Domitian of Huy was a Gaulish bishop of the sixth century who is noted for both his generosity and writings against heresy. He is venerated as a saint. Domitian was the bishop of Tongeren, now in modern-day Belgium. He was present at the Council of Clermont (535). Domitian is notable for speaking out convincingly against heretics, especially at the Fifth Council of Orléans in 549. He...

Saint Francis-Xavier de Montmorency-Laval (1623-1708) was one of eight children born to one of France's most illustrious families. He learned his piety from his mother, and like his namesake desired to become a priest and missionary. This dream was realized when he was appointed by Pope Alexander VII to be the first Apostolic Vicar of New France (Canada). His territory covered all of what...

It’s been said that youth is wasted on the young. In some ways, that was true for today’s saint. Born in France in the early fifth century, Hilary came from an aristocratic family. In the course of his education he encountered his relative, Honoratus, who encouraged the young man to join him in the monastic life. Hilary did so. He continued to follow in the footsteps of Honoratus...

St. Florian (C. 250-304 A.D.) was a commander in the Roman army serving in modern-day Austria. He served during the reign of Emperor Diocletian, who violently persecuted Christians. Among Florian's military duties was the organization of firefighting brigades. St. Florian was secretly a Christian and was known for miraculously saving a town from being destroyed by fire; after praying to...

The Synoptic Gospels list Philip as one of the apostles. The Gospel of John recounts Philip's calling as a disciple of Jesus. [Jn 1:43] Philip is described as a disciple from the city of Bethsaida, and the evangelist connects him with Andrew and Peter, who were from the same town. He also was among those surrounding John the Baptist when the latter first pointed out Jesus as the Lamb of...