St. Jean-Gabriel Perboyre (1802-1840) was one of eight children born to a farming family in France. He was a pious child and served as a model of virtue for his childhood companions. He discerned a call to the priesthood and joined the Vincentians along with a younger brother, with the full support of his parents. He served as a seminary professor for many years, and his sanctity impressed...

St. Ambrose Edward Barlow (1585-1641) was born near Manchester, England, to a noble family. He was baptized Catholic at his birth, but was raised Protestant when Catholicism was outlawed by the reigning monarchy. His grandfather died while imprisoned for his Catholic faith, and his father had two-thirds of his estate confiscated for refusal to conform to the Church of England. Ambrose returned...

St. Kieran the Younger (512-546 A.D.), also known as St. Ciaran, was born in Connacht, Ireland, the son of a carpenter. He demonstrated a great aptitude in his studies, being educated by a holy deacon who had him baptized. Kieran tended cattle in the fields before continuing his education at Saint Finnian’s monastery school at Clonard, where he became a monk. He soon earned the...

Magnus was a monk at St Gall. One moving story involving him is that, on learning of the death of Columbanus whom Gall had refused to accompany to Bobbio in Italy, Gall sent Magnus to pray at Columbanus’s grave. Magnus returned with St Columbanus’s staff which on his deathbed Columbanus had instructed to be given to Gall as a gesture of reconciliation in the quarrel which a few...