Saints

Seminarian. Patron of youth. Born in 1568, Aloysius was a son of the Marquis of Castignlione. His mother was lady-in-waiting to the Queen of Spain. His parents wanted him to be a solder and as a young boy he used to take part in military parades. Once he set off a cannon without permission. Aloysius became a page in the court, but during a long illness he began to pray and read the lives of th... Read More

The first martyr of Britain. Alban was a Romano-Briton, living in Verulanium (now the city of St Albans). During the persecutions of the Emperor Diocletian he is said to have sheltered a Christian priest, St Amphilbalus, who baptised him. When soldiers came looking for the priest, Alban dressed in his clothes to help him escape. He was arrested and after refusing to offer sacrifice, was killed by... Read More

Both saints held high office in England but submitted to martyrdom, rather than accept Henry VIII's claim to be head of the Church. Saint John Fisher was a learned teacher and chancellor at Cambridge university, and a friend of the humanist Erasmus. He became Bishop of Rochester in 1504 at the age of 35. When asked to accept the King as head of the Church he said he could not. "I do not condem... Read More