The school of Origen at Alexandria was a school of virtue and martyrdom; for the master, notwithstanding his extraordinary reputation in the sciences, made it the first part of his care to train up all his scholars in the most heroic maxims of Christian perfection. Hence it is not to be wondered that out of it came many illustrious martyrs in the persecution of Severus, which raged...

St. Laszlo (c. 1040-1095), also known as St. Ladislaus I of Hungary, was born to a royal family in Krakow, Poland. His father became King Bela of Hungary, and his mother was the daughter of the King of Poland. He was raised as a Christian, spending his childhood in the court of the Polish king. After the death of his father and brother, he became the King of Hungary in 1077 and also later the...

St. Josemaria Escriva (1902-1975) was born in Spain, one of six children of a devout Catholic family. Observing his parents faithfully endure painful family trials—the death of three of their young children and devastating financial setbacks—had a deepening effect on his own faith. As a teenager he discovered his vocation to the priesthood when he saw the path of bare footprints in...

St. Dominic Henares (1764-1838) was born to a poor family in Spain. He joined the Dominican Order and was ordained a priest in 1790. Ten years later he was sent as a missionary to the Far East. He went from Mexico to the Philippines, and finally to North Vietnam. He became Bishop of Phunhay, Vietnam, in 1803. In 1831 the Vietnamese emperor officially prohibited Catholicism and severely...

Saint Rumbold (or Rumold, Romuold) was an Irish or Scottish Christian missionary, although his true nationality is not known for certain. He was martyred near Mechelen by two men, whom he had denounced for their evil ways. Saint Rumbold's feast day is celebrated by the Roman Catholic Church, and Western Rite Orthodox Churches, on 24 June; and it is celebrated in Ireland on 3 July. He is...