Basil Moreau was born in 1799, near the end of the French Revolution, a conflict that lasted for ten years and during which time the Church was often suppressed. But Basil’s family was very religious. They prayed together as a family and attended Mass every week.
Iwene Tansi was born in Nigeria, Africa, in 1903. His parents were not Christians, but they sent Iwene to a school run by Catholic missionaries. There he learned about Jesus and made the decision to become a follower of Christ. He received the name Michael when he was baptized.
Laura was born in Santiago, Chile, in 1891. Her father was a soldier. When civil war broke out, her father took Laura and her mother to another town across the mountains in Argentina so that they would be safe. Laura’a father died when she was only two years old.
William Joseph Chaminade was the 14th child born to his parents, and three of his brothers became priests. So it was not a great surprise that he decided to follow that path. He was ordained a priest in 1785. When the French Revolution began, he refused to take an oath that denied the authority of the Catholic Church. Instead, he risked his life by serving as a priest in secret.
Maria Domenica Mantovani was born in 1862 in a small Italian village. Two things were always important to Maria: her love for God and her desire to help others. Her parish priest, Blessed Giuseppe Nascimbeni, encouraged her to teach religion classes to younger children, visit the sick, and join in parish activities. Maria asked our Blessed Mother Mary to guide her in all that she did.
María Domenica Mantovi nació en 1862 en una pequeña villa italiana. Dos cosas siempre fueron importante para María: su amor por Dios y su deseo de ayudar a los demás. Su párroco, el Beato Guiuseppe Nascimbeni, la animaba a que enseñara clases de religión a niños pequeños, a que visitara a los enfermos, y a unirse a las actividades parroquiales. María le pidió a nuestra Madre Santísima que la guiara en todo lo que hacía.
Pius IX was the Holy Father of the Catholic Church longer than any other pope, from 1846 to 1878. It was a difficult time to be the leader of the Church because of political conflicts between nations and religious arguments about the Church’s place in the world. No matter what kinds of problems the pope and the Church faced, Pius IX always turned to God for help and direction.
Growing up in a small town in Italy, Guido di Pietro was interested in two things. He wanted to follow Christ’s example in all things, and he wanted to develop his talent for painting. God showed him how these two things were his vocation. Our vocation is God’s call to share in Jesus’ life and work.
Francisco was only 10 years old when our Blessed Mother appeared to him, his sister Jacinta, and his cousin Lucia, in their small town of Fatima, Portugal. The visions, which we call “apparitions,” occurred in 1917, between May and October. Mary appeared to the children five times.
Margaret was born in Florence, Italy, in 1287. She was a great disappointment to her wealthy parents. She was born blind and with very serious spine and leg problems. Her parents were ashamed of her and told people that she had died at birth.