Saints Perpetual and Felicity are best known for their joy and calm amid terror and horrendous suffering. Together with other companions, they were imprisoned for their Christian faith when the governor of Carthage enforced an edict by the Roman emperor forbidding conversion
Christians who never renounce their love for Christ and are faithful to the point of death are a blessing for everyone, Pope Francis said.
"There will always be martyrs among us. This is a sign that we're on the right path," the pope
The Albanian cardinal who endured decades of imprisonment, torture and forced labor during his country's crackdown against religion is a "living martyr" who continues to serve Christ at 95 years old, Pope Francis said.
"Today, allow me to greet in a special way
St. Paul Miki is the foremost martyr remembered of the 26 Jesuits, Franciscans and Secular Franciscans who literally died like Christ on February 5, 1597 on a hill near Nagasaki, Japan. A Jesuit novice, St. Paul Miki together with his companions was
BROOKLYN, N.Y. (OSV News) -- Data shows that Christian persecution is on the rise globally -- but that repression remains largely overlooked in the news cycle, one expert told OSV News. "It is important to … remember persecuted Christians in many countries
The Holy Innocents were male infants of the town of Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus, whose deaths were recorded in Matthew 2:1-18. They were put to death by King Herod the Great after the Magi from the East visited the baby Jesus,
On the feast of St. Stephen, the first Christian martyr, Pope Francis prayed for people persecuted for their faith or denigrated for living a life marked by Gospel values.
"I am close to the Christian communities that suffer discrimination, and I ask them
KINSHASA, Congo (OSV News) -- An elderly Salesian missionary priest was killed Dec. 12 in Congo under unclear circumstances. Father Léopold (Pol) Feyen, 82, was found dead in his room in Masina, a municipality in the province of the capital, Kinshasa. Some
Have you ever wondered about those weekday feasts between Christmas and New Year's Day? They include two martyrs—St. Stephen and St. Thomas Becket—and the Holy Infants who lost their lives to Herod’s vicious pursuit of Christ. They also include the Apostle John,
St. Andrew Dung-Lac was among the 117 martyrs of Vietnam killed by government officials during persecutions in the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. The group consisted of 96 Vietnamese and 21 foreign missionaries; the martyrs were bishops, priests and laypeople. They endured