St. José de Anchieta was a religious and a pioneering missionary priest. José was born in 1534 at Tenerife on the Canary Islands, then a Spanish Colony. José’s parents were Juan Anchieta and Mencia Díaz, wealthy landowners who had left their native Basque Country in northern Spain. Juan’s father was...

St. Peter Claver was a missionary priest, a recipient of extraordinary spiritual gifts, and a messenger of mercy and comfort to some of God’s most afflicted children. Peter was born in 1580 to Pedro and Ana Claver, the youngest of four children. The Clavers were farmers at Verdu, a town...

Servant of God Walter Ciszek was a missionary priest, political prisoner, professor, retreat master, author, and spiritual director. Walter was born in 1904 in the small coal-mining town of Shenandoah, Pennsylvania. His parents, Martin and Mika Ciszek, were hard working, poor Polish immigrants. Tough guy from the start From early...