Early Martyrs
First martyr stoned to to death for speaking the truth of the Christian faith, he famously said while dying: "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit."
Who is St. Stephen?
The last king of the House of Wessex, he lived a holy life but was not a martyr. He is known for his kindness, fairness, and deep faith. He is remembered for building Westminster Abbey, a church in London.
Who is Saint Edward the Confessor?
Patron saint of France. Born in the 12th century, he led the sixth and seventh crusades.
Who is St. Louis IX?
This young boy was just 14 years old when he was captured by soldiers from an anti-Catholic government. They cut the bottom of his feet and forced him to walk to the cemetery. There he was told if he shouted, "Death to Christ the King," they would spare his life. Instead, he shouted, "Viva Cristo Rey!". He was martyred by stabbings and brutal beatings.
Who is Saint Jose Sanchez del Rio?
Patron saint of desperate cases, he was born in the 1st century and is an Apostle. He was martyred in either Beirut or Armenia.
Patron saint of the poor. She was a royal princess known for the miracle of roses in her apron.
Who is St. Elizabeth of Hungary?
Patron saint of Italy. He participated in the Fifth Crusade and courageously crossed enemy lies to preach the Gospel to the Sultan, he is famously remembered by the Muslims in Egypt as the Christian Sufi who debated with the Imams of the Sultan. He received the Stigmata of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
Who is Saint Francis of Assisi?
She was a martyr from Sicily, from the 4th century, who devoted her life to Christ and vowed to remain a virgin in service to God. Because she refuse to marry her suitors she was denounced as a Christian during Emperor Diocletian’s persecution and tortured. She was killed by the sword around the year 304. She is the patron saint of the blind.
Who is Saint Lucy?
Born in Syria, he converted to Christianity and eventually became bishop. Under Roman persecution, he was condemned to be put to death in Rome. During the trip to Rome, he wrote seven letters urging the Christians to remain faithful to God. He was martyred at the teeth of 2 lions at the Circus Maximus in Rome.
Who is St. Ignatius of Antioch?
Born into exile and married into the Scottish court, she found herself queen of a rugged land, where she ruled with holy boldness. She promoted Sunday rest, founded churches, and helped the poor, she helped shape a Christian Scotland. Her son, David I, became a saint too.
Who is St. Margaret of Scotland?
Elected Pope in 1088, he called the First Crusade at the Council of Clermont in 1095.
Who is Blessed Pope Urban II?
This young Saint was 12 when he met Don Bosco and organized a group of boys into the Company of the Immaculate Conception. At the age of 15, he caught tuberculosis and was sent home to recover. On the evening of March 9, he asked his father to say the prayers for the dying. His face lit up with an intense joy and he said to his father: "I am seeing most wonderful things!" These were his last words.
Who is Saint Dominic Savio?
He was a layman elected pope after a dove descended on his head during a papal election. He demonstrated a zeal for the faith and unity in the early church, but was beheaded in Rome, after a 14 year pontificate by order of the Roman emperor Decius, for refusing to offer incense to pagan idols.
Who is Pope St. Fabian?
This Bohemian duke ruled in the 10th century, caring for the poor and defending the Church. He was killed by his brother, resentful of his holiness. He is the patron saint of the Czech Republic.
Who is St. Wenceslaus?
A Frenchman, who served as a Crusader both against the Albigensian Heretics in Southern France, and with the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II, on the Sixth Crusade. His relics are buried at Villers-la-Ville, Belgium.
Who is Saint Gobert of Aspremont ?
Patron saint of youth and student, he was a Jesuit novice who gave up his nobility and died serving the plague victims of 1587 in Milan.
Who is St. Aloysius Gonzaga?
He was bishop of Benevento during the Emperor Diocletian persecution. Sentenced to die and thrown to the wild beasts, the animals did not attack him, so he was beheaded. His blood is kept in Naples, as a relic. and is the subject of a miracle.
Who is St. Januarius?
Burgundian princess who married the pagan Frankish king, Clovis I. Her prayers led to her husband’s baptism—and with him, the conversion of an entire nation.
Who is St. Clotilde ?
Patron Saint of Caccamo, Italy, he fought in the Crusades in the defense of Acre. Captured by Saracens. They ordered him to renounce Christianity and convert to Islam; he refused and so was Martyred by being beheaded.
Who is Saint Nicasius Camuto of Jerusalem?
Patron saint of altar boys, he was a young acolyte in Rome who lived in the 3rd century. He would carry the Holy Eucharist to imprisoned Christians. He died from a mob beating while protecting the Blessed Sacrament with his body.
Who is Saint Tarcisius?