1. St. Mary (Date of Assumption into Heaven unknown) 2. St. Joseph (Date of death unknown) 3. St. Peter (Died c. 64-67 AD) 4. St. Paul (Died c. 64-67 AD) 5. The 12 apostles (Last one [John] died c. 100 AD) 6. St. Sebastian (Died c. 288 AD) 7. St. Monica (331-387 AD) 8. St. Augustine (350-430 AD) 9. St. Francis of Assisi (1182-1226 AD) 10. St. Clare of Assisi (1194-1253 AD) 11. St. Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274 AD) 12. St. Joan of Arc (1412-1431 AD) 13. St. Ignatius of Loyola (1491-1556 AD) 14. St. John Vianney (1786-1859 AD) 15. St. Thérèse of Lisieux (1873-1897 AD) 16. St. Maria Goretti (1890-1902 AD) 17. Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati (1901-1925 AD) 18. St. Gianna Beretta Molla (1922-1962 AD) 19. Blessed Mother Teresa (1910-1997 AD) 20. Blessed John Paul the Great (1920 2005 AD) 8 women 12 men
Mary (Date of Assumption into Heaven unknown)
(Date of death unknown)
(Died c. 64-67 AD)
(Died c. 64-67 AD)
The 12 Apostles Page 1/2 (Peter s original name: Simon) (James 3 = James the Greater) Peter 1, Andrew 2, James 3, and John 4 (Matt = Matthew) Philip 5, Bart 6, Matt 7, and Tom 8 (Bartholomew also goes by Nathanael) (Tom = Thomas) (James the Less is sometimes called James the Just) (Jude also goes by Thaddeus) (Judas so rude = Judas Iscariot) James the Less 9 and Jude the dude 10, Simon in pieces 11 and Judas so rude 12 *Matthias replaced Judas after he betrayed Jesus and hung himself
The 12 Apostles Page 2/2 Peter 1 Andrew 2 James 3 John 4 Philip 5 Bart 6 Matt 7 Tom 8 James the Less 9 Jude the dude 10 Simon in pieces 11 Judas so rude 12
(Died c. 288 AD) St. Sebastian began life in Narbonne, Gaul. Catholics believe he was educated in Milan and became a soldier at Rome in 283 AD. There, St. Sebastian was named a captain in the Praetorian guards by the Roman Emperor Diocletian, and stories say he was well loved by the ruler. We do not know how or when Sebastian became a Christian, but Catholic tradition holds that he converted other soldiers and a governor, and bolstered the sagging spirits of at least two Christian captives who were awaiting their own martyrdom during the time that he served as a soldier in Rome. Eventually, the Emperor came to hear of Sebastian's faith in Jesus and ordered him to be tied to a post and slain by arrows. Sebastian was left for dead, his body horribly pierced and bleeding, but by virtue of his physical stamina and God's will, he did not die. A widow, whom Catholics call St. Irene, found Sebastian's body and nursed him until he was well. Sebastian used his recovery to publicly rebuke the Emperor for his cruel treatment of Christians. The Emperor, in response, commanded his soldiers to stone Sebastian to death on January 20, 287 AD, which is now his feast day. Sebastian's body was buried on the Apian way, and in 367 AD a basilica was constructed over his grave. St. Sebastian is understandably honored as the patron saint of athletes, soldiers, and police, but he is also the patron saint of archers, dying people, enemies of religion, and the Pope's Swiss Guards. All kinds of people look to Sebastian in hopes of attaining like strength and endurance. One prayer to St. Sebastian asks that athletes be as strong in their faith as he was. Another prayer simply asks for strength. St. Sebastian's appeal is universal. In a world that often overwhelms us, Catholics look to him in hope of sharing in the vitality that made him steadfast in life and faith.
(331-387 AD)
(350-430 AD)
(1182-1226 AD)
(1194-1253 AD)
(1225-1274 AD)
(1412-1431 AD)
Ignatius of Loyola (1491-1556 AD) Ignatius of Loyola was a soldier of Spain and fought in a number of battles. In a battle against the French he was hit by a cannonball, which completely shattered one leg and wounded the other. He had to have his leg broken (and then re-broken) in efforts for it to heal (Don t forget: This was during a time before anesthetics!). While in the hospital waiting for his legs to heal, he grew extremely bored and asked for some books about brave knights and medieval chivalry. However, all that they had to read was a book on the life of Christ and a book on the lives of the saints. So, in an effort to pass the time, he read them, never knowing that they would change his life forever. For the greater glory of God Ignatius was impressed by Christ and inspired by the saints (so inspired, in fact, that he decided to become one!). Today we know him as St. Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits - an order of brothers and priests dedicated to teaching), an intellectual fighter during the Counter-Reformation, a holy and prayerful man, and one of the most famous saints to have ever lived. SOME WELL-KNOWN JESUIT SCHOOLS 1. Boston College 2. Creighton University 3. Georgetown University 4. Marquette University 5. St. Louis University 6. Gonzaga University 7. Xavier University 8. Etc. Martin Luther
(1786-1859 AD) Page 1/2
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(1873-1897 AD)
(1890-1902 AD) Maria Goretti is an Italian virgin-martyr of the Roman Catholic Church, and is one of its youngest canonized saints. She was martyred after dying from multiple stab wounds, inflicted by her attempted rapist after she refused him because of love of Jesus and her loyalty to the Ten Commandments. Maria was born on October 16, 1890 in Corinaldo, Italy. She was the third out of six children. By the time she was six, her family had become so poor that they were forced to give up their farm, move, and work for other farmers. Soon, Maria's father Luigi became very sick with malaria, and died when Maria was just nine. While her brother, mother and sisters worked in the fields, Maria would cook, sew, and keep the house clean. It was a hard life, but the family was very close. They shared a deep love for God and the faith. She and her family moved to Le Ferriere, where they shared a residence with another family, the Serenellis. On July 5, 1902, finding eleven-year old Maria alone sewing, Alessandro Serenelli (a 20 year-old farmhand) came in and threatened her with death if she did not do as he said (he was intending to rape her). She would not submit, saying that what he wanted to do was a mortal sin that he would go to Hell if he did it. She desperately fought to stop Alessandro from abusing her. She kept screaming, "No! It is a sin! God does not want it!" Alessandro at first choked Maria, but when she insisted she would rather die than submit to him, he stabbed her 11 times. The injured Maria tried to reach for the door, but Alessandro stopped her by stabbing her 3 more times before running away. Maria's little sister Teresa awoke with the noise and started crying, and when Serenelli's father and Maria's mother came to check on the little girl, they found the bleeding Maria and took her to the nearest hospital. She underwent surgery without anesthesia, but her injuries were beyond the doctors' help. Halfway through the surgery, Maria woke up. She insisted that it stay that way. The pharmacist of the hospital in which she died said to her, "Maria, think of me in Paradise." She looked to the old man: "Well, who knows, which of us is going to be there first?" "You, Maria," he replied. "Then I will gladly think of you," said Maria. The following day, 20 hours after the attack, having expressed forgiveness for her murderer and stating that she wanted to have him in Heaven with her, Maria died of her injuries, while looking at a very beautiful picture of the Blessed Mother. Alessandro Serenelli was captured shortly after Maria's death. He was sentenced to 30 years in prison, where he remained unrepentant and uncommunicative from the world for three years, until a local bishop, Monsignor Giovanni Blandini visited him in jail. Serenelli wrote a thank you note to the bishop asking for his prayers and telling him about a dream, "in which Maria Goretti gave him lilies, which burned immediately in his hands. After his release, Alessandro Serenelli visited Maria's still-living mother, Assunta, and begged for her forgiveness. She forgave him, saying that if Maria had forgiven him on her deathbed then she couldn't do less, and they attended Mass together the next day, receiving Holy Communion side by side. Alessandro reportedly asked Maria to pray for him every day and referred to her as "my little saint." Serenelli later became a lay Capuchin Franciscan brother and lived in a monastery working as its receptionist and gardener until dying peacefully in 1970. Page 1/2
Page 2/2 On June 24, 1950, Pius XII canonized Maria as a saint, calling her The St. Agnes of the 20th century." Assunta (Maria s mother) was present at the ceremony, along with her four remaining sons and daughters. She was the first mother ever to attend the canonization ceremony of her child. Maria s murderer, Alessandro Serenelli, was also present at the canonization. So many people came for Maria s canonization that the ceremonies were held outside of St. Peter s Basilica in the piazza (plaza). Pius XII spoke, not as before in Latin, but in Italian. "We order and declare, that the blessed Maria Goretti can be venerated as a Saint and we introduce her into the Canon of Saints". Some 500,000 people, among them a majority of youth, had come from around the world. Pius asked them: "Young people, pleasure of the eyes of Jesus, are you determined to resist any attack on your chastity with the help of the grace of God?" A resounding "YES!" was the answer. Some of Maria s remains are kept in the crypt of the Basilica of Santa Maria Goretti in the city of Nettuno, south of Rome. St. Maria Goretti s feast day is celebrated on July 6. She is the patron saint of chastity, rape victims, youth, teenage girls, poverty, purity, and forgiveness. Maria Goretti s canonization
(1901-1925 AD) To the heights! ( VERSO L ALTO! )
Page 1/2 (1901-1925 AD) Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati is a saint for the modern world, and especially for the young people of our time. Born in 1901 in Turin, Italy, his time on earth was short (only 24 years) but he filled it passionately with holy living. Pier Giorgio was a model of virtue, a "man of the beatitudes," as Pope John Paul II called him at the his beatification ceremony in Rome on May 20, 1990. He was described by friends as "an explosion of joy." As Pier Giorgio's sister, Luciana, says of her brother in her biography of him, "He represented the finest in Christian youth: pure, happy, enthusiastic about everything that is good and beautiful." To our modern world which is often burdened by cynicism and angst, Pier Giorgio's life offers a brilliant contrast, a life rich in meaning, purpose, and peace derived from faith in God. From the earliest age, and despite two unreligious parents who misunderstood and disapproved of his piety and intense interest in Catholicism, Pier Giorgio placed Christ first in all that he did. These parental misunderstandings, which were very painful to him, persisted until the day of his sudden death of polio. However, he bore this treatment patiently, silently, and with great love. Pier Giorgio prayed daily, offering, among other prayers, a daily rosary on his knees by his bedside. Often his agnostic father would find him asleep in this position. "He gave his whole self, both in prayer and in action, in service to Christ," Luciana Frassati writes. After Pier Giorgio began to attend Jesuit school as a boy, he received a rare permission in those days to take communion daily. "Sometimes he passed whole nights in Eucharistic adoration." For Pier Giorgio, Christ was the answer. Therefore, all of his action was oriented toward Christ and began first in contemplation of Him. With this interest in the balance of contemplation and action, it is no wonder why Pier Giorgio was drawn in 1922 at the age of 21 to the Fraternities of St. Dominic. In becoming a lay brother, Pier Giorgio chose the name "Girolamo" (Jerome) after his personal hero, Girolamo Savonarola, a fiery Dominican preacher and reformer during the Renaissance period. Pier Giorgio once wrote to a friend, "I am a fervent admirer of this friar (Savonarola), who died as a saint at the stake. Pier Giorgio was handsome, vibrant, and natural. These attractive characteristics drew people to him. He had many good friends and he shared his faith with them with ease and openness. He engaged himself in many different apostolates. Pier Giorgio also loved sports. He was an avid outdoorsman and loved hiking, riding horses, skiing, and mountain climbing. He was never one to pass on playing a practical joke, either. He relished laughter and good humor.
Page 2/2 Luciana points out, "Catholic social teaching could never remain simply a theory with Pier Giorgio." He set his faith concretely into action through spirited political activism during the Fascist period in World War I. He lived his faith, too, through discipline with his school work, which was a tremendous cross for him as he was a poor student. Most notably, however, Pier Giorgio (like the Dominican St. Martin de Porres) lived his faith through his constant, humble, mostly hidden service to the poorest people of Turin, Italy. Although Pier Giorgio grew up in a privileged environment, he never lorded over anyone the wealth and prestige of his family. Instead, he lived simply and gave away food, money, or anything that anyone asked of him. It is suspected that he contracted from the very people to whom he was ministering in the slums the polio that would kill him. Even as Pier Giorgio lay dying, his final week of rapid physical deterioration was an exercise in heroic virtue. His attention was turned outward toward the needs of others and he never drew attention to his anguish, especially since his own grandmother was dying at the same time he was. Pier Giorgio's heart was surrendered completely to God's will for him. His last concern was for the poor. On the eve of his death, with a paralyzed hand, he scribbled a message to a friend, reminding the friend to not forget to give medicine to Converso, a poor man Pier Giorgio had been assisting. When news of Pier Giorgio's death on July 4, 1925 reached the neighborhood and city, the Frassati parents, who had no idea about the generous self-donation of their young son, were astonished by the sight of thousands of people crowded outside their mansion on the day of their son's funeral Mass and burial. The poor, the lonely, and those who had been touched by Pier Giorgio's love and faithful example had come to pay homage to this luminous model of Christian living. Pier Giorgio's mortal remains were found incorrupt in 1981 and were transferred from the family tomb in the cemetery of Pollone to the Cathedral of Turin. His feast day is July 4th.
(1922-1962 AD) Page 1/2
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(1910-1997 AD)
John Paul the (1920 2005 AD) Great