St. Charles Borromeo (1538–1584) was born into an ancient and wealthy family in Lombardy, Italy. When his uncle became Pope Pius IV, Charles was brought to Rome to take over several important assignments connected with the Vatican. He was ordained to Holy Orders at the age of 25 and was later made Archbishop of Milan, a position of high influence in the Church, and Cardinal. He initiated...

St. Hubert of Liege, also known as Hubert of Maastricht, was a 7th century bishop and missionary who is venerated as the patron saint of hunting, foresters, and hunters. He was born in Toulouse, France, in the 7th century, into a noble family and was raised in a deeply Christian household. He was well-educated and received a formal education, and later he became a courtier at the Merovingian...

Saint Winifred of Wales, also known as Saint Gwenfrewy or Saint Winefride, was born in Holywell, Wales around the year 600. She was the daughter of Trevith, a member of the Welsh landed class and advisor to the king. From a young age, Winifred showed great devotion to her faith and was blessed with remarkable physical beauty. Winifred became a spiritual student of her maternal uncle, Saint...

November 1 is All Saints Day. Originally it was a feast day to celebrate all the Popes who had been declared saints. Over the years the festival embraced all those who had gained heaven but who were not explicitly named in the martyrology. However, there are quite a few saints whose feast day falls on November 1, as the Church usually designates the day upon which they died as their feast....

Tragedy and challenge beset today’s saint early in life, but Alphonsus Rodriguez found happiness and contentment through simple service and prayer. Born in Spain in 1533, Alphonsus inherited the family textile business at 23. Within the space of three years, his wife, daughter, and mother died; meanwhile, business was poor. Alphonsus stepped back and reassessed his life. He sold the...