Saint of the Month: Blessed Carlos Manuel Rodriguez

Blessed Carlos Manuel Rodriguez was a layman active in service to the Church. Carlos was born in 1918 in the city of Caguas, Puerto Rico. His parents were Manuel and Herminia (Santiago) Rodriguez, and Manuel operated a small store attached to the family home. Carlos had four siblings, and the...

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Saint of the Month: St. Ephrem of Syria

St. Ephrem of Syria was a deacon, hymn-writer, and teacher of the early Church. Ephrem was born C. 306 at Nisibis, Mesopotamia, (modern-day Nusaybin, Turkey on the Syrian border). Nothing is known of his family, except that he wrote that his family was Christian. As a youth, he was mentored...

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Saint of the Month: St. Bede

OBLATE BOY St. Bede was a monk, priest, historian, scholar, and a prolific and important translator and writer. Born c. 673, nothing is known of Bede’s parents. His birthplace was near the town of Wearmouth in present day northern England. He was brought by relatives at age seven to the...

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Saint of the Month: St. Gemma Galgani

St. Gemma Galgani was an Italian laywoman and an extraordinary mystic. Gemma was born in 1878 to a pharmacist and his wife in the village of Camigliano, Italy, near the city of Lucca. She was one of eight children. Gemma’s mother died when she was a child, but not before...

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Saint of the Month: St. Perpetua

St. Perpetua was an early martyr under Roman persecution, who is still remembered to our day. She was born Vivia Perpetua at Carthage about 181 A.D. The ancient city of Carthage was a large one and a prominent part of the Roman Empire, and it was located in North Africa...

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Saint of the Month: St. Polycarp of Smyrna

St. Polycarp was a bishop, martyr and Church father, and has the distinction of learning of the life of Christ directly from the Apostle St. John. Polycarp, a Greek name meaning “rich in fruit”, was born around the year 70 A.D. and as a child was converted to the Christian...

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Saint of the Month: St. John Bosco

St. John Bosco was a founder, a caretaker of impoverished boys, and is associated with significant, vivid dreams. John was born in 1815 in the Piedmont area of Italy to a poor family. He lost his father when he was two, and spent his youth working as a shepherd, and...

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Saint of the Month: St. Peter Canisius

St. Peter Canisius was an intrepid Dutch Jesuit priest and a key figure in the Catholic Counter-Reformation. Peter was born in 1521 at Nijmagen, Holland to the wealthy Jacob Kanis (Canisius in English) and his wife. Jacob was the burgermeister, a role similar to mayor. Later in life, Peter wrote...

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Saint of the Month: St. Stanislaus Kostka

St. Stanislaus Kostka was a Polish nobleman and Jesuit novice who showed remarkable perseverance in following God’s call to his vocation. Stanislaus was born in 1550 at Rostkovo Castle in Poland, and was named after the 11th century martyr and bishop, St. Stanislaus. His father, John, was a senator for...

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Saint of the Month: St. Francis Borgia

St. Francis Borgia was a royal-born husband and father, Jesuit priest, and superior-general. Francis was born in eastern Spain in 1510. He was born into the Spanish branch of the Borgia family, his father being the 3rd Duke of Gandia and his mother being the granddaughter of King Ferdinand V...

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