Saints (81)
Saint Raphael the Archangel
Saint Raphael the Archangel
The cult of archangel Raphael can be traced back to the 11th century; his feast day is celebrated together with that of the archangels Michael and Gabriel. His name comes from the Hebrew “Rafa-El,” or “medicine of El [God],” the opposite of the name of the demon Asmodeus, “he who causes to perish.”
History
Raphael is the protagonist of an entire book of the Bible. The archangel accompanies Tobias, the young son of Tobit and Anna, when Tobit asks Tobias to carry out a delicate missi…
Saint Rita of Cascia
Saint Rita of Cascia (1381-1457)
The Church remembers Saint Rita on 22 May. She is known as patroness of lost causes. First a wife and exemplary mother, then an Augustinian nun, she asked Christ to share His Passion with her, and had the sign of a thorn on her forehead. Her remains are lodged in the Basilica of Cascia.
Personal Life
Margherita Lotti - “Rita” for short - was born in the small township of Roccaporena in Umbria, probably in 1371. Her parents, poor farmers and peasants, made sure she had good schoolin…
Saints Cosmas and Damian
Saints Cosmas and Damian (3rd century - 4th century)
Saints Cosmas and Damian were 3rd-century Arabian twin brothers, Christian physicians, and martyrs known as "anargyroi" (the silverless ones) because they treated patients for free. As skilled doctors and surgeons who combined faith with medicine, they are venerated as the patron saints of physicians, pharmacists, and surgeons.
Personal Lives
Cosmas and Damian appear to have been natives of Cilicia [in modern day Turkey], although in their Passio (text BHG 378) there is a statement i…
Saint Sebastian
Saint Sebastian (256-288)
St. Sebastian (died c. 288, Rome [Italy]; feast day January 20) was an early Christian saint popularized by Renaissance painters and believed to have been martyred during the persecution of Christians by the Roman emperor Diocletian. He is a patron saint of archers and athletes and of those who desire a saintly death. He was also venerated as a protector from the bubonic plague and as a patron of plague victims.
Personal Life
Saint Sebastian was born at Narbonne, in Gaul, but his…
Saint Teresa of Avila
Saint Teresa of Avila (1515-1582)
Saint Teresa of Avila lived during the time of Martin Luther, and worked to bring significant reform to the Carmelite Order. Patroness of Catholic writers, she is celebrated on October 15, and is the first woman to be proclaimed as a Doctor of the Church, along with St. Catherine of Siena.
Personal Life
The daughter of a Jewish convert and his second wife, Saint Teresa of Avila, was born on March 28, 1515. She had a happy childhood with her brothers and cousins, and was fascinated …
Saint Therese of the Child Jesus
Saint Therese of the Child Jesus (1873-1897)
Saint Thérèse of Lisieux, , whom the Church celebrates on October 1 of each year, is patroness of missionaries and of France. In 1997, Pope St. John Paul II proclaimed her a Doctor of the Church: only the third woman to receive the honor, after Sts. Catherine of Siena and Teresa of Avila.
Personal Life
Thérèse Françoise Marie Martin Alençon was born on January 2, 1873 to a couple of jewelers and watchmakers. They were deeply devout believers, “Worthy more of heaven than of Earth,” …
Saint Thomas Aquinas
Saint Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274)
St. Thomas Aquinas (c. 1225–1274) was an Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and theologian, considered one of history's most influential thinkers, known for synthesizing Aristotelian philosophy with Christian doctrine, bridging faith and reason, and authoring major works like the Summa Theologiae, becoming a saint and Doctor of the Church, and patron of Catholic education.
Personal Life
Thomas was born between 1224 and 1225 in the castle that his wealthy noble family owned at Roc…
St. Jerome
St. Jerome (347-420)
St. Jerome was a Roman Christian priest, theologian, and historian best known for translating the Bible into Latin, known as the Vulgate
Personal Life
In his Apostolic Letter Scripturae Sacrae affectus, on 30 September 2020 on the 16th centenary of the death of Saint Jerome, Pope Francis wrote: “The distinctive feature of Saint Jerome’s spirituality was undoubtedly his passionate love for the word of God entrusted to the Church in sacred Scripture. All the Doctors of the Church – par…
St. John of the Cross
St. John of the Cross (1542-1591)
Saint John of the Cross was a 16th century Spanish theologian and mystic. Together with Saint Teresa of Jesus, he reformed the Carmelite Order. He was proclaimed Doctor of the Church by Pope Pius XI in 1926 and, traditionally, is nicknamed the "Mystic Doctor". His feast-day falls on December 14th.
Personal Life
A religious vocation and the call to the Carmelite charism were clearly manifest in the life of St John. He was born Juan de Yepes Álvarez, the son of poor parents from Cast…
