We often imitate the people we most admire. This was certainly the case with Timothy and Titus. When St. Paul was on his first missionary journey, both of these men heard Paul preach about how Jesus Christ had changed his life. His words were so convincing that they both converted to Christianity.
We often imitate the people we most admire. This was certainly the case with Timothy and Titus. When St. Paul was on his first missionary journey, both of these men heard Paul preach about how Jesus Christ had changed his life. His words were so convincing that they both converted to Christianity.
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.
It was not all that unusual for boys long ago to enter monasteries as young children. It was a way for them to be educated and then often prepared for life as priests or monks. Isaac was one such young man.
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.
Brigid and her mother were said to have been slaves in fifth-century Ireland; her father was believed to have been an Irish chieftain. As a young girl, one of Brigid’s responsibilities was to care for the dairy farm on the property. After Brigid milked the cows, she gave the milk away to the poor. She gave the needy the eggs she collected from the hens and churned cream into butter to share with the hungry.
Blaise lived so long ago that we know nothing about his early life. We do know that he was a both a doctor and a bishop in the area that is today either Armenia or Turkey. In the beginning of the fourth century, Christians were being persecuted by the Romans. The Roman Emperor believed that arresting and punishing important leaders like Blaise would prevent other people from becoming followers of Christ.
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.