of St Francis’, but as there were no facilities for women, Francis placed her in nearby Benedictine convent. She changed from her fine clothes into a rough sackcloth habit and had her long beautiful hair cut short. Her family tried to persuade her to come home, but to no avail so they tried forcibly to remove her, again with no success. Francis moved her to Sant’ Angelo di Panzo and she was joined there by her sister, Agnes who was then fifteen. Their father was furious and he sent twelve armed men to the convent to demand their return. They tried to carry Agnes out, but with Clare’s prayers, Agnes became so heavy that they could not lift her so they abandoned their efforts.
At twenty-one, Clare moved to a house adjoining St Damiano’s church and was given the position of superior of a new order by Francis, remaining there for the next forty years. She made peace with her family and shortly after, Beatrice, her other sister and her widowed mother, as well as several members of local noble families joined the order. She called the new community the “Poor Ladies”, which in time became the “Poor Clares”. Her rigid rules included walking barefoot, fasting, sleeping on the hard floor, eating no meat and speaking only when necessary. She practiced many austerities and penances. In her vows, she included strict poverty, but this was to cause some trouble for her in the future. She requested the pope to approve her vow of “absolute poverty”, but when he asked the nuns to accept ownership of the convent and land, he suggested Clare should be absolved from that vow and accept ownership of the house. She flatly refused, but other houses accepted his offer. Clare managed to get the pope to approve her request after long and tiresome discussions. She was told she had been successful just two days before she died. Towards the end of her life, she became too ill to attend Mass, but by a miracle, she was able to see the service on an image on her bedroom wall. This made her the patron saint of television. After her death, the “Poor Clares” order continued to flourish and extend to other parts of Italy, France and Germany. They are still thriving today.

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St Cyril and Methodius. 825-829. ~ Cyril and Methodius were brothers, born in Thessalonika, Greece and were sons of a senator. Cyril at birth was named Constantine. He was a bright child and when still young was sent to study at the Imperial University at Constantinople. On graduation, he was ordained and took up a teaching post.
Methodius became governor of a province and he too was ordained. They were both asked to go on missionary work to Moravia (now part of Slovakia) and had great success due to their understanding of the language. German missionaries were also working in the country and this caused was some rivalry between the two groups.
In 869, Cyril and Methodius were called to Rome by the pope, but sadly, Cyril died while there. The pope consecrated Methodius as a bishop and sent him back to Moravia to carry on his work. When Methodius arrived at the mission centre, he was detained by the German bishops and spent two years in prison. Later he was released and allowed to continue his work. Some time later, he was called back to Rome to answer questions of charges put forward by the German missionaries. Methodius managed to clear his name and the charges were dropped. He was made archbishop of Velehrad in Czechoslovakia, but his struggle with the Germans continued for most of his life.
He died at Stare Mesto.
Together with his brother, Cyril, Methodius compiled a Slavonic alphabet to enable them to translate the Liturgy and the Scriptures into the Slavonic language. This was known as the “Glasoltic” alphabet, but it became known as the “Cyrillic” alphabet after Cyril, its creator. With this method, they translated most of the Bible into Slavonic. The two brothers became known as the “Apostles of the Slavs”.
 

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St David. 5th-6th C. ~ The exact date of David’s birth is not known. He is thought to have been born sometime between 454-520 in Pembrokeshire, South Wales to King Sant and his wife, Non. The information on David’s life is taken mostly from an 11th century biography written by Rhygyfarch, a Welsh scholar. It is understood that David was educated by St Paulinus of York on an island off the Welsh coast. After finishing his studies, David trained for the priesthood and when ordained he worked for several years for the missions mainly based in the Holy Land. David had a gifted voice for preaching and his sermons attracted large crowds.
While on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem he was consecrated a bishop and on his return home, he was appointed the Primate for Wales. As bishop, he attended and presided over many church councils and synods. His seat of office was situated in Pembrokeshire (now called St David’s). Over his lifetime, David was responsible for establishing twelve monasteries in Wales and he was adopted as the country’s patron saint. He was also known to have had a great influence in religion and the founding of monasteries in Ireland. David died around the year 560-601 in his monastery at Mynyw. His grave in St David’s in Wales is a pilgrim site. He is known as “St Dewi” in his native language.

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St Dominic. 1170-1221 ~ Founder of The Dominicans, Order of Preachers. Born in Castile, Spain, Dominic Guzman was educated at the University of Palencia, became Augustinian monk and was ordained. He was appointed canon in Osma and later prior superior. The bishop of Osma asked Dominic to go with him to Languedoc, Southern France to preach to the Albigensian people about the dangers of heresies. Dominic found he had a talent for preaching and used a more personal manner and this proved successful in his mission. This heretic group had to be suppressed by force when a papal official called Peter was murdered by the heretics. This began a campaign against them, which went on for seven years. Dominic, during this time kept control of the situation despite the threats and bloodshed around him. He served as chaplain to the troops, following them and preaching. It was not long before Dominic had the idea of developing an order of specially trained priests and monks committed to the conversion of the people to Christianity, especially the Albigenians.
He called the society the “Dominicans”. It was approved by the bishop of Toulouse, but it failed to be accepted by the General Council. The pope gave it his blessing the following year. Dominic worked full time organising the new order and travelled extensively recruiting members and setting up houses. His order got off to an excellent start, converting many people successfully. He also established a community of women at Prouille doing similar work. In 1221 he was forced to retire and return home when he became unwell whilst he was preaching in Hungary and he died soon after. His society is still flourishing today.


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St Elizabeth of Hungary. 1207-1231 ~ Daughter of Andrew II of Hungary, Elizabeth was born in Pressburg, Hungary in 1207. When she was four years old she was brought to the king’s court at Wartburg Castle to live. As a small child, she was betrothed to the young prince, Ludwig (sometimes referred to as Louis) who was eleven. They grew up together and were best friends. In 1221 they were married when she was only fourteen years old. They had a very happy marriage and together they had four children. Elizabeth became known for her charitable works, helping the sick and aged. Ludwig was a very patient man and tolerated Elizabeth’s religious behaviour, which included waking in the middle of the night to pray and at one time, she nursed a sick leper in their bed. Ludwig built a hospital for her to nurse the sick, before he set off on a crusade. He died of the plague while on the way to the Holy Land. Elizabeth was heartbroken. Shortly after, while still in mourning for her beloved husband, her brother-in-law accused her of mishandling the castle’s finances, caused by all her charitable works. She was forced to leave Wartburg and she entered a Franciscan convent after providing for her children. The rest of her life was spent in the convent, devoted to caring for the needy and sick. When she died at only twenty four years old, miracles began to occur at her graveside. She was canonised by Pope Gregory 1X in 1235.

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St Floribert.  Died 746. ~ When Floribert was born, his mother died in childbirth so he was brought up by his father who was the bishop of Liege. He had a normal childhood and grew up to succeed his father as bishop and remained in office for eighteen years.


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St Francis de Sales.  1567-1622 ~ Francis was born in the town of Thorens in Savoy in France at the family chateau. His parents were rich and affluent people and this enabled them to give Francis a good education. As a young man, he studied at a college at Anney in Paris and attended the Jesuit College at Clermont in Paris.

Francis continued his education at Padua University reading theology and law. He received his Doctorate of Law when he was twenty-four. His parents objected to him leading a religious life as Francis intended. They wanted him to have a career in law. Nether-the-less, against their wishes, he was ordained a priest. One of his first duties was to convert his fellow countrymen back to the Catholic faith around the region of Savoy. This was a dangerous mission as most of the citizens had turned to Calvinism (a doctrine of John Calvin). Francis spent five years struggling to win back converts and at times physical violence broke out.

Over the coming years his efforts proved successful and thousands of people came back to the Catholic Church. Francis took over the position of bishop of Genoa in 1602 and immediately set about reforming the neglected diocese. This was a difficult task and he preached determinedly almost non-stop. In 1604, through a chance meeting with St Jane Frances de Chantal, he founded with her help the “Order of the Visitation” which took them six years to organise.

It was at one of the convents at Lyons where Francis died in 1622 at an early age of fifty-five. During his life, he achieved a great deal. He was an outstanding writer and produced many religious papers and books. Francis was made Doctor of the Church in 1877.  He is the patron saint of the Catholic Press and writers.

 

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St Francis of Assisi. 1182-1226 ~ Born in Assisi in Italy, he was the son of a rich cloth merchant called Peter Bernardone. His mother was French and Francis was brought up speaking French as well as his native tongue. His mother baptised him John as his father was away on business and they had not discussed a name. When his father returned, he renamed him Francis, meaning “Frenchman”. Francis spent a happy childhood in Assisi and later with his many friends, led a wild, carefree youth and was extravagant with his money. He was called to serve in a war and was taken prisoner, spending a year in prison. When he was released, he continued with his frivolous ways until he decided to join up as a regular soldier, but had to leave due to ill health. While in Spoleto, he experienced a vision of Christ telling him to rebuild His Church. He had other religious happenings at Assisi and this caused him to change his ways and take on a new lifestyle. He first went on a pilgrimage to Rome and on returning gave all his money and possessions to the poor and lived in poverty himself. He travelled around Italy for two years helping the sick and needy. He begged for food and slept rough or in the monasteries he passed by. His father, hearing of this said he had gone mad and disowned him and also disinherited him. A local bishop took pity on him and gave him some simple clothes to wear. He then became a travelling preacher, spreading God’s word wherever he could.
His way of life soon attracted many followers and he formed a group of brothers, which he named “Friar’s Minor” meaning “lesser brothers”. His order had no shortage of recruits and he made preparations to make his group into a religious order. He gained papal approval and he had so many members that he had to spread them out outside Italy, including England. He revised the rules, which included poverty, humbleness, evangelical freedom and a simple life. They lived in rush huts with no tables or chairs. These huts were outside the walls of Assisi, but as numbers increased, they built huts of wood and clay. They wore plain grey tunics and he changed the name from the Friars Minor to the Franciscans, with Francis as the superior. He was never ordained a priest and remained a deacon all his life.
One day while praying and meditating on Mount Verna, he had a vision of an angel and five wounds appeared on his body corresponding with Christ’s wound of crucifixion. This is called the “Stigmata” and it remained on Francis for the rest of his life, giving him physical pain. Over the next few years, Francis became weaker, developed an eye complaint and he died in 1226. He is buried in Assisi, but it is not known where. His association with animals comes from him preaching to the birds and helping wounded animals. He is the patron saint of animals and merchants.
 

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St Michael, St Raphael, St Gabriel Archangels ~ < B > St Michael , an Archangel is mentioned twice in the Old Testament Daniel 10:13 and Daniel 12:1 and also in the New Testament Jude 1:9 Michael has being venerated since Christian history began and is said to receive souls into heaven. He is the protector of all Christians against the devil and is depicted with a sword. The honouring of St Michael intensified when a vision of him was seen on Mount Gargano in Southern Italy in 492. Many other locations are named after the saint, for example, St Michael’s Mount in England and Mont-Saint-Michel in France. The Negro-spiritual song, “Michael row the boat ashore, Alleluia”, tells of Michael greeting the Holy Souls in heaven. He is the patron saint of police officers. Up to the last century, Archangels had their own feast days in the Western Church, but now he shares the day with Gabriel and Raphael.
St Raphael is also an archangel and his name means “God’s Healer”. He is the patron saint of the blind, travellers and lovers.
St Gabriel is “God’s messenger”. It was Gabriel who brought the good tidings to Mary of the future birth of Jesus on the feast of the Annunciation. He is honoured as the patron saint of messengers, postal workers, radio and television employees.

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St George. Died circa 303. ~ George, well know as the patron saint of England, is also the patron saint of soldiers and boy scouts. He was born in Cappadocia in Asia Minor (now modern day Turkey) and was one of the earliest martyrs to be executed in Lydda, Palestine.
George has been honoured as a soldier/saint from early in history. The historical facts of George’s life are accepted. He was born in Cappadocia and it is thought he was employed in Emperor Diocletian’s army as a military tribune and served in the campaign against Persia. Some historians believe he may have been sent to Britain, but the evidence for this is quite slim. The emperor ordered all his soldiers to worship the pagan gods, but George publicly refused and immediately left the army. Diocletian commanded the destruction of all Christian churches and copies of written scriptures. George appealed on behalf of all Christians to spare the churches, but he paid dearly for his actions as he was tortured and beheaded around the year 303.
The story of “George and the Dragon” probably came about through the Greek myth of Perseus (representing the Devil) who slew a beast and rescued the maiden (representing the Church). George killing the dragon led to the conversion of thousands of people to Christianity. The dragon is not mentioned in early stories of George, but was added in medieval times. How he became England’s patron is most probably through the knights of the crusades. The knights adopted him as their emblem when going off to fight in the Holy Land.
In 1415, after the battle of Agincourt, King Henry V declared George as the patron saint of England and soldiers.
 

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St Gregory Nazianzen.  329-389 ~ Gregory was the son of St Gregory Nazianzen the Elder and St Nonna Born in Nazianzus, he studied in Caesarea with St Basil the Great At the age of thirty, Gregory went back to Nazianzus for a time to help his parents, before joining Basil in Pontus to live as hermits. Once again, he had to go home to help his elderly father, who was the Bishop of Nazianzus with his duties. While at home, he was ordained by his father and became Bishop of Sasima. He faced many difficulties in his diocese with the increase of Arianism and as a result, numerous disputes occurred. His father died in 374 and Gregory took over the duties of his see until another bishop could be elected. When the Arian king died, Gregory went about restoring the diocese, bringing at last, peace and order. He became Archbishop of Constantinople, but after a short time in office, became ill with a nervous breakdown. He went to Nazianzus to spend some time in solitude, which he had always wanted to do and died there in 390.

 

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St Gregory the Great  590-604 ~ Gregory was born into a wealthy Roman family. His father, Gordianus was the patriarch of Rome (senior bishop). Gregory was educated in Rome and graduated in law. He became prefect of Rome, one of the highest civil positions in the city. Ever since Gregory was young, he was interested in the religious life and at the age of thirty-five, he converted his house into a monastery and named it St Andrews. He was a monk under the guidance of Valentius who was the abbot. Gregory went on to found six other monasteries on land left to him in Sicily. For several years, he lived in the secluded monastery of St Andrew’s before becoming ordained by the Pope Pelagius and given the role of papal deacon. He resumed his monastic life and after five years, he took the post of abbot of St Andrews.
 A year or so later, he embarked on a journey to England after seeing some fair-haired children in the slave market and was curious to know where they were from. He thought they looked angelic. He went to England to start his conversion of the people, but the pope called him back when the plague hit Rome and unfortunately, Pope Pelagius died of the disease. Gregory sent Augustine to England and Gregory was elected to take the place of Pelagius. This made Gregory the first monk to be pope, a role he stayed in for fourteen years. The Church was going through a very difficult time, resulting in disorder, disarray and a large number of the clergy had become lapsed. One of his first tasks was to remove them. This was at the time of the Lombard’s invasion of Northern Italy and Gregory managed to negotiate a truce with them. He re-organise the financial affairs of the church and restructured the income and administration of the estates, spending large amounts to relieve the suffering of the people from war, famine and pestilence. He continued to have good relations with the Lombards and Visigoths and overall he was responsible for strengthening the Catholic Church’s authority.
Gregory continued with his mission in England and worked well with St Augustine. He sent him forty monks to help with the project. Gregory was a fluent speaker and talented writer; over eight hundred of his letters are still in existence. He is most famous for the introduction of the singing of psalms in church services known as the “Gregorian Chant” and it is used in churches across the world today.
Gregory died in Rome after being in poor health for a long time due to his austere disciples. He is said to have had gastritis (stomach complaint) and suffered from painful gout, being in constant pain for many years. He was canonised immediately after his death. At Gregory’s death, the Roman Church was in a secure position over the Byzantine authority and was firmly established in the West, thanks to Gregory’s hard work and devotion.
Gregory is the patron saint of teachers and musicians.

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St Ignatius Loyola. 1491-1556. ~ Founder of the Society of Jesus. Ignatius was born in Loyola in Spain, the son of a wealthy nobleman and he was accustomed to living a comfortable life. In his youth, he joined the army and duly served his country, but during the siege of Pamplona, he suffered a leg injury the result of being hit by a cannonball. He may well have remained in the army and travelled to the “New World” had it not been for his injury. While he was recovering, he had plenty of time to read and came across books on the life of Jesus, the saints and other religious publications. This had a great influence on him and he decided to go on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. On his return to Spain, he began studying Latin and Greek and gained his M.A at the University of Paris. Even though Ignatius had a permanent limp and was limited in his physical capabilities, he decided to put his military training to good use by applying his disciplines and obedience to become a “Soldier of Christ”. He gathered together seven students and they took vows to God and decided to be missionaries to the Moslems in Palestine. After three years, there were ten members of their society. At the age of forty-seven, Ignatius was ordained a priest with some others of his group. They thought they would organise themselves into a regular religious order and dedicate their lives to God.
At first, they specialised in the education of children and uneducated adults and they vowed to take the gospel to wherever they could around the world. Through their hard work, schools were founded both here and abroad. He sent missionaries to Brazil, India and Japan. The pope approved the order and they decided to call themselves “Society of Jesus” or otherwise known as “Jesuits”. For fifteen years, Ignatius was the superior of the order, living in Rome. The society grew from just ten members to well over a thousand with houses all over Europe and further a field.
Ignatius was a learned, holy man with a friendly personality and he was the author of many writings; his most famous work is “Spiritual Exercises”.
He died in Rome aged sixty-five. Today, the Jesuits continue to thrive all over the world.

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St Ignatius of Antioch ?37-?107. ~ Ignatius is believed to have been a convert to Christianity and Saint Ignatius of Antioch - Early CHurch Fathersmay have been a follower of St John. Appointed Bishop of Antioch by St Peter, he remained in office for forty years until Emperor Trajan began his persecution of Christians. Ignatius was arrested on the emperor’s orders and sentenced to die in the amphitheatre in Rome. The emperor intended to kill all Christians in thanks to the pagan gods for his military victories. Ignatius was taken, bound in chains to Rome by boat, stopping at many ports on the way. Everywhere the ship docked, crowds of people came to see him as word soon spread of his holiness. During the voyage, Ignatius was treated badly by the soldiers and when he arrived in Rome he was greeted by hundreds of Christians. The soldiers escorted him straight to the amphitheatre and he was killed by two wild lions. Ignatius was a prolific writer in his time and he compiled many letters relating to the Christianity in the early Church and he also warned of the dangers of heresies. He was often referred to as Ignatius “Theophorus” meaning “God Bearer”.

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St Irenaeus. 125-203. ~ Irenaeus was born in Smyrna (which is now part of Turkey). He received a good education in his youth and when he grew up, he socialised with men who knew the Apostles and this greatly influenced him. It is said that St Polycarp was one of his acquaintances. He travelled on missionary work to Lyons in France and was made the bishop of Lyons on the death of the previous bishop.

 

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St James the Apostle. Died 42. ~ James was also known as “James the Greater” to differentiate between St James the Less, who was also an apostle of Jesus. James and his elder brother, John, the Evangelist, were born in Galilee, sons of Zebedee, a fisherman. The two brothers were both fishermen, working with their father on the Sea of Galilee. While out mending their nets one day, Jesus came and asked them to put down their nets and join him as his apostles Matthew 4:21-22 Mark 1:19-20 and Luke 5:10 James and John immediately left their work and followed him. James was included in Jesus’ inner circle of apostles along with Peter and John. Jesus called James and John “Boanerges” which means “sons of thunder”, probably because of their fiery and energetic natures.
James was with Jesus when he worked the miracle of raising a young girl from the dead Mark 5:37, at the transfiguration on Mount Tabor Mark 9:2 and in the Garden of Gethsemane Matthew 26:37-46 at the start of Jesus’ passion. After the crucifixion and ascension, James according to legend, travelled to Spain to preach. About fourteen years later, he was arrested by Herod Agrippa I and was beheaded; becoming the first of the apostles to be martyred Acts 12:1-2. He was buried in Jerusalem, but his body was translated (a word used to describe a Saint’s relics been moved from one place to another) from Jerusalem to the cathedral of Santiago de Compostella (“Sant Iago”meaning St James) in Spain which is now a pilgrimage site. He is the patron saint of Spain.
 

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St James the Less  - Apostle: shares his feast day with Philip. He is called “the Less” to distinguish him from James “the Great”. James was the son of Alpheus and Mary and he is thought to have been the first cousin of Jesus, but is sometimes referred to as “brother” of Jesus. He was the bishop of the Christians living in Jerusalem and one of Jesus’ apostles. With Philip and the other apostles, he was present in the upper room when they all experienced the Holy Spirit. James is said to have suffered a martyr’s death. Some historians say he was beaten or stoned to death, while other stories tell of him being thrown from the temple roof. A combination of the two may be true, in that, he was thrown from the roof, but on finding him still alive, he was clubbed to make sure he was dead.

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St Joachim and St Anne (Parents of Our Lady) .1st C. ~ Joachim and Anne are recognized traditionally as the parents of Mary, but little is known of their lives. They are not mentioned once in the Bible, but their names were derived from an early writing which appears in the “Apocryphal Gospel” called “Protevangelium of James”. It is mentioned in this passage that Joachim was born in Nazareth and he married Anne when both were quite young. They had a very long and happy marriage, but had no children. Once Joachim was publicly reprimanded about their childlessness so he went to the desert to pray and he fasted for forty days. Anne remained at home, praying and grieving. An angel visited her and promised she would give birth to a daughter to be called Mary and she would be the mother of Jesus. It is not known what happened after this event.

 

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St John Bosco.  1815-1888. ~ John’s family came from Piedmont in Italy. They were poor working people. His father died when John only two years old and his mother brought him up on her own. At sixteen, he wanted to be a priest and he entered the Chieri seminary to study and then undertook further study in Turin.

When he was ordained, his first appointment was working with poor and neglected boys. He excelled at this type of work and opened his own house to teach the boys a trade such as tailoring or shoemaking. His mother helped him in this venture by becoming his housekeeper. At twenty-nine, John accepted the role of chaplain of St Philomena’s hospital for girls. He brought his boys with him and housed them in a building in the grounds of the hospital. The boys became too boisterous and noisy and had to be moved away. Because of this, John resigned his post. His immediate plans were to open his own refuge for his boys and take on new ones. With his mother’s help he set up a house, workshops, a school and even built a church.

Soon his organisation had one hundred and fifty boys and another five hundred boys in centres around the country which were all looked after by ten full time priests. He personally taught religion and the boys liked and respected John, as he was a caring man, but also firm with them. The societies grew and grew and John managed to fund them by preaching for money, writing books and accepting donations.

Because he needed trained assistants he formed the “Society of St Francis de Sales” which became known as the “Salesians”. The pope approved of the society and at the time of John’s death, there were sixty-four Salesians centres all over Europe and America with over eight hundred priests employed. John also founded “The Daughters of Our Lady, Help of Christians”, centres for poor, needy girls. These houses were run by nuns led by St Mary Mazzarello.   John died in Turin in 1888 and was canonised in 1934.

 

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St John Fisher and Thomas More.  Died 1535. ~ John Fisher and Thomas More are always associated together and share the same feast day. They knew each other, but came from different backgrounds. They were executed within days of each other.
John Fisher was a Yorkshire man, born in Beverley in North Yorkshire in 1469. His father was a successful dealer in textiles. John was educated at Cambridge and became master of Michael-House and went on to be vice chancellor of Cambridge University. He studied to be a priest and was ordained at twenty-two. Later he was made bishop of Rochester, England’s smallest diocese. He was devoted to his duties and served both the university and diocese equally well. With financial help from Lady Margaret, mother of Henry VII, he revitalised the university, establishing new colleges and opening a large library. Henry VIII came on to the throne in 1509 and John got on well with him and became his friend and adviser. But it was when Henry wished to divorce Catherine of Aragon and made himself head of the Church that John could not support him and he opposed Henry’s actions. He was asked to sign an “Oath of Supremacy,” but John refused, was arrested and put in the Tower of London. After an unfair trial, John was found guilty of treason and sentenced to death. Over his last few months he had become ill and was frail and had to be helped to the place of execution. He was beheaded in 1535 and canonised in 1935.