St. Rita of Cascia (1381-1457) was born in Italy during an era of violent strife between cities and warring family tribes. As a child she repeatedly requested to enter the convent, but instead her parents arranged her marriage to a rich, ill-tempered, and violent man. He became physically abusive, yet she met his cruelty with kindness and patience. During her eighteen years of marriage she...

Saint Godric of Finchale, also known as Godrick, was born in 1069 in Walpole, Norfolk, England. He was the oldest of three children born to a freedman Anglo-Saxon farmer. From a young age, Godric displayed a sense of adventure and a desire to explore the world. He embarked on a life of travel, both on land and sea, working as a peddler and later as a merchant mariner. His journeys took him...

Born of a noble family at Baltonsborough, near Glastonbury, England, Dunstan was educated there by Irish monks and while still a youth, was sent to the court of King Athelstan. He became a Benedictine monk about 934 and was ordained by his uncle, St. Alphege, Bishop of Winchester, about 939. After a time as a hermit at Glastonbury, Dunstan was recalled to the royal court by King Edmund, who...

Saint Venantius of Camerino, also known as Wigand or Venanzio, was a teenage martyr who lived during the early third century. He was born around 235 in Camerino, Italy, and lived during a time of intense persecution of Christians under the Roman Emperor Decius. Not much is known about Saint Venantius' early life, but he is believed to have come from a wealthy and devout Christian family....