St. Ambrose

St. Ambrose - Patron of Candle-Makers and Candle-Sellers - December 7th

Ambrose was the son of the Roman governor of Gaul. When his father died, his mother took her family back to Rome. She and her daughter, St. Marcellina, brought Ambrose up well. He became an outstanding lawyer and was then made Governor of Milan and the territory around it.

But by a strange event, Ambrose the Governor became Ambrose the bishop. In those days the people used to suggest to the Pope the name of the one they would like as bishop. To Ambrose’s great surprise, the people of Milan chose him! He tried to escape, but it seemed to be God’s will, so he became a priest and then Bishop of Milan.

St. Ambrose was not only a perfect model and father to his people, but also resisted all evil with amazing courage. He faced an attacking army and convinced the leader to turn back.

When the great Emperor Theodosius came from the East to save Italy from the invaders, he urged all his officers to respect the Bishop of Milan. Yet when this Emperor committed a great sin, Ambrose did not hesitate to scold him and to make him do public penance. The Emperor did not become furious and take revenge. He realized that the Saint was right and very humbly he publicly made penance for his great sin. Another time Ambrose told him that he must not stay in the sanctuary of the church, since this is the right of the sacred ministers only. The Emperor apologized and took his place outside with the other people. Ambrose had shown the world that no mere man, even if he is the ruler of an empire, is higher than the Church.

People were afraid of what would happen to Italy when Ambrose died, and when he fell sick, they begged him to pray for a longer life. The Saint replied, “I have not behaved myself among you in such a way that I should be ashamed to live longer; nor am I afraid to die, for we have a good Master.” He died on Good Friday after praying with his arms stretched out in the form of a cross for several hours.

We should always show respect and reverence for Priests. They are God’s ministers.

St. Peter Chrysologus

St. Peter Chrysologus – December 4th


Peter was born in Italy and was educated by the Bishop of his own city. Even as a young boy, Peter understood that a man is truly great only if he can control his passions and put on the spirit of Christ.


When he grew up, St. Peter was made the Archbishop of Ravenna, and he worked hard to wipe out the paganism still practiced in his diocese.


It is as a preacher that St. Peter became famous. Indeed, “Chrysologus” means “golden word.” Yet his sermons were all short, because he was afraid to tire his hearers. Besides that, these sermons are not especially unusually unusual or beautiful in style. But St. Peter’s message was more valuable than gold, and he preached with such enthusiasm and fire that people listened to him breathlessly.


In his sermons, St. Peter urged everyone to receive Jesus often in Holy Communion, so that the Body of the Lord might be the daily food for their souls.


This good Archbishop also worked for the unity of all the members of the Catholic Church. He tried to prevent heresies and to keep peace.


For his wonderful sermons, so rich in teaching, Pope Benedict XIII made St. Peter a Doctor of the Church.


I will pray for preachers and I will listen to the Sunday sermon with attention.

St. John of the Cross

St. John of the Cross – November 24th

John was born in Spain and was the son of a poor weaver. He went to school for poor children and became a servant to the director of a hospital. For seven years, John worked as a servant while also studying at a Jesuit college. Even as a youth, he liked to do penance, and when he was twenty-one, his love of God prompted him to enter the Carmelite Order.

With St. Teresa of Avila, St. John was chosen by God to bring a new spirit of fervor among religious. But his life was full of trials. Although he succeeded in opening new monasteries where his holy way of life was practiced, he himself was criticized and even thrown into prison. He was beaten and made to suffer terribly by his enemies. At one time, too, he had fierce temptations. God seemed to have left him alone, and he suffered greatly.

Yet when these storms of trouble passed, the Lord rewarded his faithful servant by giving him deep peace and joy of heart. John was very close to his God. In fact, the Blessed Mother herself showed John how to escape from his prison cell!

St. John had a marvellous way with sinners. Once when a beautiful but sinful woman tried to make him do wrong, he talked to her so well that she was led to change her life. Another lady, instead, had such a sharp temper that she was nicknamed “the terrible.” Yet St. John knew how to calm her down by his kind manners.

Every time he could, this Saint chose what would bring him the most suffering. He prayed God to let him suffer every day for love of Jesus, and in reward, Our Lord revealed Himself to St. John in a special way.

St. John is famous for his spiritual books which show us how to grow close to God.

Today, if I have something to suffer, I will be patient.

St. Albert the Great

St. Albert the Great - Patron of Scientists - November 15th

This Saint was born in a castle on the Danube River in Swabia. He went to the University of Padua and there he decided to become a Dominican. His uncle tried to persuade him not to enter, but Albert entered anyway, as God wanted. His father, the Count of Bollstadt, was very angry, and it was thought that might make Albert come out. The young monk was moved to another monastery, however, and his father did not pursue him.

St. Albert loved to study. He especially was interested in natural sciences-physics, geography, biology, and so forth-and of course in the study of religion and the Holy Bible. He used to go out to watch the ways of animals and write down what he saw, just as scientists do today. He wrote a great number of books on these subjects, as also on philosophy, and was a very popular teacher in different schools.

One of St. Albert’s pupils was the great St. Thomas Aquinas, and when Thomas died, St. Albert learned of it directly from God. He had guided St. Thomas in beginning his great works in Philosophy and Theology and he defended his teachings after Thomas died.

As he grew older, St. Albert grew more holy. Before, he had expressed his deep thoughts in his writings. Now he expressed them in tears, in his whole way of living for God.

Two years before his death, St. Albert’s memory failed him and his end came very peacefully while he was sitting in his chair with his fellow Dominicans. St. Albert is the Patron Saint of students and natural sciences.

I will try to force myself to study well, especially my religious subjects.

St. Augustine

St. Augustine - Patron of Theologians, Printers and Brewers - August 28th

This famous son of St. Monica was born in Africa and spent many years of his life in wicked living and false beliefs. Though he was one of the most intelligent men who ever lived and though he had been brought up a Christian, his sins of impurity and his pride darkened his mind so much that he could not see or understand the divine truth any more.

Through the prayers of his holy mother and the marvelous preaching of St. Ambrose, Augustine finally became convinced that Christianity was the one true religion. Yet he did not become a Christian then, because he thought he could never live a pure life. One day, however, he heard about two men who had suddenly been converted on reading the life of St. Antony, and he felt terribly ashamed of himself. “What are we doing?” he cried to his friend Alipius. “Unlearned people are taking Heaven by force, while we, with all our knowledge, are so cowardly that we keep rolling around in the mud of our sins!”

Full of bitter sorrow, Augustine flung himself out into the garden and cried out to God, “How long more, O Lord? Why does not this hour put an end to my sins?” Just then he heard a child singing, “Take up and read!” Thinking that God intended him to hear those words, he picked up the book of the Letters of St. Paul, and read the first passage his gaze fell on. It was just what Augustine needed for in it St. Paul says to put away all impurity and to live in imitation of Jesus. That did it! From then on, Augustine began a new life.

He was baptized, became a priest, a bishop, a famous Catholic writer, Founder of religious priests, and one of the greatest Saints that ever lived. He became very devout and charitable, too. On the wall of his room he had the following sentence written in large letters: “Here we do not speak evil of anyone.” St. Augustine overcame strong heresies, practiced great poverty and supported the poor, preached very often, and prayed with great fervor right up until his death. “Too late have I loved You!” he once cried to God, but with his holy life he certainly made up for the sins he committed before his conversion.

Thinking over the lives of the Saints, we should tell ourselves, “Can you not do what these men and women did?” Certainly we can, if we pray and strengthen our will.

St. Bernard of Clairvaux

St. Bernard of Clairvaux - Patron of Candle-Makers and Candle-Sellers - August 20th

Bernard was a handsome young French noble whose heart was broken when his mother died. He was just seventeen then and he might have let sadness get the best of him had it not been for his lively sister Humbeline. She cheered him up and soon Bernard became a very popular man, for he was not only good-looking and brilliant, but also a lover of fun, good-humored and very likeable.

Yet one day, Bernard greatly surprised his friends by telling them he was going to join the very strict Cistercian Order. They did all they could to make him give up the idea, but in the end, it was Bernard who convinced his four brothers, an uncle, and twenty-six of his friends to join him! As Bernard and his brothers left their home, they said to their little brother Nivard, who was playing with other children: “Good-bye, little Nivard! You will now have all the lands and property for yourself!” But the youngster answered: “What! Will you take Heaven and leave me the earth? Do you call that fair?” And not too long after, Nivard, too, joined his brothers in the monastery.

St. Bernard became a very good monk. To keep fervent, he would ask himself every morning: “Why did you come here?” This question spurred him on to become a Saint. After three years, Bernard was sent to start a new Cistercian monastery and to be its Abbot. He and his monks lived such good and heroic lives for God that over a hundred men soon joined them. Although the Saint would have liked to stay working and praying in his monastery, he was called to preach, to make peace between rulers, to advise the Popes, and to write beautiful spiritual books. He became the most famous man of his time, yet Bernard’s great desire was to go to Heaven.

This Saint had a great devotion to the Blessed Mother and often greeted her with a “Hail Mary” when he passed her statue. One day, the Blessed Mother returned his greeting: “Hail, Bernard!” In this way, Our Lady showed how much his love and devotion pleased her.

Let us ask ourselves every day, “Why did God make us?” Then let us say the answer slowly, “God made us o know, love and serve Him in this world, and to share His eternal happiness in Heaven.”

St. Alphonsus de Liguori

St. Alphonsus de Liguori - August 2nd

Alphonsus was born in Italy and did so well in his studies that when he was still a teen-ager, he was given his degree in law and became a famous lawyer. He enjoyed going to stage shows for a while, but only for the music. To make sure he would not sin, he used to take off his glasses as soon as the show began. Since he was near-sighted, he could see nothing of the bad shows and just enjoyed the music!

A mistake he made in court convinced Alphonsus of what he had already thought-he should give up his law practice and become a priest. His father tried to persuade him not to do it, but Alphonsus laid his sword on our Lady’s alter to show that he was giving up the world for God. His life as a priest was full of activity. He preached, he wrote many books, he started his congregation of priests called Redemptorists, he guided souls, he wrote hymns and even found time to paint pictures.

St. Alphonsus took a vow never to waste time and he kept it until he died, at the age of ninety-one. That is how he was able to write about sixty books, although he was always busy and often very sick. Sometimes his head ached so badly that he would hold a piece of cold marble against it and keep on writing.

Although he was naturally inclined to act quickly from anger to pride, St. Alphonsus kept strict control over himself and acted only and always for God. He had become so humble that when the Pope made him bishop, he handed the announcement back to the messengers who had brought it, saying, “Please do not come back again to call me ‘Most Illustrious Lord.’ That would kill me!” But the Pope would not take “no” for an answer and made him a bishop. St. Alphonsus sent many preachers all over his diocese, which was in a bad condition, and he told them to give simple sermons. “I never preached a sermon that the simplest old women in the church could not understand,” he said.

When he was very old, crippled, deaf, and almost blind, the Saint had to suffer terrible disappointments and temptations. But he had great devotion to the Blessed Mother, as we know from his famous book called the Glories of Mary, and the trial were followed by great peace, joy and a holy death.

Let us increase our devotion to the Blessed Mother. St. Alphonsus write, “Whoever has devotion to Mary will save his soul; whoever has a great devotion to Mary will become a saint.”

Some good books of and by St. Alphonsus de Liguori:

St. Alphonsus Liguori

By: Rev. D. F.Miller & Rev. L. X. Aubin - https://www.tanbooks.com/index.php/page/shop:flypage_gr/product_id/275/

Uniformity with God's Will

By: St. Alphonsus Liguori

https://www.tanbooks.com/index.php/page/shop:flypage_gr/product_id/113/

The Way of the Cross - Liguori

By: St. Alphonsus Liguori

https://www.tanbooks.com/index.php/page/shop:flypage_gr/product_id/267/

St. Bonaventure

St. Bonaventure - July 14th

Bonaventure’s name means “good luck”, and it is said that St. Francis of Assisi gave it to him when he was a baby, after curing him from a serious sickness. Bonaventure became a Franciscan and left his own country of Italy to study at the University of Paris. He became a learned writer and such a great lover of God that he was called the “Seraphic Doctor.”

One of Bonaventure’s famous friends was St. Thomas Aquinas. Thomas asked him one day where he got all the beautiful things he wrote. St. Bonaventure took his friend by the hand and led him to his desk. Pointing to the large crucifix which always stood on the desk, he said, “Look! It is He Who tells me everything. He is my only Teacher.” Another time, when Bonaventure was writing the life of St. Francis of Assisi, he was so full of fervor that St. Thomas exclaimed: “Let us leave a Saint to write the Saint!”

St. Bonaventure always kept himself humble, even though his books made him famous. The Pope wanted him to become an Archbishop, but Bonaventure begged to be excused from the honor. He did accept the office of Superior of the Franciscans because he knew it was God’s will. Then, later on, another Pope commanded him to become a Cardinal, and he sent two messengers to present him with the red hat that is given only to Cardinals. The Pope’s messengers found the Saint washing dishes in one of the monasteries! Since his hands were greasy, he asked them to hang the hat on a tree branch, and to be patient with him until he finished the dishes. Then he dried his hands and sorrowfully went out to accept the new honor. As a Cardinal, St. Bonaventure was a great help to the Pope, Blessed Gregory X. It was said, “No one ever saw Bonaventure without feeling great respect and affection for him, because he was gentle, polite, humble, pleasing to all, prudent, pure, and virtuous in every way.”

“Jesus is my only Teacher,” said St. Bonaventure. We, too, should have a crucifix on our desk, or in our own room and turn often to Jesus for light and for strength.

St. Ephrem

St. Ephrem - June 18th

Ephrem was born in Mesopotamia. He was not baptized until he was eighteen, but right afterwards he could think of nothing but leading a holy life. The thought of appearing before God after death to be judged made him tremble and he wanted to prepare for that judgment by living well. He was naturally quick to become angry, but he gained such a control over himself that people thought of him as a very calm man.

Ephrem became a hermit in a cave near the city of Edessa in Syria. His clothes were just patched rags and he ate only enough to keep alive. His chief work all this time was the writing of spiritual books. So holy and beautiful are these books that St. Ephrem is given the title of “Doctor of the Church.”

He often went to preach in Edessa, and people cried when he spoke about God’s judgment. Because he thought he was a great sinner, he wept all his life for the slight sins he had committed as a child. When St. Bazil met him and asked if he were Ephrem, the famous servant of Jesus, St. Ephrem said, “I am Ephrem who walks unworthily on the way of salvation.” Then he asked and received from St. Bazil much advice on how to live his spiritual life in the best way possible.

St. Ehprem is also called the “Harp of the Holy Ghost,” Because he wrote many beautiful hymns. These hymns were very popular and as people sang them, they learned much about the Faith. In this way, too, Ephrem saved them from falling into heresy.

So humble was this Saint that in his last sickness, he said to his friends: “When I die, treat my body without any respect, in order to show what I am.”

We, too, will be judged after our death. But if we think of our judgment now, we will prepare for it with a good life.

St. Basil the Great

St. Basil the Great - Patron of Hospital Administrators - June 14th

Basil was born in Asia Minor. His grandmother, father, mother, two brothers and a sister are all saints. He was an excellent student and then a teacher, but his sister, St. Macrina, advised him to give up his high place in the world to become a monk. He settled in a wild spot and there founded his first monastery. The rule he gave his monks was so wise that monasteries in the East have followed it down to our own times. Yet Basil himself was called from his monastery to become an archbishop and a great champion of the true Faith against the Arian heretics.

When the Emperor sent one of his officials, a prefect, to make Basil stop preaching against the Arian heresy, he found he could get nowhere with the Saint. “Are you crazy?” the prefect answered. “Are you not afraid of the Emperor’s anger, or exile, or death?” “No,” said St. Basil. “A man who has nothing does not have to be afraid of losing anything. And you cannot exile me, because the whole earth is my home. As for death, it would be a kindness. One blow would end my life and my sufferings together.” The prefect could not believe his ears. “Never before has anyone dared to talk to me like this,” he said. St. Basil answered, “Perhaps you have not had much to do with Christian bishops!”

The Emperor tried three times to write an order for the exile of the Saint, but each time the pen split in his hand.

Basil always found time to help the poor. He grew very angry with selfish people who refused to give to those in need. “You say you do not have enough for yourselves,” he once exclaimed. “Yet while your tongue makes excuses, your hand accuses you. That ring shinning on you finger declares you to be a liar!” He wanted poor people themselves to help those worse off. “Give your last loaf to the beggar at your door,” he urged, “and trust in God’s goodness.”

We will never be ashamed of being devout and showing our Faith with such actions as blessing ourselves every time we pass a Catholic Church.

St. Anthony of Padua

St. Anthony of Padua - Patron of Finding Articles and of the Poor - June 13th

This very popular saint was born in Portugal and the name given him at Baptism was Ferdinand. At the age of fifteen, he entered the Augustinian Order and spent all his time in prayer and study.

When he was twenty-five, he heard about some Franciscans who had been martyred by the Moors in China. From then on, Ferdinand felt a strong desire to die for Christ. He joined the Franciscans, who had been founded only a little while before, and took the name of Anthony. Then he went off to Africa to preach to the Moors. But he soon became so sick that he had to leave. No one in his new Order knew what a brilliant mind he had, because he kept his talents hidden. So he was sent to a lonely hermitage in Italy, and there he washed pots and pans and did other humble chores.

Our Lord, however, wanted St. Anthony to save many souls by preaching. One day, at a gathering of many priests, it was suddenly discovered that there was no preacher! Anthony was told to get up and give the sermon as best he could. How amazed everyone was when he preached a marvelous sermon, full of wise and holy thoughts! From then on, until he died nine years later, St. Anthony preached all over Italy. He was so popular that people even closed their stores to go to hear him. Often the churches could not hold the crowds and then he would preach out in the open. Heretics, criminals, and sinners of every kind were converted.

Anthony was short and rather plump, but he had such virtue and such a love for sinners that just the sight of him was enough to make many repent and confess their sins.

So many miracles have taken place and so many people have obtained favors by praying to him that St. Anthony is famous as the “Wonder-worker.”

The statue of St. Anthony shows him with Baby Jesus. This is because once the Holy Child appeared to the Saint. Other pictures show him holding a Bible because he knew and loved the Word of God very much.

Like St. Anthony, let us love to pray and work unseen. In this way, we shall not become proud, and God will reward every prayer we say and everything we do for love of Him.

St. Bede the Venerable

St. Bede the Venerable - May 27th

This English priest is famous not only as a Saint, but also as a writer of history. St. Bede loved the Holy Bible very much. He tells us that it was a joy for him to study the Bible, teach it, and write about it.

When sickness forced him to stay in bed, his pupils came to study by his bedside. He kept on teaching them and working on his translation of St. John’s Gospel in English. Many people could now read Latin and he wanted them to be able to read the words of Jesus in their own language. “I do not want my pupils to read false things,” he said.

As he grew worse, St. Bede was happy that he was about to go back to God. His brothers in the monastery wept when he told them that they would not see him again on earth. The Saint kept on working, even though he was dying. At last, the boy who was doing the writing for him said, “There is still one sentence, dear Master, which is not written down.” “Write it quickly,” answered the Saint. When the boy said, “It is finished,” the Saint said, “Good! You are right-it is finished. Now hold my hand so that I may have the happiness to sit facing the place where I used to pray and there call upon my Heavenly Father.” So it was that St. Bede died right after he had sung the “Glory be to the Father.”

Let us not lose time. Our Lord will not reward us for bragging, but for the good deeds we do.

St. Robert Bellarmine

St. Robert Bellarmine - Patron of Catechists - May 13th

Robert was born in Italy. As a boy, he was not much interested in playing games. He liked to spend his playtime in repeating to his younger brothers and sisters the sermons he had heard and in explaining the lessons in catechism to the little farm children of the neighborhood. Once he had made his first Holy Communion, he used to receive Jesus every Sunday.

Robert’s father hoped to make a famous gentleman out of his son. For this reason, he wanted him to study many subjects and music and art, too. Whenever a song had words that were not nice, Robert would make up holy words of his own. “My voice is no good for singing things that are not pure,” he would say.

It was his great desire to become a Jesuit priest, but his father had quite different plans for him. For a whole year, Robert worked to persuade his father and at last, when he was eighteen, he was permitted to enter the Jesuits. As a young Jesuit, he did very well in his studies and was sent to preach even before he became a priest. When one good women first saw such a young man, not even a priest yet, going up into the pulpit to preach, she knelt down to pray that he would not become frightened and stop in the middle. When he finished his sermon, she stayed kneeling, but now she was thanking God for the magnificent sermon this brilliant preacher had given!

St. Robert Bellarmine became a famous writer, preacher and teacher. He wrote thirty-one important books. Three hours every day he spent in prayer. Because of his great knowledge of sacred matters, he was declared a Doctor of the Church. Yet, even when he had become a Cardinal, he considered the catechism so important, that he himself taught it to his household and to the people.

Let us not miss through our own fault even one religion class, and let us make up our minds to get the best marks in this subject.

St. Gregory Nazianzen

St. Gregory Nazianzen - May 9th

Gregory was born in Cappodocia. His parents were Saints: St. Nonna and St. Gregory the Elder. As soon as he was born, his mother took him to church to off her to God. At the same time, to sanctify his hands, she touched them to the Holy Bible. As soon as he was old enough, he was given the Bible to read and meditate on. Gregory was sent to the best schools and he studied hard.

At the famous school of Athens in Greece, he met a wonderful student, Basil, who became St. Basil! These two very close friends spent years happily studying together. They respected everyone, but they never went with anyone who did not behave as he should. In the midst of many dangers, they kept themselves pure.

Later, they both became priests and then bishops. Gregory was such a wonderful preacher that great crowds, and even heretics and pagans, came to hear him. They clapped loud and long after his speeches, and this he did not like, because, although he was very learned, he was also very humble.

While he was Bishop of Constantinople, Gregory converted many heretics with his sermons. Because of this, the heretics persecuted him and even tried to take away his life. A young man offered to carry out this murder, but at the last minute, he felt great remorse and threw himself at the Saint’s feet. With great sorrow he confessed his evil intention. The Saint forgave him at once and won him with his gentleness. This was, in fact, his motto: “Let us show our enemies what we have learned at the feet of Jesus. We must overcome them by gentleness.”

Let us do our best never to be the cause of fights or arguments. And let us be kind and patient when other start trouble.

St. Athanasius

St. Athanasius - May 2nd


Athanasius was an Egyptian who devoted his life to proving that Jesus is truly God against the Arians who denied it. Even before he was ordained a priest, he had read so many books on the Faith that he easily could point out the mistakes in the false teachings of the Arians.


For forty-six years, he was Archbishop of the great city of Alexandria in Egypt. Four Roman emperors could not make him stop writing his clear and beautiful explanations of our holy Faith. His enemies persecuted him in every way and sent him into exile many times.


Once they were chasing him down the Nile River. “They are catching up to us!” cried the Saint’s friends. Athanasius was not worried. “Turn the boat around,” he said, “and row towards them.” The men from the other boat shouted, “Have you seen Athanasius?” Back came the answer: “You are not far from him!” The enemy boat sped on faster than ever, and the Saint was safe!


Because the people of Alexandria so loved their good Archbishop, who was a real father to them, they saw to it that he spent the last seven years of his life safe with them. The enemies of the true Faith could not harm him, and he died in peace.


Let us never let the teasing or laughter of our companions stop us from doing what is right. God sees us and He will reward us in Heaven for every good act.

St. Peter Canisius

St. Peter Canisius - Patron of Germany - April 27th

Peter was a Dutchman whose father wanted him to be a lawyer. To please him, young Peter began to study law after he had finished all his other studies. Soon enough, however, he realized that he would never be happy in that life. About that time, people all over were talking about the wonderful preaching of Blessed Peter Faber, who was one of the first members of the Jesuit order. When Peter Canisius listened to him, he knew he, too, would be happy serving God as a Jesuit. So he entered, and after more years of study and prayer, he was ordained a priest.

The great St. Ignatius soon realized what an obedient and zealous apostle St. Peter Canisius was. He sent him to Germany where Peter labored for forty years.

It would be hard to name all St. Peter Canisius’ great works, prayers and sacrifices to save many cities of Germany from heresy and to bring back to the Catholic Church those who had accepted false teachings. It is said that he traveled about twenty thousand miles in thirty years, sometimes on foot and sometimes on horseback.

In spite of all this, St. Peter Canisius still found time to write many books on the Faith. He realized how important books are. So he made a campaign to stop bad books from being sold. And he did all he could to spread good books to teach the Faith. The two catechisms St. Peter Canisius wrote were so popular that they were printed over two hundred times and were translated into fifteen languages.

To those who said he worked too hard, St. Peter Canisius would answer, “If you have too much to do, with God’s help, you will find time to do it all.”

Most of the wrong ideas on our Faith are the result of not knowing enough about it. Let us often take out books from our school or parish library so that we will know our holy Faith well and be able to explain it to others.

St. Anselm

St. Anselm - April 21st

Anselm was born in northern Italy. From his home, you can see the high mountains called the Alps. When Anselm learned from his mother that God is in Heaven, he loved to look up at the very tops of those mountains. Since he was a little boy then, he thought that the mountains were like ladders leading up to the palace of the King of Heaven.

When Anselm was fifteen, he tried to enter a monastery, but his father was against it. Then Anselm became sick and not long after he got better, his mother died. He was still young and rich and clever, and soon he forgot about wanting to serve God. He began to think only of having good times.

Yet, after a while, Anselm became bored with this way of life. He wanted something better, something more important. So he went to visit the holy Abbot Lanfranc of the great monastery of Bec. He became Lanfranc’s very close friend and the and the holy abbot brought him close to God. He also helped Anselm decide to become a monk.

Three years later, Anselm was made the superior. He was a very warm-hearted man who were jealous of him at first became his friends. When he had to leave them to become Archbishop of the great diocese of Canterbury in England, he told them that they would always live in his heart.

The people of England loved and respected Anselm very much. However, the king at this time was the wicked William Rufus. This king persecuted the Saint in every way and even forbade him to go to Rome to ask the Pope’s advice. But Anselm went anyway, and stayed with the Pope until the king died. Then he went back to his diocese in England.

Even in the midst of his many duties, St. Anselm always found time to write important books of philosophy and theology. To please his monks, he also wrong down the many wonderful instructions he had given them about God. He used to say: “Would you like to know the secret of being happy in the monastery is a real Heaven on earth for those who live only for Jesus.”

Let us realize that just having a lot of fun will not make us happy. True happiness can only be found in loving God and helping our neighbor.

St. Leo the Great

St. Leo the Great - April 11th

St. Leo was Roman, At the death of Pope Sixtus, he became Pope.

Those were hard times for the Church because there were barbarian armies attacking Christians in many places and there were many people spreading errors about the Faith. But St. Leo was one of the greatest Popes there ever was. He was absolutely unafraid of anything of anyone. He had great trust in the help of the first Pope, St. Peter the Apostle.

To stop the spread of the false teachings, St. Leo explained the true Faith with his famous writings. He called a council to condemn the wrong doctrines. Those who would not give up their heresy were put out of the Church. Those who were sorry, the Saint received back into the Church and asked people to pray with him for them.

When a great army of barbarians called Huns came to attack the city of Rome, all the people were filled with fear. They knew that the Huns had already burned many cities. To save Rome, St. Leo rode out to meet the terrible enemy leader, Attila. The only weapon he had was his great trust in God! When they met, something wonderful happened. Attila, the cruel pagan leader, showed the Pope great honor, and made a treaty of peace with him. Attila said afterwards that he had seen two mighty figures standing by the Pope while he spoke! These were the great Apostles Peter and Paul, sent by God to protect Pope Leo and the Christians.

Because of his humility and charity, Pope Leo was loved by all. He was Pope for twenty-one years.

We will pray more often for our Holy Father and the Church all over the world.

St. John Damascene

St. John Damascene – March 27th


St. John was born in the city of Damascus of a good Christian family. When his father died, he became the Governor of Damascus. At this time, the Emperor Leo made the law forbidding Christians to have statues or pictures of Our Lord and the Saints. St. John Damascene knew the Emperor was wrong and he joined with many others to defend this practice of the Christians. The Pope himself asked John to keep telling people that it is a good thing to have statues and holy pictures. They make us thing of Our Lord, our Blessed Mother and the Saints. But the Emperor would not give in to the Holy Father, and he again forbade statues to be put in public places. St. John bravely wrote three letters, telling the Emperor to give up his wrong ideas.


The Emperor became so furious that he wanted revenge. The Saint was condemned to have his right hand cut off, but the Blessed Mother attached it to his arm again in answer to his prayer.


This miracle made John decide to resign as Governor, give away all his money to the poor and become a monk. He kept on writing marvellous books to defend the Catholic religion, and at the monastery. One day he even went to sell baskets in the streets of Damascus. Many of those who had known him before were mean enough to laugh at him. Here was the man who had once been the great Governor of the city now selling baskets that nobody wanted to buy! Imagine how St. John must have suffered! Yet he thought of Jesus, the Son of God, Who wanted to be born in a stable, and then he felt happy to imitate Our Lord’s humility.


At the end of a long life full of merits, St. John died a peaceful, happy death.


Do we have nice pictures or statues of Our Lord, the Blessed Mother, and the Saints? Let us look at them often. They will remind us to pray to them an ask their help.

St. Cyril of Jerusalem

St. Cyril of Jerusalem - March 18th

St. Cyril was born in Jerusalem and at the age of thirty was ordained a priest. He was given the duty of instructing the preparing the people for baptism. Cyril taught in a very clear, simple way that everyone could understand. He often repeated the words of the Holy Bible. Because the words of the Bible are the words of God, they move peoples hearts.

When the Bishop died, Cyril was chosen to take his place. Not long after he became Bishop of Jerusalem, a bright cross appeared in the sky. It was two miles long and reached from Mt. Calvary, where Jesus died, to Mt. Olivet, where Jesus suffered the Agony in the Garden. Perhaps this was a sign of the great persecutions the Church had to suffer in this period.

In St. Cyril’s time, the Emperor Julian, who had given up his Christian faith, said that Jesus had been wrong when He declared that the temple of Jerusalem would not be rebuilt. He decided to try to prove it. So he spent much money and sent all the materials for a new temple. Many people helped by giving jewels and precious metals. Yet St. Cyril was sure that the temple could not be built, because Jesus, Who is God, said so. And sure enough, first a storm, then an earthquake and finally a fire stopped the Emperor, and those with him had given up. God had put an end to their wicked plan!

Let us make up our minds never to read or to listen to anything which is different from what Jesus and His holy Church teach us.