Born in London, Thomas was a clerk to Archbishop Theobald of Canterbury. He studied canon law and was ordained a deacon. His support of Henry II’s claim to England’s throne led to his appointment as royal chancellor. He was then named Theobald’s
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,
A Galilean, John was the son of Zebedee and brother of James the Greater. He was a fisherman, who along with Peter and James, became a member of the inner circle around Jesus. John was present at the Transfiguration and the Agony
The first martyr for the Christian faith, Saint Stephen was chosen as one of the seven deacons by the apostles. He was ordained with the mission of laboring among the poor. His story is recounted in the Acts of the Apostles. Stephen
Born in the Netherlands, Peter was educated at Cologne and Mainz, where he studied theology. In 1543, he joined the Society of Jesus and founded a Jesuit community in Cologne. He was well known for his preaching, his defense of Catholic doctrine,
Pope Francis advanced eight sainthood causes Dec. 14, including the cause of St. Gianna Beretta Molla's brother, Capuchin Father Alberto Beretta, who died three years before St. John Paul II canonized his sister.
Born in Spain, John entered the Carmelite order and was ordained in 1567. He found the Carmelites to be suffering excessive laxity, so he joined forces with St. Teresa of Avila to reform the order. He encountered severe opposition to these reforms
Born in Sicily to a noble Roman family, Lucy was a young child when her father died. Her mother raised her in the Christian faith. Spurning marriage and worldly goods, Lucy vowed to remain a virgin in the tradition of St. Agatha.
In 1531, the Virgin Mary appeared to the Mexican peasant Juan Diego on Tepeyac Hill near Mexico City. She instructed Juan to ask the bishop to build a church on the site, but the bishop requested a sign. Our Lady had Juan
A reader shares that the courtyard of his parish is lined with numerous beautiful life-size bronze statues of Christ, the Holy Mother, past popes and numerous saints. He asks: “Every week I notice various anonymous ‘offerings’ such as rosaries, flowers, etc., in