Saint Marcellus of Tangier or Saint Marcellus the Centurion is venerated as a Martyr Saint by the Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church. His feast day is celebrated on October 30.  Saint Marcellus was a centurion of the Legio VII Gemina Pia Felix, and was born in what is now León, Spain, in the middle of the third century. The story relates that Marcellus lived close to the...

Saint Gaetano Errico (19 October 1791 - 29 October 1860) was an Italian Roman Catholic priest from Naples and the founder of the Missionaries of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary. Errico was born to devout and hardworking parents whose income was modest but sufficient for him to do his ecclesial studies in Naples. It was common for him to be seen twice a week tending to the ill despite his...

St. Juan Alcober joined the Dominicans in his home-town (1708) and was ordained priest (1718). He and St. Francis Serrano had planned to work together in the Chinese missions, but Fr. Alcober was delayed in Lorca, where he preached until he was able to set sail. Having gained a reputation as a popular preacher there, only a miracle reminded him of his original purpose. In 1726, he left for the...

Bl. Bartholomew of Vicenza (1201-1270), also known as Bartholomew of Braganca or Breganza, was born to a noble family in Vicenza, Italy. While studying in Padua he entered the newly established Dominican Order as one of their first friars, receiving the habit from St. Dominic himself. Bartholomew quickly advanced to positions of prominence within the Order, becoming prior and then overseeing...

St. Alfred the Great (849–899 A.D.) was the fifth son of the King of Wessex in England. Legend has it that at the age of four he was sent to Rome to be anointed as king by Pope Leo IV. Alfred rose to the throne in 871 A.D. after the successive deaths of his father and older brothers. As king he fought valiantly against the Danish Viking invaders who threatened the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of...