1580 – 1623 Josaphat, an Eastern Rite bishop, is held up as a martyr to church unity because he died trying to bring part of the Orthodox Church into union with Rome. In 1054, a formal split called a schism…
Patron of Soldiers When Sulpicius Severus first met Martin of Tours he was stunned. Not only did the bishop offer him hospitality at his residence — a monk’s cell in the wilderness instead of a palace — but Martin…
The Church’s Mission in Jerusalem • Previous • Acts of Apostles Lessons List • Next Beloved heavenly Father, On the Jewish feast of Pentecost in 30 AD, You rained down upon Jesus’ disciples the baptismal fire of Your Holy Spirit, signifying the birth…
Patron of political prisoners, imprisoned people, prisoners of war, and captives, women in labour, as well as horses Died: 559 According to unreliable sources, he was a Frank courtier who was converted by St. Remigius, refused the offer of a…
Prologue and The Preparation for the Church’s Mission Lord, Your mission statement to the Church to carry the Gospel of salvation to the ends of the earth is the same mission that every professing Christian accepts in the Sacrament of…
Not much information is known about Elizabeth, but she has the distinction of being one of the first to know about Mary’s great blessing as the Mother of God. Zachary was a priest in Jerusalem whose wife, Elizabeth, Mary’s…
Patron of learning and the arts. Died: 1584 Charles was the son of Count Gilbert Borromeo and Margaret Medici, sister of Pope Pius IV. He was born at the family castle of Arona on Lake Maggiore, Italy on October 2.…
Feastday: November 3 Patron of Barbers Died: 1639 St. Martin de Porres was born at Lima, Peru, in 1579. His father was a Spanish gentleman and his mother a coloured freed-woman from Panama. At fifteen, he became a lay brother…
Feastday: November 2 Died: 304 Bishop and martyr. Originally a Greek, he became bishop of Pettau, in Pannonia (later Styria, Austria). He was martyred during the persecutions of Emperor Diocletian (r. 284-305). Victorinus was also the author of several biblical…
Feastday: November 1 Died: 1861 Canonized By: Pope John Paul II Bishop and martyr of Vietnam. A native of Ellorio, Spain, he entered the Dominican Order and was sent to the Philippines. From there he went to Vietnam in 1858,…