Saints

These fourth century saints were probably brothers, from Tyre in Lebanon. They were shipwrecked on the Eritrean coast while on a voyage on the Red Sea, and taken to Axum in Ethiopia, which was the capital of a powerful kingdom. The royal family were curious about them and welcomed them into the court - where they were both given influential posts. When the king died they stayed as part of the qu... Read More

Layman, academic and teacher. Born in Milan in 1859, Contardo Ferrini was the son of a teacher. He first studied law, achieving a doctorate. He then won a scholarship and went on to study Roman-Byzantine law in Berlin. He taught in various schools of higher education until he joined the faculty of the University of Pavia, where he earned a reputation for being an outstanding authority on Roman l... Read More

Apostles and martyrs. According to Matthew and Mark, Simon was a Canaanite. Saint Luke described him as a zealot. Saint Jude is also described as a relative of Jesus and the brother of James. According to Western tradition, Jude joined Simon preaching the Gospel in Persia where both were martyred. In modern times, St Jude has been evoked as the patron of hopeless cases. This tradition is said to... Read More