Saints

Dominican priest. Born near Nimes in France, in the 12th century, Bertrand first became a secular priest. Around 1208, he met St Dominic who was beginning his campaign to evangelise the Albigensians. In 1215 he joined St Dominic's' newly-formed religious congregation, the Order of Preachers, who travelled about the country preaching on the Gospels. He helped found the friary at Paris and was a ... Read More

Nun, foundress and missionary. Born in 1910 to Albanian parents, in what is now Skopje, Macedonia (then part of the Ottoman Empire), Gonxha (Agnes) Bojaxhiu was the youngest of the three children who survived. For a time, the family lived comfortably, and her father's construction business thrived. But life changed overnight following his unexpected death. During her years in school, Agnes parti... Read More

Martyr. Born near Sedburgh in Yorkshire, John Duckett studied at the English College of Douay and was ordained priest in 1639. He studied for three years in Paris before returning to England. He carried out his ministry for about a year before being arrested around the same time as another priest, Jesuit Ralph Corby. Father Ralph, who was born in Dublin and was educated in St Omer, Seville and Va... Read More