St. Catherine of Alexandria (4th c.) was born to a noble pagan family in Alexandria, Egypt, and her father was governor of the city. She was an intelligent child who devoted herself to study, and converted to the Christian faith after the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to her in a vision. Many of her fellow Christians were put to death under the reign of Roman Emperor Maxentius. Catherine, at...

The Vietnamese Martyrs, also known as the Martyrs of Indochina, Martyrs of Tonkin, Annam, and Cochinchina, or Andrew Dung-Lac and Companions, are saints on the General Roman Calendar who were canonized by Pope John Paul II. On June 19, 1988, thousands of Overseas Vietnamese worldwide gathered at the Vatican for the Celebration of the Canonization of 117 known Vietnamese Martyrs, an event...

Miguel was the son of a mining engineer. From childhood he was known for high spirits and cheerfulness, and he grew up in a pious home.  Born to privilege, he had great affinity for the poor and working classes. He was afflicted with a recurring stomach disorder. At the age of twenty, he entered the Jesuit novitiate. When the Jesuits were exiled during the Mexican Revolution, he continued...

St. Cecilia (3rd c.) is one of the most venerated of the virgin martyrs of Rome. Her name is in the Roman Canon of the Mass. According to tradition she made a private vow of chastity to Jesus, yet her parents promised her in marriage to a suitor. On her wedding night, St. Cecilia told her husband that she had not only made a vow to remain a virgin, but that an angel guarded her purity. Her...

Son of an African immigrant named Valerius, Gelasius was known for his learning, charity and sense of justice. He opposed the Acacian and Manichaean heresies and came into conflict with the Patriarch of Constantinople over supremacy in Alexandria, Egypt and Antioch. He suppressed many of the Roman pagan festivals and ordered the reception of the Eucharist under both species, settling the...