Saints

Archbishop of Milan. Charles was born in 1528 to an aristocratic family, who lived in a castle on the shore of Lake Maggiore. He suffered a speech impediment but was a very bright student. By the age of 22 he had his doctor's degree. His uncle Pope Pius IV heaped honours on him, including the administration of the diocese of Milan and appointment as Cardinal. Charles would have preferred to leav... Read More

Dominican lay brother. Patron saint of race relations. Born in 1579, in Lima, Peru, Martin was the illegitimate son of a Spanish knight, John de Porres, and a free black woman, Anna Velasquez. As a boy, Martin was apprenticed to a barber-surgeon. He spent his free time helping the Dominicans in their work with the poor. Eventually he became a lay brother, working during the day with the sick as ... Read More

Parents of Saint John the Baptist. Both were old when the Angel Gabriel came to tell them they were going to have a son. Zachariah was so shocked he lost the power of speech. When Elizabeth went to meet Mary, who was expecting Jesus, the child leapt up in her womb. When the baby was born, Zachariah wrote the name John on a tablet. His speech returned in the Temple, according to the Gospel of Luk... Read More