September Saints

The Feast of St. Gregory the Great

Pope St. Gregory the Great was one of the most admired Popes in history and a key figure of the western Church in the middle ages.

Born mid-sixth century into a noble Roman family, Gregory was educated in liberal arts and the law. His mother Silvia, also a canonized saint, raised him to have a strong faith. Around age 30, Gregory's political career in Rome began to find success, in spite of Rome's decline during this period.

He later chose to leave the political world to become a monk during the rise of the Benedictine order. After three years of strict monastic life, he was called personally by the Pope to become a deacon in Rome. He served for six years as the papal representative to the eastern Church and empire.

Rome suffered a series of disasters caused by flooding in 589, followed by the death of Pope Pelagius II. Gregory, then serving as abbot in a monastery, reluctantly accepted his election to replace him as the Bishop of Rome.

Pope Gregory got straight to work reforming and solidifying the Roman liturgy, the disciplines of the Church, the military defenses and the economic security of Rome. He continued to expand the Church's influence in western Europe. As the former abbot, he strongly supported the Benedictine movement. He sent missionaries to England and is given much of the credit for the nation's conversion.

Pope Gregory saw himself as the “servant of the servants of God,” words of humility that have now become a traditional papal title.

Pope St. Gregory the Great, please pray for us!

Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Mary, conceived and born without sin, pray for us! 

Scroll down for more saints of the month!

The Feast of St. Peter Claver

The church celebrates St. Peter Claver, a 17th-century Jesuit missionary who dedicated his life to serving African slaves who were brought to South America against their will.

Peter Claver was raised on a farm in the Spanish region of Catalonia. He completed his studies at the University of Barcelona and joined the Jesuits as a novice at 20 years of age.

While studying philosophy in Tarragona, Peter befriended Alphonsus Rodriguez, an older Jesuit lay brother. Alphonsus had great insight into spiritual matters and encouraged Peter to become a missionary in the Spanish colonies. Pope Leo XIII would later canonize both Peter and Alphonsus on the same day, nearly two centuries later.

After his ordination to the priesthood, Peter arrived in Cartagena, a port city in present-day Colombia. Despite Pope Paul III's condemnations of slavery, European colonists continued to import African slaves. Slaves who survived the ship journey were worked to death by cruel masters. Peter made a vow to become “the slave of the blacks forever,” providing aid and teaching the gospel.

He kept this resolution in spite of his own health problems and the language barrier between himself and those he served. Claver often used pictures to convey Catholic truths. He spoke through generosity and love, offering food and drink to weary workers and helping the sick.

“We must speak to them with our hands,” he said, “before we try to speak to them with our lips.” Peter continued to minister on minimal amounts of food and sleep. He is also known to have experienced miraculous occurrences – the healing of the sick with the touch of his cloak, or the appearance of supernatural light surrounding him during his visits with the sick.

St. Peter baptized and taught the faith to more than 300,000 slaves before his death in 1654.

St. Peter Claver, please pray for us!

The Feast of the Most Holy Name of Mary

The Most Holy Name of Mary was a counterpart to the feast of The Holy Name of Jesus. Today's feast commemorates all the privileges given to Mary by God and all the graces we can receive through her intercession and mediation.

Mary always points us to God and reminds us of God's faithfulness and love. She helps us to open our hearts, encouraging us to walk in faith with Jesus.

Today, let us remember this prayer: “Lord, our God, when your Son was dying on the altar of the cross, He gave us as our mother the one He had chosen to be His own mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary. Grant that we who call upon the holy name of Mary, our mother, with confidence in her protection may receive strength and comfort in all our needs."

Mary, Queen of Peace, pray for us!

Scroll down for more saints of the month!

Feast of St. John Chrysostom

St. John was a 4th-century bishop, Doctor of the Early Church and one of the greatest preachers the Church has ever seen.
St. John grew up in Antioch and received an excellent classical Greek education. Inspired by Bishop Meletus, John began studying Scripture and other religious works. He was baptized After three years of study, and he set out for the desert to live as a hermit.

After two years of extreme ascetic living, his health had declined, so he returned to Antioch to recover and to devote himself to the priesthood. After his ordination, he served in the cathedral of Antioch for 12 years, earning a reputation for his remarkable preaching.

In 398, he was appointed Patriarch of Constantinople. His criticism of the corruption and decadence of the imperial powers led to false charges against him, resulting in his exile – first to Armenia, then later to an isolated place along the Black Sea. He died during the journey to Armenia in 407, his health unable to endure. His writings, homilies and commentaries on the Gospels continue to have a profound influence in the Church.

“When you are before the altar where Christ reposes, you ought no longer to think that you are amongst men; but believe that there are troops of angels and archangels standing by you, and trembling with respect before the sovereign Master of Heaven and earth.” ~ St. John Chrysostom

St. John Chrysostom, please pray for us!

The Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross celebrates two events: the discovery of the True Cross by St. Helena, and the dedication of the Basilica of the Holy Sepulcher.

Early in the fourth century, St. Helena, mother of Emperor Constantine, went to Jerusalem to search for the holy places of the Savior's life. Tradition holds that she destroyed the Temple of Aphrodite, the site over Christ’s tomb. Her son, Constantine, built the Basilica of the Holy Sepulcher on that spot. During the excavation, three crosses were discovered. It is said that the cross of Christ was identified when a dying woman was healed by touching the cross.

On the anniversary of the basilica's dedication, we reflect on God's greatest work – Christ's death on the cross and His Resurrection. Through this salvific work, death was defeated and the doors to Heaven were opened.

"We should glory in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, for he is our salvation, our life and our resurrection: through him we are saved and made free." (cf. Gal 6:14; Entrance Antiphon)

The Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows

In Luke 2:35, Simeon prophesies to Mary, "A sword will pierce your very soul." The Virgin Mary stood sorrowful but powerful at the foot of the cross, seeing in her son's wounds the salvation of the world.

Our Lady of Sorrows, pray for us!

Scroll down for more saints of the month!

The Feast of Sts. Cornelius and Cyprian, two martyrs from the 3rd-century, during a period of great persecution in the Early Church

Saint Cornelius was elected Pope in 251 during the persecution of Emperor Decius's reign. His first challenge, besides the constant threat of persecution, was to end the schism brought on by his rival, Novation, the first antipope. He convened a synod of bishops to establish himself as the rightful successor of Peter.

A great controversy of that time was the question of whether or not the Church could pardon and receive back into the Church those who had apostatized in the face of martyrdom. Cornelius decreed that they must be welcomed back, but insisted on an adequate penance.

In 253, Cornelius was exiled by Emperor Gallus and died of the hardships he endured.

Saint Cyprian of Carthage joins the great Saint Augustine as a Father of the African Church. He was close to Pope Cornelius and supported him amidst the anti-pope and apostate controversies.

He was ordained a priest a year after his conversion at age 56, and he was appointed bishop just two years after that. His writings are of great importance, especially his treatise on Church unity that defended the authority of bishops.

During the Decian persecutions, Cyprian considered it wiser lead his flock covertly in hiding than to seek out martyrdom. In 258, however, he was martyred during the persecutions of Emperor Valerian.

Sts. Cornelius and Cyprian, please pray for us! 

The Feast of St. Robert Bellarmine

The Catholic Church celebrates the Italian cardinal and theologian, St. Robert Bellarmine. An esteemed saint of the Jesuit order, St. Robert is also a Doctor of the Church and the patron saint of catechists.

Robert Bellarmine was born in the Tuscan town of Montepulciano and received his education from the Jesuit order. In 1560, Robert entered the Jesuit order himself. He studied philosophy, taught humanities and then began a study of theology for several years. In later years, his focus became the refutation of Protestant errors.

Robert was ordained to the priesthood in Belgium, where his preaching attracted crowds of both Catholics and Protestants. He later returned to Italy to focus on addressing theological controversies. His work, “Disputations,” is a classic of Catholic apologetics.

He later served as a guide to St. Aloysius Gonzaga, helped to produce the authoritative Latin text of the Bible and became an advisor to Pope Clement VIII. Robert was named a cardinal in 1599, declared by the Pope to be the most educated man in the Church.

The Pope later appointed Robert as the Archbishop of Capua. In his years as Archbishop, Robert worked to reform the Church by implementing the decrees of the Council of Trent.

St. Robert Bellarmine, please pray for us!

The Feast of St. Januarius, a 3rd-century martyr and Bishop of Benevento

While little is fully known about the life of Januarius, tradition offers us a powerful testimony of his incredible faith.
During the persecution of Diocletian, it is said that Januarius visited a deacon named Sosius in prison. God had revealed Sosius's martyrdom to Januarius through a vision. Januarius continued to encourage and support Sosius until he himself was also arrested.

The prisoners were thrown into the ampitheater of Pozzuoli with wild beasts, but the beasts did not attack. The Governor of Campania then ordered the Saints to be beheaded. It is said that a woman named Eusebia preserved the blood of St. Januarius. This blood, along with other relics, rests in the Cathedral of Naples, where phenomena of liquefaction often occur.

St. Januarius, please pray for us!

Scroll down for more saints of the month!

The Feast of Sts. Andrew Kim Tae-Gon, Paul Chong Ha-Sang and companions, Korean martyrs from the 19th-century

Christianity first came to Korea through books that had been brought across the Chinese border. In 1784, the small community of Korean Christians sent one of their own to Beijing to receive baptism.

For the next several decades, the rapidly growing Christian community in Korea was sustained in the Sacraments by only two priests from China. After years of pleading, a group of French missionary priests responded to the call and traveled to Korea in 1836.

From 1791 to 1888, there were six great waves of persecution, during which 10,000 martyrs gave their lives for the faith. Saints Andrew Kim Tae-Gon and Paul Chong Ha-Sang were leaders of the Catholic Church in Korea during this time. Andrew Kim Tae-Gon was born to Korean nobility and converted to Christianity as a teenager. He traveled over 1000 miles to study in a seminary, becoming the first native Korean priest. He was tortured and beheaded in 1846.

Paul Chong Ha-Sang was a Korean Catholic lay leader and defender of the faith. He encouraged Christians in the midst of the persecutions to stay strong in the faith. Paul wrote directly to Pope Gregory X, and the Pope confirmed the validity of the Korean Church, sending more priests to Korea. Paul was martyred in 1839.

"The Korean Church is unique because it was founded entirely by laypeople. This fledgling Church, so young and yet so strong in faith, withstood wave after wave of fierce persecution. Thus, in less than a century, it could boast 10,000 martyrs... The death of these many martyrs became the leaven of the Church and led to today's splendid flowering of the Church in Korea." ~ Pope Saint John Paul II

Sts. Andrew Kim Tae-Gon, Paul Chong Ha-Sang and companions, please pray for us! 

The Feast of St. Matthew

St. Matthew was the first-century tax-collector turned Apostle and evangelist. Although we have little information about the life of St. Matthew, his gospel account is of indescribable value to the Church, especially in his verification of Jesus as the Messiah.

Tax-collectors like Matthew were hated in their own communities, but Jesus still called him to be a disciple. In Matthew chapter 9, Jesus said, “Follow me,” and Matthew simply got up and followed him. The Pharisees later complained, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” Jesus responded by declaring the purpose of his ministry: “I did not come to call the righteous but sinners."

Matthew was a witness to Christ's death, resurrection and ascension, and he was also present during the events of Pentecost. He is traditionally thought to have died as a martyr while preaching the Gospel, possibly near present-day Egypt.

Pope Benedict said, “in the figure of Matthew, the Gospels present to us a true and proper paradox: those who seem to be the farthest from holiness can even become a model of the acceptance of God's mercy and offer a glimpse of its marvelous effects in their own lives.”

St. Matthew, please pray for us!

Scroll down for more saints of the month!

The Feast of St. Padre Pio

The Catholic Church remembers St. Pio of Pietrelcina, the Italian Franciscan priest known more commonly as “Padre Pio.” His story is one of suffering, humility and miracles.

Originally named Francesco Forgione, he was raised to live out his faith through daily Mass, family prayer of the rosary and regular acts of penance. At age 10, inspired by the example of a young Capuchin Franciscan, he told his parents: “I want to be a friar – with a beard.”

In 1903, Francesco became a Franciscan, taking the new name Pio, a modernized Italian form of “Pius,” in honor of Pope St. Pius V. He made his solemn vows four years later, and was ordained to the priesthood in 1910. Shortly after, he received the Stigmata – Christ’s wounds in his own flesh.

Padre Pio also suffered health problems that forced him to live apart from his Franciscan community for his first six years as a priest. By 1916, he re-entered community life at the Friary of San Giovanni Rotondo, where he lived until his death. He served as a spiritual director and teacher, covering for brothers that were drafted into World War I.

In 1917 and 1918, Padre Pio himself briefly served in a medical unit of the Italian army, later offering himself as a spiritual “victim” for an end to the war. He accepted suffering as a form of prayer for peace. Once again, he received the wounds of Christ on his body, remaining with him for 50 years.

St. Pio of Pietrelcina, please pray for us!

The Feast of Sts. Cosmas and Damian

Sts. Cosmas and Damian were 3rd-century Arab physicians who were martyred in Syria during the persecution of Emperor Diocletian.

It is said that Saints Cosmas and Damian were twins, born to Christian parents in Arabia, in the region near the border of modern-day Turkey and Syria. They were well known for their skill as physicians as well as their refusal to charge for their services.

Their generosity and witness inspired many converts to the faith, earning them a place of honor and respect in the Christian communities of Asia Minor. They were some of the first to be sought out for execution when Emperor Diocletian began his persecution.

In 287, they were captured and ordered to deny Christ, but they refused. It is said that they were tortured, even crucified, but miraculously, they remained unharmed until they were finally beheaded.

Sts. Cosmas and Damian, please pray for us! 

Scroll down for more saints of the month!

The Feast of St. Vincent de Paul, a 17th-century French priest and the patron saint of Catholic Charities

St. Vincent was born between 1576 and 1581 to a poor family in the southwest of France. At the age of 15, he began studying theology. In 1600, he was ordained a priest and worked as a tutor in Toulouse.

While at sea in 1605, Vincent was captured by Turkish pirates and sold into slavery until 1607. He converted his slave owner to the Christian faith, and they escaped together to Tunisia. Vincent spent time studying in Rome, serving as an educator and spiritual mentor to upper-class French families.

In a moment of striking contrast, Vincent was moved by the confession of a dying peasant. He was stirred with incredible compassion for the poor and the outcasts, and he began working to meet their needs physically and spiritually.

Vincent established the Congregation of Priests of the Mission in 1625. Later, he worked with the future Saint Louise de Marillac to establish the Daughters of Charity. Together, they collected donations to provide homes for abandoned children, a hospice for the elderly and a massive facility where 40,000 poor people were given lodging and work. Vincent also worked to help refugees and to free those sold into slavery.

St. Vincent de Paul, please pray for us!

The Feast of Sts. Wenceslaus, Lawrence Ruiz and Companions

St. Wenceslaus was born in Bohemia around 903. His father, Duke Wratislaw, was a Catholic, but his mother, Princess Dragomir, practiced the native pagan religion. She would later be complicit in the murders of Wenceslaus and his grandmother, Ludmilla, also a canonized saint.

As a youth, Wenceslaus was educated well in the faith, but he faced a spiritual and political crisis after his father's death. His mother began to drive out the Catholic faith from Bohemia by removing Catholics from public office, closing churches, and banning Catholic teaching.

With Ludmilla's guidance, Wenceslaus was able to take control of half of the country. With fervent prayer, extreme asceticism, charitable service and a vow of chastity, he fought to defend and preserve the Catholic faith. It is said that during combat with the enemy Prince Radislaus, two angels appeared and protected Wenceslaus by deflecting a thrown javelin. Prince Radislaus immediately surrendered.

St. Wenceslaus and his grandmother St. Ludmilla were both murdered through the plotting of his mother and his brother, Boleslaus the Cruel. Wenceslaus and Ludmilla are honored as defenders of the faith.

St. Lorenzo Ruiz was born in Manila in the 17th century. He was raised in the faith by his Chinese father and Filipino mother. He learned to speak Chinese and Tagalog, and later he learned Spanish from the Dominicans.

He became a professional calligrapher, transcribing documents with beautiful penmanship. He was a full member of the Confraternity of the Holy Rosary under Dominican auspices. He later married and had two sons and a daughter.

Falsely accused of murder, Lorenzo fled to Japan with four priests, a layman and a leper, eventually arriving in Nagasaki. The Tokugawa Shogunate began a fierce persecution of Catholics in Japan, subjecting them to horrible torture and death. St. Lorenzo and his companions were martyred for their faith. In 1987, Pope St. John Paul II canonized 16 martyrs from this period of persecution.

Sts. Wenceslaus, Lawrence Ruiz and Companions, please pray for us!

The Feast of Archangels Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael.

Angels appear frequently in Scripture but only these three are named. Each of them performs a role: Michael protects, Gabriel announces, and Raphael guides.

Sts. Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael, please pray for us!

The Feast of St. Jerome, the 4th-century Doctor of the Church well known for the Latin Vulgate

Commissioned by Pope Damasus, Jerome spent 15 years translating most of the Hebrew Bible into this authoritative Latin version.

Born around 340 as Eusebius Hieronymous Sophronius in present-day Croatia, St. Jerome was raised in the faith by his father who sent him to Rome to be educated. After his baptism in 360 by Pope Liberius, Jerome traveled to many monastic and intellectual centers in the Christian empire. He studied theology in the famous schools of Trier and became close with Sts. Chromatius and Heliodorus, both excellent theologians.

Jerome later traveled east to the Syrian desert to live like the first generation of Desert Fathers. "I had voluntarily condemned myself, with no other company but scorpions and wild beasts," he wrote in a letter. He later settled permanently in Bethlehem, where he established a monastery, and lived the rest of his years in study, prayer, and asceticism.

Jerome remained engaged by serving as an arbitrator during controversies in the Church, serving as a spiritual father to a group of nuns in Rome and receiving Monks and pilgrims into his monastery.

St. Jerome, please pray for us!