Gregory (c. 540-604) was born into a prominent family. He studied law and by age 30 was mayor of Rome. He entered the Benedictine monastery, hoping to live a simple life and distributing his wealth to the poor and to monasteries.
On August 26, 1910, Mother Teresa was born Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu in Skopje, Macedonia. As a young girl she was very involved in parish activities, and her mother told her many stories of missionaries, who inspired her greatly. In 1928, at age 18, Agnes joined the missionary order of the Sisters of Loreto in Dublin, Ireland. There she was given the name Sister Mary Teresa.
Antoine-Frédéric Ozanam was born into a large family in Milan, Italy, in 1813. His parents were originally from France, and the family returned there in 1815. Frédéric believed that faith should be put into action by serving the poor. In 1833, he founded the St. Vincent de Paul Society. This is an organization that serves the poor. Today, the Society is active in 131 countries of the world and offers services such as thrift stores, home visits, food pantries, and shelters.
Peter Claver walked to the dock. He saw the ship that came from Africa. Peter saw guards outside the ship. He had to get on that boat. The guards tried to stop him, but Peter went inside anyway.
Robert was a brilliant student who put his gifts at the service of the Church. He was born in Italy in 1542, one of 10 children. His uncle was Pope Marcellus II, and Robert decided to become a Jesuit priest at a very young age.
Hildegard of Bingen is believed to have been born in 1098 in Germany. At a young age Hildegard had a very holy teacher named Jutta. From her teacher, she learned to love God and to pray. In those days, it was very natural for Hildegard to join with her teacher, Jutta, and other holy women and become a nun when she was 15 years old. Together these women prayed and worked together in their Benedictine monastery.
Christianity came to Korea in secret in the 17th century. People who traveled to foreign lands learned about Jesus and were baptized. When they returned home, they shared their faith with others. The Korean government did not allow Christians to practice their faith. The Church in Korea was led quietly by lay people for many years until priests and a bishop were brought into the country and hidden from the government. When these Church leaders were discovered, they were martyred.
Matthew, the Evangelist who wrote the Gospel that appears first in the New Testament, was different from the other Apostles. He was not a popular man. Many people felt that he was unworthy to be a chosen as a follower of Jesus. Matthew worked for the Romans as a tax collector. The Romans ruled Palestine and the Jewish people in the time of Jesus. They forced the Jewish people to pay taxes to them. Many of the tax collectors cheated the people by charging more taxes than required and keeping the extra money for themselves. The Jews considered tax collectors to be traitors.
Francesco Forgione was born in Pietrelcina, Italy, in 1887. His family and the people of his town were very religious. They celebrated festivals to honor the saints. The church bells called people to prayer many times during the day. His family attended Mass every day and prayed the Rosary each night. When a Capuchin friar visited his town to ask for donations for the friars’ ministry, Francesco knew that he wanted to become a Capuchin.
Born in 1581 in France, Vincent de Paul became a priest at the early age of 19. He became famous for his kindness and generosity.