Saint Raynald of Nocera, also known as Rinaldo, was born into a noble family as the eldest son of the Count of Postignano around the year 1150. Despite the expectations for a life in politics, Raynald felt a deep calling to the religious life. Raynald received a good education and was well-prepared for a future in leadership and governance. However, he made the decision to renounce his worldly...
Blessed Jacoba De Settesoli, also known as Jacqueline, was born in 1190 in Torre Asturias, Italy, to a noble family. She lived a remarkable life as a mother, grandmother, widow, and faithful follower of Saint Francis of Assisi and Saint Clare of Assisi.
As a Franciscan tertiary, Jacoba embraced the ideals of poverty, humility, and joyful service to others. Her deep devotion to God and her...
Saint Giovanni of Triora, also known as Francesco Maria Lantrua, was born on 15 March 1760 in Triora, Imperia, Italy. He was the son of Antonio Maria Lantrua and Maria Pasqua Ferraironi. Francesco received his education in Barnabite schools and later joined the Franciscan Friars Minor in Rome on 9 March 1777, just before his 17th birthday. Taking the name Giovanni, he went on to be ordained as...
St. Jesús Méndez-Montoya was a Mexican Catholic priest and martyr during the period of religious persecution known as the Cristero War. He was beatified by Pope John Paul II on November 22, 1992, and canonized on May 21, 2000. He was born into a devout farming family and demonstrated a vocation for the priesthood from an early age. At fourteen, he entered the Tridentine Seminary of Morelia,...
St. Jane of Valois (1464-1505) was born to French King Louis XI and Charlotte of Savoy. Much of her life was marked by neglect and emotional abuse. Her father resented her because she was a sickly and deformed female child. He sent her away to a remote country home where she was carelessly raised before being married off at the age of nine to her cousin, the Duke of Orléans. Her husband...