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Saint Apollinaris, regarded as the first Bishop of Ravenna, lived around the middle of the 2nd century. Ancient inscriptions found in the area of Classe show that a well-organized Christian community already existed in Ravenna at a very early date.
A martyr of the faith at only 12 years of age, Maria Goretti chose to die rather than give in to the sexual advances of a violent young man, her neighbor. Faced with his repeated attempts, she always firmly refused, wanting to remain pure. Eventually, blinded by passion, the young man fatally attacked her. But before dying, Maria forgave him and said she wished to have him with her in Heaven.
A Portuguese nobleman who renounced wealth and honors to join the Augustinian Canons, Saint Anthony of Padua was deeply moved by the martyrdom of five Franciscan proto-missionaries. Inspired by their example, he became a disciple of Saint Francis of Assisi, dedicating his life to preaching the Word of God.
Pope Leo III, born in Rome, was educated from childhood within the vestiarium of the Roman Church, the office that managed the papal treasury.
Ordained as a subdeacon and later as Cardinal with the titular church of Santa Susanna, he maintained an important role in that administration which he officially headed in 789, becoming one of the main collaborators of Pope Adrian I.
“Our new Blessed lived that way: in the joy of the Gospel, without compromises, loving to the very end. He embodied the poverty of the disciple, which is not only detachment from material goods, but also victory over the temptation to put oneself at the centre, to seek one’s own glory”, Pope Francis said in his homily for the Beatification of John Paul I, in the world, Albino Luciani, held in Saint Peter’s Square on 4 September 2022.
Bartholomew was one of the twelve disciples who followed Jesus after the Baptism in the Jordan River. His name is included in the Synoptic Gospels as one of the Apostles linked to his contemporary Philip. We know little about this Apostle, whose Feast Day is celebrated on 24 August, the day Catholic tradition dates as his martyrdom. He was originally from Cana in Galilee, near Nazareth. Jesus said of him: “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile” (Jn 1:47). In his Gospel, John speaks of Nathanael, who is Bartholomew, at least according to the exegetes.
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