Faith

St. Medard was born around 456 in Salency, France. His father, Nectard, was a noble Frenchman, and his mother, Protogia, descended from a Roman family that settled in Gaul.

Philip Neri was born in Florence, Italy, in 1515. At the age of 18, Philip was sent to his uncle, Romolo, a wealthy merchant at San Germano, a Neapolitan town near the base of Monte Cassino, to assist him in his business, and with the hope that he might inherit his uncle’s fortune.

On May 12, the Catholic Church honors St. Epiphanius of Salamis, an early monk, bishop and Church Father known for his extensive learning and defense of Catholic teachings in the fourth century.

St. Catherine was a third-order Dominican, peacemaker and counselor to the pope. She singlehandedly ended the Avignon exile of the successors of Peter in the 14th century. She is the co-patron of Italy and of Europe.

Public humiliation led Peter Gonzalez to a true conversion experience and set him on the road to sainthood.

Blessed Jane lived in the French town of Toulouse during the 13th century. A Carmelite monastery was founded in the same town in 1240 which exposed Jane to the Carmelite lifestyle and spirituality.

On March 18, the Roman Catholic Church honors St. Cyril of Jerusalem, a fourth-century bishop and Doctor of the Church whose writings are still regarded as masterful expressions of Christian faith.

Saints Perpetua and Felicity were martyrs who died for the faith around the year 203, killed at Carthage in the Roman province of Africa.

Conrad was born into a noble family in northern Italy. He married the daughter of a nobleman, Euphrosyne.

Joseph of Leonessa, OFM Cap., was the third of eight children born at Leonessa (Italy) on January 8, 1556. At baptism, he was given the name Eufranio.