St. Thomas of Villanova O.S.A., was a Spanish friar of the Order of Saint Augustine who was a noted preacher, ascetic and religious writer of his day. He became an archbishop who was famous for the extent of his care for the poor of his see. He was born Tomás García y Martínez in Fuenllana, Spain, in 1488. His father was a miller, who regularly distributed food and provisions to the poor, as...

St. Matthew the Apostle (1st c.) was a Jew who also went by the name of Levi. He was from Galilee and served in Capernaum as a tax collector for Herod Antipas before becoming a disciple of Jesus. It was in the home of St. Matthew that Jesus dined with the "sinners and tax collectors."  Under Jesus' influence St. Matthew was led to repentance for the evil he had done as a...

St. Andrew Kim Tae-gon (1821-1846) was born to a noble family in Korea, and was baptized at the age of 15 after his parents converted to the Catholic faith. Andrew's father, great-grandfather, and great-uncle were martyred during the government's staunch persecution against Christianity, leaving the remaining family in poverty. Andrew was later chosen to travel over 1,000 miles to the...

Emily (Émilie) de Rodat (6 September 1787 – 19 September 1852), born Marie Guillemette (Wilhelmina) Emilie de Rodat, also known as Emily de Rodat, was a nun, virgin, mystic, and the founder of the Sisters of the Holy Family of Villefranche.[1] She was born to a noble family near Rodez, in southern France. When she was 18 months old, she was sent to live with her maternal grandmother in...

St. Joseph of Cupertino (1603-1663) was the son of a poor Italian carpenter. His father died before his birth, leaving his mother destitute. As a result Joseph was underfed and often sick. He was a dull child who constantly found himself the worse off in every situation. He was awkward, absent-minded, ill-tempered, unintelligent, and difficult to be around. Many thought he was good for...