Saint Spotlight

The Archangels Michael, Gabriel and Raphael are the only angels named in Sacred Scripture and all three have important roles in the history of salvation.

St. Cornelius was elected Pope in 251 during the persecutions of the Emperor Decius. His first challenge, besides the ever-present threat of the Roman authorities, was to bring an end to the schism brought on by his rival, the first anti-pope Novatian.

St. Beatrice was one 11 children born to Portuguese nobility in Cuerta, Portugal, in 1424. She was the daughter of the Count of Viana, and the sister of St. Amadeus of Portugal.

Not much is known about St. Helena, but it is probable that she was born in the middle of the third century in Asia Minor. She worked as a stable maid as a young woman, according to St. Anselm.

On August 4, the Church celebrates the feast day of St. John Vianney, patron of priests. John Vianney, also known as the Holy Curé de Ars, was born May 8, 1786 in Dardilly, near Lyon, France, to a family of farmers.

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.