Saints

Philosopher, statesman and martyr. Born in Rome around 475, Severenus Boethius was the son of a rich Christian Roman family. Orphaned as a young child, he was brought up by the noble Aurelius Symmachus and eventually married his daughter. By the age of 30 he was famous as a great scholar and is recognised as one of the makers of the Christian West. He translated Plato, Euclid, Aristotle and Pytha... Read More

'Do not be afraid' was the most often-used Biblical quote of Pope John Paul II. Karol Józef Wojtyła was born in the Polish town of Wadowice, a small town 50 kilometres from Krakow, on 18 May, 1920. He was the youngest of three children born to Karol Wojtyła and Emilia Kaczorowska. Karol was baptized on 20 June, 1920 in the parish church of Wadowice by Fr Franciszek Zak. He made his First Holy C... Read More

Archbishop of Cuba and founder of the Claretians. Antony was born in 1809 in northern Spain. As a young man he worked with his father as a weaver, before joining the seminary at Vich. He was ordained in 1835 and went to Rome to join the Jesuits as a missionary. But he suffered ill health and had to return to Spain. For some time he worked as a preacher in Catalonia, founding the Missionary Sons ... Read More