Saints

St John Regis French Jesuit priest. Born near Narbonne in 1597, John Francis Regis was the son of a well-to-do merchant. He joined the Jesuits at 18 and was ordained in 1631. as a young priest he longed to work as a missionary among the indigenous peoples of Canada, but he was to live out his vocation in France, running missions in the very poor rural areas of the Auvergne and Languedoc. A tirel... Read More

Martyrs. The cult of these fourth century saints is very ancient, but few facts are known about their lives. According to tradition, St Vitus became Christian as a child, during the reign of the Emperor Diocletian. Modesta and Crescentia were his tutor and nurse. Historians think it is probable that Modesta and Crescentia were from Sicily, while Vitus came from Lucania. From an early age Vitus... Read More

Born in 1117, the son of prosperous merchants, Rainier enjoyed a wild youth. He loved music and dancing, partying all night with friends, then sleeping all day. But when he was about 23, his aunt introduced him to a wandering monk who persuaded him there was more to life than dissipation and self-indulgence. St Ranier's change of heart was so dramatic, his parents feared for his sanity. He walke... Read More