Charms

In the late 600s, Odilia of Alsace was born blind. She was rejected by her father, a French duke, and sent to live in a convent. But Odilia was hap...

St. Olaf was King of Norway from 1015 to 1028, a particularly harsh era. He led with Viking principles of courage, aggression, preparation, shrewdn...

Originally from Scotland, Patrick was kidnapped by pirates at only 14 and enslaved as a shepherd in Ireland. There, Patrick's faith grew. He prayed...

Once a vicious persecutor of Christians, Paul was thrown from his horse and blinded as God commanded him to change. Paul became the Apostle to the ...

Born in the 13th century, Peregrine was active in an anti-papal rebellion. Once, he even struck a priest who was defending the Church. When the pri...

Peter, a simple fisherman, was hardly perfect. Scripture describes Peter's fear when Jesus invited him to walk on water. Peter also impulsively sev...

In 1802, the tomb of a 4th-century teenage girl was discovered with the inscription "Peace be with thee, Philomena." The young Philomena had refuse...

Padre Pio, born Francesco Forgione in 1887, was the son of poor Italian farmers. He became a Capuchin priest and eventually, an inspiration to mill...

Born of humble origins, Saint Pius X strove to "renew all things in Christ." He fought modernism and relativism; established the Confraternity of C...

We meet the archangel Raphael in the Old Testament book of Tobit. He appears with a mission of healing, saying "...the Lord has sent me to heal you...

Rebecca, also called Rafqa, was born in Lebanon in 1832. Amid family conflict over who she would marry, Rebecca discerned a religious vocation. She...

Rita was forced into an arranged marriage with a vicious man. After years of patience and prayer, he repented, but was murdered in a feud. Their tw...

St. Rocco, or Roch, was born around 1348 in France. After his parents' death, Rocco sold all he owned and began a pilgrimage to Rome. When the plag...

From Rose's birth in 1586, people admired her exceptional beauty. However, she knew she was not called to marriage. This angered her parents, but R...

Scholastica, twin sister of Saint Benedict, founded a community of women religious. The siblings met once a year, halfway between their monasteries...

Sebastian was a captain of the Roman Praetorian Guard in the 3rd century. When his Christian faith was revealed, Sebastian was tied to a tree, shot...

Critical of the corrupt religious leaders who rejected Jesus, Stephen was an outspoken deacon who did not hold back. "You stiff-necked people!" he ...

Tarcisius was a young altar server during the 3rd century, a time of fierce persecution of Christians. He had the dangerous privilege of smuggling ...

Teresa was born in Spain in the early 1500s. Like many teenage girls, she loved fashion, boys and reading novels. Her vibrant personality inspired ...

"By blood, I am Albanian. By citizenship, an Indian. By faith, I am a Catholic nun. As to my calling, I belong to the world. As to my heart, I belo...

Thérèse, often called "The Little Flower," was an intelligent and loving child, but she experienced deep suffering and anxiety. In 1886, Jesus answ...

Though Thomas is often remembered for his doubt when hearing of Christ's Resurrection, his response to meeting the Risen Savior was faith-filled: "...

Thomas Aquinas, a 13th century Dominican, is perhaps the most influential Christian thinker of all time. He was called "Dumb Ox" by his teachers as...

Thomas More was a brilliant English lawyer and a councilor and friend to King Henry VIII. He passionately opposed the king's ideas of reforming the...

Timothy was a young man in Lystra when St. Paul came there to preach. Timothy converted and became close friends with Paul, whom he joined on many ...

Valentine was a Roman priest around the year 300, during a time when Christianity was outlawed. Legend has it that Valentine secretly performed Chr...

As Jesus carried the heavy cross on the way to his crucifixion, one woman in particular took great pity on him. In a brief moment of relief for Jes...

Vincent de Paul was a French priest known for his compassion, humility, and generosity. At 24, he was kidnapped by pirates and spent two years as a...

Dorothy Day became Catholic in 1927, after a unique but difficult young adulthood. She was passionate about helping workers and the poor, writing a...

Father Emil Kapaun, a Kansas farm boy, was hardworking and courageous. While an Army chaplain during the Korean War, the popular priest ministered ...

Augustus Tolton was born a slave in Missouri in 1854. The Toltons escaped slavery during the Civil War, and moved to Quincy, Illinois. Their pastor...

In 1846, Cornelia Connelly founded the Society of the Holy Child Jesus in England. An American convert to Catholicism, Cornelia was committed to th...

Father Patrick Peyton, C.S.C., devoted his priestly life to spreading devotion to Mary and encouraging family prayer, especially the Rosary. He use...