St. Benedict of Nursia (480-547 A.D.) and his twin sister, St. Scholastica, were born to a Roman nobleman and his wife in Nursia, Italy. He spent his childhood with his parents in Rome. As a young man he found in himself a strong desire to escape the triflings of the world and serve God. He left his family and wealth and settled in the mountainous region of Subiaco. After three years living in...

St. Amelia (741-772 A.D.) was born into a noble and pious Christian family in the land of the Ardennes, bordering what is today Belgium and Luxembourg. Amelia was a devout child of strong character who committed her virginity to Christ from a young age. However, because she was such a beautiful and virtuous woman, she was pursued for several years by the young Charlemagne. In one account,...

∙               Adrianus van Hilvarenbeek ∙               Andreas Wouters ∙               Antonius van...

St. Gregory Grassi, was a Franciscan missionary bishop from Bologna, Italy. After preparation for life as a missionary, he was sent to China where he became the Vicar Apostolic of the Shanxi Province. Along with a group of Franciscan Missionaries of Mary, among them Sr. Herminia Grivot, he and other Franciscan priests were seized during the so-called Boxer Rebellion. After suffering...

The designation Four Crowned Martyrs or Four Holy Crowned Ones actually refers to nine individuals venerated as martyrs and saints in the Catholic Church. The nine saints are divided into two groups: Claudius, Castorius, Symphorian (Simpronian), Nicostratus, and Simplicius Severus (or Secundius), Severian(us), Carpophorus (Carpoforus), Victorinus (Victorius, Vittorinus) According...