St. Bridget of Ireland

St. Bridget of Ireland - Patroness of Ireland - February 1st

A Few years after St. Patrick arrived in Ireland, there was born a little girl called Bridget. Her father was and Irish lord named Duptace.

As Bridget grew up, she became holier and more pious each day. She loved the poor and would often bring food and clothing to them. One day she gave away a whole pail of milk, and then began to worry about what her mother would say. She prayed to the Lord to make up for what she had given away. When she got home, her pail was full!

Bridget was a very pretty young girl, and her father thought that it was time for her to marry. She, however, had given herself entirely to God when she was very small, and she would not think of marrying anyone. When she learned that her beauty was the reason for the attentions of so many young men, she prayed fervently to God to take it from her. She wanted to belong to Him alone. God granted her prayer. Seeing that his daughter was no longer pretty, her father gladly agreed when Bridget asked to become a Sister.

She became the first Religious in Ireland and founded a convent so that other young girls might become Sisters, When she consecrated herself to God a miracle happened. She became very beautiful again! Bridget made people think of the Blessed Mother because she was so pure and sweet, so lovely and gentle. They called her the “Mary of the Irish.”

Let us not be vain or proud of our appearance. God looks at our heart, not at our face or our clothes!

St. John Bosco

St. John Bosco - Patron of Editors and of Laborers - January 31st

St. John Bosco was born near Turin, Italy. Like many Saints, he was a poor farm lad, who was brought up by his holy mother in the love of God and Our Lady. John’s father died when he was young and his mother had to work very hard to feed her family. John, too, worked hard as he could to help his mother. He was an intelligent lad. Who knew how to keep his playmates from offending God. He would do tricks to win their attention and then he would talk to them about spiritual things.

In order to become a priest, John had to work his way through school. He did all kinds of work. He was a carpenter, a shoemaker, a cook, a pastry maker, a farmer, and many other things. At the same time he was a fine student and was always happy and cheerful.

After he became a priest, Don Bosco, which means, Father Bosco, began his great mission of helping orphan boys. He gathered together hundreds of these boys who had no home. He taught them all kinds of work, so that they would not steal and get into trouble. At first, people were angry with Don Bosco, because they did not think those boys would turn out to be good. But he proved that they would.

“Do you want to be Don Bosco’s friend?” he would ask each new boy who came to him. “You do? Then, you must help me save your soul.” Every night, he wanted the boys to say three Hail Marys, so that the Blessed Mother would help them avoid sin. He also recommended that they go to Confession and Communion as often as possible.

One of Don Bosco’s boys became a saint, St. Dominic Savio.
Later on, Don Bosco founded two Religious Orders to take care of poor children and he also built many homes and schools for them.

Let us help our parents at home as much as we can. The more things we learn to do, the better we can serve God.

St. Bathildes

St. Bathildes - January 30th

Born in England, St. Bathildes was taken to France and sold as a slave while she was still a young girl. She was bought for a very cheap price by the mayor of the Palace. As she grew older, she became very wise and virtuous. She was so gentle and good that King Clovis married her and made her Queen Bathildes. Three sons were born to her, but the King died when the oldest was still just a little boy. So, St. Bathildes ruled the Kingdom until they grew up.

She used her new honor to help the Church in every way she could. She did not become proud or unkind. Rather, this good Queen cared for the poor, forbade that Christians be made slaves, filled France with hospitals for the sick and founded a seminary and a convent.

Later she entered the convent herself. There she forgot her royal dignity and became very obedient and humble. She showed great charity to the sick. When she became ill, she suffered long and patiently until her death.

Because St. Bathildes was never selfish, she became a great saint. By sharing our things, we will make others happy and win much glory in Heaven.

St. Francis de Sales

St. Francis de Sales - Patron of Journalists - January 29th


While in school, this young Frenchman received the highest honors. His greatest joy was to be with God in prayer, and when he was given time to play, he would read the lives of the Saints and reflect on their love of God.


St. Francis gave up the chance to be a great man in the eyes of the world, for he wanted to be a priest. He wanted to become great in the eyes of God.


At that time there were many people who had lost the true faith. Francis set out to convert them. He went on foot with the Bible, a breviary and one companion, his cousin, Father Louis de Sales. Every place they went, they met people who wanted to kill them. They were insulted and made to suffer. Yet, they did not turn back. And, after four years of hard work, the Saint had converted 72, 000 souls! He gave all the credit to God, Who had given him the power to preach and convert.


St. Francis once had a very hot temper, but after praying and trying to correct his fault, he finally became a model of gentle meekness.


He became Bishop of Geneva and founded the Order of the Visitation. He also wrote wonderful books that teach everyone how to grow holy. As Bishop, he lived in a very simple house and practiced mortification. He sacrificed himself to help everyone. Once, a group of men came to ask this help. They lived in a town high in the mountains. Part of a mountain had fallen and blocked off the road leading to their town. They needed someone to go to see what had happened and then tell the King. “I’ll go at once,” saint the Saint. The men were so surprised! A bishop would come to climb over those rocks just to help them! Yes, St. Francis de Sales would do anything to help people.


After a life spent in good works, this kindly Saint died. Pope Pius IV gave him the title of Doctor of the Church.


To keep peace with everyone, we will watch our words. Those who do not sin with the tongue, says the Apostle St. James, are saints.

St. Peter Nolasco

St. Peter Nolasco - January 28th


St. Peter Nolasco was born in France. Even while he was just a boy, he found great joy in helping the poor. He loved the Blessed Virgin with all his heart and made up his mind to spend his life serving his neighbor. St. Peter felt especially sorry for all the Christians who had been dragged off as slaves by the Moslems. He prayed hard for them, and the Blessed Mother appeared to tell him to start a Religious Order to help them. She said it would please her and Jesus very much, and she would protect the new religious. When St. Peter told his Confessor, St. Raymond of Pennafort, he found that Our Lady had appeared to him, too. Together they went to tell the King, but they were surprised to learn that he, too, had seen the Blessed Mother! So, all three dedicated themselves to the new work of mercy. They promised to do all they could to free the slaves, even if they had to sacrifice their own lives.


Right from the beginning, a great number of slaves were freed, not only in Spain, but also in Africa. St. Peter was not afraid to risk his life many times to come to the rescue of the poor prisoners.


The person who sins becomes a slave of the devil. When temptations come, let us ask our Blessed Mother to help us, so that we may win over the devil and remain faithful to our Divine King.

St. John Chrysostom

St. John Chrysostom - Patron of Preachers - January 27th


St. John Chrysostom was born at Antioch. His father died when he was a baby and his good young mother did not want to marry again. She gave all her attention to bringing up her son and daughter in the holy love of God. She made many sacrifices so that John could have the best teachers. He was very intelligent and could have become a great man in the world. When he gave speeches everyone loved to listen to him. In fact, his name, Chrysostom, means “Golden-mouthed.” Yet, John wanted to give himself to God, He became a priest and later was made Bishop of the great city of Constantinople.


St. John was a wonderful bishop. Although he was always sickly, he accomplished a tremendous amount of good. He preached once or twice a every day, fed the poor, took care of orphans, corrected bad customs, and stopped bad plays from being given. He loved everyone, but he was not afraid to tell even the Empress when she did wrong.


Because he fought sin, St. John had enemies, the Empress was one. She had him sent away from Constantinople and on the trip he suffered greatly from fever, from lack of food and sleep. Yet, he was happy to suffer for Jesus and just before he died, he cried out, “Glory be to God!”


A terrible hailstorm fell on Constantinople at his death and four days later, the bad Empress died. Her son honored St. John’s body and showed how sorry he was for what his parents had done.


God sees us all the time. If we do everything well and for Him, then we do not have to be afraid of what others say or do against us.

St. Polycarp

St. Polycarp - January 26th

St. Polycarp was a beloved disciple of St. John the Evangelist. Like St. John he was good and kind to everyone, but he avoided the company of bad men. Once when someone was preaching something different from what Our Lord said, Polycarp plugged his ears! All that he learned from St. John, he taught to others. When Christians were being put to death, St. Polycarp, too, was captured. He gave a meal to the men who came to capture him and then asked them to let him pray awhile. The judge tired to make him save himself from death by cursing Jesus. “I have served Jesus eighty-six years,” answered the Saint, “and He has never done me any wrong. How can I curse my King who died for me?”

The soldiers tied St. Polycarp’s hands behind his back and placed him on a burning pile. But the fire did not harm him! One of the soldiers then stabbed a lance into his heart. And so the holy martyr went to be forever with the Divine Master he had served so well.

Let us at once break off a friendship with anyone who gives bad example, and let us keep only good friends. Their example will help us to be the kind of boys and girls Jesus wants.

The Conversion of St. Paul

The Conversion of St. Paul - January 25th


Paul was first called Saul. As a young man, he was a very bright student of the Hebrew religion. When he grew older, he persecuted the followers of Jesus in Jerusalem because he did not know Jesus was God. It was he who held the robes of men who stoned to death the first martyr, St. Stephen. But one day when he was one his way to hunt down more Christians in the city of Damascus, a great light suddenly shone all around him. As he fell from his horse, he heard a voice say, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecuted Me?”


And Saul asked, “Who art thou, Lord?”


Our Lord answered, “I am Jesus, Whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goad.


Afraid and trembling, Saul said, “Lord, what will you have me do?”


At that moment, Saul became a great lover of Jesus. After his baptism, he thought only of making everyone know and love the Lord Jesus, our Savior.


We know Saul by his Roman name of Paul. He is the great Apostle who travelled all over the world, preaching about Jesus and converting millions of people in one city after another.


He worked and suffered, and his enemies tried to take his life many times. Yet nothing could stop him from bringing souls to Christ. When he was old and tried, he was once again put in prison and sentenced to die. Still St. Paul was happy to suffer for Christ.


This great apostle wrote fourteen marvelous letters to Christians. They are in the Holy Bible. These letters, called Epistles, are read almost every morning at Holy Mass.


God asks us, too, to love Jesus very much. Do we often tell Our Lord that we love Him?

St. Timothy

St. Timothy - Patron against stomach disorders - January 24th


St. Timothy was born in Asia Minor. His father was a pagan and his mother a Hebrew. When St. Paul went to preach in his city, the lad Timothy, his mother and his grandmother all became Christians. Several years later, St. Paul came back and found Timothy now a young man, whom people said would do great things. St. Paul saw that he would make a good missionary and the young man was eager to go with him. So it was Timothy left his home and his parents to follow St. Paul, to share in his sufferings and to bring the word of God to many people. St. Timothy was the great Apostle’s beloved disciple. He was his dear son in Christ, faithful always. St. Paul once said that he had no one else like him. He went everywhere with St. Paul, until the Apostle made him Bishop of the great city of Ephesus. It was very hard for Timothy to be far away from Paul, but he made the sacrifice for the love of God. Before he was martyred, St. Paul wrote Timothy a beautiful letter from his prison cell in Rome. He encouraged him to become a saint, to read the Bible and to try to please God. He wanted him to pay no attention to busybodies, and to give good example to everyone.


As St. Paul, Timothy, too, died a martyr. He was beaten and stoned to death because he opposed the worship of false gods.


Let us not be busybodies or “chatterboxes”. Like St. Timothy, let us read holy books in order to be able to know and love God more.

St. Raymond of Pennafort

St. Raymond of Pennafort - Patron of Canonists - January 23rd


Born in Spain, St. Raymond was a relative of the King of Aragon. From childhood he had a tender love and devotion to the Blessed Mother. Raymond finished his studies at an early age, and became a famous teacher. The he gave up all his honors and entered the order of the Dominicans. St. Raymond was very humble and very close to God. He did much penance and was so good and kind that he won many sinners to God. With King James of Aragon and St. Peter Nolasco he founded the order of Our Lady of Ransom. The brave religious of this Order devoted themselves to saving poor Christians captured by the Moors.


Once he went with King James to the Island of Majorca to preach about Jesus. King James was a man of great qualities, but he let himself be ruled by passions. There on the Island, too, he was giving bad example. The Saint commanded him to send the women away. The King said he would, but he did not keep his promise. So St. Raymond decided to leave the island. The King declared he would punish any ship captain who brought the saint back to Barcelona. Putting all his trust in God, St. Raymond spread his cloak upon the water, tied up one corner of it to a stick for a sail, made the Sign of the Cross, stepped onto the cloak, and sailed along for six hours until he reached Barcelona. This miracle moved the King. He was sorry for what he had done, and became a true follower of St. Raymond.


When we have done wrong, we must be sorry at once, and make up our minds not to sin again.