Disciples of Saint Paul the Apostle

On the day following the conversion of Saint Paul, the Churches of the West commemorate with special attention two of his close collaborators: Timothy and Titus, key figures of the apostolic mission and among the first bishops of the Church.

A life given entirely to the Church

Sulpicius Severus was born in Aquitaine around the year 350 into a family of high rank. Like many young men of his time, he initially pursued a career in law, considered the quickest path to prestige and honors.

The Patron Saint of Paris

At the beginning of the fifth century, in the territory that would become the heart of future Paris, a woman was born who was destined to exercise a singular influence on the city’s religious and civic life. Geneviève grew up in a humble environment, yet from childhood she displayed an early inclination toward a consecrated life. While still a child, she was recognized as belonging to God and, once she reached maturity, she chose to live as a consecrated virgin without withdrawing into a monastery. Fully integrated into the urban and social fabric, she devoted her life to prayer, penance, and service to those in need.

Offered in Sacrifice for Christ

Saint Martina, venerated as a virgin and martyr, lived in Rome in the 3rd century. She belonged to a Patrician family. According to tradition, she was persecuted for her Christian faith during the reign of Emperor Alexander Severus.

A light to enlighten the nations

The solemnity of the Epiphany is one of the oldest celebrations in Christianity. As early as the first centuries of the Church, it was experienced as the moment when Christ makes himself visible to the world. If Christmas is traditionally associated with the joy of the Lord’s birth, awaited and prepared for during the season of Advent, the Epiphany also expresses this same joy, broadening its meaning. For a long time, until the fourth century, January 6 was the principal date on which believers celebrated the Savior’s entry into human history. Far from replacing Christmas, the Epiphany completes it: it is the moment when Christ openly manifests himself, revealing himself to all peoples.

The Apostle of Noricum

Saint Severinus of Noricum, born around 410, is a central figure Christianity of  Late Antiquity. Recognized as a saint by both the Roman Catholic and the Orthodox Churches, he devoted his life to the evangelization of the Roman province of Noricum, in present-day Austria, where he founded numerous monastic communities. The area he frequented most was the Danubian plain, between Carnuntum and the region of Passavia, today’s Passau.

True Witnesses of the Gospel

The center of the veneration of Saints Julius and Aaron is Caerleon, a Celtic name meaning “City of the Legions” (Quadrata Legionum). Caerleon, located in southern Wales, was a fortress permanently occupied by the Second Augustan Legion from 75 to 431 AD.
The two were likely martyred during the Diocletian persecution, around the year 304.

Saints Rufina and Secunda were two Christian martyrs born in Rome, whose lives and martyrdom are documented by numerous authoritative sources, including the Martyrologium Hieronymianum, various Roman pilgrim itineraries, the Notitia Ecclesiarum by William of Malmesbury, and above all, the Roman Martyrology, which commemorates them on July 10. They were martyred near Rome in a place called sylva nigra (“dark forest”) around the year 260.

A Spiritual Father for Countless Men and Women

He is the father of a countless multitude of contemplative men and women who found in his Rule a source of life and inspiration. There is no doubt that the influence of Saint Benedict of Nursia spans the centuries and remains relevant even today.

The Saint of Forgiveness

He found the strength to forgive his brother’s murderer, even though this act caused serious conflict within his family. His father, in particular, never accepted this position. It was precisely for this reason that John Gualbert decided to enter the Benedictine monastery of San Miniato in Florence.

A Model of Justice in Leadership

 Saint Henry, Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, stands as a shining example of righteousness and justice in governance. In a challenging era for Europe, he managed to live out the principles of the Gospel while exercising temporal power.

In the Service of Christ through the Sick

At a time when the sick were still cared for by convicts or untrained mercenaries, Camillus de Lellis radically transformed the approach to caregiving. No longer was it to be seen as a punishment to be endured or a mere means of making money—it became an act of love and compassion toward those who suffer, recognizing in the sick the reflection of Christ’s face, to be served and loved.

A Theologian Formed in the School of St. Francis of Assisi

St. Bonaventure was born around 1217 in the small town of Bagnoregio, in the region of Lazio. His baptismal name was Giovanni, the same as his father's, Giovanni Fidanza. Little is known about his early life, except that he was cured of a serious illness through the intercession of St. Francis of Assisi—a miracle he himself recounts in the prologue to the Legenda maior sancti Francisci.

Disciple and Mother

The liturgical feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel was established to commemorate her apparition on July 16, 1251 to Saint Simon Stock, then Prior General of the Carmelite Order. During this vision, the Virgin Mary gave him a scapular and revealed remarkable spiritual privileges associated with wearing it.

Guillotined for their faithfulness to consecrated life

A show trial before the Revolutionary Tribunal — a parody of justice whose only guiding principle was hatred toward religion and the Church. The outcome was fatal: sixteen Discalced Carmelite nuns from Compiègne, led by their prioress, Teresa of St. Augustine (born Marie-Madeleine-Claudine Lidoine), were guillotined in Paris’s Place du Trône on July 17, 1794.

In the Service of the Popes and the Church

Saint Bruno of Segni was born between 1045 and 1049 in Solero d’Asti (now in the Province of Alessandria in northwestern Italy) to a modest family. Educated by the Benedictines, he continued his studies at the University of Bologna where he specialized in the trivium and quadrivium. After being ordained a priest, he became a canon in Siena and wrote biblical commentaries.

Charity toward the poor and pilgrims

Symmachus, originally from Sardinia, was elected Pope on November 22, 498, following the death of Pope Anastasius II. However, his election was contested by a Roman faction aligned with the Byzantines, who instead elected the archpriest Laurentius. To resolve the dispute, the Ostrogothic King Theodoric summoned both candidates to Ravenna and decreed that the one who had received the most votes would be recognized as the legitimate pope. Symmachus had the majority and was thus confirmed as supreme pontiff.

A Theologian in the Service of Pastoral Ministry

Inspired by the example of his cousin Pietro, who was a few years older, Giovanni Becchetti entered the Augustinian convent in Fabriano, in the Marches region of Italy, at a very young age. We do not know the exact date of his birth, but it can be placed in the second half of the fourteenth century.

Tireless Missionary of the Gospel

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.

Defender of Church Doctrine

He carried out every task with simplicity and humility, defending the Church from attacks by enemies of the faith, promoting peace among warring powers, and leading the Order of Capuchin Friars Minor with dedication.