St. Sharbel Maklouf - Lebanon 1828-1898.
St. Sharbel was a monk for sixteen years and a silent, praying hermit for 23. After his death a light shone from his tomb and healed many people. He is the first saint who belonged to the Maronite order of the Church.
St. Bridget - Sweden 1303-1373.
Bridget had 8 children. One of them was St. Catherine of Sweden. Bridget was the
principal lady-in-waiting to the Queen of Sweden. In later years she became a nun and was one of the people responsible for the return of the pope from exile in Avignon, France to Rome.
Orphaned during a small pox epidemic, and almost totally blind, she became a Catholic after meeting Jesuit missionaries. She was know for her kindness as she fetched water, made handi-crafts and cared for small children in her village. Her last words were, "Jesus, I love you."
Blessed Peter To Rot - South Pacific 1912-1945.
Peter was from a small island, Rakunai, near New Guinea. He was a lay catechist
who took over the job of teaching and baptizing people after the Japanese imprisoned all the priests on the island. He was killed because he would not stop telling people about God and the holiness of marriage.
St. John Bosco - Italy 1815-1888.
St. John was born in Turin on a farm. He is famous for working with poor and abandoned boys. He taught and cared for hundreds of them. He is also famous for miracles, for a sense of humor, and for a mysterious black dog that appeared by his side when someone threatened to attack him.
Ven. Zepherin Namuncura - Argentina 1887-1905
Zepherin was the son of Cheif Manuel Namuncura of the Araucano Indians of the Argentine Pampas, whose ambition was to lead his people to the one, true God. He gave his son to priest at age two. As a young seminarian, Zepherin loved to pray the rosary for his people. He died of tuberculosis at age eighteen.
St. Rose of Lima - Lima, Peru 1586-1617.
As a young woman, St. Rose worked in the garden and did sewing. She decided to live a life of prayer in a small hut in that garden. Rose also cared for children, elderly, and the sick in her family's house. This was the beginning of social services in Peru. She was the first canonized saint from the Americas.
St. Teresa of Los Andes - Chile 1900- 1920.
Juanita was born in Santiago, Chile. She became a Carmelite sister so she could spend her life praying for people. She wrote, "How fortunate I am to sacrifice all for God! But this is nothing in comparison to what our Savior sacrificed for us." She died of an illness.
St. Mary MacKillop - Australia 1842-1909.
Mary is the first Australian to be named as Blessed. She helped the poor, especially
those in the bush country. She struggled against a lot of sickness and prejudice. Her symbol is the eucalyptus because of her pioneering efforts to preserve and protect native plants and the environment.
Fr. Peter Chang - Mongolia, China 1894-1948.
Peter was from a tiny village but was one of the smartest students when it came to studying languages in the seminary. Later, he became a teacher in the seminary. He was killed during the Communist takeover of China.
Blessed Victorie Rasoamananarivo -
Madagascar 1848-1894.
Victorie was the grandchild of the Prime Minister.
She became Catholic when she was 15. She was
later married to an abusive husband but treated him
with kindness. Victorie was able to use her influ-
ence to keep the Catholic schools open during the
years that the French missionaries were expelled
from the country.
.Blessed Cyprian Tansi - Nigeria 1903-1964.
Cyprian was baptized at nine. His baptism affected him deeply, to the point of destroying his own personal pagan idol, given to him at birth. Cyprian grew up to be a beloved priest who traveled from town to town by foot or bicycle to take care of his people. He later became a Trappist monk so he could establish a monastery in his diocese. He died at Mount St. Bernard Abbey in England in Jan 1964 after spending fourteen years there.
St Olga and St. Vladimir the Great - Russia/Ukrain 956-1015.
St Vladmir and his grandmother were some of the first Catholics in Russia. Prince Olga of Kiev was a malicious woman responsible for the deaths of thousands before she was converted. After her baptism, she was a champion of the poor. St. Vladimir was the Grand Duke of Kiev and all Russia. This nephew of the Czar was the first Russian ruler to embrace Christianity. He ordered all the statues of other gods to be destroyed and some thrown in the river. Even today, Russian Christians usually pray with Icons, not statues or regular pictures.
St. Juan Diego - Mexico 1500s. (canonized in Aug 2002)
Juan Diego was an Aztec who saw visions of Mary in 1531, on a hill in what is now Mexico City. The Bishop did not believe him without proof, so Our Lady of Guadalupe told him to gather roses and show the Bishop. When he opened his cloak there was an image of Mary imprinted on it. The cloak and image can stillbe seen today in a shrine in Mexico City. We don't know when Juan Diego died. he was canonized in 2002.
St. Marguerite d'Youville - Quebec, Canada 1701-1777.
Marguerite was married at age 21 and had three children. Her husband died when she was 29. Then she took over the management of the French colony's failing hospital and made it a success. She also founded the Gray Nuns who still work in the hospital today. One son died young and the other two became priests.
St. Paul Miki - Tounucumada, Japan 1562-1597.
Paul was a member of a respected Japanese family
who joined the Jesuits when he was 18. He was a
gifted preacher who gave his last sermon as he died. He said, "I tell you plainly that Christianity is the only way to salvation." He and 25 other
Christians were crucified in Nagasaki as they sang
psalms and prayed.
St. Charles Lwanga - Uganda, Africa d. 1886.
Charles Lwanga was the master of the pages for King Mwanga. He refused to participate in the King's immoral requests which were designed to force the pages to deny their faith. Charles was executed with 21 others. Because of their courageous witness, faith in Jesus spread to many thousands in Africa.
(c) Therese Boucher
