We know little about martyrs like Cecilia, Nicholas, and Agnes of the early Church. All we know for sure about Agnes is that she died for her faith at the age of 12 or 13. We are told that Agnes was a Roman Christian. She wanted to remain a virgin; she did not want to marry or give her body to another person. This young girl wanted to give her purity back to God. In fact, the name “Agnes” means "pure."
Would you ever say “no” to the pope? Probably not, unless you thought a higher power than the pope was calling you. Angela Merici knew in her heart that God wanted her to teach the poor. That is why, when Pope Clement VII asked her to head up a group of nurses, she had to tell him “no.” She followed God and her heart and founded the Ursuline Sisters.
Thomas was born in Italy around 1225 or 1227. He was originally Thomas of Aquino, the region in which he was born, but he has become known as Thomas Aquinas since that time.
Clarice Mariscotti was probably a typical upper-class girl in Viterbo, Italy, in her time. As a teenager right at the beginning of the 1600s, she liked to have fun. Her father, Count Antonio of Mariscotti, and her mother, Ottavia, who was descended from royalty, were quite wealthy, so she had the finest clothes and education.
People need work so that they can buy food and clothes and pay for a place to live. They need God so that they will be happy. John (Giovanni) Bosco was a priest who tried to teach poor children how to work and how to love God.
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.
We know only a little about this saint. One thing we do know is that she was born in Sicily in the third century. As a teenager, she decided to remain a virgin. But an important man named Quintianus wanted to marry her.
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.
In the year 480, twins were born in Nursia, Italy. Their parents educated Scholastica and Benedict. Together they learned about their world and about God. Together they played and prayed and worked.
Valentine was a priest in the early Church. He was also a doctor. He helped people when they were sick, and he taught his Christian community in Rome how to follow Jesus. His example of always acting with love inspired many people to join the Church.