St. Anthony of Egypt

Born in Egypt, Anthony was 20 when his parents died. Soon after inheriting the family estate, he gave away everything he owned, placed his sister in a convent and started a hermit's life in an ancient tomb near his village. Anthony endured

Debunking the myths about St. Brigid of Kildare

Catholic historian and author Phillip Campbell debunks three myths about Saint Brigid of Kildare. Visitors to the Kildare today will likely be told that the church (whose name means “church of the oak” in Gaelic) was once the site of a pre-Christian

St. Paul the Hermit

Born in Egypt, Paul was left an orphan at around the age of 15. He hid during the persecution under Emperor Decius. At the age of 22, he went to the desert to circumvent a planned effort by his brother-in-law to report

St. Hilary of Poiters

Hilary was raised as a pagan but converted to Christianity. He was elected bishop of Limonum (modern Poitiers) around 353, and shortly afterward, he emerged as the main defender of orthodoxy in the West against the Arians. Condemned for his stand by

St. Marguerite Bourgeoys

Born in Troyes, France, Marguerite had a special devotion to Our Lady. She was turned away by several religious communities, but after meeting the founder of what is now Montreal, Canada, she traveled there to open a new school. She helped teach

St. Raymond of Peñafort

Born in Spain, Raymond was already an accomplished academic and preacher when he joined the Dominicans in 1222. He authored for the order the influential manual on canon law for confessors, the Summa de Casibus Poenitentiae. Called to Rome as papal confessor

St. André Bessette

Born in Canada in 1845, André moved to the United States, where he worked as a laborer for several years. Returning to Canada, he joined the Congregation of the Holy Cross and took his final vows in 1874. Known as Brother Andre,

St. John Neumann

Born in Bohemia, Neumann studied at the University of Prague, became a noted scholar and entered religious life. He traveled to New York, where he spent several years doing missionary work. In 1842, he joined the Redemptorist order, and 10 years later,

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