Martin of Vertou was a hermit and abbot, born at Nantes in 527, who founded Vertou Abbey and evangelised the region around Nantes. Felix, Bishop of Nantes, ordained him and named him archdeacon at Nantes, with the task of bringing the people of the town and its surroundings to Christianity. In about 577 he withdrew into solitude on wasteland on the right bank of the Sèvre Nantaise. As people...
On October 23, 1994, Sisters Esther Paniagua Alonso and Caridad “Cari” Alvarez Martín were each shot in the head as they walked to Mass.
Sister Esther was a nurse who worked with sick and disabled children and had painstakingly learned fluent Arabic. In the discernment meeting with Msgr. Teissier about whether to stay or go, she said to her sisters, “At this moment, for...
Saint Peter of Alcantara was a contemporary of well-known 16th-century Spanish saints, including Ignatius of Loyola and John of the Cross. He served as confessor to Saint Teresa of Avila. Church reform was a major issue in St. Peter’s life, and he directed most of his energies toward that end. His death came one year before the Council of Trent ended.
Born into a noble...
Saint Malchus of Syria (died c. 390) is the subject of Saint Jerome's biography Life of Malchus the Captive Monk (Vita Malchi monachi captivi), written in Latin around 391/392 CE. According to Jerome, Malchus was a monk who was sold into slavery and forced to marry another slave. While never consummating the marriage, he escaped with his wife and returned to his monastery. Jerome...
St. Paul of the Cross (1694–1775) was born near Turin, Italy, the second of sixteen children—only six of whom survived infancy. His devout parents ensured his strong religious upbringing. In his childhood Paul went to daily Mass, spent much time before the Blessed Sacrament, and attended to his studies. He taught catechism in the local churches before experiencing a deep religious...